#maybe not though. tbh. maybe i have a 'delightful' mix of all three.

[lunar-fey]

i wish my brain would . stop. or at least slow down a bit

[kaeyazuha]

oooh ok this is so sappy but i can never get enough of pieces like this: how/when they first realized that they're in love with you, and how they react to that realization ft. tighnari, wanderer, xiao, and/or venti please? as fluffy or angsty as you want, thank you so much!

; This is an adorable request, thank you! I'm a bit rusty from the break, but I hope this is okay.

; 6/16/23

; CW: none tbh, wanderer and xiao struggle with feelings

; Fluff

𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶 '𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿'

✧ Tighnari is extremely in tune with himself: this includes his feelings, his body, and his thoughts. And yet, he finds that around you, everything gets mixed up into one big puddle of goo. Whenever you weren’t watching, his observant eyes were trained on you. He’d analyze you like a foreign species of plant, trying to pick apart what about you made his heart pound in his ears, what made him stutter and blush like a lovesick teenager, what caused the ache in his chest whenever you weren’t nearby. He’s considered the thought of having a crush on you, but each time, he’d simply brush it off as a hormone imbalance or try to rationalize it as a perfectly normal reaction. 

✧ Realizing his love for you felt like a double take. “Oh.” and then “Oh.” It’s a split second that changes his entire perspective, and it hits him in the most random of times. He could be pressing flowers and then smile at the realization that those were your favorite flowers. Or maybe he’s jotting down notes and finds himself writing a few letters the same way you do. It could even be something as small as looking up at the sky and wondering if you saw the same shape in the clouds that he did.

✧ Once he realizes he’s in love with you, everything makes sense. The puddle of goo slowly melts away and everything feels okay again, and the clarity of everything hits him like a truck. He needs to say something. Tighnari is a man of action. He thinks before he speaks, but he speaks before you can think. He’d take a moment to think about what he would say, but then he’s standing right in front of you with rosy cheeks and a determined look on his face. And then finally, he’d say those three special words to you--

- ✧ -

“You’re a pain.” Tighnari couldn’t help but sigh as he crossed his arms, looking at you up and down with a tired expression. Yet, a faint smile tugged at his lips as he watched you struggle with a particularly invasive type of vine. You’re tangled in it like a bug in a spiderweb, a defeated look on your face as you hang limply from the vines. 

You groan, crossing your arms as you glare at him. The sight of him looking at you so smugly made you want to slap him...and kiss him. Maybe not in that order though. “I am no such thing! I’m just-- ugh…” The vines dug into your skin as they held you by your ankle, and you sighed before reaching out to him. His fluffy ears twitched with delight at the way you pouted so adorably, and he swiftly used an arrow to cut the vine, catching you when you fell. However, he clearly didn't think this through. As he held you, watching your expression shift from relief to shock to a mixture of embarrassment and bashfulness, his own eyes widened and a warm blush spread over his cheeks, his fluffy ears twitching when his tan skin continued to redden.

Oh.

Oh.

Tighnari was dead silent when he put you down, and he briskly turned around before starting to walk away. “Wait! Don’t just leave me here!” You sighed, starting to swiftly follow him, doing your best to ignore the way your heart pounded. The walk back was painfully awkward, your attempts at conversation followed by dry responses if a response at all. And eventually, you had enough! The way he refused to meet your gaze, how his hands clenched at his sides just to make sure they didn’t touch yours, he was avoiding you like the plague despite being right beside you. And so, you pivoted on your heel until you stood right before him.

“Okay, what’s with you? Ever since the vine thing, you’re acting like I did something wrong! Did…did I do something wrong?” Your confused and hurt expression made his heart ache, and Tighnari couldn’t help but shake his head fervently-- the way his ears bounced with each movement would have been adorable had it not been for the hurt you felt. Tighnari’s cheeks blushed a soft red, his multicolored eyes trained on you in a serious manner. It looked like he was about to scold you, with his serious frown and crossed arms, so you mentally prepared yourself for yet another lecture. 

“No, you’ve done nothing wrong. Well, getting tangled in the vines was rather stupid,” You bit the inside of your cheek, resisting the urge to say it wasn’t your fault, but he continued regardless. “But, I’m grateful you did. Had it not been for your adorably clumsy nature, I would not have had the chance to catch you in my arms.” As your eyes widened, a small smirk tugged at his lips and he took a step towards you. “And if I hadn’t held you so close, I don’t think I would have realized this just yet.” Tighnari seemed to trail off on this annoying cliffhanger, and you sighed before looking up at him. 

“...Realized what?” As if he’d been waiting for you to ask, he leaned close- close enough that his hair tickled your nose and his lips brushed against your ear as he whispered:

“That I love you.”

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗿 '𝗞𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗸𝘂𝘇𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶'

✧ It took him ages to realize he loved you. No seriously, it would take years. Some part of him knew you were special, but he could never figure out why. Was it the way your smile made him anxious? Or perhaps the way your voice made his face heat up with rage? Maybe it was the way every little thing reminded him of you, like an annoying bug that wouldn’t go away. Yet, he found that none of these things were actually…bad. He loved your smile, the way it made his robotic heart race. He adored your voice, the way it made him blush so heavily. And he absolutely loved the way everything reminded him of you, like some part of you was always with him. It took him a while to realize he did actually like you, and not hate you. And then after that, it took even longer to realize he loved you.

✧ Realizing he was in love with you felt like a nightmare. It was a panic, a moment of weakness. Him? Love? Please, what a sick joke. Yet…after the panic subsided, he found his heart reaching out to you who he adored so dearly. You would understand, wouldn’t you? Surely you, who had the patience of a mother, would understand his pathetic feelings? Or would you turn him away, and leave him behind? He’d spend days agonizing over the what if’s though he tried not to. He was too prideful to admit someone like you could reduce him to a total mess. The amount of questions circling his brain only served to make him angrier, and he swallowed back his fears for just long enough to shout a very upset sounding “I THINK I LOVE YOU.” Honestly, it almost sounded like he was cursing at you.

✧ In summary, Wanderer is an emotional mess. His hundreds of years alive have been dedicated to anything but his feelings. He was destined for something greater than human emotions in his mind. However, when he sees the way your face shifts from shock to a relieved happiness, he realized maybe this was his destiny all along. Maybe loving you, who made him feel like a puddle of goo, was the divine purpose he was meant for all along.

- ✧ -

A chill ran down your spine for the fifth time in the past few minutes, and your eyes awkwardly shifted to the ground. He has been staring at you for a creepy amount of time, but it wasn’t his usual glare- and somehow, that only serves to make you more nervous. You gulped thickly, drumming your fingers over your arm before your head snapped to him, and you raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, what is it?” In response, Wanderer simply shrugged. Gods, he could be so infuriating. You could feel your eyebrow twitch as you gritted your teeth, resting a hand on your hip. “I see, so you’ve been staring at me for five minutes just for fun?” Once again, he shrugged. The faintest shade of red dusted the tips of his ears, and his hands limply rested in the pockets of his shorts. You could see the way he turned his head, hiding it behind his intricately-detailed hat. The sight of his blushed ears made your eyes narrow, and you reached out to grab his wrist- causing him to let out a curse. Finally, a reaction!

Wanderer looked down at your hand on his wrist, and then back up at you. And then down to his wrist before he tugged his hand away. Though, he found that he quickly missed the feeling of your soft hand warming his cold skin. The way his hand subconsciously reached out to hold yours once more made him scoff and he shoved his hand back in his pocket, quickly looking away. “What’s the big idea, huh?!” His indigo eyes crinkled when he snarled, but a certain glitter swirled within them that made you smile knowingly. Wanderer leaned forward, flicking your forehead when you didn’t respond. He did this a lot, and always smiled at the way you yelped and/or pouted. But this time, his smile wasn’t mocking or amused, but oddly…endearing? 

“You won’t respond!! Come on, we both know something’s up.” You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms- and you didn’t miss the way he mirrored your expression.

He sighed, shaking his head before looking up at you. “You really wanna know? Really?” His arms crossed as his hat cast a shadow over his face, but even through the dark, you could see a blush starting to coat his pale cheeks. When you nodded, he sighed again, leaning close to you. “You’re making my head do weird shit and I don’t like it one bit.” Your confused expression made him groan as he tried to explain further. “Come on, don’t play stupid!! I keep having these…gross and cheesy thoughts about you whenever you get close. And the way you smile…I think makes me happy. When I see your hand, I want to hold it…” The more he spoke, the more a gentle smile started to consume his scowl before he snapped out of it, growling in frustration before grabbing your shoulders. “S-So what’re you doing to me, huh?! What, are you some kind of witch? Do you enjoy making me feel this weird?!”

The more you processed his words, the more you smiled. Slowly, your head tilted to the side and you laughed, shaking your head when his blush only worsened. “Wanderer…do you lik--” He quickly slapped a hand over your mouth, squeezing his eyes shut before shouting-

“I THINK I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU, OKAY?!”

𝗫𝗶𝗮𝗼 '𝗔𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀'

✧ Realizing his love for you felt like a insult. He figured that his romantic feelings towards you were just…a glitch in the matrix. There was something about you that made his heart do backflips, and he did not like it. And so, he avoided you like the plague. But, distance makes the heart grow fonder. With each moment that passed without you beside him, he only felt lonelier. Even despite his eons of solitude, a mere moment without you felt like another thousand years. And so, one lonely night, you call out his name. And there he is, red faced and wide eyed, standing before your teary eyes.

✧ He didn’t want to admit he was in love with you. Could he, The Conqueror of Demons, feel something as human as…love? And so, the mere thought of falling in love with you felt almost insulting to him. It was a shock, something that almost angered him. He shouldn’t feel these things! But…if it wasn’t meant to be, then why does he like it? Why does he love the way his face heats up when you smile up at him? Why does he love the way you make him blush and laugh like a fool? Why does he love the way he loves you? Ultimately, he decides these questions are futile. Slowly, his feeling of betrayal and offense morphed into a feeling of fondness. And even slower, he’d finally listen to the cries of his aching heart.

✧ He didn’t want to tell you at first. But, after the realization of his feelings, he just couldn’t wait! He felt like an impatient child, shifting on his feet and biting his cheek. But, when you rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder, he knew it would all be okay. And so, as you gave him the sweetest smile he’s ever seen, he understood his feelings for the first time. For Xiao, falling in love with you felt like a rollercoaster. But…loving you felt like heaven. 

- ✧  - 

You’ve never seen him so anxious before. It was oddly unsettling, to be honest. Watching him shift his gaze every few seconds like a guilty child, the way his fingers fiddled with the material of his pants, even his scowl looked more like a nervous frown. Slowly, you set your pencil down, looking up at him with a concerned gaze from where you watched him pace around the inn. “Xiao…are you oka-”

“-YES.”

You deadpanned for a moment, wanting to be amused at his immediate answer that contradicted his expression of pure nerves. Instead, you were only more anxious. Slowly, your hands pushed against the table to prop you up and your shoes glided over the wooden floor before you were an arm’s length away from him. Xiao sighed slowly, resting his hands on the sill of the balcony with his head tilted away from you. This is a common occurrence for the both of you. Standing on the balcony, resting on it while watching the sun set. It was calming for both of you, but also made it much easier to discuss feelings neither of you liked. Past memories, traumas, bad days, any and all of it. But this…this was different.

“...No, I’m not.” Ah, there it is. Xiao’s eyes averted from yours, trained on the sky above the both of you as his hands gripped at the wooden sill. Patiently, you watched him, awaiting his next words. He was tense, and in all the time you’ve known him, you’ve never seen him this…afraid. Slowly, his head tilts to meet your gaze. His eyes were wide, glimmering in the fading sunlight while his pale skin carried a rosy blush that reached all the way to his elven ears. 

You smiled gently, reaching over to pat his shoulder- he still tensed, but it was nothing like before. He wasn’t one to let people touch him. Not even you, not at first. He would flinch, shove your hand away, and move from you- always the same actions in different orders. But, over time, he started to relax under your touch. This time was no different as he let out a small sigh.

“There’s something bothering me.” Xiao spoke slowly, his voice gruff and low but also hesitant. “I feel…weird around you. I’ve heard of these feelings in those stories told by Liyuen romantics, how one’s heart flutters around those they…love. But I’m not capable of that.” He continued on this spiel, and your eyes widened at the way he indirectly confessed to you. But, even as a wobbly smile overtook your lips, you remained quiet. “I’m a Yaksha, an adepti, I-I can’t feel something like this. And yet, I am. I am, and I don’t know how to feel about it.”

Xiao groaned, raking a hand through his hair before he turned to you, a small smile on his lips when you rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. You hummed softly, scooting closer before resting a head on his shoulder. “I feel the same way, Xiao. You may be an adeptus, but you still experience human emotions. Feelings confuse all of us, even adepti like you and humans like me. But, there’s no need to be afraid of them.” Your voice is nearly a whisper, letting your eyes flutter shut as his hand shakily reaches over to hold yours. He sucks in a quick breath, letting out a slow exhale before whispering:

“In that case…I think I’m in love with you.”

- Ky♡♡

[shatterthefragments]

Tattoo day 💖

(A tale of hope, wonder, happiness, and the existential horror(?) of having ink beneath one’s skin, though vastly overshadowed by the elation in having such beautiful pieces of art adorning my body.)

(Hitting post!!! As always: Feel free to reply and chat etc etc I am DELIGHTED!!)

So it was a weird day because I left later than I had initially wanted to.

My plan of wanting to go relax in my favourite gardens beforehand was a bit foiled by the need to sleep (I went to an event the evening before and despite trying to get my laundry done and my bag packed uhhh it was still midnight before I sort of made it to bed so I decided to take a later trip instead)

But I passed by my favourite island on the way and the weather was absolutely beautiful!!!

The sparkles on the ocean are like?!? Maybe all is good in the world if it can sparkle like this? 💖✨

My note from the ride is:

The world glitters

(I am by the ocean on a sunny day)

But it’s ok that I didn’t get my garden time. I still managed to get a monthly special croissant from a bakery I really like to stick in my bag before getting sushi across the street from the tattoo shop and then heading over 💖

I uh. Should’ve eaten more earlier in the day but oh well. My artist told me to take Advil before to reduce swelling so I did (and my friend said I didn’t bleed very much at all which was nice esp bc I had mixed advice on the Advil beforehand) but I also took Tylenol bc I had a headache (it’s. been a fairly bad pain week in both head and body honestly so I’m just happy that my hips and legs were ok to walk bc there isn’t really another option in the city unless I want to pay ridiculous amounts of money AND still have to walk)

(I did accidentally kick a syringe while walking to the bus but there was no needle and I wear closed toe shoes and I am still alive so I’m assuming I’m ok tbh. Even though I was kinda trying to watch where I’m going I’m maybe just. Not *that* city savvy)

One of my absolute best friends who lives sort of in the area joined me for the whole thing 🥰💖

She approved the Vibes of the shop (and truly it was so nice to have her there as support) (also all three of us being not neurotypical was very nice as well) though was quite worried about the amount of shading that was on the art piece I got 😬 but bc it wasn’t a HOLY SHIT WHAT ARE YOU THINKING moment she held off until after so I didn’t get scared of that 🫂

We did the text piece first and a few parts of the outline hurt a bit more than I was expecting based on the “small little line” that my Artist started each section out with first (which was very kind of them bc I had no idea what to expect) but strangely enough the filling in of the text outline was perfectly fine.

And then for my arm piece I chose to lay on my stomach (maybe I should’ve had a pillow or something to lay on as well?) bc it’s WAY more comfy for me than to lay on my side as was suggested but I just was not comfortable 😬 though my left arm kinda kept falling asleep a bit so I had to readjust sometimes to have it not fall asleep.

The shading. Uh. Definitely was “ok this is fine oh Ouch” each pass but it was ok. I’m most comfortable on my stomach and until it was like getting a bit bad and I wanted to talk as a distraction I was actually kinda thinking that maybe I could fall asleep?

Unfortunately there was a very sudden wave of nausea when we were almost done this one and I threw up in my mouth a little bit. It’s ok. But swallowing back down the acid definitely fucked up my throat through the next day.

So I had a break and slowly sipped on the juice box I brought and held hands with my friend (“you’re almost there and not the fake almost there like you’re actually nearly done”) and then we continued in a seated position instead (which. Is fine for the amount that was left but I am very glad that I didn’t have to sit like that for longer than that did.) (anybody that can’t sit normal Knows) (I asked if there was anything I could put my feet on and luckily there was a stool so I could sit more comfortably.)

Then after we went to the pharmacy for aquaphor and a sugary snack for me (I got a chocolate bar)

She had to go back to work but we got to take the bus most of the way together before I switched to the next part of the trip to my aunt’s where I stayed for the night.

And then I got to hang out with my sister and have a bit of a lazy morning (kinda avoiding going home tbh) which was super nice! Coffee and a little breakfast snack before going to get bao (we got a few different kinds - I liked the red bean one best :)) and eating them in the complex’s yard- shifting our position in the yard as the sun moved (I was initially going to be in the shade but it was cold and wet and I Specifically wore a long sleeve for sun protection to protect the new tattoos (I don’t burn easily but that’s not the point). And then the bubble tea place nearby opened so we got bubble tea :) and shared a waffle but I didn’t really want very much I just wanted to try it but then I was hungry by the time I got to the second part of my trip back home which is fine I got food then.

And then I did have to leave to go home if I didn’t want to be too late.

Gosh I always end up sweating when I go up and down one of the big ramps in a glass enclosure so even though I tried to really take it easy to avoid sweating I fear I may have a bit. But I think it should be okay? (I feel like I’m doing okay now a week later)

I made it home around 7 or so? And then had to like. Talk to mum for an hour or so while I was just trying to eat so I could take another Advil before bed which. Is fine. But I was tired all weekend and still am tired (esp given I now have Flesh Wounds to heal which makes me extra eepy) (it makes me smile to say eepy instead rn so I’m gonna)

Every time I look at my arm I smile I’m so happy 💖🥰

And every time since that I think I don’t love myself I just. NO. I love myself so much that I started to adorn myself with art to carry with me at all times.

I love myself so much that I faced my phobia of needles (though it IS much easier when not faced with them individually) in order to get one of the things I’ve wanted inked into me for a long time and another that I was just fully captivated by when I saw that design available (and STILL available when I decided to go for it which I’m super happy about 🥰)

I’m so glad that I did go for it.

I’m so glad I didn’t get caught up in any bullshit of “oh when I lose weight” even though I’ve been about the same size for years. Or get caught up too much in what other people will think of me.

I’m so thankful I was able to get these tattoos 🥰💖

And now I just hope that I’m able to heal well 🥰💖

And all that said. It just feels *right*.

When I look down at my forearm and see one of the things I’ve envisioned there for a long time. When I look in the mirror and see black ink against my skin it feels more like I’m at home in my body. 🥰🥹

It feels right

(Well. Right now it feels itchy. But it feels right 🥰)

it’s FLAKY but ah well.

(As a side note if we’ve talked here I am most likely willing to send you pictures privately)

[newtonsheffield]

I adore all your fics but something about A Letter You Never Read is making me flail even more then usual, bravo! Amazing job and congrats on 6 months of Bridgerton and Sons :D How does the first family dinner that Anthony brings Kate to post-ALYNR go?

I am truly shocked at the response this fic has gotten tbh

This might sound ridiculous, but I genuinely didn't think anyone would care . It was, like everything I write, pure self indulgence.

Anon Also asked: I think it would be hilarious to see Kate meeting the bridgertons in a letter you never read - I can imagine violet being beside herself with joy and the boys wanting to tell her all about Anthony pining after her 😂

Okay! Let's see Kate at her first Bridgerton family event.

Anthony had tried to say it so casually, she knew he had, but Kate knew what this meant to him, knew how much he probably wanted her to say yes. "No pressure or anything, but my Mum's invited you for dinner this week." She'd stilled, Newton nipping at her fingers, sitting in her lap. She knew really, what he was asking her, three weeks into their relationship. He wanted her to meet his family, to start twining their lives more firmly together. And as much as she liked the idea, as much as she liked the idea that her boyfriend wanted to let her into his life even more than he already had, it made her nervous. Anthony ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Forget I said anything." "I would love to meet your family." She said quickly, her hand on his arm to calm him, even though her heart was pounding. "Fair warning though, next week my Dad wants to meet you." And his smile had been so beautiful it had stolen her heart from her chest.

SO here she was, standing outside certainly the biggest house she'd ever been invited into, a bouquet of flowers clenched tightly in her fist. She'd panicked on the phone to Mary last night, "Mary he wants me to meet his family. What if they absolutely can't stand me?! What if his mum thinks I'm stupid and his Dad thinks I'm trash?! He'll break up with me and this will all be a humiliating footnote on the rest of my life!" Mary had sighed, "Sweetheart, have you seen yourself? The Bridgertons are going to love you. Besides, I've met Edmund and Violet and they're lovely just be yourself." Privately Kate thought that nothing good could come from being herself. That was hw she was in this mess to begin with.

Anthony's hand was warm in hers, his smile bright when he said, "Relax, Kate, they're really excited to meet you, and they're going to love you. I think my Mum already does." and then, before she could respond, Anthony had swung open the door, and they'd nearly been swallowed whole by the chaos. A boy who would be barely older than ten was standing at the tope of the stairs screaming "Hyacinth stood on my AT-AT walker lego and wrecked it!" A girl who must be Hyacinth given the slightly smug expression was saying "It was bad anyway!" Eloise and Francesca, who Kate had already met were appearing to be placing bets on which of their siblings would prevail as the two on the stairs started wrestling.

"What the hell?!" Anthony said, a little alarmed and everyone stopped. He appeared to be shooting murderous glances at each of his siblings, before an apologetic one at Kate, who could barely hold in her laughter at the chaos unfolding before her. "Anthony?!" A woman's voice called out, "Are you here sweetheart?" Anthony barely had time to call out "Yes, Mum!" Before a woman appeared, much younger than Kate would have thought honestly, her dark hair swept back off her face, her eyes alight with excitement, followed by a man who looked so startlingly like Anthony Kate nearly dropped her flowers.

"Hyacinth, let go of your brother immediately!" Anthony's mother hissed, gesturing wildly to her husband to do something about the situation. Anthony's father's solution was to sweep towards his youngest child and lift her onto his shoulders, forcibly breaking the headlock she had her brother in. Anthony cleared his throat.

"Mum, Dad, this is Kate Sheffield." He said quietly, his hand squeezing hers tightly, a small smile on his face as he finished, "She's my girlfriend." his mother made a soft cooing noise as though the prospect delighted her "Katie, this is my Mum and Dad, Hyacinth and Gregory and Eloise and Francesca who you met the other week." Anthony finished, gesturing to everyone. "Yes, we did meet the other week, didn't we Frankie? Not that we really got a chance to speak, Anthony was rather-" Eloise had started, but Anthony's mother clearly sensing danger interrupted.

"Kate! It's so lovely to finally meet you." She said, a little too loudly, and before Kate could react she was swept into a very tight hug, the flowers she'd brought held limply behind her back. "It's lovely to meet you as well, Mrs. Bridgerton." Kate said still feeling a little awkward and she pulled back. "And you, Mr. Bridgerton." She turned to his father who was looking at her with a strange mix of curiosity and pride. "Oh please, Violet's fine." Violet said taking Kate's hand and breezing from the room. "My goodness you're even more beautiful than I remember, no wonder Anthony's in such a state." Kate felt her cheeks flush. "Now we are just so so glad that you and Anthony reconnected, oh he just liked you so much in school. We all knew it but the poor boy was far too nervous to do anything about it." Kate felt her eyebrows raise, surprised that his mother would know who she was by name alone. "Mum!" Anthony said, his cheeks burning as he scampered after them, "Well, it's true, son. Vi, do you remember that time Anthony got hit in the head with a football because Katie Sheffield" he said the name in a dreamy sigh, "Walked past?"

Kate felt laughter bubble in her chest, her nerves slipping away. "Edmund, you're embarrassing him." Violet said lightly, forcing Kate into a seat at the breakfast bar in the Kitchen, Anthony plopping into the seat beside her, looking adorably petulant, She took his hand squeezing tightly and a small smile came to his face. "You're both embarrassing me." he muttered, his ears burning red, worsening as Kate kissed his cheek. "Excuse me, Kate." Gregory said politely, looking quite nervous as she turned towards him. "Anthony said that you have a puppy." "Anthony said, you have a puppy together." Hyacinth corrected eyeing Anthony who quickly said. "I didn't, I said Kate had a puppy. Katie I didn't tell them we got a dog together." He said quickly, his eyes horrified. And honestly, he needn't be so embarrassed, everything about this evening was only making her feel even closer to Anthony than she already felt, even more in love with him than she was, not that she could tell him that.

Gregory sighed, nudging his sister, "Anyway, um, me and Hyacinth were wondering if maybe we could meet the puppy?" He looked so adorably nervous to have asked, so much like a younger version of Anthony that Kate felt her stomach clench. "Mate, you can't ask people if you can meet their-" Anthony started, but Kate cut across him. "Next time I come, I'll bring him for you to see, he loves meeting new people. Maybe we can take him to the park sometime." Anthony was looking at her with such an odd expression, almost as if he were in awe of the very simple thing she'd just done. Gregory and Hyacinth high fived, tearing from the room.

"Well as I live and breathe if it isn't Katie Sheffield!" Benedict Bridgerton's voice boomed through the Kitchen, clearly just arrived. Kate smiled. "It's been a long time, Ben." She said as Benedict nudged Anthony out of the way to talk to her. "Oh too long. I had to listen to this one cry on the phone for months after you blocked him on Instagram." "I didn't block him." Kate said quickly, anxiety swirling in her stomach. Anthony swatted at his brother's ear, and just when she thought it couldn't possibly be more manic, and voice boomed. "My Lord, Anthony! Katie Sheffield's in the kitchen! The very reason you spent so much time in the shower is right here in the-" Colin's voice was cut off by a groan as Anthony's elbow connected with his stomach.

When Kate returned to the room sometime later having had to take a call she heard her boyfriend hissing. "Why can you not just be as cool as I am about this?! Why do you have to embarrass me?!" "Anthony, you look like a horny beetroot." a voice said Dryly. "Colin!" Edmund Bridgerton admonished and then, "But he isn't wrong Anthony." Kate couldn't help but Kiss Anthony very soundly when she returned to her seat next to him, unable to stop herself, affection overflowing for him, the room filled with awkward silence as soon as she appeared.

"I'm really fucking sorry about my family." Anthony groaned as they slid into the car, his forehead slumping against hers. Kate chuckled, "They love you, and they're happy that you're happy. It's nice." Anthony groaned again. "And besides, when you meet my family, it'll be way worse for you than that."

[sub-danny]

So question what do you think out omega boiz would smell like and would that sent change or be amplified buring their heat?

Zemo:

Zemo has a sweet tooth. We know that with Turkish delight so I like to believe he would smell of sweetness. The type that makes your mouth water as soon as you catch the scent of it. I haven't had proper Turkish delight so idk if that has a distinctive smell but imagine like cotton candy. But with being Baron I also feel like there might be a mix of a more refind smell as well. Like some mature wine. So yeah it would be a mix of those two scents. As for when he is in heat, it would definitely get amplified. He would have to hide away to avoid Alpha's aka Bucky

Laszlo:

Like I said with Zemo having some more refind smell as well like rich wine, I feel like Laszlo would be the same but also with a really nice musk smells mixed in with a tinge of sweetness. I am really not good with different types of smells tbh but out of all of them, he is in the top three for like, smelling rich. When he is in heat though I feel like the sweet fruit smell might take over as the main scent to attract Alpha's.

Andrea:

Definitely sweet flowers, the stuff that you have to keep smelling as it is so nice. Also the smell of rosery, the stuff they use to put on violin bows. Warm smells as well, if you would say summer has a smell, that is how Andrea smells. Like everything about the scent would just bring a smile to your face because of how nice it is! And during heat it would definitely get amplified and wherever he went the place would smell amazing.

Niki:

He would have a harsher smell, matching his personality. I know I am thinking about how he is an F1 driver but like the smell of diesel? Like I quite like that smell though I know it's down to opinions. I could also see the smell of pears, like nice ripe pears as what he might also smell like. Nothing too sweet but still nice. When he is in heat though the pear smell really gets amplified to attract alphas in.

Ernst:

You know that really strong detergent smell? I imagine something like that. It's not a bad smell though, it's a very nice smell. A really fresh and clean smell which I think would suit Ernst well especially being out in space. When in heat though I think it might take on a more sweeter undertone.

Alex:

He would be a sweet alcoholic smell. I see Alex as like, teenage dirtbag. He's young, he likes going out to parties, running around at night, living life to the full and that is shown through his smell. It would be a nice cocktail smell as well. Maybe one of the fruit ones. When in heat it definitely amplifies and he has to stay inside so no Alpha's can smell him as they would go wild.

Sebastian:

I'm seeing a mix of ink, fresh paint and coffee. Like a mix of all three. It isn't as sweet as the other omega's but Sebastian doesn't have that sweetness like the other's might have. Still, it's an alluring smell that would bring other's in. During the heat, the smell would get more intense but I don't think it would change a lot.

David:

The smell of freshly baked bread. Maybe with some sweet cherries as well but I definitely see him as just smelling like a bakery. And honestly, that's such a lovely smell. I'd just want to cuddle him and inhale his scent. As for when he is in heat, the cherries would come through as a stronger smell because of the sweetness of it.

Tony:

I see a mixture of a sweet smell like cake along with a more refined smell such as black pudding or like a deep rose smell. He's that perfect mix which I think works really well for him. Though when in heat the sweetness definitely takes over.

Alex Garel:

Hot chocolate! Also the smell of a bonfire. All those times warm smells on a cold day. It makes you just want to cuddle up to him tightly and to never let go. It's beautiful. And when in heat the hot chocolate smell definitely becomes stronger which is great.

[lesmis-lesmisera-lesohno]

@aromantic-enjolras, @p-trichor

*awkward wave* hiiiiiiii:))))

okay so i know i said i would write this last week, but tbh, last week was a w e e k (fuckyouanxiety)

anyways, i have written down my headcanons for the werewolf au! it is a bit of a mess, and it probably doesn't make much sense but! i did it!:))

i honestly wasn't planning on writing this much tho, it kinda got away from me lol, but i would have written more tbh, if it wasn't already so long

(also now that i have written this i really want to draw this whole thing, somebody please s t o p m e)

(also if anyone wants to take this shitty au idea and actually write a fic, i would be absolutely delighted! and! i would love to do art for it!:))))

enjoy this mess i guess:))))

General:

This is a fantasy au, set in a slightly ambiguous time period (I'm thinking anywhere from the middle ages, to today, mixed together and thrown in a blender:)))

Werewolves and other monsters live side by side with humans, but often have to hide their identity for fear of discrimination and unjust prosecution

Les Amis de l'ABC Is an activist group, fighting against the discrimination of werewolves and other monsters

The group consists of both humans and non-humans

Grantaire:

He was born with lycanthropy, as the result of a curse placed upon his parents before he was born

His parents didn't want a wolf child, so they abandoned him in the woods as a newborn, where he was found by an old woman who took him in

The old woman had been raised by witches, and though not skilled in the art of magic herself, had quite the talent for medecine, and remedies, and was well equipped to take care of a young werewolf

And so, for most of his childhood, Grantaire and the old woman lived peacefully and happily in a small cottage in the woods

The old woman taught him to read and write, and gifted him with books on mythology, art, and magic, and on full moon nights, he would be allowed to roam the woods

When he was eight he met Enjolras for the first time

They never knew each other by name, they were just two children playing together in the woods, referring to each other as 'friend'

A year later Grantaire tells Enjolras about his lycanthropy, and the following week, Enjolras stops coming to the woods

Grantaire learned to keep his lycanthropy to himself after that

When he was seventeen, Grantaire left the safety of the small cottage behind, wanting to explore more of the world than the woods he had been raised in. He left the old woman with the promise that he would write home with tales of his adventures, and would visit whenever he was in the area.

A werewolf is not, as you might have heard, some kind of vicious, mindless beast. If you stay out of it's path and treat it with respect, it should pose no particular danger, to anyone but the fools stupid enough to threaten it.

Unfortunately most people do not know this fact, and Grantaire quickly learned to hide everything that about himself that tied him to the wolf.

He was nineteen, when the old woman he had lived with his whole childhood, sent him a letter telling him not to come visit anymore. A while later he found out that she had been arrested and executed for alleged crimes against the country. And he realized, that her letter had not been her rejecting him, but a warning, and that her only crime had been housing a werewolf.

Around the same time, he started drinking. He started sleeping around with anyone who would take him. And he fell into cynicism and depression

The boy who had been raised with love and care, and had gone out into the world, hopeful, and eager to create his own path, had now seen just how cruel the world could be to anyone it deemed a threat, or viewed as different. He was done fighting.

When he was twenty five he met Les Amis de l'ABC, and he fell in love. For the first time in six years, he felt hope again.

Enjolras:

Ejolras was born with a tail. No one knew exactly how or why, except maybe his parents, but to them the fact that their only child had a tail, was their greatest shame, and as far as they were concerned, it had to stay hidden at all times

In every other aspect, Enjolras was perfect. Having been born with beautiful golden locks, and radiant blue eyes, and being rather mild marrered, his parnents would recieve many compliments on their child's good looks and behaviour

Enjolras might have been a soft spoken child, but his favourite thing was playing outside in the woods, much to his parents frustration. Enjolras also did not like his parents very much

Enjolras' parents were very conservative, very outspoken against anything they didn't agree with, and most of all, not very good people. Not that anyone but Enjolras seemed to notice this, they were wealthy after all, and were respected members of the community.

When Enjolras was six, he met Grantaire and he made his first friend

Grantaire doesn't care that Enjolras has a tail. Grantaire doesn't care that Enjolras likes to play outside, and gets dirty sometimes. Grantaire doesn't care that he doesn't wear the dresses his mother buys him, or that he isn't really a girl.

Grantaire is weird, and he is Enjolras' favourite person

When Grantaire tells him that he is a werewolf, Enjolras knows his parents are wrong

He gets in a fight with them.the following week, and the next day his parents hire a surgeon to remove his tail, and he is shipped off to boarding school

Enjolras cries for weeks after that

At school he meets Combeferre and Courfeyrac, and they quickly become his most trusted friends

It's not until years later that he realizes that neither of them are completely human, and he accepts them fully , just as they have always accepted him

When he is thirteen, his two best friends are sent away, and for the first time in seven years he feels entirely alone

At sixteen he runs away from home, and from school, and from everything he has ever known.

The first of the amis he meets is Bahorel. They meet after he gets into a fight with three people twice his size, and Bahorel saves him. He proceeds to call Enjolras an idiot, and takes him under his wing.

Bahorel is seven years older than him, and a werewolf, and he introduces him to Feuilly and Jehan (a human and a wood nymph)

He meets Joly and Bossuet next

Joly is dabbling in witchcraft next to his medical studies, an Bossuet is his boyfriend who has been cursed from an early age with bad luck

Enjolras takes to his new friends instantly and together they form Les Amis de l'ABC

Enjolras is twenty and he is the leader of an activist group fighting for the rights of every creature and human alike

Two years later Combeferre and Courfeyrac finds him again

They find him by accident, having heard of the group and decided to attend a meeting. The moment Enjolras sees them, his eyes light up, and he embraces them both in a crushing hug. The rest of the group warms up to them immediately

A year later Grantaire joins them, and Enjolras doesn't recognize him

[angeltrapz]

saw ur post 4 saw asks n im here to deliver!! (also fully gonna answer the one u sent me i just had a busy night 💚) — hmmm would personally love to hear more abt the Matthews-Faulkner-Stanheight-Blank family dynamic? esp maybe Daniel + Art, but rlly just anything u wanna talk abt there! maybe if they have any sorta family traditions, what holidays look like for them, that sorta deal

shfajs tysm!!!! (also tht's totally okay, take yr time!!!)

also oooo I love this question okay. so like u mentioned this when I asked abt what Eric n Daniel's relationship would b like post-trap, but I think it's very very good fr Daniel 2 like. see tht Eric has ppl who love him n who don't mind helping him when he needs it n who are THERE fr him bc again, like you've mentioned, seeing a parent so utterly shattered th way Eric was after his trap is incredibly difficult, esp for a kid (though Daniel is like. at least seventeen? still). knowing tht his dad has a good support system n is surrounded by ppl tht care abt him helps put him at ease bc he knows he can trust Adam n Art. he knows they'll keep Eric safe n tht they'll help him to heal, tht they love him n want 2 see him do well n get better. plus, Daniel knows tht if he needs to talk 2 some1 abt how difficult seeing his dad like tht is, he knows both Adam n Art r there fr him and tht helps a lot. of course, he also has Rigg + maybe Hoffman (until th whole. u know.), but they don't live w Eric. they don't see him every day th way Art n Adam do. that's not 2 say they don't know Eric is struggling, but there is a difference btwn them n Eric's boyfriends. basically, Daniel is very much grateful fr Art + Adam.

I feel like Art wld be VERY good at lending an ear fr when Daniel needs 2 talk. whether that be abt their trap + tht whole experience, Eric's trap n the consequences/rough aftermath, just plain venting, etc.; Art is there 2 listen to them + offer a solution if they want one. most times I think Daniel just wants to b listened to, esp when it comes to what they went thru in the Nerve Gas House - tht's smth they don't feel comfortable discussing w Eric right away fr obvious reasons, but therapy can only do so much. I think th two of them have more in common than they might realize at first, bc hey, Art Killed A Man Because Trevor Was Going To Kill Him If He Didn't, and Daniel Killed A Man Because Xavier Would Have Killed Both Them And Amanda If They Didn't. I feel like Art is like. very reserved abt th details of his first trap + how they affected him (and th second one tbh; it's not smth he vocalizes often at all), but fr Daniel he wld gladly talk abt it if it meant Daniel didn't feel alone. if it meant it could help them, reassure them that hey, it wasn't yr fault, u did what u had to, n I know tht can be hard 2 believe right now n that's okay. u need to process things at yr own pace.

and so Art tells them abt the Mausoleum, bares a part of himself he keeps locked away where he doesn't often give it much thought/actively ignores it. n I think tht's healing fr him too, maybe. there's solace in tht shared experience, as horrible as it was in th moment. 2 know there's someone out there who has even th faintest inkling of what u went thru + what u had to do to survive. of course Daniel relates 2 Adam fr this reason too, but like. Art will use his Lawyer Voice n make sure Daniel understands tht what they did doesn't make them a bad person or confirm tht Jigsaw Was Right And They Deserved It. n tht's rly important fr Daniel 2 hear, esp early on. it's honestly one of th first times Art is truly honest abt his feelings on th matter + the Mausoleum, n it's just. a step tht much closer to healing for both of them.

family traditions!!! they do have a few! in the summer, every sunday they have Daniel w them, Eric Art n Adam go out fr ice cream, even if they get it at the drive thru n eat it in th car bc none of them want 2 be around all th people/sit outside in th muggy weather. it's a good way to get them all out of th house fr a little while, something enjoyable tht doesn't require too much energy or even interaction. it's just smth nice they can do where they're all together n chilling n just enjoying each other's company!

this is mostly a Daniel one but every year around April Fools he just. puts fucking googly eyes on everything. n every time some1 discovers some, it doesn't matter where in th house he is, u can hear him cackle abt it. Adam thinks it's an absolute delight n has assisted on multiple occasions. tht's abt as far as pranks go fr them, bc none of them like surprises like that, but god is it ever hilarious 2 hear Eric frm the kitchen while Art Adam n Daniel r in the living room when he says "I found another one!" while he's looking fr smth in the fridge kjdkfsf.

holidays!! every Christmas they all sit down in th living room n watch a couple of movies w the blankets spread out on th floor w snacks n hot chocolate. the first Christmas following his trap, Eric was sat on th couch between Adam n Art while Daniel chose to sprawl out on th floor, n he just looked around at his boyfriends n his son n the fake pine tree they had all decorated together n he like. needs to take a moment bc this is it. this is all he cld ever want out of life right here. this is a level of peace Eric never knew he wld ever be able to reach after what he went thru fr those six months. n he just sort of presses his face into Art's shoulder n breathes thru it. he doesn't even have to say anything fr Adam n Art to know what he's thinking bc Adam's hand is on his arm n Art's resting his cheek against th top of his head, n he might cry a little, but he's happy. surrounded by th ppl he loves n who love him, love him enough to keep the lights down low n the volume on th television soft, to use subtitles so he doesn't get overwhelmed, Eric realizes he has a home n it's just. oof.

fr Valentine's Day, this one was actually Adam's idea initially: wht they do is take sticky notes n write little affirmations on thm fr each other, n stick thm in places where they'll see it. sometimes Daniel joins in on this one, but usually it's an Art Eric Adam thing. so like it'll be little things, like a note frm Adam telling Eric how proud he is of him, or one from Art letting Adam know he couldn't have had a better best friend, or th one from Eric that thanks th both of thm fr helping him w his rashes + helping him 2 accept tht part of him n start to see it as nothing to be ashamed of. it starts on th first day of February and ends on Valentine's Day itself, n sometimes they get those packs of cards u get fr kids just to write goofy shit on thm to pass back n forth n make each other laugh. they also get th discounted candy!! (Adam steals all th twix bars tho. tht's okay bc Eric likes snickers anyway n Art is fond of reese's peanut butter cups. they share th sweet tarts + conversation hearts!)

Halloween is when they get a big bowl of candy 2 leave on th porch fr the kids who're trick-or-treating while th three of them stay inside (+Daniel sometimes!) n watch some classics, like their Christmas tradition. they Also add in some bad movies 2 mix it up a lil bit bc sometimes u just need a laugh. I am like in Lov w the idea u had abt Eric n Adam sometimes building cozy pillow forts, so they do tht n the three of them just vibe in there n lay together n look n talk. n like it's So Much Fun 2 have ppl to like. discuss movies w while yr watching them! esp when they're ppl who won't be annoyed w u when u wanna share a thought! like Eric n Adam will get into this deep discussion abt horror movie decisions n Art will just lay there n listen bc he loves them so much n loves hearing them get amped up abt things. he'll offer his own two cents if asked too! mostly he listens, but he can definitely contribute.

inevitably at some point, someone's hand ends up in Eric's hair n he's just. asleep not too long after that. usually on someone's shoulder or against their chest, n depending on who's still awake, they either try 2 move to th bedroom or they just sleep in th living room (i.e.: Art will try to convince Eric n Adam to come to bed properly, whereas Adam will just b like "fuck it" n pass out right there. has this led 2 them waking up sore b4? absolutely. but it's like. "we r adults who live w our decisions n this one happened 2 be sleeping on th floor" so.

n then a minor one is on their birthdays, some1 (usually Art, to be completely honest w u) will cook tht person their favourite comfort food fr dinner n they all help make cake/cupcakes/cookies/something dessert-related of their choice. so like Art rly likes brownies, Adam is fond of strawberry jello poke cake, n Eric can make some RLY good carrot cake cupcakes w homemade frosting too. it's just smth fr them to do together + like! it's celebrating! they've all been thru so much hell but they're still here! n that's rly th focus for the three of them. sometimes they have ppl over too - like Rigg, Gibson, Brit, Mallick, Lawrence, William (all of them best-case, obv); it's nice 2 have a lil party sometimes! after what they've endured they've kind of earned it I think!

thank u sm!!! this was so fun 2 think abt fjdkjsk

(lil random hc: when Daniel was little, Eric used 2 write letters to him frm Santa. eventually Daniel got "too old for that," but honestly? they cherish tht memory. I wanted 2 include it bc it makes me kjehfje!!!)

[national-nobody-writes]

2020 Creator Wrap

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

I was tagged by the oh so talented @irolltwenties!

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I’m not a particularly prolific writer (WIPs for days, but completed projects? Not so much). Somehow in this hell year though, I did manage to complete more fics than in any previous year for a total of seven new works (~49k words, all on ao3), plus a chunky chap of a long running WIP (~20k words) so I’m actually pretty damn proud of myself! I also made some new fandom friends in 2020 which has easily been one of the biggest delights of the year & has definitely helped my creative momentum, so ty all for that. <3

Counting down from 5, here are my favs:

5. Downtime

I have endless love for JayRoy and it felt so good to finally finish something for them for once this year! All of my past WIPs primarily focused on them ended up firmly in my graveyard folder, including the fic that this one shot was originally meant to be connected to. I liked the way this turned out well enough to clean it up and post it on its own though, so at least now I can say that I have something published for them at last.

(Also it got me back into the JayRoy headspace enough to outline a whole YJ/Earth16 JayRoy fic that I’m excited to start drafting in 2021, so we’ll see where that goes...)

2.3k NSFW; A mix of playful sweet and roughness, just like them.

4. Mirror Image

Bluepulse Week really saved me this year in terms of forcing me to just write, damn it! Did I finish all the prompts this year? Nope. Did it get me to complete a handful of fics that I ended up really loving? Yes. This was one of them.

This fic zoomed into existence entirely out of necessity as an alt idea to a prompt that I had a much longer idea for, but didn’t have time to complete. It then got a positive enough reception that I decided to turn it from a crack-adjacent, passable one-shot to a slightly more developed two-shot by request of one of my commenters. Really, it was writing that second chapter that ended up endearing the fic to me.

6.3k Humor, time travel shenanigans & accidental dating. This fic is the sweetness of teenage crushes, the confusing mess of discovering your sexuality, & laughter with your best friend.

3. Soft Wesper One Shots

Would you look at that, another nsfw piece. Could it be that I’m starting to get to the point where I can look back at completed nsfw fics without cringing terribly? Love that for me.

This fic took me by surprise, tbh. I wouldn’t consider myself a part of the grisaverse fandom (I’m utterly ambivalent toward the OG trilogy & have no plans to read them), but I did fall deeply in love with the whole Six of Crows gang earlier this year to the point of having quite the book hangover afterward, unable to pick up anything else except related fanfic for a couple weeks straight. These fluffy, nsfw scenes were born out of that, and I was pleasantly surprised to see such a positive response to them in the comments. The whole SoC gang has my heart, but the dynamic between Jesper and Wylan in particular got my writing fingers itching.

3.7k Domestic, post-canon fluff & tender sex with flirty Jesper & blushing Wylan abound.

2. Stick With Me

Ohh, I still get warm fuzzies thinking about this fic! If I’m only low-key proud of the first three on this list, this is one I’m legitimately very proud of. I had this idea on the docket already from a convo with @ivyxwrites early this year (or maybe last year? who knows, time means nothing anymore) but used Bluepulse Week as the excuse to finally get started, and I ended up adoring the process of writing it far more than I anticipated.

As much as I love planning out meticulously crafted, plotty stories, sometimes all you want to do is pick some well-loved tropes out of a hat instead and run with them (in this case: stuck in a cabin, only one bed, & heated argument leading to confession). It was freeing to just mess around and have fun with this fic, knowing pretty much right from the get-go how I wanted it to unfold and seeing it so vividly in my mind. It also probably helped that I was writing it for Ivy; it’s much easier for me to stay motivated when creating directly for my friends.

Finishing this was also such a serotonin-filled burst of pure victory for me since, as previously stated, I’m terrible at finishing projects--particularly multi-chap fics, particularly within a decent timeframe.

25.5k A showcase of the essence of what I love about the best friends-to-lovers dynamic. Part character study, part wires getting crossed & uncrossed, and whole idiots to lovers. This fic is the warmth in the pit of your stomach from a yearning made real & the sudden clarity of realizing what you were looking for had already been there all along.

1. The Rest Pt 1: Delicate (Remember Me Chap 4)

Oh, Remember Me. Of everything I’ve ever written, this story remains the one I’m most proud of and certainly the closest to my heart (not to mention the longest running, whoops). The first iteration of the beginning of this story was actually drafted back in 2017, but I walked away from it for a couple of years before deciding to dust it off and try again. It has spiraled into something far bigger in scope than I originally planned for, but I’ve come to love the path it’s led me down so far, and finishing this whopping 20k chunkster of a chapter was like breathing a huge (if temporary) sigh of relief.

This chap was particularly cathartic to write because it allowed for a number of convos between the boys that had really needed to happen, and was finally the ‘getting together’ moment the fic had been building toward for a while. It’s also so sappy I could die, but I will not be apologizing for that, lol. I was really hoping to get Chap 5 up this year as well, but y’know. Sometimes things just don’t work out like you plan for and that’s okay. 

Chap 5 does have 17k done already (with prob another 5-8k still to go) & I’m itching to share it, but no sense in rushing if the end result would suffer for it. Luckily, everyone in comments has been kind enough to beat me over the head with ‘take your time, we don’t mind/we’ll still be here!!!’ which I’m immensely grateful for. So, at least the pressure to hurry up and get it done is purely self-inflicted.

Of all my works, this fic has not only gotten the most passionate responses, but has also been the main gateway for me to interact with other bluepulse creators, which has been a real joy. Nothing brightens my day like the essays people leave me over there from time to time after discovering the fic. That kind of engagement is the highest praise, & responding is very self indulgent fun for me (bc, clearly, I could go on and on about this fic & YJ in general forever).

54.8k total so far (WIP). Bart & Jaime’s relationship journey from beginning to ‘current day’ (aka the moment the fic begins), using amnesia/memory restoration as a framing device. The high highs and low lows of first love, navigating a 3 yr age difference, and the long, winding road from best friends to lovers as the years roll on. Slow-burn-adjacent (in terms of both the boys’ relationship to each other and reader’s relationship to the fic bc of how long I take between goddamn updates).

Tagging @ivyxwrites, @incorrectbatfam, @paintingwithdarkness, @bluepulsebluepulse

[mcwriting]

La Vita Dolce

[Edit] Before you read this, I scheduled this post last week and forgot about it until I logged on and realized it had posted. I want to take a minute to recognize George Floyd. This was in no way uploaded to diminish this situation or pretend like it hasn’t happened. It was a disgusting act of violence and murder.

Thank you for understanding, and I hope you can all forgive my carelessness.

------

Hiiii everyone. I know you all just want me to update starstruck or release the London boy sequel but here’s this instead ;)

Tbh it’s mostly an excuse for me to use some of my Italian in a one shot but it’s cute too!

Fandom: Tom Holland

Ship: Tom x reader

Setting: Venice, Italy

Word Count: 2678

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, but that’s it I think

Rating: K 

+

Early summer in Italy was like no other. 

Sure it was a little hot, but heat didn’t beat the beautiful sights, delicious food, and incredible history it held. 

Studying abroad in Venice was like a dream. You’d found a small group to hang with from your classes, and they were happy to have you around to translate since you’d studied the language back home first.

With only a week left to go, you all headed to a bar near Piazza San Marco for some Saturday-night bellinis. You ordered for everyone and waited for the drinks, conversing with the bartender in Italian.

Nearby, you’d caught the eye of a certain brunette boy seated with his friends drinking negronis. 

“Look at that girl, mate. There’s just something about the Italians,” quipped a very tipsy Tom Holland. “Too bad she probably doesn’t speak any English.”

Once retrieving the beverages, your group unknowingly sat at a table right near Tom’s, where you proposed a toast.

“A la vita dolce! Cin cin!” you exclaimed, your friends echoing the last part. (To the sweet life! Cheers!)

Afterwards, you reverted back to English in your typical accent as if nothing had ever happened.

Tom was shocked. He’d been convinced you were a native speaker. Unfortunately for him and you, however, the alcohol was taking a toll on him, and he resigned himself back to his hotel before he did something stupid.

+

Tuesday afternoon you were free, so your group decided to head back to Piazza San Marco to go take pictures at the docks and maybe grab a gelato.

Unfortunately, that plan was derailed when you found the square blocked off and a crew with cameras and other equipment. You were about to head back when you heard a male voice shouting.

“Chi vorrebbe essere in un film?”

“What’s that?” one friend, Sabrina, asked.

“He’s asking if anyone wants to be in a movie,” you answered. “They must be looking for extras.”

“We totally should!” the other, Anthony, exclaimed.

You all looked at each other. You were dressed decently enough, more like locals than tourists, and you weren’t doing anything better. So, you headed over.

“Lo vorremmo fare, signore,” you said upon coming closer.  (We would like to do it, sir)

“Ah, perfetto! Voi siete perfetti! Seguitemi, per piacere.” (Ah, perfect! You all are perfect! Follow me, please.)

After signing a few papers and explaining that you were Americans and mostly spoke English, you were led to wait with the other extras who were a decent mix of Italian and English speaking people. 

There was still no indication of what they were filming, but suddenly your stomach dropped and heart about leapt from your chest when you saw Tom Holland pass by.

“Ohhhhh man. Oh no. Guys did you see that? That was Tom. Holland. that just walked by. This is insane! How did I not know he was in town!”

Your friends and you tried to stay calm as more time passed and finally a director came to give everyone instructions.

The scene involved Tom talking with someone, so the extras were placed around the piazza doing different activities. You and your friends were sat at a little table to fake talking over glasses of wine.

A while later, Tom and the other cast came out to discuss the scene and do some blocking. You watched them converse, taking a mental image of how Tom looked in costume and the way his hair was styled.

While the director spoke to someone else, you accidentally made eye contact with Tom, who scrunched his eyebrows in confusion at you before turning towards a voice calling his name.

“Woah. Tom Holland just looked at us! This is the best day of my life!” Sabrina said quietly amongst you. 

“Yeah that’s awesome, but did you see the look he gave me? That was really strange,” you followed.

“Maybe you looked familiar,” she replied, so you shrugged it off and prepared for the first take.

+

Many takes later (which involved the actors breaking a few times), and everyone was taking a break to change camera angles and use the bathroom. The extras were allowed to stop by craft services and grab some water as it was a hot day.

While there, you noticed some people going up to Tom to meet him, but you stayed behind to respect his space. You instead continued to watch him while your friends took pictures and talked excitedly with another pair of Americans.

Again, you made eye contact with him, so you quickly darted your eyes away, pretending to join the conversation. 

You became more self aware about how you looked, even though you knew you were fine. You’d worn a flowy floral dress and some nice sandals for pictures, and your hair and makeup were lightly done to compliment the look.

You glanced over again and he was still looking at you, which was getting on your nerves. You were seriously considering going to ask what his problem was when a crew member came to tell everyone to head back to set.

As you began walking that way, you took one last glance back at Tom, who was smiling at you, and quickly described what happened to Sabrina and Anthony.

+

Another set of takes and you paused again to prepare for one last camera set up. This time, your group decided to remain at the table and enjoy the piazza’s views like you’d initially planned.

A few minutes passed of you all just enjoying your time when Sabrina hit your arm lightly.

“Omg y/n!”

“What? Is there a pigeon above me?” you asked, ducking.

“No it’s, it’s-”

“Hi there, sorry to interrupt,” a British male voice spoke. 

You froze momentarily, then slowly turned to see Tom standing right next to you, causing your heartbeat to once again go wild. He looked at you directly.

“Sorry if I was making you uncomfortable earlier, but would you have happened to be at the bar just down that way Saturday?” he asked, pointing vaguely to his right.

“The one around the corner?” you countered. He nodded. “Yeah, actually. We were out celebrating the end of our classes this week. How come?”

There was no way this was happening, right?

“Well, I was there with some mates and thought I recognized you. You speak Italian, right?”

You chuckled at his (correct) claim.

“Yeah, I do. I’m usually the translator for these two fools,” you joked, gesturing forward to your friends. “I’m assuming you heard me speaking to the bartender?”

“Yeah. I actually thought you were a local until I heard you speak English. I was gonna try and talk to you but I was intimidated and my mates needed me to get home. Let’s just say I was somewhat drunk.”

Your heart skipped a beat. Tom Holland. Noticed you in a bar, but didn’t say anything because he was intimidated. This was truly the best day ever.

“Well I can promise you I’m not intimidating, although I will admit that earlier I was gonna confront you about your staring at me.”

Tom laughed and went to reply when he was interrupted by a call from one of his costars to come block for the cameras.

“Well, that’s my cue. See you later?”

“For sure,” was all you could reply as he jogged off. Once he was at a decent distance, you all squealed in delight.

+

Finally, they wrapped for the day as the sun began to provide pink and orange streaks in the sky rather than illuminating the area as before. 

You and your friends prepared to go when a crew member came up to you.

“Excuse me, but you’ve been requested to return to set tomorrow,” he said.

“Wait what?” was all you could say.

“They’d like for you to be extras again for tomorrow’s shoot. Asked for you three specifically. If you’ll follow me I’ll take you over to get your information down and tell you instructions for tomorrow.”

The three of you followed close behind, looking amongst each other in surprise. As you talked to someone in charge, Tom walked by with his brother and best friend. 

His eyes caught yours and he gave you a wink and mouthed “See you tomorrow.” Of course he’d been behind all this. You smirked in response but kept your mouth shut for now, you’d be able to mess with him tomorrow.

+

After one easy final Wednesday morning, Sabrina, Anthony, and you headed out to grab some cappuccinos and pastries for colazione, then made your way around the canals towards set.

They were set up in a building not far from Il Ponte di Rialto along La Canale Grande to get shots around the bridge. You showed a clearance you’d been given the day before and entered the building.

You were dressed today in blush pink palazzo pants and a yellow flowered crop top with flowing sleeves. They’d asked you to specifically wear pants, which you figured had to do with getting in and out of boats.

You followed a halls to a room where other extras awaited instruction. Eventually you were told that everyone would be placed around the sidewalks and in boats once it was time to shoot.

The three of you sat down and were talking when a woman with a clipboard entered the room.

“Is there a y/n y/l/n here?”

You stood up, confused.

“That would be me,” you replied, aware of everyone looking at you.

“Oh good. You’ve been requested for a different part so if you could just follow me...” she trailed, turning out the door.

You looked at Sabrina and Anthony in confusion, but they just gestured for you to leave as you rushed after the woman. She led you to another room where you found directors and actors conversing.

Those facing the door glanced up as you walked in, and Tom’s eyes caught yours. He smiled and fully turned towards you, causing everyone to face you.

“I hear you’re bilingual. Do you know how to memorize a couple lines?” the director asked as soon as you were close.

“I think I can handle that,” you replied nervously.

“Alright good. You’re gonna pretend to do some translating for Tom here since our other actor couldn’t make it. Why don’t you guys go run that while we finish setting things up outside.”

Another person handed you a couple script pages as you and Tom were once again ushered to a new room.

“You know I never officially introduced myself. I’m y/n,” you said once you were alone.

“I know. I overheard your friend say it yesterday. I’m Tom by the way, but I’m guessing you knew that too.”

You laughed talked a few more moments. Eventually an Italian man entered the room and you got to work. The scene involved Tom yelling if anyone could translate Italian, you saying yes, and him pulling you from a sondolo to do so. It was only a few lines, but it was the biggest thing you’d ever done.

Eventually came time to actually shoot the scene, and you waved excitedly to Sabrina and Anthony, who stood on the bridge. They gave you thumbs up and Anthony snuck a picture of you next to Tom.

You quickly blocked in front of the cameras, then got into the tethered boat where three others were sitting. After a few moments of adjustments, the director finally called “action.”

Tom attempted to speak to the Italian man, then frantically looked around the area.

“Does anyone here know English and Italian?” he called.

You went from pretending to speak to the others to looking his way.

“I do!”

He muttered a line, then came and helped pull you from the boat clumsily. You almost tripped, but continued on.

“I need you to tell me what he’s saying,” Tom said. You nodded.

The man, Tom, and you spoke between each other quickly, and the scene ended off with Tom yelling out a “Thank you!” as he ran towards the bridge.

You cut, received some notes, then reset. The main concern was around you getting out of the boat since you’d almost fallen. You ran it exactly the same a couple of times, thankfully not tripping as before.

Later, you were allowed to take some creative liberty and go slightly off script. Since you had to translate lines, Tom and the other man changed it up a bit, so you just followed their leads. 

At one point Tom missed a line so badly that you all broke out laughing. Another time, the man said something in Italian that you misheard, causing you to translate, then realize how wrong it sounded and stop the scene in a fit of giggles.

Finally, however, you were done and they prepared for a shot with some other actors. Tom came up to you as Sabrina and Anthony congratulated you.

“Great job back there, and sorry for almost pulling you into the canal a few times.”

“Hey, water under the bridge,” you winked, “I’m just glad you didn’t dunk me since that water is so nasty. I’d probably have made you pay for emotional damages.”

“I definitely don’t blame you. I really wanted to ask you though if you’d like to go to dinner Friday night? Now that I’m sober and slightly less intimidated, I want to try this again.”

You smiled and glanced back at your friends who were silently trying to hype you up.

“That sounds perfect.”

+

It was your three year anniversary with Tom, and he was surprising you with a trip to an undisclosed location from London. All he’d said was to pack summery clothes and at least one outfit for a nice night out.

You waited with the bags for him to print the tickets and your heart fluttered upon seeing them.

You were going back to Venice, the place you’d first met. 

After filming that scene, you’d been eventually called to Atlanta for a couple of reshoots, and later invited to the premiere. Almost a year of mostly flirting between your Venice date and the premiere led to Tom asking you to be his date that night, and the rest was history.

You hadn’t been back since, so you held back tears as you looked over the water as the plane landed, thinking of all the incredible memories you’d made when studying abroad.

A water taxi brought you to a hotel right off La Canale Grande, where you were shown to a lofted hotel room with a small balcony overlooking the water.

A few days after arriving, Tom told you to dress up, as he’d made reservations for dinner at a prestigious restaurant. After the meal, you strolled around the canals as the nightlife began to come alive.

It wasn’t long until you came upon a bar, the same one Tom had spotted you in about 4 years ago. 

You went in, ordering the same drinks you’d had back then, except this time Tom knew you were his.

“Cin cin?” Tom asked, raising his glass.

“Si, cin cin,” you replied, mimicking the movement before taking a sip.

Eventually, you left and headed back to your hotel. It was late, so only the streetlights illuminated the walkways, dancing off the water in the wind.

You were now in a simple silk robe standing on the balcony, eyes closed as you listened to the sounds of drunken laughter and boats paddling along. 

Two warm arms enveloped you from behind and you let yourself melt into them, leaning your head back to rest under Tom’s chin.

“What are you thinking in that pretty little head of yours?” he whispered.

“How much I love this place. And you. And how I wish we could stay like this forever.”

He hummed and swayed with you for a few minutes before flipping you around to face him. He pulled you into a deep kiss.

“Let’s go inside, babe. This city doesn’t need to see everything we do,” he breathed, a mischievous smile on his face.

With that, you stepped inside, closed the door, and ended the night in the sweetest way possible.

Truly, this was la vita dolce.

+

Ahhh I’m so happy I finished this. Honestly, I probably could’ve put more Italian in this but I’m lazy and didn’t feel like thinking of lines and things to translate back and forth lol. Let me know if you liked this and would like to see more things that utilize Italy and the language! Love you all, as always :)

[arianadevareux]

Is it weird that I added to my own Wonka hcs about the daughters? I made diff candy ideas that Wonka could have come up with for the daughter&wife(both 2005&1971). Course, I’m not Willy so they aren’t the best, it’s just what I can come up w/. Thought I’d share them w/ u. I’ll do Alice first

2005:‘Wondrously Curious Delight Bar’ Her name came from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ so Wonka only felt that it was right to make something entirely random. A Multi flavored candy bar. First part is Milk chocolate, middle bar is white chocolate,&third is strawberry&Red velvet mix. Each half has 2 fillings. 1st is fudge &buttercream. 2nd is lemon&strawberry jam. 3rd is blueberry&peanuts. A layer of Marshmallow fluff is on the bottom of the bar. 2nd one is ‘Mad Mint Tophats’ miniature Mad Hatter tophats. The whole thing is mint chocolate. Three layers. The mint chocolate candy itself, then thin layer chocolate cake after&finally some tingly candy at the core that pop in your mouth. Know how the mad tea party has a firework cake? That’s where the sizzle part of the candy came from. The cake did come out of his hat after all

1971 Alice Inspired candy: A candy teacup. ‘Curiosity Cups’ White chocolate shaped teacup&platter&tea spoon. Filled in w/ milk chocolate, honey,&butterscotch. The filling seems almost like pudding, maybe a little more solid though? Little swirl&tiny red rose designs on the cup. You can eat the inside w/ the white chocolate spoon. Then whole cup/platter&spoon. 2nd one is ‘Wonder Cards’?I don’t have a good name right now. But, a Dark&white chocolate bar w/ cherry filling. Its a checkered pattern. Card designs on each square (Hearts, Spades,diamonds)&a Red velvet Rose in the corner of the bar.(it’s a design, not sticking up)

I think I let my imagination get to me on this. Always happens in hcs~Hatter anon (if you want me to send what I did for the wife’s candy, I will. I won’t send unless it’s alright cause I don’t wanna be too much of a pest)

It’s not weird at all! Tbh just what you come up with is exactly what all fic writers do. So no need to worry about that. Also I love that you used both Wonka’s. 

Omg the Wondrously Curious Delight Bar sounds amaaaazing. I’m a slut for marshmallow. I love the variety in them. Hatter Anon, I think maybe /you/ should try to make this a thing. Making chocolate at home isn’t super difficult from what I’ve seen? You could start with one section at a time and see how it goes? Also, I love mint chocolate. It’s such a good blend. 

Curiosity Cups, what a cute name. White chocolate yes, yes, and yes. Omg yes butterscotch. Maybe it could be like a truffle where there’s a hard shell and then the interior is soft? Oooh the cards sound dope af! 

You’re not being a pest at all. You can send in whatever you like! I’m happy to see it!

[sparxwrites]

An old fandom friend @stardustandseas asked for some Caleb whump recs, so here!! Have forty eight of my personal favourites (alongside some quality angst-fic because that’s in the general spirit of whump, too). Feel free to reblog this post and add your own faves / plug your own writing! And I’m sure more excellent hurt!Caleb and sad!Caleb will be written in the future, so I may reblog this and add to it at some point.

If one of your fics is listed here and you’d like your tumblr url added to the credits, drop me a message and I’ll try to do so.

(Please check the tags/warnings on the fic itself. I’ve tried to tag for spoilers as best I can - I’m counting spoilers as Caleb backstory stuff and recent [as of August 2018] campaign developments. I’ve not tagged triggers on these, but several involve graphic descriptions of violence, sexual assault, and other similar upsetting things – such is the nature of whump.)

-

“Betrothed” by MeBeShe (@matt-the-blind-cinnamon-roll) [Caleb/Molly; 70k WIP]

After nearly a decade of war, Archmage Caleb Widogast has brokered a peace with the Xhorasian empire. It comes at the cost of his hand in marriage. They send the Nonagon, leader of their bloodhunters, to marry him. He wasn't expecting a beautiful tiefling. He wasn't expecting Mollymauk Tealeaf.

[A truly delicious mix of slow-burn relationship, sexual tension and pining, and ongoing physical health issues and angst on Caleb’s side. It’s both soothing and emotionally satisfying, it’s currently my “save to read before going to bed” fic, and I love it so much.]

-

“the mist upon the hill” by BucketofWater (@ereborslionheart) [Caleb/Molly; 80k WIP]

Caleb is a mottled canvas of thin, white lacerations so many that Nott can hardly begin to count them all, she wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Or, the soulmate au where some soulmates share injuries and Caleb is very tired and very sore.

[My other current “save to read before going to bed” fic. It’s got everything – slow-burn, soulmates, angst, Caleb trying to hide his injuries, miscommunication… I also adore this one and honestly, the whump is just so satisfying.]

-

“Traveling Hearts” by CatKing_Catkin (@pangurbanthewhite) [Caleb/Molly; maybe spoilers?; 117k

A figure from Lucien's past shows up to collect on an old arrangement. When Molly doesn't want to talk business, the stranger takes him and the Mighty Nein for himself instead.

Caleb is only just able to get Jester to safety in time. But when the rest of his friends fall victim to their captor's vampiric thrall, that leaves him trapped and alone against the twisted attentions and easy cruelty of a wizard more powerful than he's ever dreamed of being.

Jester struggles to understand her enemies and make a plan of attack. Her friends are counting on her to save them, even if some of them don't know it anymore, and so she is determined to be the light in the darkness for them and all the people of Tanner's Crossing.

With a little bit of magic and a little bit of research and a whole lot of determination as they fight their own battles, Caleb and Jester might just save their friends before they lose themselves in the bargain.

[I’m… genuinely unsure if anything I could say about this fic would do it justice. Please, please read it if you haven’t already, because I adore everything about it and it’s delightful and stressful and upsetting and plotty and incredibly whumpy aahhh. I’d probably put it in the top ten fics I’ve ever read, which is high praise indeed.]

-

“The Trauma Cafe” by MeBeShe (@matt-the-blind-cinnamon-roll) [Caleb/Molly; major spoilers; 114k WIP]

There's a cafe that specializes in rehabilitating people with trauma. That cafe was home to Mollymauk Tealeaf. Now it's home to cult survivor Caleb Widogast.

[Another of the big campaign two fics that I suspect is something of a fandom classic by now. It’s less whump and more angst, past whump, and recovery, but I do suspect there might be some whump in the next few chapters. We’ll see. You absolutely have to read it, though, as with the above three.]

-

“The Mighty Fieber” by hufflepirate (@hufflepirate) [Gen; (major?) spoilers; 13k]

When Caleb gets very sick, the rest of the Nein take care of him. The fever draws some of Caleb's issues to the front, but if Beau can figure out how to use punching for medicinal purposes, she can figure out how to talk about feelings. Maybe. Caleb isn't used to being cared about, but sometimes if it's masked enough, he can navigate it anyway.

[Hey you know how good the “comes down with a fever and people don’t notice at first, and then they do and are really scared by how ill the person is” trope is? This fic is basically Entirely That.]

-

“starwalker” by ashinan (@ashinan) [Gen; 8k]

Those whose souls are claimed by the Fey are to be feared. Briderall learns this lesson the night Caleb is taken.

[There’s only a little whump in this, but it’s high quality whump, and the rest of the fic is so fucking good honestly. I adore terrifying unknowable eldritch creatures that dote on humans so...]

-

“Oversharing” by Verity_Kindle [Caleb/Fjord; 7k]

When a spell goes wrong, the group tries to deal with the fallout. Fjord’s biggest concern is for Caleb’s well-being, while Caleb’s is...complicated.

Otherwise titled, Why Magic and Secrets Don’t Mix: The Autobiography of Caleb Widogast.

[Old and now jossed, but I still love it - accidental / uncontrollable telepathy is such a good fic conceit, and this one has it in spades. Somewhat au since this was written with the first few eps of the new campaign, iirc, but I adore it nonetheless.]

-

“More Than This” by CatKing_Catkin (@pangurbanthewhite) [Gen; spoilers; 22k]

The Empire got a lot more unfriendly towards “unauthorized” mages, after the attack. Molly hadn’t even been aware that “unauthorized” mages were a thing beforehand, but suddenly they were. That was just the way things worked in the Empire, now more than ever, and it was one more thing The Mighty Nein had to roll with.

(Or, post Episode 12, the Mighty Nein get in trouble with the law by virtue of being a group containing a goblin, two tieflings, and a couple of mages. Caleb pulls off some heroics to let them get away, and by the time they find him again he's been hit with the Feeblemind spell as punishment. Rather fumbling attempts at coping ensue while the rest of the group tries to fix things.)

[I honestly can’t remember a Huge amount about this, but I remember it being angsty and kind and gentle, and I remember loving it. It’s also written by CatKing, and I love All their stuff, so that’s a point in its favour. Plus, feeblemind has such good angst and h/c potential tbh.]

-

“This is Not an Asphyxiation Kink” by Catzgirl (@fenesvir) [Caleb/Fjord; 3.5k]

Caleb is hiding some secrets from the gang, and they come back to haunt him at the very worst of times. Fjord is there to catch him.

[Hey remember when we were all convinced that Caleb had been waterboarded / drowned at some point, and was terrified of water? That was a good time tbh.]

and, from the same series, “The Leaving of Caleb Widogast” [Caleb/Fjord; 31k]

When there's no way out, Caleb makes his own.

[This is… honestly, very fucking good, and gripped me the whole way through. A beautiful mix of Caleb’s PoV and the panic of the others trying to find him, engaging all the way through to the climax.]

-

“the sea, take us back” by vannral (@vannral) [Caleb/Fjord; 9k]

The sea says: You are not welcome here. This place is not for you.

Caleb Widogast fights with everything he has to get back what was once ripped from him.

[A fun twist on the “Caleb is a werewolf” theory that everyone had at one point. Or, well. Not so fun for Caleb, but fun for the whump fans. Very intense and dramatic, very satisfying ending.]

-

“confession / absolution” by duckbunny (@duckbunny) [Caleb/Molly; spoilers; 8k]

Molly risks a glance over his shoulder – Caleb is a private kind of man, he won’t want to be stared at – and sees eyes so wide that Molly might have been ten foot of venom and claws. “No,” he says, slowly, “I don’t think you want to be alone. What’s up?"

[More emotional h/c and angst than whump, technically, but a favourite so I’m including it anyways. Also has some really nice smut as an added bonus, which is always fun.]

-

“[untitled]” by words-writ-in-starlight (@words-writ-in-starlight) [Caleb/Molly; 3k]

viciousmaukeries asked: Molly/Caleb, both of them injured, waking up beside each other. hell, maybe there's even a cave-in somewhere in there?

[Both Caleb and Molly whump, my favourite combination!]

-

“Suggestion” by pok3d3x (@tamiyos-pokedex) [Gen; maybe spoilers?; 6k]

In a world where mind altering magic is cheap, it's unwise to drink alone. The Mighty Nein step in to protect Caleb a little late.

[Caleb gets magic-roofied, and the team closes ranks to protect him and deal with the emotional fallout. Very intense and at times upsetting, but a delightful, emotional read.]

-

“Everything’s Coming Up Flowers” by thismagichour (@calebwidogasts) [Caleb/Fjord; 5k]

The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from unrequited love, where the victim coughs up flower petals until the love is requited, or death.

Caleb loves Fjord, to the point that it's literally killing him.

[I’m always a slut for the Hanahaki disease trope, which is a cross between soulmates and whump in the best way. Also, this list is uhh… super Widomauk-heavy, so it’s nice to have a wee bit of variation.]

-

“till the last flower” by vannral (@vannral) [Caleb/Fjord; 8k]

The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient coughs up flower petals. The infection can be removed through surgery, but the feelings disappear along with the petals.

Caleb Widogast is heartbroken and very tired.

[Hey look, I did say I’m a slut for this trope…]

-

“swallow up the flame like me” by words-writ-in-starlight (@words-writ-in-starlight) [Gen; major spoilers; 8k]

It has been nine days since Fjord, Jester, and Yasha disappeared in silence and left nothing behind them but blood and scuffed grass. When the rest of the Mighty Nein manages to capture someone who might have information, Caleb decides it's time to take things into his own hands and convinces Beau to let him.

[Not… technically whump but it’s such a nice, angsty, awful emotional portrait that I can’t help but include it…]

-

“a country far away as health” by LoosePilgrim [Gen; major spoilers; 2.6k]

In the fall of a certain year, in the north of a certain kingdom, a man took a body to a box and laid the body inside. He walked away from the body, and the body stayed there for many years.

When the body had been a boy (a man; a boy) it had had a good memory.

The body in the box had a good memory too. Here is what the body remembers:

[Kinda experimental and very weird - ymmv on whether it counts as whump, technically speaking - but, as with all the other kid-of-whump things on here, I love it, so. It’s staying.]

-

“be gone” by mnemememory [Gen; maybe spoilers?; 3k]

Beau has had this conversation before, in a different place, with a different man.

(or; beau walks out of a cupboard, and can't seem to find her way back)

[I’m… legit unsure if this should be on here, but it’s gorgeously written, and grindingly dark and unhappy, so I think it’s earned its place.]

-

“Disguise Self” by Agrotera (@agrotera-ilisos) [Caleb/Molly; maybe spoilers?; 10k]

“Even huddled beneath a cold, driving rain, Zadash was a brilliant city. It wasn’t substantially larger than the other cities Molly had visited when he was with the circus, nor was it especially more beautiful. The people certainly weren’t kinder. It stank of mud and horse dung, and the rain only helped to make the smell all the more oppressive. But there were little carts that lined the main avenues, and the proprietors of those little carts would sell you a bladder of still-hot mulled wine and an armful of cardamom and pistachio pastries for two silver coins and a smile.

All things considered—the gnolls, the fool bandits, the gods-be-twice-fucked weather—Molly couldn’t complain.”

It's their first night in Zadash, and Molly needs to get away. Caleb, unsure of Molly's motives, follows him.

[Less whump and more a character portrait with hints of past whump and trauma, with a copious helping of smut, but I love it, it’s on here, deal with it etc. etc. Honestly, I spent the whole time reading this sighing dreamily with delight at the perfect mix of sexy and Concerning, so like. You know it’s gotta be good.]

-

“A puzzled love of the light” by ottertrashpalace [Caleb/Molly; spoilers; 16k WIP]

Molly, possibly the most flamboyant queer individual ever to exist, wound up saving the life of a homophobic Christian picketer. It's not the weirdest thing that's ever happened to him, but suffice to say that it has long-ranging consequences he did not expect.

[Ymmv on the fic’s conceit (I personally enjoy it tbh), but it’s an enjoyable read with plenty of angst and emotional catharsis, and hints of more to come later...]

-

“a lighter in his pocket / a matchbook in his socks” by ScreechTheMighty  (@screechthemighty) [Gen; major spoilers; 11k]

‘and a block full of charred skeletons / closeted, begging to get out’

The ghosts of your past catch up to you eventually. Sometimes, they bring more than just the memories with them.

[Again, unsure if this… technically counts as whump, but there’s enough miserable, stressed, panicking Caleb that I’m going to count it, honestly.]

-

“the echo valley” by vandenburg (@momlymauk) [Caleb/Molly; spoilers; 5k]

Sick from the incessant raining on their way to Shady Creek Run after a job well-done in the Labenda Swamp, Caleb receives some comfort – from Kiri.

[Sickfic!! Sickfic!! Sickfic!!! Also, Kiri being adorable, as an added bonus.]

-

“Snow Rise” by AiraKay [Gen; 1k]

Injured and alone, Caleb Widogast takes a moment to contemplate the falling snow and his place in the world.

[Somewhere between character study and whump, but very lovely.]

-

“Check the Cards” by Catzgirl (@fenesvir) [Caleb/Molly; 3k]

Molly ignores his foresight and everyone suffers for it.

[More from Molly’s PoV as Caleb gets injured, but it’s still a nice fic - very well-written and I love the way the author weaves Molly’s tarot cards into the narrative.]

-

“sunset” by aviators (@farfel) [Caleb/Molly; 3.5k]

Caleb brings a trembling hand up, cupping Molly’s cheek and pressing his thumb to his lips, wetting them with his own blood. “Hush, Mollymauk.”

“No. No,” Molly gasps out, hand meeting Caleb’s and grasping around it until both their knuckles turn white. “You’ve never known me to stop speaking my mind when I’m set on it. I’m not about to stop now, even for you.”

[Dreamy sighs about this fic tbh. Lovely Caleb whump, lovely Molly angst, long and difficult recovery, character introspection… hhh.]

-

“Scorched Bonds” by Akiko_Natsuko [Caleb/Molly; maybe spoilers?; 8k WIP]

“No!” It comes out as a strangled shout, his chest heaving and breaths coming in frantic pants. Too close, he had come so close to surrendering to the charm and if he had…the flames are roaring in his chest now, reminding him of what he can do, what those whispered words could have made him do.'

When a fight goes wrong and magic ensnares the rest of the Nein, Caleb is left alone, facing his friends… his family… and he's forced to make a choice.

[A lovely mix of whump and angst, with the “having to fight your friends” trope, and some aftercare as an added bonus.]

-

“Little Monster” by Lesetoilesfous (@lesetoilesfous) [Gen; 21k]

Nott hasn't been in prison for very long when she gets a cellmate, a human called Caleb.

This story follows the development of an unlikely friendship, and the way it saves two people who'd long since decided to give up on the world.

Or: prison is not the first place Nott imagined she'd find a family, but she isn't complaining.

[A Nott and Caleb meeting fic, with assorted whump and angst and getting out of prison shenanigans. Good, clean straight-up torture for both of them tbh.]

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“My Friend Filthy” by 99BottlesOfBeerOnTheWall [Gen; maybe spoilers?; 21k]

Nott is a goblin with no friends, and nowhere to go. Caleb is a human with no family, and no hope left. They don’t expect each other, but Caleb is empty, and Nott needs something to care for. So they work with the broken pieces.

Together is better.

[Another, slightly longer variation on the above theme - I just love All the ‘Caleb’s in jail and miserable and barely a human’ fics. This one plays especially hard on the ‘barely a human’ bit, which is delightful.]

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“twisting the kaleidoscope behind both my eyes” by confines  (@wholeneinyards) [Gen; maybe mild spoilers?; 5k]

Nott and Caleb meet in jail. They escape together and then they survive together.

[A nice whumpy, angsty backstory elaboration piece.]

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“The Courage and The Fall” by mollymauks [Caleb/Molly; 4k]

Prompt: “Shivering long after everyone else has stopped.” After ending up fighting a battle submerged in a frozen lake, the Mighty Nein strip off in their camp to dry out and warm up. All but one. Content warning: this fic deals quite a lot with scars, if that’s not your cup of tea, maybe avoid.

Teaser: “I’m going to stop you freezing to death, you idiot,” he said simply, hand still extended. Caleb still didn’t move. “Trust me,” Molly murmured, his words only for the darkness and the wizard staring up at him, the firelight glinting on his pale eyes making them look strangely opaque and ghostly. “I should think I’d proved myself quite adept at keeping you alive after all this time.”

Caleb stared at him for another long, thundering heartbeat, then he let a soft laugh huff past his lips. He reached up and grabbed Molly’s forearm, letting him pull him to his feet.

[What kind of whump rec list would this be if I didn’t have a “cuddling for warmth” fic on here…? A terrible one, that’s what.]

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“Süss” by drekkeri (@tragedyboycentral) [Caleb/Molly; 3k]

Caleb was pretty sure he was dead. It was the only logical explanation.

He was drenched in sweat, trembling, and the mere act of thinking for more than two seconds took more effort than he could manage. As he tried to get out of bed he grabbed onto the wall, holding his head as he saw spots of back.

Yeah, he was definitely dead.

[A lovely fic involving diabetic!Caleb’s blood sugar dropping too low and his friends having to work out what’s wrong and help him. Whumpy, plenty of the ‘panicked confused friends’ trope, and with a happy, fluffy ending.]

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“A Lovely Man” by Justanotherfangirl [Caleb/Molly; 1.5k]

Caleb gets injured, and Molly can’t keep his feelings for him a secret any longer.

[Whump, love confessions, bleeding out…? What more could you want from a fic.]

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“Me for You” by MeBeShe (@matt-the-blind-cinnamon-roll) [Caleb/Molly; 5k]

Caleb gets badly wounded when a mission goes awry. Molly uses his Bloodhunter powers to heal him, despite Caleb's protesting.

[Another excellent whumpy character study thing, short and sweet but delightful, fluffy schmoop for an ending.]

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“Another Part of Surviving” by notsoappropro [Caleb/various; 1.5k]

He doesn’t anticipate it, the first time. He’s head to toe in filth, having slept under trees and in city alleyways for an uncountable number of days on Nott and his neverending escape. The grime under Caleb's fingernails is aggressively visible in a clean store he clearly cannot afford to be in as he counts his silver. He only has four, it’s all they have between the two of them, and it’s many coins short for the medicine they need.

[A kinkmeme fill technically, but angsty enough to be included here, just about. A series of vignettes on the times Caleb is forced to prostitute himself.]

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“Hot and Cold” by Emberforge [Gen; 3k]

It was all going well, until it wasn't.

[Caleb gets poisoned, and the team deal with it; mild whump, plenty of aftercare and worrying. Short and sweet.]

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“What Friends Are For” by Justanotherfangirl [Gen; maybe spoilers?; 8k]

It’s been a long time since Caleb had any friends, since he had deserved to have any friends. But with the Mighty Nein, he found himself caring almost in spite of himself. And the Mighty Nein might just care about him too.

[A lovely collection of drabbles exploring Caleb’s relationship with the other members of the Nein, through the medium of whump and comfort/care.]

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“Here with You” by Akiko_Natsuko [Caleb/Molly; 1.7k]

It was a terrible plan from the start, but it was the only one they had. Fortunately Molly and Caleb were together, and that might just be enough in the face of a situation that brings the past pressing in on them.

[Less physical whump and more delicious descriptions of panic and misery, which imho count as whump / give me the same whump feels as physical whump does. Also, Caleb locked in a cell!]

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“Dominate Person is Never Really A Good Time” by sterphfy [Gen; 4.5k]

The title kind of sums it up. Some angst, some implied Molly/Caleb, but painfully little physical contact. probably done, but may write a companion later.

[More fun with mind control and hurting friends! I’m predictable in the tropes I like.]

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“bruises and comfort” by vannral (@vannral) [Caleb/Fjord; 643]

After a random battle, Caleb's less than fine and Fjord's there, helping.

[Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin - Caleb’s hurt, Fjord looks after him and comfort him. Short, satisfying, sweet.]

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“Hidden and New” by Avorna [Caleb/Nott; 3k]

Fighting a horde illithid is well above their job description.

In the midst of battle, Caleb is caught by a desperate illithid and it decides to play with his more well kept memories.

[On here primarily for the first half, where Caleb nearly gets his brain eaten, and gets thoughts and memories he wants to keep secret broadcast to the MN - which is always a good time.]

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“Storm After the Calm” by UzbekistanRules [Gen; major spoilers; 1.5k]

Caleb deserves nothing. Or... so he thinks.

[More self-loathing and emotional h/c than whump, but some nice mentions of past whump and tbh panic attacks probably count as whump? The aftercare in this is also very lovely.]

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“What Was, What Is” by lostsometime [Gen; mild spoilers; 1k]

Caleb would have been able to stop himself from causing collateral damage with his spells, once. He can't now.

[Again, more angst than whump; again, I like it enough to include it here, and also panic attacks / dissociation totally do count as whump in some circumstances tbh.]

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“Fever Dream” by Chaya (@fieldbears) [Gen; major spoilers; 245]

Someone asked for either Caleb or Molly to be delirious with fever. This is probably the least creatively titled thing I have put up in a while, but at least there's plenty of angst?

[Honourable mention, as it’s a very short little drabble - but what there is of it is delicious, so I couldn’t leave it off.]

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“Feeblemind” by Chaya (@fieldbears) [Caleb/Molly; spoilers; 13k WIP]

There are some ugly spells out there. Sometimes you just have to do your best to get through it.

[Fun times with the feeblemind spell, and then the emotional fallout from that for the whole group. Bonus Molly angst too, which is always nice! May or may not have been abandoned, but what’s there is somewhat complete in and of itself, so...]

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“Under His Gaze” by EllenofX [Gen; maybe spoilers?; 4k WIP]

Caleb is a smart man. It is a fact that he is more cautious of now, with how far astray it once led him, but one that is undeniable. So, when a stranger wakes them in the dead of night, it does not take him long to figure out that he and his companions are being toyed with. That they have been toyed with for quite a while, now.

[Another ‘is it abandoned?’ fic - essentially a variation on the theme of ‘Travelling Hearts’ recced above. First chapter seems pretty whumpy though, so fingers crossed it continues!]

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“Our Early Days Are Always With Us” by sandssavvy (@sandssavvy) [Gen; major spoilers; 8k WIP]

Sometimes the past won't let you rest.

After a run in with Trent, Caleb isn't sure he will ever find rest again.

[Again, unsure if this has been abandoned?? It’s not terribly whumpy as-is, mostly angst, but if it’s not on permanent hiatus then it should get whumpy…]

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Lastly (and shamelessly), I’m gonna plug my own writing here. The only whumpy fic I’ve written for Caleb is “lesser of two evils” [Gen; 2.4k]:

Caleb’s running a fever by the time the rest of the Mighty Nein find him.

He was expecting that much – he’s done this before, after all, knows that it’s a bad idea and will not go well in the long run. However, bleeding out in the middle of a forest is also not a good idea, and will also not go well in the long run. The difference is that bleeding out in the middle of a forest will go exceptionally poorly in the short run, so it’s a lesser-of-two evils sort of thing. He’s well-versed in Faustian bargains, made both unwittingly and otherwise. It’s fine.

(In which Caleb gets separated from the rest of the group, and then injured, and then some rather ill-advised DIY field medicine involving fire. The rest of the Mighty Nein are left to pick up the pieces when they find him.)

However, I’ve got other whumpy tidbits and headcanons under my general #critrole 2.0 tag (though my blog / that tag frequently contain nsfw or triggering material, as a heads-up).

[elsajeni]

May the 4th 2019 Letter

Dear Yoda,

Hi! Thanks for checking in! You’ve seen my general likes/DNWs in my sign-up already, but let me restate it here so it’s all in one place, and then we’ll get to the ship-specific stuff...

Likes: family feelings; bantering or bickering; moments of humor even in the darkest situations; misunderstandings that turn out all right in the end; poly relationships; casual relationships; hurt/comfort.

Sexy Likes, if you go in that direction: light bondage; lots of talking during sex, both sweet and dirty; realistic funny or awkward moments. If you're writing about teen characters (since some relationships I've requested would lend themselves to that), I'd rather not have anything explicit on-page, but I'm fine with offscreen or fade-to-black implied sex.

DNWs: rape/non-con unless specified; incest; explicit scenes with underage characters; detailed description of bodily fluids; drastically different AUs (what-ifs and canon-divergent fics are fine, this is about coffeeshop AUs, A/B/O, etc.); infidelity; unrelentingly dark and grim stories (I like a glimmering of hope).

Star Wars canon preferences: I'm sure you can tell from my request list that I love and miss the old EU/Legends content. For any request that features Legends characters, I'd be very happy with a purely Legends-based fic, but I also love gluing the loose ends of Legends continuity into the loose ends of sequel trilogy continuity; please feel free to mix and match Legends and canon material.

Relationship-specific prompts:

X-Wing Division:

Biggs Darklighter/Luke Skywalker

I like this best as a teen relationship that grows a little awkwardly out of their friendship, is fun while it lasts, and transitions pretty easily back into friendship when it ends. That said, whatever you do with this pairing, it’s going to be a little bit tinged with sadness; if you prefer it a LOT tinged with sadness, I’d also be delighted with a fic taking place in the brief window between when they reconnect in the Rebellion and the Death Star run.

Alternately, get weird with it – find a way for Biggs to survive, or bring him back from the dead. Write that Space Winter Soldier AU that I secretly kind of love, or Luke being haunted by the literal ghosts of his past.

Wedge Antilles/Luke Skywalker

I would really like something that brings Wedge into the sequel trilogy timeline, and especially a look at what Luke’s choice to isolate himself means for their relationship. Was Wedge ever on Ahch-To with him? Have they been in contact at all since he disappeared? When he’s found, is Wedge in a rush to see him again, or are his feelings more complicated? (As you may be guessing here, this is an area where I am very comfortable with a “not actually dead” AU! If you like a more tragic tone, though, do feel free to go with the canonical ending of TLJ.)

I’d also love this as a more early-relationship fic -- if you go that route, I’m interested in the pressures that their respective positions and commitments put on a relationship, and especially the difficulty of maintaining a relationship with someone who keeps disappearing on incomprehensible Jedi business.

Wedge Antilles/Wes Janson

Let’s be honest, I’m mostly looking for more Wraith Squadron/Starfighters of Adumar-style shenanigans here. Alternately, this is a pairing that lends itself to hurt/comfort – both of these guys have more than enough canonical close calls. Or why not a bit of both? If you’re feeling ambitious, you could fix Isard’s Revenge for me by writing their reunion post-Distna, after they’ve both believed each other to be dead for weeks.

Falynn Sandskimmer

Listen. I’ve been marching up and down carrying this banner that says “FALYNN SANDSKIMMER DESERVED BETTER” for so long. My arms are so tired. You take it for a minute, won’t you?

Let her survive and prove herself and be happy, with Myn or without (slight preference for without, tbh!). I’d love to see her get over the embarrassment of thoughtlessly insulting Piggy and develop a real friendship with him. Or write me something from her past -- teen Falynn raising hell in Mos Eisley, or the misadventures in her early career that put her on track for Wraith Squadron.

Threesomes Division:

Lando Calrissian/Mara Jade, Lando Calrissian/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

I liked Lando and Mara’s EU relationship, and wasn’t too happy with the “it was a cover” retcon – show me the time, or times, that it wasn’t just a cover. Or, how about an earlier meeting in their lives, when Mara was brand-new to Karrde’s organization, or during the few days they must have overlapped at Jabba’s Palace?

I’ve always liked Luke and Lando as a romantic pairing, too, so why not bring it all together? Three people who all care deeply for each other, who aren’t often in the same place at the same time, but when they are, well… let’s meet over a mug of hot chocolate and see where the evening takes us. (I’d prefer this with everyone on more-or-less equal footing – not with Luke and Mara as an established/married couple and Lando as the outsider.)

Wedge Antilles/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

I’d love to see this as a V gradually changing shapes into a more even triad, as Wedge and Mara come to see more in each other than Commander Square Corners and a barely-trustworthy reformed assassin. I’m most interested in this as a getting-together or early-relationship fic, with everyone sorting out their feelings and their respective claims on each other.

Wedge Antilles/Leia Organa/Han Solo, Lando Calrissian/Leia Organa/Han Solo

Another two that go together! With either of these, what I’d most like to see is Leia and Han inviting a friend (or, in Lando’s case, a friendly ex) into their bedroom as a one-time fling or a casual, but ongoing, FWB arrangement; I’m less interested in a long-term triad. If it’s Lando, I’d love to see a little tension between him and Leia as they sort out the boundaries of their respective claims on Han, but ultimately I do want this to be a happy, fun encounter for everyone involved. If you go with Wedge, I’ve always been very fond of his close friendship with Leia in the EU, and I’d like that to be his closer tie to her and Han.

Long Shots Division:

Leia Organa & Beru Whitesun

I would be MOST interested in this as a roleswap AU where Leia is the twin raised on the Lars farm. They thought Luke was headstrong and too like his father -- what a challenge raising Leia would have been. I’d love to see a look at that alternate childhood for Leia, and her relationship with her aunt in particular.

Alternately, find a way for Beru to survive, and to meet her boy’s new friends and family -- does she figure out who Leia is? (Did she know there was another baby?) What do they think of each other? Is Leia a little dismissive, maybe, of a Nice Mom Who Makes Cheese, or do they connect right away?

Mara Jade/Gara Petothel | Lara Notsil

Is this ridiculous? Yes. Do I love it anyway? Yes.

The most plausible version of this is maybe Mara/ “Kirney” during Lara’s Intelligence training -- the timeline is ambiguous, but it doesn’t seem crazy to think they might have been on Imperial Center at the same time, or that the Emperor’s Hand might have been sent to some of the society parties where Kirney made herself at home. Alternately, I think they could have some very interesting things to say to each other later on, after they’ve both changed sides (at least once) and are dealing with what the Empire did to their heads.

Garik “Face” Loran/Ton Phanan

This is in the Long Shots Division because I have a weirdly specific desire here: ghosts. Give me Ton hanging around after death -- where else does he have to go, after all? Haunting all the Wraiths, or just Face, or trying to figure out how he can go haunt some Imperials and ruin their day. Making Face miserable, or still making him laugh (and is he real, or is this some kind of coping mechanism, and does Face want to find out which?), or not seeming to know he’s dead. Just... Ghost Ton. Pls.

Alternately, I’d also be happy with them getting into shenanigans and having lots of pleasant casual sex during happier days. But I love ghosts.

Oola/Leia Organa

There wasn’t a LOT of time for dancers to hang around unwatched at Jabba’s Palace, and they were only there together for a couple of days (and even that, only if we fudge the timeline a little). But sometimes it only takes a couple of days, and sometimes all you need is a few bright stolen moments.

Miscellaneous Division:

DJ/Talon Karrde

I’ll be honest, I don’t really have a plan here, I just think this is a fantastic idea. I was thinking about Karrde the whole time DJ was on screen, and half-expecting him to turn out to BE Karrde, and I am delighted by the idea of this pairing. I think there’s something interesting here about grey areas, and the “rogue with a heart of gold” archetype, and what, realistically, it means to play both sides against the middle when one side is clearly and melodramatically evil.

Mara Jade & Darth Vader

I’m interested in Mara’s childhood and youth, and the sort of... just-under-the-surface yawning horror that we know is there, but that’s not really dug into much in the EU. Give me something with her and Vader encountering each other -- as rivals for Palpatine’s attention, as tentative allies, as student and teacher, or as...

Mara Jade/Darth Vader

... something more than any of that. This could go in a lot of different ways, from something as relatively innocent as an uncomfortable attraction between two people with no one else to talk to, to something as dark as the Emperor ordering one of them to the other’s bedroom. Whatever direction you go with it, I do want it to treat the power dynamics and age dynamics here seriously, and to lean into the darkness that’s present in what we know about Mara’s childhood and youth – no one here is having a good time or doing something they’ll be happy to look back on.

(This is the one sort-of-exception to the “no rape/non-con” clause; it’s a pairing that lends itself to questionable or compromised consent, and I’m into that. The line between what’s “dubcon” and what’s “non-con” is blurry, but as much as possible, I’d prefer that you stay on the dubcon side of it -- deceit, coercion, and uncomfortable power imbalances, yes; violence, physical or Force-based force, or explicit non-consent that’s ignored, no.)

(This is NOT an exception to the “no explicit scenes with underage characters” clause. If you write this with Mara as a teen, please keep anything explicitly sexual off-screen.)

Winter Celchu/Leia Organa

I’d like to see this as a youthful experiment between friends – something casual that doesn’t last, but that remains a fond memory and a little bit of an in-joke.

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Owen Lars/Beru Whitesun

Obi-Wan – Ben, now – stays nearby, after he leaves the baby with them. Maybe it’s to keep an eye out, to make sure Anakin’s child doesn’t draw any undue attention. But maybe it’s not just that.

I’d love basically anything you do with this – a one-time fling that everyone is a little embarrassed about in the morning; an arrangement that sees Obi-Wan stopping by the homestead infrequently for dinner and conversation and, after the kid goes to bed, a night of companionship; a full-on AU where Luke grows up with Uncle Ben as essentially a third parent. (Whatever you do here, Luke will obviously be around! But I am more interested in this focusing on the relationship between the adults, not on any of their relationships with Luke.)

[kitsunebellproductions]

Thoughts on Voltron Season 7

SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY! Things that annoyed/angered/saddened/frustrated me: *Kuron still being treated as though he was nothing more than some evil monster and convenient spare parts for Shiro. I am still nauseated by the whole thing. This poor precious baby boy deserved so much better. *Shiro’s hair -I mean come on, his fringe was pure white before but now it’s grey? What, did the whole process leach colour from the rest of his hair yet restore some to his fringe?! I will just assume it’s meant to be white but they felt this particular shade of white/grey worked best aesthetically with his outfits etc. *Too little Shiro for too many episodes. *Too much Keef. (Sorry, fandom has completely ruined this character for me, he’s not a bad character but I am repulsed by his mere name thanks to the toxicity in this fandom. I wish I could go back to the beginning of watching Voltron when he was just another decent character that I felt neither yay nor nay about, but it is what it is.) *That weird game show -if it was some magical space mage mumbo jumbo thingy that just transported their consciousness, why wasn’t Shiro there? And the whole ‘comedy family’ shtick with the Galra... I mean, it was a bit funny but... mostly weird tbh. The funniest parts were the commercials. *Way too little background/interaction with Shiro and Adam. *Also Adam’s design -like, why do you make an entirely new character that looks a lot like a mix of two other characters who are father and son (Matt and Sam)? You could have done literally anything to his design but you went safe and way too familiar? I mean holy moly did you see Kinkade? Fuck yeah what a gorgeous design, that is exactly what my hopeful heart pictured for Shiro’s boyfriend but nope. Give us generic floppy-hair glasses boy with a generic medium brown palette, it’s so fresh and new and interesting. Not. *Adam FUCKING DYING before Shiro even got back to Earth. You could have at least let the poor boy have a reunion with someone waiting for him on Earth before burying some more gays, but no. He must suffer. *Shiro getting like three seconds to mourn Adam. 

*Speaking of burying your gays... (not to mention a delightful dash of the ‘evil lesbians’ trope): Ezor and Zethrid. Yayy on their relationship, nay on them being presumably killed off (I mean killing 3 out of 4 queer characters while keeping the straight characters safe is not a good way to show how queer friendly your show is. And no the ‘we had to show how dark and dangerous war is’ excuse doesn’t work when the only characters you kill are the queer ones. There were plenty of characters back on Earth we’d have felt just as deeply about -or more even- considering we’ve heard about the other paladins’ families back on Earth but we’d never heard of Adam until now. Just imagine if Veronica had died -that would have been intensely emotional and really had gone to show all that you wanted about the dangers of war -especially as I don’t doubt for a second that Lance would have gotten an entire episode at least to mourn her while Shiro got like three seconds. Because Shiro is apparently not allowed to mourn). *And isn’t it funny how the most alien-looking Galra women are the evil ones, while the ‘good’ ones look more or less like lavender-skinned human women (and are also very pretty, petite and with slender, ‘sexy’ bodies.) Like, seriously... *Not to mention how creepy it is that Keef’s Galra mom and the other ‘good’ Galra woman (Acxa, who for whatever reason the show tried to force some out-of-the-blue yucky heteromance together with Keef) look disturbingly much alike (and they look to be the same age too more or less. So sick and tired of the ‘hot young-looking mom’ trope in media but especially animated shows. And especially when the kids end up banging girls looking to be more or less the same age as their mom). *Shiro not reacting when Ezor and Zethrid went for Pidge -he’s consistently been shown to be very protective and self-sacrificing, yet here he barely bats an eye. I get it was a scene framed to lift Lance, but it felt extremely ooc for Shiro to not at least try to help. *Ezor and Zethrid’s relationship being honestly way more explicitly stated than Shiro and Adam’s (which was the relationship hailed as the big lgbtq+ rep for this season). No, they definitely didn’t need to get back together for Shiro to still be considered lgbtq+ rep -you don’t need a partner to be lgbtq+! But when you wave a specific relationship around as a big banner of glorious lgbtq+ rep to come and then barely even hint at it in the show... well... not so much of a rep then, is it? *Not showing Shiro in that worldwide message of ‘these are our beloved brave heroes from Earth’. Like, this boy was kidnapped by aliens, spent a year being tortured, brainwashed, cloned, dismembered, pretty much violated in every concievable way, then immediately after escaping (with a shitload of PTSD in the baggage) he was sent back out into space and chosen to lead some war against seemingly impossible odds, a war that really wasn’t his war to fight, a war he still fought bravely and selflessly despite his physical and mental issues, a war he died in, but meh I guess he wasn’t worthy of mention. (And I don’t know why Keef wasn’t mentioned either, but maybe being half Galra makes you too much alien to be considered part of the world you were born and grew up in *heavy sarcasm*). *Shiro’s bond with the Black Lion and his role as the Black Paladin being pretty much erased/retconned -it’s like Keef gets to sit his ass comfortably down in the seat Shiro shed blood sweat and tears for and struggled so hard for, easily just gliding along on what Shiro has paved the road for but without acknowledging the huge role Shiro had in it all. Shiro was the one who brought out the wings for Keef in the end of the last season because Keef was unable to do it himself, because Keef had never bonded with her the way Shiro did -Shiro and the Black Lion found and saved each other in so many ways, and the Black Lion loved Shiro so much she saved his ‘essence’ inside herself, yet now we’re supposed to just accept that Shiro is old news and no longer worthy of being considered part of the ‘mighty Paladins of Voltron’. Myeah, did not like the feeling I got of this saturating this entire season. Keef can still be a big hero -or even your new main character- without grinding Shiro down into the dirt on the way. *That arm... it’s so big and clumsy-looking it makes him look weirdly lopsided. The comically large arm works for Sendak, considering his ‘evil sadist who loves crushing people with his alien prosthetic’ shtick, but for Shiro it just looks too big to be practical. If it was intentionally meant to imply that Allura just grabbed a prosthetic modelled after someone bigger than Shiro and remade it, and that’s why it’s so big on Shiro, that’s fine. But it feels impractical for anything other than fighting evil alien generals. *Shiro not getting to fulfil his arc as the abused victim and underdog by overcoming and defeating the evils pushing him down, but instead being forced to take the backset to a character forced into a leadership role for what seems like nothing more than a desperate clinging to nostalgia. It is mindboggling that everything Shiro has worked so incredibly hard for, everything he’s struggled and fought for is being taken from him and he’s supposed to be satisfied with a consolation prize. Yeah, Shiro going full Magical Girl Princess was amazing but he didn’t even get to deliver the final blow in any fight -not even his personal fight with Sendak- because apparently Shiro is not allowed any victories at all. *The whole sense of Shiro being punished for choosing his life’s dream over becoming the obedient house wife of his ex -he had only a short few years left to fulfil his dreams, and yet he’s painted as the bad guy for ‘abandoning’ his boyfriend (who was the one that left Shiro, actually). Yes, Adam had the right to choose to not want to separate for so long -during what was likely the last few years Shiro had enough mobility to do all the fun things couples dream of doing together- he had the right to say ‘I’m sorry but I can’t put my life on hold, and I wasn’t really prepared to go straight to caring for someone with a debilitating disease without a few more years of fun in between, I want to break up’. That still doesn’t make Shiro’s choice to follow his dreams any less valid than Adam’s choice to not wait for him. I bet Adam had an exciting bucket list waiting to start ticking off as a consolation when Shiro was denied the role of pilot for the Kerberos mission -I doubt he’d expected Shiro to actually be allowed to go and that probably seriously stumped him- but it’s incredibly cruel and selfish (and ableist) to expect a person to sacrifice their last few years of being able to fulfil their dreams just so their able-bodied partner can fulfil their small dreams and wishes of things they want to do for the last few of that person’s fully mobile years. And yet everything about Shiro’s arc paints a very very grim and ableist story of ‘you chose your own dreams over bending to your partner’s will, now let us show you what a horrible decision that was by torturing you relentlessly throughout the rest of this series without ever letting up. You will never be allowed happiness again because this is your punishment.’ I agree with other people that the way Shiro’s been treated throughout this series -constantly tormented without ever getting a single break or getting a real chance to fight and overcome his demons- seems way too much like torture porn. *The feeling that Shiro’s Magical Girl Moment was only there to blind us to the fact that him being probably the only one able to transform the Atlas means he’ll be conveniently grounded next season, forced to stay on Earth to ‘protect his home’ while the rest of them get to go off being the ‘amazing Defenders of the Universe’, leaving both Shiro and his legacy behind, unsung. I hope I’m wrong, but I get an overwhelming feeling that Shiro is being pushed into the background because they never intended for him to be the hero of the series but by the time they realised that’s exactly what they’d created with him it was too late to take it back, so now they’re trying their hardest to push him back into some mentor/backseat role in a sneaky enough way that they hope people won’t notice because they’ll be dazzled by the shine of his ‘new role’. ... Things that made me happy/excited/pleased: *The animation level. I mean holy mamacita Shiro is so beautiful he glows in like every single frame. *HUNK. Love this big gentle boy and love that he got to show more of who he is and what he has to give this season. *Seeing the families we’ve heard so much of. Seeing them reunited. Seeing flashbacks to happier times with the families. *Pidge finally getting her entire family back together. *The designs of all the alien/Earth tech. Gorgeous. *The design of some of the new characters <3 *So many new Galra characters with faces and personalities even if we only saw them for a few seconds. *All the ‘Earth preparing for alien invasion’ scenes/episodes. *Finally getting to know more about Iverson and who he is as a person. *Sam and Colleen. *Shiro being the new Princess of the new Castle ship. *Shiro fucking transcending being the Princess and transforming the entire Castle ship Atlas into a new Voltron type battle robot. *The Atlas being this beefy paladin type knight on top but t h i c c femme legs on tippy toes/high heels on the bottom. 10/10 what a beauty. *White Lion Shiro... I mean, I’m certainly not the only one thinking it, right? *Just Shiro. Wow. What a strong, beautiful, good person who cares about everybody else above himself. Someone give this poor traumatised boy hero a fucking vacation with the softest bed surrounded by therapy animals. Perfect cinnamonroll too pure for this world. *Shiro fighting Sendak hand-to-hand on top of a fucking space ship free-falling (read: CRASHING) to Earth instead of trying to escape I mean this boy *Keef fucking anime-slicing Sendak in twaine for daring to try to hurt the person he loves like a brother (bloodless and nice for the young’uns of course, but still). *Hunk carrying Shiro. *@ anyone claiming Lance ‘never gets screentime or development’ -fuck you. Look at this brave, strong boy who started out as a self-centered antagonistic jerk yet has grown into such a good and mature person. I may loathe the Lance I see portrayed in the fandom, but in the show he’s still such a good character. *Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man <3 *The mice and Kosmo the space wolf for MVP *Kaltenecker, most chill character in the entire universe. *Shiro’s prosthetic not being attached -at first I was like ‘noooo’, but then I realised... fuck yeah this is exactly what people in fandom need to stop erasing disabled characters. It is way too common for people in fandoms to claim that a person having any kind of high-tech or magical prosthetic that makes their disability less visible (For example Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist) isn’t actually disabled at all ‘because it’s like they have normal limbs’. Having a prosthetic arm that has a big void between itself and the shoulder attachment makes it impossible to ignore the fact that Shiro is missing a whole arm. (And maybe, just maybe, people will finally stop with the shitty ‘he’s got a full sleeve of tattoos instead of a missing arm in this AU fanfic because erasing disabilities is super cool’ trope.) *The entire Shiro/Atlas transformation scene -ugh so beautiful <3 ... Phew, that got long! (=A=;;) I’ve probably forgotten a lot of things -but it’s been a few days since I watched it so it isn’t as fresh in my mind as I’d have liked, however I don’t have the time to rewatch it right now to refresh my memory so it’ll have to do. These are just my personal thoughts -things I found negative might be things someone else found positive, and things I found positive might be things someone else found negative. This isn’t meant to be a debate or attack -just a way for me to put my thoughts down and remember them for the future. And one last thing -please remember to be kind to each other -and don’t go attacking cast or crew -most of them have no real say in what happens on the show anyway, and harrassing and threatening castmembers to the point where they’re scared to even show up at cons is not the way to make the higher-ups listen to your complaints -however legitimate they might be. Now I guess we’ll just have to brace ourselves for season 8...

[alwaysanotherooc]

Shock To The System

Rating: M, just in case Warnings: Rating is for language and sexual tension. (It’s probably not necessary but I like being cautious.) Fandoms: The Wayhaven Chronicles Characters: Will Kingston, Adam du Mortain, Nate Sewell, Felix Hauville, Mason, Bobby Marks Pairings: Will Kingston/Adam du Mortain, exes Will Kingston/Bobby Marks Description: Adam is determined not to get close to Agent Kingston’s son. He’s determined to get through this assignment without knowing one thing about him. Nate and Felix think Adam is a dumbass. Author’s Note: So this is my first WC fic, and tbh I don’t have MUCH of a hold on the characters yet, but I’m doing my best, and I think it turned out pretty good. EDIT: 05/14/2018 to fix some mis-named instances and wrong pronouns.

Adam POV

I stabbed a finger in Felix’s direction, practically hissing, “Stop saying that, we won’t be telling the Detective, nobody is telling the Detective anything!”

I was sick of having this same exact argument every time the four of us were alone. This time the argument was happening in my motel room, a somewhat dusty but all too cheerfully decorated thing in the only motel in all of Wayhaven.

The very idea of telling Will - the Detective, anything about the paranormal not only went against direct orders but was an argument that had been settled against no less than five times since Agent Kingston had assigned us as a protective detail for her son. 

A discreet protective detail, as I kept having to remind the other agents, especially Felix, who could never resist a good vampire pun.

“Oh, of course,” Felix rolled his eyes, lips twisting in a mocking smile from where he was perched on the motel armchair, “Because keeping things from humans has always worked out so well, historically speaking.”

Mason, amusing himself in the corner of the room, didn’t look up while saying around the cigarette between his lips, “But that’s what he’s hoping for. See, Adam wants to get the human killed, and then all of us killed as well when we report in to Agent Kingston.”

I felt my blood pressure skyrocket. “I thought you were on my side, to not tell him!”

Mason glanced up, shrugging noncommittally.

Sitting precariously at the small, rickety breakfast table shoved into one corner of the room, Nate grinned at me, eyes twinkling. “Now that’s three votes against one. And tonight, while we’re on patrol, will be the perfect opportunity!”

“I’m not voting for anything,” Mason drawled, “And I’m certainly not voting for telling the human anything.”

Nate deflated a little. “Well, that’s still two votes for.”

Felix made a small sound.

Nate twisted in his seat, gasping dramatically. “Traitor!”

Felix laughed, “Love you too, Nate.”

I rubbed my eyes with my hands. “Nate-”

“No, no, I get it,” Nate sighed, settling his long, gangly body back into his chair. “I still don’t like it.”

“I know,” I said softly.

“And I am gonna continue to fight you on it,” Nate said matter-of-factly.

“I know,” I repeated, feeling my shoulders tense up again at the thought.

“And I am gonna lord it over you when Will finds out on his own that we’re vampires,” Nate’s mouth twitched, his eyes glimmering devilishly.

“I know,” I nearly growled through grit teeth.

I could practically hear the delight Nate, Felix, and Mason were taking in the direction the conversation had turned.

Especially when Nate continued, “Because even Mason’s admitted Will’s pretty damn smart and he has a habit of running into trouble headfirst, and you yourself have even commented that humans have a habit of finding out things that are none of their business, and Will is, after all, a Detective-”

“I know, I know, I know, for the love of - I KNOW!” I snapped at him, my shoulders up around my ears with tension.

Mason chuckled, always delighted at my irritation.

I knew all of that, I did, and though I wasn’t about to tell any of the vampiric vultures in the room, I definitely knew it was only a matter of time before somebody slipped up or Murphy revealed all of himself or Will walked right out - the Detective walked right out and stumbled into a vampire feeding ground by sheer dumb luck.

But that didn’t mean I was going to go against regulations and orders and tell him anything.

A knock on the motel room door interrupted my fuming, and I stalked over to wrench the door open, denting the knob a little in the process. “What.”

A young boy, probably still in high school, dressed in an intensely unfashionable fast food uniform stared up at me in fear, holding out a large pizza box. “Uh, gee, I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but…”

Awkwardly, the young boy gestured with the pizza box. “Uh, your pepperoni and extra cheese.”

I turned to glare at the suddenly silent members of the room. “Which one of you ordered pizza?”

Felix hopped up, skipping over to the door, “That’d be me, fearless leader,” and he proceeded to grab the pizza and turn away from the door, asking disinterestedly over his shoulder, “Would you mind tipping him, Adam, I’m starved.”

I rolled my eyes, trying desperately not to snarl at him or the innocent pizza boy still waiting anxiously in the doorway. I reached into my back pocket.

And found nothing in my wallet’s usual place.

But of course.

I turned on Felix and Nate, both of whom were completely absorbed in the pizza. And therefore, completely ignoring me, but I could tell by the set of their shoulders that they were both aware of my gaze.

Felix had somehow gotten into the habit of honing his pickpocketing skills on me, and Nate could sometimes be convinced to join in if Felix sweet talked him enough. This was the third time this month one of the two of them had lifted something from me, and I was getting incredibly sick of it.

Very calmly, I bit out, “My wallet seems to be missing.”

I waited, angrily, aware that the pizza boy standing outside the doorway was starting to shrink inwards on himself in fear as I spat, “You two wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, now would you?”

I tried to remind myself that I did love them both, really, but goddamn they didn’t make it easy.

Finally, they both looked up. 

Nate smiled blandly, Felix blinked all too innocently at me and said, “Oh no, did you leave your wallet at the police station again?”

“You know,” Nate chimed in, “I think that’s where it is. I distinctly remember it being on Detective Kingston’s desk right before we all left.”

The kid in the doorway stopped me from invoking divine vengeance by stuttering out, “Oh, no, sirs, you don’t have to worry about it. You gave me a tip when you ordered online.”

Felix’s eyes widened slightly, and he beamed brightly, “Oh, that’s right! Well, thank you, sonny, have a nice evening!”

The kid stood there for a second, staring somewhat awestruck at Felix until he blinked and flushed bright crimson from his forehead to his neck and practically bolted back towards his car.

I let the door fall shut with a loud thunk.

Felix and Nate, who had turned back away from me, did not look up from their pizza. 

Mason had gone back to playing with his lighter, though his eyes darted back and forth between myself and the two busybodies sitting in the room.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “Felix-”

“It’s such a shame,” Felix said loudly, covering my words with his own, “that my memory and Adam’s isn’t as good as Nate’s.”

Mason snorted from the corner but didn’t comment.

Nate nodded sagely. “That’s very kind of you, Farah.”

Then Nate turned towards me, smiling cheerfully. “Will you be going back to the police station to collect your wallet before we head out to patrol?”

I thought about answering him.

I also thought, very briefly, about throwing him into a wall. 

Or through one, maybe. 

It wasn’t like it’d hurt him.

Permanently.

Then I turned on my heel and stalked out the door, ignoring the victorious giggling happening behind me.

The one good thing about having to go back to the station at six o’clock at night was that surely Will - Detective Kingston would be home by now, as would almost everyone else who worked at the minuscule station. There was no chance I would run into anyone while getting my wallet.

—-A Short While Later—-

Just as I’d hoped, Douglas was nowhere to be found at the front desk when I walked back into the precinct. As I made my way towards the Detective’s office, I thought about avoiding everyone until eight and doing another search of the warehouse. I knew it was unlikely that we had missed anything, but I’d rather waste time searching the warehouse again than sit around with the unit and listen to Nate and Felix tease me while Mason smoked.

As I neared the closed office door, I finally registered the voices coming through from the office.

The Detective’s voice, low and uncharacteristically angry, as he hissed, “Look, you made your point with the article, all I’m asking is for you to just cool it.”

I paused outside the door, breathing in deep without quite meaning to, and I felt my whole body tense at the acidic mix of anger, panic, and disgust weaving through Will’s blood.

The other person in the room laughed tightly, the mocking sound of their voice raising my guard as they purred, “What would you suggest, keeping secrets from the public?”

“I would suggest,” Will snapped, “that you don’t cause undue panic in a small town, I don’t want to have to deal with the riot that will most definitely happen if you keep publishing stories like this!”

There was the sound of heavy paper hitting a surface and I remembered the hometown paper that Nate had carefully flung at my face earlier that morning, the headline blaring ‘Police Baffled By Murders! Can They Protect Us If They Don’t Know What’s Happening?’. 

If I had to guess, I’d say that the other person in the room was the author of said article, what was their name…

The other voice scoffed. “Only because you can’t seem to do your job, Detective.”

“What are you even here for, Bobby.” Will’s voice was tight with anger.

Bobby Marks, that was the author’s name.

Bobby’s voice was much deeper than before when he replied, “I’m here for you, angel.”

There was a pause, the sound of shuffling feet and a soft thud, followed by a sharp inhaling gasp. 

Will’s scent deepened with confusion and fear, his heart beating much faster.

Before I knew it, I had yanked open the door, sudden righteous fury pushing me forward.

Will and Bobby’s head’s both snapped towards me in shock. Will’s back was pressed up flush against the wall, hunched inwards on himself and decidedly away from Bobby, who was standing completely within Will’s space, leaning in so close Bobby’s face was within three inches of Will’s, Bobby’s hands planted on the wall on either side of Will’s waist.

I felt my face draw together into a positively predatorial expression. “Bobby Marks. Correct?”

Bobby, eyes wide and pulse racing, terror searing through his scent, nodded dumbly.

I looked him up and down, slowly, and when I met his eyes I said, my voice frigid with distaste, “Detective Kingston and I have police business to discuss. You need to leave the premises immediately.”

Bobby pushed away from the wall, stepping back, and I watched as relief flooded Will’s expression, his soft brown eyes sweeping up to meet mine.

I looked away, watching Bobby adjust his clothes before giving me a smarmy smile. “And who are you, to kick out a member of the press?”

I let my expression harden like stone, taking immense pleasure in the sudden paling of Bobby’s face. Very deliberately, I said, “I am Commanding Agent du Mortain, and you need to leave the premises.” 

I took a step forward, edging myself to stand between Bobby and Will.

Bobby’s eyes darted over me, and he swallowed hard.

I glared harder, nearly snarling. “Now.”

Bobby’s eyes narrowed at me, and he argued, “You can’t order me to do anything, Agent.”

My patience, which had already been worn thin, finally broke.

“You have given me no choice but to escort you out of the building.” I snapped.

Will snorted softly in amusement behind me.

Bobby blinked. “Wait, what?”

I reached out, clasping Bobby’s shoulder a little tighter than I normally would for a human and I shoved him forward, ignoring his sharp protests.

I lead him all the way back outside like that, Will trailing behind us, Bobby spitting crass insults at the both of us that fell on my completely uncaring ears.

After pushing Bobby out of the station’s front doors, I shoved him, just a little, watching him stumble towards the parking lot. 

And then, because I couldn’t help myself, I called after him, “Thank you for your cooperation.”

Bobby turned to give me a truly poisonous look before practically throwing himself into his car.

I watched him drive away, tires protesting slightly, not thinking about why in the hell I had just done that.

Suddenly, Will started laughing.

I turned to face him, and all my breath completely left my lungs.

The setting sun was shining on him, turning deep tawny skin burnished gold, his plush mouth stretched wide in bright amusement as he laughed, and then he looked up, those velvet soft eyes punching right through me.

I realized then that his eyes weren’t brown, not really. They were a deep, deep honey hazel color, streaks of green shot through the irises alongside blue and grey flecks. The way the light hit them made them look like some sort of magical gemstone.

He didn’t seem aware of how he looked to me in the sunset, blissfully laughing, he reached out and captured one of my hands in both of his, his palms warm and callused, his fingers slipping between my own.

Will, still laughing, managed, “Ok, look, you probably shouldn’t have done that because the only reason I never have is that he’d write a story on it, which looking at where we are right now is something we really don’t need, but honestly?”

He beamed up at me, eyes shining. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

Will seemed a lot closer to me than he had just a moment before, though he certainly hadn’t moved. His lashes were long, ink-dark against his cheeks as he blinked, his skin flushing softly as he continued to stare back at me.

I could smell the stirrings of arousal coming off of him, his pulse quickening, and I couldn't make myself look away from him, couldn't even begin to think about moving away from him when he was so warm and soft and sweet in all of my senses. 

When he spoke again, his voice was lower, a little rougher. “Thank you, Adam.”

I fought a sudden reaction at the way he said my name.

“For what?” My voice, unbidden, came out just as low as his, and rough like I’d gargled gravel.

The wind blew the front of Will’s glossy black hair, usually worn in a neatly kept undercut, into his eyes, and I was overcome with the desire to reach out with my other hand and push my fingers into that thick fringe.

Will licked his lips, and I couldn’t help but track the movement. “For having my back. Thank you.”

Like a rush of cold water over my body, I remembered what I was supposed to be doing in Wayhaven, that this human was under my protection and was supposed to be kept completely in the dark with all things paranormal, and I jerked away from Will.

I felt the unexpected absence of his body heat like a shock to the system, and I tried to pull my self back together, away from whatever that moment had been, back to being in Commander mode.

Will blinked, confused, like someone waking up from a dream.

I took another step back, finding it both easier and harder to breathe with the distance, though for very different reasons that I wouldn’t allow myself to think about. 

I cleared my throat, saying in an all-too-loud voice, “It’s my job to have your back.”

The confusion on Will’s face vanished, and he nodded, reaching up to push his hair back into place. 

I did not let myself watch the movement.

Will adjusted his blazer, setting his shoulders and body posture back into the posh professional stance I was used to. “Of course, Agent du Mortain.”

I didn’t think about the small disappointment of hearing him call me ‘Agent’ instead of ‘Adam’.

Before the situation could get any more out of hand, I narrowed my eyes at him and snapped, “Don’t be late tonight, we’ll all be at the Town Square at eight-thirty sharp.”

Will - Detective Kingston nodded seriously. “I will be on time. See you then.”

We stared at each other for a moment longer, and then, nearly at the same time, turned in opposite directions and walked away. Detective Kingston walked back into the police station, and I started walking anywhere but where I was.

I realized, suddenly, that I hadn’t grabbed my wallet.

Cursing softly, I kept walking. I wasn’t about to go back in now. I’d get my wallet tomorrow.

[eatgraypes]

Engaged Part II

Character/Person : Marquis de Lafayette

Pairing : Marquis de Lafayette x Reader

Time : Modern

Reader's Gender : Female

Side Note : If your name is Valerie or Effie you're free to imagine those two character's names as something else

Warnings : swearing ( as always ), google translated french, lafayette being really sexual in front of children, mentions of death, miscarriage, terribly written smut, i sLIPPED A WHOLE BUNCH OF ORGASM JOKES NEAR THE END IM SORRY

Possibility Of Having Another Part : tbh idk if i made an engaged pt. 3 then it'd be really short like 1.5k words

Genre : Starts off as fluff, then angst, then sexy fluff, but turns into smut

Request : None

Word Count : 8391

Summary : After you pour your heart out to Lafayette about a very touchy subject, he shows you a different side of him that you thought didn’t existed. Sexual tension ensues after you, too, show a caring side and not long afterwards things get heated.

Part I   Part II

Quickly setting down every fork and spoon and pacing back to the kitchen and into the dining room, you were getting hungrier by the minute. You ached for the moment where you would be able to take a seat, talk to your relatives, and just dine. But that wouldn't be happening anytime soon as your mother was still cooking her last dish. Making you grow more and more impatient as you watched her stir the bisque slowly.

"Mom, we could've been done with the food ages ago! You didn't have to add this meal," you groaned. She waved you off with her free hand.

"Nonsense, darling! Your fiance's French. I think it'd be nice to make a French dish."

"Magnifique!" You groaned even louder at the familiar voice that rang out. If the floor swallowed you right then and there you wouldn't have minded.

"Why, thank you, Gilbert. See, Y/N? Even your husband has better manners than you." Lafayette raised an eyebrow at you, a smug look apparent, and you huffed and turned your head off to the side.

"He's not my husband."

Grumbling, you pried your attention off of your mother and Lafayette to the platter of fish in front of you. Picking up two lemon slices, you squeezed it and silently prayed the night would go faster and the first official day of the reunion would start already. You would rather be stuck in your bed doing Thomas's paperwork and listening to him fuck someone into oblivion, making you unable to sleep and focus than be forced to comply with your mother and cook with her. God, what you would do to be back at home.

Being lost in these thoughts and prayers, you didn't feel Lafayette curl his arms around your waist and bury his tanned face into your neck. You didn't realize this until he murmured a few words into the crook of your neck, sending vibrations against you.

"Ce qui serait encore mieux que mes manières serait de vous sentir contre moi" /what would be even better than my manners would be to feel you against me/

You jumped, raising your hands that were covered in lemon juice to push him, but he caught your wrists before you could touch him and pulled you against him, spinning you around while doing so. Your position was cliche, to say the least. Your backside was pulled up against him as his hands were snaked around you from behind, holding you gently yet firmly. You could feel his smile push on your skin.

"Continue to squeeze the lemons, chéri. Just act like I'm not here." He whispered, sensually.

The feeling sent chills down your spine. He chuckled, feeling you shiver slightly. You didn't find it as amusing as he did. Instead of laughing, you muttered curse words underneath your breath and hoped something would interrupt the two of you so he could get away from you. Your hope even grew when you heard your mother gasp loudly.

Both you and Lafayette glanced up to see your mother gaping at your position.

"You two look so cute,"  you, too, gaped. But instead of gaping in delight, just as your mother was doing, you gaped at your mother in disbelief. Is she serious? Lafayette took a second to search for your reaction, and he wasn't displeased. Your wide eyes, furrowed eyebrows, and slightly parted mouth was enough to get the Frenchman to laugh. He pressed you closer to him, adoringly.

"I need a picture of this!"

Scrambling out of the kitchen and into her bedroom, you took the opportunity to turn and slap Lafayette. But somehow perfectly replicating your past situation: before you could lay a hand on his goddamn perfect face Lafayette's slender fingers were latched onto your wrist, stopping you from hitting him.

 You narrowed your eyes at him and wriggled your hand, trying to pry it out of his hold but he gave you a look of warning. If you didn't know any better you'd assume he was warning you about your family watching, but there wasn't any standing around in the kitchen so that thought was out of the picture.

With everything that's been thrown at you in such a short time you nearly forgot the deal with Lafayette, and the memory itself made you especially miss home. In exchange of him being your fiancé, you were to do everything and anything he wanted you to do. You relaxed but let your eyes continue to glare sharply at him.

He leaned forward and took your pointer finger into his mouth. Then two. Then three. Your face flushed. You could feel his tongue swirl around your finger, dipping low to take in the last of the lemon juice that dripped from your fingers. His eyes twitched slightly from the sour taste radiating off of your fingers, but it didn't stop him from licking it off. But, God, what effected you most was that he made eye contact all the while he did this.

"I got the camera, pose!" 

As soon as your mother's shuffling feet was heard from the dim hallway, Lafayette dropped your fingers from his hand and spun you around so you could face the table. Laying his head atop of yours, he smiled at your mother's camera that she held up to her face. You kept your eyes focused on the platter of food in front of you, staring at the scattered lemons you placed. Every part of you ached once your eyes caught sight of the lemon juice running down the side of the dish. Your mind replayed the scene Lafayette created where he was sensually licking off the lemon juice of your fingers and you could feel your thoughts slowly trickling off to different, more sexual images. Heat spread throughout your body as your face caught up with it, causing a crimson color to fill your cheeks.

Too caught up in your thoughts, you didn't hear the camera click.

"Y/N, you didn't even look at the camera!"

Ripped away from the fantasies of Lafayette lapping of different fluids from you, you glanced up to meet your mother's eyes, looking at you with disappointment. Cheeks still glowing red, you shrugged,

"I slept on my makeup on the way here and I didn't get to touch it up, so maybe tomorrow?"

You tapped on Lafayette's hand for some backup but he only grinned down at you, a look you didn't trust at all, and smiled back up at your mother, 

"Y/N, you look beau." /beautiful/

Your mother nodded eagerly and clenched her camera tightly to her body, ready to take another picture. You threw your head back into Lafayette's chest and sighed at your mother's excitement. You really didn't want to have a picture of you and Lafayette acting like a couple and being 'engaged' forever.

"Exactly! If I don't take this picture, what will you show your children?"

You parted your lips and wiped your hands on your sleek black work pants.

"Children? Mother, I-"  You furrowed your eyebrows, searching for the right words to say. You couldn't say you didn't want children, you did want at least one. You clearly couldn't say Lafayette wasn't your real fiance, that'd be a real fiasco. Damn it. What could you say?

"I-"

"Oh! Why didn't anyone tell me the bisque was burning!"

Quickly, she handed the camera to Lafayette and returned to mixing the bisque in the silver handled pot.

Lafayette eyed the camera and you leaned back into him to see the picture your mother had taken. Much to your surprise, Lafayette tilted it so you could get a better view. In the picture, Lafayette had his head nestled against yours, a bright smile occupying his mouth with his arms tight around your waist. You could see your face painted red and the common habit you had, caught on camera. Your bottom lip was caught in between your teeth as one of your hands were brought up to your face to brush a strand of hair out of your view. If Lafayette were to be someone else, you'd admit the picture was cute.

"You look lovely at my side, chéri. I'd love to see more pictures of you tucked into me." /darling/

This was going to be a long couple of days.

"Where's my sister-in-law and niece, Y/B/N?" You questioned, gathering as much salad as you could onto your fork and taking a bite.

Your mother planned the seating. You were seated next to Lafayette at the edge of the table, to his right. Your mother and father were seated right across from you, and to the side was your brother. Instead of taking the healthier food as you did, he piled his plate with all the pasta and chicken he could fit and practically inhaled his food. You would've done the same and most likely would've bet money on who could finish their plate first, but you didn't want to give Lafayette any stories to tell when you both got back to work at home.

"Valerie's mom is at the hospital and she wanted to bring Effie there just in case something happened to her mom. Y'know, so Effie could say her last words to her grandma. Don't worry though. She'll be here tomorrow."

You nodded and set down your fork, clanking it against your glass of water by accident as you did so. Using one hand to lift your glass and the other to toy with the edge of your napkin, you pulled your cup to your lips and took a sip.

"Y/N, when am I getting grandchildren out of you?"

You nearly choked on your water, rushing to set it down and hurriedly wiping your mouth with a napkin. Lafayette bit back a laugh, holding it ineffectively as a few snorts erupted from him. The same damn snorts you called cute two days ago. Straightening your back and inhaling deeply, you spoke,

"I'm sorry?"

You moved your head to the side, trying to fully comprehend what your mother just said.

"Don't be coy. Y/B/N is younger than you and he already has a child. When are you getting one?"

"Mother," you quieted. She continued to press, but you continued to shut her suggestions down. Shutting your eyes and steadying your breathing, you composed yourself.

"Not until we're married."

Lafayette didn't let the strange behavior at the mention of a child go unnoticed. But deciding not to question it in fear of adding up to the awkward tension at the table, he changed the subject.

"I don't know if you have heard of the news yet, but mon fleur was promoted at work. She's got a position almost higher than mein." /my flower/ /mine/

Your eyes snapped open and you threw a look towards his direction, staring at him in shock. Still a bit uncomfortable from the talk of you bearing a child, you slightly gawked. Why and how did Lafayette remember something as silly as your promotion? In return of your gaze, he sent you a smile and reached over to grab your spare hand that wasn't nursing a glass of water. By instinct, you pulled away but he sent you a warning glance and tutted his head towards your parents, implying that your jerking action wasn't exactly what an engaged couple would do. 

Putting on your best warming smile, you narrowed your eyes at Lafayette and gripped his hand harshly. He yelped but continued to hold your hand that was smaller in size and smoother compared to his.

After dinner, both yourself and Lafayette excused yourselves from the table and went off to your childhood bedroom, doing your best to ignore the sexual comments Lafayette was spurring. Turning the doorknob to your room and swinging it open, you were surprised to see everything you had before you moved out still in tact and sitting idly in the same spots they were in.

"This is a cute room, yours?" Lafayette scanned the room, rotating his body as he did. You raised an eyebrow and let your mouth quirk upwards, though Lafayette was too busy taking a look around to see your sarcastic smile.

"No, this is my brother's room." You lifted an arm and gestured at the baby blue walls that were plastered in posters and pictures of you and friends. Surely something your brother didn't have on his walls.

"Oh, mon dieu! Is that Laurens?" /my god/

Lafayette rushed forward at a small Polaroid picture of you and John, long before you met Hercules. Your arm was around his shoulders and vice versa. His curly brown hair was messily tied back into his ponytail as yours was down and perfectly shaping your face. Your cheek was pressed against his, smiles painting both of you. The lights you both gave off by your presence was contrasted by the dark scenery and setting you stood in. It was a cute picture. You were fifteen and John was sixteen, but you were both in the same grade. 

Lafayette lowly chuckled at the way your tongue slightly stuck out of your open mouthed smile and the way your eyes were shut tightly, mimicking John's expression. Your pose made it seem like you were singing aloud.

"You look étourdissant when your hair is down." /stunning/

You laughed,

"If that's French for poise, amazing, gorgeous, magnificent, then yes I know. Also, I've known you for four years, and you've never seen me with my hair down?" You didn't take your eyes off of the picture as you spoke. Slowly moving on to look at the other pictures that surrounded it. 

"I guess not."

You were busy admiring an old picture of you getting a piggy back ride on John, who was getting a piggy back ride on Hercules when the sound of a picture being crinkled sliced the silence you were adapting to abruptly. You turned your head quickly, already reaching forward, ready to snatch any pictures from Lafayette just in case he was crumbling one up. But instead of seeing him do so, as you expected, he was merely just lifting a picture up.

It was the same picture of you and John, arms over shoulders, and drunken expressions. It was the same picture of you where Lafayette complimented your appearance when your hair was down. It was the same picture of you that you clearly remembered pinning up over another picture.

"Wait, Laf-"

You grabbed onto his arm, silently pleading for him to stop, but he already lifted the picture of you and had sight of the small picture below the one of you and John. His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes drooped with sorrow, finally understanding what the 'baby' tension at the dinner table was about. You lifted a hand and rested it on your stomach, taking in the sight and a mellow expression.

"I had a miscarriage," you started, staring at the Polaroid. You damned yourself for speaking, but it was too late to backpedal. Lafayette was already gazing intently at it, and he probably had a million questions flying through his mind. 

You sighed and studied the Polaroid, again. It's edges were dirty and bent, but the picture in the middle looked new. You could still make out the small details in your sundress and baby bump underneath. You were pressed against another man's body. A man Lafayette was unable to recognize, unlike your other pictures that were just filled with John, Hercules, and yourself. Ones that Lafayette was able to name without hesitation.

The stranger's arms were around your waist, caressing the bump that was tight underneath your yellow dress. You could go on and on, describing the details of the picture, but you let out a cry, immediately snatching Lafayette's attention.

"Y/N, I'm sorry." He looked at you worryingly, as if he was going to cry himself. But you didn't look at him. Unable to catch his gaze, you kept your eyes focused on the picture, continuing to tell the story behind it, not allowing the tears slipping down your cheeks to stop you.

"We-"

You paused and took a breath, sniffling along the way. With choked words, you carried on,

"we were engaged. A day before our marriage I came to him and told him it wasn't going to come. They weren't going to come."

You let out a jagged breath, muffling your cries by placing a hand over your mouth. Lafayette grabbed you by your shoulders and pulled you close to him, letting you take in the scent of him.

"I was having twins, Lafayette. Twins."

He stroked your hair gently, encouraging you to keep talking, resting his chin upon it while he did so. 

"After I told him about the miscarriage he went out for a drive. Later that night, I got a call. He drove off of a bridge, straight into the water." You strained. It was slightly muffled as your face was dug into Lafayette's chest, but he could hear you clearly, understanding every single word you said.

"I still don't know if he did it intentionally or if he was just so caught up in his emotions that he just-" you broke out into sobs once more. Lafayette patted your back and shushed you,

"hey, just breathe."

Still comprehending it, he gently rubbed circles into your neck until you calmed a bit. Even taking it as to lifting you up and laying you down on your back on the satin sheets and covering your body with the blanket. After getting you comfortable, he moved off of his resting knee and got up to get changed but you sat up and gripped onto his wrist. The first two times he gripped your wrist was playful, with a mischievous feeling coating him, but you held a worried, almost fearful one.

You didn't have to say any words for him to understand. He searched your eyes for any regret you might've had, but none.

He nodded and crawled over to your side, lightly resting a hand against your back to test the waters. You leaned into his touch, much to his surprise and joy, and fisted his shirt, pulling his body closer. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You don't need to keep apologizing, it's not your fault."

Lafayette shook his head, tracing patterns on your arm.

"No. I'm sorry you feel this way. I'm sorry you blame it on yourself,"

"I don't-"

"Y/N."

You sighed in defeat. It was way too late to start arguing, and even if you did, you'd be on the wrong side of the argument. Because you knew Lafayette was correct. You blamed it on yourself. If you hadn't told your fiance about the miscarriage, you would've only lost two important people in your life. But because of your words, you lost the man you were giving your hand to. The man you were going to grow old with. The man you loved with all of your heart.

"Okay," you glanced up at Lafayette who you expected to scowl at you, but instead softly smiled. You let out a last sigh,

"okay." It was more of a confirmation to yourself than Lafayette, but he took it anyways and settled for it.

"How is it mon fleur looks even prettier when she wakes up?" /my flower/

You scanned your surroundings warily, before noticing last night definitely wasn't a dream and was instead something that actually happened. And you were kind of glad it was.

"Y'know, Laf, my family isn't around. You don't have to compliment me."

You sat up and rubbed at your eyes, expecting Lafayette to get up too, but he laid there and stared at you with a smile.

"But I mean every word I say, chéri." /darling/

"Sure," you rolled your shoulders and slid your foot off of the mattress and onto the wooden floor. The air conditioner that waved out of the vents sent a chilling breeze over you, causing you to shiver.

"Cold? Want me to warm you up?"

You turned to Lafayette with a raised eyebrow and exhausted smile,

"do you only sleep at night to refuel your pickup lines?"

"Nope. I also sleep so that when I see you, I am awake enough to take in all of your beauty and every detail and every flaw."

You rolled your eyes and faced forward again, cursing under your breath,

"smooth bastard."

"That I am, chaton." /kitten/

"You just can't stick to one nickname either, can you?"

"Nope." He quipped, a joyful smile gracing his tan skin. You shook your head in amusement, a soft laugh following after; getting off of the bed.

As you approached your suitcase, which was hauled into the corner of the room, you could hear Lafayette's humming slowly fading off the farther you strayed from him, and you soon began to wonder. Was his subtle confession true? If it was, were you able to reciprocate it? Or would that be lying to both him and you? Of course you'd admit: the man wasn't ugly, or even decent looking.  He was definitely a gorgeous man, and he knew it. If you didn't know him as much as you do, you would've fallen for the man. But you did know him the way you did, sadly. He was rude, snarky, a diva, and wanted to be treated better than you. But the way he was acting recently had been caring, selfless, loving, and self sacrificing. It didn't sound like you were describing the same person, and if you were being completely honest, you were falling for said person. He proved himself to be observant of your life and held onto things that were special to you. Such as your promotion at work. That meant everything in the world to you. It was almost everything you wanted. And Lafayette remembered that. You don't just remember your enemy's favorite color, or food, or anything like that. So you were sure Lafayette saw you as something better than an enemy, or even a friend. God, you hoped so. 

It felt wrong to go from hating someone to liking them romantically in twenty four hours, but you just did. And you loved it.

"Y/N, you look gorgeous!"

Your aunt approached you with her arms open, ready to engulf you in her embrace. You accepted it nonetheless and smiled in the hug,

"Thank you, you too."

Your aunt's eyes flickered over to Lafayette, who was introducing himself to your swooning cousins.

"And is this young man with you? He's gorgeous too." You bit back a laugh, glaring at her.

"Okay, go meet with the others and I'll talk to you later. I don't want you ogling my fiancé anymore." You let out the laugh you were holding back, pushing her in the opposite direction of Lafayette, despite her very clear protests.

"Gorgeous?"

The French accent you suddenly loved to hear rang out in your ears. Ever since you broke down the night before, you and Lafayette had grown into a better relationship. He had the ability to hold your hand and waist without you flinching and pulling away in disgust. Or have an actual conversation with you without you firing insults at him to get him to stop talking to you. Needless to say, both of you were secretly loving the changes.

"Hey, she said it not me." 

He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to kiss your cheek, but you pressed a palm against his lips. It was an odd, teasing action that both of you seemed to do often for the past two days.

"There are children here, Lafayette."

 He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned,

"so you're saying you wouldn't mind kissing me elsewhere, where there aren't children?" You rolled your eyes, but took this as an opportunity to find out if he returned your feelings.

"Maybe, I am. But only if you want it as much as I do."

The same arms that snaked around you, tightened. Your body was flush against his, and it fit together so well, almost like a puzzle piece.

"In that case, chaton, I want it more than you think."

He leaned forward to kiss you again, but you turned your head off to the side so his lips came in contact with your cheek.

"Maybe later, I'm hungry."

You shrugged quickly and walked off with a bounce to your step, leaving the Frenchman annoyed and slightly aroused.

You smirked the entirety of your walk towards the barbecue grill, knowing Lafayette was probably going to be in an annoyed mood the entire day. Picking up a couple of ribs and setting them onto your plate, you looked for any sauce that was available for you to pour onto your food. But instead, a thin figure being pulled by a smaller one caught your attention.

"Valerie!" You called, one hand cupping around your mouth.

Valerie turned around, along with Effie, her five year old daughter, and smiled. But that wasn't the first thing you noticed. The first thing on Valerie that caught your attention wasn't her extravagant purse, or large sunhat, or even her daughter holding onto her, but the baby bump that was very apparent under her sunset sweater. The sight of it almost made your smile drop, almost.

Masking your sadness with a charming and flashing smile, you lifted an arm and raised it high above your head, waving it. You were aware you were the loudest one among the crowd of relatives and relatives's significant others and most likely drawing attention but that's how it usually was when you met up with Valerie. Loud, unnecessary, and eye catching. Before you moved away and became close with Peggy, Valerie was your best friend and always had been.

"Y/N! I heard you're engaged to the Frenchie over there." She leaned in close and whispered, as if she was spilling a deep dark secret, and quickly glanced at your ring finger.

"Yeah, I am."

Valerie wiggled her eyebrows and cupped a hand around the corners of her mouth, prepared to whisper something.

"Have you done the.." She stopped at realization that she was still holding her child's hand and bit her tongue, carefully choosing her words.

"Y'know!"

You giggled, fumbling with the plate of ribs in your hold.

"I'm afraid I don't know."

Valerie glared at you, clicking her tongue and teeth to think about her next words.

"Has he, uh, scrambled your eggs? Put the key into the ignition? Slipped the thread into the needle? Dipped the paintbrush into-"

You stopped her, laughing.

"I get it, I get it! Mon dieu. Are you trying to ruin sex for me?" /my god/

One of Valerie's eyebrows flew up,

"firstly, you were never getting laid anyways, so how can I ruin it for you? Secondly, 'mon dieu?' Y/N, that's French.  Your fiancé is French, you're speaking a language that you never cared to learn before.. Does he mumble that much French during sex that you've picked up on his language, or-"

For the second time in the past few minutes you stopped her from speaking, not wishing to hear anymore of her rambling. Especially when her child was right next to her. 

"Okay, that's enough."

Effie giggled from underneath her mother's hold, causing both you and Valerie to look down at her. You eyed her curiously,

"And what's so funny?"

You kneeled down to meet her gaze and smiled at her. She bent backwards, clamping her hand around her mouth to cover her giggles. You glanced up at Valerie to see her just as confused as you were. She shrugged and turned to search the table for food. Turning your attention back to Effie, you grinned,

"Well, if you're not going to tell me-"

You held up your hand that wasn't currently holding a plate full of ribs and wiggled your fingers, signifying that you were going to tickle her. 

"No, no!" She cried out, shoving your hand away with hers. She huffed before giggling again,

"You're going to marry a prince!" Your frown dropped at the mention of marrying Lafayette, who you assumed to be the 'Prince,' but you quickly grinned again before Effie could spot your change of mood.

"Prince?" You laughed,

"I don't think I'm going to marry a Prince, Ef. I wish I could, then you could wear all those cute puffy dresses with me!"

She shook her head, her head full of curls bouncing at her action.

"Laffy told me he was a Prince, and he wanted you to be his Princess." You tilted your head,

"that so? Then I'll have to have a talk with 'Laffy' because I'm busy being a Queen to be his Princess."

Immediately after you spoke, you felt an arm slide around your waist and pull you to their side. In a quick movement, you let your other hand grip onto your plate, keeping it from falling over.

You darted your eyes over to the arm's owner and came face to face with the 'Prince.' You narrowed your eyes as he merely grinned,

"Lafayette! My ribs could've tipped off of my plate." 

He scoffed,

"I came here to spend time with my girl, and you're worried about your ribs?"

"The Prince is here!"

You pushed his arm off of you and got up from your kneeling position, unable to hear Effie going on and on about Lafayette being a Prince due to the many thoughts exploding in your head.

"First of all, I'm not your girl. Second, duh. If you weren't my 'fiance,' I would've brought a basket of bread as my date." You put air quotes around the word 'fiance,' forgetting Valerie and Effie were still present.

"What's with the air quotes- Y/N, you didn't."

Your face dropped as you slowly turned your head to meet Valerie's intense gaze. You could hear Lafayette's snickering from beside you, and you slapped his arm, still keeping your eyes drawn to Valerie.

"I did?"

"I can't help you with this one, Y/N. You're a Queen, and I'm just a mere prince."

"Shut the fuck up, Lafayette."

"Children are around, chéri." /darling/

After your sister-in-law had accidentally found out about your engagement to Lafayette being fake, she handed her daughter to Lafayette, and dragged you off to the corner of your mother's backyard. In hushed voices, she demanded you to tell her everything.

"How do you get fake engaged to someone you hate?"

"I just told you, were you not listening?" You scowled but Valerie just waved you off.

"No I did! I'm just confused. Why did he walk into your office anyways?"

You ran a hand over your face and sighed.

"He was dropping something off for a coworker."

Valerie slowly nodded, trying to register what you were telling her. It definitely took her a few seconds, but she came to understand.

"Please tell me you still don't hate the man. You two would be so cute together!" You stared at her as she listed reasons as to why you and Lafayette would be a fantastic couple. 

"I hate to rain on your parade but I still hate him." It wasn't a full lie. You could hate someone and still like them at the same time. Valerie didn't see through your words, instead groaning,

"this can't be true. You two are meant to be. If you guys don't end up fucking and come back to next year's reunion actually engaged then I'm going to sue."

You laughed.

"For what? Not getting with the guy you want me to be with?" Valerie huffed and puffed her chest,

"exactly!"

You glanced behind your back to take a peek at the party exploding behind you. Right in the center was Effie and Lafayette. Effie was tucked in Lafayette's arms as he spun her around, dancing to the music. Even with the bustling crowd and booming music, you found peace when your eyes settled on Lafayette.

"Y/N.."

You turned at the sound of Valerie's voice, a taunt lacing in her words.

"You're staring at him with those doe eyes and lovestruck-"

"Valerie. Get over it. It's not happening, never will."

She shrugged, not believing your words for a second. A smirk was still evident on her face as you walked away and back to the food table. Halfway through your walk, and having to push past many relatives to get through you were relieved to finally have sight of the table, meaning you were getting close. You were a few feet away from it when an arm reached for you and grabbed hold of you, pulling you towards them and into the massive crowd of people dancing. 

You yelped loudly and thrashed around, trying to escape the stranger's hold to get to back to the plate of ribs you left back at the table.

"Relax, it's me, chaton." /kitten/

The voice chuckled and you sighed, a little annoyed but relieved, relaxing into the familiar pair of arms.

“Fuck, I almost had a heart attack.” He chortled, continuing to pull you towards the center of the dancing flock of people and away from the table full of food. You eyed it sadly, desperately wanting to grab a swig of the alcohol or taste the cupcakes your mother laid out.

“Well, don’t relax now! We’re going to dance!” He cheered loudly, obviously having had a few drinks while you were off talking to Valerie. You laughed at his behavior, being dragged further into the sea of drunk, sober, and a good array of a mix.

When coming to a stop he turned on his heel and grabbed your hand, twirling you. You giggled as you did, watching Lafayette drunkenly focus on dancing with you. He grabbed your hips as you lightly swayed, maturely dancing, which was the polar opposite of everyone else around you who crazily jumped and shouted to the music. Lafayette was a good mix of both. He wasn’t jumping around and hollering lyrics in broken English, but he wasn’t calmly dancing as you were. As you strutted back and forth with a rhythmic pattern, you caught sight of Lafayette’s eyes trailing down your body and back up, a click of a tongue and a disapproving shake of a head following right after. 

“You’re too stiff, lighten up chéri! This isn’t a meeting at work!” He grabbed your arms and waved them around for you, smiling brightly. One that definitely resembled a star out in the night sky. You let your arms still, allowing Lafayette to thrash them around like you were some ragdoll.

“And this isn’t a club, minou.” /kitty/ You shot back, playfully glaring and crossing your arms. Lafayette chuckled and stopped dancing, mimicking your pose.

“French? Ah, little chaton knows more than I thought.”

“Nah, I pulled up google translate when you weren’t looking.”

Lafayette shook your words off and continued to dance, pulling you close - for the twentieth time that day - and spun you back into him, again. You glanced up to him and noticed the way the lights above shone on Lafayette’s face. The moonlight contributed to giving him a certain glow. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but it made him look heavenly. The rush of feelings and thoughts you had in the morning came rushing back and you let your eyes occasionally flicker to his lips. He did the same. It wasn’t long before you couldn’t keep your eyes off of his lips and your gaze just remained there, waiting for you to lean in and mold your mouths together.

“Lafayette?” Your voice was meant to be strong and confident, but it came out small, a whisper even.

He hummed in response, too focused on your lips and the way you, too, glowed to actually hear what you were saying. 

“Is it okay if I-” Before the full sentence could leave your parted lips, Lafayette smashed his against yours. His tanned hands flew up to your hair, tangling itself in them, and the other grabbed your cheek, letting you lean into his touch. Your hands were gripping onto the collar of his shirt, balling it up in your fists. He pushed into you, making you lean back and his hands to fall down to your spine to hold you steadily as he pressed his lips against yours. Your lips stung with something you couldn’t describe. It was something you hadn’t felt with your past boyfriends and something that ignited your body with a hot fire, setting you alight. As soon as the need for air arrived you pulled away, much to Lafayette’s displeasure, and gasped for air in front of him. Your eyes searched his face as his did yours. Silence passed of both of you just staring at each other, ignoring the bumping bodies and blasting music and enjoying each other’s presence that it almost made you jump when Lafayette spoke up.

“Let’s do that again.”

You don’t exactly know how, but after you and Lafayette shared a rather heated kiss in the moonlight in the middle of a dance floor you somehow wounded up in your childhood bedroom. Back pressed against the wall covered with childhood taken photos, breathy moans escaping your throat, shirt and skirt torn off and thrown without a care to the side, and the feeling of both of your sticky skin rubbing against each other, the night was pure bliss from here on out.

“Jesus, fuck!” Lafayette chuckled as you muttered a string of curse words, throwing your head back to give Lafayette more access. He grinned into your neck and traced his tongue over your jawline, the feeling of his erection pressed against your heat made you crave him even more. You shivered and ran your fingers through his hair, tugging and pulling at it’s ends, only erupting a small groan and a wider grin from him.

“Little chaton’s really eager for this.” You pried your eyes open to see a smirk evident on his face. You rolled your eyes and let your hands press against his chest.

“Says the person who hauled me in this room in the first place.” He shrugged.

“Can you blame moi? You’re a déesse.” /me/ /goddess/

Your chest heaved causing Lafayette to focus his attention onto them, kneading them and peppering small, wet kisses on both.

“God, Lafayette, why haven’t we done this sooner?” You asked, out of breath. He removed his hands from your breasts and placed them both on the back of your thighs, lifting you up and making his way over to your bed. Laying you gently down on your satin sheets he spoke,

“Perhaps because one of us were too blinded by hatred to notice the sexual tension?”

Whining at the sudden loss of contact and ignoring whatever it is Lafayette had said, your hands immediately flew to your body, ready to pleasure yourself, but Lafayette caught your wrists, clicking his tongue and shaking his head at your actions.

“Remember our deal, ma beau. You listen to me. And I’m telling you: do not touch yourself.” /my beautiful/ His French accent came out a lot thicker than it usually was, making your body warmer and more tense. How haven’t you noticed how hot that French accent was? Blinded by the thoughts of sex, you hadn’t noticed Lafayette unclasping your bra and latching onto one of your nipples. It wasn’t until he twisted your other that you were pulled away from fantasies and into reality.

“Oh, fuck!”

Your eyes clamped shut in satisfaction as your hands found Lafayette’s bare arms, clawing at them. Lafayette tightened his hold on your nipple and rolled it in between his first finger and thumb. You loudly moaned and resisted the urge to reach down and roll your clit to further push your pleasure. Lafayette, who had noticed your twitching hand and clenching fingers, trailed his hand down from your chest, to your stomach, and down your northern regions. 

Butterflies swarmed your stomach and you could practically hear your heartbeat thumping in your chest, aching and begging for Lafayette to touch you, to insert himself into you, to do anything. So when he lightly traced a finger against your inner thigh, your heart exploded. It was at a pace too fast to track as your vision blurred.

At a dreadfully painful pace, Lafayette’s fingers made it’s way to your core, pressing down on your clothed heat. You moaned, your breathing sped as his hands danced it’s way back up to your waist, playing with the band of your underwear. Growing frustrated at the loss of Lafayette touching you, you sat up and reached for your underwear, slipping it off halfway and thinking nothing of Lafayette’s orders. Said man let out a growl like noise from his throat and glared. pushing you back onto the bed using the hand that wasn’t playing with your underwear, holding back from ripping off your underwear and slamming himself into you right then and there. It was hard to hold back on both accounts, both squirmed for contact though Lafayette had a better job of masking it, keeping his cool and taking his time in teasing you.

“I told you not to touch yourself.” His accent came out thick again, causing the wetness that pooled in your panties to grow larger, making your need for Lafayette higher. You moaned at the sound of his voice and ground your hips onto the bed, ruffling the sheets in the process, trying to get some sort of friction.

“I mean, I-” Before you could finish, Lafayette shoved a finger inside of you. It didn’t hurt, quite the opposite, but you shouted from surprise and the sudden feeling of something filling you up. Lafayette grinned at your reaction, pushing in another finger. Your eyes closed. Then another finger. You sighed in satisfaction. It was when he reached four fingers that you were leaving short, airy moans, encouraging Lafayette to continue. Your clenched against Lafayette’s fingers as you grew closer to your orgasm, and Lafayette only sped up. Your moans gradually became louder and more sensual sounding when Lafayette curled his fingers and brushed against your spot, a scream pouring out from your lungs. 

After hitting your first orgasm, you breathed heavily, attempting to climb down from your high. You stared down at Lafayette, wiping away your sweat, and caught sight of him wrapping his mouth around his fingers and lapping away at the fluids you spilled. The lemon juice incident replayed in your head, making you groan at the sight.

“I didn’t know I could make a woman scream with only my fingers.”

Chest still heaving, you breathily laughed.

“Yeah? Well, you did. Congratulations.”

Lafayette laughed along with you and turned to fumble with his belt buckle.

“Mon Dieu. I’ve been wanting to do this forever. Are you okay?” He turned his head, rolling it against his neck to peek over his shoulder and back at you for reassurance that you were ready and fully consented to him. Sitting up on your knees fully undressed you smiled and silently nodded, giving him the okay.

He nodded to himself and slid out of his pants, then his undergarments. You took a moment to sneak a glance at his size, and you weren’t disappointed. You just weren’t sure how he was going to fit. He climbed onto the bed, then onto you, and placed a soft, more passionate kiss on your lips. You dipped low into the bed from the weight, and kissed Lafayette back. You could feel his smile shift into the kiss and he pulled away, still smiling. And it seemed genuine. Unlike the other times he grinned at you because of a sexual joke he made or smirked because you did something stupid and embarrassed yourself, no. His eyes were an equal mix of lust and passion, and with the smile added to it you were torn between hugging him or pushing him back and fucking him into oblivion.

“Do you have a- what’s the word..” Lafayette licked his lips, eyes wandering the room as he desperately searched for the word he meant to say.

“Condom? Laf, this is my childhood room. You think I’d have condoms here?”

Lafayette raised his eyebrows in doubt, unable to believe what you were trying to imply. You sighed.

“Fine, yes, I do have condoms.” You propped yourself onto your elbows and pushed yourself up from your resting position, causing Lafayette to morph his expression into worry and push you back down.

“No, no! Mon chéri, I am not allowing you to get the condom for your first time. I’ll go get it, where is it?” /my darling/

You huffed a laugh,

“first time? Lafayette you do realize I was pregnant before?”

Lafayette shook his head,

“non. Our first time.” /no/

Your lips parted and were pulled into an ‘o’ shape. Nodding in understanding of his words, you laid back down and lifted an arm to point at the vanity table across the room. 

“They’re taped behind the mirror.”

Lafayette got up and moved to reach for the vanity table, or at least behind it where the condoms were taped and hanging. 

“Smart and pretty.” You snorted.

“Smart? Lafayette, I work with the President. So do you. You’re my coworker. You just realized I’m smart? Look, come over here, put the condom on and fuck me.”

Lafayette threw a hand up to his forehead, playfully saluting you and climbing atop of you. The moment you’ve been aching for all day was finally coming and you were more than excited. Excited in more than one way, of course. Hearing the package rip and seeing the condom being slipped onto Lafayette aroused you even more, making you ache for your second orgasm to come. Lafayette looked at you, positioning himself at your entrance, awaiting for your approval. You looked him in the eyes and nodded your head, shoving any fears of his size being in you aside, pushing your hips down to meet his thrust. A series of groans and sighs ensued and the feeling of you being stretched stung, but it passed when Lafayette trailing hot kisses down your neck to the valley in between your breasts.

“Vous êtes tellement incroyable, Y/N.” /you are so incredible/

When the wave of pain washed over, you sunk your hips into Lafayette’s, silently telling him to continue to thrust, which he gladly did. His thrusts started off slow, but with a few whispers and words of encouragement, his thrusts were as fast as someone could go. Slamming into you, filling you fully, and almost hitting the spot you desperately wanted him to slam against. Sliding one hand underneath your calf, he pulled it up and laid it on his shoulder, getting another angle against you. His sweat dripped from his body and onto yours, mixing and swirling, before dripping down and onto the bed beneath you. His warm breath hovered over your chest, creating a slight stimulation for your nipples. The second time he pushed into you with the new angle, he hit exactly where you wanted him to. You moaned into his neck and ran your fingers through his hair, pulling it roughly and pulling the hairtie from it.

“L-Lafayette! Oh, fuck, Gilbert.”

He pressed harder, faster, which seemed physically impossible. One of Lafayette’s hands tweaked your nipple, and you nearly spilled, but held it to come at the same time Lafayette did.

“I’m-”

“Sami, chéri!” /same, darling/ He strained.

With a final push, you came undone and Lafayette rode you out through it. Your fingers curled into your palm, slightly scarring it along with your vision that went hazy. Your head spun and your vision was filled with stars, but you were already coming down from your high with heavy panting. Not soon after, he came tumbling after you, muttering in French and writhing above you. With heavy breaths and sighs, he rolled off of you and pulled the filled condom off of himself. Tying a knot in it and disposing of it, he climbed over to you on the bed and laid beside you.

“It’s a little early to say this, ma chéri, but I love you. And I have for years, but I didn’t know how to approach you properly, since you hate me for some reason.”

You smiled, not even having to hesitate to reciprocate his feelings.

“I love you too. I just realized it, too. So you got lucky.” You tiredly mustered up. Your eyes were barely struggling to open,

“oui. I did get lucky. Now stop arguing and go to sleep.”

You didn’t have to argue with him on that one, easily complying and falling into a deep sleep as soon as your eyes fluttered shut.

You woke up to an empty bedside. Immediately you shot up and scanned the room for Lafayette. Your eyes flickered back to the empty side of the bed, noting how the bedsheets were ruffled and the smell of sex still wavered in the room. Did Lafayette leave you? Was it a dream? Questions were flying through your head a mile a minute and you rushed over to your suitcase, pulling on an oversized T-Shirt and panties and rushing downstairs to your living room.

Almost tripping on your own feet on the way down the stairs, you pushed open the door to the living room to see the backside of Lafayette and Valerie, who sat in front of him, presumably chatting. Though the sound of you slamming open the door caught both of their attentions. Valerie smirked but hid it terribly by taking a sip of her coffee as Lafayette smiled at you and pulled you onto his lap.

Valerie removed the cup of coffee from her lips and coughed slightly, swirling her cup and staring at the continents of it.

“Still hate him, huh? That’s not what I heard last night.”

You felt your face catch fire, and before you could argue back and protest, Lafayette clamped a hand around your mouth and grinned at Valerie.

“It was lovely talking to you, but I think mon petit tigre en colère and I need to work some things out in her room.” /my little angry tiger/

Valerie raised a brow and caressed the bump underneath her shirt.

“Don’t let me stop you.”

Tags : @triceracop

[londonmusicreview]

Live Reviews September to October 2019 London, UK

Gig List:

Temporal Comet/Useless Cities/Bryony | Sept.17th,19:30 | The Victoria

Lumer/Cruelty/Autosuggestion | Sept.20th,20:00 | The Old Blue Last

CC Honeymoon/Vanity Fairy/Videocean | Oct.18th,20:30 | The Finsbury

Reviews:

Sept.17th,19:30 | The Victoria

Bryony was the opener, which for such a small gig can be quite underwhelming, but she handled it with charisma. A young woman with the stage presence of someone much her senior in terms of experience performing. Decent vocals, backed up by a guitar and drums, which were on par with the expectations of the crowd. Her lyrics were obviously self-written, which sometimes means bad, but they were just personal and relatable in this case. She sang about past relationships, mental health, and feminism; all poignant and relevant topics that got the crowd to really like her. RIYL: Lana Del Ray, Marika Hackman, Julien Baker (https://www.last.fm/music/Bryony)

Useless Cities had a less than pleasant sound at times, mainly stemming from their lead vocalist having the deep baritone of The National which didn't mix well with the backup singer's high soprano add-ins. I know that some music is meant to be cacophonous, but I'm pretty sure this was not on purpose. The rest of their music was well written, a gentle psych-rock that was infused with shoegazey elements. Lyrics were a bit odd at times in that they didn't flow well with the instrumentals, but overall they did a good job and I'd see them again. RIYL: The National, Joy Division (Insta:@uselesscitiesband)

Temporal Comet is a duo comprised of one flamboyantly dressed lead singer, and one reserved to the point of awkwardness backup singer/drummer. At first glance they seems like maybe they'd be terrible, but once they get into it, that changes. They are a delight to watch, entertaining, and vibrant sounding. Definitely inspired by David Bowie in their music and in the lead singer's dress ( a multicolored tassel blouse, and sparkling purple glitter boots). Both are incredibly hardworking and talented. RIYL: nothing comes to mind tbh (Insta:@temporalcomet)

Sept.20th,20:00 | The Old Blue Last

Cruelty was very talented at what they do, which is intimidating and aggressive rock. There are five members, three guitarists, a drummer, and the singer. They all had terrifying intense stares that encouraged the "violence" of the mosh pit, which I observed from a safe distance on one of the far walls. If you're into dark, venting music, this band is definitely for you. They were a lot of fun to watch (sort of like watching the conjuring of a dark spirit type energy), and the lead singer is fantastic. RIYL: Code Orange, Knocked Loose (Insta:@bandofcruelty)

Lumer had four members, three of which took their shirt off before the end of third song, and it seemed like that was a permanent part of their show. Sort of a beauty contest mixed with heavy rock music, which surprisingly didn't ruin it's intensity. You'd think that they'd not be taken seriously after that, but the crowd still respected the movement. The lead singer had charisma, that which had not been expected at this type of event; where Cruelty's lead singer was dark and brooding, Lumer's was enticing and flirtatious with his movement and manner. Which the crowd loved, and I suspect may be the secret to their success. RIYL: Honey Lung,  Communions, Fauna Shade (Insta:@lumer_uk)

Oct.18th,20:30 | The Finsbury

Videocean have a lead singer that reminded me of Elton John, not only was he a great singer, but he had some glasses to that were too thick to be compared to Harry Potter. Very retro feeling from the whole lot of them, choice guitars, and a decent set-list. The songs flowed well, though they did seem too similar in some spots, where you didn't realize one was different from another, but that can be good sometimes. RIYL: The Crookes, Day Wave, Elton John?  (Insta:@_videocean_)

Vanity Fairy...how can I describe this gem? Ethereal, mystery, shes the glitter you throw up to distract the audience while you disappear behind the curtain. She's incomparable really. She came out in full on fancy dress, a mixture of Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast at Tiffany's) and Miss Havisham (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens). She sang only in her head voice over tracks she'd prepared, which wasn't always the most enjoyable to listen to, but her performance was eccentrically delightful. At one point she sat on the drum stool with her back to the crowd for an entire song. Another time she wrapped herself partially in the stage curtains. Drama, humour, curiosity, all with intent, and all adding up to something truly one-of-a-kind. RIYL: an acid trip, Tennis (Insta:@vanityfairydust)

CC Honeymoon is a character as well, though entirely in his own right and completely different from those previously featured. He is covered in tattoos, his neck, arms, chest, etc. and he seems like he'd be a bit of a "lad", but his emotionally charged music tells an entirely different story. He went through a journey on that stage from one song to the next, and it wasn't like he took us along with him, it was more like he was letting us see into his private train car as he experienced the journey himself all over again. I was moved by a lot of his songs. There was violence, rage, depression, mental health, sexuality, and so much more conveyed through the lyrics and beats/tracks he put together. The most dynamic set I've seen in a while, and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. He too got physical with the space, using the full stage as an element of the performance, and I even thought he'd jump off into the crowd a few times. RIYL: Gus Dapperton, Future Generations, PHOENIX!!!(Insta:@cchoneymoon)