#my family got me a sweet treat after too and checked on me which was very nice

[evelyn-art-05]

forever grateful to the exam proctor who, not only let me step out for as long as I needed during the exam, but also sent me a message to check on me when I came back (for context it was an online zoom supervised test) AND continuously sent me encouraging and understanding messages whenever she noticed I was especially struggling

like,,, yeah, it might not seem like much, some could even say that she was distracting me or whatever, but the relief that I felt just from knowing someone, anyone, was looking out for me even when they had no reason to, was immense

she kept an eye on me for the whole test, and when I was done and I asked her if I could leave, she said that she was proud of me for making it the whole way through, and that I did a good job. I genuinely hope that she has a fantastic rest of her life because even though that was one of the worst tests I've ever taken, she made it so much more bearable

[maudeeloise]

Do you think you could do a Jacaerys x reader where they are childhood enemies but get betrothed and when things are going well in their marriage Jace misinterprets a moment with reader and someone else and accuses the reader to be pregnant with a bastard until it’s born looking exactly like him and he must reconcile and win reader back.

Sworn Enemies || j.v

Pairing : Jacaerys Velaryon x reader

Warning : none

You weren’t surprised. When your mother mentioned it and your sister ran into your room to check on you a few moments after your talked with your mother.

You were a noble and you had known since the very first that you would be bethrothed with another noble. Unfortunately, your family was being too close to the Targaryens that the first person they chose for you to marry was the last person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.

The marriage was rocky and was filled with arguments — even about the smallest things. Your marriage was built by loath instead of love. You couldn’t stand his arrogance and he couldn’t stand your stubborness. Your hatred towards each other was so deep in your blood that it became the reason you ended up with his child.

Just like any other night, there you stood in different sides of your shared chambers. The bed seperating you as you had argued since the past hour.

“Don’t you dare lie to me!” Jace’s voice roared, filling the room with his anger.

“How dare you accuse me of something I didn’t do?!” You matched his tone, firm and loud.

“I am not accusing you of anything!” His jaw clenched slightly. “That baby is a bastard and you know I’m right.”

You bit back your tongue once you processed his words. He called your son a bastard. He called his own son a bastard.

“You are insane.” You spat through gritted teeth. “You have no proof on what you believe in, however I do and you’re too terrified that I might be right.”

“Nonsense!” He shook his head. “I’m not terrified of anything because I know I’m right.”

“Then take a look at your own son!” You pointed at the crib which was placed beside your side of the bed. “You have refused to even take a peak of him since he was born. Do you despise him that much?”

“He is not my son!” His voice boomed through the room.

A sudden cry broke from the baby, stealing both your attentions. You rushed towards the crib and took the baby gently before rocking him in your arms. Whispers of sweet nothings followed by a humming of the first song which came to your mind, eventually died down the cries. It only took a while before the baby went back to his slumber.

Disgust written on Jace’s face as he watched the two of you. “We need to get rid of him as soon as possible.”

Your face fell in surprise at his suggestion. There was a long moment of a pause before you moved to place the baby back on his crib. A long sigh left your lips in disbelief.

You were tired of convincing him. If you had to be honest, it hurt you every time. You wouldn’t care if he was mocking you nor he was treating you as if you had betrayed his family, but it was his son he was hating. His own flesh and blood he planned to banish.

“Are you really that insisting?” Your voice broke. Your heart aching. But you forced yourself to keep a fierce look on your face and your posture straight.

Jace let out a scoff. “You were the one who betrayed this marriage.”

“I would never!” Your voice heightened, but it wasn’t anger. You were exhausted. “I may despise you with every inch of my body, but I would never do such. I love my family and I would do anything to keep our names clean, so don’t you ever start a rumor just because you got tired of me.”

“Got tired of you?” Jace taunted. “I had wished for your death since forever, but I have never started such rumours.”

“Then whoever did!” Your chest moved up and down. Your eyes were filled with desperation, silently pleading for him to believe you. “You may hate me for the rest of your life, but that is your son, Jacaerys! Just for this once, I am asking you to second your beliefs.”

“He is not my son!”

“Take a look for yourself!”

That was the last thing you said before you exit the room. It was starting to become too much for you. Your chest hurt from holding back tears. You didn’t want to seem weak in front of him, or else he would’ve thought he won the argument.

Once you found yourself in the middle of the empty hallway, you broke down. A hand covering your mouth to silent the cries as you fell down to your knees.

On the other side of the door, stood a hesitant Jacaerys. If he had to be honest, a part of him wanted to believe you, but he had to big of an ego and a habit of always wanting to be better than you, so he was persistance of his opinion.

His eyes stared at the crib for a long minute. He was arguing with his mind whether he should just leave the room or do as you ask. His hands were fisting the material of his coat.

“Fuck this.” He said before walking up towards the crib.

His angry expression was soon replaced by a soft one once his eyes caught a glimpse of the baby. His mouth fell open slightly. The baby was a carbon copy of him — brunette hair, brown eyes, his nose, his lips. Shame masked his face the longer he looked at the baby.

He stumbled back in surprise. His hands were holding at the crib to steady himself. Guilt rushed through him like a wave of tsunami. You weren’t lying. The baby was his heir, his firstborn, his own flesh and blood.

[rwrbficrecs]

The Keepers by foux_dogue (book-verse)

@dot524: This oneshot was full of so many big-sister feelings from June. This is an AU in which Alex is hospitalized in an accident. June realizes that Alex and Henry have been in a secret relationship for a while and tries to help the rest of her family understand while she grapples with this new reality. TBH I want more to this little universe but I loved what we got in this story!

Cracked Heart by @absoluteaudacitywrites (book-verse)

@na-dineee: This canon variation had me completely hooked! Alex's world is rocked by a quite publicly breakup with his childhood sweetheart, Liam. Things take a turn for the better when he forms an unexpected bond with Prince Henry. Alex is portrayed as soft and vulnerable, while Henry provides endless patience and support. He also helps Alex discover new facets of himself. I wholeheartedly recommend! Bonus: the shorter follow-ups are a treat, too.

(Not) A Cinderella Story by @welcometololaland (book-verse)

@na-dineee: One of my comfort reads! Alex is a JSD student at NYU Law, Prince Henry officially lives in NY and is unofficially out. Also, Alex hates the monarchy, eat the rich and all that. When the two meet at an event, Henry's curiosity is piqued when he receives back the NDA that Alex (and all guests) had to sign, marked up thoroughly in red. The story is very fast-paced, super funny, a lot smutty, also touching - it's everything! And Junora are the icing on the cake!

Cold Cases, Lost Causes by @tintagel-or-cockleshells (book-verse)

@suseagull04: In a nutshell, this fic is RWRB meets mystery novels, and it's amazing! The mystery, the romance and the angst all make this one of my new favorites!

i want to mark my skin (it is paper thin) by violetbaudelairequagmire (book-verse)

@na-dineee: In this charming one-shot, Alex is a tattoo artist, Henry is still a prince - and he wants a tattoo. After being to Alex's studio once, he wants one more. And maybe one more? - Of course, oblivious Alex doesn't get who his new regular is, but the sparks start flying instantly. Rated M but feels more like E to me, this sweet story is an absolute delight to devour.

we broke all the pieces (still wanna play the game) by @theprinceandagcd (book-verse)

@heysweetheart-writes: I absolutely loved this best friends to lovers fic having drunken sex because they're both dumb and in love your honor, in every universe. It's funny and sweet and hot. Please give it a read!

Rule Number Nine by @clottedcreamfudge (book-verse)

@suseagull04: TZP works collide in this The Kissing Booth AU! This fic really has it all- friends to lovers, all the feels, and a little bit of angst, and it's all done in the same fast pace as the book, especially the banter between both Alex and Henry and June and Henry, which is amazing!

l'échappatoire by @anincompletelist (book-verse)

@14carrotghoul: This time loop fic is an amazing exploration of grief and Henry's character. Sucks you right in, breaks your heart, and patches it together with beautiful prose as a cherry on top!

check out our past Monthly Faves here ❤️

[writingwithciara]

Best Friend For Life ~Auston Matthews~

summary: y/n's best friend stephanie is getting married to the best guy in the world. aka mitch marner. she is the maid of honor but the best man tends to get on her nerves whenever they're together.

word count: 3.7k

pairing: auston matthews x reader, mitch marner x stephanie lachance

notes: so i was listening to a song the other day and for some reason, i immediately thought of mitch and his wife [friends to lovers sorta]

masterlist

"promise not to get mad at me?" was the first thing stephanie said as she walked through the door of the apartment she shared with her best friend. y/n looked up from her computer with a raised eyebrow.

"what did you do?"

"how do you feel about hockey games?"

"can't stand them. why? what did you do?" she repeated, getting up from her chair and walking over to her best friend.

"we're going to the toronto game tonight."

"and i repeat. what did you do?"

"i was at the coffee shop and i ran into this really cute guy. we talked for hours and he's so sweet. asked me to go on a date with him after his game tonight."

"oh that's great. congratulations."

"but there's a catch."

"oh god. what do i have to do?"

"his best friend is single and so are you so i figured you could tag along since his friend is going to be there too."

"give me one good reason i should, steph." y/n walked into the kitchen to make her lunch. stephanie followed her quickly and clasped her hands together.

"please come with me. i think this guy might be the one. like, for real this time."

"you're lucky i love you and believe you deserve the best."

"does that mean you'll come to the game and the date?"

"let's just see how the game goes first."

"yay. we need to dress really good." steph smirked and dragged y/n into her closet, the lunch completely forgotten.

that night, y/n met mitch and was amazed at how good he treated stephanie, even though they had only met each other a few hours earlier. his best friend, however, was not as great. he did try, but it was easy to tell that he didn't want to be there.

and it only got worse from there.

over time, they both developed a mutual disinterest in each other.

and here they were, a few years later, helping their two best friends plan a wedding.

it was very obvious from the beginning that mitch and stephanie were meant to be together so it was no surprise to anyone when mitch approached y/n to ask for her help with the proposal. he had already gotten her parents approval but he knew that her best friends approval meant a whole lot to her too. he respected their relationship and treated them both well.

the only thing that mitch did that y;/n didn't like was asking stephanie to move in with him. it left y/n alone in their apartment and it felt weird. mitch had suggested that auston move in, in place f stephanie, but y/n quickly shot that idea down. she would rather live alone than live with auston.

as the two girls sat in the kitchen of mitch's house, zeus was resting his head on y/n's lap. she stroked his ear and listened to the plans stephanie wanted for the wedding.

"i'm really honored you chose me to be your maid of honor. but do i have to dance with the best man?"

"i know you and auston despise each other but it's a tradition in my family that the best man and maid of honor share the dance after the married couples first dance."

"i know." y/n sighed. "i'll do it but i won't be happy about it."

"oh thank god. mitch and i were worried we'd have to break tradition."

"i would never allow that." y/n smiled and stood up. zeus tilted his head slightly and gave her a look. "maybe i should dance with zeus instead. he's so much cuter and he actually likes me."

"that would be cute, but it's-"

"tradition. yeah i know." y/n smiled. "how did auston react when mitch told him?"

"i think he's telling him after practice today," stephanie checked her phone. "which should be over right about now."

"i hope he has the same reaction."

over at the arena, mitch and auston were the last two out of the locker room. mitch sent stephanie a text and looked over at auston.

"hey, there's something i need to tell you about the wedding."

"what is it?"

"after steph and i have our first dance, there's a tradition in her family that follows that. the best man and the maid of honor have to dance together too."

"meaning i have to dance with y/n? seriously?""

"sorry man but it's tradition. you can put aside your hatred for one night, can't you?"

"i can promise to try but i can't promise a success."

"that's good enough for me." mitch chuckled and got to his car. "you coming over for dinner? the girls are making meatloaf."

"yeah sure. why not?" auston got in his car and followed mitch to his house. he completely ignored the fact that y/n was going to be there.

the next few days were spent learning how to dance properly. auston and y/n barely made it through without killing each other, but at least they were ready for the big day.

when it arrived, y/n and stephanie were in the room with the rest of the bridal party. the hairdresser finished the last touches on stephanie's hair and she turned around.

"so, how do i look?"

"you look like a princess. mitch is going to cry." y/n smiled and wiped a tear from her own eye. "gosh, you're so lucky. mitch is probably the last good guy on earth."

"he's the best." stephanie looked in the mirror and smiled. "i love him so much. i knew from the moment i met him that this day would happen."

"i knew too. he was the sweetest." y/n smiled. "if you guys ever have kids, that child is going to be blessed with the best genes ever."

"you and auston are good looking too. and if you guys ever get over yourselves and get together to have a child, it's going to be just as beautiful as you guys."

"we're never getting together."

"i want us to have babies around the same time so they can be best friends too."

"i can try to give you that wish. but it's not going to be with auston."

"okay. as long as i get a niece or nephew to love like crazy."

"i love you, steph." y/n pulled her best friend in for a hug before there was knock on the door. auston poked his head in and covered his eyes.

"you ladies ready?"

"auston, you can uncover your eyes." stephanie giggled and shook her head, shooting a look at y/n. "let's go."

one by one, the bridesmaids made their way to stand next to the groomsmen they were paired with. when y/n walked out with stephanie, auston couldn't keep his eyes from roaming y/n's body. the dress fit her so well and her hair was styled perfectly.

'is she not wearing any makeup? holy crap. i don't think i've ever seen her wear any. has she been this perfect the whole time?' he found himself thinking. he shook the thought from his head and took his spot next to her.

"damn, matthews. you really clean up well, don't you?" y/n nudged him with her elbow and he was suddenly at a loss for words. "what's the matter? cat got your tongue? no funny remark?"

"no. sorry." he let out a breath. "thank you for the compliment. you, um, look really good too."

"i know i do." y/n smirked. "but thank you. that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"it can't be." auston looked at her and ran through their history in his mind. "okay. maybe that's true. and i'm sorry for that."

"you are forgiven, matthews." y/n watched as the pairs in front of them made their way out to where they needed to be. she linked her arm up with auston's, wished stephanie good luck and followed the man outside. they stopped at the end of the aisle and went to their designated locations. "you look great, mitchy." she whispered to mitch before taking her spot.

the music started and everyone stood up. when stephanie and her dad walked out, y/n glanced over at mitch. she had only seen him cry twice before in the few years she had known him. this was the third time she had seen tears in his eyes. he tried to hide it but when he looked over at y/n, he smiled.

as the minister went through the normal ceremony, auston kept looking over at y/n. she was watching the interactions between stephanie and mitch so intently, wiping away a tear or two every few seconds. auston was in complete awe of her.

at the reception, stephanie and mitch had the traditional first dance and when that was over, auston was more than eager to make his way to the dance floor. he and y/n took their places and began to dance

as they moved to the music, y/n looked up at auston.

"have you been practicing on your free time?"

"no, i swear. maybe you just make me a better dancer." he shrugged and moved her around the dance floor effortlessly.

"what's gotten into you tonight, matthews?"

"i think it's all the love in the air." he smiled.

"never would've pegged you for a romantic guy. no offence."

"none taken. i didn't expect it from myself either honestly." he spun her around a few times and when the song ended, so did their moment.

everyone else came to the dance floor to do their thing and y/n walked to the table to sit for a minute. stephanie was sitting beside her with a smile.

"auston is so into you."

"no he's not."

"oh please. i heard what he said before the wedding started. he was genuinely complimenting you. there was no hint of lying in his voice."

"he claims it's the love being in the air. i don't know what else to tell you."

even as y/n spoke those words, she couldn't bring herself to believe them. maybe stephanie was right and auston really was into her. she scanned the room and found him with mitch in the middle of the dance floor. they were having the time of their lives and y/n couldn't help but smile.

auston could feel someone watching him so when he looked up and locked eyes with y/n, he winked at her. she turned away shyly and sipped her drink. he thought it was cute.

y/n could feel her cheeks heating up and she hated it. she didn't like the way auston was suddenly making her feel. looking down at her now empty glass, she decided to blame it on the alcohol in her system, and as auston put it, the love in the air.

halfway through the reception, y/n was beginning to really feel the alcohol. the thing about that was it made her act differently and her voice of reason flew out the window whenever she drank.

as she downed her drink yet again, she found herself making her way to where auston was leaning against the wall. he noticed her approach him and he finished his drink.

"hey. what are you doing all alone over here? you should be having some fun. trying to pick up a girl or two." y/n giggled. why did it feel like her stomach was in knots?

"honestly, nobody here is really catching my eye." his eyes roamed the room before landing back on y/n. "might just call it a night."

"no don't." y/n sounded too eager to get him to stay so she backtracked her outburst. "i mean, it's your best friends wedding and you're the best man. you can't leave." y/n shyly looked down at her shoes.

"okay, i'll stay. but first, you gotta tell me why you hate me so much."

"what are you talking about? i hate you because on the night we met, you decided right away that you didn't like me."

"what gave you that impression?" he chuckled dryly.

"you were grumpy and it was very obvious you didn't want to be there. you put no effort into getting to know me. but i don't understand why you were grumpy. you scored the game winning goal in overtime, not to mention you had the only hat trick the entire game. that should've made you a little happier. you were so good that night. i remember telling steph 'wow. that matthews kid is really good.' like i was very impressed. and then we met and i thought you were really cute. but you had to ruin it by opening your mouth."

"you thought i was cute?"

"why do you hate me?"

"i don't. never did. i jsut really didn't want to be put on a blind double date. i hate blind dates."

"i hate them too. and i was only there as a favor to steph."

"i was only there for mitch. he was telling me during practice that he thought he met the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and he wanted me to meet her & make sure she wasn't a serial killer or crazy in anyway."

"and look at them now. kinda crazy how they both knew right away, huh?"

"yeah. but i think it's sweet." auston looked down at her and smiled. forgetting for a second that he hated her. "i'm really happy for them though. they're good for each other."

"i agree." y/n grabbed a glass off a passing waiters tray and drank half of it in one gulp.

"do you think you'll find the person you want to spend your life with?"

"i'd like to think i will & i'm hoping it's soon. but with my luck in love, it'll probably never happen." y/n sighed. "how about you? think you'll meet her soon?"

"honestly, i think i may have already met her."

oh. well that's good." y/n looked down at her feet. "wanna dance? reception's almost over and i feel like we should get at least one more dance in, just to make the newlyweds happy." she gestured to their right where mitch and steph were dancing. they waved and danced away.

"sure. what harm can it do?"

the two of them walked out onto the dance floor and just as they were getting into the beat of the song, it ended and a new slow song started. y/n froze and looked at auston. he grabbed her hands and placed them where they needed to be before he guided her across the dance floor.

they locked eyes and it suddenly felt like they were the only people around. to everyone but them, it was obvious there was an attraction between them.

when the song ended, y/n stayed with her arms around auston's neck as they swayed back and forth.

"so there's really nobody here that catches your eye?" y/n asked, bringing up part of their earlier conversation. she played with her thumbs behind his neck and one of them wrapped itself in a curl that was loose.

"actually, now that i've thought more about it, there may be one."

"wanna point her out? maybe i can talk you up to her."

"red dress, dark hair that's half up half down with curls, no makeup because she's literally perfect and doesn't need it. she's so perfect but she's dancing with the hottest guy here. i can't compete with that."

"one of those things describe steph. she's not wearing a red dress though, nor does she have dark hair. however, i am dancing with the hottest guy here."

"i know." auston smirked and twirled her around. when he pulled her back, he was holding her tighter. "you look so beautiful right now. and not just tonight. every night since the night i met you."

"auston, are you drunk?"

"maybe a little. but i'm coherent enough to know what i'm saying and i'm sober enough to tell you that i mean it."

"auston, please don't lie to me."

"why would i need to lie to you?" he looked down at her and y/n searched his eyes for a sign of him lying. there wasn't one. "i've always thought you were beautiful. gorgeous even. out of my league for sure. and i'm genuinely sorry that i never really said anything about it."

"please don't apologize. i wasn't exactly the nicest person to be around so that must've made it difficult for you."

"difficult, yes. but worth it? totally. 100% worth it."

"do you think that if mitch and steph hadn't dragged us both on that date that night, then maybe we would have a different history than the one we do?"

"what do you mean?"

"i mean, if they had invited us to a group thing instead and that's how we met, do you think that we could've been friends these last few years?"

"for sure." auston smiled. "and maybe, if we had been friends and i asked you on a proper date, you could've said yes."

"i think i would've." it was y/n's turn to smile. "but hey. we're both still young and have plenty of life left to live. why don't we go out tomorrow night?"

"that sounds like it could be fun." auston chuckled. "and just to be clear, it'll be just us, right? no one else."

"yes. just us."

"great. i'll pick you up at 8 then."

"it's a date." y/n smiled as auston spun her around.

the following night, y/n was getting ready for the date when stephanie facetimed her.

"oh, who you getting ready for?"

"believe it or not, i'm going on a date with auston."

"oh my god. finally!" mitch cheered from the other end of the phone. his face appeared on the screen and he was sporting a large smile. "i'm so tired of hearing him pine over you."

"you're exaggerating, mitchy." y/n shook her head. "how's the honeymoon you guys?"

"it's perfect. thanks for the suggestion." steph was back on the screen. "and thanks for agreeing to take care of zeus while we're gone."

"of course. i love zeus." y/n smiled and looked at the dog, whose head was resting on y/n's lap. "who's the bestest boy? you are. yes you are."

"have fun on your date, sweetie. make sure to tell me everything afterwards."

"always. see you guys later." y/n hung up the phone and finished doing her hair. "which dress should i wear zeus?" she held up a yellow dress and zeus tilted his head. she then held up a blue dress and he barked. "thank you, zeus." y/n changed quickly and looked at herself in the mirror. "what do you think?"

zeus barked and tilted his head.

"you're so cute." y/n grabbed her purse and walked to the door when she heard a knock. "okay, zeus. i'll be back in a few hours. there's plenty of food in your bowl and your treat ball is filled so you should be fine."

y/n opened the door and auston handed her a small bouquet of orange chrysanthemums, her favorite.

"how did you know?"

"i remember you telling mitch one day that you loved chrysanthemums and how your heart would be complete if someone ever gave you the orange ones specifically. i didn't know what the different colors meant but i did some research shortly after that night and i've wanted to give you a bouquet of orange ones ever since. delicate love, right?"

"yeah. exactly." she ventured into the kitchen to grab a vase and filled it with water. "i can't believe you even remembered that. i told him like 4 years ago."

"i know. um, you may not believe me but i had a list of all your favorite things. i don't have it now because i memorized it but i figured i'd let you know."

"auston, this is so uncharacteristic of you. but i appreciate the attentiveness. no guy has ever done anything like this for me before."

"i know. it's unfortunate but you deserve it. you deserve someone who is willing to treat you like a queen. someone who can't get you out of his head, even if he tried. because you are so perfect, it's crazy."

"auston?"

"hmm?"

"stop talking." y/n smiled and pecked his lips. "you are so sweet, matthews."

"hold on just a second." he kissed her again but this time it lasted longer than a simple peck. she wrapped her arms around his neck and his found a place resting gently on her waist. auston was the first to let go of the kiss but they were both smiling from ear to ear.

"no guy has ever kissed me like that before. wow." y/n smirked.

"well all the other guys have been really stupid. and i'm not ashamed to admit that i'm part of that list."

"you're also a lot smarter than all the other guys i've been interested in." y/n's hand reached up to rest against his cheek.

"has anyone ever told you how perfect you are?"

"you did last night while we were dancing." y/n smiled and looked into his eyes. "and for the record, you're pretty perfect too."

"does that mean we're....perfect together?"

"corny joke aside, i think we might be."

"good." he smirked and kissed her again. their date was pretty much forgotten at this point as y/n pulled him through her apartment and into the living room.

auston sat on the couch and held y/n's hips as she straddled him. she looked into his eyes and felt herself getting lost in them.

"just so you know, i never bring a guy home on the first date."

"i know. and technically, if you count the blind date when we met, this is technically our second date." he smirked in response.

"it was a disaster and i feel now that our relationship has crossed the friendship line, we should just forget about the night we met."

"deal." auston smiled and they sealed their deal with a kiss. several kisses to be exact.

taglist: @worldlxvlys @fearfam69691 @carolinalikesthings

[couldyouimagine-that]

I'm So Sorry

Genre; big angst, hurt/comfort

Word count; 2.1k

Warnings; canon typical violence towards the reader (by Lucifer – but Gabriel fixes you afterwards)

Pairing; Gabriel (Supernatural) x Reader, Lucifer (Supernatural) x Reader

Gabriel and Lucifer have a fight and Reader attempts to comfort Lucifer to disastrous consequences.

Well this one got away from me! This is not how the story was supposed to go and fear not, part two is coming soon!

Masterlist

-

Lucifer and Gabriel had been fighting. Not physically, not in a shouting match, but quietly – viciously. About why Lucifer was truly cast out of heaven, what he had inflicted upon humanity just to prove to his father he was right. Sympathy for the devil was a strong phrase, but you could understand Lucifer’s feeling of betrayal. Of course, that didn’t make up for everything he had done since. Lucifer had turned away from Gabriel after a particularly harsh – honest, but harsh – comment that Lucifer couldn’t handle being treated as the second-best Chuck truly believed him to be. The angle had meant that although Gabriel couldn’t see, you were able to watch a single tear track down Lucifer’s cheek before he furiously wiped it away. He hit back with something quieter, less meaningful, then stormed out of the room. Gabriel stared after his brother’s retreating back, expression stoic, but you knew he was hurting too.

You knew that caring about both of them was dangerous, it didn’t take a genius to work that out. The most retaliation you would expect to get from Gabriel were harsh words, arguments, at most perhaps losing him as a friend. Lucifer, you weren’t so sure. You watched as Gabriel turned away, arms crossed, gaze skating aimlessly over the surface of the library’s main table. Saying nothing, you made your way to the kitchen and wasted a few minutes in there to give them both a chance to cool off. You had bought a box of Gabriel’s favourite candy a little while back and figured you might as well give it to him now, even if he could summon a lifetime supply of it himself with a snap of his fingers. Their family drama was millennia in the making and you knew full well there was nothing you could do about it, but with Sam and Dean out on a hunt, you wanted to see if you could attempt to smooth things over after this latest fight.

Gabriel was still more or less where you had left him, still silent and unreadable. Sure that he knew you were there, you walked over a placed a hand on his shoulder, just saying hello. You already knew he wasn’t okay and whatever he answered to that question, you wouldn’t have anything useful to say back.

“Hey, sugar,” he muttered, forcing on a smile for your benefit. You returned it sympathetically without saying a word, but then put on a goofy grin as you revealed the box of candy, shaking it a little for impact. You received a mildly amused scoff for your effort as Gabriel took the box off you and read the curly writing on the lid. He sighed heavily, letting you pull him into a side hug.

“I’m sorry,” you said, knowing it didn’t matter but not knowing what else to say. He just shook his head, hugging you back and leaving a quick kiss on the top of your head.

“It’s Lucifer. It’s nothing new.”

You just stood there together for a few minutes before you told him you would be back in a few, heading in the direction in which Lucifer had disappeared. You were sure you hadn’t missed the note of apprehension on Gabriel’s face.

“Sweet cheeks, I know you don’t need me telling you what to do, but I know my brother. You don’t want to be around him when he’s like this, trust me.” You had to work to convince him it would be okay, that you were just going to check on Lucifer and would leave afterwards. You told him you wouldn’t get into a situation where you could get hurt, but it was clear he didn’t believe you. Eventually though, he relented. “Alright, but remember if you need anything, I’m right here. I mean it, okay? Something goes wrong, you pray to me and I’ll be there.”

You appreciated his concern, though it had certainly helped to make you more nervous. This wasn’t the first time you had checked in on Lucifer after some kind of altercation had taken place, but it had never involved his brother before. And you had certainly never seen something upset him enough to make him cry.

He didn’t answer the first time you knocked on the door to the room that he had taken as his own, but you were persistent. You knocked again, calling his name until you got a response.

“What.” Even that sounded threatening, his voice low and controlled.

“It's just me… can I come in?”

You decided to take the lack of response as a yes, gingerly pushing open the door in case you were wrong. He was faced away from you, standing on the opposite side of the room staring at the wall. You were sure he wasn’t actually seeing it though. You shut the door softly behind you, stepping a little closer but still keeping a good distance from him. You had no desire to be disintegrated just because you didn’t stay far enough back.

“You wanna talk?”

It was at that point you should have heeded Gabriel’s warning and left. Lucifer’s back was ramrod straight, nothing remaining of his normally relaxed posture. What you could see of his face seemed darker, emotionless. It reminded you of when you had first met him, when he had first taken Nick as a vessel but was trying to persuade Sam to say yes to him in time for the biblical end of days. He usually made the effort to be a little playful for you, even if he was upset.

When he still didn’t respond, you threw your previous caution to the wind and took a few hesitant steps forward. You walked slowly, gave him time to tell you to back off – but he didn’t. You supposed you had made the mistake of behaving as if the being before you was anything other than the devil himself.

When you got to him, you placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as you had done with Gabriel – and he reacted as if you, nothing more than a human, had tried to threaten him with something as lowly as a steel blade against his throat. He spun around on a heel and backhanded your arm so hard that you felt something in your wrist snap. Your cry of pain was drowned out by Lucifer’s scream. It sent a clear, high-pitched ringing through your ears, deafening you to everything else. His eyes blazed crimson, his wings lay thrown upon the wall in shadow from the angelic light pouring out around him and for the first time, you got a glimpse of the creature you were really dealing with.

His blow had been powerful enough to send you staggering back across the room with enough force to slam into the opposite wall. Your ribs groaned from the impact and you struggled to even remain upright, your wheezing filling the space around you as you tried and failed to draw breath. You knew you were winded somewhere in your mind, but your panicked attempts to claw for air were automatic. Lucifer’s wings flared wide in shadow as he stopped screaming and instead bared his teeth, striding towards you at a terrifying pace. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest, your hands trembling wildly where you held your wrist tight to your body. You could hardly hear, you could barely breathe, and the pain in your wrist was excruciating, travelling through your hand and up your arm. You pressed your body back against the wall as hard as you could out of reflex and absolute terror, Lucifer getting closer and closer until... Gabriel. The devil’s steps seemed to slow down as your mind began to spin, finally coming up with a coherent thought.

Gabriel. Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel –

And lo and behold, you were blinded instantaneously by a searing angelic light which separated you from Lucifer. You closed your eyes to the onslaught and when you were finally able to open them again, it was gone. The archangels were gone. You were alone, your ragged breathing the only sound to be heard. Your knees finally gave out and you slid down the wall to the floor, hardly daring to do more than glance at the unnatural angle of your wrist. You didn’t move, straining to hear anything through the ringing in your ears to decide if either of them were still in the bunker. It was when you looked down to observe the state of yourself that you realised your entire body was shaking. You got your breathing in order, did your best to blink away the lights in your eyes then forced yourself onto your feet, realising that when Lucifer eventually did come back, this would be the first place he went.

Spurred on by the thought, you reached your own room relatively quickly. You huddled atop your bed, back to several pillows and still clutching your wrist. You weren’t ashamed to say that you held an angel blade in your uninjured hand. It wouldn’t kill him, but if Lucifer did come back, it would give you a chance to get away. Whilst you hoped desperately that wouldn’t happen, the minutes dragged on. Your wrist throbbed, you could hear your heartbeat in your ears… You flinched at every sound. And when an angel finally did appear in your room, you yelped aloud like an injured dog.

“Oh my god,” you whimpered out in the split second it took you to recognise Gabriel. He was by your side in seconds, down on his knees and with his open palms raised as if he didn’t know if you would want him to touch you or not. You dropped the angel blade to rest on the duvet beside you.

“Sugar, I am so sorry.”

Gabriel reached for you slowly, only resting a hand on your arm to heal you when you didn’t move away. You drew in a deep breath, your pain gone and your senses returned to normal. But any attempts to thank your saviour went unnoticed. He was up on his feet and pacing immediately, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. He refused stubbornly to make eye contact with you.

“I can’t believe I let you go. I can’t believe I let you go to him! What was I thinking? How could I have been so stupid? You're a human!”

You failed to get his attention by saying his name, so you drew yourself up to standing and physically interrupted his pacing when he turned back around.

“Gabriel, stop,” you told him, hands on his shoulders as you tried to make him listen to you. “I’m okay, you got to me in time. It’s okay-”

“Of course it’s not okay!” You swallowed as he released an exasperated sigh. "He could’ve killed you – no, actually I’d say he was going to kill you.” You had been terrified, more so than you could ever recall having been before, but you didn’t think it was quite that dire. “Y/N, he was playing with you like a cat with a trapped mouse! If I hadn’t gotten there…”

But you did was apparently not enough to satisfy him. He brought his hands up to your arms, smoothing his palms up and down them in distress. He told you he didn’t know where Lucifer was when you asked, which you supposed gave you a little time to level out. Then again, it also meant the threat of the devil's return was hanging over your head. Becoming calmer now, you began to notice the state Gabriel was in. The shoulder of his leather jacket was torn, he had a gash and a blooming dark bruise across one cheek. He had transported them both to Chuck knew where and if what happened with you had been Lucifer’s reaction to just a hand on his shoulder, you didn’t like to think what he had done to Gabriel when they landed.

“Are you okay?” The archangel looked like his head was about to explode.

“Are you kidding? I'm not the one who-”

“Gabe.” Maybe it was the informality of the nickname which had given him pause, or maybe your tone of voice. But he held your gaze properly for the first time since he had reappeared, his voice lower and calmer.

“I’m fine.”

That was good enough for you. You nodded, sliding your arms up around his neck and breathing a sigh of relief when his own wrapped around your waist.

“You’re shaking,” he muttered, palms moving restlessly along your spine. But then he allowed himself his own sigh. “Come on,” he murmured quietly, and a snap of his fingers brought you into his own room where he had a long couch and a widescreen TV ready to play whatever you chose.

You didn’t know how long the two of you sat there in silence, but you were more grateful for the company than you were able to put into words.

[moonlightspencie]

But You’re Friction

Chapter 2 of ‘treacherous’

Pairing: Remus Lupin x fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Weeks passed, and each one seemed better than the last.

The connection Remus had made for you with the herbologist was a perfect match, come to find out. You got along with Nemora incredibly well, not only in the work sense but personally as well. She was a sweet, older woman with insanely untamable hair and an equally indomitable spirit. Her fire and passion for not only herbology, but the ways in which magical plants could be used for the good of everyone, inspired you entirely.

When she found out you had a similar desire for good, she hired you immediately and put you to work just as quickly. Not that you’d complain; it was nice to have something to do with your days, especially when that something felt more like a fun hobby than work. It was delightful, to say the least.

You were wandering Diagon Alley during one of your days off when things seemed to get even better.

You looked into the shop window, noticing that everything was run down. It hurt to see all of the shops that used to be so lively end up reduced to nothing. But one of your favorite places for a quick meal was back up and running, and you were glad for it.

You meandered around the street, nearing your destination, when a familiar voice called your name. You turned, your face lighting up, when you saw him.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

Remus shrugged. “Just fancied a walk, I guess. What are you doing here? Isn’t much to see, is there?”

You shook your head. “No, there isn’t. It’s so sad.”

He hummed in agreement, nearing you.

“But,” you continued, "a place I’ve always loved that has the best coffee and sandwiches in the world is back up and running now.”

“And what would that be?”

“Have you been to Flora’s?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t.”

“Have you eaten yet?” you asked, checking your watch. Just about noon. “It’s lunchtime now, you know.”

He smiled softly. “Is this an invitation?”

“Only if you say yes,” you added with a cheeky smile.

“I’d be honored,” he nodded.

You smiled again, taking his arm, leading him towards the small restaurant. You made some small talk, sure to thank him for the job recommendation while you were at it.

He opened the door for you when you got to Flora’s, more than willing to let you lead the way in the unfamiliar space. You got in the short line, explaining various sandwiches to him, though ultimately he made you choose for him, claiming he was ‘too overwhelmed’ by the choices. You laughed to yourself, ordering two of the same, though leaving it up to him to pick a drink for himself.

Just as you were about to hand over the money for it all, he shoved your hand out of the way, getting to it first.

You shook your head, leading him to a table by the window.

“You shouldn’t have done that. It was supposed to be my treat to you.”

“We never established that; I think it’s only fair that whoever is the first to get to it should pay,” he said, sitting across from you.

“Entirely not fair. I dragged you here, after all.”

“You didn’t drag me, I agreed to have lunch with you. There’s a difference, you know?”

You made a small noise of disappointment, looking out into the street. A small family passed by, with the toddler swinging from his parents’ hands. You smiled at them, your chin falling into your palm.

“What is it?” Remus asked, noticing your gaze. He looked to where you did, a matching smile on his face. “Ah.”

“That’s so sweet,” you said, watching as they turned the corner. “Have you ever considered that?”

He raised a brow. “What? A family?”

You nodded your head. “Yeah. You seem like the type.”

“I don’t know,” he said, fiddling with his hands. “I suppose I’ve thought about it. I don’t know if it’s for me, though. Nobody has ever seemed to really… Click.”

“Click?”

He nodded. “That connection, the right kind, that would… I don’t know. Feel right. It just hasn’t happened with anyone yet, I suppose.”

“Really? I, for one, have been convinced that you and Siri are secretly together.”

He laughed. “Ah, well. Maybe in another lifetime, but certainly not this one. He is a charmer, though, isn’t he?”

“He sure is,” you said with a small laugh. “I’m shocked he stayed on my parents’ good side, him flirting with their twenty-year-old daughter. Ridiculous man.”

He laughed. “He finds a way to sneak his way into everyone’s heart, even if they don’t want it.”

“It’s a talent, really.”

He hummed, nodding in agreement. You got up a moment later when the barista called your name, taking up your latte and his tea. You set the mugs down on the table, then took your seat again.

“I’ve never had tea here. You’ll have to tell me how it is,” you said, then started blowing gently on the liquid in your own mug. You tried taking a sip, but it was far too hot. “Ugh. I just want my drink.”

He snorted a laugh at the sour look on your face. “Patience is a virtue, you know?”

“One I don’t often have,” you noted with a raise of your brows. “On the plus side, it smells delightful.”

“It does. I can smell it from here,” he said, taking in a deep inhale. “I’m afraid I should probably stay away from caffeine, though, after the three cups I’ve had this morning.”

“Ooh,” you said, “rough night?”

“Long night,” he corrected. “I was up for far too long, enraptured by a book I picked up last week.”

You smiled. “You read often?”

“As often as I can allow time for.”

“Nice,” you nodded. “I’d like to have a large home library myself one day. Even on days I don’t feel like reading much, just the presence of books surrounding me is calming, I think. We always had plenty of old books in my home growing up.”

“I don’t have the largest library, but I do have a shelf full,” he said, looking from his tea to you. “Maybe one day I can have you over to peruse. Or, just sit next to them, if you really please.”

You chuckled. “An enticing offer. I may just take you up on it sometime.”

He merely smiled to himself, looking back out the window.

Weeks passed, and Remus found himself at 12 Grimmauld Place, head in his hands at the dining room table as Sirius talked at him. Sirius was convinced that joining the Order wasn’t a big deal for his ‘sunshine girl’. Remus disagreed.

“Are you sure about this?” Remus asked in a small voice.

Sirius nodded. “You aren’t? You know she’d be phenomenal. I’m sure with all her parents have done for me, Dumbledore would be more than willing to let her in.”

Remus swallowed, shaking his head. Sirius tried meeting his eyes, huffing to himself when Remus wouldn’t look back at him. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“This is ridiculous. I need someone on my side, here.”

Remus scoffed. “Why bring her into danger like this? Has she even expressed interest in the Order?”

“Yes,” Sirius exclaimed, taking a moment to collect himself after the small outburst. “She has. I don’t want to be the only one advocating for her or making her feel welcomed if she’s sworn in.”

“I just don’t know, Pads,” Remus said after a beat.

“Why not?”

“I’ve already told you why not. It’s dangerous.”

“Oh, and you’ve always been so protective of her,” Sirius scoffed sarcastically. “You’ve had no problem with anyone else joining. Why is she any different?”

Remus stood, hands on his hips, as he started pacing.

“Because she is. You, of all people, should be the one wanting to protect her in this. You should care more about her safety.”

“You think I don’t?” Sirius asked, quirking a brow. “Don’t be ridiculous, Remus. That’s not what this is about, and you know it.”

“What’s it about then? Enlighten me,” Remus huffed, pausing his pacing to stare ahead at his friend.

“You fancy her.”

Remus merely stared for a moment, then scoffed, shaking his head.

“No, I don’t.”

“You can lie to yourself all you’d like, but you’ve never been able to lie to me. Don’t start trying now,” Sirius stated, putting his feet up on the table.

Remus merely shook his head, plopping back into his seat. A silence fell over them for a few moments before Sirius was lowering his legs again, scooting a little closer as his hands clasped on the tabletop.

“Mooney, I need you to support her in this. She’s smart. She’s not the type to run into danger, you know?”

He nodded, his voice quiet. “I know.”

“Please. Her knowledge of herbs and medicine alone could do so much for us at the Order. She’s smart enough in a fight, too,” he said, catching Remus’ eye. “You know I’d never do anything to put her in danger, but the world is dangerous right now. Might as well keep her by our side in it.”

Remus sighed, scratching at the tabletop for a moment before he looked up at Sirius. He nodded slowly.

“Alright. I’m in.”

Sirius paused for a minute, then, “She’ll be here in an hour, by the way.”

“What?” Remus asked, his eyes widening.

“I invited her for tea. So she can see this place, too,” he said, sighing softly. “It was supposed to happen a month ago, but you just had to connect her with that job of hers.”

Sirius smirked, hoping he could lighten the mood a bit. He let out a breath when he saw Remus smile slightly.

“Has she told you about that yet?” Remus asked, still tracing the scratches on the table.

“A bit. Only that she’s enjoying it.”

“Nemora’s really taken a liking to her, apparently. They’ve been working on breeding a new plant species. Some hybrid of… I-don’t-know-what that’s supposed to really help with burns when it’s juices are extracted.”

Sirius smiled a little wider. “Look at that. You know more about her than I do, now.”

“Just about the job.”

“When did she tell you?”

Remus looked up, slightly nervous. “What?”

Sirius narrowed his eyes. “When did she tell you about all of that?"

“Oh,” Remus shrugged. “We ran into each other in Diagon Alley. Decided to get some lunch.”

Sirius hummed thoughtfully. Remus hated it when he did that.

“What?” he huffed.

“Nothing. Just think it’s funny you told me you don’t fancy her when you went on a date.”

“Wasn’t a date.”

“You two got lunch. Just the two of you.”

“You do that with her, too.”

“That’s different. We’re established friends, and she always tries to pay for herself. Tell me, did you get away with paying for her meal?”

“That’s not important and doesn’t make it a date,” Remus protested. “Nothing romantic between us at all.”

“Except that date,” Sirius teased. “Not to mention the way you look at her every time she walks into a room. Or the fact that I never see you smile like you do with her. Mm, maybe I should bring up the fact that any time we’re in a room, you find any chance you can to be next to her.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“I think that’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”

Remus shook his head wordlessly. He decided to give up on arguing, knowing it wouldn’t go anywhere productive. He never seemed to win arguments with Sirius, even when he knew he was right. Though it was much worse when Sirius was the correct one. A know-it-all in troublemakers’ clothing.

He decided to switch topics, wanting to shift attention away from the crush that he was too embarrassed to admit he harbored. It was a bit ridiculous, and he knew it. To start having feelings for a girl who, frankly, he felt could do much better than him. It was part of the reason Sirius’ teasing was especially annoying: he, of all people, should know why it was a bad idea to have feelings like those ones. For someone who had their whole life ahead of them. He shook it off, not wanting to get in his head more than he already was.

Thankfully, Sirius granted him the mercy to move on from that conversation fairly easily.

You walked up to Grimmauld Place that afternoon, knocking on the door and hoping that Sirius would pay enough attention to hear it. It was a fifty-fifty chance, really.

You waited, shuffling your feet a little as you did, until the door swung open.

“There she is,” Sirius said with a cheeky smile and a wink.

You smiled immediately and stepped into his embrace.

“How are you?” you asked quickly.

He broke away, moving around you to shut the door.

“Fine. Good, even,” he corrected himself. “I’ve been having a nice talk with Remus. Remembering a time we pulled a marvelous prank on old Snivellus.”

You chuckled, letting him lead you towards the dining room with an arm around you.

“I’ll never get over that nickname.”

“Quite fitting, isn’t it?”

“It is,” you agreed emphatically. “Remus is here?”

He smirked. “Why? You excited to see him?”

“Curious,” you corrected shortly. “Quit trying to make something out of this.”

“All I’ve done is notice the obvious, my darling girl,” he said, squeezing your shoulder. “Can’t blame me for being observant.”

“You’d be surprised at the things I could blame you for,” you stated with a smirk of your own.

He laughed, tugging you along into the room where Remus sat. He stood as he saw you, standing near the dining table.

“Hello,” you greeted, breaking away from Sirius to give him a brief hug.

“Hello to you,” he said back, one arm wrapping around your middle for a moment. “How are things?”

“Great. How are you? Siri told me you two have been joking about Snape in my absence.”

He chuckled. “That we have. It’s terribly easy to do; we just can’t seem to help it.”

“I’ll get the kettle. It should be about ready by now,” Sirius said, tossing you another wink before leaving for the kitchen.

“What else have you been talking about? Anything interesting?”

He sort of nodded, sitting back down. You took the seat next to him, raising your brows in question.

“Talked about the Order a bit.”

“Ah,” you nodded. “Has he told you, then?”

“That you’d like to join?” he inquired.

You nodded your response, leaning back in your seat.

“Yes, he’s told me. Managed to get me on board with the idea, even,” he said, though he didn’t quite look convinced. “You’re sure about this, though?”

“I am. I feel like I’ve really taken to herbology, especially learning about the healing agents of plants. It could be good for someone like me to be around for when things go… If things go wrong.”

“That’s what Sirius said, too.”

“You don’t seem entirely sure about it,” you noted.

“I have my concerns. But if this is what you want to do, I am sure you’ll be brilliant.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that you’re willing to support it,” you said, sighing. “I worry that not everyone will be comfortable with my interest. I know that I’m coming in a bit late to all of this in comparison to the majority of you all.”

“So many of the members already love you. I’m sure it won’t be terribly difficult to convince anyone who has doubts,” he said, nudging your shoulder.

“Plus,” Sirius added, walking in with a tray. “You’re just so adorable, they couldn’t possibly say no to that face.”

“Right,” you snorted a laugh. “I’m sure I’ll just need to give them some puppy-dog eyes in order to sway their acceptance of me.”

“Well, it would work on some of them, I’m sure,” Sirius said, pointedly looking at Remus with a self-satisfied smirk.

He set down the tray, and you immediately started on your tea as he took his seat on the other side of Remus.

“Do you plan on giving me a grand tour?” You asked casually, busying yourself with the tea.

“I do." Sirius nodded. “I’m sure the memories of my terrible childhood will be quite exciting for you.”

You deadpanned. “Siri.”

“Sorry,” he said, though you knew he didn’t mean it.

In some ways, he’d become too comfortable around you. Joking about things like—well, that—had become commonplace with him in the time you’d been friends. Normally you’d laugh around with him, but something about being in the house… It felt different. Scolding him seemed like the only good option, really. At least it deflected your discomfort. He knew that, too. You could tell by the lingering smirk on his face after he’d “apologized”.

You sipped at your tea after Siri’s tour of the house, falling into easy conversation with the two men. You observed them as they bantered back and forth, a smile on your face as they proved their childhood bond to hold true. It was nice to see them both take on that childish way of behaving; you almost wished they didn’t pull you into their interaction after a few minutes of your silence.

“You could always stay here, you know?” Sirius said, setting his cup down on the table.

“As much as I love you, Siri, I also love having my own place.”

He sighed dramatically. “It gets so lonely here. I just know you’d brighten up the place, sunshine.”

You chuckled. “You could always come visit at my flat, you know?”

“Not the same,” he grumbled playfully, then sat up straight. “Consider it, at least. Maybe you’ll end up disliking your neighbors; you never know.”

“Silly man,” you said, shaking your head with a grin. “Why not ask your best friend, here?”

You tilted your head at Remus, raising a brow.

“Already tried. He doesn’t like me enough, tragically.”

Remus scoffed. “I did not say that.”

“May as well have, mate. Living in some run-down cottage—”

“It’s not run down.”

“But it is small. Why cram yourself in there when you could be with me here? I’ve got plenty of room.”

“Well, for one, I’d have to listen to you run your mouth all hours of the day,” Remus smirked.

You chuckle at that, drawing attention to yourself by accident.

“You’ve got no right to laugh. Off living in some one-bedroom flat surrounded by neighbors. You might as well be here, it wouldn’t be that different,” Sirius said, crossing his arms.

You sigh. “Ever heard of a lease, Sirius?”

He rolled his eyes. “You just don’t love me like you say you do.”

“Okay, drama queen,” I scoff a laugh. “If you want me to visit more, all you’ve got to do is ask. But I’m not going to try to weasel my way out of my lease when this is the very first place I’ve lived in alone. You should be proud of me for being so independent.”

He hid a smirk. “I guess.”

“Let the girl live, Sirius,” Remus said, rolling his eyes.

“Maybe if you weren’t whisking her away on little dates, she’d make more time for me, and I wouldn’t have to complain,” Sirius said, raising a brow.

Remus swallowed, glaring at his friend. You, on the other hand, let out a small laugh.

“Dates? When have we dated?” You asked incredulously.

“I know about your little excursion to lunch in Diagon Alley,” Sirius said, looking a little too smug. “Don’t play coy with me, now.”

“That was not a date,” you said, laughing again, though you couldn’t deny the slight heat in your cheeks. “We ran into each other, and I simply invited him to lunch.”

“Still sounds like a date to me,” Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Remus sighed heavily, dropping his face into his hands. He shook his head a little bit.

“You’re insufferable. You have to know that,” he muttered.

Sirius merely laughed. “Come on, am I not allowed to poke fun?”

“You’re being ridiculous, Siri,” you say, shaking your head with a smile.

“What’s so ridiculous?”

“Please,” Remus said, rolling his eyes again. “I should have never told you about that in the first place. Plus, girl like her, I’m sure she has plenty of people chasing her. Why not ask about that?”

You straighten up. “Plenty? Well, I think you severely overrate how interesting my dating life is.”

You chuckle at that, as does Sirius. Remus merely looks a little confused.

“How do you not?”

“Why do you think I would?”

He froze up a little, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times with nothing to say. He decided on a simple shrug.

“Don’t know. Just assumed.”

Sirius smirked again. “No, please, Moons. Come on, tell us what your reasoning was.”

“Cut it out,” he said quietly, shaking his head.

“Enough teasing him. He’s just trying to be nice,” you scolded Sirius, noticing how uncomfortable Remus had begun to look.

Sirius hummed, then changed the topic completely. You snuck a few glances—maybe a few too many—at Remus until he finally looked up and joined the conversation. He gave you a grateful smile after a few minutes, though you couldn’t help but wonder…

Why had he thought you’d be so busy dating?

Why did he seem to blush whenever there was any indication of something happening between you?

Why even bring up the not-date to Sirius?

More than anything, why did you find yourself thinking so much about him?

Chapter 3 ->

[changingplumbob]

Foster Household: Chapter 9, Part 5

CW: Mental Health Struggles - Guide to content warnings

Carson got home late from prom so treated himself to a sleep in. Before he got in to the swing of the day he decided to give downstairs an extra vacuum. There was no guarantee that Ariadne would come visit, or that she would come inside the house if she came over, but it was the safest thing to do. If he didn’t she might make a social bunny post about how he lived in a tip that he’d never live down. No, surely she wouldn’t? Best be safe though.

After polishing off breakfast he decided to give Onyx a call, they were normally up by now practicing cheer or playing with their horse.

Onyx: Sup mate

Carson: Hey! Remind me, did we have homework for science?

Onyx: A bit, stuff from the textbook. Shouldn’t take you long though, it’s multi choice with like one proper written question

Carson: Okay so I should be able to do that tonight

Onyx: Why? You got plans for the day

Carson: I might... I’ll call you later

Onyx: No problem, I'm homebound all day

Hanging up he knew there was no more avoiding. He sent Ariadne a message. She had accepted his social bunny request, he wouldn't have sent it if she hadn't suggested it herself though. He didn't want to come on too strong.

Her texts indicated she’d love to come check out the beaches and Carson excitedly got in his swimwear. He looked in his mirror before heading downstairs and decided to throw a tank shirt on as well. He had some confidence but not enough to quite go shirtless with the girl he was crushing on. Ariadne arrived just before lunch ready to hit the beaches.

Ariadne: You okay?

Carson: Yeah, just wondering which direction to head

Harvey: Ariadne would you like to see some of our family photos while you’re here

Carson: No dad, we’re leaving!

Ariadne giggled as Carson made a beeline for the backdoor.

Outside they had good weather, Carson was happy the rain had stayed away for the day.

Ariadne: So...

Carson: So...

Ariadne: Uh... is there like a spot you like most

Carson: It’s all pretty nice but if we head down this hill there’s a pretty good clean bit

Ariadne: *nervously* After you

As they walked Carson tried to think of something to say but all he could think was that Ariadne looked really cute.

Ariadne: Have you always lived here then

Carson: Oh no. I was born in Willow Creek actually. After my mum had me she decided to get a full time artist job and that gave us enough to move here. My dad... well he earns good money but it’s just a fishing gig

Ariadne: You forget, my dads may be loaded but I didn’t grow up with much. At least your dad has a job, you can be proud of that

Carson: You are too sweet

Ariadne: *blushes* Shut up

Carson: Shall we go swimming then

Ariadne: I don’t know. Are there sharks?

Carson: Sometimes but not usually close to the shore. If any come up we can just punch them on the nose

Ariadne: *giggling* That is not a thing. The poor sharks might just want friends

Carson: Fine, any come up and I’ll hug them while you swim away. Come on

Carson grabbed her hands to lead her to the water, hoping they weren’t as sweaty as they seemed. She smiled and he hoped he’d done the right thing. Once they were in the water he let go so they could swim, happy he’d pushed himself to try that.

In the water they mucked around, splashing each other and swimming in circles. They shared tales of their school teachers and the various gossip around sims they both knew. Time carried on and Carson knew he should end it, he had scouts, but surely the troop could manage without him for an afternoon. Unless of course they were hit by a meteor. But if that was going to happen then it was good he wasn’t there or he’d die to.

Ariadne: Are you sure those glasses are fine for in the water

Carson: Yeah they’ve got this coating that bounces the water right off. I can see how good you look, don’t worry *blows kiss*

Ariadne laughed and Carson hoped it was with happiness rather than her thinking he was embarrassing himself. She sighed wistfully and turned to float on her back for a while.

Ariadne: I suppose I won’t see much of you at school this week

Carson: I mean... I know we’re in different years but I’ll still be around. If you want to see me that is. Can we go to the shore for a minute, I want to give you something before you have to go home

Ariadne: Can I have a hint

Carson: Just open it and see

Ariadne: It’s a shark isn’t it

Carson: *laughs* Just open the box

Inside the box was a Tulip Shell that Carson had found the past week and he was happy to see Ariadne smile at the sight of it.

Carson: It’s the most flawless one I’ve found. Normally they get chipped on like diving gear and stuff

Ariadne: It’s lovely. Are you sure you want to give it to me?

Carson: It should be with someone just as pretty

Ariadne: *blushing* Thanks. Oh shoot the time, I better get back home

Carson: Wait, um... selfie first?

Ariadne: *laughing* Twist my arm

Carson lifted up his phone for the shot, unable to ignore the tightening in his chest when Ariadne snaked her arm around him to get in the picture properly. After she left he sat on the beach for a while, closing his eyes and playing the time back in his mind.

Previous ... Next

[frostwing213]

I keep getting a lot of Elain stuff popping up on my dash. Mostly about shipping, and I'm like:

How'd this girl end up in a love triangle????

People are very opiniated too, fighting over and making essays about it. There's Elain/Az and Elain/Lucien (There's also Az and Gwen, but I understand how Az got in a love triangle.)

I'm just, struggling to care. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Elain, I just find her kinda boring. She doesn't do much. She feels like that classic fairytale princess that looks pretty and sad in a tower.

Off the top of my head, these are things that define her (Without being linked to men, becase I'm not there yet. Plus, a female character should be able to stand on her own without the men in her life)

She gardens and is primiarily associaed with flowers

Pretty

Nice

Weak

She kinda killed the king of Hyburn

Didn't want to be a fae

kinda wishy washy

Achreon sister

Quiet

Her sisters want to protect her

Future seeing powers

And I'm out of ideas. From my point of view, she doesn't have any discernable personality. Her three major defining things when people think of her are: Pretty, flowers, soft.

She doesn't act for herself, she doesn't speak up. She goes with what happens and gets sad when she doesn't like it. (Becoming a fae was traumatic, and I understand her reaction, but I don't really like it. AND I HAVEN'T EVeN TOUCHED ON THE GREYSON[was that the human dude's name???]THING YET!)

So, when the books start, early ACOTAR. Archeron sisters are in the woods. Feyre is the only one doing something to support the family. Who is Elain in this book? Pretty gardener. Delicate. She isn't doing anything. Some can argue Nesta isn't either, and as a Nesta Supremist, I have to say she was willing to get married to someone cruel to make it easier on her family, and although that isn't much, it's still something. What does Elain do in this book? Be pretty. Please, someone give me an example of Elain doing something constructive and I will edit it in. Please.

Moving on. Next book. She... hosts the house along with Nesta. Oh! She's engaged to a fae hating guy (Who i think is named Greyson. I can't remember and I'm currently loaning out my 2nd and 3rd book, so I can't check rn). Uh.... I don't remember if she does anything else until the end, where she is captured and dumped in the caldron. We find out Lucien is her mate. EDIT!: As @devi1sange1 pointed out to me, Elain did stand up to Nesta about using their house as a meeting spot for the queens. She also takes responisblty for how they treated Feyre. 2 points for Elain. I give her those

She shows up more after that, so I'm not doing book by book, but she gets dumped fast by her fiancé and hangs out in the house of wind, being very sad. I almost wanna describe her as floaty, because she's acting like a ghost, just existing and mourning what is gone. This is a vaild response, and I understand why she responds this way, it just annoys me because she has not shown any autonomy so far. Anything. I think I remember her asking her ex-fiance to take in humans, but that was after being pushed by the inner circle. Uh... she gives a few prophecies, yay that. When the fighting starts, she stays on the sidelines, which I don't blame her for. She kinda kills the king of Hyburn. I think that's all she does in that.

After that. What does she do? Other than hang around??? I DON'T KNOW!

Elain shows no real drive! She exists and sometimes does stuff to push the plot!

Now onto the (possible) romantic interests she has.

Greyson: Uhhhhh, they like each other. She likes her because she's sweet and pretty. I didn't catch anything else between these two. Uh, he dumps her as soon as she's fae and she gets depressed over it

Lucien: Mating bond. She doesn't like him, I get it. He tries to back off. I think Lucien acts responsibly in this situation. Elain is at no fault in this situation either. Mating bonds don't always pair up the most romantic pair, and it doesn't always work out well. Honestly, I never saw much chemistry between these two, and if not for the bond, they likely would have forever ignored each other.

Azriel: (Random, but I searched him up on tumblr because I couldn't remember how to spell his name, and WOW, there's a lot of Azriel x reader. Yall really 'like' him) How, just how did this become such a popular ship? I never even caught this on my read through. Yeah, Az is nice to her, but he's nice to anyone considered friendly. He's just as nice to Feyre and I don't see anyone shipping those two. I just... don't get it. Is it because we want the sisters paired up with the bat boys? Is that it?? I don't understand. I see no chemistry. It's just two people being nice to one another guys.

I think those are the major ones. I don't understand any of them. Lucien and Az are such powerful charters, while Elain is... 'pretty flower girl'.

I don't hate her, but she kinda annoys me with how much crazines she's getting with people shipping her. Wanna know what i think would be great? She ends up with no one romantically. She has friends, just no romantic partner and that is perfectly fine. Lucien will live. If there's nothing between Az and Gwen, then Az will live.

To wrap up, I find Elain to be a pretty boring charter, I just feel indifferent towards her. I love the other two siblings, but I feel like Elaine could have been improved.

Feel free to talk to me about this! Throw out your own opinions! Give me edvince that supports or opposes any of my points! Correct me on stuff and ignore my spelling!

I love a good debate! Give me one! Please.

Interact with me.

Edit!: Thanks for interacting! I swear I'm reading everything! I just didn't expect this to blow up so fast!

Another edit: Thanks yall for interacting! I'm really enjoying reading the responses and what people hope to see coming from Elaine in the future!

[elisajdb]

A Day at the Park

It was the first sunny day in East City in two weeks. The beautiful Spring sun brought out everyone eager to escape cabin fever. For Goku, Chi-Chi, and their three-year-old son, Gohan, it was their third day of vacation where they could truly explore the city.

It was Chi-Chi’s idea for the family to vacation in East City and Goku agreed. As much as he loved Mount Paozu, Goku didn’t mind getting out of the mountains for a few days. They spent the first two rainy days indoors visiting a science museum which bored Goku but fascinated Chi-Chi and Gohan, an aquarium which everyone enjoyed and an indoor play center Goku adored with Gohan while Chi-Chi took pictures of the two she loved most in the world.

After spending the day at a zoo and shrine, Goku, Chi-Chi and Gohan stopped by a park where they participated in a performance theater before playing with Gohan on the swings, tree house playsets, playhouses and slides with Goku gaining popularity with other kids in the park. When Goku pushed Gohan highly on a swing, other children asked to be pushed so they could go as high. When Goku spun Gohan on the Merry-Go-Round, many kids jumped on so they could spin fast, too.

Chi-Chi stayed back loving her husband and son play together, took pictures and chatted with Moms who were enjoying the break and happy to let Goku take on playing with their children.

After a couple of hours of playtime, Chi-Chi thought her husband and son deserved a break. She ventured to the ice cream cart and ordered ice cream for her family.

“Goku! Gohan! Ice cream!” Chi-Chi called out to her husband and son. Goku turned away to catch his wife signaling them. He slowed the Merry-Go-Round so he can Gohan could go. The children whined. They were having so much fun and didn’t want it to stop but Goku promised to be back after ice cream time with his family.

Gohan saw his Mommy by the ice cream cart and took off running. “Ice cream!” Gohan held his hands out to his mother eager for the sweet treats in her hands.

Goku took his time walking to his family. He laughed at his boy. He was a quiet and shy child but bursts of speed broke out of him sometimes. It was proof to Goku that Gohan had power in him.

One day I’ll see it.  

Chi-Chi handed Gohan his two-scoop vanilla and chocolate ice cream cone and Goku a three-scoop vanilla ice cream cone. Gohan did a happy wiggle while his tail bounced as the sweet and cool cream touched his tongue.  

“Do you like your ice cream, Gohan?”

Gohan answered with a big lick. “It’s good, Mommy. Thank you.”

“Anything for my sweet baby. Gohan, do you wanna pick out a bench so you, me and Daddy can eat ice cream together?”

“Mm-hmm.” The three-year-old looked around and saw a bench not far from them. “That one!” Gohan pointed and proudly led his family to it. It was a good spot, too. It was under a big tree to provide them shade while they looked at the ducks swimming in the pond.

Gohan reached the bench first. Carefully holding his cone, Gohan climbed onto the bench. He resumed licking his ice cream when a shadow appeared over him. Gohan looked up to see a freckled boy of eight staring down at him.

The child looked angry but Gohan wasn’t bothered. He licked his ice cream and sweetly said, “Hi!”

“Hey.” There was no sweetness in his voice. “This is my seat.”

Gohan looked around confused. “But no one was sitting here.” He checked the bench again for a name. He has a cup with his name on it at home. Daddy has one, too. Gohan knew if your name is on something it’s yours but he didn’t see a name on the bench. “Where is your name?”

“Are you getting smart with me?” the child got angrier.

Gohan licked his ice cream again. “My Mommy tells me I’m smart.”

The child glared at Gohan. Who did this toddler think he is getting smart with a grown kid like him? “You sat here before I could but it’s mine. I get my Dad once a week and we always sit here for ice cream.”

“Mommy told me to pick a bench for us to sit on.”

“Oh,” the child understood and had a bit of sympathy for Gohan. “You live with your Mom? Me, too.”

“I live with my Mommy and Daddy.”  Gohan licked his ice cream. “We went to the zoo today. Daddy played with me on the swings and slides. We had fun with the other kids, too.”

The boy did see a big man playing with other kids on the Merry-Ro-Round. They were having fun while his Dad only sat with him on the bench for cheap ice cream. He didn’t play with him on the swings and slides like other kids’ Dads. He didn’t play with him like this kid’s Dad. He didn’t live with him and his Mom like this kid’s Dad.

“Ya bragging you got both parents at home!” The child slapped the ice cream out of Gohan’s hands. “Let them buy you another ice cream while I take my bench!”

Shocked, Gohan looked down at his broken ice cream. The two scoops and cone were getting devoured by ants. His lower lip quivered. Mommy got him that ice cream. Why did the child hit him? Why was he mean to him? He was a good boy. Mommy told him so. Gohan looked up at the child with glistening eyes. His sadness made the kid laugh. It was a cruel and mean laugh.

“Hey!” Chi-Chi approached the child. She stood back to watch how this will play out but seeing her baby boy hurt forced Chi-Chi to step in. “That wasn’t nice, little boy. You do not hit children. Apologize to my son.”

“No!” the child stuck his tongue out. “You can’t do anything or my Daddy will beat you up.”

Chi-Chi’s right eyebrow sharply rose. “Beat me up? Your Dad?” She looked around at the men trying to decipher which one of them had a spoiled child. She heard the conversation between Gohan and this child. He comes here for ice cream with his Dad. He was a divorced man. Chi-Chi looked around separating the couples from the single men until she spotted a man approaching with two ice cream bowls. He was tall with a round stomach and thick arms. He looked dirty with his dingy mechanic shirt and oiled-covered cap. “Is that your Daddy?” Chi-Chi went to the approaching man. “Hello.”

“Sorry, Lady,” the man brushed past Chi-Chi to his son. “I have a kid. I ain’t trying to be a father to another.”

Another? As if she would want him. “I’m a married woman and my son has a father. I wanted to talk to you about your son. He knocked the ice cream out of my son’s hands. My son did not deserve that.”

“So what?” the father handed his ice cream to his son. “Your boy shouldn’t be sitting on our bench. This is the bench my son and I sit on when we come here. My son was protecting his territory.”

“Territory?” This isn't your home, jerk! “This is a public park. Everyone is free to sit anywhere they want. This bench was empty and I told my son to pick a spot for him, me and his Daddy.”

The man sat down next to his son. He pushed Gohan with his hip, ushering the little boy to get off. Sniffling, Gohan went to his Daddy who looked on to see his wife handle the situation.

“So, it’s your fault your boy lost his ice cream.”

Chi-Chi clenched her fists upon seeing how this man rudely pushed her son off the bench. The audacity! “No. It’s your fault for raising a spoiled, entitled and rude child. Your son can’t buy my son his ice cream but you can.”

The man laughed. If this woman thought she would get him to reimburse ice cream for her wimpy son…. “And it’s your fault for raising a crybaby.  Well….” The man noticed Goku. He sized up Goku’s slim frame and scoffed. He could take him if it came to blows but he knew it wouldn’t. The crybaby’s father was shorter than him. He looked at his arms. They weren’t too small or too big. He could take him. “You and that beanpole husband.”

“My husband is not a beanpole! You will stop insulting my husband and son.”

“‘You will stop insulting my husband and son’,” he mimicked Chi-Chi. She was an annoying one. The man handed his bowl to his son and stood up to Chi-Chi. He looked down at her expecting his extra eight inches in height and wider frame to intimidate the slender woman. “Your son overstepped taking my bench. You can get all Momma Bear on me and try to trigger your wimpy husband to set me straight but let me stop you before your embarrass yourself.”

“Embarrass?”

Ah, so she was slow, too. He had to break it down to her. “I know your type. Loudmouth women who send their husbands to a fight they can’t win because they can’t shut up. If you don’t want me to break your husband in half and embarrass him in front of your crybaby son, I suggest you leave right now.”

A scoff escaped from Chi-Chi’s lips. Now he was insulting her. “I don’t need my husband to step in for me. I can handle you on my own.”

The father laughed loud and boisterous. What did this petite woman think she could do against a guy like him? “What are you gonna do?” He laughed in Chi-Chi’s face. “Bet you never had anyone put you in your place.” He looked at Goku who watched them while finishing his ice cream. Wimpy husband cares more about his ice cream than protecting his woman. “I know he hasn’t. Women like you need a good, hard----” he was startled as Chi-Chi grabbed the collar of his shirt.

“Listen,” he warned Chi-Chi, “I’m not above hitting a woman to put her in her place so you----” he didn’t finish his words for Chi-Chi lifted him off his feet and flung him hard where he soared out of the park like a flying baseball.

He would’ve gone past the park’s parking lot if not for the oak tree catching him.

Onlookers stared in shock while Goku whistled at Chi-Chi’s arm. “Your arm’s gotten better. If it wasn’t for that tree, he would’ve gone for half a mile.”  

Chi-Chi dusted her hands proud of her throw. It was good she thought smugly. “There are some benefits to marrying the world’s strongest man.”

“Yup.” Goku would’ve tried to not manhandle the guy if he had to step in but he couldn’t argue against Chi-Chi’s approach. “Guess he won’t be coming back to the park.”

“He shouldn’t return until he and his child learn some manners.”

“Speaking of the kid,” Goku looked at the shaking kid. He had never seen anyone do that to his Dad. His Dad was always the one who put his hands on others and left them crying. To see this small woman do it, frightened him and sent him running.

As the child ran off to his Dad, Goku exhaled, “Guess that takes care of that.”

Goku knelt to his son who still clutched his pants leg sniffling. It was good Mommy took care of the mean Dad but his ice cream was gone. “Gohan,” Goku gently patted Gohan’s head. “Daddy will buy you another ice cream since Mommy kick that guy’s butt.”

“Yay!” Gohan jumped into his Daddy’s arms.

Goku stood with Gohan in his arms and went back to the ice cream cart with Chi-Chi. Everyone in line for ice cream saw what happened and parted like the Red Sea for Goku and Chi-Chi. This quickly brought them to the front of the line to a trembling ice cream man.

“Hi!” Goku grinned. “Can we get three ice cream, Sir? Gohan, what do you want?”

Gohan pointed to a picture of a chocolate and vanilla ice cream cone. “That one.”

“I want three scoops on a cone. I want a white, blue and pink cone. Chi-Chi, what do you want?”

Chi-Chi looked at the pictures on the cart. “I’ll take a single cone of lavender ice cream.”

The ice cream man quickly prepared the ice cream.

“How much?” Goku asked.

The total was seven zeni but he felt if he charged them, he would be tossed out of the park next. “Buddy, you can have these on the house.” When Goku didn’t appear to understand, he elaborated. “It’s free!”

“Free?” Goku thought that was so nice of the man. “Thanks. You’re nice.”

“Here you go,” the ice cream man shakily handed the ice cream to Goku who passed it to Chi-Chi and Gohan.

Chi-Chi licked her ice cream. “What do you say, Gohan?”

Gohan smiled with smeared vanilla and chocolate on his lips. “Thank you, Daddy.”

“And?” Chi-Chi gently prodded her son.

Gohan bowed at the ice cream man. “Thank you, Mr. Ice Cream Man.”

The people in line parted again to allow the Son Family to walk away and settle on the empty bench. Normalcy resumed as children and parents played around them. A happy father, mother and son sat on the bench, licked ice cream and enjoyed the warm spring day around them.

“Thank you, Mommy,” Gohan added as he forgot to thank his Mommy for handling the bully kid and his Dad.

“You’re welcome.” Chi-Chi licked her ice cream. “See, Gohan. It pays to have martial arts parents. Me and Daddy can fight the bad guys and bullies while you fight with your strong mind.”

“You got that right.” Goku licked his ice cream. “Mommy and Daddy will always protect you, Gohan.”

“That’s right,” Chi-Chi agreed. “We’re gonna protect you because you are meant for great things and it’s not fighting, Gohan. With your mind, you will change the world.”

Gohan nodded and licked his ice cream. His tail and feet wiggled as he thought of his mother’s words. Mommy always told him he is special. She told him he is very smart and always encouraged his learning. It made him happy to think Mommy thought he will change the world.

But how will I do that?

Thirty Years Later

Son Gohan stood on stage nervous. It wasn’t the first time he was on stage to receive an award. He wasn’t a novice to public events or speaking. He was Valedictorian of his graduating high school and college class but today was extremely important. It was so random for that day at the park to come to mind but as Gohan saw his proud Mom, Dad, brother, wife and daughter, and mentor, Piccolo, Gohan realized it wasn’t random for his mother’s words that day put him on the path to this special day.  

“…… so today, we honor the youngest to receive this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Son Gohan. Please step forward and receive your Nobel Prize from the King.”

[desertdollranch]

When American Girl first announced their partnership with Jeni’s Ice Cream to make some cute playsets and products, I had never heard of Jeni’s. I assumed that it was a brand that was local to the Wisconsin area, where AG’s headquarters are located.

I was so enchanted by these cute things that I wanted to reproduce some of the products for my own dolls, without spending very much. So I dug in a little deeper on reading about Jeni’s. It turns out I was mostly wrong about them. Jeni’s Ice Cream does have shops in large cities across the United States (none in my state), but you can also buy it in pints at Whole Foods Market! I don’t recall AG ever actually mentioning that. Maybe assume that all their customers are upper-class and are familiar already with where to obtain premium and luxury brands? 

If you haven’t checked out their full line of product collaborations, go look now. There’s an ice cream truck, an outfit, a waffle cone maker, a cafe table, and some itty bitty bowls of ice cream that are scented. All of it is super cute, but in typical AG fashion, quite expensive.

I swung by Whole Foods the last time I went into the city, and Grace (my little foodie friend) and I gave it a try. There are around a dozen varieties and a few are even dairy free. It was hard to choose which ones to get. Since it’s begun to feel like summer, I picked out Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam, and Wildberry Lavender. Both remind me of Grace’s collection: sweet, summery, and pastel-colored. 

Grace and I agree.... the peach was excellent, but the lavender was outstanding. It does indeed taste as expensive as it is, at around $8 a pint, so it’s not something we’ll have more than once or twice a year. 

Grace wasn’t too happy about being told that this won’t be a weekly treat. So she got the idea to make and serve ice cream in her and her family’s pastry shop, La Grande Patisserie! 

I was happy to help her out. 

For the first step, we tracked down some doll-sized ice cream containers. 

I didn’t have to go to Whole Foods Market to find these. They were in my local grocery store. Perfectly small, and proportional to 18 inch dolls! From the left they are Häagen-Dazs chocolate, Häagen-Dazs coffee, and Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough. We got 4 total containers of cookie dough, so that I could try out a half dozen different methods of making the doll ice cream.

After Grace and I emptied the containers over the course of about a week, I used air-dry clay to reproduce the ice cream in a non-perishable form. 

Chocolate and coffee are in the middle, while the outer four corners are cookie dough flavor. 

Most of the time I shape my objects before I paint them, but in this case I mixed acrylic paint with the clay, using varying amounts of paint. Then while it was still soft, I dragged a small serrated knife across the clay to give it the right texture. 

Now to create the scoops.

I found these clear plastic bowls at Dollar Tree. Also perfectly doll-sized. 

And here are the scoops! I formed small clay spheres and then roughed up the surface with the same knife. Then I used a toothpick to dot on the chocolate chips.

Grace gave it two spoons up. 

These were a practice run. Next, we’re going to figure out how to make Jeni’s ice cream, specifically, and the containers, so we have more colors and flavors to work with. Grace wants to send some of these first drafts to my mom’s dolls, and maybe we’ll even sell the ones that turned out the best. 

We also intend to come up with an easy, efficient way to make plastic spoons, and then we’ll come back to this post for part 2!

[disableism]

TLDR at the bottom:

Thursday at PT I started feeling kinda nauseous & lightheaded. I texted my sister to come get me. By the time she showed up 15 minutes later, I was dead white and so cold that I was extremely shaking which was causing joint contractures. With arthritis, no cartilage & locked joints, this was very painful. It was weird, because I didn’t feel cold to the touch. No fever either.

We called 911. By the time the ambulance arrived I was crying out in pain. They took me away but because my vitals were all fine —except for a slightly elevated blood pressure, which I don’t know how that’s possible— they refused to treat me & said they had to leave me for the doctors. I begged for blankets & got one flimsy one. In the ER they wouldn’t treat me until the doctor saw me, even though I was begging for heated blankets. Eventually I got one flimsy one there too. I also was crying for them to go out in the waiting room and get my sister. I was told that when she arrived she’d be let back. I kept having to explain she’d been right behind the ambulance. They left her in the waiting room for an hour. Meanwhile I’m in the exam room alone, unable to do more than roll over without assistance because said sister is my caregiver. I’m also in horrible pain, shaking so bad everything is contracting. I couldn’t answer their questions except one word pushed out with every breath because of the shaking. I kept telling them my sister could answer everything and that she had my med card. I had to do the whole check in process one…word…at…a…time. Finally I saw a doctor who said “sure” to my request for a stack of heated blankets & a flush of IV fluids. Then Sis was allowed back & I got a room nurse assigned to me who was a godsend. The blankets stopped me shaking enough that I slept and when I woke up 3 hours later, I felt exhausted & a lil shaky, but no longer cold, even a bit sweaty. And my face color had come back. My labs & urine came back fine. So they sent me home.

The only thing anyone could think of was I had a weed gummy that day, an hour before my appointment. I have not had weed in 20 years but my doctor finally cleared me for it to have even though I also take Norco. This was my 4th gummy in the past week. The doctor said maybe it was a bad reaction. Why not with the first one? I know sometimes allergies can take a while to build up. With my Sulfa allergy I was on it a week before I had my very awful reaction of muscle seizures. So maybe that’s what this was? Except today I was outside & the temp was dropping, a storm in the air and I started to feel cold. And had a bit of a cold flush run through me. I thought it was outside air making me cold which caused a spike of anxiety because of the earlier experience. So I went inside but I kept feeling colder & started shaking, so I got under the covers, turned on the heating pad & turned off the fans. My color stayed fine and after 30 minutes of lowkey cold & shaking I was warm enough, I slept for an hour and woke up drained but fine. Even hot. (My sweet kitty had come to lay on the top of my head because he takes care of his Mommy Lady).

Was this last bout anxiety? I don’t know. I just wanna sob & sob because I can’t handle yet another thing being wrong with me, especially one that comes on so sudden and requires me to drop what I’m doing immediately and get under ALL the blankets. Also my family is here from Canada & I only get so much face to face time with them each year, I do not wanna miss a single second with my niblings.

Anyway, anyone ever have something like this happen? Other issues I have that might be relevant is medication allergies which is why I thought “reaction to gummy”, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune liver disorder, kidney stones, fibromyalgia and I had the Inspire implant surgically put in a month ago but I have healed fine & it has not been activated yet. Thoughts?

Tl;dr: I went cold & dead white all over causing me to shake so hard I had joint contractures. Lasted about 2 hours & only went away with many heated blankets. Vitals stayed fine, labs/urine were fine, no fever, was not cold to the touch, doctor was not sure what happened. Anybody have something similar?

[corvusalbus93]

I was inspired by Vengealis’ child fics to ask you to do this! A fic where a human child somehow, probably by a portal, managed to find herself in Hell and explore around. Vulgrim found her first and wanted to trick her into selling her soul but hid her when he sensed Strife and War coming. From her hiding spot, the child’s curiosity gave her away. A sweet, innocent, and curious young girl being left alone with VULGRIM? Strife eventually convinced War to take her with them for safety.

Okay thought about it in my study-breaks, got two ways I can go about it, as it will effect Strife’s exact reaction and motivation. During Genesis OR Post Genesis; I’ll let you pick, more details on what these options entail below. Basic idea of how the child got in: We know serpent holes exist on earth, and apparently visible for all to see. Humans (leaning towards Neolithic society) would have come across these, (perhaps even seen Vulgrim use them) and perhaps treat it like a place of religious significance. Maybe an entrance to the underworld, where souls cross worlds, so they would perform ritual acts at the site. Eventually, one of these activates the serpent hole and child gets dragged in and only finds one active exit, which leads to hell. Vulgrim notices someone using his portals, following him to hell, where he was concluding a transaction, and quickly finds the child. I would make a small change from your prompt, if you don’t mind; Vulgrim keeps her, because he wants to find out how someone got to use his serpents holes, without his permission. He fears something or someone far more dangerous could do it next time. But the girl doesn’t understand a word he says and when the Riders arrive, he gives her to Dis, where she’s eventually seen by the riders. Now, if it’s during Genesis there is the question of whether they take her on remaining missions or, especially if Vulgrim knows what portal was used, if they just get her back without detour. In case of the former, they reunite the kid with her family after the culling, in case of the latter they either check on the girl or tragically she too is affected by the Animus and needs to be culled. If it’s after Genesis, Strife will be much more motivated by guilt throughout the story. Also, depending on how long it is after Genesis, she might even recognize the Horsemen from the culling and is afraid of them. This could lead to Strife wanting to make it up to her, apologize even if she doesn’t understand what he says. So, just tell me what combination/ideas you like, and hopefully I can get started sometime this summer. Edit: Anyone, if you have a preference for an option or idea, let me know.

[rubykgrant]

can we see your pitbull 🥺🥺🥺

Here he is! (I had to wait for somebody to visit who actually has a phone that takes pictures). His name is Zeya (sounds like "Isiah" without the I). I also call him "My precious, pitiful, pretty-ful pitbull"~ He's about 13 now, but we got him right before he turned 2. He lived with my step-brother's family, but they were moving to a place where they couldn't keep pets, so we took him in, and feel in love with him~ He was raised around a baby and a toddler, so he's very friendly and tolerant with little kids and other small animals. If you play with him, and he accidentally bumps you too hard or something, as soon as he hears "Ow", he stops, and shows you his belly as an apology.

We also found kittens that a stray cat had under the house, and we still have one (she's about 10), and they love each other. Sometimes the kitty steals his bed, and he doesn't do anything about, he just lays on the floor (so I pick her up like a pizza and plop her into her own kitty-bed. she just keeps purring). They both know the word "walk", and will stay with me when I take them outside, or stroll through the woods behind the house. He knows a lot of other words too, including "bath". I tease him sometimes, asking- "Do you want a BATH? What if I give you a BATH?", and he does this wiggle-worm routine to tell me NO... but if I take his collar off, he knows it is real (and he still comes a long for the bath, he's just all slow about it. he LOVES when we're done, because then I towel him off, and he's SO HAPPY). The kitty watches every time, fascinated and uncertain why he gets this strange "water ritual" haha.

He loves having his collar; he treats it like a grand honor. When he get him a new one, he gets all EXCITED, doing his little tap-dance as he waits for it. He have his license on it, and also some old keys (that don't go to anything), so we can hear the jingle noise as he runs around (if I let him out at night to pee, and call for him, I can hear the keys jingle before I even see him, so I know he's listening and is coming back).

He has a very specific little "howling" sound he makes, where he goes- "AWOOO-woo-woo-woo-wooooooo!", which is his way to communicate- "I am very happy! Be happy with me!", and it makes us laugh, so he knows we're happy too. He also does a specific thing when he wants to let people know- "I have bone! Don't try to take it from me!" when he wants you to actually get it and throw it; he brings the bone over in his mouth, and makes this muffled warble noise (I've heard him actually bark like normal with a stick or bone in his mouth, so I know this noise is on purpose). I play "where's your bone?" by asking him to go get one of his chew bones, and after he brings it to me, I hide it somewhere in the house. He remembers the "usual" hiding places and checks those first, but will eventually sniff-out the new hiding spot. Sometimes the kitty will be up on the couch or a chair while he looks, and when he walks by, she baps at him with her paws.

He takes his job as Guard Dog very seriously, so if he thinks something Bad is Outside, he wants to bark and go chase it. In general, we don't really care if there are raccoons or whatever out there, and just tell him to hush (he has no sense of self-preservation if he thinks he is "defending" us, and we would rather he NOT get his face scratched up by some wild critter). While he likes to let everybody know "This is MY property!", once he gets done barking, he loves having visitors and making friends. We doesn't need to walk on a leash at the house, but I've trained him to walk with me at my pace when I take him other places, and he understands usual commands like sit/stay (plus all the tricks like shake/speak/etc), and for vet visits I've taught "Hold still" and "Let me see" so he's very good at being looked-over. People have marveled at how "polite" he is when he gently takes a treat from their hands.

He's such a sweet boy, with so many funny little habits and quirks. He loves attention, and while he usually has a lot of excited energy, he's very cute when he's all calm... a few times, I have let him cuddle with me on the couch, and when he falls asleep, he has dreams that make him twitch and yip (which is VERY funny to feel when the dog is sprawled across your chest and tummy). Oh, he also knows the word "medicine", which applies to anything he either has to take (like a pill), or the whole process of disinfecting a scratch/getting bandaged (he doesn't understand what it all means, but he trusts me to take care of him, and knows I must be trying to help). We're making sure he has a nice long, happy life! We love him so much~

[princesspastel8]

Chapter 6

Third POV

"Poor girl... she's the only survivor of that horrific car accident."

"On top of that, her family doesn't even want her.."

"She's only eight and has to be placed in foster care..."

"We all know how disastrous the system is...another bright future lost."

"Such a pity -"

Eboni jolts awake, whimpering at the pain in her stomach. She slowly leans her back against the back of the hospital bed. She takes a second to scan her surroundings. The teen curses under her breath. She truly hates hospitals. It's where people go to die, a complete death house.

Doctors don't care. It's all about a paycheck. She knew this hospital bill would cost her a fortune. Eboni's hateful thoughts were cut short by her hospital door opening, two detectives, a nurse, a doctor, and two other strangers dressed in casual clothing.

"Miss Eboni, my name is Detective Smith. I'd first like to say that I'm sorry for your families dea-"

"Foster family." Eboni interrupted, staring down at her hands, which are resting on her lap.

"Right... Anyways, we would like to question you if you're feeling ok enough." Mr. Smith said as the nurse began checking Eboni's vitals.

Eboni would yank her arm away every time the nurse tried to touch her. The doctor held a needle with white liquid inside. The male gave the teen a look, making her comply with them. Eboni just loathes being touch my any of the medical profession- or anyone at all.

With a heavy sigh, Eboni nods her head, now feeling extremely tense from the nurse drawing blood and replacing the bandages over the stab wounds and cuts after cleaning them.

"So...explain to us the events that took place that night in your own words."

Eboni looks at Mr. Smith, mostly focusing on the rather tall, lanky detective who has yet to say a word. Though he didn't speak, his eyes spoke volumes. Whatever Eboni said, he wouldn't believe in the slightest. The teen couldn't help but smirk at that look. A look she's always had to face from superiors.

"It was my birthday. I decided to treat myself since everyone forgot. I stole Melissa's credit card and did a bit of shopping. Though...he was watching me that whole time, too." Eboni trails off, staring up at the ceiling with hollow eyes.

The lanky male finally spoke, "Who was following you?"

"Jeff. Jeff, the killer. You guys may say he isn't really, but I saw him with my own eyes. Fought him with my own hands." The teen said, gripping her bed sheets tightly.

The lanky detective was the first to show how he felt. He was surprised, but his eyes held an unknown anger that peaked Eboni's interest. "Why didn't you go to the police!?"

"Micheal! You can't shout at the victim like that!" Mr. Smith scolds.

"Suspect. She is a suspect." Micheal corrects him, moving to lean on the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

Eboni knew then. Micheal is young looking. She knew he joined the force just to get some sort of revenge on Jeff. The killer must've taken someone important to him. Doesn't she care, though, not at all. In fact, she finds the ironic situation laughable.

"Well, Micheal, who would believe me? I had no proof, and melissa would be pissed. I just... had enough of her shit so I didn't say anything." He grumbles, tracing her still healing spilt lip with her fingers.

Smith took notice of that but decided not to say anything. "Anyways, he's been watching me the moment we moved into his old home. He'd stand across the street, staring at my window all night. I didn't care. I just knew he wouldn't make a move."

"You must be a fan of his, huh? That has to be the reason why you didn't say anything!" Micheal snapped, which earned a slap upside his head by smith.

"Sorry about him, please continue." Mr. Smith said kindly.

"Mhm, anyways, Melissa and I got into another fight about her credit card. That's where I got this busted lip from."

"So that wasn't Jeff, noted." Smith said as he wrote something down on his notepad.

"Yeah. The lip and black eye were melissa. Later that night, I went to the skate park to try out my new rollerblades. Jeff was there too, but he didn't approach me. He left early, though. Normally, he would follow me home, so I found that odd. But once I got home, those questions were answered." The girl chuckles bitterly.

"Ok, now what all did he say to you? Did he ask why he targeted you?" Micheal asked, finally sounding a bit more calm, but that sharp look in his eyes never changed.

Eboni turns her head to finally lock her eyes with Micheal, her burning gaze unnerving even for the detective. "He called me a coward for not having the guts to murder them... and he was right. That family..those fuckers made my life worse than it already was. I was supposed to be given love, given help- but I was just a fucking tool to make that bitch look good. She said it herself. Those were her last words before Jeff killed her. The other three were already dead when I got there. After she died, the two of us fought, and the rest is...history." she sighs, an odd glint returning to her rather dark eyes.

Micheal noticed this and began seething. "Wow....you really are sick. I get your life has been crap but that gives you no right to fantasize over something so horrific! Who's to say you wouldn't have killed them yourself if Jeff never did?!" He shouts, hands clenched into fists.

Eboni laughs. The teen broke out into a full fit of unhinged laughter. When she finally calms down, the girl is met with a bit of shaken expressions - except for the two strangers who still haven't spoken yet.

"Because I'm a coward! I told you what Jeff said. I don't have the gunts. I would've never had it. I could only hope...fucking wish they would drop dead and be with fucking flies. Funny...how a infamous serial killer was the one to answer said wish." She mumbles, feeling exhausted thanks to the pain medication given by the doctors.

"And that's why you're a suspect!"

"Was." Mr. Smith said flatly, frowning at Micheal.

"What!? But she might as well could've been his accomplice!" He shouts, face red with anger.

"Jeff's blood was found at the crime scene. He left her for dead with those wounds. If we were a few minutes late, she would've bleed to death. She is a victim, Jeff, the killer's only surviver. And because of that-"

"You'll be placed in our care." The middle-aged woman finally spoke, being one of the two strangers.

Eboni moves to lay down, curling up in her blanket. "Yeah sure...whatever." she grumbles.

The woman smiles softly, the male moving to stand closer to her. "My name is Tiffany, and this is Daniel. We're your new foster parents."

"Dispite what you've been through with your previous one. Those two are the most trusted within the foster system of this town. Not one child has ever complained."

"Maybe because they've been too scared straight to." Eboni chuckles, glancing at her new parents before closing her eyes. "We'll see if I match up to your shitty statistics." The teen said softly before slipping into a much needed deep slumber.

[l0v3lyr0ses]

can you please do a Milf!reader x glamrocks and sun/moon where the reader is pregnant with the animatronics kid? You can do just Freddy and Monty if you want.

I'll write this but someone needs to write an essay on how this works in a biological sense. Also I didn't write Roxy and Chica bc of how it is rn, for it to be possible to have a child since reader is afab there'd have to be IVF tho I will probably never write something like this again it just came off as disgustingly sugary sweet it's not my tastes tbh

characters: Freddy, Monty, daycare attendant

Glamrocks+Daycare attendant with a pregnant!Milf!S/O!

Sun

he is so excited! But he's also a lot more gentle around you and the hide and seeks games have stopped temporarily! Sun does not want to hurt you even by accident!

he's the type to lay his head on your stomach and speak to the child n be simply blissful over that, and treat the kicking as a response to what he's telling the baby which is mostly "y/n is a very kind and sweet parent" "once you're born we'll play all day!"

Sun puts up with Children much worse than any mood swings you may have and sits with you through them, and any odd cravings he'll try to see if he can get.

when the baby bump gets noticeable, Sun gets worried, what if you suddenly go into labor? he isn't trained or programmed to deal with pregnancies!

but generally, he's happy that you'd want to take a step like this together with him

Freddy

he is literally so flabbergasted that you'd want to take a step like that with an animatronic and at first he isn't sure how, Freddy, an animatronic could even achieve something like that

But regardless Freddy is very excited to be a dad! even though you already have Gregory but even he has been making joking about a younger sibling.

he'd definitely be ready to take care of you when it comes to mood swings, he's dealt with snot-nosed brats before so it's no issue for him!

when you start to look visibly pregnant, Freddy is... protective. he's worried if you trip and fall that you're going to hurt the baby or yourself

Freddy would definitely be the type to talk to the baby even calling them a superstar with a soft chuckle

he's programmed to call an ambulance if you were to go into labor during your shift, so no worries? sorta, depends on their reaction to a human animatronic child.

Montgomery Gator

Monty is so pumped to start a family with you, even going as far as already planning the kid's life, (Slow down, Monty) Monty would be unsure about how it works if an animatronic and a human were to have children (me too bestie)

throughout the pregnancy, Montgomery is very protective for you and the people around you. Monty could be quite jealous before but it was way worse after you became pregnant, Monty sees everyone as a threat.

Monty would follow you everywhere in case you hurt yourself or someone else did, and yes that includes the bathroom, Monty resorts to waiting outside when it comes to the restroom. but do not take too long or Monty won't hesitate to check if you miraculously hurt yourself in the bathroom.

but he's excited to teach the kid to play golf and how to play pranks. Without u knowing

Moon

Moon isn't very expressive but you can tell he's more aware of your surroundings and how simple it would be for anyone to harm you if they happened not to like you, or not be on friendly terms, Moon already before a child came into the picture was very e, he's practically attached to you at the hip and constantly aware of where you are.

but he was kind of wondering how in the world you would bear his child, but that was a question for later.

when you're pregnant Moon is even more acutely aware of your location, he'd go insane if his partner and child got injured by some menace to society.

he'd definitely rarely allow you to leave the daycare at night, and he would not admit that he does not want you to be injured.

he wouldn't really talk to the baby but when cuddling he'd definitely caress the bump and whisper on about how good of a parent you're going to be

[mc-i-r]

Hi hi hi!!! On the bandwagon to say how good Disposable Heroes is! (also - what a title!) I love how this take exposes everyone's biases in such a casual way, that through something minor, it snowballs. Not a single person (adult or kids alike) thinks to check on Steve, that one misunderstanding becomes an excuse to treat Steve how they truly view him (ie, still an asshole, taking digs at his personality and intelligence, how easily they distance themselves after everything he's done for them with zero regards to his well-being and feelings.) Thinking of the party trying to defend themselves by downplaying Steve's part in everything, only to have it pointed out that half of them wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Steve - but how it also extends past mortal danger as well, all the outings, check ins, lunch and arcade money, a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to - And everyone now being forced to confront these biases, that Steve isn't a two dimensional NPC they can recruit whenever they need a tank, devoid of feelings or emotion outside of them. That he's been struggling with the trauma of this shit too. I love your exploration of Steve's character - how he's alarmingly aware and observant of the people around him, how he assesses quietly and chooses to take action for better (despite it maybe not being reciprocated - that scene in Family Video where Steve is so earnest with Eddie... it broke my heart.) It feels so true to his writing, even all the way back to S1/S2 when he realises where he went wrong, tries to make up for it. Also the angst, the good good angst! Dying to read when Eddie finds out Steve's true feelings and what Steve's had to endure this entire time... and how harmful the King Steve moniker actually is. Selfishly, I want the party (+ extended) to grovel a bit to earn back his friendship - but I love that your version has one steadfast Robin Buckley by Steve's side. Such a good premise!!! Sorry for such along ask haha, i got excited. I'd love to be tagged for future updates! - @foundintheshallows

Thank you so much! It amazes me how much positive feedback I'm getting from Heroes, it truly feels surreal. The fact that so many people are liking it is insane to me but it's definitely encouraging me to keep writing more!

Funny little thing about the title, it's actually based on a Metallica song from Master of Puppets! I was listening to the album when I was writing one day and as soon as I was trying to think of a good title, this song came on and the lyrics just... Fit. It's not super important, but I think it's kinda cool :)

That's something I really wanted to express, how people's biases never really go away despite knowing or thinking otherwise. I wanted to show that bias can hurt a person, even when you don't think about it or actively do it. Steve gets hit with a lot of that since his character was one who had a rough past, so I really wanted to drive the point home that even though people can change, they can still get hurt.

Trauma in the show, I feel like, is immensely overlooked so I wanted to amend that. Steve has been through some shit- including Russian torture- and he would obviously have permanent issues from that. Physical issues such as his eyesight (all those concussions had to have fucked up his vision somehow), migraines (seriously, head trauma is no joke), and hearing (which will come in later) as well as mental issues such as panic attacks, paranoia, dissociation, and anxiety. But, despite all that, he puts it all aside for the Party even though they never do so in return and that's where some of that sweet, sweet angst comes in.

This is really just an excuse to dive into the mind of the tiny Steve that lives in my brain because he gets so little attention in the show regarding his character and I wanted to fix that. Showing how kind and compassionate he is- and really has always been- is something I really really wanted to get right. That scene in Family Video was an example of that (I'm really glad you liked it, I rewrote it soooo many times) and I wanted to express how genuinely thoughtful he is to others even if they don't give him the same courtesy in return. He's had a lot of character development, and this is just my way of paying homage to it, I suppose.

I don't wanna give away too much, but the Party definitely feels some retribution for what they did to Steve and he really takes his time to fully accept their apologies. It'll all come full circle in the end, and a loooot of loose ends are tied up.

I'm jumping between Robin's and Eddie's chapters right now to try and iron out some final details so your wait might not last too much longer!

Thank you so much for this ask and I'll add you to the tag list right away!