#otp: i would follow you anywhere

[verdemoun]

Don't know if you've already talked about bill but how is he coping with modern times? I always imagined a modern bill becoming a car mechanic, or something adjacent, maybe even becoming a small influencer where he posts abt trucks and such (and also his dog. I just know that man gets a dog in any type of modern au)

i have not spoken about bill because bill as a character just makes me so sad fam like was he doomed to be the power hungry bastard of toxic masculinity we see in rdr1 or did the events of rdr2 actively make him that way why was everyone so mean to him like you can see the way people treats him chipping away at him it makes me want to scream but back to timewarp au

therapy. my otp is bill and therapy. man needs anger management and to unpack that emotional baggage. it would take a while but once bill made the connection sometimes when he feels angry and acts out he's actually feeling sad/upset he'd start to develop as a person really quickly.

he would be so conflicted about seeing the gang again. why does no one talk about what happened to bill in the gap between rdr1 and 2?? dutch fucking left him behind bill would've followed dutch to the ends of the earth and been the perfect obedient loyal son he always wanted and dutch just threw him away because hunting down arthur and john for betraying him was more important!!

the new main gang would've picked him up because they knew he was going to be timewarped but it would be so uncomfortable.

poor kieran would've been so terrified he had to stay with annabelle and grimshaw until bill left. he usually regresses a little whenever someone timewarps because he has obvious reason to be nervous about the gang but it would've been a full breakdown just knowing bill was coming back. bill would've felt bad about it too because he never made the connection between how the gang's teasing made him feel vs what his bullying was doing to kieran.

the rest of the gang would've gone straight back to teasing bill because that was the dynamic last time they were all together. he would've hated it and lashed out a lot. he became something after they died they better respect it but of course they just don't. bill would've barely understood modern era before he bounced.

happy stuff now i promise. he ended up hitchhiking for a bit and learning about the modern world from truckers. he would love going to bars and truck stops and dodgy mom and pop diners along the highway.

he ends up getting a job on a ranch (ironically the modern day MacFarlane which became a massive multimillion dollar operation) and still gets to ride horses almost every day. he picks up herding super quickly and gets all the validation and care he deserves. the owners love him and are really supportive and patient when it comes to dealing with his temper.

he gets a little power trip out of learning to drive the semi-truck and unlike most of the hands is always super excited and happy to go on cross-country road trips delivering things to processing facilities. his favorite thing though would be the combine harvester he will work 14 hour shifts without complaint harvesting grain.

bill loves dogs almost more than he loves his horses he cannot drive past a sign that says puppies for sale without at least stopping to look. this habit has resulted in him having five dogs and they are his new gang. his first dog was a stray he picked up on the side of the road it's a wire-haired gundog mutt just called Mutt. he also has two cattle dogs (Clem and Roanoke), a long hair shepherd called Mercer and finally a catahoula called Abel. they are all working dogs and he does not go anywhere without all of them. they all sleep on his bed and are just as happy to go on cross country road trips in the semi as he is.

he can control all of them with a whistle or non verbal commands and they are insanely well trained. Micah fucking hates him sure Baymax can bark and growl and look scary on command but the second one of Bill's dogs curls up its lips Baymax is hiding behind Micah terrified and Bill is so fucking smug about it.

through therapy and having his ideals challenged bill starts making an effort to be less racist and sexist and actually confronting some of the gang about the way they treated him in 1899 and mending those relationships because look yeah he went off the deep end after the VDLs but he does still care about them and wants to have good relationships with them he's just got to work through a lot of issues go bill i believe in you

and most importantly he finally got over the internalized homophobia and admitted to himself he's a bit/lot gay. he's not wearing beads at pride levels of comfortable with it yet but he is a classic bear who will protect the gaybies from violence with violence.

it's like a many, many years slow burn but him and alden get together because charlybird's art is one of the only reasons i gave bill a chance as a character and i am a better person for it

[grislyintentions]

SHIPPING INFO. Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

Geto/Gojo (current brainrot) but tbh i have a lot frfr

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Where shipping is concerned, I'm generally rather down to explore different ideas/plots. With the exception of: infidelity, pregnancy (breeding kinks are fine just not actual carrying of children), constant relationship angst with no reprieve and break ups.

I struggle heavily with Bipolar 2 + Cluster B comorbidity and certain themes make emotional regulation really difficult.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Anything past 10 year age gap** And even then I'd personally prefer for the characters to be above 25 y/o if the age gap is going to be an important factor of the thread.

Are you selective when shipping?

Yes. I prefer to go off of chemistry between the characters portrayed + if I am able to have an healthy line of communication with my writing partner. It's really important to me for my writing partners to feel comfortable with discussing boundaries or if they've changed their mind/are no longer interested. Especially with the nature of what I write (Yaoshi etc)

Shipping, and by extension rping as a whole, is a collaborative experience. I would rather prioritise being able to have fun doing so.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

Anywhere between getting handsy to dry humping counts I think?? ^^;;

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

I'm pretty flexible with that as long as our portrayals have chemistry together. I don't mind crackships, unlikely ships etc as well.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

I am unfortunately pretty dense when it comes to picking up on other people's shipping interest 😭so please give me a sign. Like a "hey i think they'd be neat!" type of message is enough. Most of the time, I observe the threads until potential is made obvious before I approach to discuss bc I just...do be dropping balls left and right OTL.

How often do you like to ship?

Not as often as I'd like 💀

Are you multiship?

Yes. Verses are all kept separate unless planned otherwise.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I think I'm a ship more-or-less in my own eyes? I love writing shippy stuff but honestly slice of life, comfort and goofs are what commonly appears here. Or...yknow degenerate crimes but dw about that.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Kafka/Blade, Kafka/Sunday, Wriothesley/Clorinde/Neuvillette, Candace/Dehya, Candace/Cyno, Cyno/Tighnari, Sampo/Natasha, Sampo/Gepard, Natasha/Serval, Xiao/Traveler, Wanderer/Layla, Wanderer/Traveler, many many more tbh

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Write with me! Send me stuff, tell me about your ideas and I'll do the same.

Tagged by: @soliloquics (thank u!! ^^)

Tagging: @memovia @rvinfall @reversescale @shallliveoninsong @shining-gem34 @maskednihilism @reallyrandomtj @astrclvoyages @souldanced @soulsbetrayed @sercphs @draconicfool and whomstever wants to yoink! No pressure if you don't wanna do it though. ^^

[moongothic]

I LOVE your crocodad theory I'm an obsessed believer but did u ever get romantic vibes from crocodile & robin business relationship? Many people get lover vibes from them & I never understood why. They seem VERY strictly business/stab each other in the back relationship. (Plus crocodile is TERRIFYING).

I think Croco/Robin as a ship exists kind of like... out of circumstance? Kind of?

Quick disclaimer, I only got into OP in like 2008~ish at the age of 13, I can not comment what it as like being in the fandom before that because I wasn't there (and when OP began in 1997 I was like two whole years old). So whatever I say here doesn't come from like, a fandom veteran who knows the entire history of the OP fandom or anything. I'm just attempting to rub my braincells together here

Like in the year of our lord 2023 we have many wonderful Crocodile ships to classify as OTPs and NOTPs etc, but if we go back to like 2006 or so, long before the Summit War Saga was even a thing, try to think about what characters you would have shipped Crocodile with? Because for a long time, the only canon material Crocodile had appeared in was just the Alabasta Saga (+one brief cover story), and we don't really see Crocodile interact with that many characters during the story. Like. Really the only character Crocodile has multiple, extended interactions with aside from Luffy and Vivi is Robin. All the other characters he interacts with maybe once or twice for very brief scenes, so based on canon material alone, there isn't much for fuel for shipping purposes.

It really wasn't until Marineford when we finally started getting other characters to ship with Crocodile, mainly the Ever Loyal Daz who seems to be willing to follow Crocodile anywhere (romantic as fuck) and Doflamingo after he and Croc tried to kill each other twice at Marineford (people seem to love a tsundere Croc) And now with Cross Guild we also have Mihawk (and Buggy) as far as shipping options go. And of course there's MORE than just these ships, there's the more crack-leaning ships (like Dragodile and whatever you'd call the Cobra-ship) and some others (Jinbei, Whitebeard, Ivankov, Galdino, Luffy even) etc etc

The only difference is that Croco/Robin got to kind of be like, "the default Crocodile ship" for like 8 years without major competition. And because the ship has "history", even when new ships pop up the one that has been around the longest will still stick out. Not to mention, although we have options now, even those have very little canon material to actually work with when compared to Croco/Robin. Like Dofuwani exists because the two had like three whole pages worth of interactions, but compare that to the screentime Croc had with Robin? It's not even a competition

Not to mention, Croco/Robin is just. Like it's kind of the mandatory het ship. Like there aren't many straight options with canon material to work with, and there's gonna be people who really want to have a het ship with Crocodile if you know what I mean. But also, let's be real. There's a lot of straight women who're horny for Crocodile. Valid as fuck. And Croco/Robin could have like, a self-insert-y quality to it, like some people might be able to see themselves in Robin? Also valid. And that can apply to some straight men too, like I'm sure there's cishet men who look at Crocodile with that "god I wish that were me" energy, who love seeing Crocodile ship fanart with Robin, as they can project onto Crocodile etc. This is also valid. Point is that the ship appeals to cishets by simply being a het ship, but also it might make for an easy ship for a lot of straight people to project onto for one reason or another.

But to be fair, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I think Croco/Robin has the potential to be a really interesting ship. Like they ARE the Baroque Works Boss Pair, literal partners in crime, the most powerful members of the secret criminal organization who run the whole operation, they worked together by themselves for four whole years, Crocodile protecting Robin by allowing her to hide under his wings. They were together, ready to take over an entire country and obtain a weapon of mass destruction And then Robin betrays him. And Crocodile admits he never trusted her to begin with.

Like on paper alone, this is great material for a juicy romance.

Especially now when we understand why Robin was on the run and why she feared being betrayed, and how looking back at Crocodile's reaction when Robin "reads" the Poneglyph for him, he genuinely seems a little sad about her betraying him (mystery trauma etc). This is a genuinely interesting character dynamic, like even without any romantic context I would love to see Crocodile and Robin meet again in the storyline and like, see what Crocodile thinks of Robin having joined the Strawhats vs what Robin thinks about Cross Guild, how the two might interact etc. They are interesting to me

Like personally, I agree, I don't think the two were actually ever romantically involved with each other (frankly I don't think Crocodile trusts anyone anymore enough to let them get close him like that, dude's been voluntarily celibate for like two decades lmao), their relationship was surely just business-only. And while the ship doesn't personally interest me (just kinda "meh" for me), I do understand why the ship appeals to others and why it's popular to this day

But yeah, I do think a lot of the reasons Croco/Robin is as popular as it is due to circumstance. It's been around the longest, it still arguably has the most canon material to work with, it appeals to lots of people. God knows shippers don't actually need the characters to like each other, otherwise people wouldn't be shipping Croc with Buggy as we speak

[thatwritingho]

Kloktober Day 1

Favorite Character or OTP

My favorite character is half of my OTP, so both!

Pairing: Relish! Which is Pickles the Drummer and Olive Axworthy, my OC. get it, because pickle and olive relish, hahaha

Rating: SFW, only mildly suggestive moments

Summary: Pickles makes a miscalculation when planning a date with Olive. Luckily, he thinks of a better plan, and so they ditch the fancy restaurant they both hated to relocate.

What a perfect night for a cemetery date.

.

It was beautiful.

Glittering crystal chandeliers, polished marble floors, spotless white tablecloths, and a bouquet of fresh flowers in the center of their private, tucked away table with a gorgeous view of the city, shielded by a wall of live greenery.

It was beautiful.

And Olive looked absolutely miserable. 

Gorgeous, in a black velvet dress that slit up to her hip and gave her immaculate cleavage, showing off both her sleeve and thigh tattoo. Her wild curls were more tamed than usual, her makeup dark and stunning. Around her neck hung the anatomically correct heart pendant he gifted her. Silver glinted from each of her ear piercings, bracelets dangled from her wrists, rings covered her fingers, her nails shone black and pointed.

She was gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking… but still miserable, all the same. 

As Olive finished the last bite of her dessert, Pickles gulped down the rest of his wine, bracing himself. 

"Everythin' okee, babe?"

Dark eyes flit up to meet green, and she shrugged. 

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

The raising of a single pierced brow was all it took, and she sighed, teething at her tongue ring.

"It's just. Y'know…." she gestured around with her eyes.

"What?"

“This place, it’s just…”

“Yeah?”

“...fancy.”

“Is dat a bad thing?”

Olive shrugged, “I mean, like, objectively, no.”

“Okee… And, uh, not objectively?”

“Subjectively?” sighing, she chewed at her lip, glancing around, “It’s just. Not really my thing.”

Pickles nodded, staring at her as he considered how to turn this date around. Where could they go now that she would like? Hell, where did she even like to go? It was too late for a museum or a bookstore, they were too dressed up to go break into some abandoned building or walk in a park. Where was he gonna take her, a fucking mausoleum?

Oh. 

Duh.

Grin curling up his lips, Pickles stood, carelessly tossing some cash from his wallet down onto the table, "Well what the hell're we doin' here, den? Let's get outta this place."

Smiling, Olive placed her hand in his offered one, standing to follow him to the limo. She snorted when Pickles insisted on opening the door for her, but thanked him anyway, waiting inside as he whispered something to the driver before joining her. The ride was largely uneventful, save for Pickles slipping down the straps of Olive's dress to snort a line or two or five off her tits. 

When it finally rolled to a stop, Olive pried her lips from Pickles', peering out the tinted windows as a large grin took over her face. As she turned back to him, dark eyes sparkling, face lit up in childish delight, and asked "Really?!" with more excitement in her voice than he had ever heard, Pickles felt his stomach flip, heat rushing to his face as his mouth went dry. 

"Y-yeah, dood."

Lips pressed to his cheek in a soft, sweet kiss, and Olive bumped the tip of her nose to his.

"Thank you."

Before he had a chance to respond, she gripped his hand and nearly drug him from the limo, but Pickles managed to grab the doorframe, stopping just in time.

"Whoah, dood, hang ahn! Jeezus, the skeletons aren't going anywhere!"

Pickles rummaged back inside, Olive pulling a face when he returned, a pierced brow raising in question.

"What?"

"Is there anything other than champagne?"

Pickles gave her an incredulous look. 

"...yew don't like champagne?"

"No."

"...okee. Well, there's a '78 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino or a '96 Domaine Leroy Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru in dere, too, if yah want one of those instead."

"I have no idea what that means."

Pickles grinned at her blank face, "Ones a barolo, ones a pinot noir."

"...I still don't know what that means. It's just wine. Whatever is fine, it all tastes the same, anyway."

The grin fell from his face at her words, replaced with an expression of shock, disbelief, and mild horror.

"Babe, yew… yew don't actually mean dat, right?"

Olive shrugged. 

"Yeah. I mean, aside from the color difference, it all just tastes like wine."

Shell shocked, Pickles swapped the bottle of champagne out for the ten-thousand dollar bottle of wine, the knowledge that it would be absolutely wasted on her beginning to set in. 

It just tastes like wine. 

Jesus Christ. 

He needed to take her to a wine tasting yesterday.

Shaking it off, Pickles slung his arm over Olive's shoulders as they walked through the gates of the cemetery, glancing around at the fog hanging low on the ground, the murder of crows cawing and pecking amongst the headstones nearby as they meandered along the path, the clack of Olive's heels loud in the chilled air. A gentle breeze sent her curls dancing, swaying and rustling the leaves left clinging on the skeletons of trees, an owl hooting somewhere off in the distance.

What a perfect night for a cemetery date. 

The moon shone bright behind the sparse, wispy clouds, lighting up her face, her happy, relaxed expression such a stark contrast to the one worn at dinner he could hardly reconcile the two.

"Wanna know somethin'?"

"Hm?"

Pickles leaned in close, whispering, "I fuckin' hate fancy restaurants, too."

Olive laughed, loud and sudden and so hard she snorted, slapping a hand over her mouth as Pickles laughed at her, the both continuing to giggle at each other as the conversation continued.

"Then why did we go!"

"I don't know, dood! A fancy dinner, dats, like, the date!"

"Yeah, but it sucks!"

"Yer tellin' me! Gahd, got all dressed up in dis stupid suit fer nothin'."

Pickles tugged at his already loosened tie as Olive laughed harder, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt

"Yew look hot as hell, though. 'least dere's dat."

Heat flushed to her face at the compliment, and she smiled, biting her lip as Pickles grinned his crooked grin at her.

"Oh, hey," Pickles grabbed her elbow, steering her to the side, "We're here."

Raising a brow as Pickles veered off path, Olive pauses to slip off her heels before following him barefoot amongst the graves, the ground cold and dew-damp on her feet. At the base of a tall, wide, old oak tree, Pickles plopped down in the grass, half-sitting half-laying against it's base.

Grinning up at her, he pat his lap in invitation, "Saved a seat jest fer yew, baby. Best one in da whole house."

Her deadpan made him laugh, and Olive rolled her eyes with a fond smile before dropping down. Freckled arms wrapped securely around her as she curled up in his lap, finger tips ghosting along her arm to raise goosebumps.

The two passed the bottle of wine back and forth, chatting here and there.

"Hey."

Lifting her head from his chest, Olive was met with lips on hers, tasting of wine and weed and cigarettes. His hand gently cupped her face, thumb caressing over her cheek as their lips met time and again, Pickles relishing the way Olive melted into him more and more with each press.

Parting his lips from her was no easy feat - it never was -  but Pickles managed, bumping their noses as his eyes sought Olive's in the moonlight. Their breaths puffed and mixed between them, curls scented of wine forming to dance on the crisp night air. 

Mouth curling into a crooked grin, Pickles kissed over to her ear and nipped, facial hair tickling with his next words, "Heh. Wanna go fuck ahn a grave?"

.

To be continued ;)

Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think!

If you'd like to read more of these two, check out Momento Mori, and Olive's Mtl OC Wiki page!!

[tessa-liam]

Smoke and Mirrors

11 –The Lantern Festival

Book: The Royal Romance Finale AU

Series Premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family and friends will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer’.

Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh, Olivia Nevrakis x M!OC Alex Cossoy

*Most characters belong to Pixelberry Studios

*Not Beta’d, please excuse all errors

Rating: M🔞*Series Warnings:  NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult language/swearing/drinking/gun violence. Not recommended for anyone under 18 years of age.

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff

Words: 2476

Smoke and Mirrors

The Lantern Festival - 11

Chapter Summary: The Cordonian Royal Family join in the celebrations for the annual Valtorian Lantern Festival.

Music Inspiration: Feels Like Home, Diana Krall, Bryan Adams

A/N1: My submission for @choicesflashfics Week #61, Prompt 1, "You're my favorite."➡️"Favorite what?"➡️"Everything." and Week #60, Prompt 1, “I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

Valtorian Estate, Cordonia

King Liam leisurely descended the opulent grand staircase after carrying his sleeping daughter to her room; Princess Eleanor was exhausted from the day’s events and fell asleep watching the countless number of lanterns floating gently carrying the hopes and dreams of the people into the night sky. He paused at the foot of the staircase and looked up to see Riley, starting to step down to follow him.

Inside his soul, he felt complete. He has everything that he had always wanted and dreamed of. Three beautiful, healthy children, a prosperous and peaceful kingdom, and the woman of his dreams by his side. His radiant queen.

Smiling, Riley called down, “wait for me, your Majesty.” Riley had just finished breast feeding their son, Stefan, and when he fell sound asleep along with his brother, William, she softly closed their nursery door to join Liam as they prepared to go outside the estate to give the closing remarks to the awaiting press.

The annual Lantern Festival had another successful run in Valtoria, being a much-loved festive favorite in Cordonia. The closing ceremonies to conclude the celebrations now awaited the King and Queen.

Liam chuckled as he held out his hand to her and when she took it, he gently pulled her into his embrace, kissing her cheek, his voice husky, but gentle as he replied,

"I would never leave without my Queen."

"Ah, yes, but you can't go anywhere without saying goodbye to those you love." Riley coyly responded.

"You're my favorite." Liam snickered.

"Favorite what?" Riley saucily replied.

He raised a brow and smirked. My "everything."

Smiling, Liam challenged, "who says?"

"This one." Riley giggled as she pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"Mmmm." Liam hummed, wrapping his arms around her, his hands sliding down to her bottom.

"Liam!"

"You know we can't do that here," she whispered, though her lips trailed kisses down his neck.

"It wouldn't be the first time..." He murmured back, his breath tickling her ear.

"I'm sure there are reporters watching the estate now, waiting for you."

Liam let out a small growl and reluctantly released his wife. She laughed, knowing full well how much Liam hated having his alone time with her cut short.

She took his hand in hers, and he laced their fingers together as they exited the estate and headed towards the podium and the awaiting press.

"Good evening. Thank you, all, for coming. Tonight was a great success, thanks to all of your efforts and that of our staff. We're honored to have you with us to celebrate a tradition that spans generations and is the highlight of Valtorian tradition. It warms my heart to see so many people come out and show their support. So, thank you all. And now, if you'll excuse me, I will see you next year. Enjoy the rest of the festival and please be safe on your journeys home. Have a good night."

The crowd clapped and cheered, and then started to disperse. Riley waved as she walked off the podium with Liam by her side.

"That was nice." Riley grinned.

"What was, love?"

"The way you spoke to the reporters. It was a little different from what you would normally say."

"Was it now?" Liam questioned.

Riley nodded and smiled knowingly.

"Maybe because I am just trying to get through this as soon as possible. So, I can have some quality alone time with my beautiful wife." He replied, his hand slipping onto the small of her back and moving downward, squeezing her bottom gently.

Riley gasped and bit her lip.

"Behave, my king. We're not alone yet."

"I can't wait."

After saying their goodbyes to the remaining lingering nobles, they hurried back inside the estate and up to their bedroom, where Liam immediately began removing his jacket and tie.

Riley giggled and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Eager, aren't we, Liam?"

He turned, his shirt partially unbuttoned, revealing his toned chest, and stared at her with such heat in his eyes.

"Only for you, my Queen. Now come over here, so I can kiss you properly."

She stood and stepped over to him. As soon as she was within arm's reach, Liam grabbed her waist and pulled her into him. He captured her mouth with his, and their tongues danced as they kissed deeply. Liam's hand quickly unzipped her gown, with his fingers brushing her warm skin. Riley moaned and pulled away, smiling.

"You're so beautiful." he said softly, his hand caressing her face, his thumb grazing her cheek.

She blushed and turned her head, kissing his palm.

"You're charming, my King."

"I love when you call me that."

"Then you shall always hear it, my King."

"I'll never get tired of it."

"Nor will I." Riley softly responded.

“I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

"Let's continue this in the bath, shall we?" Liam wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Absolutely."

Riley grinned as they both stripped their formal wear and then walked hand in hand into the bathroom, which had a huge bathtub that was more like a hot tub. Liam set the water to the right temperature and added some soothing bath salts. As the water filled, they kissed and touched each other. Liam's fingers skimmed her back, and he pulled her closer, his erection pressed against her stomach. Riley reached between them, wrapped her hand around his engorged member and stroked him, his moans vibrating her lips as he continued to kiss her.

They parted for air, and Liam lifted Riley, placing her on the counter. He slid his hands down her thighs and pulled her knees apart. When his fingers found her center, he grinned and began circling her clit, teasing her.

"Oh god..." She moaned, her legs spreading, granting him better access.

"You're so wet, Riley..."

"And it's all for you, my King.

Liam, I need you …" she breathed in and closed her eyes. “Please …"

"Fuck... I cannot wait any longer..."

"Then don't."

Liam grabbed her ass and lifted her into the tub. The water was the perfect temperature, and the soothing jets relaxed her muscles. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and Liam positioned himself, pushing inside her, making her gasp and throw her head back.

"God, Riley..."

He started a steady pace, and his fingers found her clit again, circling her bud in time with his thrusts.

"Liam... Oh my god..."

"That's it, my Queen. Moan for me. Tell me how good I feel inside you."

"So... good. Fuck, Liam!" She screamed.

Her fingers raked his shoulders, and her walls clenched around him, her orgasm hitting her. He groaned and sped up, his thrusts harder and deeper.

"Liam... Yes..."

"Riley..."

Liam captured her mouth in a kiss, his tongue slipping between her lips. Riley moaned and pulled him closer, her nails digging into his skin.

When his orgasm came, he groaned and buried his face in the crook of her neck. They held each other until their breathing returned to normal.

Liam withdrew and moved back, settling against the edge of the tub.

"That was amazing," Riley said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It always is." He winked.

Riley rolled her eyes. "Cheeky."

Liam laughed, and she joined in.

After washing and drying off, Riley put on her silky pajamas and slipped into bed, Liam joining her. She snuggled close, resting her head on his chest, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and his fingers caressed her skin.

"I have an idea.... now that our boys are here...". Liam paused as Riley propped up beside him to look into his eyes.

"I want to start a new Christmas tradition."

"What's that?"

"I'd like us to spend the week before Christmas at the Royal Blackspine Mountain Lodge, just the five of us. The boys will be old enough to enjoy the snow and sledding, and I know Ellie loves it there. What do you say?"

"I think that's a great idea. It would be nice for us to have some family time without any interruptions. But what about Leo and our friends?"

"They are more than welcome to join us. They are our extended family, and I would love to have them with us."

"You know, that sounds wonderful, Liam. I'm glad you suggested it. Maybe we could have the staff prepare a feast and a Christmas party for everyone. I will talk to Maxwell about it. You know how he is with the party planning."

Liam chuckled and leaned over, kissing her temple. "Yes, he does love his parties."

"That he does."

They laughed and then lay in silence for a few minutes.

"We should get some sleep. The twins will be awake before we know it." Riley yawned.

"Did you see their eyes when Ellie let go of the lantern off the balcony?"

"It was the sweetest thing. She loves her brothers so much. I'm glad she doesn't resent them for stealing our attention."

"Ellie is the sweetest child. She is always putting others first and is so compassionate and loving. She's a great big sister."

"She's growing up so fast." Liam sighed.

"Yes, she is. Soon she'll be a teenager, then a young woman."

"Oh, no, don't remind me." Liam shook his head, chuckling.

"She'll always be our little girl, no matter how old she gets."

"I hope you're right." Liam tittered.

"I'm always right."

"I wouldn't go that far." Liam guffawed.

Riley gasped, feigning offence, and poked his ribs.

"I'm joking, love. Of course, you are right. And you're always sexy."

"And you're always cheeky."

"But you love me."

"With all my heart, always."

Liam pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "I love you too."

"Goodnight, my king."               

"Goodnight, my queen."

***

The next morning, Riley was awakened by her cell phone ringing.

Maxwell is calling in response to the party planning text for the Christmas party that Liam had sent the night before.

She answered the phone. "Good morning, Max."

"Little blosom! My favorite Queen. How are you, my friend? It's so nice to hear from you. How's life at Valtoria treating you?" maxwell rambled.

"Life is great. Liam and I are looking forward to spending Christmas at the Lodge this year. It'll be our first Christmas with the twins, and we wanted to make it special. That's why we reached out to you. We're thinking of having a big party and inviting all our friends. Would you like to plan the event?"

Maxwell didn't hesitate with his response. "Oh, oh, absolutely!, Riley. I'm all over this. Can you give me some more deets!?, like what you're looking for and how many guests? We need to make this the biggest and best party of the season."

" I knew you were the right person to ask," Riley snickered.

"That's what we were hoping for. Here's what I have in mind...."

After Riley ended the call, Liam reached over, wrapping his arm around her waist pulling her back to his chest. "Who were you talking to?" He whispered, his lips grazing her ear.

"Just Maxwell, he's excited to help plan the Christmas party."

The sound of the twins crying sounded on the monitor.

"And that's my cue to feed the twins."

Liam sat up and stretched. "I'll come with you. Ellie is probably awake, too. I'll make us some breakfast while you get the boys ready. Sound good?"

"That sounds wonderful, my love."

They climbed out of bed, and Riley threw on her robe and slippers while Liam got dressed. Then, they headed out the door and down the hallway towards the nursery, where their children were waiting.

***

After heating the griddle for pancakes, Liam took a sip of his coffee.

Suddenly, the calmness of the moment was disrupted by a subtle vibration against Liam’s thigh. Reaching for his phone, it was lit up with a call from Leo. His brows furrowed in concern, immediately answering the call.

“Leo? What’s up?” Liam’s voice held a sense of urgency, worried that something unexpected had occurred in the Capital.

Thanks for reading 🤗⚘️🫶

📌All fics & edits: @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @charlotteg234

📌TRR/TRH/TRF Liam & Riley: @irisk12 @walkerdrakewalker @thesvnsins @jared2612

📌Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics

[huntershowl]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

tough to answer for an oc, but i'm gonna be honest, the oldest ride-or-die slowburn ship has been @tewwor's litho and i'll always be a little bit obsessed with him & seph.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

uhhh obviously when one muse is a minor. other than that, i feel like... it depends so hard. if we're talking two adult humans, 10 yrs is fine as long as one of the muses is over like 25? generally the older the younger person is the less i'm bothered by an age gap. like if the younger person is in their 30s/40s/50s it's not a huge deal anymore. also obviously long lifespans/immortality are generally exempt as long as the other muse is ALSO AN ADULT.

as y'all can see by the list further down, seph's age ranges WILDLY between verses, timelines and dynamics (anywhere from a young teen to early 30s). i always try to keep her age relatively close to the ship partner's!

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFT?

i'd play it as safe as possible and say as soon as things progress past a passionate makeout session SKJDHJKDHS

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

YES BIG TIME.... seph is such a difficult character to ship with. i LOVE shipping so i do have a decent amount of them on this blog, but it always requires chemistry, plotting, and a Lot of patience and toughness on the partner's part to deal with all the ABSOLUTE FUCKSHIT that comes with choosing to stay by her side.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

current: @tewwor — litho, jie & ricochet (polycule), lior & adal (polycule) @crowshoots — jesper @crowgreeds — kaz @vsagis — izuku (potential/future) @sevenbulletsavior — karen (potential/future) god i hope i'm not — forgetting anyone, please forgive me if so past: peaky blinders — tommy shelby daredevil — matt murdock arcane — silco (older verse obvi), vi (younger verse obvi) several OCs over the years. <3

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

IS THAT NOT CONSIDERED NORMAL???

ARE YOU SHIP-OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

i am Obsessed. i've just made it so fucking difficult for myself YWHDSDHDSJ

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

n/a

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

just write & plot w me!! and if the vibe is there, we can chat about it! please always feel free to ask about it — as i said, i'm ship Obsessed (and love attention <3) so even if i don't feel the vibe, i'm still so happy to be reached out to.

generally, the types of people seph has the most romantic chemistry with are:

powerful crime boss types (tendency toward either healthy or toxic devotion. guard dog archetype. she would bare her throat to them)

equally angry, mean or violent mfers who oppose them at first (fight fight fight!!!! learn about each other!!! bonding!!!! look in the mirrors that are their eyes!!!! literary foils!!!!!! AAAAA!!!! forced proximity!!! enemies to lovers!!! so so many fun tropes here)

generally, conflict drives chemistry for seph! her brain's so fucked up man. so characters she sees as an equal in some way a++

other things that help: pre-established relationships (like childhood pals) when seph was younger/generally before hellhound, so that they know for a fact she didn't use to be a monster. "what happened to you." extreeeeemely juicy shit. / being part of the unseen's inner circle, which lends itself to trust / being her employer, which lends itself to loyalty.

tagged by : stoled from @noquirks <3

[annerbhp]

I asked google bard for fanfic reccomendations and one of your fics turned up lol

You know what's been amusing (horrifying) me about all this AI stuff lately is just how wrong it all is? Which, if it was all just wrong, it would be a funny failed experiment. But it's even worse. On the surface it gets just enough right to lend it some false sort of legitimacy, but I have never once seen any AI answer a question where it gets everything right. There is always one big error or many big errors. And it's one of the scariest things about AI produced "knowledge" because there is nothing here that tells us about it's certainty of the various "facts" it is providing. These answers put solid facts right next to complete misinformation. It places information from peer-reviewed sources right next to internet rumor and group-think conspiracy theories. So what skills do we, the average reading and knowledge seeker, need to be able to engage with technology like this in a way that can counter this harm? Especially because I know this sort of thing isn't going to go anywhere? I'm pretty sure it's here to stay.

Like, let's be real. I couldn't give less of a crap that google bard clearly has no idea what my fic is about. That's not the point. My ego will survive perfectly fine. But what if people start turning to AI for real knowledge that will influence and form truths for people around real issues in the world? What happens if these sites are where people go for knowledge?

Let's look at some silly examples that we can easily fact check, just to get a sense of how wrong all this stuff can be.

I went to chatgpt and asked it "tell me about the fanfiction author Annerb". This is what it spewed out:

"Annerb is a pseudonym used by a fanfiction author known for writing in the Harry Potter fandom. While the author's real name is not publicly known, Annerb has gained a significant following for her imaginative and well-written stories.

Annerb is particularly well-known for her epic fanfiction series, "The Changeling," which follows the character of Harry Potter as he discovers he is actually a changeling - a child of the Fae. The series spans over 1.5 million words and is known for its intricate plot, rich world-building, and well-developed characters.

In addition to "The Changeling," Annerb has written several other popular fanfictions, including "Ghosts of the Past," "The Debt of Time," and "The Sum of Their Parts." Her writing style is often praised for its attention to detail, strong character development, and engaging storytelling.

Annerb has also been involved in the fanfiction community as a beta reader, offering feedback and assistance to other writers. Despite her popularity, Annerb remains relatively private and has not revealed much about her personal life or identity."

It's like that old game two truths and a lie here. Or more like one truth and ten lies and five misunderstandings. Hope all those other hardworking authors don't mind that I've stolen credit for all their fics! (I regenerated it a few times, and it claimed I wrote for fandoms I've never even seen the source material for.)

Or how about this one. I asked it "What is wangxian?" (one of my latest otps.)

"Wangxian is a term that refers to a fictional romantic relationship between two male characters named Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian in the novel "Mo Dao Zu Shi" by Chinese author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. The novel was later adapted into a popular Chinese animated series and live-action television series.

The term "wangxian" is a combination of the two characters' names, with "wang" being a part of Lan Wangji's name and "xian" being a part of Wei Wuxian's name. Fans of the series often use the term to refer to the romantic relationship between the two characters.

It is important to note that while the relationship between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian is depicted as romantic in some adaptations of the novel, including the animated series, it is not explicitly stated as such in the original novel."

First two paragraphs? Not so bad. Pretty accurate for the most part. That third paragraph? Really fascinating that it's even there and also completely factually incorrect. While the live-action tv show never explicitly states that it is a romantic relationship thanks to censorship, the original novel includes multiple explicit sex scenes between the two characters and they also end up married? Like, actually married? So why is this "important to note"? Why does the so-called "legitimacy" of the ship even factor in? Is this just a scraped up reflection of discourse? Or at worst, a reflection of larger biases reflected in internet "knowledge"?

I know you probably sent me that screencap just as a fun mention of my fic popping up somewhere, for which I thank you. It was nice of you to think of me.

At the same time, these are the things I just can't help thinking about as truth becomes even harder to see day by day. Walk carefully, my friends.

[theartoflovingthomashunt]

Always and Whatever Comes Next

[All Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer Masterlists] [Red Carpet Diaries]

Pairing: Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer (F!OC) Book: Red Carpet Diaries Word Count: ~600 Rating: General: no warnings, just fluff Prompts: ice skating: @choicesficwriterscreations & @choicesholidays

Synopsis: Alex finally has a chance to teach Thomas how to ice skate.

This precious art of my forever OTP is by the amazing @weetlebeetle! Look at how adorable they look!!! I will never get enough of Neb's chibis!

There weren't many opportunities like this one, and Alex was determined to make the most of it. It was no secret she loved the snow. She somehow convinced Thomas to even have a winter wedding in Lake Tahoe. The glistening snow. The brisk, refreshing air. The feel of the cool wind on your rosy cheeks. Alex loved it all. She loved California, but she would always miss winter, a true winter.

Even with the snow she enjoyed during their many trips to Lake Tahoe in their years together, finding a frozen lake for ice skating wasn't something that happened often. It took a very specific set of circumstances and a whole lot of winter magic, but here they were. It was a small lake south of South Tahoe, but it was gorgeous. The sun glittered against its icy surface. It was everything she hoped it would be. 

Excitement sparkled in her eyes as she stood from the rock on the lake's shore on which they had been sitting to put on their skates. "Are you ready?" 

"Not even remotely," he stated apprehensively, remaining where he sat.

"It'll be great. I'm right here." Alex gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she attempted to usher him forward.

Thomas glanced at the shimmering surface with uncertainty. "I wouldn't want to hold you back."

"You never could do that." Alex took his other hand in hers, gently guiding him to his feet. She helped steady him as he got his footing, standing on his skates. "You can do this! We can do it—together."

He took a tentative step forward toward the frozen lake. With the safety of her beside him as his anchor, he continued steadily.

"I won't let go," Alex reassured him, her thumb brushing tenderly along his hand. "I'm right here."

With cautious steps, Thomas ventured onto the ice, wobbling almost immediately. His legs flailed out to the sides, threatening imminent disaster, but Alex's steady guidance kept him upright.

"Okay, just follow my lead," she encouraged, directing him with gentle patience. "Just like that." 

They glided in unison, Alex's effortless grace a stark contrast to Thomas's stumbling attempts. Even still, their laughter echoed across the frozen expanse as they carved paths on the ice.

"Just keep holding on," Thomas insisted, his grip tightening around Alex's hand. "Don't let go."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Her warm lips brushed a tender kiss on his cool cheek. "You're stuck with me, Mr. Hunt."

"I can think of far worse fates," he teased.

"You mean like if I let you go?" She wagged her brow playfully, pretending to loosen her grip on his arm.

"No." He shook his head to the sides, his faith that she wouldn't let him fall remained unwavering despite her feigned threat. "Losing you, not having met you—a life without you—that would be the worst fate I could imagine." 

She guided them to a halt, the warm sun tickling their rosy faces. "I'm not going anywhere. This is where I belong." Her fingers traced the strong lines of his jaw. "This is where you belong." She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. "Together—this is where we belong. Now and always." 

"Always." His lip twitched up into a soft smile. "That sounds like a good start."

"A start? What comes after always?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I hope I'll find it with you." 

"Always and whatever comes next," Alex pondered, but her words were lost on his lips as he drew her in for a slow and lingering kiss. 

This is not edited so please forgive any mistakes. I got inspired to write this little snippet so I wanted to share it before I second guess myself and delete it.

Thank you for reading! I always appreciate any support for this couple. They will always have the most special spot in my heart!

[stunt-lads]

about

Alecks/Ecks

They/Them

30s (Minors, I would prefer you not interact with me)

Multishipper; no real otp for most series, I just throw two+ people together and make them kiss. (Ships are always tagged with the ship name ♡)

Polytheistic Pagan; recovering from xtian trauma and upbringing

Chronically tired and mentally ill

Very firmly Anti-Censorship; I like fucked up characters and dark content and don't think policing fiction gets anyone anywhere

I don't care what you ship; I hope you enjoy your ships even if I don't like them*

Horror movies are my favorite ♡

Cringe Culture is dead, and I killed it with my self-insert/OC × Canon content

My writing blog for tips, resources, and prompts is @inkstains-and-whispers

My AO3 is here ♡ and I don't mind requests! (Just no guarantees I'll be able/inspired enough to write them)

My blog for selfshipping is private but ask off anon and I can send it your way! (Same with my adult sideblog! ♡)

If you need something tagged lmk ♡

* - Since it's been a recurring point of contention and issue, I feel it necessary to be upfront with the things I ship, so here's a non exhaustive list of walking dead ships I indulge in the creation and/or consumption of:

Rick/Negan

Rick/Daryl

Negan/Daryl

Negan/Lucille (bat and/or wife)

Rick/Carl

Negan/Carl

Merle/Daryl

Daryl/Carl

Daryl/Connie

Daryl/Abraham

Rick/Michonne

Glenn/Maggie

Rick/Shane

Italics signify favorites ♡

The following ships I don't really like and therefore I don't ship or create for, apologies to any shippers of these, I just don't have an interest in creating or consuming content about them:

Carol/Daryl (but only romantically, if we're talking platonic soulmates I've been here since the beginning ◇)

Daryl/Beth

Rick/Michonne/Daryl

Negan/Maggie

Daryl/Aaron

Daryl/Jesus

(I also ship the Winchesters together, meaning Sam/Dean, John/Sam, John/Dean, John/Sam/Dean are all ships I like for different reasons.)

Now that everyone knows there's no reason for people to get pissy if I reblog something that's properly tagged. ♡

[ultfreakme]

Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it)...So I just have an interesting discussions with my JJK moots (also fics writers) last night. There are 5 of us and we all have different ships (A = nanami/gojo, B = gojo/yuji, C = gojo/utahime, D = sukuna/yuuji & itadori/fushiguro also an anti gojo, and E (me) = gojo/ geto).

One of the thing that interest me is, when I asked the first three people why they include Getou in their fics. You know what they said? "We can't imagine Gojo without Getou's influence. So we made Getou as the 'memorable and unforgetable ex- lover'. Getou also fit as Gojo's 'one and only best friend'." And when I asked the fourth one, who do you ship Gojo with. They said, " I really dislike Gojo as a character so I can only see Gojo with Getou as the most reasonable ship."

Until now I was still surprised that even among non- SatoSugu shipper and anti Gojo fan, they can't deny the special bond between Gojo and Getou. And that's why they are my otp.... Sorry for this long ask, hope you don't mind....

Hi Anon! I didn't celebrate but thank you for the sentiment.

I'm surprised too that everyone agrees that Gojo and Geto's bond is special and it's just not going anywhere. I don't think anyone can write Gojo without Geto. A crucial part of his character development for what he's become disappears without him. It's just, in the narrative, they are heavily intertwined. If you try to erase Geto, Gojo would become extremely OOC imo, especially if it's following canon. Gege Akutami wrote them as the perfect, complementary duo.

I'm kicking my feet giggling that everyone knows SatoSugu are simply attached to each other, there is no way to truly remove them from each other XDXD. I don't mind long asks!! Thanks for this one Anon it was really fun getting insight into different shippers. I tend to avoid people who don't ship what I do online because I suck at setting aside my "hmm...no...." feelings lol.

I've seen people wondering what creators do with Geto when it's not a SatoSugu ship. He's the elephant in the room of Gojo's characterization.

[allylikethecat]

January OTP Prompts

Another one that was really hard for me to get out 🤦🏻‍♀️ I need to start writing these earlier in the day and not when I'm about to go to bed and have mentally checked out for the day already. BUT we did it! Got it written! Thank you so much to everyone who has been following along on this little adventure with me! It's been a struggle, and I know that my prompt fills aren't always my best work, but here we are, day 13 and I haven't missed one yet! 🎉

Warnings: descriptions of vomiting and implied drug use / withdrawal

13. Secret

Matty tucked his legs up to his chest, trying to make himself seem smaller, having convinced himself that if he took up less space, there would be less space inside him for the hurt to fester. There would be less space for the secrets that were eating him alive to grow as he choked on his organs and spat blood in the snow. He tried to focus on breathing through his nose as nausea churned in his belly and salvia filled his mouth. He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut, his nails biting into his palm as he mentally willed himself not to get sick. 

He could hear George in the front lounge, the click clack of his keyboard like nails being hammered into Matty’s skull even over the hum of the bus speeding down the interstate. He pressed his fingers to his lips, his breath shallow. He was going to be sick. He resented George, why couldn’t he be sleeping like the rest of the guys, breathing quietly in his bunk. George was going to see him as he stumbled out of his bunk and into the bathroom. George was going to hear him wrench as he coughed up bile. His stomach clenched and he was scrambling, tripping over himself on unsteady legs, his body aching, his joints protesting as he scurried from the bunk to the bathroom. As predicted, George looked up at the commotion. 

“Matty?” George asked with a frown as Matty blew past him, shoving his way into the cramped bathroom, dropping heavily onto his knees just in time to dry heave. 

“Matty are you alright?” George asked, standing up from the couch he was working on. There wasn’t enough space for both of them in the bathroom, so he hovered awkwardly in the doorway, watching Matty heave, his back shaking as he vomited. 

“Go away,” he rasped, wiping his mouth with a piece of toilet paper before resting his cheek on the toilet seat, his neck felt too weak to continue supporting his pounding head. He didn’t want George to see him like this. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this. It was easier if he kept it a secret, his own secret struggle. 

“Are you ill?” George asked, reaching a hand out like he wanted to touch Matty, like he wanted to fix him. Like he was capable of fixing him. If Matty didn’t feel like his skin was crawling, like his body was trying to turn itself inside out, he would have laughed. George couldn’t fix him, he didn’t even know the extent of how fucked up he was. 

“I said go away!” Matty snapped, anger flaring in his chest, burning bright as it mingled with self pity. He squeezed his eyes shut, surprising himself when he realized he was crying. George needed to leave. They needed to get to the next venue, to the hotel, to a rest stop, to anywhere where Matty could get at his bag stored under the bus. The crook of his elbow burned as he ached for his secret. 

Day: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

[suckitsurveys]

Do people tell you you have cold hands? Not usually.

Do you feel that the shape of the pasta alters the taste? No.

How often do you listen to rock music? I’d say relatively often? It’s not a genre I seek out usually but I won’t turn it off. I feel like I have a fair amount in my rotation. Also, take that with a grain of salt because I am shit at recognizing genres.

In games, do you like to roleplay as good or bad? I don’t really play RPGs.

What was your favourite colour when you were 10? Blue.

When were you last in a hospital? Sometime in April when I dropped my dad off for a procedure.

Is there an instrument you don’t like the sound of? Any instrument when my brother in law is playing it.

Have you ever sponsored an animal? Yes.

Would you rather be a kangaroo or a sea turtle? Sea turtle.

Do you like to get ready in the bathroom or the bedroom? I get dressed in my bedroom but do everything else in the bathroom.

What’s your favourite Coldplay song? I don’t have one.

Do you have a favourite insect? Praying manti.

Have you ever worn coloured contacts for Halloween? Nope.

Do you own a scooter? Not since I was a kid.

Which pastel colour is the nicest? Purple.

When did you last play a Mario game? I played Super Smash Bros not that long ago if that counts.

Ever owned an actual piggy bank? My grandmother used to bring us these little plastic ones from her bank all the time. We had SO many. I also have a glass snoopy one that still resides at my dad’s house. When I was like 7 or 8 I put water in it like a dumbass and the pennies in it rusted.

When did you last swing on a swing-set? Not that long ago. My dad still has the one he built for me as a kid in our yard and I think I sat on it not that long ago when I was out there playing with my nieces.

Do you study any subjects in your free time? Not really.

Would you rather become fluent in 3 European languages or 3 Asian languages? Three European.

Are your bedroom curtains long or short? They just fit the window.

Have you ever been zip-lining? Nope.

Did you carve a pumpkin this past year? I did and I plan on doing it this year too.

Have you volunteered in the past 6 months? No.

French fries or onion rings? French fries.

Why do you take surveys? They’re a time killer and I like talking about myself in this form lol.

Do you suffer from anxiety? Yes.

Did you ever take a swimming class? Yes, in grade school.

Favorite healthy snack? Define “healthy.”

Favorite Disney movie? The Emperor’s New Groove and the Toy Story franchise. Also Frozen and Moana.

Do you consider yourself an artist? Eh.

How well can you bake a cake? I mean, I can follow directions on a box.

Have you ever tasted banana milk? I think so? I’ve had a banana milkshake, does that count? lol.

How many pairs of skinny jeans do you think you own? Three.

Do you own a pair of Converse sneakers? Yes, I have at least 6 pair that I can think of right now.

If you see a bee in your house… are you going to kill it? No, I’ll try to get it outside.

I’m ordering Chinese food; what do you want? My treat! Orange chicken with fried rice and egg rolls sound really amazing right now, thanks.

Do you have a cat? I have 3!

Ever been in love? Yes. I am right now.

Any piercings that you want? I've been kinda thinking about getting more holes in my ears, but that would be the extent.

OTP? Bob and Linda Belcher.

Favorite quote? “Love her but leave her wild.”

Favorite singer? Right now it’s Chappell Roan, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Ezra Koenig.

How long does it take you to shower? Anywhere between 10-30 minutes depending on what I’m doing.

The reason you joined Tumblr? Oh god, I don’t remember. Maybe for the 30 Rock fandom??

Baked macaroni and cheese or regular? Both are good. Is this another survey combined into this one again wtfffff.

What’s the first thing you learned how to draw? Oh man it is. Peace out.

Who wrote the last book you read? Erin Hunter.

What’s the middle name of your best friend? He doesn’t have one.

How far away do you live from the closest aquarium? I don’t know, honestly.

Who in your family has a birthday in January? Uh… no one that I know of. I was DUE in January.

What’s your favorite country song? Probably “When The Stars Go Blue” by Tim McGraw.

Pizza rolls or bagel bites? Pizza rolls. I was never big on bagel bites.

What’s the last show you really got into that you have to wait for the next season of? Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

When’s the last time you saw fireworks? I could see some fireworks from outside my window on the 4th.

Have you ever witnessed a car accident? Yes.

Do you own a pair of fuzzy socks? Yes.

Have you ever been skinny dipping? No.

Sprinkles or frosting? Frosting, I hate sprinkles.

Do you like mushrooms? Visually I love them, they’re so diverse and look cool, but as food, no.

Have you ever worked in a grocery store? I worked at a dollar store.

What’s your Subway order? Italian bread, turkey, bacon, American cheese, banana peppers, pickles, Chipotle sauce. Next time I need to try warming it.

Do you know how to roller skate? I can rollerblade. The only time I used proper skates (two wheels on each side), I broke my wrist lmao

Can you read sheet music? I used to be able to. I could point out a few notes, I think.

What’s one food your family has at Thanksgiving? I hate nearly every single thing I’ve ever had at Thanksgiving, so I don’t pay attention. I literally like honey ham (but not the way my sister’s MIL prepares it) and the rolls. That’s it.

Do you like painting? Actually no, it stresses me out. I took a class in college and I hated that erasing isn’t a thing (yes, you can dry and paint over, I don’t care, that’s not an immediate fix), and it stressed me out that we weren’t supposed to sketch, either.

Do you have to sleep with a fan on? Most of the year, yes. If I’m too cold in the winter, it’s off.

Name one thing you put on a salad: I like bacon bits.

What’s the last thing you ordered from a Mexican restaurant? Literally hot wings and fries, I’m not kidding lmfao. It was an appetizer option I just made into a meal.

Do you carry a purse or a backpack? Purse.

What kind of soda is your favorite? Mountain Dew Voltage.

Do you like your in-laws? I cannot fucking stand my sister’s husband’s family. I’m not married yet, but I love my boyfriend’s family.

Toe socks or ankle socks? Ugh neither, both are sensory nightmares for me.

Nachos or chips and salsa? Chips and salsa.

What’s the name of your pets? Roman, Venus, Cookie.

What’s your Chick-fil-A order? I only really eat there if it inconveniences those around me if I don’t (like, so they don’t have to go to two places), and in that case, I just get the normal sandwich and fries. I try not to support Bigot Bird.

Regular or pink lemonade? Pink.

Chinese or Japanese cuisine? Chinese, I guess, by default. Any Japanese I’ve tried, I didn’t like.

Do you own a pair of Crocs? No, they’re absolutely hideous and I’ve also slipped on Mom’s just to step outside for whatever reason and I find them extremely uncomfortable.

Does anyone in your family have a birthday in February? Me, my niece.

What’s your Taco Bell order? Steak and cheese quesadillas with fiesta potatoes, normal Mountain Dew.

Have you ever lived in a trailer/doublewide? No.

Pizza or nacho lunchables? Nachos, the pizza Lunchable is appalling.

Have you ever been to a strip club? No.

Did you ever participate in any pageants when you were younger? Hell no.

What kind of cheese is your favorite? Just yellow American.

Make the perfect taco salad: I don’t like taco salad.

Name a character from your favorite TV show: Mozart was my favorite in Meerkat Manor.

Do you like going to arcades? Yes.

What kind of meat do you like the most? Ham, probably.

Snakes or spiders? Snakes in general, but I probably like tarantulas specifically more than snakes.

Have you ever had your nails done professionally? Yes, but only because I tagged along with others.

Is anyone in your family in law enforcement? No.

What’s a fruit you dislike? Mango, as a fruit itself. Texture nightmare. I love mango-flavored stuff. Oh, I absolutely hate cherries and don’t really like cherry-flavored stuff, either.

Make the perfect omelet: Just bacon, ham, and cheese, honestly… and salt and pepper, if you wanna count stuff like that I guess.

[khoicesbyk]

The Royal Romance.

Forevermore.

A/N: this is the next chapter in the journey of my OTP. Follow along for the fun.

Rated: Mature (at times can and will be Explicit. I'll be sure to change the rating when and if that happens). | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual. Y'all should be used to this from me by now 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and original characters created by me and/or other authors [their characters have been mentioned and/or used in the story with their permission] ) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 5,540 words. (may be slightly more or may be slightly less. Look, I stop counting after editing and re-editing and driving myself insane. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or DM me and I will gladly add you! 😁😘

This series is rated Mature and/or Explicit. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

Missing a chapter or want to read a chapter again? I got you covered! Click ——> Here!

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations 

Chapter 3.) Ties That Bind.

It had been a few days since Shanelle called her father to let him know that his brother had a stroke and was in a coma. It was news Damien took in stride but Her Majesty could tell her father was heartbroken. When the press release went out about the ailing former King some in the kingdom were sad for him but others not so much. None more than Her Majesty. But protocol dictated that she showed some form of compassion even if she didn't want to. 

She met her parents at the residence of the palace. 

“Hi Daddy,” she said as she hugged her father. 

“Hello, my darling,” he replied. 

She was happy to see her parents. She then hugged her mother. 

“It's good to see you butterfly.”

“It's good to see you too, Madam Minister.”

Shantel snickered just as Marquise and the children came around the corner. 

“Grammy! Pop Pop!” Khari said as she ran up to her grandparents. 

Damien opened his arms to her and her brothers. 

“Hello, my sunshine! Hello boys! How are you?” he said as he embraced them. 

“We're good Pop Pop. Mommy told me that your brother is sick.” Khari replied. 

Damien smiled softly. 

“Yes, he is. But his doctors will help to make him better.”

Khari nodded. 

“And we know you are sad. But we're here to cheer you up. Right boys?” Khari asked. 

Being with his grandchildren always made Damien’s heart swell. 

“Thank you my little ones. Your love can heal anything.”

Damien watched as Khari and the boys toddled over to Shantel. 

“My sweet babies! Grammy missed you.” 

Later that evening after spending family time, Damien found himself sharing a drink with his son-in-law. 

“Since it's just us Damien, how are you, really?” Marquise asked. 

Damien took a contemplative sip of his drink. 

“To be honest I'm not even sure. I am sad for my brother but I also know he made a lot of enemies in his time as King. So part of me feels like this may be his karma coming back to get him but still.” Damien replies. 

“He's your brother?” Marquise asks. 

Damien nodded. 

“Yes. I know why you and my daughter can't stand him and I understand that. I understand why you two would never allow him anywhere near the children. But despite all of that he is still family.”

“You've certainly gone to great lengths to stick your neck out for him.”

Damien shook his head. 

“I know. It's part of the promise that I made to my father before he died.”

“What promise was that?” Marquise asked. 

Damien sighed into his drink. 

“I promised my father that I would always be loyal to my brother. That I would always be here to help guide him. Because he would always need me to be by his side.” Damien replies. 

“Even though he's never done the same for you?” Marquise asks. 

“Yes. Even then. Loyalty and family make strange bedfellows. I would think you'd know what it's like to have an older brother on the trajectory to be a King.” Damien replies. 

Marquise nodded. 

“True. The only difference is mine has never turned on me the way yours has always taken every chance to turn on you.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Damien said with a sigh as he finished his drink. “I guess what you could say bothers me the most is that for the first time in years, I'll actually see him looking and being vulnerable. You know as well as anyone that vulnerability is dangerous.”

“This is true. But you have to remember Edward is no longer a King.”

Damien shook his head as he poured himself another drink. 

“That doesn't mean his enemies have forgotten his time as one.” 

“You said this would be the first time that you've seen him be this vulnerable in years. What do you mean by that?” 

Damien took a thoughtful sip of his drink. 

“When we were children, he had to have his tonsils removed.”

“Only his tonsils? You sure they didn't take his spine too?” Marquise asks. 

Damien chuckled softly. 

“Anyway, for the two weeks following that surgery, he was pitiful. Mad that he couldn't eat what he wanted.”

“I'm almost scared to ask this but what was that?” Marquise asked. 

“Our cook at the time, Lemmy, used to make the best brownies in the world. Edward adored them. So I would sneak him a brownie and a glass of warm milk every night before bed.” Damien replied. 

Damien sighed. 

“We weren't always awkwardly estranged, you know. There was a point in our lives when we were brothers and not just King and servant. We used to be inseparable as children. Always doing everything together.”

“What happened?” Marquise asks. 

“He remembered that although we are brothers, he is and was always meant to be the heir. Once he started taking his governance lessons and sitting in on political meetings with my father, he slowly changed. He got a taste of what true power was like and it shifted his mindset. It changed him. And he's never been the same since.” Damien replies. 

Marquise nodded. 

“I see.”

“That was always my fear of Shanelle taking the throne.”

“What? That she’d become power-hungry?” Marquise asked. 

“Yes. I sometimes feared that she'd forget who she really is. You know better than anyone how hard it is to bring peace and to govern. You also know how alluring that power is and how corruptive it can be. She's not a corrupt dictator like my brother and your father turned out to be. She actually cares about the people and their needs as well as the overall well-being of the kingdom. As do you. Yes, she's gotten used to having the absolute finest and most luxurious things in life, but that's because she's earned that life.” Damien replied. 

“That is something I can assure you that you never have to worry about. If there's one thing my wife has never forgotten it's her humanity. She knows who she is and where she came from. And she teaches that to our children every day. She has never forgotten how precarious her position as Queen is.”

Damien nodded. 

“I know. And please don't think that I doubt her abilities as a leader or yours for that matter. I just know what that much power can do to someone.”

Marquise nodded. 

“I understand.”

Damien nodded at him gratefully. 

“I'm glad you understand,” Damien said as he finished his drink, “thank you for the drink son. But I think it's time I get to bed. We are traveling to Cloutier tomorrow.”

“Good luck tomorrow Damien. I know that it won't be easy for you.” Marquise said as he held out his hand. 

“Thank you, son. I appreciate it,” Damien replied as he shook Marquise’s hand. “I'll see you in the morning, Your Majesty.”

“Goodnight Your Highness.”

The two men nodded to each other before going their separate ways for the night. The next morning with the children staying with Marquise, Shanelle and her parents made the trip to the former capital city of South Cordonia. As they rode to Cloutier Shanelle peered over to her father and could tell something was on his mind. 

“Are you okay Daddy?” She asked as she squeezed his left hand. 

That seemed to snap Damien out of his trance. 

“Yes, my darling I’m okay. I guess.” He replies. 

“What’s wrong dear?” Shantel asked her husband. 

Damien sighed heavily. 

“I guess this reminds me of the last time I was truly home,” Damien replies. 

Shantel laid her head on his shoulder. 

“You mean when we came here the day before your parents died?” Shantel asks. 

“Yes.” He replied quietly. 

Damien shook his head sadly before looking at his daughter. 

“You were just a baby when they died. You were just barely older than the boys are now. But the love they had for you was always so strong. Father adored you and mother…God she doted over you when we brought you here for the first time. Whatever you wanted she made sure you had it. I guess that's one of the reasons why Edward has always resented me.”

Shanelle smiled softly. 

“I guess this trip is bringing up feelings I thought were long buried. That's all. I don't want you two to worry about me.” 

“Too late honey. We’ll always worry about you.”

Shanelle smiled at her dad. 

“What mom said.” 

Damien smiled. 

“Thank you both.” 

The three spent the rest of the ride in companionable silence. Gazing out at the countryside. Seeing many getting ready for the upcoming Harvest Ball and Festival. As they rode down into the palace motorway, Damien took a deep breath. 

“Well here we are,” he said quietly. 

“It's okay Daddy. We’ll be right by your side.” Shanelle said reassuringly. 

“Thank you my darling. Having my two favorite girls with me makes this a whole lot easier.” 

The three exited the limo and headed to the entrance where they were greeted by Prince Edwin and someone from Damien’s past. 

“Good morning Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Grace. Welcome to the palace.” Edwin said in greeting. 

“Good morning cousin. Thank you for welcoming us.” Shanelle replies. 

Edwin nods politely. 

“You're welcome, Your Majesty. Now please let me introduce you to my aunt Countess Alicia Jacquier-Barbaroux, my mother's lead ladies' maid and head of the palace staff here.”

Shanelle nodded politely to the woman. 

“It's good to meet you, Countess.” 

“It's good to meet you as well, Your Majesty.” the Countess replies before turning to Damien, “Your Highness. It's good to see you again.”

“Hello Countess, thank you for having us,” Damien replied, taking Shantel’s arm in his.

“Us?” she asks somewhat perplexed before regaining herself, “Ahh yes. Shantel is it? It's good that you’re here too.”

Shantel forces a smile. 

“Countess, my mother is a Duchess and is to be addressed as Your Grace.” Shanelle corrected her. 

Countess Alicia nodded politely. 

“My apologies, Your Majesty. It's good to have you here…Your Grace.”

“Thank you for having us Countess,” Shantel says coolly. 

Countess nods demurely before Edwin clears his throat. 

“Shall we go inside now?” Edwin asks. 

“Yes. Let's.” Shanelle replies. 

Edwin took his aunt’s arm and led Shanelle and her parents inside. As they walked behind their hosts Shanelle glanced over to her mother and read the tight expression on her face. 

“Mom, are you okay?” Shanelle asks. 

“Yes, baby I'm fine,” Shantel replied tightly. 

Shanelle looked at her father. 

“Daddy?” she asks. 

Damien sighed. 

“Let's just say, Countess Alicia and your mother do NOT get along,” he replies. 

“That's one way to put it,” Shantel muttered. 

“Do I need to have words with this woman?” Shanelle asks. 

“No baby. I'll be fine.” Shantel replied. 

Shanelle cleared her throat, catching her cousin's attention. 

“I'm surprised you’re here Edwin. I thought you weren't speaking to your father.”

Edwin stopped and then sighed heavily, rubbing his brow. 

“I’m not but because I am his eldest child, protocol dictates that I be here in his time of need. Same as you.” 

“And how are you doing? How is Pascal?” she asks. 

“Forgive me, Your Majesty but I'm not sure why you care,” he replied. 

“Because I know for a fact that you two have been together publicly since his divorce from Giana was finalized back in January. And because I actually want to see you be happy.”

Edwin looked at her and nodded slowly. 

“Thank you, Shanelle.”

“Whether you believe me or not, I wish you both the best. And so does my husband.”

“Thank you, cousin. I wasn't sure how you'd react.”

“Just because we've never really gotten along doesn't mean that I hate you. I genuinely want you to be happy.”

“I appreciate that.” he said before pausing momentarily, “If it's not too forward, I would like to extend you and His Majesty an invitation to our wedding next March.”

Shanelle nodded with a small smile. 

“We would be delighted to attend.”

“You would?” he asks. 

“Yes. Again I don't hate you. I would love to be there.” she replies. 

“Thank you. Now because of the divorce, Giana is barring their children from our wedding so I was hoping you'd allow the Princess and Princes to stand in as a flower girl and ring bearers on their behalf.”

“I'm sure my daughter would love that. I don’t know about my boys. I don't think they would understand the concept but I would love to see them walk down the aisle with their sister.” 

“Thank you, Shanelle. It means a lot to me that you and your family would attend and can you ask His Majesty if he wouldn't mind officiating,” he said to her.

“I most certainly can ask him.”

Edwin nodded gratefully before turning to Damien and Shantel, “I would love for you both to attend as well Uncle.”

Damien nodded gratefully. 

“Send us the invitation and your uncle and I will happily be there,” Shantel replies. 

Alicia rolled her eyes and Shantel caught it. 

“Is there something wrong Countess?” Shantel asks. 

“No no. Well…I'm just not sure why Edwin would invite you. I just thought this would be an intimate family affair.”

Damien sighed. 

“Not that you need to be reminded Alicia, but Shantel is my wife and Edwin’s aunt through marriage. She is no different than you.” 

“I was only kidding Damien.”

“Sure you were…” Shantel muttered. 

“Just so you know Countess, disrespecting my mother is the same as disrespecting me. And I will not tolerate being disrespected nor will I tolerate my mother being disrespected.” Shanelle warned the Countess. 

“Very well. I apologize…Duchess.” Countess Alicia said to Shantel. 

“Sure.” 

“Shall we continue?” Edwin asks before he continues down the main hall. 

Edwin led them to his father’s bed chamber. When they got to the door, they were greeted by two women. 

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Grace, meet my cousins Lady Ariella Barbaroux-Lawrence and Lady Amina Barbaroux-Clauson,” Edwin said as he introduced them, “My ladies, please meet Her Majesty, and my aunt and uncle, Prince Damien and Duchess Shantel.”

Both ladies curtsied before joining their mother’s side giving Shantel the same side eye as their mother that Shanelle noticed. 

“Are you all ready?” Edwin asked. 

“Give us a moment, if you please,” Shanelle replies. 

Edwin nodded. 

“Of course Your Majesty.”

Shanelle pulled her parents into a nearby alcove. 

“Okay, what is going on here?” Shanelle asked her parents. 

Damien sighed. 

“Alicia was the one I was supposed to marry before I met your mother,” Damien replies. 

“Yeah, and the bitch has never let me live it down,” Shantel added. 

Shanelle groaned. 

“What is it with you Cordonians and marrying women you have no business marrying?” Shanelle teased. 

Her parents snickered. 

“The heart wants what it wants,” Damien replied. 

“Are you sure that the Countess won't be a problem?” Shanelle asked.

“Yes, my darling. Alicia has never forgiven me for marrying your mother but as you can clearly see I have never regretted my decision to marry the love of my life.” Damien replies. 

“It's also why Genevieve and I have never gotten along. To her and especially her step-sister, I've never been good enough for your father or his station.” Shantel added. 

“Jesus Christ!” Shanelle groaned. 

“We'll be fine, baby,” Shantel assured her daughter.

“Okay. Let's go see the rusty old windpipe Daddy calls a brother.” 

Damien snickered as he shook his head. Soon they rejoined Edwin outside the former King’s bedchamber door.

“Shall we?” Edwin asked. 

Shanelle nodded while Damien took a deep breath. 

Edwin opened the chamber door to reveal Edward lying in bed hooked up to an IV machine with Genevieve and a nurse by his side. Seeing Edward reminded Damien of what his father looked like in his final moments as he and his family walked in. 

“Father, Mother, you have guests.” Edwin informed his parents. 

When Edward looked up his face instantly soured. 

“What are you doing here in my palace?” he sneered at Shanelle. 

“Believe me I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be here. But since you decided to go off and have a stroke on me, I'm here. Also, you forget this is MY Palace. You stay here because I allow it.” Shanelle snapped at him. 

Edward turned his attention to Damien. 

“And what about you? What the hell are you doing here?” Edward asked Damien. 

Damien closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. 

“Last time I checked this was my home and you are my brother,” Damien replied. 

“Don't you dare get smart with me you simpleton!” Edward snapped at Damien. 

“Watch your mouth, Edward! Unless you want to foot the bill for your care yourself.” Shanelle warned him. 

“You can't do that!” Genevieve said to Shanelle. 

“You're right. I can't but my husband can and I will make sure that he does. I will not tolerate my father being disrespected. Especially by this pompous ass. So I suggest you tell your estranged husband to keep his trap shut.”

Genevieve narrowed her eyes at Shanelle before going back to tending to Edward. 

“Why are you even here Genevieve? I thought you filed for divorce.” Shanelle asked. 

“Yes well, Edward and I have reconciled. We are stronger together than we are apart.”

“You mean your stipend wasn't enough to finance your lifestyle,” Shantel quipped. 

Shanelle snickered. 

“I earned that stipend. Unlike you, Minister.” Genevieve sneered. 

“Minister? What are you talking about sister?” Alicia asked. 

“His Majesty has named her the new Education Minister. Not that someone like her deserves it.” Genevieve replies. 

“She certainly doesn't.”

Shantel rolled her eyes. 

“For the record, my mother has over 30 years of educational experience as an educator, she also has 2 MBAs, one in early childhood education and one in secondary education from NYU, and is working on her doctorate as we speak, as well as being the NYCPS Teachers Union president for nearly 25 years. Most of the nobles who were nominated before her had no prior experience in any form of education. It would do you both good to remember that. Thank you very much.” Shanelle snapped at them. 

Shantel nodded gratefully as Alicia rolled her eyes. 

“Very well. Apologies…Duchess.”

“Careful Alicia. Your envy is starting to show.”  Shantel warned her. 

“Can we do this somewhere else?” Damien asked. 

The two women glared at each other but backed down. That's when Damien finally walked over to his brother's bedside while his wife and daughter stayed close to the door. 

“You never did answer my question, little brother.” 

“What question is that?” Damien asks. 

“What are you doing here?” Edward replied. 

“I'm here because my older brother had a stroke. And whether he wants to hear or not I still care about him.” 

Edward scoffed. 

“I don't need your pity!” 

“And yet you have it anyway.”

“Well now that you've seen me, you and your family can leave.”

“I'm not going anywhere.”

“I said leave! I don't need you! I have never needed you! You were always the weakling that I had to carry for the sake of our parents. If it were up to me you would've been exiled the night they died!” 

That's when Damien snapped. 

“I have heard enough Edward! If you must know I'm here to remind you that you are no longer a King. Nor were you ever a God! You are just a man! You want to know why I'm really here? I'm here because whether you realize it or not, I am the only family that you have left!” Damien’s voice boomed, “Look at what all you've done in and with your life! The only reason Genevieve came back to you is because she's broke! Hell, even your own children want nothing to do with you because they are that ashamed of you! The only reason poor Edwin even is here is because of his duty to his father! The same as me!”

By the time Damien was done, Edward was stunned. It was the first time he had ever yelled at his brother. That's when a slow clap coming from the doorway broke out. 

“Well well well! Would you look at that? The coward finally found his spine. Never mind the fact that it only took you damn near our whole lives to do so.”

When everyone turned to the doorway in walked Shanelle’s Godfather and Damien’s best friend Commander Gaspard Devereaux. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Alicia asked. 

When Gaspard turned to her his face soured. 

“Oh, good Lord! What cesspool did they drag you out of? If you must know, I'm obviously not here looking for you. I'm here as a guest of the Queen.” Gaspard replies. 

“I did not invite you!” Genevieve said. 

“I wasn't talking about you, you bottom-feeding wretch!” 

Shantel snorted. 

“I'm talking about my goddaughter,” Gaspard said, gesturing to Shanelle. 

“How dare you insult my wife?!” Edward exclaimed. 

“How dare you insult my wife?!” Gaspard mocked. “Very easily actually. Especially since I am no longer under your command. That means I can insult her and this cheap two-timing golddigger she calls a step-sister all I want!”

Genevieve seethed. 

“Now speaking of my goddaughter, where is my little beauty? Ahh, there you are! And look at you! You are as beautiful as the day I met you, my dear.”

Shanelle snickered. 

“Thank you, Godfather. It's good to see you.” Shanelle said as she hugged him. 

“It's good to see you too, Your Majesty,” he said with a bow. 

When he looked over at Shantel he had a smirk on his face. 

“Well well! If it isn't the cause of my exile!” he teased. 

“Oh go to hell Gaspard!” Shantel hissed. 

“So prickly! You know you used to have a sense of humor when you were younger.” 

Shantel shook her head with a smile. 

“You're lucky I tolerate you.” Shantel said as she hugged him, “It's good to see you.” 

“It's good to be seen.” 

“How is Amelia?” Shantel asked. 

“Fantastic. Ready for Thanksgiving.” Gaspard replies. 

“Good. I can't wait to see her and everyone.”

When Gaspard got to Damien he had a look of smug pride on his face. 

“Well well, you finally did it, old friend. You finally found your voice after years of being the punching bag of the conniving snake you call a brother. Gone are the days of you having the voice of a meager little church mouse, and here to stay are the days of you having the voice of a bullhorn.” 

Edward gave Gaspard a venomous look. 

“Are you quite finished?” Edward asked. 

That's when Gaspard turned to Edward. 

“Of course not Your former Majesty. I have only just begun. How fitting that the once-great King of South Cordonia has been humbled by a stroke. Tis a shame that it didn't claim your tongue or your life for that matter.” Gaspard replies. 

Edward looked at him indignantly.

“You filthy God awful excuse of—” Edward’s words were cut off by a coughing fit. 

“That's it! I want all of you out! Alicia get them out of here now!” Genevieve demanded. 

“At once Your Majesty,” Alicia replied. 

“If I may Countess, I'd like to have rooms prepared for my wife and I, and the Commander,” Damien said to her. 

“With all due respect Your Highness, you have no jurisdiction here,” Alicia replies. 

“You're right, he doesn't. But as the owner of this palace, I do. And as head of the staff here, you are under my command. With that said, I want rooms prepared here for my parents and Godfather, immediately. Thank you.” Shanelle said to Alicia. 

Alicia stared at Shanelle before clearing her throat nervously.  

“Y-yes, Your Majesty. Right away.” 

“Thank you, Countess.” 

“Do not…make rooms…for these fools!” Edward Said through a coughing fit. 

“Big Brother you are in no position to make any demands. As I said earlier this is my home. The same as yours.”

“This is not your home! Not anymore!” Edward wheezed. 

“No thanks to you! But now that you no longer have any power, you can no longer ban me from my home. And you certainly have no power to keep me from the one thing I treasure most in this world!” Damien snapped at his brother. 

“And dare I ask what that is?” Edward asked. 

“Our parents’ final resting place,” Damien replies.

“You stay the hell away from there!” Edward sneered at Damien. 

“You're no longer a King, Edward. You have no power anymore. Once more you’re no longer my King. Which means you have no power over me!” Damien snapped at his brother, before walking out of Edward’s room. With Shanelle, Shantel, and Gaspard hot on his heels. 

Once outside, Damien walked a few steps to a large picture window overlooking his mother’s garden. The tension in his body left him, and his shoulders slumped as he took a shaky breath. 

“Daddy? Are you okay?” Shanelle asked quietly. 

“I shouldn't have yelled at him like that. Not when he's in such a fragile state.” Damien replied. 

“What?! Are you insane?!” Gaspard asked. 

“Gaspard,” Damien replies. 

“Don't you Gaspard me! You had every right to yell at that no-good bastard! He's done nothing but bully me and especially you our whole lives. In case you've forgotten, I hadn't been able to come home in decades because he exiled me to America! An exile mind you, that your daughter and son-in-law lifted. On top of granting me the death benefits of my father that your brother refused to pay after he died.” 

“I haven't forgotten Gaspard. I could never forget.”

Gaspard scoffed. 

“Gee, I can't tell.”

“Gaspard, that's enough! You’re not the only one he hurt.” Shantel said to him. 

Gaspard sighed. 

“I'm sorry my friend. I wasn't trying to take this out on you.” 

Damien smiled softly at his best friend. 

“I know you aren't.”

The two embraced. 

“It's really good to see you, old friend.”

“Likewise Gaspard.” 

Damien faced out at the garden before looking back at his daughter. 

“Come with me?” he asks her. 

“I would love to,” she replies. 

Shanelle slipped her hand into his before they, her mother and godfather walked out to Damien’s mother’s garden. They took time to walk amongst the rows of Queen Angelique’s favorite flowers. Being able to share this with his daughter, meant the world to Damien. They stopped when they got to a garden chair set that had seen better days. 

“Do you remember this?” Damien asked his daughter. 

She looked at the set trying to recall it. 

“No, I don't. I'm sorry,” she replies. 

“It was where we had high tea with your grandmother. She invited me and Mama to join you and her.” Shantel piped up. 

Shanelle looked back at the garden chair set. 

“I don't remember that.” 

Shantel smiled at the garden set. 

“It was a few days before your coronation. She had all the ladies of her court there. That's when she first introduced you to them.” 

Shanelle closed her eyes and nodded. Damien wrapped her in a loving hug. 

“Your grandmother was so proud and excited to show you off to the ladies of the court. She had found out she had a granddaughter and she was going to make sure the whole world knew about you.” Damien said softly to his daughter. 

Shanelle softly wiped the tears from her eyes. 

“I miss her. And Baba too.” Shanelle said quietly. 

“You are the reason, he became a better King in his final days. That is one thing I am most proud of.”

“But I didn't do anything.” 

Damien kissed his daughter on her forehead.

“You changed his life and his view on his kingdom. Because he knew his kingdom would one day be yours. You made him a better man and King. No one can say they did that but you.” 

Shanelle laid her head on her father’s shoulder and smiled softly. 

Later that night, after making sure her parents and Godfather were safe, comfortable, and situated in their guest rooms at the old Palace, Shanelle was back home in her husband’s arms enjoying a glass of wine. 

“Well, you've had quite the day.”

Shanelle sighed. 

“Tell me about it. I swear if murder wasn't illegal or at least severely frowned upon, I'd bomb that damn palace and everyone in it.” 

Marquise snorted. 

“Ever my charming and beautiful murderess.”

“Those imbeciles deserve it!” 

Marquise refilled his drink. 

“Anyway, tell me more about your cousin’s upcoming wedding.”

Shanelle smiled softly. 

“He invited us and my parents and I couldn't say no. And I meant it when I told him that I am happy for him and Pascal.”

Marquise nodded. 

“Did he say who was officiating?” he asks. 

“Yes. I wanted to know if you'd officiate their wedding,” she replies. 

“Me?” 

“You do have the power to officiate weddings, Sir.” 

“True.” he said before taking a sip of his drink, “So I guess I should dust off my Bible and grab my officiating tie. I have yet another wedding.” 

Shanelle rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 

“What else happened?” he asked. 

“We toured my grandmother’s garden and Daddy showed me where she had us have high tea with her,” she replied. 

“Tell me about that.”

Shanelle smiled wistfully. 

“It's beautiful. All of her favorite flowers are there. I felt like she was there with us. I would love to bring Khari. She would love it.”

“I'm sure she would. She loves flowers. She loves taking flowers from the maze and bringing them inside.”

“Part of me is happy we went.”

“You were happy to see your uncle?” 

“No, you dumbass. It was good to be back in the palace because, for the first time, it didn't feel like a dungeon.”

“I mean it is your Palace, my love. You are allowed to come and go there as you please. And the only reason Edward and his family have been able to stay there is because you didn't want to take the only home your cousins had ever known away from them.” 

“True.”

“And now that your cousins are grown and clearly on their own, you have the power to evict His former Majesty if you choose to.” 

“Did I mention that he and Genevieve have apparently reconciled?”

Marquise made a face. 

“Well, that just ruined the mood.”

“Tell me about it.”

Just then Shanelle’s phone buzzed. 

“You should get that,” Marquise suggested. 

“Hello?” Shanelle answered. 

It was her father who was frantic over the phone. 

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Daddy slow down! What happened?…Mom and Countess Alicia did WHAT?!”

Shanelle listened to her father and tried to calm him down. 

“Okay, Daddy calm down! Where is Mom? Is she okay?…Okay, you need to calm her down and tell Godfather to quit laughing!”

Shanelle listened again before she hung up the phone.

“What is it?” Marquise asked. 

“Do you know who Countess Alicia Jacquier-Barbaroux is?” she replied. 

“Yes. She’s Genevieve’s step-sister. What about her?” he asked. 

“She's also about to be a dead woman,” she replies. 

“What happened?” 

“She got into a fight with my mother. And lost.” 

Marquise let out a breath. 

“Yikes!”

“Exactly.”

“Is mom okay?”

“Yeah, she's fine. She's just royally pissed.”

“I don't blame her. Where is the Countess now?”

“All I know is my parents are on one side of the palace and she's on the other.”

Marquise nodded decisively. 

“I’ll have an arrest warrant issued for the Countess in the morning.”

“In the morning? Why not now?”

“Because doing it now would mean that I'd have to get up and walk all the way down the hall to my office. And I don't want to do that now that I'm in a comfortable spot.”

Shanelle rolled her eyes. 

“Fine. I do have a question though.”

“Yes?”

“Wouldn't issuing a warrant on my mom’s behalf be considered showing favoritism?”

“Your Mother is an active member of the Royal Family. So no it's not.”

“Why can't you get a judge to do it?”

“Because all the nobles answer to me, not to the judges.”

“Good. The sooner that bitch is arrested the better.” 

“It will be done, my Queen.”

“Good. I'll go back to the palace tomorrow to check up on Mom and make sure she's really okay.”

“Do you want some company?”

“No, not unless you want to hear Genevieve bitching at me at the top of her lungs.”

“Oh, how I thoroughly enjoy making that woman and her God-awful husband suffer.”

“And you have the nerve to call me a murderess.”

“You want to drop a literal bomb on her.”

“No, I don't.”

“Yes, you do. Not that I blame you. Whereas I want to take pleasure in watching her suffer. And thus why we are not the same.”

“Yeah yeah…” she muttered. 

“Don’t worry my love. All will be taken care of by this time tomorrow. You have my word on that.”

“I know. And besides Khari will have your head if it isn't.”

“Ugh! Did you have to remind me?”

Shanelle snickered as she snuggled with her husband. Because he was right. He would make extra sure that this matter is dealt with as swiftly and quietly as possible.

[citrus-cactus]

I know you're a major Daisuke/Wallace shipper, but may I ask which other ships with Daisuke you like too, if any? (^・ω・^ )

(in my case i multiship him with a ton of characters... Lately more into TakeDai thanks to Shiha lol)

Ahhh, sorry it took so long for me to answer this!!

Oh, Ni. NI. Do you really want to open up the floodgates of shipping with me?? (bless you)

So, I developed the habit of just not talking about Digimon ships on the Internet many years ago, despite it being the primary thing that was fueling my creative output for a significant period of time (like… 2007-2014, probably??). But yeah, for most of my time on Tumblr, there was no way I was gonna talk directly about Digimon ships, because I’m always scared about the potential backlash such posts may receive (trying to get over that, though!). A few ships have breached brain-containment: Wallsuke and Taijyou, obviously, Taishiro and Nishihime maybe less-obviously (these days). But I feel more comfortable talking about those since they’re (mostly) rarepairs, the haters are minimal/nonexistent, fans of those pairs are chill and awesome, and I guess they just feel “safer” than some of the rest of the Adventure/02/tri/Kizuna shipping minefield XD

I would LOVE to make a chart like the one @reliablejoukido did showing my OTP thru NOTP feelings though! Back in 2012 I know I made a numerical matrix-type thingy for my preferences, but I never published it anywhere and I’m guessing they’ve changed a bit ^^; If I ever found time to make my own template in this day and age, I’d do it, but alas, time makes fools of us all! 🥲

All that is to say, I’m also a multishipper, and I absolutely have other Daisuke ships!! I have ended up on kind of a personal crusade to put more Wallsuke out in the world these past few years, which is why it kind of accidentally ended up being my primary Daisuke ship (oops). It doesn’t mean all those other ships are gone and forgotten, though!

I’m generally using REALLY OLD American English Fandom ship names in this post, only because that’s how I refer to them in my own head. Please don’t think too hard about the spelling/order/capitalization/punctuation of them, because I’m not! I assure you these designations don’t mean anything in this context other than “the relationship between these characters in some platonic or romantic way, explanation to follow.” TL;DR for everyone reading this: don’t be rude about shipping on this post, and don’t nitpick my terminology, please! I’m old, and so, so tired of fandom drama.

And now, without further ado, and in no particular order… DAISUKE SHIPS! ᕕ(ᐛ) ᕗ

Daiyako (Miyako/Daisuke)

I love them as friends hanging out or casually dating. They’re so!!! Well, they’re pretty similar in how strong their convictions are and how open they are about their feelings, which means they agree on a lot of things but also have the potential to clash a lot, which is a dynamic I REALLY enjoy for them. In a romantic scenario, I can definitely see them as going from arguing about something inconsequential to making out in about 3 seconds flat (maybe with a side of “how did we end up here??” ehehehe). IDK, they both give off disaster bisexual vibes to me, and I’m 100% here for that!

Daiken (Ken/Daisuke)

Really great, obviously, either romantic or platonic. They were Jogress partners (cue chorus of “oh my god, they were Jogress partners…”). I actually um. Don’t have a lot to say about this ship, but I do enjoy seeing it on my dash! Daisuke and Ken’s Christmas Carol and the entirety of Revenge of Diaboromon are all-time classics in my mind and I do secretly like one-sided Kaiser/Daisuke or mutual Kaiser/Daisuke Kaiser… shhhh

Daikari (Hikari/Daisuke)

Like, honestly yes. Daisuke, I am rooting for you! I mostly enjoy them as a friendship or in a “falling in love once they grow up and mellow out a bit” context. This is also how I feel about Junpei/Izumi from Frontier, by-the-by. Both pairs give off similar vibes (to me), but I’m more likely to gravitate to thinking about Junzumi because I just. Junpei does NOT get enough love, respect, or attention in general, and I would LOVE to see more portrayals of fat-positive romance for him, specifically.

Daikeru (Takeru/Daisuke)

So, I’ll admit I have a really hard time writing Takeru, which means I don’t do a very good job of imagining him in Situations(tm), but I have read/seen a fair bit of this pair romantically and I like it, I just also don’t have a lot to say about it (I’m sensing a theme!). Once again though, I will happily read what others put out there. Please, fic writers, help me understand how Takeru thinks! He’s such a mystery to me.

Daichi (Taichi/Daisuke)

The admiration Daisuke shows his senpai in canon is very endearing, even if it can seem a bit lopsided (though maybe, by the time Revenge of Dioboromon concludes, the admiration IS quite mutual??). I do like thinking about them as a mentor/mentee pair though, or equals/brothers-in-arms, learning from each other as they compare notes on leadership and decisionmaking.

Daimi (Mimi/Daisuke)

I loooooove their friendship!! IDK, between the NY segment of the World Tour Arc and the Door Into Summer audio drama, it’s there, right? Anyway, I still say these two are the Treat Yo’ Self squad for the Adventure kids, and I love picturing that dynamic for them.

I think me answering this ask is a bit of a stealth request for (short) fic recs that feature these relationships, lmao. I used to casually browse fanfiction a lot more than I do now, I guess I’m too picky or something (plus I have a HUGE backlog of mutuals’ fanfics to read, augh sorry!). And I didn’t mention it, but romantic thruples are good too! I would be interested in reading… oh, I don’t know, pretty much any combination of the older 02 characters in a polyamory situation (Dai/Ken/Miyako, Hikari/Takeru/Dai, Ken/Dai/Takeru, Dai/Miya/Wallace, etc).

So yeah. Shipping!! I love it. Does this mean the floodgates are finally open? IDK, but you could try sending me another Digimon character to see if I’d talk about the ship(s) I have for them!

[explosionshark]

Lilith/Ava or or Lilith/Mary :0?

Okay so I must preface by saying that THIS is the level me and @nataliving are at rn wrt Lilith shipping:

Which shouldn't be surprising at all if you've followed me for a while! It's a well established fact that a woman who is SO loveless and pathetic that she fucks up her own life and the lives of people she wants to be loved by about it is PREMIUM bait for me. I look at Lilith and all I want is to bite down on her with full jaw strength for a minimum of six seconds and shake her around ❤️

Lilith/Ava

Ship It - yes, but with conditions. I could appreciate a one-off hookup in a character study kind of way OR a situation where Bea is involved but I don't think I could really get into them as a long-term thing that's just the two of them alone.

What made you ship it?

I mean, hero/villain is kinda always hot, right? The 'tried to kill you multiple times but could never go through with it' of it all.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

The jealousy - Lilith wants what Ava has so badly, it would make sense if part of her also wanted Ava in this way too. They both have this really deep desire to be loved and wanted. I think you could find something really interesting and revealing about both of them, somewhere in all that mess.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I guess that would be in my premise, huh? I think it could be hot, but one on one I don't think they'd have anywhere to really go. And tbh Avatrice IS OTP, I think it would be just too sad for Ava and Lilith to get together while Bea is uh. Just hanging out, I guess. But I think they could be hot as a one-time three-way and I'm sure I could find an extremely self indulgent pretense to OT3 them if you gave me enough time and room to work.

Lilith/Mary

Ship It A LOT. This is my preferred Lilith ship by a mile.

What made you ship it?

Um, well. Every time they fought each other that was pretty hot. But beyond that - there's this implied history with them, the tension of Lilith's coveting the halo during Shannon's tenure, there's Mary challenging Lilith when she's going off the rails and ultimately being the one who gets through to Lilith when she's trying to fight Ava at the tomb. That WHOLE scene is enough for me. "I see you." Woof.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Outlined above! But also I think there's so much potential in Mary grieving Shannon being aided/complicated by falling into something with Lilith, since the three of them have such a fraught history. I think the idea of them getting together would be such a good arc of moving on - Mary accepting Shannon's loss and letting herself be close to someone, Lilith giving up the dream of being the halo bearer and the life that she'd imagined for herself and actually making choices based on what she wants and not what someone's told her she should be doing.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

God idk what general opinions of them are. I guess my Hot Take is that they would probably be a more popular ship if more AUs kept Shannon dead (not that I can blame them. I think if I was writing an AU I would also let Shannon live).

[r-2-peepoo]

codywan #1, 3, 16

Okay I have very long answers for all of these

(Link to the original OTP Relationship Asks post)

1. Who most initiates PDA?

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS. It’s Cody, particularly in the beginning of their relationship, and I will tell you why.

I generally don’t think the ranks difference between Codywan is an issue and it’s because Obi Wan would be very aware of it. He knows the Jedi are inexperienced and so these ranks are basically just a formality. The whole war is a bit unconventional and he doesn’t feel he has earned this title at all. He doesn’t use his power as a General any more than he has to however he still recognises that, regardless, there still is a difference. He knows he and Cody have feelings for each other and he also knows they have the ability to always put their duties first and maintain that balance, him as a Jedi and Cody as a Commander, so his main concern is actually just making sure things happen on Cody’s terms. Obi Wan will never ever go near him until he knows with complete certainty that it’s what Cody wants so he’ll wait for him to initiate things. He knows it’s Cody’s first time experiencing any sort of relationship like this and will let him decide what happens and when.

It’s a bit of a headcanon but I also believe that physical affection is very important to the clones. They don’t have much. They really only have each other, and we know how important their bond is, and they also grew up in very confined spaces so personal space isn’t really a thing for them so I think they would be very physically affectionate. It would just be super casual and normal for them. The cadets in particular probably really need that support because it has to be scary for them to be so small and to have so much responsibility forced on them. So I believe that this would transfer to any of the clones having romantic relationships. It just isn’t as big a deal for Cody, whereas Jedi are more closed off so I think it would be an adjustment for Obi Wan but he’s also definitely very touch starved. He’d sort of freeze up at first but only because he didn’t realise how much he needed this from Cody. 

Cody is a hand holder and a forehead kisser. That’s his thing. I can see Obi Wan as the type to kiss Cody’s hand though and in a very dramatic way too. Oh and face holding as well. So Cody is more frequent and casual and lowkey and initiates more often, but Obi Wan is more about big gestures because it’s just in his nature to be a little over the top.

3. Hot and Steamy or Soft and Tender

They definitely have the potential to be both however I think there will always be a certain kind of softness about everything they do. These are two men who have been hardened by war, but by nature, they’re both actually very gentle. Yes, they rise to the task of being leaders because they have to, but given the freedom to be themselves without that pressure, they’re incredibly sweet people. It’s a trait they both share and is a huge part of their relationship.

The clones see everything they have in their lives as absolutely precious. Cody heard stories about Jedi being something close to demigods with how powerful they are, and then he meets his Jedi and he’s actually just a strange little guy. He’s sort of eccentric but he’s also overwhelmingly human. But it’s this that makes Cody take notice of him and it’s why he grows to like him and respect him so much. Obi Wan is just a person to him. A normal, vulnerable, breakable person who is still capable of incredible things. While he didn’t choose to have him as his General, Cody would follow Obi Wan anywhere, even long after the war. With the freedom to choose, he’d still choose Obi Wan.

And in regards to Obi Wan, we know how much he loves the people in his life. He’s also naturally a very soft person who doesn’t get a lot of opportunity for romance and along comes this wonderful person who actually feels the same about him AND they’ve actually managed to find balance with each other. Obi Wan is like softness and tenderness personified and he is just in awe of Cody, so it makes sense to me that he would want to treasure the moments he has with him and really take his time.

So I guess my answer is both, but the softness and tenderness seeps into every aspect of their relationship. 

16. Who stays up way too late and who tries to drag them to bed?

I think they’re both pretty good at maintaining routines but there will definitely be a lot of times when they have to stay up late to deal with paperwork or something. They’re actually pretty similar in a lot of ways, but especially in their dedication to their roles in the war. There’s a good reason they both have such high ranks and were trusted with so much responsibility. It’s probably something they’ve talked about too and they recognise that overworking is a trait they both have, so I think it would be very mutual in the way that they would both try to convince the other person to leave it to tomorrow and try to get some sleep (although it would probably happen with Obi Wan being the one still awake more more frequently)

After the war, bc the Tatooine husbands arc is canon in my heart, they’re awake for very different reasons. I can’t emphasise enough what a perfect match Cody and Obi Wan are for each other. They’re forever bonded by the eradication of both of their peoples and must feel like some of the only survivors so they only really have each other. We saw Obi Wan having nightmares in the Kenobi series and the clones make multiple references to nightmares too, and now they have the actual events of Order 66 to add to that. Cody and Obi Wan are both tortured by the past and sleep most likely wouldn’t always come easily to them. They might even try to stay awake when things are particularly bad, and the other person would come to them and listen to them talk, talk to them or even just sit in silence in each other’s company until they calm down and get tired. I also think seeing the other person struggle with very similar feelings of grief would teach them both not to punish themselves so much and to accept that what happened wasn’t their fault. 

So overall it’s very equal in terms of who is trying to get who to go to sleep. In fact, this idea of balance is such a huge factor in why Codywan’s dynamic works so well.