#put all the girlies first

[nothingtoseeherebyeexx]

Delicate, Chapter Four: Party in the USA…at Potter Manor? (Mary’s Version)

i had to split this chapter bc it was 9k words 😭 anyways mary meets the gang and everyone has fun!! ppl drink, dorcas and marlene are a mess, mary and lily are cuties.

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Mary, surprisingly, was far more comfortable than she expected.

Narcissa had warned her that ‘small gathering’ for the Potters actually meant private met galas, but spending time with Narcissa and living with her had taught Mary that those distant, untouchable celebrities were, in the end, just human. If things got too overwhelming, Mary could always try to see this party like one of her high school proms, with jocks, nerds and mean girls. Sadly enough, it worked.

She also had Narcissa and Lily, who were extremely helpful in feeling less like a fish out of water.

Lily alone could distract her from everyone else by simply existing: in person, her eyes were the brightest shade of green, and her red hair flowed like a cloud every step she took. Her round face was scattered with freckles, (her arms, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead) and she had dimples when she smiled, that of course were the first thing Mary noticed, because the instant she had arrived at the door, Lily had beamed like a star. When she had taken her and Narcissa’s hands and dragged them to Mrs Potter, Mary was still too dizzy to worry about anything, and all the tension had disappeared.

“Effie, these are Mary MacDonald and Narcissa Black. Mary, Narcissa, this is Euphemia Potter.” Lily smiled, tilting her head.

The woman had wrinkles around her eyes and her dark hair was streaked of grey, but the look in her eyes was young and mischievous, her posture composed but not intimidating. She was wearing a bright pink sari and gold jewels that tingled when she held Mary’s hand affectionately. Her skin was a bit rough, but her palms and fingers were decorated with delicate flowers and complicated designs.

“Mary, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you! I’m James’ mother, he’ll be here soon enough. Lily has told us so much about-“

“Mary! Let me take you on a tour of the house.” Lily interjected with a tight smile, putting her hands on Mary’s shoulder and pulling her away, but she didn’t lead her really far. Effie didn’t seem too bothered by the interruption, and she soon started chatting with Narcissa instead.

Speaking of Narcissa, she seemed to have recovered quickly from her disastrous encounter with Alice, but Mary knew she was hurt. If anything, Narcissa’s polite smiles and friendly demeanour were a clear sign she was trying to act nonchalantly. Mary would talk to her about it, when they came home.

“Sadly, I have to greet the guests until the boys show up, so I can’t chat with you properly,” Lily apologised, “But I promise I’ll make it up to you once the party has really started.”

Since the room was a bit noisy and she didn’t want to shout, Mary turned her head to speak directly in Lily’s ear, pretending to be offended. “It’s a shame all these people are stealing you from me. At least Narcissa is still on my side.”

As if on cue, a loud gasp coming from a few steps form them attracted their attention.

“Oh my God. Narcissa Black?” called one of the mean-girl looking women, with a champagne glass in her left hand and the other dramatically pressed against her chest.

“Evelyn Zabini?” Narcissa answered, surprised, “Oh. My. God.”

The two ran to each other, exchanging a quick hug and affectionate kisses on cheek. Then they started talking so fast Mary couldn’t keep up, and was left on the sidelines watching the couple shoot words at each other faster than a machine gun.

“Ugh, more people are coming,” Lily cursed, turning to the entrance.

“I have to go. Zabini is with a friend of mine though,” she nodded towards the girl standing behind the woman. “She’s cool. I bet you’ll get along,” she added, giving Mary a squeeze before disappearing.

Mary appreciated Lily’s optimism, but the girl looked positively intimidating.

From a closer look Mary could tell she was younger and much taller than Evelyn Zabini, and was surely the best dressed at the party: her black hair was arranged in a complicated up-do, her locs ornated with gold jewellery, and she had plenty of rings, necklaces and bracelets to cover her fingers, neck and arms. Even her dress, white, long and figure-hugging, had gold accents, and she wore it proudly and easily, like a knight in armour. Mary was ready to bet her right heel that she was a model.

“Hi, I’m Dorcas Meadowes,” she introduced herself, politely, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ve seen you around…What’s your name?”

Okay, so scratch the mean girl part, Dorcas seemed pretty nice, despite the austere appearance.

“I’m Mary MacDonald,” she smiled, “I’m a friend of Narcissa’s. I’m releasing an album soon, so I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of me yet.”

“I like the ‘yet’,” Dorcas smirked, “But if you’re that Mary MacDonald, then I actually have heard of you before…did you perform with Narcissa for the Yule Festival?”

“Yes, I did,” answered Mary, surprised. “And you remembered me after a single song?”

“You sang really well. And, well, I have my ways to stay informed.”

That did feel a bit ominous, but Mary just nodded along.

“So…you’re a friend Lily’s. Are you also a singer?”

“Oh, I wish!” Dorcas chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. “No, I’m a model.”

Told you.

And then, Lily was right next to her, her sage green dress swishing. There was always something in motion with Lily, Mary didn’t know where to look.

“They’re here!” Lily proclaimed, grabbing Mary’s arm.

“Is Marlene with them, too?” Dorcas asked, with renewed interest.

“Of course she is,” Lily smirked, “Are you going to talk to her this time, Cas?”

“Oh, shut up.” Dorcas rolled her eyes, and then the three of them, followed by the rest of the people in the room, walked towards the entrance.

Ten minutes in, and Mary had already lost Narcissa. Peachy.

All around her, people were eyeing the door, whispering excitedly.

“Once the others arrive, the party can really start,” murmured Lily with a soft smile.

And soon enough, a blonde girl slammed the door open, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Make way, the King is back from war! All hail Peter Pettigrew!” she announced, and with a theatrical twirl, she made space for the three boys behind her.

“He was actually on tour, but Marlene loves being dramatic,” explained Lily, radiant. Mary could read in Lily’s face that she was enamoured with her friends, and she felt a pang of jealousy in her chest: she had never really felt a connection to the people she used to hang with, being busy with part time jobs and helping her parents with chores and taking care of her brothers, so all the friendships she had in high school had quickly died after graduation.

She supposed she had grown too quickly for the other kids her age.

If the atmosphere up until five minutes before was overall calm and formal, the boys’ arrival surely changed the mood: the quiet whispers turned to shouts, the polite laughs to whistles. Two boys, that Mary recognised as Sirius Black and James Potter, had entwined their arms forming a human throne for the third young man, Peter Pettigrew, to sit on during his regal entrance, and they were all stumbling inside rather precariously. (“Lower, lower, you’ll hit the door!” “We’re trying, Marls!”)

James and Sirius lowered Peter to the ground, and immediately shielded him from the crowd, like bodyguards would do, but Peter was still greeting everyone like a king meeting his subjects. The crowd went along with it, cheering and extending their arms like insatiable fans.

Lily launched herself at Peter with a laugh, ending the ridiculous farce. People slowly went back to their conversations, but the house seemed livelier, louder than before.

“Black, King Peter is under attack! Restrain this woman!” James shouted, and tried to detach Lily from Peter, but the both of them just hugged each other more tightly.

“Her aura is too strong, Potter! McKinnon, we need help!” called Sirius.

“That’s enough, boys,” interjected Peter, slightly out of breath. “Let me say hi to our Lils. Hi, Lils.”

“Hi, Pete,” she smiled. “How was the tour?”

“Fun. Exhausting. How are you?”

“Very well. Actually,” she turned to James and Sirius, “I have to introduce you all to someone. Marlene, you’d better not have spoiled the surprise.”

Mary wasn’t really far from them, actually, but being all so focused on each other, the group hadn’t noticed her presence, yet. That of course changed when Lily, after giving her a reassuring look, gently put a hand on her shoulder and led her closer to her friends.

“Mary, these are my friends. People, this is Mary MacDonald.”

A small part of Mary was a bit scared of the heavy judgement that was bound to happen, but the eyes of her jury seemed to quickly light up in recognition.

James was the first to speak. He was wearing a bright button down and gold rimmed glasses, paired with a bright smile. Apparently, all of Lily’s friends smiled a lot.

“Hello, Mary. I’m James Potter, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You look amazing, by the way.” He offered her his hand and she shook it gladly. Before she could even reply, though, Sirius barged in with a grin. He looked like a rockstar from the seventies, with the leather jacket and flared jeans that drove girls insane.

“Sirius Black. You’re the girl who sang with my cousin, right?”

“Yes. I’ve been working with Narcissa for a few months now.”

“Damn…Willingly?” he asked, sincerely worried.

That genuinely made her laugh, and it was Peter’s cue to introduce himself.

Mary had the sneaky suspicion they were trying to surpass each other at making her comfortable.

“Peter Pettigrew. These idiots made sure everyone knew it the moment I stepped in the room, though, so…” he said fondly, and shook her hand. “Lily told us about you-“

“Mary! You haven’t met Marls yet!” Lily interrupted him, and soon the blonde had her arms wrapped around Mary’s neck. Mary reluctantly hugged her back, and let Marlene rest her chin on her shoulder.

“Marlene McKinnon. And yes, Lily hasn’t stopped talking about you since she saw your video,” Mary noticed the glare sent in Marlene’s direction.

Lily had been talking about her. Oh.

“Holy shit.” Marlene whispered, tightening her arms around Mary and blocking her from thinking too much about the implications of Lily Evans talking to her friends (repeatedly) about her.

“Marlene,” greeted Dorcas.

“Meadowes,” Marlene replied, icy, and Mary couldn’t see her face but she had the feeling she was being used like a human shield, covering Marlene by the deadly, super-model shaped threat.

“Is Regulus coming?” asked said threat to Sirius. Marlene let Mary go.

“Yes, he’s picking up Pandora. They’ll be here soon, I think.“ Sirius replied, turning to the door and glancing at the dark, empty street.

Coincidentally, a young man appeared on the doorstep, apparently searching for someone with his eyes.

He was certainly not Regulus: he was ridiculously tall and looked a bit out of place, with his white t-shirt and jeans. He had tattoos on his arms, snaking around light scars.

“Remus!” Peter called, approaching him with open arms.

“Oh, hey,” Remus answered, “I’ve parked your car, but I couldn’t find a closer spot so you’ll have to walk down the street. It’s on the right, after the yellow house,” he continued, pointing to somewhere in the dark, the car keys tingling with every movement. He had a deep voice, a bit husky, and a Welsh accent.

“Before I leave, I wanted to bring you your keys-“

“Oh, friend of mine,” Peter laughed, putting an arm around his shoulders.

“You’ve fallen into my trap. I’m now forcing you to meet the rest of my friends. Guys, this is my bassist, Remus Lupin!”

As he approached the group, Remus’ gaze travelled from Peter to them, a mix of panic and annoyance, and stopped on Lily, who was squinting at him, focused.

“I know you!” She exclaimed, pointing at him, “You played at one of my first concerts! You’re the tall dude who reads Virginia Woolf!”

Remus laughed, surprised, and offered his hand. “Lily Evans. How did you even recognise me? It’s been years!”

“Remus,” explained Lily, “You’re a scary tall bassist who reads classics pre-shows. Most people usually get high. Of course I remember you!”

“I let my hair grow, though!” Remus protested, pointing to his head for further proof.

“A haircut doesn’t completely change your appearance-“

“Now that’s a lie, Lils,” interjected Sirius, then looked at Remus. The dramatic pause felt a bit suspicious to Mary, but surely Black was not going to flirt with-

“I’m Sirius Black.”

“I know,” Remus shook his hand and added, sarcastic, “It’s your real name? I thought it was just a stage thing.”

“Watch your mouth, Remus Lupin who reads Virginia Woolf,” Sirius said with an eyebrow raised and a smirk that didn’t falter. “Do you have ‘ALPHA WOLF’ tattooed somewhere, too?”

“You’re onto me. Stick around and find out,” Remus countered, raising his palms.

Oh, they were so going to hook up. Mary generously gave them forty minutes.

The rest of the introductions were less flirtatious, although it was hard to tell in James’ case: Mary guessed that probably Potter was like that with everyone. (“I’m James Potter. Where did Peter find you, Remus? You’re handsome as hell!” “Thank you. He found me in a dumpster.” “That is correct.”)

As Lily, Marlene, Peter, James and Sirius started talking animatedly, Mary was inevitably cut off from the conversation, but at least she was in good company: she, Dorcas and Remus stood next to each other, a bit awkwardly, and their hands were promptly occupied by glasses of champagne. Not like Mary was going to drink so soon.

“This may be a bad time to confess that I’m terrible at remembering names, and there are a lot of people here already,” whispered Remus, “Is anyone else coming?”

“Sirius’ brother and another friend,” replied Dorcas easily. “Pandora is unforgettable, so I don’t think you’ll have problems with her. Regulus looks exactly like his brother, but he’s more…reserved.”

“Do you know them well?” asked Mary.

“We’re friends, have been for a while now,” then she added, with a malicious smirk, “Have you heard the rumours about Regulus and Pandora?”

“Rumours? What, they’re together?” asked Remus.

“They say so on the Internet,” sighed Mary, “But I wouldn’t be so sure. You can’t trust what they say online.”

Dorcas glanced at her, looking pleased. “Lily did say you didn’t seem bothered by the public opinion.”

“I don’t care for the words of people I don’t care about,” Mary shrugged. She had accepted to work with Lily because Narcissa and Amelia thought it would be a good idea, and even the impression she had of Lily was more than positive.

“Anyways,” Mary continued, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. “You’re friends with Lily and her lot. As much as I enjoy your presence, why are you here and not with them?”

“You-“ Dorcas pressed her lips together, stressed, and averted her gaze, focusing on the champagne glass in her hand. “It’s complicated. I mean, I’m not the one making it complicated, but-“

During the silence that followed, Mary and Remus glanced at each other, sharing that complicity only two people who are going to be annoying to a love-struck fool share.

They moved closer to Dorcas.

“What happened, Dorcas?” cooed Remus.

“Who’s breaking you heart, Cas?” mocked Mary.

“You two are horrible,” declared Dorcas, bashful. It was strange, seeing her so timid, but Mary found it endearing.

“Sirius, he’s here!” James exclaimed, out of the blue.

Regulus Black had indeed stepped into the house, holding hands with a girl that was presumably Pandora Lovegood. They made for a really odd pair: where Regulus had short, black hair, Pandora had long, blonde locs; the first had pale skin dotted with moles, the second a darker, smooth complexion; he was wearing an elegant black suit, she looked like her outfit had been weaved from clouds during a sunset. They were polar opposites, but somehow it made sense, like they balanced each other.

Sirius’ head perked up and in seconds he was approaching his brother, going for a hug, but Regulus averted him easily, letting Pandora wrap her arms around Sirius instead. The man drooped on her, acknowledging Regulus’ victory, and started swaying, crestfallen, still holding a giggling Pandora. After she patted Sirius’ sorrows away, she let him go and jumped into Dorcas’ arms, giving her a kiss on the cheek and an enthusiastic “Hi!”, and then did the same to her other friends, even when it came to Mary and Remus’ turn.

Mary thought she smelled like candy, and it was extremely fitting.

Regulus simply gave everyone a nod. Reserved, alright.

“Who are the strangers?” asked Pandora, grabbing Regulus’ hand and motioning towards Mary and Remus’ general direction.

“She’s Mary MacDonald,” explained Lily, “She’s a singer.”

“Not yet, Evans,” smiled Mary, “I have yet to publish my album.”

“Technicalities.”

“Regulus Black,” greeted the boy, politely offering his free hand. Mary shook it and found it cold, which was also extremely fitting.

“And he,” intervened Peter, grabbing Remus by the shoulders, “Is Remus Lupin. My bassist.”

Regulus shook hands with him, too.

“He was mine, first. Enjoy my leftovers, Pettigrew,” smirked Lily.

“Keep an eye on Potter then, Red,” joked Peter, winking at James.

So James and Lily had dated, then. Mary wouldn’t have guessed it, just by looking at them: they seemed pretty at ease around each other, which was unusual for exes.

“Are we going to stand here all night?” asked Regulus. “Because if that’s the case, I’d like to at least have a drink in hand.”

“I’ll make you one,” offered James, “Mum should also be in the kitchen, she’ll be happy to see you.”

“Is Fleamont here, too?” Regulus asked.

“He’s probably in his study. We can stop by, if you want to say hello.” James smiled.

Apparently, the Potter’s were used to having James’ friends around, given how at home everyone looked. Would Mary have something like that, too?

“Okay,” Regulus nodded, then turned to Pandora, who was still holding his hand.

“Do you want anything?”

She thought about it. “Mmmh…do you have pomegranate juice?”

“I’ll…see what I can do,” answered James, unsure.

And with that, he and Regulus left, and an embarrassed silence fell on the rest of the group.

“…Shall we reclaim our sofa?” suggested Peter.

~

One hour later, Mary found herself squeezed between Dorcas and Marlene, sitting on a sofa that surely wasn’t designed for six people: James, Sirius and Peter were also with them, and they kept moving around and swaying so much that Mary thought one of them was bound to fall off, sooner or later. Lily was sitting on the sofa’s armrest and talking to Remus, who was on the floor. The boys had tried multiple times to convince him to lay on them, but Remus had wisely declined the offer.

Regulus and Pandora were sharing an armchair, and Mary couldn’t help but feel conflicted: those two really acted like a couple, and at the same time there wasn’t any romantic tension between them.

There was tension between Marlene and Dorcas, though: the model had tried multiple times to strike a conversation with Marlene, who resolutely ignored her. Mary attempted to help Dorcas by trying to include Marlene while they were chatting, but the couple ended up bickering, so she had ultimately given up.

Mary had even ended up there completely by accident: Marlene at first had sat next to Lily, but then Lily left her spot for Mary ‘who never had sofa privileges’, and then Dorcas had sat next to Mary.

An unfortunate turn of events that saw Mary trying to divert the awkwardness by eavesdropping on Remus and Lily’s conversations and keeping an eye on Narcissa: Mary did lose her at the beginning of the party, but she had kept an eye on the kitchen door, since Fortescue still hadn’t left the room, so as long as she stayed there and Narcissa stayed not there, Mary didn’t have to worry.

“Oi, why don’t we play Soundtrack?” proposed James, after a while. Sirius, Peter and Marlene immediately agreed, while Lily and Regulus groaned simultaneously.

“Every time we play that game I forget every title of any song I’ve ever listened to,” lamented Lily, while Regulus protested, “Someone always ends up making it dirty. Always.”

In the commotion stirred by Regulus and Lily’s uncooperativeness (“Don’t be a party pooper Evans.” “It isn’t always sexual, Reg!”), Mary managed to make herself heard when she asked, curious, “What is Soundtrack?”

The group quieted down, probably realising that Mary, along with Remus and apparently even Dorcas, had never played the game. For some reason, James and Sirius seemed particularly shocked by the fact.

“It’s easy,” James started explaining, “Someone makes up a scenario, or chooses a topic, and the others have to think of the title of a song that best describes it. Then the group votes for the funniest pick, and the winner decides the next topic.”

“Seems easy enough,” commented Remus. “Who’s starting?”

“So we’re actually playing, then,” sighed Regulus. “I’m quitting as soon as someone makes it dirty. I’m warning you.”

“I’ll start,” said James, turning on the sofa to face as many people as possible, although it was difficult in his disadvantageous position.

“Imagine,” he began, emphasising his words by spreading his arms. “It’s Friday night and you’ve just got home from the bar, you’re a bit drunk, and have no clue where your home is-“

“I forgot James was the one with the long-ass scenarios.”

“-It’s part of the fun, Baby Black. You’re trying to find your home, and suddenly an old woman appears…”

They play some rounds, and Mary has fun, indeed. Lily’s shocked face when Pandora used the title of one of her songs was priceless (“You listen to my songs???” “Of course! Girls support girls!”), and Sirius’ explanations behind each and every title he chose were ridiculous, but James was always there to back him up. Even Marlene and Dorcas were almost at ease, despite being so close.

In the end, it was time for Dorcas to choose a topic. She looked at Regulus maliciously, and he immediately tensed next to Pandora, who was slowly slipping off the armchair.

“Describe your sexual life-“

“Fine, Meadowes, if you wanted to stop playing, you could’ve just said so.”

“Come on, Reggie,” smiled Sirius. “It’s the funniest part!”

“Not when your brother is also playing,” Regulus retorted.

“Jesus, it’s just a game! I don’t want to think about you being involved in…” Sirius made a disgusted face. “Those activities, either. It doesn’t have to be true.”

“Fine. Nobody, then,” Regulus answered, snide, like picking a notoriously depressing song for a vulgar question consisted as an act of rebellion against his brother.

Well, at least now Mary had one more reason to believe he and Pandora were not together.

“Emo bitch,” Sirius whispered.

“Supermassive Black Hole,” Peter said, looking straight ahead like a divine entity had foretold him the answer. Marlene cracked up.

“Escapism,” Mary proposed, getting a few grave nods from Remus and James, and a “that’s deep,” from Dorcas.

“Don’t Stop Me Now,” offered James smirking, and Sirius shoved him (causing the rest of the people one the sofa to squeeze even more) for stealing his answer.

“Under Pressure,” said Remus, and Sirius turned to him, this time, so quickly his neck almost snapped.

“Queen fan?”

“Bowie, mostly. But I like Queen, too.”

Mary noticed that, surprisingly, Remus and Sirius hadn’t fucked yet. She suspected Remus enjoyed the flirting but wasn’t that willing to jump on Sirius the first time they met, while Sirius, well…Sirius was a bit of a mess when it came to the scary bassist.

Mary didn’t give them enough credit.

“I have it! 4 Minutes” exclaimed Lily, clapping her hands, and James, along with everyone else, immediately erupted into loud laughter.

Mary was suddenly struck by how unbothered everyone around them was: even she had forgotten she was at a party, a fancy party, with rich, famous people. Even the young adults surrounding her, they were all supposed to feel far, far from her. Powerful. Unattainable.

But James Potter laughed, Peter Pettigrew shoved a giggling Sirius Black, and Lily Evans’ face became red from embarrassment.

It was so easy to feel like one of them.

“Oh, uhmmm…” Pandora looked troubled. “Who are you. There must be a song called like that.”

“It doesn’t count if you use a normal sentence, Dora. If it doesn’t exist, you’ll have to pick another,” said Peter, struggling to pull out his phone from his pocket. “There’s one, it’s called Who Are You, by The Who.”

Then he turned the volume as high as possible, and everyone got closer to hear.

“…Is it the fucking CSI Intro?”

The music was quickly drowned by shameless laughter that didn’t stop until the song was over.

Even Regulus chuckled, for the amusement of anyone who noticed.

“Oh my-Okay. Okay, my turn,” began Sirius, still breathless, ”Now, this was my third option, so it’s not the best,”

“Excuses. Just say it sucks and let’s move on,” interrupted Regulus, well settled on the armchair. He looked pretty entertained despite his aversion to the topic. Pandora, in the meantime, had fallen to the floor, since apparently the weight of thinking of an answer had slowly pushed her off the seat.

“A boost to the ego. Thank you, Reg. My answer was Glad You Came, but my brother brutally decapitated my confidence, so…”

Sirius was met with chuckles from everyone (but his brother, since the first rule for younger siblings is to never gratify the oldest, in any way), so his morale was still high.

“It’s a really good option,” commented Lily, wheezing, “but we still have to hear Marlene’s.”

“The best for last,” she smiled, smug, and then she looked at all of them solemnly. “Drum rolls, please?” Everyone immediately complied.

“The title to best depict my sexual life, truthfully and currently, would be Me and Your Mama, specifically yours, Potter,” and she winked at James, who immediately made a gagging noise while everyone, for the umpteenth time that night, lost it.

“Effie truly is a wonderful woman,” Mary agreed.

“I’m so glad to see you have taste,” replied Marlene, putting an arm around her shoulders. If she had accidentally touched Dorcas, she didn’t give any sign of acknowledging it. Since she was so close, Mary could see that Marlene had small freckles on her skin, and her front teeth were slightly gapped. She reminded her of those mischievous elves you’d see on illustrations of old tales, the ones that would trip lost adventurers and steal their food.

“We should add her to the group chat!” she proposed to the rest of the group. “Remus, too!”

“You have a group chat together? All of you?” asked Dorcas, and the mood instantly changed, the laughter dying in favour of an awkward silence.

Mary felt strangely guilty.

Oh, this was awful.

“…I’ve tried to add you, Cas,” intervened Regulus, breaking the silence. He seemed sincerely sorry.

“But someone, I won’t name names-“

“I will, it’s Marlene,” interjected Pandora. Marlene glared daggers at her, but not for long: it was hard to hold grudges against Pandora, Mary was learning.

“Someone keeps removing me when I suggest it.”

Dorcas nodded, icy. “McKinnon-“

Marlene abruptly stood up. “I think it’s time to do some shots.”

“I could use a drink,” lied Mary: she just needed an excuse, and at least with a drink in hand she would have something tangible to focus on. Anything to dissipate the tension.

“Me too!” added Lily, jumping off the sofa. “I’m coming with you.”

Mary and Lily watched from a safe distance an angry Marlene stomping into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of liquor Mary didn’t recognise and taking sips directly from the bottle. After five gulps, Lily decided to intervene, taking the bottle from Marlene’s hands.

“Marls, you don’t want to throw up in Effie’s kitchen.”

“But what if I did?” Marlene replied folding over the sink, but then she lifted her head.

“Never mind, I’m fine. Make your drinks and pass the bottle, I’m going for round two.”

“Round six,” Lily muttered, picking two plastic cups and some bottles. “What do you want?”

“Oh,” Mary replied, “I’ll make mine myself. I don’t really like alcohol.”

Actually, during the past months Mary had opened up to alcohol: she didn’t drink much, she had never liked to get blacked out drunk, not even before…that, but at least a glass of wine or a drink didn’t scare her anymore.

Still, she preferred to mix her own drinks, just to be sure she knew what was in them.

“…They’re not always like that, you know. They have this feud going on, but it’ll have to end, sooner or later,” Lily whispered to Mary, pouring some vodka in her own cup. “Actually, you handled those two way better than I expected.”

“It was hard,” Mary murmured, “But also somewhat entertaining? They either ignore each other or bicker.”

Lily looked at her from the corner of her eye.

“How long until they admit their feelings?”

“Please, Dorcas would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Probably,” Lily chuckled. “Could you pass me the Diet Coke, please? It’s in the fridge.”

When Mary couldn’t tell where the refrigerator was, Lily pointed it to her with ease.

“You seem pretty at home here,” commented Mary, passing the can. She noticed a bottle of apple juice, and decided to fill a cup for Narcissa.

“I used to come here all the time when I was dating James, it really became a sort of second home for me,” smiled Lily.

“Oh, so you two did date,” said Mary, picking two straws from a container on the counter.

“Well, yes,” Lily replied, sounding shy. She looked like she wanted to add something, but stopped herself.

“I’m taking that,” intervened Marlene, grabbing the vodka bottle, left unsupervised. “And I’ll look for Alice. Still haven’t seen her,” she muttered (more to herself than to Mary and Lily), and went deeper into the kitchen, saluting the five men who were drinking shots on the table before disappearing.

“I wonder why she acts like that around Dorcas,” commented Mary, “She seemed pretty nice.”

“Dorcas is amazing,” replied Lily, “But Marlene is mad at her for something that happened a long time ago. I love her, but she’s being childish, and I’ve told her a million times, but she won’t listen.”

Her tone became more and more reprimanding as she spoke, and she ended up sipping her drink like an angry middle-aged mother.

It was kind of adorable.

Mary smiled, understanding, “She’ll figure it out, eventually.”

Lily shrugged, then hopped on the counter. She was staring directly at the cupboard in front of her, seeming lost in thought. Mary hadn’t seen Lily so serious the whole time she had spent with her, which admittedly wasn’t much, but still, this change felt new.

“I was worried, you know,” began Lily, “I thought you would refuse my offer.”

Mary frowned. Lily was talented, famous, and from what she had gathered, she was also friendly and fun. Why would she refuse to work with her? If anything, Mary should’ve been worried: but she was the inexperienced one, here.

Lily saw the confused look on her face, and gave her a small, incredulous grin.

“Do you really not know? Narcissa didn’t say anything about me?”

“Woah, Evans, don’t sound so shocked,” joked Mary.

Lily nudged her.

“I’m just saying,” she replied, smiling shyly at the drink in her hands. Mary felt the need to break the silence.

“They have sent me links about…everything that’s happened, but I didn’t open them.”

Lily’s head perked up, curious. “Why?”

“I have learnt a few things in these months. Mind you, I was never one to obsess over celebrities,” clarified Mary, “But I used to keep up with the drama surrounding the Black family, because, you know…” She rolled her eyes, ashamed. “I really liked Narcissa, so…”

“Aww, you were a fangirl!” mocked Lily, pouting condescendingly.

Mary felt her cheeks heat up.

“I stopped the instant she threw Bunny at me for the first time!” she exclaimed, making Lily laugh loudly.

“Who is Bunny?” she asked, wheezing.

“It’s a long story. Anyway, once I started getting to know her, I realised half of the things they said about her online and in magazines was false, so I stopped reading them. Sorry if I don’t know every little aspect of your life,” she concluded, closing her eyes petulantly.

“Don’t apologise,” said Lily, her voice sweet and empty of mocking.

“I like that about you.”

Mary opened her eyes, and found Lily staring at her fondly. She was dangling her legs off the edge of the counter.

“Are you not going to ask anything?”

A moment passed, and Mary was aware Lily was studying her. Her intentions, her sincerity.

“Anything you want tell me.”

“…The people you see here are the only ones I can count on,” Lily explained. “They didn’t turn their back on me when things got bad, and even now they don’t mind being seen around me-and they could mind,” she continued, noticing Mary’s crossed expression.

“Because people who are seen with me are inevitably dragged by the media. Even you,” she bumped Mary’s side with her knee, “Are not safe.“

“I’m so scared. Wow.” Mary deadpanned.

Lily smiled, but not enough to show her dimples.

“I won’t tell you much because this is a party and I’m supposed to get absolutely sloshed, not depressed. I became popular as a singer when I was sixteen. I was young, and naive, and I wore my heart on my sleeve: I didn’t have the maturity to separate private matters from my public image. I was young and stupid, the boys were young and stupid, and stupid sixteen year olds get into stupid relationships. When I inevitably broke up with my boyfriends, I had the instinct to write about it. So, I became famous because of my failed relationships.”

“Many singers write love songs,” replied Mary.

“Not many singers are sixteen year old girls,” countered Lily with a sad smile.

“But I learnt my lesson, and I grew up to become a little less stupid. At eighteen I started focusing more on my work, and when during interviews they would only ask about my love stories, I tried to divert the attention. I was still a kid, but I was more reserved about my relationships. Still, paparazzi were onto me, photographing me every time I stepped out of my house, so everything was still made public.”

“That’s terrible, Lily.”

“I got used to it.”

The party outside the kitchen had gotten louder and more chaotic: Mary thought she could hear James and Sirius singing. Well, at least they had left the sofa.

“Whatever,” continued Lily, shaking her head. “Last year I had a fight with…an acquaintance of mine. A famous acquaintance. He liked me, he wasn’t reciprocated, and of course the media found out and started bashing me when I rejected him. Things quickly escalated, and now I’m a fucking pariah. Not for long, though.”

She jumped off the counter and offered Mary her arm. “Come one, let’s see what’s going on over there,” Lily suggested.

Mary wanted to say something, anything, to comfort Lily, but all words seemed to have left her mind.

“Thank you for telling me, Lily,” she managed, “If you ever need anything, I’m here.”

Mary wasn’t sure about what she could give to Lily that she didn’t already have, but the woman’s smile was grateful, regardless. Maybe Lily was one of those who believed that ‘it’s the thought that counts’.

Mary was pretty much the opposite, and because of that she hated that she couldn’t do anything real to help Lily.

They walked back into the living room, arm in arm.

[bhaalsdeepbat]

I think Lae'zel would really enjoy having her nails painted. she wears warrior makeup all over her face and neck, she has those lovely little braids, she took the time to bead her hair. i think she likes having a little bit of polish to her look

[wantbytaemin]

NYE fit (snoopy slippers included)

[chikinan]

older cat opened the door somehow while I was sleeping and went outside two days ago and now has a swollen bump on her face (unseen before due to long hair). taking her to the vet tomorrow.

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

"Cuhut it out- you guys!" "Nu-uh, not until you're all perked up first! You don't want those gym challengers meetin' with an ol' mopey leader, do ya?" "Whitney's right, dear friend. No need to hide that beautiful smile of yours, alright?~"

What it takes to cheer up Johto's beloved ghost boy 👻💕

[mightybeaujester]

Idk how I never noticed them but

Tim’s background vocals in Frankenstein???

The voice itself but then also the sad little laugh on “dreamt”, the betrayal in it Turning “something’s” into “something is not right” and the emphasis on the confusion and trust it had in Frankenstein The deep, repeated “learning and growing” through the narrated part, showing how the AI is always working in the background

I will never be normal about this guy

[bluebirdinpisces]

[bmpmp3]

you know recently a bunch of my professors have been excitedly mentioning how in their classes, students have been citing their sources way more extensively and properly than past semesters. did he do this (looks to the sky where a giant transparent image of harris bombered guy is floating)

[waitmyturtles]

I’m going to be binging Step By Step after I wrap up Make It Right 2 tonight. I’m so here for it. I really thought I couldn’t do it with work and life commitments, but I’ll make it work. In the words of @shortpplfedup​, I’m ready to watch a show made by adults, for adults, about adult topics. 

But also -- today’s Big Commentary about BL fans complaining hard enough about their fake ships to get an actual show edited is just....

Some of them need to go back to school for art comprehension lessons. Learn to read between the lines. Lemme just leave this here.

[hella1975]

assigning a character the highest honour like *adds go home by julien baker to their playlist*

[dallonwrites]

I'm reading Real Life by Brandon Taylor right now (love btw) and it's basically showing me in real time what I've thought about prose for a while as someone who mainly learnt from writing "flowery prose"

Brandon is really good at having this smooth, precise prose that I think really works with the type of book Real Life is ("slow" plot, only covers a few days and really sinks its teeth into small moments about relationships across those few days). But I think he's also really good at knowing when to go deeper with the prose and when to keep it simple. Like there's this part that sticks out to me because there's a line that literally is like "the grass is very green and very straight" and all I can think about is how in a lot of writing advice I've encountered about prose and descriptive writing, that would be used as what not to do. That you should use something more "interesting" than something like "very green". But in this scene it worked really well for me because it fit! IMO it suited the rhythm of the scene, the vibe, what the focus was on, the narrator's character voice. The scene already had a lot of atmosphere, emotion, conflict, urgency etc. and this line still effectively added to it in a way that was quick and simple that suited the rhythm/beats. It's not just that Brandon chose not to be descriptive then, it's that what he chose to do what JUST AS if not MORE effective for the moment!

And like I LOVE playing and experimenting with language and prose I think it's so fun. I think a lot of the advice about prose and descriptive writing, things like show don't tell and advice about adjectives/adverbs and using "too simple" words, words like "very", are great introductory tools to intentionally think about exploring your prose deeper. But like all writing advice they will not apply to every writing situation. These advice and craft ideas are important but what's imo more important is understanding when and how to use them to best benefit a moment. Knowing when prose will benefit from being more intricate and descriptive and when something simple and bare will not only do the job but do it more effectively. And it doesn't just vary from writer to writer or from story to story, but scene to scene imo! Brandon has some beautiful descriptive lines in this novel that to me are not inherently "better" than the very green line just because they are more complex, both do what they need to do and are effective in their own moments

And this is all stuff I already felt. I have projects that benefit from really saturated, dense prose and others that benefit from really sparse prose. But seeing an author who I admire a lot use these "simple" descriptions and not just use them, but use them well, because he has thought about what moments will benefit from simplicity and what won't, was really reassuring. Writers trust yourselves!! You know your prose, your voice, your book, and you are allowed to do what others may consider "breaking" the rules if it feels like the right move for your writing

[snickerdoodlles]

@arewedoneyet I am very, very tempted to post an edited version of the virgin sacrifice!Chay* smut brainstorm that was had in the groupchat tonight for this one 🤣

[daiseukiis]

honestly i shouldn't even be allowed to know how to edit

nth to see here scroll away

[star-mum]

Okay OP nation I have some (maybe controversial) statements about the Straw Hats and I need y’all to listEN FIRST OKAY- HEAR ME OUT

Boyfriend: Zoro and Franky

Husband: Usopp and Sanji

Girlfriend: Nami

Wife: Robin

Luffy: Aroace king

[hauntedjohnny]

nancy growing up during the great depression of the 1930s. put to work at the cotton mill during her teens/20s through the war. perhaps marrying one of the foreman. the cotton mill goes out of business a few years after the war. start a junkyard to get some income. husband dies. etc.

[01tsubomi]

mfw i spent yeeeeears in college aaaaaagonizing about how to turn a short fanfic of mine into a full-length original work and was working on it with my professor and through all the editing became really embarrassed of the original fanfic version thinking it was immature and shallow but could also never make the rewrite work so i moved onto other projects and then today after a very long time reread both of them only to find that the original fic is concise and heartfelt with clunky execution but solid and gripping emotional beats and the novelization is overwritten self-obsessed garbo