#we got to chose gifts from our company

[justinalovee]

𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆

Pairing: Rhaenyra Targaryen × Reader x

Alicent Hightower

Word Count: 846

Warnings: Incest, threesome, titty sucking, scissoring, oral sex

Summary: Alicent joins you and Rhaenyra for the first time

A/N: All characters are 18+ Minors DNI

You and Rhaenyra look at each other and giggle, hearing Alicent scoffing at you, “Something wrong, my lady?”

Alicent doesn’t raise her head from the book in her hands. She was pretending not to take any notice of the fact that you and Rhaenyra were both butt naked, rubbing your wet cunts together. She had already caught you in a compromising position that morning when she walked in to see Rhaenyra fingering you. At first she was angry but then grew curious. When she arrived at your bedchambers, you made it clear what you and the princess intentions were that evening, but the lady insisted she now didn’t mind and chose to stay.

Alicent claimed she just wanted the company, but you had a theory she wanted to join in. You had noticed the way her fingers gripped into the fabric of her dress whenever the room filled with moans of pleasure and the way her eyes studied both your bodies. The way she bit her lip when you kissed Rhaenyra

“Fuck!” The new position Rhaenyra had angled herself caused your clit to throb; the coil in your stomach was tightening. She speeds up her actions, causing you to break. “I’m cumming!”

Slick dripped down your thighs and onto the bed below. Rhaenyra got off you and bent your legs back, swiping her tongue through your folds to taste you. Still not recovered from your orgasm, your legs shake. When she pulls back, her mouth is covered in your juice. You lightly bunch her silver hair in your hand and motion for her to come back up. When Rhaenyra straddles you, she leans forward, taking your hard nipple into her mouth. You playfully smack at her behind and slide your finger along her wet folds, and you are about to add your fingers until Alicent distracts you.

“Are you seriously about to go again?”

“Yes, being able to orgasm multiple times is a gift; it would be disrespectful not to use it.”

The brunette scowls; she places the book to the side and folds her arm. “What about honor?”

“We are not men,” Rhaenyra states. “No honor is being broken because we don’t have cocks to get each other pregnant. You are more than welcome to join us.”

“It’s un-lady, like, it’s improper.”

“Are you saying our future queen isn’t ladylike?” You asked teasingly. “Watching is just as bad; at least doing the deed, you get pleasure out of it.”

“Very well,” Alicent says. “You may show me the pleasure that you are both so obsessed with.”

Rhaenyra looks speechless as Alicent walks beside her, then sheepishly kisses her. When they break away from the kiss, you sit up, with Rhaenyra still on your lap and facing you, she begins to caress your breasts. You grin. “We better give our lady a good time then.”

You both move out of the way and guide Alicent to lay at the top of the bed, her head resting on the fluffy pillows.

Rhaenyra makes quick work of pushing Alicent’s skirts up and moving her small cloth to the side. You lay down beside her and are shocked to see how wet the lady Alicent’s cunt was already; she must have really enjoyed watching.

“Are you sure?” You ask.

Alicent nods. “Yes, I want to know what it feels like.”

With that, you and Rhaenyra take turns licking her and tasting her sweetness, causing her to let out our soft moans. Eventually, you move yourself away and crawl back up the bed to kiss Alicent. You squeeze at her breasts, which are still covered by her dress, while Rhaenyra fully dives in, devouring Alicent’s pussy with her mouth before using her fingers.

“How does it feel?”

“Different,” she says. “I feel strange, but in a good way.”

She arches her back. “I think you’re close. Can you cum for us? Cum all over your future queen's face?”

She nods while her cheeks blush a bright shade of red, Alicent’s eyes linger on your chest. You move closer, giving her access, and she takes one of your nipples into your mouth, muffling her moans while Rhaenyra adds another finger, speeding up her actions.

Soon, Alicent snaps and comes undone for the first time. You kiss her gently while Rhaenyra kisses her thighs while waiting for her to reclaim her voice. “That was... so good. I can see why you always do it.”

“And that was just one of the ways we can bring pleasure to each other; there are still many more things we can show you another time, my sweet lady.”

She pouts, “Why another time?”

“Because right now,” you wrap your arm around Rhaenyra’s waist and playfully push her down so she’s lying beside Alicent on the bed. “I believe it’s Nyra’s turn to feel good; do you want to taste her?”

Alicent doesn’t answer with words, but when she gets off the bed to remove her dress, you take her actions as a yes. You smile at Rhaenyra; you lean down and capture her lips in yours.

[yanderestarangel]

Hello! Could you write something about the Lin Kuei Trio, please? Where do the three like the reader and know that one and the other also like it?

​​​​​​𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐊𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐊1 | 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐍 𝐊𝐔𝐄𝐈 | 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.

TW: rivalry, afab reader, smut in the final cut, foursome, blowjob, v!sex, anal!sex.

The first one to like you was Tomas, at first it was platonic, with him just wanting to be your friend because he thought you were an extremely nice person to him and everyone around him, but soon this innocent feeling turned into a need and need to have you. in a much more carnal and intimate way, like a couple.

Then Tomas asks for help from Kuai Liang, who is curious to meet you, soon going with his younger brother to find you, also falling in love with you, so a competition soon begins between the two, it wasn't a bad rivalry, Kuai Liang tells you I wanted you as much as Tomas also wanted you, but they would both be happy if one of them managed to stay with you at the end of the day, until Bi Han came in.

Bi Han found out about the brothers' competition, so he decided to get to know you too, at first he just wanted to be with you to annoy Tomas, but he really starts to like you as time goes by, your smile, your voice, your face then the competition really starts to get serious. Bi Han would love/hate the competition for your love, he would spoil you with expensive gifts bought by him - necklaces, rings all in pure gold and diamonds - or even some technological trinket that he ordered Sektor to make.

Kuai Liang, on the other hand, would spoil you with gestures of care and service, helping you clean your house, walking with you or offering to carry you in his arms or on his back, so you wouldn't get tired walking. He helped you rest by massaging your back, feet and legs - It was Kuai Liang's excuse to smell you and kiss your thighs from time to time, if you allowed him of course, artisanal oils made by himself, his favorite was of roses and almonds, it made your skin tempting and beautiful for him.

Tomas is more shy, but he writes you little letters, usually poems about how beautiful you were and how you brightened up his day, like warm rays of sunlight on a cloudy day, some were just letters about his subtle feelings.

"We painted and read together, or I listened, as in a dream, to his delirious improvisations of his soul aching for life. Your beauty blessed by the immortal gods, perhaps I loved your eyes more than my own, perhaps I vibrated with every timbre of your voice and movement.

Your grace is like a dance of swans on a crystal clear lake in the pure gardens of paradise itself.

The angels came to envy our nights together, wondering about the essence of our dawn, the touch of your lips on my skin, on my face, chaste as the purity of the finest silk, such a feeling was deprived of me in my distant childhood.

I wasn't, as a child, like others, and I never saw how others saw, but your company makes me see the gift of your beauty, only you, (Y/N) my divine blessing of select destiny."

Tomas wrote on the parchment, while looking at your reaction, he did the best he could with each letter, poetry and poem he wrote to you, accompanied by small flowers, picked by himself, along with small expensive perfumes that he managed to buy with the reserve of money he had, he would smile sweetly and ask you if you thought it was good enough, he really needed your approval and love.

The competition got worse when the three brothers realized that you had a favorite, Bi Han would get more pissed off with Tomas and Kuai, even ending up in serious fights - Kuai fights with Bi Han or Bi Han with Tomas, to the point where they left seriously bleeding -

So you would have to choose soon.

If you chose Bi Han, Tomas and Kuai Liang would be sad but would respect your decision, sad looks would be given to you as you spent time with Bi Han but would respect your decision.

If you chose Tomas, Kuai Liang would be sad but happy for his younger brother, even if he is still in love with you. On the other hand, Bi Han would freak out, his anger towards Tomas would increase with daily fights over you.

If you chose Kuai Liang, Tomas would also be happy for his brother, even if he cried every night because his heart ached with love and Bi Han would just ignore you two - you would also be banned from being in their house, to avoid the Tomas and Bi Han's suffering -

♡ Or you can resolve this all in foursome sex ♡

As Bi Han lifted you effortlessly and positioned you on top of him, his hard length pressed against your wet entrance, a low growl escaped his lips. His hands firmly grasped your waist, holding you in place as he began to rock his hips, the friction between your slick folds and his hardened cock sending shivers of pleasure through your body.

Tomas wasted no time, his fingers trailing down your spine before coming to rest on your ass. With a purposeful grip, he guided your hips, pressing you down onto Bi Han's length. His touch was both commanding and gentle, his intentions clear as he guided you to find a rhythm that pleased all three of you. Meanwhile, Kuai Liang watched with darkened eyes, his own arousal evident as he remained in the hot spring. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, a mix of desire and frustration clouding his expression. You could almost feel his gaze burning into your exposed body, his fascination apparent as he bit down on his lip, struggling to hold himself back.

As grand master lifted you effortlessly and positioned you on top of him, his hard length pressed against your wet entrance, a low growl escaped his lips. His hands firmly grasped your waist, holding you in place as he began to rock his hips, the friction between your slick folds and his hardened cock sending shivers of pleasure through your body.

His hands instinctively found their way to your hair, his fingers tangling in the strands as he hissed in pleasure. The taste of him filled your mouth, the smooth glide of your tongue eliciting moans from his lips. His hips moved in tandem with your oral motions, seeking a deeper connection with your mouth. As Bi Han thrust into your wetness with force, his length stretching you to your limits, an intense mixture of pleasure and pain coursed through your body. The feeling of his dick plunging deep inside you, filling you completely, elicited a moan of pure satisfaction from your lips.

Tomas wasted no time, his fingers trailing down your spine before coming to rest on your ass, not one to be left out, took advantage of your exposed rear entrance. With slow and deliberate movements, he eased his girth into your tight opening, the sensation causing you to gasp in pleasure.

The dual penetration overwhelmed your senses, the mix of pleasure and tightness sending waves of ecstasy through your body. Bi Han's grip on your waist tightened, and with each forceful thrust. The intensity built, the rhythm of his thrusts matching the pace of Tomas behind you.

Lust surrounded you, pulling you deeper into a vortex of sensations that threatened to consume your every thought. Bi Han's thrusts grew more forceful, his voice dripped with taunting satisfaction as he spoke, amplifying your state of lust. "-That's right, my dear. You're just a vessel for our pleasure, a cum deposit for us to fuck." -He growled, his words spurring you on even further.

Tomas, his hunger for pleasure unabated, continued his steady rhythm within the tight confines of your ass. Each movement sent waves of pleasure coursing through your body, pushing you closer to the precipice of ecstasy. He leaned forward, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispered breathlessly "-You want our cum, don't you? You want to be filled and marked as ours."

Kuai Liang pushed you further onto his cock, as you felt his balls hit your chin, he moaned loudly as he smiled roguishly seeing you a mess, lost in the unbearable vortex of heat and pleasure. "-(Y/N) can't even speak, like a stupid whore with my dick in his/her/they mouth, you really are little cocksucker, with three dicks in your little holes uh?"

©YANDERESTARANGEL 2023

[heavyhitterheaux]

Not So Happy Birthday

AN: He should have known better

Synopsis: You have been spending a lot of time with Ace planning something for Jack and you wanted to get everything just right. Too bad everything blows up in your face.

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Reader

Requested by: a beautiful anon 💖

Appearances by: @nattinatalia and @hoodharlow 😘😘

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

It was 2 am and Jack was sleeping peacefully next to you. When you had heard his light snores,  you took advantage of that and were texting Ace to help you plan a surprise birthday party for your boyfriend of three months.

Jack had asked you to visit him on tour and you quickly agreed. You had that advantage seeing that you worked at your parent's company and could come and go as you pleased.

You were what people called a trust fund baby. You didn’t have to work, but you chose to, wanting to say that you earned something for yourself. 

You were introduced to Jack by Ace after the two of you had met and hooked up, but it didn't go anywhere. The two of you remained close and became really good friends and he got the bright idea of introducing you to Jack. When that happened, you could have sworn that your heart stopped when you saw these blue eyes.

Even though the relationship was still fairly new, you found yourself wanting to spend all your free time with him if both of your schedules allowed it. 

Your best friend Blanca was excited for you since she couldn't remember the last time she saw you so happy, but she also happened to have no problem threatening Jack and told him that if he hurt you to count his days. 

While your other best friend Jessica was just happy that you found something else to occupy your time with instead of just work.

The idea that you came up with for the party is that it would be Louisville themed so Jack could have a little taste of home while being on tour. You knew it did get hard sometimes, so you decided that you would do what you could in order for him to fill the void without actually being home. You had also planned to fly out his parents, grandparents, as well as Clay on your family’s private jet and everything would take place in one of the vacation houses that your parents owned.

The current conversation with Ace centered around what type of cake you thought he would want and the different foods to have. Urban, Quiiso, 2fo and Shloob were going to help you go and pick out a gift for him tomorrow. They were all in on the plan and the only other person you wanted to tell was Druski. Jack told you that he would be coming later in the week and you will fill him in on the details then. 

Ace- OPEN BAR!

You- Ace! My baby doesn’t drink! We all know this!

Ace- Okay, but I do! And I’m helping you plan this soooo once again, OPEN BAR!

You- Okay, okay! I’ll have the open bar, and I can ask our private chef if he can do the food, or should we get it catered from somewhere? Like this is more so an intimate setting with all of his closest family and friends

Ace- Get Morris Deli sandwiches

You- Ace, imma smack you. NO.

Ace- What in the world is your private chef going to cook? Spoiled ass smh

You- Hmm, I’m thinking of multiple options. Chicken, fish, beef, and then we have our vegetarian options so that everyone can have something to choose from that they like. And of course all of Jack’s favorites

Ace- His favorite is you

You- But I cannot be spread eagle on the dinner table 

Ace- Says who?!? Jack will only want to be around you anyway, ever since he laid his eyes on you it’s like we don’t exist

You- Stop being dramatic

Just then you felt Jack move closer to you and wrap his arms tighter around you and whisper in your ear.

“Mamas, why are you still up? You complained about wanting to go to sleep and you're steadily typing away on your phone. Put it down and go to sleep.”

“Okay, just one more thing that I have to do and then I will, I promise.”

“Baby, you stay overworking yourself and I thought I told you about that.”

“But!”

“I get it, you’re a perfectionist and when you want things done a certain way you do them yourself, but you have all day to do that. Come and cuddle with me please.”

How could you say no to that?

You- He’s awake so we shall continue this conversation later

Ace- And snails better not be on the menu either with your bougie ass

You- Imma order them from room service to you in the next city we go to

Ace- 😐😐😐😐

You put your phone on the charger as Jack kissed your shoulder and you then fell into a peaceful slumber.

It was around 6 am when you had also dragged Ace to wake up and go to the gym downstairs in the hotel with you.

As much as he put up a fight, he finally agreed and you let Jack sleep in.

“We only slept for four hours! I’m tired!” Ace whined as you began to warm up on the treadmill.

“Stop being a big baby! I have to use all of my free time to plan this so that he doesn’t find out. I want this to be special for him. He’s worked so hard and definitely deserves this.”

“Are you at least buying me breakfast after this?”

“Did you not hear anything I just said?! All you’re focused on is eating and going back to sleep.”

“Do you blame me?! Since no, you and your family are the types to wake up on Thanksgiving ad run a fucking 5K. Jack has no idea what he has gotten himself into. And quite frankly I don’t know either, but I WANT OUT!”

“Did I ever mention how dramatic you were? Now I have to go finalize the details for his cake and pick up one of the gifts that I got him today and Neelam knows the deal. Keep him distracted so that he doesn't suspect anything. If worse comes to worse, I went shopping and that really isn’t a lie… and… Ace you can lift heavier than that. That’s only five pounds.”

“I’m a beginner, do not shame me.”

“This isn’t Planet Fitness and you are not a beginner so I am shaming you. Get those 40s and stop playing around. The sooner we get done, the better.”

“Are you this hard on Jack when he works out with you?”

“The only working out with him that I’ve ever done is sex so no.”

“And I did not need to know that.”

“Well you asked.” You answered Ace while shrugging and going over to the bar to do squats.

When you and Ace had finished, the two of you went back upstairs to your rooms to get ready for the day and you walked in to see Jack looking like he just woke up and was rubbing his eyes.

“Baby, where’d you go?”

“Downstairs to the gym, I dragged Ace with me and now I’m going to shower and I promised him that I would buy him breakfast for waking him up so early. Just didn’t say when he was going to get the breakfast. Maybe he’ll get it next week from me.”

“Not you making the man work out and not feeding him. Your workouts be hard as hell and that’s the least you can do. I am never working out with you. The most work out you’ll get out of me is giving you this dick and that’s it.”

“You two are definitely friends because he complained the entire time too. My workouts are not that bad.”

“Baby, 2fo couldn’t walk for three days after he went to the gym with you, I’ll pass. But, you know we could always save water since I have to get ready too.” Jack answered you while wiggling his eyebrows.

All you did in response was peel off your workout bra and let it land on the floor and Jack’s eyes went wide quickly following you into the bathroom. 

Druski came a few days earlier than expected, and you hadn’t been able to get a chance to talk to him because he always happened to be around Jack.

You would try to pull him to the side tonight while Jack was performing to tell him the plan and explain what was happening, but it seemed as if he had been a little standoffish towards you since the other day. He saw you along with Ace having lunch in the city and kind of stood a little to the side so that the two of you wouldn’t notice him. The two of you had gotten hungry on your excursion of trying to find yet another gift for Jack so the two of you stopped to get food. Little did you know Druski had taken pictures and sent them to Jack. But that wasn’t all, this had happened every day since he had been there and noticed how if he saw Ace, that you weren’t far behind and the last thing he wanted was for one of his good friends to get hurt. 

Jack didn’t quite know how to feel when Druski told him and sent him the pictures.

He had told you about his trust issues and that his last relationship ended because he ended up getting cheated on.

But that wasn’t it.

He got cheated on and she got pregnant by the person that she cheated on him with.

So when Ace came to him and told him about you, he had his hesitations, but Ace insisted that Jack give you a chance and he finally agreed. 

He knew that the two of you had hooked up in the past, but Ace assured him that he had no feelings for you whatsoever and that the two of you were just friends.

Now if that were true, why were you all over the city with Ace and it was just the two of you? And every day?

When he sat down and thought about it, you had been blowing him off to spend time with Ace and now he knew what he had to do.

He wasn’t about to get hurt again, so he needed to end it before it got to that point.

You had gotten Jack a specialized necklace that had ‘KY’ on it and was making your way back to the hotel to put it away before tonight’s show. It came in handy to know multiple jewelers in different states as well as different countries. 

There were still about two weeks to go until the actual party, but everything was just about ready and set into place.

You were excited to be able to do this for your boyfriend and couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.

He had spoiled you early on in your relationship and you wanted to be able to return the favor. 

Once you reached your shared hotel room with Jack, you walked in to see your suitcases by the door and Jack sitting on the bed with a defeated look on his face. 

“Umm, did I miss something? Is everything okay?” You asked while trying to come closer to Jack, but he immediately got up and moved away from you.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” You asked while setting the bag down that contained his necklace on the nightstand.

“I should have known it was too good to be true, so you can take your shit and this plane ticket and go the fuck home. I don’t need to be cheated on again. And the fact that you did this knowing my trust issues? You got some fucking nerve.”

“First of all, what? And second of all, I would NEVER cheat on you.”

“Well that’s the same thing she said and she did and ended up getting pregnant in the process.”

“Jack, where is this coming from?!”

“It doesn’t matter, you got caught.”

“I didn’t get caught because I didn’t even do anything. You know how much I care about you!”

“Do I?” Jack asked and your breath hitched in your throat.

“I would never. I know how it feels too so why in the world would I do that to you?! You won't even tell me who I apparently cheated on you with!”

“It doesn’t even matter anymore. Here’s your ticket and I want you gone by the time I get back from my show.” Jack said while leaving it on the bed and slamming the door behind him.

You were at a loss for words and immediately started to cry.

Confused, hurt were just a few things that you were feeling and you just didn’t understand how the two of you had gotten to this point.

You looked down at the ticket to see that the flight was for 7 PM which was two hours from now and decided to catch an uber to the airport.

If he wanted you gone, he was going to get his wish.

And he better not come crawling back to you either once he realized what he did.  

Jack’s show was about to start and Ace was looking all over for you since he had a suggestion about the party and wanted to run it by you. He went to go ask Jack and when he went into his dressing room, he saw him with a pissed off look on his face and Druski not even acknowledging his presence.

“Where’s Y/N? Has anyone seen her?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Druski said and Ace looked at him confused.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Jack, where is your girlfriend?”

“Ex-girlfriend and she should be on a plane going home by now 30,000 feet in the air.” 

Ace was immediately confused.

“What? Why? What happened?”

“You two happened, that’s what. I should have known that it was too good to be true talking about we only hooked up once, but we’re still friends and don’t have feelings for each other.”

“Because we fucking don’t! I’ve been trying to get at one of her best friends, Blanca! So where the fuck is this coming from? As much as she talks about you and how highly she talks about you, ain’t no way in hell she would cheat, especially with me!”

“Then what the fuck were yall doing all cozy and shit this entire week?” Druski asked and Ace immediately got quiet.

“Don’t get quiet now. I have the pictures to prove it.” Druski added while Jack was simply scrolling through his phone trying to not think about his girlfriend cheating on him with one of his best friends.

“Pictures to prove what exactly? Her planning a surprise party for him for his birthday in two weeks? Is that it? Because that’s what we’ve been doing and she’s actually been doing this for an entire fucking month.” 

“Wait, what?” Jack asked while putting his phone down and looking at Ace.

“Now you really thought I would hurt you like that and sleep with your girlfriend when all she asked for was my help because she wanted to do something special for you? All she does is talk about you.”

“Oh shit.” Druski muttered while looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Here, you can check my text messages to her to prove it.” Ace said while handing Jack his phone and he began scrolling to see that he was in fact telling the truth.

“You’re more of a dumbass than I thought and now you’ve probably lost her for good. She deserved better than you kicking her off tour and sending her home all because of a miscommunication and you probably didn’t even give her a chance to explain. And knowing Blanca, she is not going to let you anywhere near her because I know she’s going to tell her what you did. So congratulations, you just fucked up your relationship with a girl who would do absolutely anything for you. Oh, should I mention that the party was going to take place at one of her family’s vacation houses, with a private chef and she was flying in your parents, grandparents as well as Clay? You don’t deserve any of it for how you treated her.”

All Jack could do was sit there in utter disbelief.

“And Druski, the next time, I mean if there is one since you know Y/N is probably done with his ass and might be done with me too since I introduced them to each other, just fucking ask me.” Ace said before slamming Jack’s dressing room door behind him.

“I..” Druski started to say, but Jack immediately held up his hand to cut him off.

“You better come up with a good fucking plan in order for me to get my girlfriend back since all of this is your damn fault.” 

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[askcarlislecullen]

Will you and your family all live together one day again? Maybe even anytime soon?

You know, I very rarely answer questions that are at the top of my inbox. These days, I sift through them with a good bit of discrimination and some of them sit for years and still others I never deal with. But this is a provocative question which the asker may not realize is very timely, as Esme and I are preparing our home to be closed for a month while we make what has now become an annual sojourn to Europe. So as we pack, and prepare gifts, and reminisce, and think about the time soon to come with our children less than two weeks from now, we have also been asking ourselves this rather thorny question.

And I think—I think—I am at peace with the fact that the answer is likely no.

I never intended to be the leader of a large coven. No one is more surprised than I that seven others found fit to stay with me all these many years. That those I turned chose to stay, and that two others saw reason to travel and hold out for years to find us, and that my daughter-in-law chose to join us in this very life will never stop being surprising to me.

We've lived in many configurations in the little over a century we've lived as a coven of two up to a coven of eight. As a man and his brother in law, as a man and wife and her brother, as a couple and their boarders, as two couples and their brother. It wasn't until Alice and Jasper joined us that we even broached choosing cover stories that more closely resembled the family we imagined ourselves to be, and even then, some frequent and sudden moves in the early days there necessitated that we take different covers and often, live apart.

Then came those intense seven years over the turn of the last decade, in which our sense of family was abruptly sharpened as if by a gravitational pull by raising our miracle child. We got to experience for the first time the visceral realness of existing as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents. And if I had to put a finger on it, I suspect it was that moment, of for once, not playacting at being a family, that allowed our family to evolve.

The distance forced upon us by the pandemic was painful, I won't lie. But this new reality where we can travel when we choose to, when our adult children or our adult granddaughter and her fiancé freely come to us for a spell and then go their way, is strangely healthy.

I lay a great deal of blame for the dysfunction of our family dynamic squarely at my own feet; when I turned Edward I needed badly his adoration and his unwavering love. I needed someone to guide, to counsel, to bring into manhood. But there was always a part of me that was a little bit afraid of letting him fully step into that manhood, holding an iron grip, terrified that if my child was no longer a child, I would lose the identity that a century ago saved my life. And without consciously intending to, I arranged everyone else so that I wouldn’t have to let that go.

Isabella and Renesmee changed that. When Edward became a husband, and so soon after, a father himself, our relationship shifted. And I found that in adding "Renesmee's grandfather" to my identity, much to my relief, I didn't cease being "Edward's father" but that there was suddenly room for me to live even more fully into being "Esme's husband" and also sometimes just "Carlisle."

I put up less of a façade with my children now. It is easier to admit to them when I also am afraid or worried or sad. They in turn don't seem to worry as much about pleasing or disappointing me. We feel free to treasure one another's company, and, when we feel we can't treasure it, to be apart.

Now does this mean the ten of us will never again be under one roof? Hardly. For one, we already regularly do this for weeks at a stretch twice a year now, in the summer and in the winter. To say nothing of the fact that time periods which are long for humans are devastatingly short for us—in the future, we might choose to live together for years, or even a decade or more, who knows. But we will do so with the changed understanding that the arrangement is temporary, for however long "temporary" is.

And I suspect that is, in fact, the way we should've thought of it all along.

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Crew for Stan series Scrublands: Silver reflect on ideal coastal destination for TV production

written by Warren Hately | Augusta Margaret River Times

Producer Martha Coleman with actors Luke Arnold and Bella Heathcote alongside director Ben Young. Credit: David Dare Parker/Photograph by David Dare Parker

The cast and crew of Stan crime drama Scrublands have reported mixed feelings about their pending wrap on their season two shoot in Augusta.

Production has taken over the seaside town and brought a welcome boost to the economy at the outset of winter, before filming concludes on July 12.

Rhetoric aside, co-producer Martha Coleman from Third Act Stories and the Australian show’s leading stars expressed a deep fondness for the coastal hamlet.

Coleman told the Times the visiting film crew quickly felt at home in Augusta after residents embraced the production and opened their doors and businesses to the cast, which included lead actors Bella Heathcote and Luke Arnold.

But Coleman said many genuinely felt there was something “incredibly special” about Augusta and its surrounds and she urged local authorities to protect its existing character against future over-development.

“It’s like a coastal town from my childhood in that it hasn’t been ruined,” Coleman said.

“It’s not become something it’s not.

“It’s like the gift that keeps giving. We’ve got all of our locations there.”

Operating under the code name Silver, the Stan series sees Arnold’s journalist character return to his WA home town with his girlfriend, played by Heathcote.

As is typical of crime dramas, things soon turn pear-shaped.

Arnold said he appreciated the warm welcome from the Augusta community.

“It didn’t take long for people to start talking about wanting to move here,” he said.

“We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful location both on-screen and off.

“Everybody is filling their weekends with incredible food, wine, and adventure.”

Coleman and Heathcote also talked up the region’s scenic beauty.

“Augusta is so stunningly beautiful and the people here have been nothing but warm and welcoming,” Heathcote said.

“The best thing about shooting in pre-existing locations is that it feels like I’ve been taken on this weeks-long tour of the town: from the lighthouse to Ellis Street Jetty and everything around and between.

“I’ll be sad to say goodbye.”

Coleman said scoping for the series was undertaken during a magical summer, but when wintry conditions set in on day one of shooting at the Ellis Street Jetty, the directors chose to lean into the powerful natural feel of the region.

That included long days shooting at Flinders and Hamelin Bay, which had transformed since summer from a pristine white-sand beach to a wild and seaweed-wracked locale.

“We shifted our focus on the location not being pristine, but powerful,” the co-producer said.

“We wanted a coastal town that hasn’t yet been gone over by the developers.”

Coleman herself had moved her company back to Perth during the pandemic and the partnership with east coast company Easy Tiger — rumoured to be shooting some additional scenes in Augusta for their separate production The Twelve — mean idyllic places like the town and other parts of the Margaret River region are likely to appear in future shows.

Coleman said despite the stiff drive from Perth, the region was relatively well set-up to support a burgeoning film industry and local and State authorities had “bent over backwards” to smooth out any problems.

The biggest challenge faced was with telecommunications.

The region’s woeful broadband and phone system have raised the ire of South West creatives for years, and while the Stan production had its own unit van to help when in dead zones like Hamelin Bay, greater investment was needed on that front if authorities wanted to get serious about supporting local creative industries, she said.

Source: The West Australia

[valiantvillain]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tag @mxanigel. And here's for posting my first WIP Wednesday on here too.

Characters: Miraz (half-orc Tav) x Astarion

No pressure tags: @malabadspice, @mightymizora

--------------

She found Astarion lounging outside his tent, gazing up at the sky, the epitome of indolence and ennui. Almost as if he had purposefully posed himself. It would have made for quite the romantic image…for a teenage girl. She had half a mind to leave the man to his musings and go to bed before he noticed her. He could have just glanced her way and ignored her, but no, he had to regard her, take in her presence. She folded her arms, expectant. 

“It’s quite a sight,” he said in that sultry saccharine voice that made her eye twitch. “The stars, I mean. I could take or leave your chin.”

So could most people in her experience. The modest underbite and tusks tended to offset an otherwise picturesque image. An impassive hum buzzed behind her lips. Miraz chose to humor him and turn her eyes up toward the night sky. 

Most dusks in Baldur’s Gate ushered in a thick blanket of starless night, shades of softened sapphire in summer and inky blackness during the colder months. Stars tended to hide in the city, fading away in the light of the sea of lanterns and glowing fireplaces. What few you saw were usually dim and elusive. She had once gotten a telescope for her birthday, a gift from one of the priests at the temple of Helm who had known her since she was a babe. Those gleaming points of light in the distance had been pretty but she had always preferred the flicker of flames with their warmth and their smoldering embers, the smells of incense and woodsmoke mingling with the evening air. It was drinking wine by the hearth after a holiday meal, it was reading books by candlelight under blankets, it was near and alive. What did she care for spying on stars? 

Out here in the wilderness however, hundreds or possibly thousands of miles away from so much as a village, it was as if she were looking out across an entirely different sky. It held so many more colors here, an ever shifting gradient of greens and blues and more stars glittering at one time than she had ever seen in her entire life. It seemed so much more expansive as well, without all the walls and buildings to cage it in, like it went on forever, less like staring into an abyss and more like observing an endless ocean. She supposed the stars did have their charm. 

“I guess they are beautiful tonight, in their way,” she mused with a shrug. Still not her cup of tea, but she could perhaps understand why another would appreciate them. 

“I can see the stars from Baldur’s Gate, of course, but not with such clarity,” he replied, drawing her gaze back towards him. He had a preference for speaking in a slow, languid drawl she noticed. It struck her as odd for someone who talked so much. “It got me thinking. Reflecting on what tomorrow might bring, when we find the druid Halsin. Will he know how to bring the worm under control? Will this little adventure of ours be over?”

Again with controlling the tadpole instead of getting rid of it. Why the insistence? And to what end? Miraz had a hard time buying that their newly acquired ability to read minds was a portent of something greater. Certainly not anything with consequences that far outweighed the benefits. For that was always how it went, wasn’t it? Power but at an inevitably unbearable cost. In this case, likely turning into soulless tentacled monsters. She for one would be glad when they found a cure and concluded this misadventure. Besides, given how Astarion rolled his eyes so often she thought they would stick that way whenever she so much as contemplated a charitable act, she doubted he would mourn the loss of her company when this was all over, nor she his. 

Yet he watched her with intrigue, as if waiting for something more than just a conversational answer.

She scoffed, allowing herself the barest tug of a smirk at her lips. “What? Will you miss me?”

“Ha! Why not?” Well, to his credit, he had laughed as he rose to his feet, though it was short bark of a sound. Dare she say it, he seemed satisfied, impressed even, as if he had found whatever he had been looking for in her words. Like he had found just the right foothold to scale up a wall. “You’ve been to the hells and back. Survived the crash. Survived everything that’s followed. I’m not easily impressed by people, but you’re stronger than I gave you credit for.”

Miraz could say the same of him, though her expectations had been low to say the least. After his initial poor attempt at trying to kill her, she had suspected they would end up babysitting him more than anything else, especially given the demeanor she had come to associate with nobles who hadn’t worked a day in their life. He had surprised her, however. The elf proved to be a damn good shot and hardly shy when it came to fighting in close quarters. Nor did he utter a complaint when he ended a battle as drenched in blood as she did. Add in his skill at finessing a lock to open or disarming a trap and he was turning out to be more useful than she once thought. 

Still, when it came to the matter of authenticity or sincerity, to say she didn’t trust the man as far as she could throw him would have been far too generous. More apt to say she didn’t trust him as far as Gale could throw him. To say nothing of the fact of how he seemed to watch her with more than a hint of disdainful distrust. 

“I thought you didn’t like me.” She kept her voice even, cool and nonchalant as if observing the weather. A simple statement of fact. 

For a fraction of a moment, she thought she saw his brow twitched, a short unexpected hitch in his demeanor. A moment’s hesitation before the wheels in his head once again turned. 

“You have your charms…more than you think,” he said with the hint of a smirk and the artful sweeping of a singular bow. 

Ah, was it her turn then? Had the process of elimination gone so horribly awry that he was left with no other option than the half-orc for whatever it was he hand in mind? She was used to being everyone’s last resort at this point, though that didn’t make it sting any less. These days she shielded herself by refusing to entertain the idea of flirtation. It was easier that way. Fewer games to play and fewer headaches to deal with. Astarion was scarcely different from all the charming boys who had been dared by their cantankerous friends to put their skills to test with her. She had fallen for it once as a girl, gone farther than she had ever cared to had she known beforehand. He bore the same rehearsed look of pleasant interest. A smile on his pretty pillowy lips that was a touch too composed, a bit too perfect. Like a shopkeep straining the very boundaries of his politeness to deal with a difficult customer and still get their money. It was a performance and nothing more, a means to some end she had yet to determine. Whatever “charms” he claimed she possessed, they were a lie. It was always a lie. 

“Watch yourself, Astarion,” warned Miraz coolly, schooling her features into a neutral expression. 

His disappointment was swift, gone nearly as soon as it appeared to give way to a grin of playful admonishment. “Oh, you’re no fun.” 

Certainly not his sort, of that she was certain. She rolled her eyes before turning on her heel, calling over her shoulder. 

“Good night, Astarion.” 

“Sleep tight,” he called back, a little too exuberant for her liking. “I’ll see you later, I’m sure.” 

She had rebuffed him, yet even as she sauntered away, his eyes followed her, burning into the back of her skull. It was almost enough to make her shudder. 

[oneunexpected]

This, I think, is my best chapter-by-chapter playlist so far, especially in the last eight or so songs. It's for Marks of Secret, and I hope you all enjoy! Listen along here.

1 - Symphony no. 5, mvt II by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - This is a looooong chapter. It mostly establishes where Gregor’s family is at after the events of Curse of the Warmbloods. I didn’t really have a song in mind for it, and I still don’t. Maybe one day I’ll come back and change this, but for now it’s the second movement from Tchaikovsky’s second movement, because it’s got a little sadness, a little contentedness, a random jumpscare (like the Bane), and this chapter has all of that.

2 - Paranoid Android by Radiohead - The Bane is moody and unstable and so is this song! When Thom Yorke sings, “When I am king, you will be first against the wall,” I think about the Bane and Ripred. Another line I like is “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly / Kicking, screaming Gucci little piggy.” Pearlpelt’s our Gucci little piggy, deluded on all the things Twirltongue’s promised him.

3 - No Surprises by Radiohead - Back to back Radiohead! I struggled with this choice because this chapter covers a lot and has three pretty distinct tonal shifts. I related the line “A job that slowly kills you” to Gregor’s increasing anxieties about his role as the Warrior, both in regards to Ripred’s request he help him kill the Bane, and the specter of the next prophecy, which he asks Nerissa about. The song’s lyrical content is pretty dark, but the tune is sorta peaceful, so I hope this song doesn’t take you out of the chapter’s happier moments.

4 - Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac - I wanted a song about some sort of dark temptress for Twitchtip. I don’t know many. It was either this or Jolene, and Jolene doesn’t seem quite as shadowy as Rhiannon does, so here we are.

5 - May I Have This Dance by Francis and the Lights ft. Chance the Rapper - This song is so sweet, and so is this chapter. It’s about setting down any burdens you carry to just enjoy someone’s company.

6 - Cover Me by Björk - “This is really dangerous / Cover me” are good lines for the first time Luxa really ever asks anything of Gregor. I chose this version over the album version because I like the arrangement more, but you’re welcome to check out the other version, or the remix, which is longer.

7 - You’ve Been Flirting Again by Björk - Luxa and Gregor fight a ton in this book, and I could have chosen this song for any one of those times, but process of elimination sort of led me here. The last verse in particular, “How you reacted was right” followed by “Give her some time, give her some space,” fit well in this chapter. You can almost hear Ares telling Gregor that in the dialogue.

8 - Reptilia by The Strokes - While I chose it mostly just because it sounds like a fitting song for a combat scene, I like the repeating prechorus lines, “Please don’t slow me down if I’m going too fast / You’re in a strange part of our town.” Seemed like good lines for Gregor’s out of control raging here. Lyrically, there’s plenty here to imply the narrator is sort of struggling with himself, and that his partner (or whoever he’s addressing in the song) is losing patience with him, which fit close enough with the aftermath of what Gregor does here.

9 - Just a Game by Birdie - My obligatory Hunger Games soundtrack song for this book. Chose this song for the date subterfuge — Gregor doesn’t know how much of his quick lie reflects how he really feels.

10 - Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap - “All those years / They were here first.” You might know this song from the Lonely Island/SNL digital short “Dear Sister,” one of the greatest gifts to the internet, or from its sample in Jason Derulo’s 2009 classic “Whatcha Say.” Mysterious, creepy, heartbroken, it’s everything I wanted for the picnic bunch investigating the Fount.

11 - Earth by Sleeping at Last - This is probably a little on the nose, since this is a song that uses an earthquake as an extended metaphor, but I think lyrically it works with Luxa really well here. She’s got her tough walls, but like the narrator saying, “Fault lines tremble underneath my glass house / but I put it out of my mind / long enough to call it courage / to live without a lifeline,” this is the chapter where she learns she has to rely on the people in her life, namely her cousins. She needs Hazard the same way Gregor needs Boots. But she needs Howard, too, because as tough as she is, sometimes she needs someone to take care of her sometimes.

12 - Your Best American Girl by Mitski - Gregor and Luxa talk about the date subterfuge, and they both sort of mutually imply that if they weren’t (very literally) living opposite lives, they’d be interested in one another. This song captures that sort of cultural divide and yearning in spite of it.

13 - Shout by Tears for Fears - I’m jumping the shark. I had no clue what to use here. I went with this to try to represent Howard as a moral compass. I got nothing.

14 - Running to Stand Still by U2 - Consider this my return to form, because this was a song I knew I wanted to use from the beginning. This song is about a woman in a lot of turmoil deciding that she’s “gotta do something about where we’re going,” and, well, this chapter is about that, too. On a personal note, this song has been one of my favorites since I was a child, and I really hope you enjoy it. The last verse is so haunting: “She is raging, she is raging / And the storm blows up in her eyes / She will suffer the needle chill / She’s running to stand still.” Luxa’s decision is going to have horrific consequences. But in her eyes, it’s what’s necessary to finally be still.

15 - Joan of Arc by Arcade Fire - Luxa is the Joan of Arc in question here, the Regalian’s “muse,” as the song puts it. Gregor’s upset with Luxa, and he questions his place in the upcoming war, which I thought fit well with “I’m the one with the heavy heart / ‘Cause I’ll follow you.”

16 - The Ruler and the Killer by Kid Cudi - Thank you once again to the Hunger Games for delivering me a song about themes Suzanne used in both series. This is a great song for the version of the Bane we see in this chapter, who is a compelling orator rallying his troops to do something unspeakably evil — even though we don’t know the extent of his atrocity yet. “When I talk, you should listen / All of you belong to me / Come on, we should get it going / Now what I want is specific, hey hey.”

17 - Butchered Tongue by Hozier - How kind of Hozier to release this song last week! We learn a little more about the extent of the Regalians’ colonizing behavior here, and since that’s done largely through discussing the different languages in the Underland (and how not knowing English can be a death sentence for other creatures, as it nearly was for the Scorpions), I thought this song was a good fit. Also, it sounds cool.

18 - Ribs by Lorde - I chose this song for the moment Luxa and Gregor have here, when they’re just enjoying one another’s company, feeling very far from the war waiting for them. Gregor reminds himself soon he’ll leave her land forever, but it’s no comfort. Lorde laughs with a favorite friend “‘til her ribs get tough,” but like Gregor, she knows “that will never be enough” to sustain their relationship in the face of lost innocence and the passage of time.

19 - Redbone by Childish Gambino - Since this song is about paranoia in a relationship and the sense of being surveilled (or even stalked), I chose it for the discussion about the rats that attacked Gregor under the palace, and Luxa and Howard’s anger at Ripred and Gregor for not taking the gnawers’ omnipresent threat.

20 - The Night We Met by Lord Huron - This is Gregor and Luxa’s biiiig fight, the one that clues in Ripred to Gregor’s attraction to Luxa. I chose this song for Gregor’s haymaker, the suggestion that Luxa and Gregor could forget that they ever met each other, mirrored in the repeating line, “Take me back to the night we met.” I also like the lyrics, “I am not the only traveler / Who has not repaid his debt.” When he’s cooling down from the fight, Gregor thinks about how much he and Luxa owe each other, how interconnected their lives have become and that reminds me of those lines.

21 - Never Tear Us Apart by INXS - I think this is a good song about the relationship bonds have and their devotion to one another. I particularly like it for Ares and Gregor, especially because the chorus reminds me of the circumstances of their bonding. “I was standing / You were there / Two worlds collided / And they could never tear us apart.” This chapter is one of the most important moments for Ares and Gregor’s relationship. Ares has to give his trust up completely to Gregor to “let him fly for a change,” as Gregor says, and I think Gregor’s behavior is so touching, whether for his insistence that he be the one to bring Ares in, or the way he rambles reassurances to keep Ares calm. Ares begging Gregor not to leave him is like a punch to the stomach every time I read it. I wanted this chapter’s song to reflect how unshakable their relationship has become.

22 - O Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - I won’t try to analyze this song too much because I’d be here too long, but I encourage you guys to go read the lyrics to it, because I think they’re all impactful. One of the verses that led to my selection was “Poor old Jim’s white as a ghost / He’s found the answer we lost / We’re all weeping now, weeping because / There ain’t nothing we can do to protect you.” I see Cartesian as Jim, finally getting the horrific proof of what he always suspected — the gnawers are trying to kill all of the nibblers.

23 - Mothers of the Disappeared by U2 - This song was written about the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, the mothers of the activists and political dissidents forcibly disappeared — that is to say, kidnapped, tortured and murdered — by the United States-backed Argentine military junta that ruled from 1976 to 1983. I encourage you all to read about the Madres, because they were remarkable, and if you’re American, I think this is a historical event you need to know about. I think it is up there among the worst things this country has ever been responsible for. But I digress. I chose this song for its lyrics, a very poetic depiction of witnessing political violence, and the beautiful expression of grief in the music. The last two verses are haunting: “Night hangs like a prisoner [God, what a line] / Stretched over black and blue / Hear their heartbeats / We hear their heartbeats / In the trees, are sons stand naked / Through the walls, our daughters cry / See their tears / In the rainfall.” The picnic squad are the only witnesses of what’s happened, the only ones left to “hear their heartbeats,” and it sets the course for the rest of the series — and really, each one of their lives.

24 - The Unforgettable Fire by U2 - On the nose, but I chose this song to use the volcano itself as the unforgettable fire in question. “Walk on by, walk on through / Walk ‘til you run / And don’t look back / For here / I am” reminded me of Gregor when he’s trying to find the rest of his party or a way out of the ash or… anything, really, to save him from his situation. I don’t know what I’d interpret the “I” to be in that situation. The nibblers? The volcano? His despair? It all seemed to fit.

25 - Fly On by Coldplay - When Pandora dies, Luxa tells Howard that she’ll “fly with him always,” which is what reminded me of this song. The song goes, “Fly on, right through / Maybe one day I’ll fly next to you,” which to me fit well with Howard teaching Hazard how to carry the memory of his loved ones.

26 - Orphans by Coldplay - I don’t know why it seems like any time I use the same artist more than once for one book, I use them back-to-back, but I love this song for this book. Get ready for some serious lyrical dissonance. It’s a happy-sounding song, but it’s about how war tears lives apart. I chose it for the refrain, “I guess we’ll be raised on our own, then / ‘Cause I wanna be with you ‘til the world ends / I wanna be with you ‘til the whole world ends,” which reminds me of Gregor and Luxa at the end of this chapter. The idea of kids who sort of have to raise themselves fits well for both of them, too.

27 - Trouble in Town by Coldplay - Okay, I know three in a row is a little ridiculous. I mostly liked the way this song sounded for Gregor and Ares speeding back to Regalia to warn the city about the impending attack, and because it’s from the same album as “Orphans,” it was already on the brain.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for separating from my (now ex) groom to protect her?

So I've been involved with this situation where whoever holds a certain title gained through combat gets to be my future groom thanks to my rotten father, and while before I was trying to get to Earth to escape it all, the title ended up being (accidentally) won in a duel by this girl who chose to fight for me when she barely even knew me, since she didn't like how my previous groom was treating me. I did still want to go to Earth after this, but over time, I began getting to know her better, and eventually, I didn't want to or have to run away, all because of her, and now all I want is to be with her.

The problem is her mother, as well as everything around the duels which got her the title of my groom in the first place. My ex-groom would do anything her mother tells her, and told me once that she would even go as far as killing if her mother told her to, because she believes every word her mother tells her and thinks she's always right, even when I'm not sure that her mother has her best intentions in mind, especially because I know that her mother has mostly revenge in mind at this point. I confronted her mother about this, and told her to keep my ex-groom away from everything involving her revenge and the duels, since I just want her to be safe from it all.

Eventually, we agreed on a plan which would keep my groom safe, which is where I may be TA. My father has been in a coma for a while now, but he had a secret project that I had taken his place in earlier due to my groom's mother, as well as a lot of power in the business world, and my groom's mother wanted me to take over his company as well. I agreed, but another condition was added, one which would get my groom out of the picture, but would still probably hurt her. For what had just become my 17th birthday, the age at which I want meant to be married, I organized a duel between my groom and the guy who was my groom before her. The terms were set so that if the guy who was previously my groom before won, he would not only become my groom, but he would take what my groom used to battle with him, which was an important stake due to it both removing my groom from the duels and being an important part of my groom's mother's own plans, though I knew it would hurt my groom further, because she basically saw it as a sister. The thing is, I rigged it against her, since I installed an app onto her handbook which would shut down her mech entirely and cause her to lose.

When she was fighting and I was about to cause her to lose, she began talking about how much she was looking forward to marrying me and being with me, which made it very difficult to cause her to give up our relationship, but I caused her to lose anyways, and afterwards, I took back the title of my groom rom my now ex-groom, gave her back a gift she gave me before and said goodbye, while trying to distance myself from her to make it easier for her to move on.

I feel horrible about it now. I know I hurt her, but I know I needed to to protect her. I'm not in her life anymore, but neither is her mother, so she's safe from her revenge, and neither are the duels she was part of, so she's safe from that all. I know there's no true freedom from the weapons used in those duels, but she's not being controlled anymore, she's safe and I hope that she's begun to move on and live life without anybody else's control or influence. I hate going on without her, and saying it's painful to go on with her mother's plans instead of spending every day with her would be an understatement, but I know I kept her safe. Still, I did take everything from her just to keep her safe, including what she viewed as a sister and our whole relationship, I was harsher than I would have liked to have been, I did practically publically divorce her and I didn't tell her anything because I was afraid she'd go against my attempts to keep her safe, so, I need to ask, AITA?

[the-faramir]

Extinction Curse Session 2024/04/17 Part 2

On returning to the circus grounds outside of Willowside and handing the new tent over to a team of roustabouts for setup, the party took a moment to rest and consider the next move.

Zookdar stretched his arms out above himself and to the sides. "Well! I for one, could use a drink. Think I'll head on over to the tavern to get some beer—and maybe to find a woman to keep me company!"

The others just looked at Zookdar in disbelief. "Really, Zook," Midori chided, "we need to check in and see what else is goin' on around town, and you want to go out carousin'?"

"Sure! I've earned a little break," he replied and trotted off toward the tavern. The others shrugged and ran some errands in the meantime.

Two hours later, the party met up near the Willowside town square. Zookdar appeared to be a bit tipsy and had several large, black feathers stuck on his outfit. "I met a wonderful Tengu lady at the tavern," the gnome bragged to his teammates, "and her sister!"

Meanwhile, one of the mayor's aides approached the heroes to let them know that the mayor was looking for them. He led the team to the mayor's office.

"Madam Mayor," Midori spoke up, "You're lookin' to talk to us?"

The mayor replied, "Thank you for coming all the way to Willowside. Your presence has brightened up the town quite a bit. Hmm," the mayor chose her words carefully before continuing:

“I hate to ask this, but I must for the town’s sake. I know the dinosaurs have killed some people and other folks just simply left town. But there’s perhaps something else going on out in the swamp. A few hours east of town is a gambling hall and entertainment venue called Fortune’s Hall. The owners, the Carristers, have been big supporters of the town, despite being so far outside of it. For the past few weeks, no one’s heard from anyone there—not the Carristers, not their staff, not any of the regulars who were out that way. A few people went to check, but they didn’t come back. That was about when the reports of dinosaur attacks started, so I assumed that dinosaurs got them—and the folks at Fortune’s Hall for that matter. But a few days ago, one of the horses from Fortune’s Hall showed up here in town. The poor thing had almost starved to death, and it had an unusual bite on its leg. Strangest of all, someone had written 'The Fun Never Stops' on its side in purple paint. Gristarn Vrick got the horse cleaned up and fed, but it’s too scared to head home. Something strange is going on at Fortune’s Hall, and it doesn’t seem related to dinosaurs or the Welt. I’m not sure Willowside can withstand yet another threat.

“Will you investigate it for us? I know that it’s dangerous, but you’re better able to look into this than anyone else but the Banyan Boys.”

Midori asked for clarification, "The Bunyan Boys?"

Lysander questioned, "The Beagle Boys?"

Fizzarolli inquired, "The Beastie Boys?"

Midori queried, "The Bangle Boys?"

Zookdar pressed, "The Vengaboys?"

The mayor sighed. "No, the Banyan Boys!"

The heroes answered in unison, "Never heard of them."

Rubbing her temples, the mayor explained, "Ledorick, Stirvyn, and Tashlock Banyan are the law enforcement around Willowside."

Zookdar asked, "Well, why can't you send them in?"

The mayor explained, “I’ve asked, but they think the dinosaurs got everyone and it’s too big a risk to go check it out. I won’t pretend it’s not risky, but I think there’s something other than the dinosaurs threatening our town.”

Lysander offered, "We have some time on our hands while the tent gets set up. We'll go check it out for you."

The mayor thanked the party and offered a pale lavender ellipsoid aeon stone. Lysander graciously accepted the gift.

Midori clapped her hands once and exclaimed, "Well, let's get our things, load up the circus bus, and head on out!"

In the wagon on the road to Fortune's Hall, Midori could not contain her excitement. "Once we get there an' clear out whatever bad guys're makin' trouble, the Carristers will be so grateful an' they'll prepare us a feast an' open up the bar for free drinks an' maybe let us stay to see a play! Yeah! It'll be a great time! Cause you know why? We like to party! We like, we like to party! We like to party! We like, we like to party!"

Midori began to dance in her seat and sing a punchy, vibrant song in the key of A-flat major:

🎶🎶🎶 The circus bus is coming And everybody's jumping Willowside to Fortune's Hall We are gonna have a ball

The wheels of wood are turning And lantern lights are burning So if you like to party Get on and move your body 🎶🎶🎶

Midori stopped singing. "Oh, oh, wait. We're comin' up on the blockade in the trade route. Remember, Zookdar? Where yer ass got kicked? Looks like we'll have to fight our way through dinosaurs again, but this time we'll be prepared." The wagon started to turn around the bend in the road leading to the clearing. "Everyone, welcome to Yer Ass Kick Park!"

But as the clearing came into site, there were no xulgaths, no dinosaurs, and no fallen logs blocking the road. Somebody had cleared it all!

"Huh," mused Fizzarolli, "that sure was convenient."

The rest of the trip seemed to fly by and the party's journey completed without incident. Finally, they arrived at Fortune's Hall.

[baambastic]

Who wants a giant list of various sentences and phrases I’ve collected or otherwise thought of? That could also be used as prompts.

You’re getting it regardless.

“…but I take your meaning.”

“Dashed/shattered against the rocks.”

“His gaze softened.”

“<Name> didn’t know what to say.”

“You will leave by sunset, or you will not see the morning.”

“Leave before the setting sun, or you will not see it rise again.”

“Are you calling me a coward?” “No, I am calling you defeated, <name>.”

“And they will do so again, and again, and again. And there shall be no end, for they will never run out of that which they deem evil.”

“Your god’s love is not unconditional. He does not love us, and he does not. Love. You.”

“You could sooner divert a river from its path than deny us ours.”

“His blade sang, each strike(/flash of steel) a resonant note (in the song of combat).”

“I’m not much for ____.”

“A look of faint ____ (apprehension, shock, surprise, etc.) (flitted across his face).”

“Swallowed up by…”

“You’re hip-deep in it now, and the only way out is forward.”

“Draw up plans to…”

“With a bit of luck…”

“A sensible choice.”

“, to be sure.”

“Mirth in his voice.”

“…as the crow flies.”

“…as the wolf runs.”

“Present company excluded, of course.”

“If you don’t have your own story, you become part of someone else’s.”

“My gift, given freely.”

“Anything worth doing is hard.”

“Nervous/angry people make mistakes.”

“Buzz(ing) of fluorescent lights.”

“I’ve devised a plan.”

“As he made his way to…”

“, what with…”

“We’re cut from the same cloth. You[third person]… were stitched together from a white flag.”

“Daylight’s a’wasting.”

“That’s a good reason, except it’s not.”

“You taught me to bury the dead!” (condemnation)

“We can avoid talking about this another time.”

“It was fun… until it wasn’t.”

“…been erased, yet the shadow remains.”

“He lingered by the door. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it, continuing to drum his fingers against the door’s wooden frame.”

“Instead, I let myself believe that you actually cared.”

“…under the deluge (of water/rain/etc.).”

“It buckled under his/the (ferocious) onslaught.”

“His breath caught.”

“He put a hand to his head, blinking the spots out of his eyes.”

“When have I ever __?” He remarked. “Don’t answer that.”

“…wrinkled his nose.”

“…got too grisly.”

“…in and of itself.”

“It was child’s play.”

“…(I’ll be back) before you know it.”

“She and my mom ran in some of the same circles.”

“…spent the night poring over ____.”

“I would know.”

“…but beggars couldn’t be choosers.”

“…barely fazed her.”

“…hissed in pain.”

“…went back to lazily kicking his feet in the air.”

“…with ___ in tow.”

“…slathered it with honey.”

“…riddled with bullet holes.”

“…nearly wrenched out of its socket.”

“His stomach was tying itself in knots.”

“His stomach churned.”

“His muscles/arm(s)/leg(s) screamed in protest.”

“He said, biting out each word like it had personally offended him.”

“His head pounded with every belabored step.”

“He chose not to/refused to/didn’t dignify that with a response.”

“I’ve kinda fell out of it, honestly.”

“He balked at the price.”

“It sort of fell by the wayside.”

“He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.”

“Strangers lived where his childhood ghost once walked.”

“…lifted/raised his chin defiantly.”

“The one saving grace is that…”

“That’s not how ____ work.” “Could be.” “…”

“A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” -“I think so?”

“…But I’m feeling generous today.”

“…to stop himself from saying something he’d regret.”

“…laughing too hard to dodge properly.”

“…he blurted out.”

“As the afternoon drew on towards evening…”

“…’cause you haven’t unclenched since age ___.”

“…drawing a glowing path atop the waves.”

“Today had been nice.”

“It was pretty great.”

“…is still a languid puddle of a man.”

“…sprawled out on his back.”

“…flipped him off with a cheery smile.”

“One good thing about the ocean is that it is made of water, which is wet.”

“She flowed to her feet.”

“He blinked at her.”

“This is such an insult. I’m insulted.”

“…for a minute, he forgot…”

“…but…that didn’t seem so bad.”

“…balanced precariously on his chair.”

“He moved like water, effortless and bold.”

“Wait a damn minute.”

“Your brain works in weird ways.”

“In his defense…”

“His cheeks darkened.”

“Whoop-de-freaking/fucking/dang/damn-doo.”

“…way too cute for its own good.”

“Well, now,…”

“‘I’ve got this.’” -New Chapter / Line Break- “He definitely did not have this.”

“…wrought-iron fence.”

“…as fragile as spun glass.”

“Score one for _____!”

“They’re playing fast and loose with…”

“…grinning like an idiot.”

“He raised a single, devastating eyebrow.”

As an opening line: “_____ was smaller than he remembered.”

“Oh my god, you did.”

“…agreed/nodded fervently.”

“…from the light of the muzzle flashes.”

“…said under his breath.”

“…stage-whispered.”

“Don’t make me regret this.”

“I’m ready to go, but I’m not ready to, you know, be gone.”

“…pinched the bridge of his nose.”

“…squawked in protest.”

“…in half as many ____.”

“…slumped in his chair.”

“Naturally.”

“There are matters I must attend to.”

“It seemed prudent to stay in their good graces.”

“The color drained from his face.”

“He ducked his head.”

“…incandescent rage.”

“…ruddy cheeks.”

“Without knowing what he was doing, ____ agreed/listened/tugged.”

“Oh, for—you think…”

“…the tide lapping at his feet.”

“All at once, he felt his anger melt away.”

“His anger melted away all at once.”

“All the anger—that rage, that fire—rushed out of him. In its place, all that remained was a hollow pit.”

“…but I’d bet the farm that…”

“He watched in silent terror.

-She swung / pulled the trigger / pressed the button.

-And terror turned to horror.”

“…with a cheshire grin.”

“I understand. Really, I do. But…”

“Like a drop of oil on the surface of a lake.”

“Hello, old friend.”

“There you are, old friend.”

“There you are.”

“In all likelihood…”

“I burned the wool that covered my eyes.”

“A story may become truth, but it never begins as truth.”

“A great many changes come about from belief in a lie.”

“To become better, one must first believe the lie that one can be better.”

“We all lie to ourselves, you more than most.”

“You are not the kind to walk into a minefield with naught but prayers on your lips. But left deaf and blind, what else can you do?”

“All I want(ed) is/was to…”

“A teller of tall tales laid low.”

“Seize him/her/them!”

“Curse you infernal wretches!”

“Must I do everything myself?”

“Unhand me!”

“‘You know nothing of pain.’ He smiled. ‘But you will.’”

“What is it?

-Nothing I can’t handle.”

“You sanctimonious asshole!”

“Not enough to feel like it matters, but enough that how I feel doesn’t.”

“You’ve got ice in your veins. I like that.”

“There’s a certain freedom in knowing when something’s out of your hands.”

“I would not welcome death. But I do not know if I would have the strength to fight it.”

“A world and a word of difference stand only a letter’s breadth apart.”

“I’d rather keep to my own misbegotten patch of city.”

“If that be/is the price I must pay, then I have coin to spare.”

“Give ____ my regards.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“I doubt that.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“…he said ruefully.”

“You’re much too young to be telling people things you think they need to hear.”

“You’re trying to _____.

-Is it working?”

“I need some fresh air.”

“…he spat ____’s name like a curse.”

“I refuse to believe otherwise.”

“I don’t make the rules, I simply set the stage.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“When I find out, I’ll let you know.”

“You leapt at the chance…”

“We’ll talk about this later.”

“Their blood is on your/my hands.”

“This guy walks in off the street and thinks he can…?”

“I have problems, same as anyone else.”

“You’re right about that, at least.”

“…and vice versa.”

“He wordlessly moved out of the way.”

“Stand. Aside.”

“…he said carefully.”

“And what of/about you?”

“Where will you go?”

“He turned to her with pleading eyes.”

“…sent a jet of flame roaring past…”

“He gasped for air.”

“For what it’s worth…”

“You seem to have me at a disadvantage.”

“…put his fist through the door.”

“…pumped his fist in the air.”

“Be the bigger person.”

“…as befits someone of your station/status.”

“Welcome back to the land of the living, __.”

“Seize him/her/them!”

“Unhand me!”

“Godspeed.”

“A word of advice…”

“…if you catch my meaning.”

“Luckily for you…”

“You’re going to catch cold if you stay out here.”

“I’m/You’re/He’s every bit the ___ you are.”

“He tried his damnedest to…”

“I cannot tolerate loose ends.”

“If push comes to shove…”

“Life waits for no man.”

“Ugh… What happened?”

“Let’s see you wriggle (your way) out of this/that (one).”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Don’t be naïve.”

“…so let’s not and say we did.”

“Where ____ failed, ____ may yet prevail.”

“…or close to it.”

“Please accept this token of my appreciation.”

“Out of the mouth of babes.”

“The crowd was stunned into silence.”

“He loved her in a way that no one should ever call ‘love’.”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that.”

“He flew like an arrow shot from a bow.”

“Tell that to (my)…”

“Be that as it may…”

“You’re better off not knowing.”

“You’re in no position to make demands.”

“You sound just like him.”

“Do I/you/we have a choice?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“I have accepted what will come. But there is no peace in that, nor will there be.”

“I’d rather make a mistake with you than play it safe with anyone else.”

“He feigned surprise.”

“At last we agree on something.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“Much has changed in your absence / while you were away.”

“[cutting off other character’s rambling self-blame] Stop.”

“Please, you have to believe me!”

“…that familiar thrum of energy beneath his skin.”

“You have space in your heart for everyone in the world… and none left for yourself.”

“It’s so easy to suffer alone.”

“The distinction, fine as it may be, carries quite a bit of weight.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“You cling so tight to that old version of me, I’ll leave you behind.”

“Mercy makes you good, but it does not make you right.”

“The words fall through my fingers like sand through an hourglass.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

[im-just-a-br0adway-baby]

Luisa came into the school gymnasium with several boxes of decorations and put them down next to Senora Herrera, her guidance counselor who was also the head of the school’s Prom Committee. She took one of the boxes from the tower and took out a pack of streamers and three plastic table cloths. Gabriela walked towards the tower of boxes to see Luisa next to her, taking out more decorations.

“The decorations look great! Our Winter Wonderland prom is going to be running smoothly if we continue at this pace,” Gabriela said as she showed Luisa a detailed sketch of what she envisioned the gym to look like with the decorations intact.

Luisa sat on the bleachers next to Gabriela. “I’ve been waiting for prom since Isabela and Dolores told me about their prom three years ago. I was planning dress ideas with Mirabel since the beginning of the school year, and I’m planning on going dress shopping with Mami soon. You and Nova should come with us!”

Gabriela’s face lit up when she suggested going dress shopping with the Madrigals. “I would love to come with you, Luisa!”

“Awesome! Papi is great friends with the dress shop owner in the Encanto, and Isabela and Dolores got their prom dresses from her. Isabela will be coming with us since she chose her own prom dress and gave Dolores pointers on hers, and they both ended up with two of the most beautiful dresses in their graduating class.”

“Can you ask your mama when we head back to Casita?”

“Absolutely! She would love for you and Nova to come with us!”

Luisa and Gabriela got back to Casita to see Julieta with a fresh batch of arepas on the kitchen counter. Julieta gave her middle daughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Gabriela a light squeeze on the hand.

“How was your day today, ninas?” Julieta asked as she moved the batch of arepas closer to Luisa and Gabriela.

“It was great! The decorations just got delivered today and Gabriela has the perfect map of what the gym will look like!” Luisa replied before she took a bite of her arepa.

Gabriela took out her sketch pad and opened it up to the page of the sketch of the school gymnasium. “We were thinking of doing a Winter Wonderland prom this year. Here’s what I was thinking in regards to the setup.”

Julieta took a look at the sketch. It showed the gym being covered to the brim with the decorations they decided to use. “It looks like you have a vision of what you want for prom.”

“I wanted to make sure the map was as detailed as I could draw so Senora Herrerra could know what I envisioned the gym to look like on prom night,” Gabriela explained before she took a bite of her arepa.

The three talked some more about prom until Mirabel made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Her face lit up when she saw Gabriela with Luisa. Ever since her gift ceremony, Gabriela was her main source of support besides Luisa and her parents. Once she got to middle school, she developed a closer bond with Gabriela when she started tutoring her in science and helping her with homework. She gave her mother and sister a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Gabriela a small squeeze to her hand that Julieta gave her.

“Hola, Luisa, Gabriela! How was your day today?”

“We just had our Prom Committee meeting after school. We just got the decorations delivered and we should be getting started on booking the band soon.”

Mirabel took a bite of her arepa. “Eso es genial! I can’t wait to see your dresses!”

“Speaking of, mama, I wanted to ask you if Gabriela and Nova can come with us dress shopping when it comes time?”

“Absolutely! You know we love to have you and your mama in our company.”

“I’ll ask mi mama if we can come when I get home. Mirabel, are you ready for your homework help?”

“Yep! My books are in my room. Let’s go!”

Mirabel and Gabriela made their way upstairs to her room as Luisa waved at her sister and her best friend. She finished her second arepa quietly as she stared at Gabriela heading upstairs with Mirabel and Julieta got the pots out to make dinner. 

“Luisa, do you have something on your mind? You’re not usually this quiet when Gabriela’s here to tutor Mirabel.”

“It’s just that… I just… Mama, do you remember your prom?”

Julieta put the pots down and made her way to the kitchen table next to Luisa. “Is there something about prom that’s bothering you?”

Luisa hesitated before she began to answer. “I… really want to ask Gabriela to be my date to prom… but I don’t know exactly how to do it. I want it to be memorable, but I know she’s not into all that over the top stuff. Also, there’s this other girl, Sonia, who’s in her A.P. Art class, that she’s been talking about quite a lot, and I feel like she likes her a lot.”

Julieta held her middle daughter’s hand before responding. “It sounds like you really like Gabriela in that way, too. And I’m going to be honest with you, when I asked your papi to my prom when I was your age, I was feeling the same way. We’ve been dating for several months prior, but I was still nervous about asking him because I didn’t want to surprise him so much that he ended up injuring himself so severely that even I couldn’t help him.”

“Did he end up reacting that way when you did prompose to him?”

“Kind of… I got help from your tia Pepa and your tio Bruno to prepare the promposal, and we did it in the gym after school so there wasn’t a large crowd around. We knew that would put him in a permanent shock. We didn’t know that he would still be in shock regardless of how private it was. Once your papi came into the gym and saw Pepa, Bruno, and I hold up the letter signs, he fainted! He was so shocked that I asked him to prom; he fainted and we needed to take him to the nurse’s office!”

Luisa let out a light chuckle as she finished her arepa. “Did you still give him a spare arepa while he was in the nurse’s office?”

Julieta chuckled back. “Corazon, I only heal injuries and minor illnesses, I can’t wake people up when they’re unconscious. But I did give him one to heal the bump he made on his head when he hit the floor.” She put the pot of boiling water on the stove and turned it on. “After he woke up, he finally gave a response and said yes. It was the happiest day of my life at the time  and we ended up having the most magical night of our teenage lives.”

Luisa got up from her stool and grabbed a book out of her backpack. “Does that mean Gabriela’s going to faint if I ever asked her?”

“No! That’s not what I’m saying at all! What I’m saying is that it’s okay if you’re feeling nervous about asking Gabriela to prom. Even if you think she likes someone else, you should shoot your shot anyway. The worst that could happen is that she rejects it.”

“So you think Gabriela’s going to say no!?”

Julieta paused before putting the vegetables in the pot of boiling water. “Amor, Gabriela’s not going to say no. She cherishes you and the friendship you built together all these years, and she’s visibly become a lot more confident since you became friends. Nova has told me many times about how she keeps talking about you in high regards.”

Right on cue, Pepa made her way in the kitchen with Antonio in her arms and put him down when she saw Julieta and Luisa. She put her school book on the table and Pepa sat next to her.

“Tia Pepa, do you remember anything about what happened when Tio Felix asked you to his prom? I know you didn’t start dating until after he graduated.”

“She wants to ask Gabriela to prom but she’s nervous,” Julieta interrupted.

Pepa giggled and held Luisa’s hand on the table. “I remember he asked me to meet him at the school’s courtyard after school one day. He planned this elaborate promposal for me and even got Julieta, Bruno, and Agustin involved. I never admitted it until our eighteenth birthday, but I already liked Felix at the time, but never had the words to tell him until then. Once I made my way to the courtyard, I saw Felix in front and he led me over to Julieta, Bruno, and Agustin, who held up the most elaborate poster anyone could have created and I produced so many rainbows that the entire school came out to watch!”

“Were you embarrassed?”

“I was pretty embarrassed. I had the entire school staring at my rainbows that I had to hide in the bathroom until everything calmed down and Felix agreed to walk me back home. I said yes on the way back home so he didn’t feel like he was left hanging.”

“Are you saying that Gabriela might react the same way?”

“Well, she doesn’t have any gift that could potentially draw attention to her, so I don’t think she needs to worry about the whole school staring at her.”

Luisa finished her third arepa before giving her mother and tia a hug. They knew just as well as her that Gabriela hated large crowds, so they wanted to make sure Luisa plans a promposal that she would remember, without stressing her out.

“Gracias, mami, tia; I think I have something in mind that she would appreciate.”

Right after the conversation ended, Gabriela and Mirabel came back downstairs and into the kitchen to see Pepa and Antonio with Julieta and Luisa. Antonio ran over to Gabriela and she picked him up in a hug.

“Hola, Gabriela! I haven’t seen you in a long time! How has Lucia been?”

Lucia, Gabriela and Jose’s nine-year-old sister, has been close with the Madrigals, mostly Mirabel and Antonio, since Nova announced she was having another baby. She was considered another sister to the Madrigal grandkids.

“She’s been great! She just got accepted in the Gifted and Talented program for the fall, so she’s going to have her hands full next year. But things will be winding down once your gift ceremony rolls around so she’s excited to see that!”

Antonio gave Gabriela another hug before she put him back down. She went over to Pepa to give her a hug as Pepa’s rainbow shone bright above her and Gabriela. “Tia Pepa! How have you been? I’ve been so busy with the school’s Prom Committee that it feels like forever since I last saw you!”

Ever since Gabriela first became friends with Luisa, Pepa has approached Gabriela with the most caring demeanor for her, since they understood each other so well. Since then, Gabriela has seen Pepa as her own tia.

“I’ve been pretty good. Controlling my gift has been difficult but other than that, things have been bueno.”

“That’s good to hear. By the way, this may be a far-fetched question, but our prom is going to be Winter Wonderland themed, and I was wondering if you would be able to make it snow on prom night.”

Pepa smiled lightly and blushed. “I mean, I still don’t really have full control of my gift just yet, but I’ll try, just for you.”

Gabriela squealed and gave Pepa a hug. Pepa hugged her back and Luisa joined in. Julieta turned the stove off and headed back to the kitchen table.

“Luisa, Mirabel, let everyone else know that dinner’s ready. Pepa and I will set the table. Gabriela, would you like to help us set the table?”

“Absolutely! Gracias, Julieta.”

Several weeks have passed, and Luisa thought of the perfect promposal for Gabriela, with the help of Mirabel for setting it up. She asked her to meet her in the courtyard after school and made sure they were alone so she did not feel uncomfortable. She also asked Isabela and Dolores to meet her outside the courtyard so they could help her with performing the promposal. She asked them to hide in the bushes until she gave them the cue to come out.

Gabriela made her way to the school’s courtyard to see Luisa sitting at the picnic bench in the middle alone. Luisa waved at Gabriela to get her attention and she sat next to her and dropped her backpack and put it under the bench.

“Why did you want to meet me here, Luisa? Was there something you wanted to tell me in private?”

Luisa paused before she replied. “Kind of. I just wanted to tell you… you know that I cherished our friendship throughout the years, and I really want our last few months of school to be just as special.” Luisa subtly winked at the bush and Isabela and Dolores came out with letter signs spelling “PROM.” She walked over to her older sister and cousin. “I just want to know, Gabriela Perez, will you go to prom with me?” 

Gabriela smiled and ran over to Luisa to give her a hug. “I would love to, Luisa! I’ve wanted to ask you but I never really had the words to do so.”

“Really? I was scared you were going to say no.” 

“What made you think that?”

“I’ve been noticing you hanging out with Sonia and talking about her a lot, and I thought that you… liked her and wanted to ask her.”

“Oh; we had a really big project for A.P. Art that we paired up for, and that was eating up a lot of my time. She’s sweet, and I know I told you how much she has helped me, but it was not nearly as much as you have. I was actually scared YOU were going to say no because I thought I was going to mess up that badly.”

Isabela and Dolores looked at each other, smiled, and high-fived each other. Luisa and Gabriela hugged once more as Isabela and Dolores walked towards them to hug Luisa. They let each other go before Gabriela wriggled her way out.

“Do you guys want to come by my house tonight? I know I have to tutor Mirabel today but we can stop by your house to pick her up. Besides, Jose misses you two and he and Lucia want to see you guys again.”

“Sure! I’m sure Mira wouldn’t mind doing the tutoring session at your house. Besides, Lucia will be very happy to see her again.”

The months leading up to prom were the busiest for Luisa and Gabriela. Isabela helped them pick out their dresses and they never felt more beautiful. The weekend before prom, Julieta and Nova took the girls to get gel manicures and pedicures, which they had fun with together. The day of prom was the day their entire senior class left school early to get their hair and makeup done and take pictures before heading to the school.

Luisa and Gabriela went to the hair salon together and Isabela offered to do their makeup. Julieta and Nova wanted to get pictures of their daughters in front of Casita with their friends. Sonia came with her date, Juan, who was a junior, and they had a fun time talking with each other and getting pictures with Casita. Jose and Lucia also came to Casita to see the Madrigals, and they got the chance to talk and catch up with everyone.

“Luisa! I want to say that you look like a princess in your dress!” Lucia said when she walked up to Luisa and Gabriela.

“Gracias, Lucia. I do hope you get the chance to feel like a princess when you’re our age and going to your prom.” Lucia gave Luisa a hug and she lifted her up. Antonio came up to Gabriela and she lifted him also.

“You also look like a princess,” Antonio said to Gabriela.

“Gracias, Antonio. I know Lucia has been saying that to me since she first saw me in the dress, but it’s still sweet to hear it from you.”

Gabriela put Antonio down and he ran back to Mirabel. They both came up to Luisa and Gabriela and gave both of them a hug. Julieta and Pepa followed suit, along with Isabela and Dolores. Agustin, Felix, and Camilo, until Nova, Jose, and Lucia joined in and the Madrigals and the Perezes formed a group hug.

Once it was time to leave, the group bid one more goodbye to their families and made their way to the school together. While they were walking, Luisa noticed Gabriela limping her way a little bit.

“Gabriela, what’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

“Kind of; it’s just that I don’t normally wear heels so my feet hurt a little bit. But it sucks because I’m really excited to dance with everyone tonight.”

Luisa held her date’s hand as they continued walking. “You know, you can take your shoes off when you want to dance. And if you ever need a break, you can come to me and we can sit in the courtyard together.”

Gabriela hugged Luisa one more time and right in that moment, they made it to the school. Luisa’s entire senior class was there, plus several others coming as dates, and everyone was greeting each other before heading into the gym for the event. While Luisa was greeting the rest of her friends, she noticed Gabriela staying closer to her and not saying anything to anyone, even though she knew half of her class pretty well. Luisa always knew Gabriela was shy, especially around large crowds, but she also noticed how much her face lit up when she talked about how excited she was for prom.

Luisa grabbed Gabriela’s hand again and smiled at her. Gabriela looked at Luisa and smiled at her back. She squeezed her hand lightly to signal that she wants her to meet her friends in her other classes. She walked up to her friend and gave her a shy wave.

“Hola; my name is Gabriela Perez. Luisa and I are in the same literature and choir class and we’ve been friends since we were six.”

Hola, Gabriela! My name is Rosaria; I’m in Luisa’s history class. She’s been telling me all about you! ¡Es un placer conocerte!”

Rosaria came to Gabriela for a hug, but before she could touch her, Luisa tapped on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. Rosaria then gave Gabriela’s hand a light squeeze. It always made Gabriela feel welcome to know that Luisa will remind all her other friends of what Gabriela is and is not comfortable with, and that those friends will accommodate her.

Once the senior class finished greeting each other, everyone made their way into the school and headed straight to the gym. It was decorated just like how Gabriela envisioned the gym would look like in her sketches. Blue and white balloons decorated the gym from top to bottom, with a projection of snowflakes on the walls. Gabriela cried tears of joy when she saw her sketches come to life.

Luisa and Gabriela sat at a table with Sonia, Juan, Rosaria, and her date, Santiago, and they spent the night talking and dancing with each other. Once the first slow song came on, Gabriela tugged onto Luisa’s dress lightly and they made their way to the dance floor. The girls held each other and danced to the music.

“Luisa, I want to let you know that tonight was really the best night of my life. At first, I was kind of scared that it was not going to go as well as I thought it was going to be, but I’m having fun and meeting your friends was pretty awesome.”

Luisa smiled and blushed as she looked up at Gabriela. “I’m going to be honest; I was also scared you weren’t going to have a great time. I understand how important it is to you that everything turns out the way it does in your head, and I know that it takes a while for you to warm up to a lot of people in one place. I’m just happy you’re having a great time.”

Gabriela and Luisa looked at each other again until Gabriela reached up to Luisa and gave her a kiss on the lips to Luisa’s shock. It felt like the world stopped at that moment and fireworks went off in their lips. The kiss only lasted for ten seconds, but for Luisa, it felt like a lifetime. She grabbed Gabriela by the back of her head and kissed her again to feel her lips once more. They wanted to make sure the kiss lasted as long as they could because they did not want to let each other go.

Once the song ended, Senora Herrera made her way on the stage and to the microphone, holding an envelope. Luisa and Gabriela unlocked lips to listen to their guidance counselor’s speech to end the night.

“Damas y caballeros, before we end our night, it is time to announce our prom royalty! For the last two months, we asked you, the entire senior class, to cast your votes on who you wanted to become this year’s royalty.” The gym bursted with applause before Senora Herrera opened the envelope to announce the year’s prom royalty. “And our prom royalty is… Luisa Madrigal and Gabriela Perez!”

Luisa and Gabriela began crying tears of joy when they made their way to the stage. Senora Hererra put the tiaras on the girls’ heads, and put on their sashes, reading “ROYALTY” on them. Luisa made her way to the microphone to give her speech.

“Wow, I never thought I was going to be prom royalty, let alone with my best friend of almost twelve years! I’m not really the best with speeches, but I guess I can give a couple of thank yous. Of course, I want to thank Senora Hererra, for planning such an amazing prom this year and offering Gabriela’s and my help. I also want to thank the entire senior class for nominating us this year. But most of all, I want to thank Gabriela, for being the best friend I could ask for, who has spent countless hours helping my family and me, and being the biggest source of support for us. I don’t think I would be on this stage talking to you right now if it weren’t for her.”

The class applauded once more as Gabriela hugged Luisa. The yearbook photographer made his way on the stage and took a picture of Luisa and Gabriela in their sashes and tiaras. As the night winded down, Luisa and Gabriela continued dancing for the rest of the night until one more treat was given to the class.

Before the night ended, Sonia ran up to the stage and grabbed the mic from Luisa. “It’s actually snowing outside! Everyone, look!” she exclaimed as everyone in the gym made their way to the windows to see the Encanto covered in snow. Luisa and Gabriela were the last ones to run to the windows to squeeze through everyone and see the snow.

Right at that moment, Luisa noticed Pepa standing close to a shrubbery with her cloud right above her. Pepa waved at Luisa and she waved back at her tia. Gabriela noticed Pepa and also waved at her.

“She really did it! She kept her promise and made it snow at our prom!” Gabriela said excitedly as the crowd made their way back outside to dance in the snow. Luisa and Gabriela were once again the last ones to make it outside to see their entire class having the time of their lives in the snow. Gabriela ran up to Pepa and gave her the tightest hug imaginable before going back up to Luisa and dancing with her for the rest of the night until it was time to go home.

Gabriela stayed at Casita in Luisa’s room, but Luisa had to carry Gabriela back to Casita. She plopped her on her bed and layed down next to her. They both smiled and snuggled each other, drifting to sleep. They were going to remember tonight as being the best night of their lives.

[rabbiteclair]

Lobotomy Corp update:

it turns out I chose possibly the single funniest point to do my first day 1 rewind. about five minutes before shit starts getting weird.

'ha ha we are SUCH a normal company, don't worry about the blood coming out of that robot, that's probably supposed to happen.'

anyway, I like Tiphereth(s) and Chesed. Chesed is the ideal midpoint between Netzach and Yesod. does this mean he's still kinda an asshole? well yeah. but even more than Yesod, you can see how he got there.

look, nothing about this whole arrangement is healthy for anyone involved, I'm pretty sure. sometimes your coping mechanism is a nihilistic detachment from the fate of those around you.

mechanically I was rewarded for my sacrifice of the old employees with my new star pupil, Brown, the kid who wrangled my first Aleph gear and earned the matching EGO gift on the very last trip. it was a sign. forevermore will they be an unstoppable sword-toting badass wrapped in bandages. or until I reset again, whichever.

every bird is a friend, but most of them are pretty concerning kinda friends.

Laetitia is also a friend but I feel like I might think differently if I ever actually triggered those gifts. which I'm gonna do eventually just to see what is inside of them. the amount of work they put into horrible murder mechanics is inspiring, considering how diligent I am to never see most of them.

I say that as if I haven't fed like thirteen people to Singing Machine and then gone 'ohhhh wait shit they had Fortitude IV didn't they.'

although tbh I'm at the point where it no longer looks like a completely unreasonable choice to just chuck a level 3-4 agent in and let it mince them equipment and all, if that's what it takes to end a shift without disaster. One of my friends has assured me that the day will come when I consider it a bargain to feed a 5 to Backward Clock.

The Snow Queen's whole duel thing sounds cool but it's another entry on the list of 'things that sound cool and elaborate but that I'm just not gonna trigger if I can at all avoid it.' also wow the devs really like European fairy tales huh?

I already talked about it a bit before, but the deeper I get in the game, the funnier that Fragment of the Universe is to me. here is our facility full of weird monsters from the apocalyptic ruins, horrible creations from the most troubled minds on earth, fairy tale monsters, and... oh, this one? well this is an alien. like... an actual space alien. it came here to talk to us. a peaceful ambassador from the stars. yeah we locked it up in a power plant. we should probably see if SETI has like... a hotline or something to report this kinda thing.

Violet Noon can suck my entire asshole. that isn't even an Ordeal it's just a 'did you remember to move everyone? no? well say goodbye to the last twenty minutes, idiot' check

You Must Be Happy is so fucking good. like it's not really applicable to your top-tier agents, but it's fantastic for leveling a newbie far enough that they can safely work with He/Waw stuff and get piles of stat boosts.

under no circumstances will I actually keep Express Train To Hell in my facility, but I have to admit that it's incredibly funny.

Schadenfreude is straight up a sukima-onna. Like the whole 'saw somebody peering at them from a crack, starting being paranoid about it, was found in their room with every crack taped over' thing is the classic modern sukima-onna story.

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss

Who can't resist adding a little sass in their cooking?

When we wound up last time, fellow Hanna-Barberians, we were stopping at the La Crosse premi of the legendary Pleasoning Seasonings to discover just the ideal sort of seasoning for as much the table (even in a motorhome setting) as in cooking ... and it turns out we chose no less than Steak and Game Pleasoning. And never mind that we may not have all that much of either on the menu on a regular basis, we just find that the taste of Steak and Game Pleasoning is a little different.

Especially since salt and pepper seem so--last Wednesday, to use common teen argot.

Which was also uppermost on our minds in getting some for our Wisconsin Dells host, Crazy Claws, at his retreat on Lake Delton. Which is where our crew (including for the ride Yakky Doodle and Chopper, Pixie and Dixie and Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum) is heading as the day winds down and sunset approacheth, even as the tourist season in Wisconsin Dells senses a wind down with the Wo-Zha-Wa weekend seen as summer's culmination. Culmination, indeed!

Relying, in the main, on Highway 16 to reach the Dells from La Crosse as something of a more peaceful alternative ... which had Dum-Dum remarking whether there wasn't anything better for a prelude to the fall with Crazy Claws over some sparkling water and fruit juice.

... and as sunset makes its way to the Dells, Crazy Claws couldn't resist the urge to greet us, and especially so at sunset beside the legendary Artificial Lake Delton. And boy, was he surprised--SURPRISED!!--at the Steak and Game Pleasoning purchased him as a gift for as much cooking as table at his retreat, prompting him to quip that "At least this wouldn't qualify as a bridge prize, especially when you consider that the closest to games this would season would be pizzas that the Hair Bear Bunch could be imagined fixing up."

Which, as it turned out, they were. On flatbread, even. And were they stunned to see such company as we had, especially the sheer presence of a quasi-chivalrous (or so he thinks) fencer like Touché Turtle and his boon compadre, Dum-Dum!

"I do have to admit, Snag and Huck," Square Bear was quick to comment, "that we came along a couple hours ahead of you after the Minnesota State Fair." To which Bubi added some nonsense about the fall being somewhat interesting opportunities ahead, leading to Square Bear's forepaw-over-the-mouth gimmick and asking Hair Bear what exactly Bubi was saying.

And getting things squared away for all of us, Crazy Claws admitted rather wryly how it was all that feasable, within such limited space as his retreat affords, to begin with, to accomodate such interesting company ("Especially mice like Pixie and Dixie; with Mr. Jinks out of the way, at least they've got some decent sleeping space which can be untrammelled" was how Crazy Claws remarked, adding "Which, at least, is much easier a scenario than dealing with Rawhide Clyde and Bristletooth, whose antics I had to endure for some months!").

So what exactly could fall bring, especially as prelude to a winter's diving holiday with Peter Potamus' Magic Divers in the Caribbean?

*************

@warnerbrosentertainment @a-gang-of-silly-bananas @jellystone-enjoyer @railguner34 @restroom @archive-archives @thebigdingle @screamingtoosoftly @princessgalaxy505 @themineralyoucrave @thylordshipofbutts @warnerbros-blog1 @joey-gatorman @iheartgod175 @theweekenddigest @indigo-corvus @warnerbrosent-blog

[eva-knits12]

What sweater curse?

Summary: Eva knits her bf Colin Shea a sweater for his birthday.

About the sweater curse: It's been said that if you knit a sweater for your boyfriend or girlfriend before getting a ring on your finger, the relationship will end before you have a chance to finish a chance to finish the sweater.

Side note: Since What's Your Number? was released in 2010/2011, the events take place at around the time of filming, which was most likely a couple years before the release of the film, so around 2007ish or 2008ish. Knives Out was released in 2019, but the sweater pattern that is linked is more recent. Otherwise, an aran sweater is a classic piece of clothing that everyone should own at least once in their life. In fact, I'm a huge fan of any kind of cable knit sweater.

Trigger warning: This is mostly fluff, but there is some implied smut, but don't worry, it's not graphic or descriptive at all. I like to keep things on the fluffy side, because not every is comfortable with smut.

As a knitter, there is a curse about knitting your significant other a sweater. I chose to ignore this, even though everyone in my knitting circle had warned me about this. My knitting books also had this in them, and here I am, with my knitting needles, yarn, and the pattern for Colin's sweater, that was going to be gifted for him on his birthday.

I moved to Boston two and a half years ago, after securing a job in the IT industry. I came here, after the company I was working for in Detroit laid me off. I took up knitting to help with the boredom of working backstage. Knitting also helped with my depression and my anxiety.

Little did I know that moving here in the spring 2007 would change my life.

Three months after I moved here, I met Colin Shea, after my friends from work took me to a local bar to celebrate my co-workers birthday. His band was playing at the bar, and I had an awesome night, and I managed to get Colin's number. It devastated Jake, who has quite the crush on me.

When Colin picked me up for one of our date nights, he discovered my yarn stash.

"What's this?" Colin asked, when he saw a pair of knitting needles poking out of my knitting bag, and picking up a ball of yarn.

"Colin, it's my knitting. I knit and I also crochet. It sounds boring, and you're thinking it's a hobby for old ladies, "I said .

"That's so cool. I don't think it's a hobby for old ladies," Colin said.

That was one month into our relationship, and it just keeps getting better.

"When did you start knitting and crocheting?"

"I took it up in college. It gave me something to do when I would be working in the costume department. I majored in theatre before I majored in computer sciences ", I said.

"Can you make me something?"

"Sure. I can make you a hat, a scarf, a dish cloth, a pair of fingerless gloves, a blanket, a sweater..."

"I didn't expect a whole inventory...", said Colin.

"I'll surprise you," I said, giving Colin a kiss.

"Let's go to dinner, and then we'll see the new Batman movie."

"I know it was filmed in Detroit, so I'll point out anything of interest if it comes up on screen."

Colin and I went on our date, and we even cuddled in the movie theatre seats, with a huge bucket of popcorn and a huge bag of M &M's between us.

That led to some more dates, and eventually, I moved into Colin's apartment because my landlord raised my rent, as I could barely afford the place by myself anymore.

One year later, on our first anniversary in 2008, Colin wrote me a song, and played it for me on his guitar. I'll never forget it, because it came from his heart. I got Colin a vintage inspired record player, along with some old records that I found at a local used book and record store. One of those records was Kick Out the Jams by the MC5, and I had a story that went along with it.

Here we are, two years later in 2009, and we couldn't be happier. We even found a small house that was in our price range, and are moving into it in the fall.

On our second anniversary, Colin tried to cook me dinner, only for it end in disaster, and the smoke alarm going off when I got home.

"Oh, honey, this was supposed to be a surprise," Colin said, with a laugh, while Dickens, our dog that we rescued, was happily wagging his tail, sitting by Colin's feet, waiting for me to come home.

"Oh, I'm surprised all right, but coming home to the house nearly burning down is not my idea of a surprise," I said, laughing.

"Okay, I'll order us that pizza that we like", said Colin. "Happy anniversary, sweetheart," Colin said. "I love you so much," Colin said, capturing me in a very deep and loving kiss.

"Happy anniversary, Colin," I said, giving Colin his present, which was a pair of fingerless gloves and a matching scarf and hat that I knitted for him that would keep him warm for the upcoming colder weather that Boston and Michigan are famous for later in the fall.

"This is lovely, honey. Thank you. Thank you for agreeing to be my girlfriend two years ago," said Colin, grabbing my waist, and dancing around the kitchen with me.

"Colin, I am proud that you're my boyfriend. I love you, my favorite rock star. Every day has been full of happiness, and every day is always a brand new adventure with you", I said, with tears of joy in my eyes.

The pizza came, we ate our favorite pepperoni pizza, and then I pulled out the special dessert that I picked up for us at our favorite bakery. After that, Colin kissed me deeply and lovingly, and picked me up bridal style.

"What's next, rock star?" We already had the perfect anniversary, even though it didn't go according to plan", I said.

"We're going to the bedroom, for another surprise," said Colin, with lust blown eyes.

Later that night, Colin and I enjoyed a nice romantic bath together.

Two years later, I was knitting Colin his sweater, which was a lovely cable knit in a cream color, much like the one Ransom Drysdale had worn in the movie, Knives Out, but without the holes.

As I was working on the sleeves to Colin's sweater, I didn't hear him come in.

"Honey, I'm home", Colin called.

"Have good day, rock star?"

"Yeah, the kids weren't as unruly today as they were weeks ago," said Colin.

"That's good. Plus, you're getting along well with my brother, so that's a good sign," I said, while giving him a kiss.

"Honey, is that for me? Just being with you is present enough", said Colin.

"Colin, you know your birthday is coming up soon, and you know you're mom, she always makes a huge deal of it", I said.

'This sweater is for my brother", I said, putting the sweater back into my knitting bag. "Plus, I have something special planned for your birthday ", I said, winking.

"But three years ago, everyone thought I would still be single, and not have a girlfriend that lasted longer than three months", said Colin.

"Colin Shea, listen to me. Your family still loves you, even though you chose a much different path," I said, trying to cheer up, when I saw the devastated look on Colin's face.

Just then, Dickens our dog, came running into the room when he heard Colin. Dickens was licking his face, trying to cheer him up, too. In the process, Dickens knocked over my knitting bag. Yarn flew out, the sweater had managed to somehow fly across the room, and the sleeves came off the needles, only to frog several rows from Dickens wanting to do his part of cheering up Colin. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I had managed to gather up the yarn, and wind them back into the skeins as best as I could. I had managed to get the sleeves back on to the needles, and luckily, Dickens managed to only frog them back to the cuffs. Colin scooped up the sweater, but luckily, there was no damage.

"Dickens, you certainly have given us quite the surprise," Colin said.

"You know, how about we order some Chinese tonight?" I said, laughing at Dickens surprise appearance, after napping by my feet all day.

"I just hope it stays down," I said.

"Wait...are you...?" asked Colin.

"You'll find out soon", I said with a wink.

Two weeks later, I finished Colin's sweater. I found a gift box, and wrapped it in tissue paper, and wrapped it. I even found a cute card for Colin.

"Happy birthday, rock star", I said , kissing him.

"Honey, you didn't have to do this", said Colin. "I wonder what this is."

"Open it", I said.

Colin unwrapped the gift, and opened the box, and carefully undid the tissue paper. Inside, was a lovely cream colored cable knit sweater.

"Honey, I love it" said Colin. He gave me a loving kiss.

"There's something else," I said.

"Honey, I don't need anything else. Everything I want is right here, under this roof", said Colin, capturing me in another kiss.

"You'll love this one," I said opening the top drawer on my nightstand and grabbing the envelope with the small box attached to it. I gave Colin the package, nodding at him to open it.

Colin took the envelope with the small box I attached to it. Colin opened the small box, and inside the box was a pregnancy test that was positive. Colin then opened the envelope, and inside was an ultrasound sound picture.

"Honey, how could my birthday just have gotten better?" asked Colin, love filling his eyes, and his large hand going to my non-existent bump. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"That's why I've been nauseous lately. It's why I've been throwing up a lot lately" I said. "It's also why I was sent home early from work two weeks ago, and have been working from home ever since", I said.

"I really wanted this to be a surprise," I said.

"Eva, I always knew you were crafty, but how did you manage to keep it a secret for two weeks, knowing that your family thrives on gossip?" asked Colin.

"Easy, I didn't post my pregnancy on Facebook," I said, referring to the newish social media site that became very popular among everyone. "Plus, I wanted to get my pregnancy confirmed before we announce it. I had your mom take me to the doctor, and Dr. Westfield confirmed it."

"I can't wait to meet him...or her", said Colin. "I love you," said Colin, capturing another kiss.

"Daddy loves you so much," Colin said, talking to my non-existent bump. "I'm so happy you exist, and I never thought I'd love someone as much as I love your mom", said Colin, kissing my belly.

"I love you, rock star", I said. "I love you, and I love your daddy, and you wouldn't exist if it weren't for me meeting and falling in love with your daddy," I said, rubbing my belly.

Colin and I fell asleep again that morning. Dickens jumped up on the bed, and placed his head on my stomach. After a few hours, I woke up in Colin's arms, with Colin staring at me and smiling at me lovingly. Dickens and Colin didn't want me to leave the bed, even though I really needed to pee. I couldn't wait for Colin's birthday party tonight, in which, we would make the announcement.

Colin was going to surprise me on my birthday, but not with a sweater. He was going to surprise me with a ring, as he had been secretly shopping for the perfect ring.

[calypso-finale]

Ninety Five.

My friends jumped on my bed waking me out of my sleep as they did “morning birthday bitch!” I chuckled “oh god” I said “don’t oh god us, you know damn well we doing something for your day! Our girl is twenty fucking five” I groaned out “and I am getting old, I can’t do this” I mumbled “old!? Shut up” I don’t feel it’s real, like I am actually twenty five, like has gone so fast for me “awww but thank you girls, the balloons!” I spat “oh yeah, while you snored away we decorated your room and we did it up, oh we was shopping at the store at the night and my god, we had a whole bunch of niggas asking us to come to the house party? They like hey ma your accent is so beautiful, I love them British girls and he fucking roared? And one barked like a dog, we got scared. Halle screamed” I snorted laughing “I told you the psychos come out at night, why did you go? I wouldn’t have been offended if you did nothing” Lillian shrugged “so what, we wanted to do this. We love you girl, and you ain’t old. What is old about twenty five?” she questioned “think about what my mother was doing and think of me? I have a child and just now and then work” Lillian chuckled “that is because you’re lazy” Halle said “oops, sorry. Not Rylee, you have done good for you. I just think you needed to make mistakes, you needed to follow the path. I think personally you have a motive; you have a journey but it’s happening slowly, us humans need to make mistakes. If you didn’t make any and you had a perfect life, I would be like nah something is wrong, but you are normal, fuck it. Just forget all that shit, today is your day and I am excited for your parents thing” squinting my eyes at them “my parents thing?” Lillian kissed her teeth “Halle doesn’t shut up but get up! We making you breakfast, the British way” I laughed “you know what, I became used to it like people disrespect that shit but it’s a big meal, but fine. I am coming. Thank you bitches” resting my head against Lillian and Halle laid on me “I love you all too” Halle mumbled “this place is scary though, at night. What if we got kidnapped? The uber took ages too and we just hid behind the aisles” I sniggered “I told you to drive my car!” I spat “I am scared of the roads, no!” Halle spat.

My friends buying me gifts “you didn’t have too, I didn’t bring you both here for this, I wanted you both here for fun and company” they too kind “I know, but we been having fun and now it’s your big day. I said to your dad like we throwing a big party and he said Rylee doesn’t want it, she said that she wants is quiet but then they told us what they doing, and I like it” Lillian kissed her teeth again “why can’t you just be silent” I laughed “it’s ok by the end of the night she will have said” Halle keeps mentioning “I feel bad now but anyways, breakfast will be served. Open the gifts!” picking the card out first “we got one card, because you know Lillian and I are like twins girl” opening the envelope “I appreciate it, I thank you so much already” I busted out laughing seeing the picture “oh my god, when I met you girls in college, look at me scared. I look scared” hiding my face “this is why we chose it, you was scared of college. Running to the G-Wagon every time, and we was like huh who is that. Realised it was fucking Central Cee, but you was so little compared to us but then again you are ina foreign country” I look funny “true” opening the card “To our angel Rylee, we both feel the same on how we feel about you. You came into our lives by accident, a perfect one too. We have watched you grow into the perfect girl, yes we all make mistakes but that is life Rylee, and we are so proud of you. We don’t want to make it an emotional mess, but you know how we feel about you. Three sisters for life, have the best day my baby. From the bitches” I read out, looking up at them both “thanks guys” I mumbled “like really, you both have been the friends I needed. You don’t kiss my ass, you don’t see me as this spoilt rich girl, you literally see me as me and I thank you” I sighed out “I fucked up badly and yet you both tell me off but never leave my side, I wish I listened to you both, but I won’t think about it, don’t worry” I said smiling “yes please no, let’s fucking leave that” Halle pointed at me, she is right we can’t speak on it.

My girls making me breakfast, that was sweet of them “I am missing Aziel telling us that we are too loud” I laughed “I know right, I missed him too in bed with me. But like my dad said, it’s only right and my dad seems to be the middle man. He is with his dad, and I know he is probably having the best time, I know he will be the happiest so yeah, I do miss him. I hope to see him today, but my dad is the middle man, and I haven’t heard a thing so he must be ok, who is mom when dad is around” rolling my eyes “this is why you need a girl” Lillian pointed “no, you need to give us the girl of the group so I can steal her, I have no man!” I spat “yeah but I think you going to have one. You ain’t dropping this Oakley thing, I saw that guy. We walked by him, he looked. That boy moved his whole neck, I peeped that shit, I ain’t blind. Unfinished business, he fucking loves you and you love him, you ain’t stopping and I don’t think he will. And I think papa is in it too, I just know it” Halle is funny “I hurt him too much, I did a lot and yeah” shaking my head “and you made a mistake babe, we all do it. I am sure he will forgive you; Oakley has a good heart. Like I mean from knowing him he is. I feel it in my bones that you both are unfinished, you both fucking have feelings there. He needed to let you make mistakes, seriously. Just I think, like just me. I get you did what you did but take it slow, least both start talking, communicating for Aziel, then you need to make it up to him. Seeing that cancer video showed me enough to know that there is love. And if not now then years down the line you both will be together” Halle was very passionate about that statement “I put that on my momma” I put my head down laughing “yeah, he needs to unblock me first, he looks so well. I still fancy him, like nobody does amount to him and nobody understands that. I mean yeah I can get the best looking man, but they aren’t him, I don’t care” Lillian smiled “because to you he is the best looking, you fucked up. And Oakley isn’t ugly, man he has girls. But the society want different for you, but nah. You do you, love is still there” smiling a little, they gave me hope.

Picking Aziel up and placing him on the ground “don’t run, stay close. I’ll be two minutes” closing the car door “daddy we go there” he pointed “yeah” he held my hand “mommy birthday” nodding my head “yep, flowers to give from you. Don’t want her to think you’re broke now” making my way over to the store, it feel so good to have my son back with me. To be able to see him, to hold him to speak to him, I think he’s slowly trusting I am not going to leave him, he’s so apprehensive that I was going to leave but he’s trusting me, I have seen him every day since being here, Chris drops him off but today was the first time I got to have him for the night “I pick” Aziel said “yeah if you want” walking into the store “welcome” this lady came from the back “alright” I have no idea what to choose, going over to the desk “I already love your accent” I laughed “yeah, I assumed. Erm it’s his mother birthday and I want him to walk in with flowers. So like something nice” the lady smiled at him, and Aziel is cheesing back “so birthday flowers or romantic” I grinned “nah no romance there, it fizzled out” she chuckled “ok but care is there for you to do this so let’s have a look, what colours?” She asked Aziel “red!” He spat “come, shall we choose some together. Would you like me to make it myself?” She asked me “sure, I don’t mind” watching Aziel going over to the lady to pick flowers, I ain’t that bitter and I wouldn’t do her like she did me because I don’t have it in me. I never wanted Aziel to be affected, but knowing it is her birthday and her dad invited me to her meal, I’m really not staying, I’m going to drop Aziel off and dip because that is weird to be there, and we don’t speak and I wouldn’t speak to her “I want red one” smiling at my son, he is cute “are you wanting to write a note?” She asked “erm yes but like just saying To Rylee happy birthday from Aziel. Something sweet and simple” the lady looked at Aziel “what a beautiful name you have, are you mixed?” She turned to me “do I look it?” I questioned “well I would say you are; you look a little Chinese” I busted out laughing “I’m Irish white and Guyanese” she let out an oh “that is a different mix, and you have a very handsome son, is that enough red for you?” Aziel and this colour red “does it smell nice?” He nodded his head “I like it” I chuckled “come here, let her do her thing” Aziel made his way over to me “I’m helping” picking him up “of course you are, I didn’t say you wasn’t but you picking too much red, what other colours you like?” He paused thinking “yellow” he is so different this child of mine “red, yellow please” poking my bottom lip out “you’re not cute, shut up” trying to get his own way, them nasty colours he wants.

Waving over Aziel “leave Wadz alone, pick a card little man. Got me waiting here for what?” Is this boy crazy “yes” I huffed out “hard work isn’t it, when you not picking a card for your girl and it’s a baby mother” I sniggered “yes, Juke just be careful who you get with” he pulled a face “I’m feeling a girl though, soon. I will show her” laughing at him “here is me thinking you was gay, but that’s cool. You got this card” he walked over to me “let me see” I know he got some goofy shit, grabbing the card and looking at the front “it’s your birthday, time for a hug? What is your problem” I asked, “what yours” Wadz busted out laughing “since he’s turned four he’s been moving mad, you move mad” placing the card back “move mad!” Now he’s going to repeat that word “my mommy birthday” he said to these random girls walking by, just minding their business “awww” they said “oh it’s Central Cee” she said, Aziel ran to me “no it’s my dad” he stood in front of me “bye” he waved to them “I love this kid with my heart, he’s the comedian” Wadz can’t stop laughing “can we have a picture” nodding my head “Aziel one second” I said trying to move him “no” he is so stubborn “Juke take the picture, Aziel stop playing. Come” Aziel is leaning against my legs so I can’t move “no!” The girls came over “ok you can be in the picture” I shook my head “no smile at my dad” looking down at him “what? Aziel stop playing in my face like that, ignore him” Juke is laughing too hard “ok smile” he said as he took the picture “my bad, he’s just moving mad” he pointed at me “no dad” laughing at him “oh man, you’re jarring stop it” mushing his face “he’s so cute, it’s ok. Nice to meet you” Wadz shook his head, dapping him as I walked over to him “tell me why your son is moving like this” I shrugged, I am speechless “he’s protective of his dad, he can’t help it” he ran into me “dad can I have hug” picking him up “of course you can gang” he’s so crazy “but listen to me, you don’t be rude again. I don’t want to hear it, raising your voice and shit” I pointed “I didn’t” he mumbled “being loud for no reason” he doesn’t want to know when I am telling him off, he shuts off.

“Come here” I pointed “don’t run off, take the flowers from uncle, I’ll be back out. Just want to drop him off with them and then leaving, not staying around” Wadz passed Aziel the flowers, taking the card and chocolates from Wadz “you not going to stay for the love?” I pushed him laughing “bad enough I have to go in there with them all, Juke. I’ll be back, let’s go champ” walking off to the restaurant, Chris said they got the whole of the private area to themself, and he said that could either be upstairs or downstairs, they have two. Holding the door open as Aziel carefully went inside “mommy birthday” he said to the waiter “precious, the party is downstairs, I can escort you and shall I take this from you. We don’t want you to drop it now” chewing my bottom lip, I have my shades on again. I can then hide behind it this way “what you say? He’s helping you” I said to Aziel “thank you” smiling at him “ok let’s go, thanks” Aziel walked ahead of me so I can see him, I didn’t even change his clothes but he’s smart enough of course, he is my son he is smart. Walking down the steps and the way Aziel is saying number one to three and starts again “we need to work on that, what you mean you only go up to three?” I kissed my teeth, the waiter passed him the flowers “thank you” I said walking into the room, oh this is intimate, and I just crashed this, I mean thee is a few people but it’s very close family, Chris is the first one to come to me “you came” I laughed “yeah, yeah. That’s from Aziel” I passed it him “yeah” he dapped me and then hugged me “mommy birthday” Aziel made his way over to Rylee, peeping Rylee in her black dress, she looks good “awww for me” Rylee said, well this awkward “yes mommy, my Ps” I snorted laughing, that boy would say that. Chris passed her the card and chocolates; I looked away as she looked to me because I am not looking and it’s not my thing “how was he for the night?” Chris asked “good, he is a little bad ass though. He just wants to be with the gang and when I say no he don’t like it” Chris shook his head “he is something, come sit” shaking my head “Oh nah, I am not staying. It’s not my thing and the boys are waiting, just come to drop him off” Chris let out an oh “but I said you can be here” I grinned “yeah, yeah but no thank you” Aziel ran back to me “I am going now, give me hug” Aziel stopped running “no” here he goes “you either give me hug or I just go” getting my phone out from my pocket “hello” why is Juke even calling “how long? You staying aren’t you” he is so impatient “oh nah, I am coming” Aziel is mean mugging “I am going then, are you driving? Did you drive off with me, Chris. Nice seeing you” dapping him before I went “well we assumed you would stay” I groaned out “I am coming now, so spin it back” opening the door I jumped back, I didn’t know there was a guard here “no, no, no” shouted “no come back, please” turning around “you’re staying here, just give me hug” here he goes with his tears.

I guess my brother was right “this boy doesn’t trust you now” Chris said to me, he is sat on my lap and I am now at this meal, sat between Chris and Imani, Rihanna is far and so is Rylee so I am not seeing that but I still have shades on “it’s an issue, I get it. Like he feels I will just disappear but it was never by choice, I don’t want to see him like that, I struggle to leave him like when he is that emotional but something has got to give. Like it’s going to be hard, in London he has to stay with his mom. Like you right now do the in-between thing” it will be hard “yeah I will bring it up to Rylee, make a schedule but you both need to talk for his sake like he is growing and really you need to talk for him. I get it, like I do. If that was me and Robyn, no matter what we went through, I would still have feelings for her so I would struggle. I understand, but for the kid you need too and he needs to understand you ain’t going, he needs a schedule and some sanity. He has been on a fucking cruise, a holiday, parties. I mean I get it” I am pissed with Rylee, she did that to him “I was there, like she could have dropped him off” looking at Taylan as he walked around the table “I been meaning to come around” he got his hand out to me, I was going to reject it but I can’t be bothered “that is ok” shaking his hand “I have so much respect for you, I do. I am so happy to see you here” nodding my head “thank you” he seems a little emotional “you want to cry?” Imani said “did you watch the video? Ask Ti, I still talk about it, just happy for you” he patted my shoulder as he walked off “must suck to hear about the C word or for it to be bought up” I pulled a face “sometimes, I used to think of it as pity. But I don’t now” I think Rylee bullshit mouth made me feel it was.

Grabbing water from the side “is it safe?” looking behind me “oh” I laughed, Lillian and Halle both shyly came over “yeah always, not mad with you both now” opening the water bottle “oh my days, Oakley. Fuck, I am so happy to see you like this, can I hug you?” Halle said it but just hugged me, it was a little out the blue “we are about you, like we do and just to see you like this. I am happy” I cooed out, hugging Lillian after “you deserve the break, you deserve the happiness” that is sweet of them, Rylee is looking here but she doesn’t know that I can see her, this is why I wear shades “how are you? Like you good now?” nodding my head “yeah, sometimes like I get sad but that is it, I am well though mentally. Happy too about Aziel, how the guys? Shocked they not here” I pointed out “leave the boys at home” Halle laughed “you coming to the club later” shaking my head “nah, you have fun though” Lillian is smirking “why? I mean don’t let her birthday get in the way, come to the club” shaking my head “nah, thank you though. And even if she was there, I don’t care” I shrugged “then unblock her, since you don’t care” Halle said which made me laugh “I will, don’t worry about it. Have fun in the club, a drunk Rylee is different” I said “and she always says your name and calls our for you, just saying” Lillian shook her head “stop it now, leave him alone. But you can come if you want but it’s so good to see you” Lillian trying to switch it up, cute of her. I swallowed hard as Rylee came over, this is awkward just seeing her coming closer and closer.

[aeoki]

Primavera - Epilogue 2

Location: Primavera Stage Characters: Touri, Yuzuru, Eichi & Wataru

Touri: ? Are you nervous or something?

That’s not like you at all. You’re usually pretty calm no matter how big the stage is.

Yuzuru: No. It’s not that.

It’s just… I simply thought I should express my gratitude once more.

Touri: Gratitude…?

Yuzuru: Yes. On the occasion of “Primavera”, I’ve forgotten to tell you something, Young Master…

It’s an act of disloyalty that’s beyond redemption and could easily make me resign.

I’m standing here right now because you once told me you would accept whatever truth comes your way.

I’m allowed to be by your side even if I have a secret – Those words of love you said to me…

That’s what truly makes me human.

I sincerely express my adoration for you, Young Master.

Touri: It’s only natural as your master~ If you’re that thankful to me, then you can pamper me more, okay?

Ah, it’s the chocolates we got in our waiting room! Can I eat them once our performance is over?

Yuzuru: Hehe. You intend on consuming that many all by yourself? It is my duty to take proper care of you, so I cannot approve of you neglecting your health.

But I suppose it cannot be helped. Valentine’s Day shall be an exception.

It wouldn’t be appropriate for the next head of the Himemiya family to disregard a gift that’s filled with love.

Touri: Ehehe. You said it, Yuzuru~ I won’t forgive you if you go back on your word.

Yuzuru: I won’t. I shall turn my eyes away, just for today.

…Thank you for listening to what I had to say, Young Master.

Let’s go up on stage. Eichi-sama, Hibiki-sama, as well as our fans, are all waiting for us.

Touri: Okay!

Wataru: “Everyone~! Thank you for coming to our spring festival!”

“Have you already taken a bite of the sweets we’ve made?”

“It’s a shame to eat them, you say? Hehehe. I understand how you feel, but festivals are like dreams and fantasies!”

“To those who have yet to try them! I hope you’ll take them home and enjoy them as you become immersed in the lingering memories of the performance ♪”

“Love only takes shape when it is received, after all…☆”

Yuzuru: “I shall shift your focus back to reality, but the expiration date isn’t that far off.”

“What you have in your hands is a confectionery that each member came up with. Unlike store-bought confectionery, it’s made of the freshest ingredients and, therefore, will expire quickly.”

“We were only able to provide this large amount due to the efforts and assistance of the confectionery company who has helped out with ‘Chocolat Fest’ for many years…”

“We would be delighted if you could have a taste of our feelings ♪”

Touri: “We came up with them with the help of the confectionery company, so they definitely won’t taste bad!”

“For example, one of the ingredients in this cookie was black tea, but it uses the same black tea that my family has been drinking for years~♪”

“I hope you enjoy it – it’s like you came over to my place to have tea, right?”

Yuzuru: “Hehe. The Young Master was quite picky with the flavours from the experimenting stage, but once they were finished, they even made the Young Master lick his lips, so us ‘fine’ are extremely pleased with how they turned out.”

“As expected of a confectionery company of long standing.”

“They’re all made with the best ingredients, so I think you’ll enjoy them very much ♪”

Wataru: “I shall gift you all roses filled with love! This kind of rose is one that has very few thorns…♪”

“Mr Butler introduced a lovely florist to me and I personally selected them myself~♪”

“I hope you’ll accept my love in the form of flowers…♪”

Eichi: “I thank you all for the introductions.”

“I chose to work with designing soft toys, but… Hehe. Thanks to Touri’s opinions, I think they’ve turned out rather cute.”

“I hope you’ll take it home and place it in your rooms to remember this performance.”

“And if it reminds you of our wonderful time together, I would be very happy ♪”

“‘Primavera’ is a derivative of ‘Chocolat Fest’ and is an event of love that heralds the arrival of spring.”

“After overcoming the difficult winter, the plants start to sprout and the lovely flowers begin to bloom.”

“We’ll take that happiness and celebrate it in a breath of life – in a song.”

Yuzuru: “Everyone, I hope you can feel the breath of spring through this song.”

“♪~♪~”

Eichi: (Hehe. He’s singing more cheerfully than usual. I wonder if it’s due to the season because spring is right around the corner.)

(I feel so at peace. Me and the ‘fine’ that everyone loves is singing at the centre of this huge venue. And our fans are answering with their cheers.)

(Here, the greatest kind of love is being exchanged with one another.)

(Grandmother… I’m alive right now because you showered me with love.)

(I’m indebted to you so I named this event after the name of the painting you loved.)

Eichi: (I won’t ever forget the love you gave me. Forever and ever – Even if time passes and seasons change. I’ll pray a warm spring will come around again and again.)

(Just as you did for me… I dedicate this love to everyone here.)

(Thank you, for loving me.)

“♪~♪~”

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