#well done charles but i don't care how happy you are it should have happen to me

[banditop]

the desastrous weekend gasly and alpine are having

[merchelsea]

took care of my girl - max verstappen

pairing: max verstappen + fem! driver!(charles gf) reader

summary: after a lifechanging turn in your plans, you need to sort things out with charles to be able to get together with your true love, max. things can't always get so hard, can they?

author's note: the so required part two is FINALLY out. a massive thank you to every one that asked for this, i hope you enjoy it! (a HUGE thank you to @stupidandunnecessary for helping me outt)

word count: +1,6k

previous part

last night, charles and you exchanged less than ten words. you wanted to talk to him, but you didn't know how to start, nor how to do it without hurting him.

it was clear that his feelings were not love, maybe some attraction and friendship, but not love. still, you didn't want to hurt him.

you loved max, but you were in a relationship with charles. you weren't quite sure if he would understand, and even if he did, things were a lot more complicated since you were three public figures.

charles woke up to find you, very dizzy and confused, staring at the ceiling of the room in silence. he regained his sences before you thought of moving, and he soon started talking.

"you love him." he stated, looking over at you. startled, you turned to look at him, taken aback by his smiling face. "I- what?" you asked him.

"max. you love him." with that smile planted on his lips, you struggled to articulate something to tell the him. your well-prepared speech for this very moment seemed to vanish, and your words failed you.

"I'm sorry." it was the only thing you could say after having your mouth half-opened for seconds.

"what are you sorry for? loving someone? that is not your fault." he reassured you. "I'm not angry, if that's why your apologizing. I'm happy for you." you couldn't quite comprehend what he was trying to tell you, and he noticed it by the puzzled glances you shot at him.

"I'm happy for you both. I know I've never been a top contestant to the 'best boyfriend' award, quite the contrary. but I also know we both started this relationship out of loneliness." he claimed. it was evident that you weren't the only one preparing for this moment.

"I'm still sorry." you persisted. he chuckled, but you never even gave him a trace of a smile. you couldn't.

"you don't have to be. you deserved to be happy. to be loved in the same intensity that you love someone. that is something only verstappen can do." leclerc understood this situation a whole lot more than you expected him to, and you were starting to wonder if he might have a female max in his life.

"its a fact, even tho it pains me to admit. I could never make you happy the way he does." he added.

"you deserve that too. I know this probably means nothing to you right now, but it's true." you smiled sadly to him, and he shook his head in disagreemeant.

"it will never mean nothing to me. apart from everything, you were my friend first, and I would hate for that to end." you smiled softly at him, the sadness now less evident. you two stood silent for a while, just breathing and thinking. "look, I'm sorry for not being the boyfriend you deserved." he appologized, breaking the akward smile.

he was ready to continue, and he would have done so if you hadn't interrupted. "it's not entirely your fault. we didn't work out because we didn't love each other. period." charles too was sad about how your realtionship was ending, but he was also grateful that none of you had to get hurt before it happened.

"now, I think we are both mature enough to recognize that and begin another chapter." you continued. he nodded softly and you both stood quite looking at the ceiling.

"y/n, you should really go get him. I still have a headache to deal with but I'll try to pack everything and leave before you return home." he advised with a warm smile. he rose from the bed, moving around it to bend over and kiss your forehead.

"you deserve this, mon chéri." he whispered as he exited the room to confront his weary reflection in the bathroom mirror.

after changing, you left the bedroom with the intention of grabbing a bite to eat. however, you decided that sharing a meal with Max might be better, so you sent him a text. within seconds, he responded, as if he had been awaiting your message his whole life.

the truth is, max could deny all he wanted, but he panicked when he got home and realized charles would be sleeping in the same bed as you, and probably trying to get you back. although he now knew that you loved him, it didn't change the fact that you had been with charles while still harboring those feelings, and that thought terrified him.

that's why he left his hotel without even hesitating and met you at a coffee shop near your house.

"how did he react?" he was clearly trying to avoid the subject, and noticing it, you respected his decision and never brought it up. but he has his limits, and he clearly crossed those. he needed to know, and if you were being real, you needed to tell him as well.

"better than I expected." you replied with a smile, which wasn't what he had anticipated. he couldn't decipher whether your smile meant "we broke up" or "we got back together."

"better how?" he asked, not so sure now that he wanted to know.

verstappen didn't think of himself as an anxious person, but when it came to you, he struggled to conceal his apprehension. He yearned to know every detail, and he might have even fainted if you hadn't filled him in.

"well, he told me to come and get you." you were finding that whole situation a lot more funny than you should, max acting all calm when it was so clear that he was freaking out could be ranked on top of the most entertaining things in the world.

he let out a heavy breath that he was holding for god knows why and you finally could see the beautiful smile he was hiding behind the seriousness.

"really?" he asked, smile still playing on his lips. you nodded, smiling too. anyone who passed by would think you two were a couple on the best stage of your relationship, smiles so wide that everyone could see were genuine.

"well you already have me, so…" max points with a joking tone, every word coming out of his mouth being the most truthful. "why do i always want to kiss you in situations or places where i can't?" he throws his head back, frustrated.

"oh why can't you kiss me now?" you asked. cofusion and also frustration kicking in when you realize its not going to be today as well. you begun to think max might be actually afraid to kiss you.

"there's people here. and i know it's a discreet place, but still…" you almost grasped what the dutch meant, were it not for your intense desire for his lips to meet yours. "what? I don't care about the people, you know I don't."

it's true, he knows you never cared about people's opinions. that's why, from the both of you, he was always the one that helped you with everything you thought of putting out to the world. most of it not coming out thanks to him.

"you may not, but I do. you know how this things work and I don't want my gi- your name associated with sleeping around for a seat."

your smile didn't fail on showing up. he could have just said the most horrific thing ever, you hadn't listened. max verstappen calling you 'my girl' was something out of this world for you. you covered your face with your hands as the gleam in your eyes intensified.

"but, you know, you could always take me home." he added, grinning with both his lips and eyes. "let me finish this and we'll go right away." max nodded and took his phone out, pretending to be composed on the outside while feeling like an exuberant child within. he eventually even snapped a few pictures of you to keep for himself and immediately changed his locked screen. he's not familiar with the concept of going slow.

exiting the coffee shop, you and max laughed like a pair of joyful fools, unable to recall precisely what was so amusing. at some point, you found yourselves laughing at each other for no apparent reason. what you both knew for certain was that spending time together was effortless—it brought a profound sense of peace.

as you closed the door behind you, max took your hand and pulled you close to him. his free hand found its place on your cheek, his thumb tenderly caressing it. "after all these years, I can finally kiss you."

the smile on the red bull driver's face emphasized his happiness. although your smile wasn't as broad, your eyes spoke volumes.

in the end, his focus remained on your eyes. for three years, max had gazed into those same brown eyes, yet each time felt like he could continue indefinitely. and, indeed, he could.

from his prespective, it was the greatest view one could have. and he was genuinely sorry for everyone that would never get the chance to do so.

when he finally let go of your eyes, he foccused on your lips, not as mesmerizing, but equally breathtaking.

before he kissed you, you got a good look at his deep ocean blue eyes. had you not been studying them since the day you met their owner, you might have easily lost yourself in their beauty.

you almost cursed max for closing them, but if that meant you got to study his lips too, you could never complain.

once he guided you into the kiss, one of your hands instinctively traveled to the back of his neck, while the other one squeezed his, trying to be sure that this was really happening.

it became evident that your lips were made solely for each other—the way they fit perfectly, moved in harmony, and how max's lips embraced yours as if he had been doing it for a lifetime. every element aligned to create perfection—this is what love felt like.

with max, it felt right. with max, it was love.

taglist: @mehrmonga @yourusername1 @lexiecamposv @electrobutterfly @miakatharinaa @jeconnaismeslimitesus

[emotionally-damaged-carrot]

Love ur work!! May I pls request Charles Leclerc x Male Reader where we are a super famous singer (like beyonce level famous) and we announce the birth of our first child together via surrogate??? Ty!!

A family of our own

Sry if it's a wee bit too short, did my best, idk how to start it. Hope it's still good, hope you enjoy ✌️

(Didn't proof read)

(Requests are closed)

No warning, just floof :3

"Y/n, cheri?" Charles yelled from the couch of their house.

"Yes?" I yelled back from the kitchen.

"Are you almost done? I wanna talk to you about something important."

"I-is it bad?" I asked as I came into the living room with a tray of food and drinks, and placing it on the table in the middle.

"Depends on how you look at it." Charles said as he sat up straight, seemingly getting serious.

"Go on." I asked now worried as I sat beside him, putting some distance between us.

"Come closer." He said as he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me close, hugging him tight against his body.

"I was thinking, m-maybe we could have a child?"

"W-what?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, a little y/n or a little Charles running around the house causing havoc might be cute." He said with a smile as he lifted my chin to look me in the eyes, my nervous e/c meeting his gentle greens.

"W-well, I'm not opposed to it...But a little Charles might look cuter." I said with a smile as I give him a quick peck on the lips.

"This is why I love you, y/n."

"Love you too."

I said as I got on top of him, and deepened the kiss, food completely forgotten.

—

"As I said before the concert, a surprise will be posted on my IG story after the concert." I said with a huge smile, sweat dripping from my hair and I held the guitar and breathing heavily.

"It's a surprise me, and Charles have talked about a while ago." The crowd went wild as they probably figured out the surprise as I have posted about getting a child prior the world tour.

"Okay, okay, settle down." I said laughing.

I began to play my guitar for the final song, the crowd once again going wild as they recognize the intro.

—

"With that final song, I bid you all farewell, I am in grabe need of a bath and rest. Once again, THANK YOU, MONACO!!!" The echoed of cheers were heard from the neighbouring countries as well.

"And thank you everyone who attended my tours, this is however my final tour for some time." I said sadly, but with a huge grin on my face. "And don't forget the surprise."

(2 days after the concert)

"You think I should announce it?" I asked Charles from my position between his legs my head on his chest and our sleeping 1 year old, Udysses L/n-Leclerc.

"Your choice, bebe, whatever makes you happy. I'm there to support you." He said as he ruffled my hair and gave it a kiss.

"Well... you should probably wrap your arms around Charles junior as well." I said with a chuckle as I reached out for my phone, careful not to disturb his sleep.

Charles laughed as he wrapped his arms around me as I held Udysses carefully with one arm and taking a selfie with the other. I took a couple more before looking for the best one along with Charles.

"pour l'amour de Dieu, they all look perfect, mi amor, because you're both in it." Charles said getting annoyed.

"They need to see the best one." I said as I stared at one picture of us, Charles smiling wide looking down at me and Udysses, his arms around my shoulders as he looked at the camera with squinted eyes. I was smiling wide as well, my eyes closed and baby Udysses sleeping soundly.

"Found it." I said with a grin as I opened Instagram to post the story, only adding music. As I didn't want to ruin the picture with some stupid effects.

"I guess you did." Charles said with a small laugh as I felt his chest rumble.

"Of course I did." I said as I posted the story, seconds later my phone started blowing up, a few congratulations from friends and family and a lot from fans.

"What will happen now?" I asked him as I thought about our future, since we are pretty busy people.

"We'll think about it when it comes to it. Right now, enjoy the moment, mi amor." Charles said as he hugged me close and kissed my hair.

Sorry took some times, hope it was okay ✌️

[felicitysmoaksx]

Reach for My Hand ('Cause It's Held Out for You)

The residency at Baylor never opened up. Sarah was stuck at Med following the Robert Haywood incident and she was right. After everything, people- all staff alike whispered. About her. Her father and what happened the night he collapsed. She did her best to ignore them though.

Her days were now spent avoiding Dr. Charles unless she had to talk to him. While she also avoided Noah Sexton following her rejection of him. She should have taken April's offer to talk to her brother to get him to ease up. But after the mess with her father, she was reluctant to accept help from anyone.

Her only reprieve was her friends in the ED. They kept her busy most of the time with consults so she didn't have to talk to Dr. Charles often. Months passed and she wasn't happy by any means, but she got used to it. Because it could always be worse.

Instead, her other safety net came in the form of her brother-in-law. Or was it former brother-in-law? Sarah wasn't sure what the terminology was with Nic now gone.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Sarah Reese: big shot resident," Sarah turned at the sound of the familiar voice and Conrad Hawkins' stared back at her with an easy grin.

"What are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming when I was facetiming with Gigi last month!" She exclaimed as she turned and wandered closer. Allowing her half-sister's husband to wrap her in a tight hug. Chastain had sent Conrad along to scout out the Hybrid OR.

"Okay," Conrad said, a week after he got there. She had been in line to get a cup of coffee when he appeared behind her. "There are dozens of rumors flying around about you. But I don't care about them because you're going to tell me what's actually going on."

When Sarah glanced back she saw a look that she had only heard about from her big sister. There was a narrowed focus light in his eyes with his mouth turned downward. He wasn't going to let this go.

"Let me get my coffee first." She relented with a heavy sigh. Then with a coffee to warm her hands, she pulled him into a corner. Then she started with her father and his bad heart. From there she moved to his personality disorder and Dr. Charles treating him for it. Everything else that came with Dr. Robert Haywood and the fallout after just came out from there. When she was done explaining everything, Sarah lifted her gaze to look at her half-sister's husband.

"I know Nic's gone, but when everything was happening, I picked up the phone so many times to call her because she would know what to say and what to do." She told him, with a watery catch in her voice.

"Why didn't you call me?" Conrad asked quietly, "Why didn't you let me help you?"

"What could you have done, Conrad? You have Gigi and you just started back at Chastain. You have a lot on your plate. You didn't need me to add to it with my family drama."

"Sarah, you're Nic's little sister. You're Gigi's aunt. You're my family. As for what I would've done, I would've suggested you come home." Conrad pressed, tapping on the table for emphasis.

"To New York? With my mother?" Sarah pulled a face, before she shook her head, "No, thank you."

"Not New York. Georgia."

"Georgia? Why would I go there?"

"Because you'd have family-me and Gigi and a job there."

"A job?"

"At Chastain. One phone call from me and you'd have an interview in no time; you know how much Nic always hated that you moved to Chicago to finish med school."

[what-if-queen-camilla]

Chapter 37

28th August 1996

"Darling!", Charles sighed breathlessly, pressing Camilla against his chest as tight as he could, never wanting to let loose of her again. Tears were running down his face, tears of joy and relief. "Darling, it's done. I'm free." He had driven down to Wiltshire as soon as the final divorce papers had been signed earlier that morning. He just wanted to be with her, he needed her, needed to feel her and kiss her and touch her. And how well he did it… Camilla couldn't suppress a little moan as he tenderly kissed her neck and pressed her against the wall, boisterously letting his hands wander all over her perfect body, keeping on kissing her passionately. "Darling…!", she gasped, chuckling. "What if Thea comes home from school?" "She won't for at least the next three hours…", Charles responded, gently pushing her up the stairs, continuing to kiss her, until they finally reached the second floor and eventually Camilla’s bedroom, sank down on the mattress and made love, tenderly, passionately, almost desperately, longing for each other and to be as close to each other as possible…

"So… now, that I'm a free man, will you marry me, darling?", Charles asked casually, holding her tightly, gently stroking her after they'd both been to heaven and back again. Camilla giggled and rolled her eyes. "Oh Darling… we might have to optimise that proposal first…", she chuckled, kissing his lips firmly. "You don't want me to get down on one knee, do you?", he asked, looking at her in disbelief, and his eyes widened as she casually declared: "Of course! What else?" For a moment, she left him speechless but then burst into laughter, rolling on top of him, kissing him again, first still chuckling and innocently, but then more passionately once more, and eventually, they made love for a second time that afternoon.

"But darling, given I… I did get down on one knee… and there were candles and roses and classical music…", he pondered as he held her in his arms again afterwards. "And… champagne… and all the things you like… would you say 'yes' to me?" Camilla smiled and cuddled up to him even closer, tenderly stroking his face. "Of course I would. I still would if you didn't get down on one knee. I love you and of course I want to be with you. But I think we'd better not rush things." "No, let's rather wait for another 24 years.", he said cynically, rolling his eyes and she laughed, pressing a firm kiss on his lips. "Idiot. I'm not talking about 24 years. But you haven't even been divorced for 24 hours. People should have time to get to terms with that first, don't you think? And not only the public. Also our children. Especially yours. I know how difficult a divorce is for the children involved and we should be careful and not too pushy with them and get it all done smoothly, you know?", she asked, looking at him with puppy eyes. "Darling…", he whispered, marvelling at her as if she was the greatest miracle he had ever seen. "You sound like a true Princess, you know. You're so clever. Caring, considerate, empathic… just the perfect future Queen.", he gushed but she pulled a face, turning away from him. "Stop this!", she almost begged. "Whatever happens, the one thing that is certainly never going to happen is… that." She couldn't even bring herself to say that word. "But, you know, I don't even need that. I'd be more than happy just to be Mrs Mountbatten-Windsor.", she sighed and this time it was him chuckling. "No, darling, you will be my Princess first, and then, one day, you'll be my Queen. That's just what happens if you marry the heir to the throne. Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales. And one day… Her Majesty The…" Charles, no!", she interrupted and playfully boxed him. "If I really… must… have a title, can't I just be some sort of a Countess or Marchioness maybe? Like Fiona?" "Unfortunately, my darling, your future husband doesn't hold the title of a Marquess, so I'm afraid there's no chance for you to become a Marchioness, my beautiful darling. And for the Countess… I might be the Earl of Chester but… I can't have my future wife being outranked by her friends. So… you'll have to be a Duchess at least." "Of Cornwall, you mean?", she asked, knowing all of his titles and their respective "ranks" by heart; after the Prince of Wales, his second-highest title in England was the Duke of Cornwall with its female courtesy form Duchess of Cornwall. In Scotland it'll be the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, which she quite liked if she was honest. "Yes. I'd still prefer you to be my Princess of Wales but if you really don't feel comfortable with that one, you could be known as the Duchess of Cornwall instead.", he promised her, sweetly kissing her forehead. Camilla sighed. It still sounded and fell all rather surreal to her and she couldn't see herself holding any kind of title other than "Mum", "Darling" or "Mrs…" But somehow life had brought her into this situation and if this really was her destiny, she was going to embrace it and give the very best she could - for the love of her life, and for their sweet little daughter. The thought of her brought along some other concerns.

"What will all of that mean for Thea, darling? What will change for her?", she asked insecurely "You know, we have just settled ourselves here and… she feels comfortable at school. She's got her friends, she likes her teachers… She's happy. And I don't want her to have to go through yet another major change. Perhaps we can… just let her finish primary school the way she's used to it and… arrange everything in time for her to start at a new school… wherever that may be… but so that she'll be able to finish something… properly. Before..." She tried to picture her and Thea's life as his official wife and more or less legitimate child and though she'd never had a lack of creativity or imagination, she couldn't really see that. Thea would probably be sent to an exclusive boarding school, as it was usually handled for girls from that circle, and she herself would move in with Charles, of course, possibly into his Apartment at St James's Palace, supporting him carrying out his duties, and it would probably be expected from her to get involved with some charitable causes as well, which actually wasn't an issue for her as she already was involved with some organisations anyway;

Following her mother's death, she had got in touch with the National Osteoporosis Society, a very small organisation based in Bath which wasn't far from where they lived, after their director Linda had so kindly reached out to her after hearing about her mother. She had sent her a charming letter and attached some literature which had so helped her and her family to understand what had been wrong with her mother during her final years and months, and it had also made her realise that her grandmother Sonia, who'd died the year before she had had Thea, must had suffered from the same disease as well. It had been a great comfort to know that they weren't alone in this and of course she had wanted to do what she could to help in return, though with her damaged public image she had been very cautious. However, last year in September, before that dreaded interview and all of the revelations, she had hosted a soiree at Bowood House, Fiona and Charlie's home, in order to raise funds for the charity and to her very surprise the event had been quite a success which had eventually caused Linda to ask her whether she would like become the charity’s patron - which she had considered a joke at first - but Linda had assured her that she really meant it and that Camilla had already proven just how much good she’d do the organisation by having helped over 10,000 pounds with the soiree plus the 12,500 pounds - her half of the settlement she and Andrew had got from “The Sun” after they had sued the magazine for having published personal pictures which had been stolen from them - by their long-standing and trusted, former housekeeper at Middlewick House who had sealed them to the newspaper for 25,000 pounds. The Sun had paid them same amount as a "compensation" but no money in the world could have ever compensated the intrusive and humiliating violation of their privacy, so she had given her entire half of it to the NOS, hoping that at least something good could come out of it all, so eventually she had agreed and had become their patron earlier that year. She had not yet quite figured out what exactly her new role was going to include but she really wanted to do what she could to raise awareness of what her own, and so many other families out there, were going through and if it also helped to improve her damaged image, and therefore Charles and their children, she was ready to get it started.

*Side Notes:

• Charles and Diana did get divorced on 28th August 1996

• From then, Diana was know as "Diana, Princess of Wales" which was a courtesy title. Had Charles remarried when she was still alive, his new wife would likely have been The Princess of Wales nonetheless, because he was The Prince of Wales. However, she could've still decided to be known by one of his lower ranked titles, just as Camilla did when she married I'm in 2005 and chose to be known as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. She was still The Princess of Wales, though she didn't use it.

• Everything about Camilla's involvemt with the NOS is true. The stolen pictures published in The Sun, the settlement and compensation, and her quietly giving her half to the NOS. The soiree also happened as described.

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

A Voice Through the Nothingness Part 4

I have my final Uni assignments to finish so the next update might take a little longer, rest assured, I'm working on it when I have spare time.

Series Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Contains: Angst, very brief mention of suicide, fluff, nightmares, discussions of trauma, flirting through being protective.

4.4 K words

Comment if you want to be tagged or follow #a voice through the nothingness.

"But I can have spiders in my head as long as I don't let them consume me.” - T.J. Klune.

Knock knock

Billy knew what was coming, he had tried to put it off but he could only give so many excuses before the doctors started to fuss, his first appointment with the physiatrist was today. 

"Hello Mr Russo, can I come in?" Despite his frame, Dr Charles was the least intimidating person you could meet. 

"I don't really have a choice." Billy didn't think he needed this, he was doing fine. 

"Well no, part of your plan is talking to someone about what happened to you, we can't let you leave until you're cleared and there's no way you'll be able to return to work either, but maybe we can make the best out of a bad situation." 

Billy waved his hand, "fine, but don't expect me to do much talking and I want to be done by one so I'm not late for rehab." 

Dr Charles smiled, "I think we can manage that." 

"So what do you want to know doc?" Billy's fingers were tapping absentmindedly.

"I want to focus on what you want to know, you much have questions about how you got here?" He was very aware that Billy needed to take this slow, this wasn't the eighties, he had no intention of making him relive things his mind wasn't ready for. 

"I know I got blown up, I know that it was because the guy were protecting was dirty and I know something happened to my face. Other than that, everyone's been a bit light of the details." Light on the details didn't exactly cover it, the answer he was given every time he asked was some variation of "you got blown up." 

Dr Charles nodded, "I'm sorry about that, when coma patients have been through something that causes serious memory loss, we are always hesitant to overload them but I'm happy to ask any questions you have." 

Billy swallowed, "I wanna know what's wrong with my face, I've been awake for five days and no one's let me near a mirror. I can tell something wrong." 

Dr Charels took a deep breath, "You have some scars, I brought a mirror if you want to look but I want to go over some things first." 

Billy felt rage build inside of him, now, when he got angry, he felt like he was going to explode. "Fine, ask your questions, it doesn't matter to me." 

"How do you think a change in your appearance might make you feel?" Dr Charles knew he was going to be met with bravado. 

Billy huffed, "my line of work doesn't exactly rely on me being pretty." 

Doctor Charles nodded, "yes, but that's not what I asked. I asked how it would make you feel." 

Billy's fingers drummed faster, "I don't need to look good to like myself, you don't need to worry about me offing myself doc." 

"This isn't about suicide Mr Russo, I would have asked outright if I thought you were a risk. We all want you to get better and part of that is knowing what might cause setbacks." Dr Charles knew Billy wouldn't have been used to this kind of thing, all the military cared about was keeping men in the war. 

"So you don't care how other people see you? Most people do, even if it's just a little?" Dr Charles was impressed, things were going well.

"The people that matter don't give a shit how you look. Some of my men look like they've survived a horror movie and they don't have problems, why should I?" Billy just wanted to get this over and done with, Dr Charles was making it seem like he had lost half his face.

"Alright then, do you want a mirror?" He could tell Billy was getting agitated.

"What do you think?" Dr Charles reached into the pile on the side table and produced a rectangular mirror the size of a medium book before holding it in front of Billy's face.

There was a moment of shock before it sunk in, then he was hit with waves of different emotions all at once, rage, pain, sadness, loss and to his surprise, relief, it wasn't the worst thing he had seen, "getting blown up is right."

"If I'm being honest Mr Russo, you're taking this better than I thought you would, hell, you're taking it better than most people would." Dr Charles didn't know if he should be concerned, Billy was hard to read.

"Yeah, like I said, I don't need to look good to like myself." The rage was still bubbling at the surface, "you got any other questions doc, because I'd like to be alone right now."

Dr Charles shook his head softly, "no, not right now. I'll be back tomorrow Mr Russo."

Billy sighed, realising this was going to happen whether he liked it or not, "call me Billy, I guess we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

Dr Charles smiled, "well then Billy, call me Daniel. I'll be in the same time tomorrow, good luck with your rehab today."

Billy managed to hold on until he couldn't hear Dr Charles' footsteps, then he couldn't hold on any longer. He couldn't recall the last time he cried the way he did once he was sure he was alone.

****

"Hey."

Billy felt a mix of feelings when Hazel walked into his room, "hey, I like your scrubs."

She smiled, "elephants are awesome, did you know that when they're babies, they don't really know what to do with their trunks?"

Billy shook his head, "nope, but I do now."

"You doing ok? You seem a bit deflated." Hazel knew Billy had seen Dr Charles early that morning, he had spent the last few days complaining about it.

"Is there a reason no one told me about my face?" His demeanour made sense now.

"Yeah, we were told not to. It's kinda hard to tell someone that they have a whole bunch of scars on their face and doing it wrong is really really bad so we like to play it safe and wait for a shrink to do it." Hazel took her place by his bed and took a deep breath, "do you have any questions? I'm sure you've got so many things running through your head?"

Billy swallowed, "what the hell happened, how did this happen?"

Hazel thought for a moment, "If you like, I can go over your chart with you, we can go through each injury and you can ask all about it, how does that sound?"

Billy's fingers began to drum, "yeah ok."

Hazel popped up and grabbed his chart at the end of his bed before sitting back down and opening it to one of the early pages, "vertical laceration with horizontal branching of the right cheek, two vertical lacerations of the forehead with left laceration extending into the hair line, long vertical lacerations from temple to cheek on the left side, two horizontal lacerations to the nose bridge, shrapnel starburst wound of the left cheek. Glass removed from six of seven wounds."

Billy's fingers continued to drum as he took in the information, "so that's what they saw when you first came in. Your chart then talks about all the surgeries you had and how all the damage to the muscles and nerves was repairable because the glass made clean cuts. I'm guessing you were facing a window or glass door when it happened and the explosion sent everything flying at your face, a bomb tec will tell you the rest."

Billy huffed, "Have you seen the video of those stab proof shirts?" Hazel nodded, "when we have high risk clients, we wear them. The only thing that was unprotected was my face. I got off lucky, had the glass been different, I might not be here. I don't want plastic surgery, make sure they know that."

Hazel placed her hand on Billy's forearm and the tapping stopped, "that's your choice and I think it's the smart one, you've already had a lot of surgery and your body has been under a lot of stress. If you can feel and move your face and the scars don't matter to you then there's no reason to even think about it."

"Do you think they matter?" There was something sad in Billy's tone.

"Nope, not one bit. You work with guys with facial injuries right, do they still live full lives?" She could see Billy sorting through his mind.

"Yeah, they do. Hell, one of them is married to a model and they met after he got burned." Hazel could see the resolve coming over him, like he had found a solution to all his problems.

"There you go, if anyone cares Billy they are not worth your time or effort and if a client cares, then you should take them for all their worth. I know this won't mean anything, but you don't really notice them after a while, I'm not looking at a scarred face, I'm looking at you and I'm alright with that." Billy's chest felt funny, like a mix of butterflies and bravado.

"You're good at making people feel better." The smile Hazel gave him only grew the feelings rumbling under his ribs.

"Well I'd hope so, that's what they pay me for. But you're going to have another session with Dr Charles today because as much as I can talk to you until the cows come home, I'm not qualified to for that kind of making people better." Hazel's tone made it clear he didn't have a choice.

"You really think it will help?" Billy trusted Hazel completely, no matter how hesitant he was about talking to a shrink.

"I do, and I like I said, I talk to him once a month too. It will be worth it and you don't have to talk about the explosion, you can talk about anything. I'm not going to claim to know how fighting overseas has affected you but you had to have seen some shit that keeps you up at night, maybe if you talk about that you can kill two birds with on stone." She sounded a bit like Curt trying to get him to come to group.

"You've missed your calling a UN negotiator." Billy didn't know why he trusted her so much, maybe it's because she was always so genuine with him.

Hazel made a face, "Those assholes are useless. I got my skills getting five year olds to take their cough medicine, they got theirs failing to convince warlords to not be monsters."

Billy laughed, his face spilling into a grin, "that's what I'm saying, if you were with us the Taliban would have tossed in their guns on day one."

Hazel sighed, "you can butter me up all you like, I'm still paging Dr Charles when my two hours are up."

Billy shook his head fondly, "there's no getting anything passed you."

"Nope. Now, I have some major gossip about that new military contracting company and you are going to want to hear it." Hazel had a suggestive smile on her face.

"By the look on your face, it's either a sex scandal or the mob." Billy,knew they weren't a threat but he was happy for the leverage.

"Oh it's a sex scandal and it's real juicy." Billy could tell she was busting to spill the beans.

"I'm dying to know."

****

"I'm glad you asked to get me back here Billy, what made you change your mind?" Something about Billy was definitely different.

"Look, Doc, it's not that I don't believe in this stuff, my buddy runs a vet's group that does amazing work, I just don't think I need it, but I know I'm not getting out of here with the all clear and I can't do my job without a gun so how do you do this?"

Dr Charles smiled, "you seem like the type of man that does best when you have a mission, I'm guessing that's how we got here?"

Billy nodded, "you can take the man out of the Marines but you can't take the Marines out of the man and you're right, once I was awake enough to have a goal to focus on, that's all I did."

"That's real good Billy, it certainly makes my job easier. Therapy isn't much different to what you've been doing, if you can give me a goal, we can find a way to work towards it." Judging by the bags under Billy's eyes, Dr Charles was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Sleep, I can't fucking calm down enough to sleep at night." Billy sounded fed up.

"Yeah, I noticed you're only getting two hours a night, you got an ideas about why you're having trouble other than not being able to calm down?" He knew the answer to that too.

"I'm worried about nightmares, I get flashes sometimes of what I think it the explosion but I've been through it once, I don't need to go through it again." Billy's voice was a mix of fear and anger.

"That's fine with me. We'll start with a sleeping pill, something really mild and we'll go from there. How does that sound?" Dr Chrales was growing more hopeful but the minute.

"I don't want to be stuck in a nightmare Doc, I've been there before too." Billy's fingers started to drum against the bed.

"That's fine with me too, if you get them tonight, I can give you some Prazosin. It's not a permanent fix and we'll have to deal with the cause of the nightmares but it will let you get some sleep and we'll handle the rest when you're ready." He could see the relief on Billy's face.

"You know Doc, the last time I couldn't sleep, I went to a doc at the VA and he told me that I have to learn to deal with the nightmares. He wanted to dose me up and make me go through them every night so I could expose myself to them." Billy was proud he could still read people, even with a scrambled brain, because Dr Charles was angry.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through that Billy, we don't do exposure therapy anymore, we now know that exposing people to their traumas before they're ready is harmful and it denies your ability to choose your treatment. If one day you decide that's the way you want to go them we can jump in with both feet, but until them, let's just make sure you get a good's night rest. How does that sound?"

Billy smiled, "that sounds good Doc."

****

"Come on Bill, you're getting old, don't you want to find someone and settle down?" Frank sounded like a grandmother. 

"Like I keep telling you man, I'm doing my duty, I can't leave the beautiful women of this city with cold beds." Billy had seen what Frank had gone through after Rawlins killed Maria and the kids, he wasn't one for setting himself up for heartbreak. 

"You think she won't like you once she gets to know you Bill, you don't give yourself enough credit." Billy sucked on his tongue, Frank didn't need to go dragging shit up. 

"You tell Karen everything we did over there, how the CIA sent us after Rawlins when he went bad, about all the shit that keeps you up at night?" Billy already knew the answer, he was just trying to shut Frank up. 

"You bet I did, we're still together, aren't we? It ain't as scary as you think it is. The right woman won't care." Frank sounded so sure of himself. 

"Alright Frankie, I'll take your word for it but right now, I'm just sharing the wealth." Billy hoped that would be enough for Frank to let it go. 

The shrill buzzing of an emergency ringtone cut Frank's reply. Billy watched as Frank listened to the person on the other end, his face slowly becoming a mix of anger and worry, there was a pause and Frank looked around, the phone still glued to his head, before his eyes went wide. 

"Get away from the wind......" 

Billy's eyes shot open, his heart racing in his chest as he tried to get his bearings. His whole body hurt but it was a strange pain, like fantom claws ripping into his flesh, he managed to raise his arm but before he could touch his face, his shoulder crumbled in agony. 

Parts of the nightmare faded, leaving only his conversation with Frank left. As much as he hated the lingering panic in his chest, he was grateful the memories were returning. 

****

Knock knock

"Yeah." 

Hazel wandered in with a smile on her face, the blue of her shark scrubs making her brown eyes look like obsidian under the bright lights, "for a man that clearly hasn't slept a wink, you look happy." 

Billy nodded, "I am, I saw Daniel this morning, he thinks I'm making good progress." 

Her smile widened, "really? That's great."

She took her spot by his bed and he reached his hand out for her to take, Hazel's hand sliding into his, "you're right, I didn't sleep last night but the doc's going to give me some drug to help with the nightmares and the bonus is I remember some of what happened."

"Prazosin, it's an amazing drug. I was on it for about four months after I was attacked." Like usual, Billy was grateful for her openness.

"Did it work?" Billy could see Hazel was thinking about her answer.

"Yes, they didn't go away entirely but I didn't wake up in the middle of a panic attack and it gave me time to heal so I could get to the root of what was causing them without worrying about falling asleep every night. Coming of them was a bit of a bitch, I had the weirdest dreams for about six weeks but I'm better now and when I have nightmares, I use the techniques Dr Charles have given me to feel better." That burning anger was back, it struck Billy how fierce it was.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, I'm not sorry you shot him." Hazel squeezed his hand as her thumb stroked his skin.

"Neither am I. But enough about me, tell me how the news about that scandal has spread." Billy smiled, Marines gossip worse than school girls and he was more than happy to take part.

"Oh, you're going to want to strap in because it's a wild ride."

Two Weeks Later

Billy knew what he was caple of, he had already pulled himself up from the dirt once and he was going to do it again but right now, all he could focus on was the blinding pain in his limb. It came hard and fast and he had cramps so bad they wrapped his body in agony and pins and needles that made him feel like he was being dipped in a pot of boiling oil.

None of that mattered, all Billy focused on was getting better. Rehab became a mess of tiny improvements and waiting for the misery of pain to ebb back into the background.

Billy forced himself to hover at the edges of conciseness, waiting for Hazel's daily visit. Today's physio session had been almost unbearable, but that didn't stop him from asking for more. Right now, he was psyching himself up to ask for more pain meds. He was having at least one session a day with Dr Charles and it was sinking in that it was ok to ask for help, that he didn't need to cope with pain, if only the nurse would hurry up.

He popped in, clicking his pen and Billy considered killing him with it, only to be handed two pills and have a cup shoved in his face. Billy lifted the drugs to his mouth and took the cup from the man, "I can do that myself now, it should be in my chart."

The man gave him a fake smile, "sorry about that, I'm only a student and they've just giving more responsibilities, I can't keep track of everyone."

The glare Billy gave the man had him think twice, "right, I will be back in an hour to see how you're feeling."

Billy blinked, an hour seemed like an awfully long time.

****

"Billy, holy shit are you alright?" Hazel sounded so worried and he hated it.

"I'm fine, the meds aren't working." His voice was tight.

Her eyebrows wrinkled, "that doesn't make sense, they've been working fine so far." Her face as she read his chart told him all he needed to know.

"Lizabeth, get in here now." She sounded enraged and Lizabeth seemed to pick up on it as she came racing in.

"I just heard my government name in front of a patient we've both known for months, what is it?" Hazel handed her Billy's chart and if he thought Hazel looked scary when she was angry, Lizzy was something else.

"Fucking Tylenol? I'll go get him, he's been a problem since he got his med privileges. Knight will have him on his ass after this." Lizabeth left for a moment and returned with the nurse who had come into his room before.

"Do you know how to read a chart?" Hazel was already up and shoving the chart in the student's face before returning to Billy's side.

"Yes, I do." He sounded pissed.

"You clearly don't. 'The patient is to be given Tizanidine at first request and Tramadol upon second request. On call doctor may exercise discretion if stronger drugs are needed.' This cocktail has been working since Billy woke up, is there any reason you went over the heads of five doctors, the head nurse and his two personal nurses? Keep in mind I have nothing to do with this, he's not my patient but I still agree with this plan." Lizabeth didn't step in to stop the hell Hazel was about to give him.

"These drugs are addictive and Mr Russo is going to be here a while, he needs to learn to cope with his pain." There was a pause and Billy could see Knight getting nervous.

"You got a name?" If Billy was in less pain, this would have been a sight.

"Jared Brooks." Jared had the face of a man who didn't know what was coming to him.

"Well Jared, you've only been working in a hospital for six months and you've only had the privilege of handing patients their meds for two days. You are not allowed to give them anything not listed in their chart, you are to get them from your med cart. You're lucky you're not on my ward, my head nurse would have dragged you to the stress herself. Lucky for you, the head nurse for long term care is doing the right thing and at a conference for new treatments. What do you have to say for yourself?" Billy was ready for Hazel to kill him.

"I made a mistake, it won't happen again." He was still as smug as he was when this started.

Billy watched Hazel carefully, he knew what was about to happen, "You make a mistake, a mistake? Oh no, you made more than a mistake, you mistook your ego for medical care and risked the mental, physical and emotional health of a patient to prove a point about something you don't even understand. You didn't make a mistake, you made what could have been a fatal error in your judgement. You are the worst student nurse I have ever met for a teaching hospital, that's saying something. I can only assume that you used the fact that our actual staff were busy to take advantage of the people that needed you the most. I have no words to describe…"

Billy reached out and grabbed her hand, "you're going to make the poor man cry. I'm not mad, everyone makes mistakes Hazel. I'm sure Mr Brooks will be dealt with."

Lizabeth spoke up, her voice hard, "Get off the premises now or I will have you removed, you can expect us to call your academic board within the hour." She turned to Billy, "we will let you get some rest and the meds you need. This is the second time he's done this today, he won't be coming back."

Billy eagerly swallowed the handful of pills Lizabeth handed him and rested back on the pillows while she closed the blinds and quieted the room, "I'll hang here and give him the good news."

Lizabeth nodded, "thanks Hazel, buzz if you need anything."

Lizabeth left and Hazel relaxed into her chair, "I was coming in to tell you something wonderful so I'm sorry you got to see me Hulk out."

Billy laughed, "you kidding me? If you ever need a job at Anvil, it's yours, I thought you were going to hit him."

Hazel huffed, "I fucking wanted to."

The tension was leaving his body by the second, "tell me the good news."

He could hear the joy in Hazel's voice, "long term care and the peds ward share a state of the art rehab room. Now that you're in the low support section and we've got you sleeping, you've been cleared to start your rehab over there."

Billy's chest felt funny, "does that mean I get to see you in action? I know the nurses take their patients and help out, Dr Charles said it was something about continued support."

Hazel nodded, "yep, we pride ourselves on not only having support networks within wards by within wings too. We go where your patients go to the best of our ability. Now, I can't say it will be easy but it's not like you're not already going through it so you'll be fine."

Billy grinned, the pain almost gone, "I get to see you work, not just hear about it from everyone. You know Lizzy and Dr Charles say you're one of the best peds nurses they ever met?"

Hazel broke eye contact with a slight smile on her face, "I know, they've told me. But I've also been told I'm a big meanie, we end up sharing a section you might change your mind."

Billy smiled, "I'm looking forward to it. I get to see where all my tax dollars are going."

Hazel shook her head fondly, "get some sleep Russo, you're going to need it."

Part 5

[servenas-inner-fangirl]

Watching Black Sails 3x4

Starting a new episode takes the strength of at least ten men. Maybe I should spoil myself some more to make some of that anxiety in regards to how and when the bad things that I know will happen do happen go away.

Lol @ the crab being swished away by the waves.

Plus: Water. Minus: Cannibals?

Appearantly I can recognize Flint by his legs now, or rather by the way he walks. Or maybe it's the ass in those pants.

Flint loves it when Silver is being smart. And I love that they're bffs again.

Flint has no faith in his new partners, hm?

"If we speak with one voice, we seem to be able to compel them to any end." Uuuugh, those two.

"I wouldn't trade you for any ten of them." Cue 'the worst person you know has just made a great point' meme.

"Who is he?" and Jack shrugging, hahaha. Known each other for years, my ass. Like Jack has any friends out there that even compare to those in here with him.

Oh wow, did not expect that. Jack Rackham, you will be a fearsome pirate yet.

Charles is so heartbroken that his plan to defend Nassau failed. ;_; And Anne seems to have some sympathy with him.

Flint taking care of Silver is my new favorite thing.

OUCH.

"Sold more than we freed." So this confirms that Flint's crew used to trade slaves (apart from the ones Eleanor bought in S1).

A big camp indeed. That's almost a city!

This is really from the frying pan into the fire into... idk, a volcano? What did the walrus crew do to deserve so much bad luck? (Don't answer that one.)

Isn't that last crewmember of the slave ship a little too convenient?

Put holes in the fort, repair the fort, blow up the fort... what's next, build a new fort?

"Jack, you know there's no way I'd ever let that happen." What is with the feelings amongst the ranger crew this season! You weren't like this in season 1! (But then Vane didn't kill them even though they conspired to kill the rest of his crew, soo...)

"I was about to say 'See you soon, but that would probably be a lie, wouldn't it?" Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Damn, that was a big boom. Looks like there was enough explosive material after all.

The fact that nobody is even considering Flint in this whole endeavor is kind of offensive to me.

Hornigold: My fooooort.

Things are not going well for Flint's crew, I see. But nice to see Silver scheming again.

Vane used to be so respected aka feared in Nassau and now he's a wanted man, that's gotta sting. There's no saying who will betray him and when. - Hah, but that man thought better off it with just a look from him!

Ah, so do bring a gun to a sword fight, got it.

Vane really has to eat shit at least once in every battle, doesn't he? But it's nice to see that he's just a man despite his reputation.

Oooh, Teach to the rescue.

Damn, that look Charles had for the last one. Also is that a braid I see in his hair? I thought he didn't have any anymore. That makes me happy (and my headcanons related to this go brr...)

Nooo, Eleanor has betrayed him once again. This makes me sad.

"I hate to say this, but is it possible we missed the point of that story?" Hahaha, Silver trying to head off another one of Flint's crazy ideas at the pass.

Jack is also truly upset that their plan for Nassau went south. My poor baby. ;_; But at least he has Anne being pragmatic.

"Have you done this before?" "No. You?" "No." Well that inspires confidence.

Also fire on a ship made almost entirely out of wood makes me nervous!

"Charles Vane sees past his anger to achieve the greater end. How did that happen?" So we all wonder.

"I was taught a lesson once. It's been effective." T__T Don't make me relieve that one! My poor shipper heart.

Rogers has the right instincts for once, unfortunately.

Also how can all these pirates swim? Is that a requirement to be on Vane's crew?

Yeah, I mean, why wouldn't you try to sink the fire ship? But I have a feeling there might be a surprise left...

The look of resignation on Rogers' face. And the satisfaction on Vane's and Teach's. (Also I approve of Charles Vane dripping wet. Sorry not sorry.)

And now the rest of the ships can slip the blockade, yeeeeees.

Oh, time for some more honesty between Flint and Silver, except now it's Flint who's confessing. Maybe that'll do him some good...

Nooo, Flint, don't give up!

Ah, so I was right, this is Madi. She seems cool.

OOooooooh. That is her father?? Yeah, he might have something to say about this. Also that adds layers to his character. How much, if anything, did Eleanor know about this?? Also, wasn't he willing to sacrifice a hold full of slaves (and himself) for her in season 1?? I have questions.

Noooooooo.

[loveyougoodbi]

Australia unserious serious race overview

If you're new here i decided to do a short recap of each race after it's done on here, mostly for my own sake so I dont forget what happened in each race.

This recap will be less unserious since the results were 😐 not by my liking and I have serious topics to cover.

Bahrain part 1 Bahrain part 2 Jeddah part 1 Jedah part 2

Australia will be 1 part under a cut

1. Ferrari

Oohhh boy. Do I have thoughts.

Most of my thoughts are summed up in this post I made discussing how Charles not attacking was not due to team orders and how attacking would not have helped him. Now I'd rather move on from this since every time I think about who won I want to cry.

I am really pissed off today but not because of ferrari and team orders but because the one time charles is out of the front row in 8 races Max DNFs thus giving everyone else a chance. I know, I know I should want Charles to beat Max on track and that's probably what Charles wants also BUT it does not erase the fact that cs55 is so lucky with his front row starts that he is now 2/2 qualis he was better than Charles in the last 10 races that lead to Max/Red Bull having issues. What kind of luck do you have on your side? And can the rest of us get some?

On the positive side Charles is now closer in the championship to Max than any driver has been probably since Bahrain 2023 lol. And I will choose to look on the bright side and remember that after Singapore Charles obliterated Carlos in every single race and hope that this one sparks a similar fire in him. You got this Charlie.

2. Mclaren

They were good I guess. They had no one to fight with thanks to Mercedes. I feel like they had a slightly better race than the last 2. I will not talk about the team orders since they did undercut Lando with Oscar's strategy in the beginning. So I have.. no opinion on it. Especially since Oscar made a big mistake towards the end that everyone kinda overlooked with everything that happened after. He would not have been on the podium either way. He lost a lot of seconds there I dont remember how much but it was a lot. Lando would've overtaken for sure.

3. Aston Martin

Stroll had an amazing drive here 🙌. I like to hate on him sometimes but not today. Amazing quali amazing drive great points.

Alonsos move in the end? Extremely dangerous to do on a street track surrounded by walls. I'm happy he got the penalty (although I didn't expect 20 fucking seconds????? Idk what is happening with the penalties being so harsh this year but I like it)

4. Red Bull

Poor Maxie. We are so not used to seeing this that it felt like a fever dream. What the fuck happened? And on the race he was supposed to match his streak 😭. Anyway he'll live. At least now he gets to fight Charles (yes I'm delulu what about it)

Perez was invisible. Were RB slow here or is Perez just mid? Well I guess we'll never know (but we can take a wild guess). He could not pass the Mclarens? Really?

5. RB

YUKI TSUNODA THE MAN THAT YOU ARE!!!!!! I can not explain to you guys how happy I am with 6 points for Yuki jgjejxjwnd that's insane.

Daniel did ok I guess. He had a more difficult drive too but I only care about Yuki today. So so happy.

6. Haas

Did you guys see this drive by both Haases? Did you see what they did? They climbed the most out of everyone. Both in the points????? How did we get here? I don't know but I love it. Hulk is for some reason growing on me more and more. So is Kevin. Idk what happened. Double points for Haas. Who would've thought. Amazing. So excited for them.

7. Williams

James Vowles I'm in your walls. Men will do nothing but disappoint. Would Logan have done better than Alex? Probably not. Is it okay what they did to him? Absolutely not. And they didn't even manage to get a singular point. Disgusted disappointed and flabbergasted. Was it worth it James? Cos I don't think it was. Wasnit worth it for Alex to lose respect in Logans eyes? I don't think so either. And before someone goes but it wasn't Alex fault. If I was in Logans place I would lose respect for Alex for allowing this to happen I said what I said. I would never consider him on my side anymore if I ever did.

This coupled with Alex saying he'd rather have a teammate that's bad so he can get all the praise? Falling lower and lower. Not yet daniel-lando-carlos level of low, far from it, but still dissapointed in him.

8. Alpine

Woohoo can you believe they are not last on my list for once? They did something guys!!! The thing they did is they are not BOTH dead last. Only Este is. AND no one dnfed. Actually there is not much to celebrate. Next race I guess

9. Sauber

Idk what was in the air in Bahrain but Sauber are getting worse and worse. Zhou has completely disappeared. Bottas had another 1 min pit stop (what is it with bottas and put stops?????) And they were just... they were bad. This is starting to look very similar to last year and they gave me hope for .2 seconds for NOTHING!

10. Mercedes

Damn. Where do I start. So nice of Hamilton to park his car in solidarity of Max dnf ing. We love a supportive king. In all seriousness tho (because this is a serious race overview) Mercedes suck. The car sucks. First engine failure of the year and its their own car 3 races into the season. It's not looking good at all.

George oh my god. On one side it's funny bc this exact same thing happened in Singapore? That's insane? I'm ready to light some candles about how crazy it is. On another more important side, it was so so scary. The placement of his car was so dangerous. His radio was so devastating. I cant even imagine sitting there in the middle of the road and just waiting for a car to hit you at 300kmph without being able to do anything about apart for yell for a red flag and hope they listen. So traumatic. I hope he's okay mentally after this. I know these people are stronger than us and their relationship with death and fear is different than mine but this cannot be easy. God I have tears in my eyes just writing about it. Poor George 🥺

That's it. Thank you for reading. There is not conclusion to this I simply covered everything ND my thoughts on everyone 😌

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

I think people can’t separate their dislike of a driver and the performance of that driver. If they don’t like them, that means they are bad and they can’t say anything positive about them. It’s weird. I have drivers I don’t like and I can still admit when they have done well in race or over a season. It feels like, and then is sometimes confirmed by some fans, that they don’t actually watch the races and just want to jump on the hate train cause it seems to be trendy… even though some fans just look kinda insane with how obsessed they get over hating someone who will never know they exist…

Yes, I 100% agree anon! I genuinely don't think certain people realize that everything isn't black and white, a lot of the time it's all shades of grey. Most people should be able to acknowledge a good performance from a driver they don't like but some of them refuse to at least try to be objective and, as you correctly said anon, they just want to jump on the hate train, especially if the hate train is for the driver who's trendy and popular to hate on at the minute (at the moment it's Max, soon it'll be another driver, the cycle simply goes on and on). A lot of people do think that if they don't like a driver then no one should be allowed to say anything positive about them and they will then actively hate on the people who dare say something positive about said driver.

And you're right, some people don't seem to actually watch the races and simply remember things happening the way they want them to, so they can twist what actually happened to fit whatever narrative they're trying to sell (there's so many examples but on Twitter recently, someone was blaming red bull for Max's tyre failure in Baku and saying that they had planned it so that Max could get new tyres and that's why Red bull was asking for a red flag, ignoring that the exact same tyre problem also earlier took Lance, who's with a completely different team, out of the race, that driver safety was in question because of the crash and that Max was taken out of the race the minute he hit the barrier, so red bull were asking for a red flag along with drivers like Charles because driver safety was in question).

Same anon, there are drivers I don't particularly care for or like but I can also acknowledge when they've had a good race or season and I certainly don't post hate about them. Like people don't have to like every driver, but it's very concerning when the majority of someone's posts are pure hate directed at a driver, who as you said anon, will never know they exist.

I genuinely don't get it, it's far easier and far more relaxing to simply ignore the driver you dislike and focus on the drivers who actually make you happy. Life is far too short to waste on such stupid hate anyway.

[kerie-prince]

We're Worlds Apart (2)

Draco Malfoy x American No-Maj!reader

series m.list | general m.list | previous chp

warnings: light cursing, mentions of death, angsty Draco

summary: Draco Malfoy is a pureblood wizard. Magic runs through his veins and has been since his birth. You're a Wiccan No-Maj; a non-magical being with ordinary blood through your veins, but practices what you call magick. And this very practice upsets your neighbor.

(gif not mine)

The surrounding neighbors have been very nice; one elderly couple walked up to Draco’s door with an apple pie, quite the American staple, and he seemed to appreciate it. They seemed normal and sweet. Much unlike the feeling he had for his neighbor. Y/N. He hasn't made any attempts in the month that he's lived in the small suburban neighborhood to see her. He avoided her like she was a deadly plague.

Albeit, it was probably harsh and extremely childish. The whole point of him becoming a new person was changing his views he had been taught in adolescence. Or else why did he help Harry Potter all those years ago when he swore he hated him?

It was currently around 3 in the morning, he was standing in his backyard and made sure no one would be awake as he sent his owl to send a letter to his best friend, Blaise. He was the only person who still contacted Draco on a regular basis besides the occasional letter from Theodore. Gregory cut all contact with Draco after the Battle, especially since Vincent had died that night in the fire in the Room of Requirement. Pansy was living her life somewhere, and although the Golden Trio had forgiven Draco for his actions, it didn't start any friendships. But Draco was fine; Blaise and Theo had been there for him in more ways he cares to admit.

He never mentioned a word about Y/N to Blaise until now when he asked what Draco’s American neighbors were like. Majority of the letter contained contents of how work has been, the differences in not only culture but also how things are called, and just his own well being. He did say something short for the elderly couple, but when it came to Y/N he had a lot to say.

These muggles are far different from the ones in England, Blaise. They know things about the magic world but input a fantasy in their heads. They believe they can actually practice witchcraft and wizardry, calling themselves “Wiccan” or whatever rubbish it is. Bloody hell, they even have films and tv programs of them. My neighbor is one of these and she does the most ludacris things in her house. Quite laughable, really. If Salazar was alive today to see this happening, I’d bet he’d curse the whole lot.

She had been lingering in his mind since that day of his discovery. It was annoying him. Every night, he would catch her in her room doing whatever the hell she was doing and he felt as if the universe was mocking him. This is what people think what you really are was the message he got from it all. Draco never thought something like this would make him feel like a freak. But he did. This act of hers was an indirect insult of what he was capable of. And she had no idea.

—

It was a fine autumn morning. The shop was closed today, so you had lots of time at home to catch up with cleaning. You stood over your bathroom sink brushing your teeth and saw from the reflection of your mirror your cat stretching herself before walking into the bathroom to rub herself on your legs. “Good morning, Aurora,” you cooed at her. She purred in response and ran off to her tower in the living room.

After getting changed into some comfortable clothes, you walked up to a closet in the hallway that had collections of crystals, oils, sage bundles and more. “Let’s see, where did I put the angelica root?” you asked out loud to yourself. Going through the shelves, you pulled some sea salt, ground lemon balm, ground angelica root, and a feather. You carried the items outside in a bowl to your backyard and set them at a small garden table. Walking over to your garden, you pulled some elderberry flowers and started your cleansing spell.

You sprinkled the salt onto a censor dish and placed a charcoal dish on it and lit it up. In the bowl you had used to carry the items out, you started mixing the herbs together as you waited for the charcoal to burn red. Once it did, you sprinkled the herbs on top, creating a cleansing incense. You picked it up from the bottom of the censor dish, picked up the feather and made your way steadily to your front door, lightly wafting smoke towards it. Reaching your front door, you drew a pentagram over it with the feather and smoke,

“Be gone negativity,

Here now blessed be.”

You repeat your incantations throughout the house until you have finished and walked back to your living room, drawing one last pentagram. You placed your feather and censor dish on the bare floor, stood up and tapped your foot three times,

“By my will, so shall it be.

Sealed now shall this cleansing be.”

You sat on your couch and turned on the television, waiting for the incense to burn out so you could scatter it around your backyard. After a couple of hours of watching a guilty pleasure of yours, you decided to get some actual cleaning done. First thing was to do some trimming and gardening outside, so you grabbed some gloves and headed out back to your yard.

Before grabbing your garden scissors, you looked up and saw something rather strange. There was an owl in your neighbors yard. In broad daylight. From the backyard, you heard a car pull in and peeked over the fence to see that it was your neighbor coming home. You ran to the front leaving a dirt trail in your house and ran out the front door.

He hadn’t walked in yet, so you started waving your arm, “Hello! I’m Y/N!”

He had just nodded his head and walked a straight line to his door. Not wanting to lose this chance of having a conversation with him, you yelled for him one more time, “There’s an owl in your yard!” His eyes widened and without a word, he ran into his house in a panic. From a distance, you heard him say 'shit' before closing the door.

Building up confidence, you walked up to his door and knocked a few times and patiently waited. You fixed your hair and stood surprised as he hastily opened the door. “H-hi! It’s so nice to meet you, I'm Y/N,” you stretched your hand out to shake his hand. He looked at it and had a displeased look, causing unease within you. Looking at your hand, you noticed you still had your gardening gloves on with dirt on it.

“Oops, sorry!” you chuckled as you took it off and reached out again.

Again, he just looked at you with a straight face for a couple of seconds before finally speaking, “Look, I’m really busy, so if you don't mind.” He shut the door without giving you any chance to say anything back. You stood there in shock, replaying his British voice in your head. And as you stood there, you wondered why it is that he doesn't want to talk to you. The Charles couple across from your house were able to introduce themselves, and even got a smile from him. But for some reason, you could never get the same treatment.

—

Ian had proposed to Draco a housewarming party during lunch. Of course Draco had never been to one, much less hosted one.

“It’s alright, boss. I can fix all the arrangements up. All you gotta do is relax,” Ashley proposed. To say that Draco is extremely happy is an understatement. He had friends that actually enjoyed his company and not his influence. Not that he had much of that anyway.

America was really working out for him; work was great, people were nice, and the area he lived in was peaceful. Yes, he didn't like his neighbor, but she wasn't ruining his life in this new country. He just didn't like what she did.

“Thank you, Ashley. And you know you can just call me ‘Draco’.”

“I know,” she replied. Ashley grabbed her Blackberry phone and started drafting up an email, asking for his address so she could let people know where it would be. “Is this Friday a good time?”

“Yes, that should be fine. I don't have any plans that day.”

“Great, it's sent out to everyone in our department. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an attending to watch over for a surgery. See you guys later!” Draco, Blaine and Ian waved at Ashley as she left.

Blaine left soon after, leaving Ian with Draco. “Alright man, how’s it going on your street? Are you finally settled in?”

“I finally got the last of my things delivered from London yesterday. I was a bit nervous though. That mugg— I mean No-Maj neighbor of mine saw my mum’s owl in my yard. Thankfully, she didn't ask any questions,” Draco said as he cleared his lunch tray.

“Wait, you still use an owl? Ha, I didn’t think people still did,” Ian chuckled. “Well, of course I do. Do you not?”

“No, most wizards here in the States just use the usual ground post that No-Maj’s use. Things are a bit more modern around here. Speaking of your neighbor actually, have you ever spoken to her?”

Draco shrugged nonchalantly and said a simple ‘No’ when he really wanted to scrunch his nose and eyebrows in disgust and say ‘Fuck no.’ Ian, however, is gifted in Legilimens. He heard what Draco really meant but kept to himself. I guess things are different in the UK he thought.

—

“Hello my dear baby, I just wanted to call and give you a heads up; your brother and I are coming for Thanksgiving. He’s bringing Stephanie so do me a favor, please no witchy stuff.”

The voicemail played out loud in the kitchen. Please no witchy stuff. Your mother had repeatedly explained to you that she was okay with ‘it’ all, but growing up you never really got on the same page with her. And you knew it was because of your practice. Your younger brother would say comments every now and then when you grew up, but he always stood up for you when other people called you a ‘satanic freak’. But never once did you regret starting the Craft. You enjoyed it and it made you feel whole.

It had been a week since your encounter with your, now known British, neighbor. It bothered you a lot that he didn’t seem to want to get to know you. You were lost in your thoughts that you almost didn’t notice the doorbell going off. You answered the door and saw your neighbor.

“Hi dear, do you think you could help me and my husband with something?” Mrs. Charles smiled sweetly at you. “Of course, what can I do for you?”

“My grandson is coming in from Vermont, would it be alright if you could give us a ride to the airport? I’d ask Draco but he’s always busy at work and I don’t want to be a bother.”

Draco? “I’m sorry, who’s that?” you had a confused look.

“Our new neighbor, dear. I thought you had met him already. You two are the same age after all,” she informed you. Draco. How unique. You instantly recognized the name from the star constellation. It was nice to finally put a name to a face. Distracted again, Mrs. Charles waited for your answer, “Y/N? Can you do it?”

“O-oh, sorry. Of course I’ll help. Frankie was his name, correct?”

“Yes, it’s Frankie. Thank you so much. His flight comes in on Friday. I’ll see you then,” you wished her a good night and looked out your window to make sure she crossed the street safely. The rest of the night consisted of you and and your cat laying on your couch watching TV, but what was on the screen didn’t have your attention. Draco did. And you had no idea why.

—

“Dude, why do you not have a TV?” Blaine looked around Draco’s house and studied the arrangements he had. It was quite plain, almost minimalistic. Looking around, Draco couldn’t help but think how different it was from the Manor back in London. Instead of grand chandeliers, moving portraits of the Malfoy’s before him, and intricate designs on the walls, he had simple white walls with just one moving picture of him, Blaise and Theo a couple minutes before a Quidditch game against Ravenclaw. He had a bookshelf full of old school books from Hogwarts and some small relics he liked from the Manor.

“I’ve never had one growing up, and once I moved here I just never gave any second thought of it. Besides, what would I even watch?” Draco replied. Despite having one letter off from being the same name as his best friend, Blaine reminded Draco of Theo. They were both funny and outspoken. He would’ve loved for them to have met. They’d probably get on.

A few moments later, Ashley and Ian knocked on Draco’s door. The door was unlocked for them to be able to open the door. They looked around the living room before settling onto the couches. “Okay so I was thinking that we can just have some trays of snacks and desserts with some champagne. Does that sound good to you guys?” Ashley suggested. They just nodded along to whatever she said. She had gone to the store with Blaine to get everything prepared before the party tonight.

Ian looked at the pictures of Draco with his friends and one of his mother that laid on top of a chimney. “Do you still have lots of friends from Hogwarts?”

Draco thought about it, “You know, I actually didn’t have a lot of friends back in school. Back then, I only hung out with probably six people. But now it’s just two.” He sounded a bit sad, but figured that two were better than none.

“Do you think of what happened a lot?” Ian implied about that day at Hogwarts. He had been the only one that Draco trusted enough to tell. “Sometimes,” Draco gave a short reply. The action of opening up was still new to him, but he knew he shouldn’t wallow in it. Plus he’d rather have a friend instead of a doctor to talk about it.

Ian really felt bad for Draco. It must have been really traumatizing for someone to go through something like that at just the age of 17. Sure, Draco wasn’t the best person at the time. Who is he kidding, he was probably the biggest git in the whole school. It didn’t necessarily mean that he had to go through what he did. He lost one of his friends in a fire, and one left him after said friend died. Another left for no apparent reason. And another wanted something different in her life. Those things affected Draco, and probably will for the rest of his life.

He didn’t pity Draco, but was feeling sympathetic. “Well if it makes you feel any better, I don’t have much friends from Ilvermorny. It sucks now, but hey, down the line you get new ones.” Ian held a fisted hand out, waiting for Draco to bump it. It made him laugh as he bumped Ian’s fist.

Outside, Ian looked out to see a certain neighbor walk to her car. “Hey, is that that chick you were talking about?” Draco looked out the window and saw you grab some things out of your trunk and into your house. “Yeah, that’s her.” Ian never really pressed on Draco to explain why he didn’t like his No-Maj neighbor like he did the elderly couple across the street.

“Well, I gotta say. She’s a sight for sore eyes for a weirdo.” She’s a what? Beyond the nightly activities he had caught you doing on occasion in your bedroom, he never really looked at your face. Or really just at you. But now that Ian mentioned something, he started studying you. She’s not so bad looking— wait, what are you thinking?

By accident, Ian snorted at the words Draco thought. “Did… did I say that out loud?” Draco asked with suspicion in his voice. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t really mean to be invading your mind or anything. It runs in my family,” Ian laughed nervously.

“It’s okay. My godfather was also good at Legilimens and Occlumency. I’m pretty sure he’s heard worse during his classes. Come on, I’ll give you a full tour of the place.”

“If the other rooms are anything like the living room, I’m sure I’ve seen the whole place then,” Ian joked.

“Piss off.” As Ian walked towards the bathroom, Draco looked back outside to see you again. He watched as you helped the Charles couple in your car and drove off to Merlin knows where.

—

The party was rather fun. It lasted until almost 1 in the morning. He thanked Ashley for handling everything and spent the night talking and laughing with his colleagues. Once everyone left, he changed into comfortable sweats and a plain black t-shirt. Out on his bedroom window was Blaise’s owl with a sealed letter. He quickly opened the window, grabbed the letter and looked out to make sure no one was watching. Your room was dark and it seemed as the drapes were down. He guided his friends’ owl with his hands to a small, make-shift owl post against the fence that separated your yards. It had food and was enchanted to be at a comfortable temperature. His owl laid on one side of the post, resting as Blaise’s owl joined it.

Draco opened the letter and read its contents to himself.

Well mate, I’m glad you’re having a good time in America. There’s not much going on here in London. I’m just working at Gringotts until something opens up at the Ministry. Not really sure what I want to do, but I’ll figure it out. Anyways, I think you’ll be pleased to hear that Theo and I are going to be joining you for the holidays. Theo got a hold of a couple American muggle films and he figured that if the women there were as fit as the actresses, then you must be living the best life and he wants to join. As for that muggle neighbor of yours, I can’t wait to see her in person. We’ll see you, Malfoy.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw lights turn on in your room and your shadow walk around before turning off once more. Sorry Blaise, but there’s no way in hell you’ll meet her.

—

Frankie’s flight was delayed, causing you to get home so late. You were extremely tired and your feet and back were sore. Usually, you’d take a bath with some salts and oils to relax yourself, but tonight you were really lazy. So lazy that you just shook your shoes off and plopped yourself on the bed.

The second you hit the mattress, you dozed off. Your mind was wandering and found yourself dreaming.

You sat in your backyard in a pretty sundress. There was a slight breeze in the air and you held a cup of coffee in your hands. Someone sat at the chair opposite you and blocked the sun’s light in your face. You looked next to you and saw your friend smiling at you.

Draco.

—

next chp

(っ◔◡◔)っ taglist: @beiahadid @malfoy-styles-wife @fivenightslaughter @juneballoon999 @leydileyla

[anxiousnerdwritings]

Hello,If you don't mind may I request a headcanon with young!Magneto and female s/o with Pathokinesis(ability to control emotion)?

Yandere Young!Magneto x Pathokinesis!Reader 

A/n: The ask wasn’t really specified as yandere, but I’m just gonna write it like all my other ones. Hope this what you were looking for💞💚

When you first meet Erik, you can feel the hatred radiating off of him, and it both scares you and interests you. What does he hate so much? 

You can control and manipulate peoples emotions, even being able to feel them as well. You feel Erik’s hatred within yourself and it really terrifies you. You don’t want something like that running your life. 

You try to subtly make him a little less hateful and angry and a little more content and calm. But that can only last for so long before he’d catch on, and he’s not happy. He doesn’t want anyone to make him feel any different. He’s use to feeling hateful, angry, and vengeful. He wouldn’t know what to do with himself otherwise. 

And you’ll leave him alone from then on, but something starts to stir inside him at the loss of your presence. He’s become more restless then he already was. More anxious and on edge than usual. 

The loss of your emotional manipulation is leaving him off worse than he was. Blaming you for doing this to him, he thinks you’re the only one who can fix it. But really he’s gotten use to feeling the smallest bit of content when you were around and he needs you back, not fully understanding the severity of the situation. 

Finding you, Erik corners you, wanting to know what exactly you’ve done to him. Why is he more worrisome than anything else? What all were you making him feel? What have you done? 

Once you’ve told him everything and you’re reasoning, he’s perturbed. Why would you care about him? You don’t even know him, how naive. He supposes that comes with your mutation, but still you’re so trusting and innocent for wanting to help him “feel” better. 

He decides that for his oddities to go away, you need to stay with him for awhile and take the obstructing feelings out of him, in a sense. He makes sound like you can just suck them up or something, but you explain that that’s not how it works. 

Over time Erik seems to get back to his usual brooding, angry, standoffish self, and he sends you off again. 

And for awhile he’s fine but those feelings kick in again and they’re worse. He catches himself thinking about you, wondering about what you’re doing. Are you still on Charles’ side? Are you being treated right? Are you going on those silly little missions to help non-mutants? Are you safe? 

Progressively, Erik’s thoughts get more worrying, and anxiety fulling. He doesn’t understand how he’s come to think of you so much. It’s not like you can get into people’s heads like Charles, besides he has his helmet for that. Even while wearing his helmet, he’ll still drift to thoughts of you and his odd feelings are still there. What is happening to him? 

He comes to you once more, only to see you chatting so freely and closely with Charles. Why aren’t you like that with him? Does he scare you? Why is he really wanting to use his powers to push Charles down the stairs in his wheelchair? Shaking away the thoughts, Erik asks for your assistance once again. 

You’re apprehensive to go off with him once again, but you genuinely want to help, so you agree. Leaving with him one last time. Erik already feels better, but he’ll keep that to himself. 

Once you’re with him again, Erik can already note a difference in how he’s feeling. He’s content again, but is that your doing or his own. He doesn’t know or frankly care, he likes this new feeling. 

After sometime has gone by, you decide it’s time to leave. At hearing you talk about another departure, Erik can feel the feelings and thoughts coming back and they’re coming full force. He doesn’t want you leaving again. He doesn’t want to be stuck with his other more uncontrollable feelings, and he won’t.

He’s gonna keep you with him, because you make them simmer down, you keep them at bay. He’ll chain you up if he has to just to keep you with him. Then it hits him why he won’t let you go, no he can’t let you go, he’s become addicted to you. You can make him feel blissful, content, happy, and any other good feeling. Even if they are imitations and not his true feelings, he likes them better. 

You should have never tried to ease his pain, now you’re confined to this unstable man. 

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon and ah, its just me than. Links on tumblr break half the time for me sorry bout that!

1: Mostly how it looks in the actual episode but with some changes. Its gaint, even has multiple floors, most rooms have a glass dome roof with iron railings (3-4) lining the bottom of the glass. The hallway typically have windows leading up to the roof, but the roof and both floor are a mix of materials like iron, copper, wood, and even gold. The most complex room is the Council room, which has a a higher roof than the rest, with mostly wood railings that go all the way up and lead to a circle at the top. The Council is the group that leads Mizu, they have 1 leader of every Idol to represent the different opinions of the citizens, with 1 special member that doesnt belong to any Idol, and is instead used to represent the opinions of people who either haven't chosen a idol yet, got kicked out of a idol following, and just to give a unbiased opinion most of the time. They do make most decisions, mostly those relating to topics like construction, farming, money distribution, where people can live, etc. And they also mostly agree on most subjects and don't agure, but they do have massive disagreements on topics and problems like Representation in other Cities/Kingdoms, trading, visitors and immigrants, and sometimes supply missions. 

3: Situations like taking care of his siblings (I have decided Benjamin shall have siblings) and friends, and he was also put under extreme stress as a kid in school and family life, but unlike Ranbob, he managed to successfully communicate his struggle and find coping mechanisms. Also when he went off to live by himself for a bit, he was under sudden extreme situations where he had to make split second decision. So he just learned from everything thats happened to him over time. 

8: Levi exists purely to make Watson and others go insane. People claimed it was made up because they claimed most events as unrealistic (like Doomsday, Techno escaping a death trial, Pandoras Vault (they believed it impossible for something to be inescapable)). Plus the fact it seemed cruel such young people where faced with such trauma that no sane person would let it happen, and the fact most historical important items couldn't be found, people claiming that they where made up (also cause if the land was that exposed to such devastation, it would've collapsed on itself). No to both of those, by this point their to far away from Dream for him to have a direct meaningful affect on the group, and while the residents of Kelalen know it was Dreams sword, the group does not know. Nope! Mizu came about years after Kelalen was forgotten about and shamed. And Mizu was only made because of the growing number of believers in the SMP history was causing disruptions in both the political sense and educational sense, so it was made to separate the "outcasts". Though Mizu eventually grew as big as most cities, and greatly civilized and advanced, though they where still often "forgotten" about and basically seperate from the Kingdom that set them up and became their own place (though not officially). 

They do have a friendship! Its not super close but their definitely friends. Ranbob is definitely a worrier, he heard that two of his friends almost died he immediately goes to them and fuses over them. And when their recovering he doesnt leave their side, infact Benjamin has to drag him away from the two just to get him to eat. And he refuses to sleep unless he's like directly on top of them. Yeah, Cletus challenges Grievous to a parkour challenge over a Delta Basalt, and he happily accepts. They end up giving everyone a heart attack after Cletus slips and almost falls onto a magma block. Jackie plays in soul sand and dumps a handful down Rans shirt, Watson teaches Charles and Isaac how to make gold from gold nuggets and more Piglin culture. When Cletus is cleared to be ok and Jackie stops getting soul sand in areas he didn't even know existed. They all sit in a circle and decide what they should try first, with Ran and Watson watching carefully and preventing them from drinking anything that they recognized as harmful. But other than that they just let the others do whatever. 

10: Because he couldn't use it, when Dream was a full human he used to be able to access his powers at his own will. But after his spirit got linked to his mask his power greatly reduced. To the point he relies on others for his powers, more specifically, he needs them to be exposed to him for a certain amount of time (like 2 weeks) until he can use their own essence/spirit to help his powers. When the group of people came after Ranbob left, they stayed for a long time, especially after they took the mask with them. Dream got the power back. Cause it is a "I worked to hard to give this up." Type situation. Ranbob was his first victim and the first person he had control over in decades, he considers Ranbob the puppet he was meant to have and refuses to let him go. Everyone is the nat to him, but specifically Ran. Cause Ran was the only person who survived the murders, so Dream sees him as a kill that was taken from him that he needs to fix. Everyone else to him is nothing more than an annoyance, and he's more than happy to use them as nothing more than a stepping stone to kill once he's done with them. 

13: Ran is stronger than everyone else, Jackie is faster than everyone else, and Watson is more acrobatic than everyone else. Sorry can you reword "Is Jackie considered stronger than them aside from shared tactics, or is it the other way around?"? I dont completely understand sorry. Kind of, I'll say. There can only be 3 ranking members, but it can also be 2 Corporals and 1 Sergeant. 

14: They where caught off guard, but also knew something must be going on due to the fishermen staying closer to Ranbob than normal. He never got too far, as he isnt very fast and Charles and both Isaac tend to be fast enough to get him. If the episode is really bad bringing him back can lead into physical fights but it rarely gets into that, as it seems like Ranbob really doesn't want to fight them most of the time, and holds himself back.

Well, I hope it’s working for you now, cause that sounds less than ideal, honestly.

1: Well, Mizu sounds gorgeous, quite frankly. As for the council having a member of no idol, what about that? People can get kicked out from an idol group? Why? Do some just never choose an idol? Also, how’s the housing situation there? Are there like, apartments on one of the floors, or something? Why does the council not really agree on outside affairs?

3: Not gonna lie, I’m rather curious. What kind of life did Benjamin lead to be under such heavy stress? Does he relate to Ranbob because of this? And what was he doing when he lived on his own to need to make fast-paced decisions? Also, siblings! What’re his siblings like?

8: He sounds like it.

And hm. There are several things I’ve taken from this. 

Do totems no longer exist, if they don’t believe Techno could have survived, or did that particular piece of the story just get left out over time?

Has Pandora’s vault fallen? And why would people find it unbelievable? If it’s the future, shouldn’t they have even more advanced technology than that? Or is it simply the lack of evidence that leads them to disagreeing about it’s existence? 

They don’t believe people would have been so cruel to the younger ones? Oof, um. Well, at least that says something about the future, I guess. 

Mizu sounds like it has an interesting history in it’s self. How do Ran and Ranbob feel about being in a world that basically shunned the people of what would eventually become their home? Do they ever have issues when people find out they originate from Mizu, or worship an idol? From how you put it, it seems like that wasn’t really looked upon well, since they shunted the people who did it to Mizu.

Friendships for the win! Maybe not close, but it sounds like an interesting dynamic. Charles honestly seems pretty mild, and as you said, shy, so putting him with Mr.Random And Chaotic certainly sounds like something. How did these two become friends?

And honestly, it sounds like everyone had a lot of unique experiences in the Nether. It also sounds like Ran and Ranbob were probably an inch from a heart-attack the entire time, considering the shenanigans ongoing. It sounds kind of cute that Ranbob was only sleeping when he was close to them though, and it gives me the image of a giant fluffy cat, so win-win there.

10: Interesting. Was Ranbob not enough to fully return that power to him when the Fishermen first came and took him? Or did Dream just not think they’d get that far and not react in time, when he still had that power from his puppet?

And, uh, wow. Dream was certainly off his rocker before, but that’s definitely cemented now. Is anyone aware he thinks of Ranbob in such a way? Does Ranbob know? How are everyone’s feelings on that-besides y’know, ‘gonna murder Mr.Mask Man’. How does everyone feel about being considered as ‘nats’?

13: Huh. And yeah, I confused myself rereading that. Basically, is Jackie considered stronger than those two? You said they were mostly on par, because of the shared tactics, so when it comes to cutting those shared tactics out of the picture, does Jackie come out on top?

14: So the gang could tell? If I may ask, what were the tells that gave Ranbob away?

[thorne93]

The Stars Made Us (Part 2)

Prompt: In this world, you’re one of the “lucky” ones who got a soulmate, but what if the universe gives you more than you bargained for?

(Prompt challenge – You live in a world where your soulmate can write on their skin and you will get the writing on your own and vice versa. Where they can wash away the ink on their own skin, however, the writing is forever scarred onto your skin until you meet face to face)

Word Count: 1436

Warnings: angst and language throughout

Notes: This was supposed to be for @sorryimacrapwriter​​ and their challenge like a year ago, I think? I still loved the prompt though and have been working on this story for quite some time. This aesthetic was made by @dontshootmespence​​, thank you so much! Beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes​​, couldn’t have done it without you, as well as @carryonmyswansong​​ and @arrow-guy​​ and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​

Also, I’ve never really liked the whole soulmate AU thing idea, but this felt so right and it was amazing to write. I hope y’all love it too!!

~~~~~~~~~~~

When you woke up in the early afternoon, your parents greeted you with a bit of a chuckle.

“Stay up too late with Jenny?” your mom asked with a teasing smirk. It was a habit of yours and Jenny to probably stay up way past your bedtime, but so long as it wasn’t a school night, your parents never cared.

“Actually… I.. uh, have some news,” you announced as you grabbed some bacon for a BLT that they’d made for lunch.

“Oh?” your dad asked, his eyes still on his laptop. “What’s that?”

“So… Jenny was kind of joking around last night and said that I should try to write on my arm, you know… to see if I had a soulmate…” you began explaining, twisting your fingers around nervously as you sat at the table.

Your parents just looked at you curiously.

“Well, so I did. I wrote something on my arm, and I waited to see if someone would write back… and they did,” you said, showing them your arm. They saw the ‘Happy Birthday’, and the ‘Hi there’, with a smiling face.

“A soulmate?” your dad echoed, looking at your arm inquisitively.

“We’ve never had soulmates in the family, have we, dear?” your mom wondered as she looked over her cup at her husband.

“Not that I know of. Well what do you know about that?” he mused. “I don't see any more marks on your arms, did your mate not write back much last night?”

“No, we actually emailed. We thought it would be best if we reserve our skin.. You know, we don’t want a bunch of… tattoos of each other unless they’re meaningful.”

“Sounds sensible,” your mom noted with a smile. “So what do you know about them?”

“He’s a grad student. He’s 21. He graduated from Harvard at 16, and get this, he’s into psych. He studies it.”

“Graduated at 16?” your dad asked. “Are you sure this guy isn’t pulling your leg? What if he’s some bum?”

“If he is some bum, he’s got a great education. We stayed up all night emailing, and he’s quite well-read.”

“That sounds fantastic, honey. And, did you get his name?” she asked, a bit nervous.

You shook your head. “No, we agreed it wasn’t safe.”

“Good girl,” your mom commended.

“He’s 21, hmm?” your dad hummed. “Isn’t that a little old?”

“Oh, Anthony, don’t pretend like that’s some big gap. You and I have five years between us,” your mom reminded as she got up to pick up the kitchen.

“Yeah well we didn’t meet in high school either. We were adults.”

“I’d hardly call us adults. We were 23 and 28.”

Your dad just shook his head. “You just be careful, kiddo. Soulmate or not, there are weirdos out there.”

“Of course, Dad,” you said.

Well, that was out of the way. Your parents didn’t seem to be too upset, which was good.

You went upstairs to your room and sent an email to X.

“My parents know about us now,” you wrote.

“Do they approve?”

“They’re worried you’re a liar and a weirdo, lol,” you confessed with a smiley face.

“They might be right ; )”

“I reminded them that we won’t ever swap information until one of our names shows up.”

“Of course. As tempted as I am to meet you like a normal person, I don’t want to tamper with fate.”

“I feel the same. And your parents? Have you told them?”

“My parents have died. Happened a few years ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. That’s awful.”

“It’s sad, yes, but don’t let that bring down your mood, please. I miss them terribly. I bet they would’ve loved to meet you.”

“I would’ve loved to meet them.”

“Speaking of, we need to get registered.”

Registered? For what? A marriage license?

Then it hit you.

“Oh, you mean the soulmate registry?”

“That’s the one. Do you have access to it?”

“Yeah, I can just drive to it. It’s at the clerk’s office, right?”

“Yes, it is. Oh, I need to go, Y/F/I. I’ll talk to you later. Feel free to send me emails throughout the day.”

“Will do, X. I’ll go to the registry on Monday, after school.”

“Looking forward to it.”

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

The following afternoon, you went to the county clerk to file for a soulmate. You arrived at the building, stood in line, and finally, it was your turn. You were greeted by an older woman with a permanent scowl on her face.

“Can I help you?” she asked evenly.

“I, uh, I need to get registered for a soulmate?” you said tentatively. You had no idea how this part of the process went.

She eyed you up and down. “Very well, come with me.” She turned around and started to walk away from the counter and you looked around to see if you were supposed to follow. Since no one seemed to be stopping you as you inched towards the small opening in the counter, you went ahead and followed her.

“Do you have a driver’s license?” she asked once she reached a little podium against a wall.

You didn’t answer, instead you quickly searched your purse and wallet to retrieve the ID. She took it from you but before she did anything she asked you to show you the markings.

“I got these, on my arm,” you informed as you pushed your arm forward, your arms exposed.

“I’m just checking to make sure they aren’t tattoos,” she mused as she eyed them and scanned them with a small device that emitted purple light, you assumed it was a UV light or some form of it. “Alright, that all looks good.” With that, she turned to a computer and pulled up a file, scanning your driver’s license that filled out a bunch of forms and blanks - your name, age, social security, birthday, address. “Now, I need to document your markings. Put your arm right here,” she instructed, pointing to what looked like a small x-ray machine. It had a flat platform, a light, crosshairs, and an overhead lens. “Hold still,” she ordered.

You did your best to keep still as she pressed a button and the image was snapped.

“Did you write anything to them?” she asked, her voice stern.

“Yes, I wrote a few things,” you said, explaining everything you wrote and where.

“When did the markings appear? I need the date and time,” she informed.

“Alright, you’re officially in the system. Do you know their name?”

“No, we’ve only emailed and I refer to him as X?” you said, unsure.

“Good. I’m not sure if you know this or not, but we tell everyone who gets a mate: it’s never good to meet them before your time.”

“I’ve heard,” you noted quietly.

“It usually ends in an untimely death, and you don’t get another mate. No one has ever had more than one mate, even if their first one dies.”

You nodded. It made sense. The universe designed one person to fit your soul exactly, they couldn’t do that with two people, it would be crazy.

“No, yeah we agreed not to give any personal information away,” you confirmed.

“Good. Now, whenever your mate comes in to get registered, neither of you will be notified.”

You frowned for a moment. “So what’s the point in doing this?” you wondered.

“In case anything happens before you two meet, you can be notified. If you need a donor, your mate is notified. It’s mainly for record keeping, but just in case, they’re basically added to every In Case of Emergency list you have.”

“Really? Okay,” you said, a little more interested.

“Well you’re all set. Here’s some information for you,” she informed as she handed you a pamphlet. It said: So now you’ve got a soulmate, what this means for you.

Inside were several Do’s and Don'ts.

Do tell people you have a mate, so they don’t think you’re covered in tattoos of random words.

Don’t get the name of your soulmate before it appears on your skin. Their name and current location will appear when you are needed most by them.

Do be sure to include that you have a mate on any legal forms.

Don’t request a new mate.

… on and on it went. It made you smile and laugh at how… old it seemed to be.

Before you knew it, you were back in front of your computer screen, sending an update to X. He said he was busy today and would have to go to the clerk tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[dreamerandcrazy]

Ok, so I haven't been able to comment much on my Riverdale rewatch mostly bc i'm watching it with my boyfriend and we have an agreement of no cell phones when we're watching, otherwise we can't pay proper attention to it. But I wrote down some notes about the episodes I did watch (I watched up until ep 6, which is very ironic bc apparently today is its anniversary, so yay for my perfect timing). I actually remember most of the stuff that happened in s1, so here's mostly a few things I paid more attention to or noticed about the characters and the ships, or things i'm able to look at through a different view now that i've watched all the seasons. Strap in if you want to see my notes, if not just scroll please, no ship or character hate here please. Also, feel free to ignore, this is really just a personal look in some stuff I didn't notice in my first watch.

- Betty's character used to be much happier and lighter in season 1. I know we're introduced to "Dark Betty" right in episode 3, but still, I feel like the way Lili played Betty in season 1 did not hold the same "darkness" as it does in the following seasons. The scene where she is dancing happily in her bedroom because she's going to homecoming with the boy she likes? The scene where she introduces Jughead to the Blue & Gold and gets him to work with her? Her genuine innocent happiness at seeing her sister again after so much time? The way she interacted with Kevin and Veronica? Those were all chef's kiss because she actually feels like a teenager in them. In all her girly glory, she radiates youth energy and it's a thing that was sadly lacking after s1. Btw this is not a critique at Lili's acting at all, I blame it entirely on Ras and his obsession with dark Betty.

- There's actually so many indications of Cheryl being a lgbt character in the first episodes that I have no idea how I missed it the first time. But then again, there were many indications with Veronica as well, and sadly that's not the path Ras chose for her.

- Jughead in s1 is truly so superior in so many ways that it's not hard to see why he quickly became such a fan favorite. I think even if he wasn't played by Cole Sprouse, he still would have conquered many fans' hearts. Sadly, the things that made Jughead such a loving and interesting character for me also fizzled out in s2 when the writing team decided to make him a woke serpent leader instead of allowing him to sticking to his true personality as a passionate mystery lover, a dedicated friend and very nerdy, which was very cute. I feel that we got some of that back for him in s4, which was good, but sadly s1 is where my love for him really stayed to stay. But I still care for him, and s5 has a promising storyline for him which i'm excited about, so let's see if s5 Jughead can become better than s1 Jughead.

- Going back again to Cheryl for a sec, I just noticed that the red lipstick actually wasn't that common for her in s1? At least not in the first five. I wonder when did it start becoming her trademark? Anyways, it's actually a really good look her and allows you to appreciate Madelaine's natural beauty even more.

- Also, did anybody notice how Alice lowkey figured out who killed Jason in ep 2 lmao, like... in episode two she legit says she wouldn't be surprised if the Blossoms themselves had killed Jason, which... is what happened LMAO, considering we know it was his father. And even more hilarious and tragically ironic note, in ep 6 she's laughing at Betty suggesting that Hal killed Jason because "do you think your father has the stomach for it?!"... Ma'am... i'm-.... 😂😂😂😂.

- This rewatch has reminded me of how much I adored and how I much I miss Josie and the Pussycats. The girls were such a nice addition to the cast, and their songs were so beautiful. I truly wish we get to see them again someday, but at the same time I also think the actresses deserve to be at a work place where they're given the treatment they deserve and not completely ignored and treated like extras.

- Archie/Valerie was super cute and is very underrated in the fandom, but i'm glad Valerie stood up for herself and didn't take any of Archie's or Cheryl's sh*t. Still sucks because they were really good together, though.

- Why was Jason not allowed to talk, lmao? Like, i'm sure it's become a running joke in the show at this point, but back when season one was airing what was the excuse for it? He appeared in so many flashbacks and scenes and we still never heard a single word ☠️☠️☠️☠️. I just want to know what was the reason lol.

- I liked s1 Reggie, but I feel like Charles Melton's Reggie is better because he actually feels like a douche with good intentions lol, and he has more of a personality. Most of the time I even forgot about Reggie in s1, but after s2 he definitely made me more aware of him. So for that, I like Charles Melton's Reggie more. But the actor from s1 still did a good job with what he was given.

From now on I will be talking about the ships, so bear with me, and know that I am a multishipper. Yes, I have my preferences. No, my word is not law, it's just an opinion, so please respect it.

- Bughead is still super cute in s1. I feel like from s1 they will always be my otp, even if I no longer feel as strongly about them now and have a different insight as to where I would like their story to go, and now I definitely see the problem others had mentioned before of how they kind of took over the show, which is something I kind of closed my eyes to before... But I really loved them in s1. It felt like a very juvenile teenage relationship, they didn't give much thought on why and if they should be together, they just went for it like teenagers usually do, and they were very very cute together.

- I feel like if you don't count Beronica (because they really were the best no matter what you say or ship), if there's a ship that deserves "best chemistry" award for s1 is probably Varchie. I lost my interest in them years ago, but this rewatch reminded me of why I actually loved them once. They never really became an otp for me, but Kj and Camila's chemistry in s1 was VERY GOOD, and I really liked them. Their kiss in the pilot was electric and the s&xual tension was OOF, and that chemistry carries on through the season. You can easily tell something will happen between them eventually. It makes me sad bc I don't know what happened after s1, but their chemistry from s2 onwards was just... not there for me. Which is ironic bc it's the season they truly started dating and they got a lot of smexy scenes, but I just... didn't feel it. But I'll leave that comment to my s2 rewatch. For now just let me enjoy Varchie's chemistry in s1 while it lasts because it was really good.

- Now we get to Barchie, who I made clear was the reason for my rewatch, so let's get to it. I LOVED the way Barchie was written in s1. I remember when I first watched Riverdale, I was curious about their dynamic but didn't put much thought into it because I loved Bughead too much and wanted them to be together, and I thought Barchie would be the traditional "first og ship" thing and wouldn't have a big follow up, but boy was I WRONG and am I GLAD for it. I'll talk more about their development in the next seasons when I get there, so for now let's focus a bit on s1. Just in like the first two episodes, there is so much Barchie foreshadowing, like, it's legit insane how it was right there in my face and I missed it the first time! "I have never felt what i'm supposed to feel with betty", "it's not my fault he doesn't like you", "I can't give you the answer you want"... Omg, those are obvious eyebrow raising "this will come back to bite you in the a$$" moments and it's incredible how they actually DO! I would call it clever writing, but like... it's Riverdale lol. So I really am just glad that the ship was done this way, i'm glad Barchie has the back story that they do, they've really come a LONG way and i'm happy I get to experience their whole growing storyline. It's also especially good because s1 actually provides you with scenes that show you their friendship and how they're so close, you see them hanging out, talking, their pictures together, everything was just really done well with them. Still have a bit of critique with the way Archie contradicted himself sometimes regardinf his feelings for Betty, but let's be honest, we've watched enough Riverdale to know that's just a problem with the writing.

- Kevin/Joaquin is still my favorite Kevin ship, i'm sad it's completely impossible to go back to them someday so for now i'll just be really glad it existed and that I got to see them even if it was short-lived. They had great chemistry and their kiss scenes always outsold.

- Beronica... sigh. Beronica. The most wasted chemistry i've ever seen on CW and I've watched a LOT of CW shows. There was so much potential there, s1 was practically overflowing with them and it's one of the reasons it became some popular. I remember when the Beronica fandom was the biggest one, ah, good times. Veronica and Betty were easily the best part of season 1, their friendship, their lowkey romantic moments, they were just superior in every way. This ship deserved better, not even just as a ship, but as a friendship.

- Veronica's s1 hair >>> Veronica's hair in seasons 2-4. I loved the side part and I am glad it's back in season 5, it looks so much better like that.

- Cheryl, as always, deserves better. Can't wait for her to meet Toni so I can watch again Cheryl finally get to love someone and be loved back, which is exactly what she deserves.

For now, that is all! I will probably make another post soon when i'm done with season one and from season two on I will be live-blogging the episodes since I will be watching it alone. Once again, pls, no hate, my thoughts are my thoughts. Peace.

[porkchop-ao3]

A Thrill I’ve Never Known (Chapter 62)

Plans

Sorry for the delay but better late than never! This is a pretty long chapter so hopefully that makes up for it. Warning for use and mention of alcohol abuse. 

Tagging @emily-strange and @actuallyhansolo ❤

(All chapters tagged with #ATINK and also posted on Ao3, username PorkChop)

-

The night it all fell to shit was a weird one. It was like we were hanging in some kind of dysfunctional family limbo. Dutch left the tent where Micah was still fighting to stay alive against all the odds, and he glared at our little group of black sheep from across the camp. We'd grown in numbers, though, even if we weren't all sitting together in a posse, people were with us in spirit. Kieran and Mary-Beth had come over to see how Arthur was doing, and to make it very clear that they were firmly with us; they didn't trust Micah, never had and never would. They couldn't comprehend how Dutch was acting the way he was. 

Lenny showed his support not through words, but by silently stopping by and patting Arthur on the shoulder, nodding at him once. Karen was blind drunk but she yelled at Dutch's closed tent, chanting the words 'snake' and 'die' before Bill dragged her away and deposited her on her bed roll. In fact, Bill and Javier looked like they were the only ones who had outright sided with Dutch, and I wasn't sure if they actually believed that Arthur and the rest of us were traitors, or if they were just siding with him out of blind loyalty. Javier kept looking over at us, something like regret and confusion in his eyes but whatever he was feeling obviously wasn't strong enough to have him leave Dutch's side. Bill, though… Bill was just full of contempt and whatever he believed, it certainly wasn't any conclusion he'd drawn himself. 

Everyone else was just tiptoeing around, not seeming to firmly align themselves with anyone. These were the people who openly sympathised with Arthur and made it clear they didn't believe that any of us were the rat, but also joined Dutch at the table outside his tent where he was smoking a cigar – looking dark and pensive, miles away and stewing within a thick black cloud – to offer him similar words of comfort. The likes of Reverend Swanson, Pearson and Tilly. Even Miss Grimshaw, who seemed a little conflicted about the time she poured into nursing Micah, she didn't condemn either side. She just marched around with a perpetual sad frown, reeling at the way the family she'd tried so hard to keep moving crumbled around her. 

I felt terrible. But it could all have been avoided if Dutch hadn't been so twisted by Micah. If he'd just listened to the people that mattered the most, his 'sons'. But it seemed he'd picked his side. Though I did wonder what would happen if… or when Micah succumbed to his injury. 

"I think we should go," Arthur murmured to me quietly, as he pushed his stew around his plate. It was odd eating dinner at such a time, but there was still plenty of stew left in Pearson's pot and nobody wanted to let his hard work go to waste. Limbo. A weird feeling of normality caked in tension. Like when a marriage is breaking down but both parties are still trying to plod along, going through the motions. 

I looked up at him immediately from where I sat on the bed next to him. "Now?"

Arthur met my eyes. "Well, there's nothing left here," he said. I pondered his words. It was funny. For weeks and weeks I'd longed to hear him say that, to get a concrete agreement that we were to leave and get away together. But now that it was served to me on a platter, I felt so odd.

"You don't want to see if Micah pulls through?" I questioned. 

"I… I'm with Charles. I don't think he'll pull through," he breathed, looking back down at the plate.

"No, but," I began, not knowing where I was going. 

"You don't want to leave?" His question wasn't judgemental or annoyed. 

"Yes, I do. This just feels so surreal. So sudden. It almost feels like it'd be wrong to just pack up and leave after this has happened, like we should stay and try and sort it out somehow. Though I don't know how…"

"I know what you mean. But I'm worried about you, Micah pulled a gun on you. And I don't know what's in any of these fools' heads, there's no telling if someone's gonna try and do the same thing. And I don't know if I want to stick around and save anything that almost took you away from me, or condoned it."

I paused for a while, then finally nodded.

"Just eat up," he whispered, nodding back at me with a brooding look in his eye. "We'll start packing–"

His head jerked as something caught his eye. I followed his gaze and spotted Dutch getting up. My heart thumped painfully when for a moment I thought he was going to come over, but instead made a beeline for the horses, not looking anywhere but ahead. Without saying a word to anyone, he climbed up onto his Arabian and left. Just left. Everyone stared off in surprise, not really knowing what to say about it.

"Where's he going?" I breathed.

"I have no idea," he mused. 

"Should… should we go after him, try and talk?" I asked, meeting Arthur's eyes. He looked into mine for a while and I could see him thinking, coming to some sort of silent conclusion that made his expression sour before shaking his head sharply. 

"I don't think I wanna talk," he told me bluntly and I couldn't help but be shocked. 

"You don't even want to try? Not that I think you have an obligation to," I said softly and Arthur shrugged his shoulders with an attitude I'd never seen in him before then.

"I'm done. And I mean it. I had plenty of doubts about him before this, and now I just can't see a way of fixing things. He took Micah's word over mine. He treated you like the root cause of all our problems and he couldn't care less that Micah almost shot you," he ranted, getting progressively more pissed off. 

I looked away and thought very hard about what to say next. I was sorely tempted to say fuck it, and agree to run away with him right then and there. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not leaving the likes of Mary-Beth, Lenny, Abigail and Jack all here to suffer the consequences of whatever Dutch planned. Some people had made their mind up, but others… It was clear to me that they saw security in Dutch that they didn't have elsewhere. They were stuck.

"What if we ask around, and leave as a group with whoever wants to come?" I suggested. It wasn't the first time I'd said something like it, but this time felt different, like it was actually reasonable. That it actually might work. 

"And then what?" He asked me. 

"We'd take our things and go, find somewhere else to camp for a while, and then figure things out when we're not sitting in a camp full of people who might just want us dead," I said bluntly. His lips parted, his eyes bored into mine. The stare he gave was intense, and made me feel as though this was a turning point, a moment with huge gravitas and consequence. 

"I think… I think that'd be our best option," he quietly agreed. "But what will we do about money, Dutch has–" he stopped, remembering something, eyes casting across the camp, settling on the Marstons’ tent. "Hold on a second." 

Arthur got up, depositing his plate on the table by his bed before crossing over towards the tent. He called out for Abigail and John, and was ushered inside. I sat and waited, frowning to myself just slightly, pondering his sudden actions. 

Javier strolled past my eyeline, between Arthur's tent and the Marstons’. Without giving it much thought, I called to him. He paused, casting his gaze to me almost in surprise. He stood there for a few seconds, cigarette hanging from between his fingers, a dusting of ash floating down as the stub burnt away with his inaction. He looked at me expectantly, though he moved no closer. 

"Javier," I sighed sadly, shaking my head, "surely you don't trust a word Micah says. How could you? You know exactly what he's like–-"

"I don't," he told me bluntly. "I think he's full of crap," he shrugged his shoulders.

"So why are you acting like Arthur and John and the rest of us are the villains?"

"I… I don't… think that," he stammered, losing some of his conviction, speaking very hesitantly. "This situation, muñequita… this is messed up. But all I know is that you guys aren't being loyal to Dutch. And that matters to me."

"Why Dutch? Why should we be blind-loyal to Dutch when he doesn't care about us?" I frowned deeply, aggravated by his expectancy. 

"He cares. Dutch always cares."

"He's pouring all our resources into saving a man who was about to shoot me in the face. He doesn't give a rat's ass about me, or Arthur. Because if I was killed in this camp, you know it would destroy him, the guilt he would feel–" I shook my head abruptly. "Dutch has never liked me. And that's fine, I don't care, but Arthur and I– we love each other. We're in this for the long haul. But Dutch doesn't want to see Arthur happy."

"He doesn't wanna lose Arthur to you. And that's exactly what's happened; Arthur wants to leave this gang to be with you, and you think Dutch should be perfectly happy about that?"

"If he saw Arthur as a son rather than a well trained gun, an asset to his criminal gang, then yes. He should be perfectly happy about him wanting to get out of this dangerous world and settle down," I answered bluntly, shrugging my shoulders and looking at him like I couldn't for a moment understand why he didn't see it.

"Criminal gang? That's the way you see us all?" He cocked his brow, finally taking a number of steps towards me. 

"Not at the start. At the start you were all so hopeful and free. Now you're a bunch of penned in animals, lashing out and doing anything and everything to survive with no thought to anyone but yourselves. And this ain't an insult, though you'll surely take it as such. This is what Dutch's decision-making has done," I answered, keeping my eyes on his and not backing down. Javier was good. I knew he was. He was just being led into the fire by a smooth-talking egoist. 

Javier was quiet for some time, twitching a little, his jaw clenched tight. He did not want to listen. 

"Dutch saved me. He gave me hope when I had nothing, put food in my belly, shelter over my head, safety. Without him, I would not be the man I am today. I may not even be alive," he shrugged cluelessly, "and you want me to abandon him?"

"I don't want you to do anything," I sighed, finally breaking eye contact. "This is your decision to make."

"Listen, I–" he began, voice softening. "I always liked you. When Micah told us today about you and the Pinkertons, sure, I had my doubts about you. Now, I… I don't believe you're working against us. You have no motive, especially since you and Arthur…" he trailed off, sighing. 

I looked up at him again, waiting for him to make his point, though he took his time.

"But I cannot betray Dutch. I can't leave him, not now, not when he is the reason we're all still alive."

I almost told him that he was also the reason why we had to run so fast, always pushing his luck, killing Cornwall, Bronte, robbing banks in huge cities, inserting himself into a fight that wasn't ours with Eagle Flies and making things worse for them. Pissing people off left and right and acting as the ringmaster for the world's deadliest circus. 

“Where did Dutch go, anyway?” I asked, instead.

“Said he needed to clear his head. He’s really hurt, you know,” he told me and I was so close to rolling my eyes.

"He had his chance to listen to us but–” I began, then trailed off, “what's the use? I can't change your mind, Javier. I just hope things turn out right for you," I sighed. 

His lips parted, but he didn't know what to say. Eventually, he dropped his wasted cigarette and then carried on walking.

Arthur came out of the Marstons’ tent just a moment later, an edgy, agitated but somehow hopeful look about him. He came to me, immediately beginning to gather his things from around the tent, putting them away in his chest. I watched him with a confused frown, lips hanging open, about to ask him what was happening when he told me anyway. 

"We're going. Us, with those three," he told me very quietly, but in a rushed, urgent tone of voice. 

"Now?" I got up abruptly. 

"Yes. We gotta move while… while Dutch's gone. It'll be easier," he told me, "maybe some folk'll come with us. Would you do me a favour, princess?"

"Of course, anything," I blinked at him, stunned. 

"While I'm packing up, you go out there and you… you talk to anyone who's on our side, okay? You see if they want out. And you tell 'em to pack up."

"Wait, how is this gonna work?" 

"Abigail–" he began, realising he was at full volume before dialling it down, "Abigail knows where all our money is. She's got a key, she stole it while everyone was distracted, when Micah was telling his pack of lies about you. She felt like things was gonna blow up, and she was right. We got a key to all the money, every penny we been putting away for safekeeping," he rose up and closed the space between us. He cupped my face, his eyes were bright and alive, truly, for the first time I'd seen in a while. 

"So, what, are we gonna take it?" I balked in a hiss of a whisper. 

"No, not… not all of it. But we'll take our share," he told me, then pressed his lips to mine briefly, but firmly, "we deserve some of that money, it's ours. It's ours, John's, Charles'..." He trailed off, he sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than me.

"Damn right we deserve it," I encouraged, nodding my head, "hell, I bet you put most of it in there."

"We're just gonna take enough for us, just what's fair. We ain't gonna screw the rest of 'em over. We… we…" he stammered, his eyes dropping to my mouth. I could see the light dim from his eyes and I could feel the guilt he was experiencing like it was seeping from his pores.

"Arthur, it's okay. What we're doing is okay," I whispered to him, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tight, "Dutch ain't left us many options. It's clear his mind's made up and he don't deserve a moment more of your time. Taking a little money from the communal pot… that's the least you deserve. All them years; he's lucky this is all you're doing."

"What if he comes after us?"

"Then I'll kill the bastard myself," I said through clenched teeth. "He ain't ruining another moment. This is a good thing, baby, this is… this is the moment. The right time, what we've been waiting for."

"You're right," he breathed, turning his head towards my hair and inhaling my scent. 

"Come on. Keep packing, I'll go speak to the others," I said. 

"Abigail's gonna sneak in and get the money. She knows where it is, it's in that cave," he told me so quietly that even I struggled to hear. I pulled away from his embrace and nodded. I kissed him once more, then exited the tent. 

I scanned the whole camp, my eyes landing on Charles where he was on guard duty. It seemed so strange, again, that the menial jobs people did day to day were still being carried out. I guessed that people were just trying to cling on to normality. I sped over to him first, catching his attention when I was a few places away, he turned to look at me and grew tense at the urgency in my gait. 

"Charles," I breathed, reaching him and touching his arm, glancing around once before continuing, "Arthur and I; we're getting out of here. The Marston's too. I ain't asking you to pick a side, I will never judge you for your decision, but–"

"Of course I'll come. You needn't ask," he told me in his no nonsense tone, tilting his head up slightly in a small display of pride and loyalty. A smile broke across my face. 

"Well then," I breathed with a laugh, "I suggest you gather your things. We ain't lingering."

"Of course," he nodded.

"And will you tell Sadie? Give her the same option to get out of here? Anyone who you think might wanna come," I requested and he nodded again.

"So this is really happening? We're splitting the gang?" 

"What gang?" I grunted, turning and looking at the tattered ashes of what was left. Charles said nothing, but I knew that he saw it too. He patted my shoulder twice, and then headed off. 

Of the gang members left, there were few I wanted to ask. Some were far too loyal to Dutch; obviously the likes of Javier and Bill, others I just weren't close to. I never spoke to Strauss or Reverend Swanson; even Uncle, I didn't know any of them well enough to entertain the idea of asking. I figured Arthur would ask those sorts of people if he felt it was the right thing to do. It interested me to see that some people were already packing, though I knew they hadn't been asked yet. I assumed it was a case of fleeing the sinking ship. Pearson was one of those people, Trelawny – a man who seemed to come and go like the rain – was another. Mary-Beth was too, though she was doing it kind of slowly and subtly as if she didn't want people to notice that was what she was doing. Kieran helped her. 

I made my way over to the girls' wagon, where Karen slept, Tilly woefully held her head in her hands, and Mary-Beth quietly folded away clothes and trinkets into a case around the side.

"Ladies, may I… could I speak with you?" I asked, watching as Karen groggily lifted her head, and Tilly looked up. Mary-Beth hummed her acknowledgement but didn't stop what she was doing. 

"Arthur and I think it's best we move along, given the circumstances," I began softly, timidly. Tilly gave a humourless laugh. 

"You think?" She queried. It wasn't mean-spirited. It was just tired and sad and disappointed. She was taking it hard. 

"And we figured we'd ask folk if they wanna come too. The Marstons think it's a good idea too. I don't want this to seem like I'm asking y'all to pick a side, but I want to give you an option for if… if you don't wanna stay here no more. You ain't stuck," I continued, meeting Mary-Beth's eyes. Her lips parted and she was stunned, hesitant.

Karen grunted and slumped back down on her bedroll, ignoring the suggestion for the most part. I looked at Tilly. She stared off distantly, her mouth slightly pursed. I waited for her to say something, half expecting some anger or upset similar to that of Javier's, I thought she was just as loyal to Dutch as he was.

"I'm not going with you. But I ain't sticking around here neither," she told me, striking me full of surprise. "Things just went too far today, people pointing guns at each other, accusing everyone of everything, this ain't no place for nobody. Listen, I'm glad you have a way out of here. And I'm glad that that little boy does too," she pushed herself to her feet and pointed in the direction of the Marstons' tent. "But I… I don't think I want any part of this no more."

I nodded slowly. "I understand. Tilly, all I want is for people to do the right thing for themselves. And I want them to be safe. If you think leaving all of this behind is the right thing for you, then I'm fully behind you. You've been kind to me, just like everybody else. I appreciate the time I've known you," I told her carefully. She fidgeted a little on her feet, but nodded. 

"Thank you, I– I wish nothin' but the best for you and Arthur," she told me, then with a final nod she disappeared around the wagon. I presumed she was gathering her things. 

"I knew it," Karen slurred, her cheek pressed into the ground. "I knew she was outta here. Jus' like you, and jus' like Mary-Beth," she added. I couldn't help but frown a little, and Mary-Beth met my eyes, but Karen chuckled drunkenly. "I don't blame a single one of you. Get out before this thing kills you." 

"What'll you do, Karen?" I asked, sitting down beside her. She lifted herself up, propped up on her elbows. 

"Me? Don't worry 'bout me. I got places I can go," she told me, a dizzy smile on her face. She didn't seem to be bogged down by the gravity of the situation. The booze was to thank for that, of course. 

"Like where?"

"I don' know. Places. I'll be fine." 

"I'm worried about you," I admitted, remembering how my mother got when she drank too much. The scene before me looked too familiar for comfort.

"Y'all keep saying that. Stop it. Let me live my life," she muttered. I knew from experience there was no reasoning with a person in this state. No way to make them realise their self destruction. 

"You're welcome to come with us, Karen, if you wanna get out of here," I assured her, patting her shoulder.

"I'm with Tilly," she muttered, "this whole thing's a mess and you can run off as a group but you'll fall apart too. Ain't nothing you can do. Nothin' ever lasts," she cried out bitterly, her face screwed up in a wince that was full of anger and pain and I thought of Sean. I thought of the fact that she was clearly close to him and I thought of how things began to fall apart along with his death. I was choked up. I cleared my throat and brushed a loose ringlet from Karen's face and she peered up at me like she didn't know how to respond. 

"I'm so sorry, Karen," I whispered. 

"For what, what'chu done?" She asked. I simply shook my head. 

"I'm sorry that things have fallen apart," I added.

"Can't be helped," she sighed, reaching up and squeezing my hand. I was never particularly close to Karen, so the act warmed my heart. 

"Um, may I speak with you?" Mary-Beth squeaked like a mouse above us, gingerly edging towards me and looking at me with concerned, arched brows. 

"Of course," I nodded, then rose to my feet after giving Karen's hand a squeeze back. I followed Mary-Beth away from listening ears until she turned around and stood before me, fiddling with her fingers. 

"I'm so sorry, but I can't come with you," she blurted out, and I already began to shake my head, holding my hands out reassuringly, but she continued anyway, "you know Kieran and I? We– I promised him–"

"Mary-Beth, it's okay. I ain't asking anyone in a bid to make 'em feel like they gotta. You have your own plans. I'm glad," I smiled at her. 

"You sure? It's not that I don't trust you and Arthur and the others to keep everyone safe, it's just…" she trailed off and sighed, looking across the camp to where Kieran was. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I know. You go and be with him. I know how you're feeling; take your chance to get away and build your life together while you still can," I told her, then opened my arms and let her decide if she wanted to hug me. She did. She closed the gap between us and squeezed me tight, rubbing my shoulders. 

I felt like I wanted to cry. Why did this feel like a goodbye? More than just a goodbye for now, but a permanent one? I swallowed back the sudden wave of emotion I felt and patted her back a couple times before we parted. She offered me a small smile and took my hands in hers. 

"I hope you build the prettiest of lives. We all deserve a little happiness, don't you think?" She told me quietly, and I nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah, I think we do," I whispered. She squeezed my hands, then headed back towards the wagon to continue her packing. 

I exhaled and turned around to look at the state the camp was left in. It was full of people packing up; a scene that wasn't by any means new or different, it'd happened time and time again already. But the fact that people were packing for themselves this time… there was no sense of community, or togetherness. It felt like an ending. A dissolving of a family that once was so strong; it was heartbreaking, but somehow inevitable. Once there was differing ideas and loyalties pulled in different directions, things would change. And they changed in the most destructive of ways; with Micah laying shivering and sweating and close to death, with Dutch running off alone and abandoning the camp for the first time ever, with the majority of people deciding that it was too late to salvage anything. Deterioration until there was nothing but a scattered collection of parts left to make the best of things. 

All because of Micah Bell.

[tandv]

I agree...But I also don't like how the writers diminished Cheryl this season to give Toni a story line. Like they single handedly ruined her entire character to give Tonia a story line. The way the Riverdale writers do Vanessa so dirty is just beyond me. I think thats why I love Mads too because she's been vocal about Vanessa deserving a story line more then just Choni. I just hate that the way they did it this season.

Toni’s storyline is still so saturated in Cheryl also. I think they should have just given them their own storyline’s first and foremost. And left any choni stuff to later in the season, or next season. Like what they’ve done with Betty and Jughead. Give them their independent storyline’s with some interactions. But with room for working on themselves as their own characters and then working on their relationship issues second. Which would make for a better story in the long run. In general most couples on this show get rushed. So seeing main couples have a chance to get a slow burn where they already have a history and can grow and be their best selves first. That is the best way to improve on and not fall back into old habits. I haven’t watched any of the episodes in full. I’ve mostly only seen some Alice and all the Toni scenes. But I think they could have given both of them (c&t) more personal storyline’s that aren’t just feeling like they’re dealing with last season’s issues. Which happened 7 years ago in canon. To me it feels like they stunted Cheryl as if she spent 7 literal years doing nothing. And Toni moved on in every aspect of her life, except she didn’t. But then suddenly she backtracked on her obvious attempts at reconciliation. Which made no sense. They could have done their storyline’s better. I’m not a Cheryl fan but all I wanted for her was for her to have grown up and changed from her flaws and to be a better version of herself, (living her best life) while also moving on and experiencing what life can be like without Toni. So they both can grow and be mature and then come together whenever that may be.

But tbh if falice is anything to go off. The writers don’t care about developing previous couples and righting their wrongs. They just give them angst after years of being apart and then suddenly they’re just fine without talking or working through anything. Bc they know fans love their ships and just want to get them back. Like they don’t care enough to do right by them. They just give them drama for the sake of it and then push them back together and acting like nothing changed. So like. I don’t expect any of the couples to have grown or changed since high school when they’re back on track lol. They’ll just be the same as always cos it’s riverdale and all that matters in writing riverdale is making the fans go through hell watching their ships hurting and then just make them happy again cos they get bored of the drama and don’t know how to write them with different and substantial dynamics.

Also sorry for exploding. As someone who writes, and watches tv shows for the storyline’s and not for ships. It hurts my soul when great characters get wasted by writing that has so much more potential to be something great. This show had a great foundation to be really well done. But it’s become the butt of everyone’s jokes, and the main reason why so many people watch it is because they got attached to characters. The storyline’s can be interesting and fun but when you take a step back and really examine how poorly done some of it is. It’s just a shame. It has so much potential. But unfortunately some of the people writing and working on it just don’t care enough about characters and character arcs. They care about theatrics (click bait in storyline form) and keeping fans happy to a point where they’re not even writing well for those fans they’re just making ships exist to exist and don’t care if they’re falling on old habits. They don’t want to better any of the characters because it’s easier to just continue writing everyone the same over and over.

Also yeah it’s been nice having Lili and Madelaine publicly support Vanessa. I just wish that the show would also do the same for actors like Charles and Drew (and Jordan) too. Charles was promoted the same time as Vanessa and now Drew has the promotion and their storyline’s are still shit. I know the promotion is mostly about pay etc. but characters like Kevin, the first canon lgbt character from the start- gets thrown a bone every so often but is mostly background and a sidekick. Toni we all know she was a side kick for the last 2.5 seasons, and Fangs and Sweet Pea are also just there for the sake of it. Reggie has been a big part of the show from the start but in screen time/storyline wise. He’s really not. I don’t know how to remedy that because it’s not my expertise. I don’t work in the industry. And I know they’re secondary characters compared to the main 5 and Alice/Hiram. But it just sucks. And I’m happy Vanessa is getting more attention and more screen time because she deserves that. And I’m glad her peers support her because honestly it feels sometimes like a lot of people in Vanessa’s shoes get overlooked. And it sucks that 2020 had to happen for her to finally get some change. I’m so proud of her for speaking out and getting it done. Because Hayley, Asha and Ashleigh, (amongst others) sure didn’t get their voices heard the same way which is such a shame. Because the point I made before about riverdale wasting it’s potential? It extends to them too. The pussycats could have done so much in this show but unfortunately they’re not a priority and it sucks. So luckily Toni and Vanessa are sticking around and getting more recognition because that’s what they truly deserved.