#who he is. a painter a baker and a boy who loves. she reminds him of that love too)

[trobeds]

i know the hunger games isnt about romance i know it isnt a love story but. theres just something so beautiful in the way peeta is the personification of what it means to heal and he /is/ the dandelion and the bread and the hope that things can be better even if they wont be fixed. even if the nightmares dont stop he will still hold her. wake her up and tell her shes alive. shes safe. and when its over and done and theres no more saving or protecting or trying their absolute hardest to die if it means keeping the other alive, the horrors dont stop. but katniss will still find that comfort in peetas arms.

[throwaway3844893]

Imagine: Katniss and Peeta struggle with memories of the rebellion and the thought of having children. Set 15 years after Mockingjay and from Katniss’ point of view.

Note: I wrote this almost four years ago, so it’s pretty choppy and out of character. I decided to post it anyway! 

There are nights where I wake up and not even Peeta can calm my screams. Those nights are the worst of all. But, it takes more of an emotional toll on him, though, the thought that even he can't cure my misery. The problem is, I can't tell him what I dream about. Or I'll risk breaking his heart.

Last night was one of those nights.

My throat is hoarse as I step out of bed, careful not to wake Peeta. I chug a glass of water I leave on my bedside table every night, but my throat still aches.

My covered feet patter down the stars, and I tiptoe quietly into the small kitchen. I pop a toaster waffle into the toaster and prepare myself another glass of water. The chilly air of the refrigerator makes my hairs stand on end as I grab the maple syrup, but I warm up as soon as I close it. Beeping sounds come from the black microwave as I set the time for the syrup to heat up.

I move to open the white-trimmed window, and hear the songs the birds sing in the morning. Warm air filters in through the screen with a light breeze.

My waffle pops out of the toaster and I grab it while it's still hot, and cut it into six individual pieces. I then drown it in syrup, chewing slowly to savor the taste.

When I finish eating, I put my plate into the white sink and tighten my olive green robe. I turn around and gasp as I see Peeta standing at the archway, and he is fully dressed already. I try to ignore the redness under his eyes

"Good Morning," I say cheerfully, smiling at him. I walk towards him and he just stares at me with this blank look. Funny.

I snake my arms around his waist and look at his blue orbs. They gleam like a child's who's played too many video games in a day. And that seems very off.

"Are you okay?" I ask, resting my head in the spot where his heart beats. I feel as his chest rises then sinks as he takes deep breaths. Suddenly, the motion reminds me of the time he almost died in the arena, where Finnick saved his life. The thought of Finnick reminds me of his death. I grip Peeta's shirt, forcing the memories away.

I look up, and see his eyes turning dark. Like they always do when he has a flashback.

I let go of his shirt and take a step back cautiously. He looks up at me, half hijacked, half him, but the real him is falling before my eyes, no longer fighting the mutt inside him.

"I'm a..." he mutters quietly, looking down at his hands, then up at me again. A face of confusion stares back at me, and I have nothing to do.

"I'm a mutt," he says, a look of anger growing in his eyes. I take a few more steps back, but my back hits the corner. If he goes full-out, I'm screwed. The door is all the way to the left, and if I bolt he will run out and we can't have civilians at risk.

"I'm a mutt," he cries again, louder, "I'm a mutt, I'm a mutt! I'm a mutt! I'm a mutt!" He yells, walking towards me at an increasingly fast pace. His hand shakes as he picks up the glass of water I took downstairs, and it shatters into a million pieces next to me as it launches across the room.

"You're not a mutt!" I yell, as he starts walking even faster towards me. The fear grows in me when he's only three feet away and I can see the absolute blackness of his eyes.

"Peeta, you're not a mutt, I promise, you're the boy I love. Please, you're not a-"

He shoves me back into the counter, and I cry out in surprise. He grabs me by the hair and brings my face to his.

"You made me a mutt! It's your fault, my family is dead because of you!" He screams, his fist connecting with my eye. I yell out, and my hands reach to cradle the spot he punched.I manage to break free of his grip and grab onto his arms, struggling to hold on.

"You're not a mutt! You're Peeta Mellark, you're not a mutt!" My voice breaks at "Mellark," and he seems to calm down a small bit.

"You're a baker, a painter, you always double knot your shoelaces, you sleep with the window open, no matter how hot or cold it is," I whisper into his ears.

He manages to sink down to the floor and just starts muttering about how he's a mutt.

"Peeta," I cry, "you're not a mutt."

He doesn't look up, he just puts his hands to his ears and starts rocking, the same words repeating over and over.

I sink down next to him, grabbing one of his hands. My eye throbs violently and aches where he punched me, but my only focus is getting him back.

"I'm a mutt, I'm a mutt..." he says, his voice slowing at every word.

"Shh," I say, cautiously bringing my free hand to his hair, stroking it as he rocks. "You're not a mutt."

When the worst of it passes, and I know he's coming back, I stand up and walk to the bathroom. When I look in the mirror, my eye looks terrible. It's bright red and swelling, and there is a small cut where his knuckles touched right below my eyebrow. Makeup won't cover this up. Meaning he'll have to see what he did. That's not what I want. I don't want him to know he hurt me, however much he did.

As I'm gently patting my eye with a wet wash cloth, the door bursts open. The action is so sudden I drop the wash cloth to the floor. It hits my foot and makes me uncomfortable but I'm frozen.

Peeta rushes in, and I can see in his eyes he's him again. I quickly look down, hiding the right side of my face from his. But I can't hide forever.

I blink a long blink, wincing a bit as I do so, since my eye feels like it's on fire. His feet make loud noises as he walks up to me, until the small rustle of the shag rug I'm standing in silences his steps.

"Katniss, are you okay?" He asks, taking another step towards me. I move my head, opening a white drawer and pretending to be busy looking for something.

"Moderately," I say, and as I feel his hand touch the exact spot where my back hit the counter I tense up. "F..." I whisper quietly, not wanting to say the full word.

Taking notice of my tenseness, he moves his hand to my shoulder. "Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine," I say, a little less convincing. And I'm a terrible liar. Sometimes I wish I had his skills at painting and lying. Both would be handy at this point.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're okay."

Now I've really blown it. Peeta's going to know either way. Slowly, achingly slow, I turn to look at him. My eye throbs as I meet his eyes.

A look of guilt floods his face when his eyes meet mine. They slip towards the wound he gave me during a flashback.

"You said you were fine," he says angrily through gritted teeth, his fists clenching together.

"I am fine," but my voice is small, like a child's. And as if the world was against me, a shooting pain goes through my back as I lean, making me wince very noticeably.

"Your eye isn't okay. Your back isn't okay, what else isn't okay? What else did I do to you, Katniss?" He's in tears now, fighting down cries as he realizes what "he" did to me.

"Peeta, it wasn't you, it was Snow, it was all Snow, but he's dead now, we're safe, I promise you I'm okay," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"No," he yells, shoving me off him.

"Peeta-"

"I can't do this anymore. I can't keep waking up to you in so much pain and not being able to help you. That hurts me, Katniss, and it makes me feel so guilty because I know you're dreaming about me when I'm having a flashback, and you dream about me killing everyone you love. And... and I just can't live with that. I can't live like this. Not knowing after a flashback if I hurt you or not," he says, looking at me with the ultimate guilt and hurt in his eyes. My hand rests on the marble counter top, and I grip it hard for support.

I never realized I hurt him this bad when I wouldn't let him comfort me.

"I..." I stutter, my voice low and quiet, "I never realized that... that it affected you so much. I'm so sorry, Peeta, I really am. I just..." I don't know what to say. There are so many things he needs to know, that he needs to be told about how I feel, but how am I supposed to bring those problems up when they don't even relate to this situation?

"Katniss, are you not telling me something?"

I let go of the counter, sliding down until my bottom hits the shaggy rug underneath my feet. Peeta kneels down beside me, looking at my face in a concerned way. I look down, not meeting his eyes.

"I don't dream about you having flashbacks. I don't dream about you killing people. I dream about..." a lump starts to form in my throats, the guilt setting in. This will crush him if I say it, because this is the one thing he's hoped for, and asked for, in the fourteen years we've been married.

"What is it that you dream about, Katniss?" His warm hands reach mine, and he holds both in his lap. The white rug's soft spirals are the only thing I look at. I will myself to look up, and the look in his bright blue orbs completely breaks me. It's as if my heart shattered in my chest. I know, I know, if I tell him he will feel the same way, only ten times worse.

The dreams are so vivid. Him, sitting in the meadow behind our house, laughing as he watches our daughter dance and run, her long, dark hair trailing in a braid that mimics mine. Her blue eyes shining with happiness as she plays. Our son, only three years younger than her, his small and chubby legs struggling to chase his sister. His blonde hair shines in the sun, and he is a replica of his father except for my gray seam eyes. And then me, sitting on a small blanket next to Peeta, watching them as he does. Our hands are intertwined, and my head is leaning on his shoulder, covered in a white shirt that buttons up three times at the top. I look at his prosthetic leg, and it reminds me of what we have overcome. We have beaten this world, and now we can enjoy peace.

The girl with the brown hair leaves her brother and comes up to me. All that fills my sight is her beautiful face, her eyes so innocent, burning into mine with wonder and curiosity. As I stare into her, or Peeta's, eyes, she begins to speak.

"Mommy, what do you know about the Hunger Games?"

That's when I wake up. Those are the nights Peeta can't help me. Every time, the same dream. The same fear that consumes my entire being.

"Peeta... I dream about us. Our future."

"Our future? What's bad about that?" He asks, real worry in his voice. A finger gently strokes my cheek, wiping a tear away.

"It's not... it's... Peeta god damn it, I know this is going to break your heart and I just can't say it," I sob, the blue eyes of our hypothetical daughter burning into my brain, filling my entire mind with "Mommy, what do you know about the Hunger Games?" Echoing throughout my head, engulfing me with her voice.

I finally crack. "I dream about kids! Our kids, the one you've been asking and asking for ever since before we were married. That's why you can't help me, because it breaks my heart knowing I'm breaking you're heart in the process. I dream about how beautiful they are, how happy we are, but then she comes up to me every time and asks me about the Games and I just cannot have that!"

He doesn't even try to hide the hurt and disappointment in his voice, "You don't want kids."

He's crying now. It makes me feel like the single worst person on this planet. I made my true love's heart shatter. I look down at my hands, ashamed, and start picking at the rug.

"I-I should've told you before, I just didn't know how because you were so hopeful and you want them so, so badly."

"If you didn't want them, why wouldn't you just tell me from the start? Why did you have to put me through all of this and get my hopes up?" Peeta yells, snot dripping out of his nose. His voice is cracking, like his whole world was just destroyed.

Maybe it was.

"I didn't know. It's not that I don't want them, Peeta, it's the fact that they're going to have to learn about the world we lived in, about the Hunger Games, and I can't have that. I want kids, so, so badly but I just don't know if I could do it. I'm sorry."

He just shakes his head, and hot tears drop into his hands, and the cheeks that have always been so soft are a bright red.

"Peeta, you're the love of my life and seeing you like this... if this is what my decision is causing you to feel, I'll have children," I whisper, putting my hand on his shoulder, and I realize he is wearing the shirt he wears in my dreams.

I think about it. I want kids, I've always wanted kids ever since I was a kid. I just didn't want to bring them into a world where the Hunger Games existed. That world doesn't exist anymore. I live in the New Panem, where everywhere is even. There are no Hunger Games or President Snows. There's only dandelions in the spring that bloom in the meadow and beautiful leaves in the fall that illuminate the forest behind. Yes, they will have to learn about our past. They will have to learn about how Katniss Everdeen, at age 16, competed in a fight to death and started a war. About how their father was captured and tortured to the point where he only remembered the things Snow lied about to him. They'll see the scars on us, they'll hear the scars left on us as we hold each other or scream from the nightmares that have plagued us for years. But they won't feel the pain Peeta and I felt. They'll feel the joy of love and peace.

[marshmallowprotection]

I read your tag about what if lila was shipped with saeyoung instead and it was so cute. i want to see him dressed like a lolita too! do you have any more headcanons on how it would go? 👁️ And what if Saeran was with Minji and Judas. What would that be like? I feel like Minji and Saeran would have a fun time cooking together. But its hard to imagine how Judas and Saeran bonding looks like.

I think I’ve talked about it before, but it’s definitely been a while since I’ve had the thought on my mind. So, let’s consider the possibility here and play around with the timeline and see what would happen if we swapped around the MCs in their relationships. 

Now, I suppose would be smarter to start with Judas since he is involved with Saeyoung much earlier than Lila meets Unknown, or Ray, it just depends on the timeline. Judas, as we all know, is a former informant and would take power by gaining secrets using his body or his promises to get what he’d wanted. He was fixated on revenge and destroying his ex-boyfriend who was to become the next head of a Mafia ring.  

 He spiraled wildly out of control until he fucked up one day. He made a mistake and took down the wrong guy, and it landed a hit on his head. They saw him as a nuisance until he proved himself angry and crafty, and he knew he was rightly fucked. He made a deal with Saeyoung’s agency to trade his secrets for some kind of protection, but we all know the agency wanted his secrets and then they were going to kill him. 

Judas actually met Minji one evening and escorted her home when she walked int the wrong side of town and that was what helped Saeyoung vet Minji when she appeared in the apartment. Now, if we were to say that instead of making one mistake, he meets Rika at some point and she wants him for his powers of true coercision. She sees his anger and righteous fury and loves it. He could make a good boy who deceives others for the cult. It’s hard to trick him, but I think if he offered to help him kill his Ex, he’d take it, and she’d trick the trickster because of his weakness. 

That puts him interacting with Unknown very often. Judas loves to flirt and play around with others for fun. He, like Lila, tends to prefer fashion that is princely in nature and we all know how Unknown feels about fancy clothes and pretty folks. That’s a weakness. I imagine he and Unknown could both bond over revenge in a rather easy way. It’s possible there is tension between the two of them over a lot of power. Trust me, this is the only way that it’d work. They’re both angry and they’re both determined to destroy everyone that hurt them. 

I can see them having this love-hate relationship where they argue a lot and it turns into I-hate-you-but-I-want-to-kiss-you tension. However, they both have a lot of vulnerabilities. They both have mother issues. They both want to be seen and noticed. They both craved to be loved. It’s easy for them to use each other to cope. Unknown would give Judas hell over the small height difference that they have and assert himself and Judas would bite back. 

Now, if Unknown changed his mind at the last second with what he wanted in an assistant, and he took Minji instead... well, that just means that he’s picked Ms. Sunshine incarnate. Minji has a big heart and she knows nothing of suffering and misery. All she knows is that she wants to keep striving towards her dreams of being a baker. It’s odd with them because Minji is taller than Unknown is but he’d had a way of making her uneasy. 

She might have questioned why she was helping him break into an apartment and he got the upper hand on her by surprise. She’s a lot stronger than he is so he didn’t get the slip-on her that’d be messy. She wouldn’t know how to act with him biting and being so patronizing at first. Yet, she’d help him because she can see that she’s got no choice. She decides to get to know him and understand Mint Eye better so she can see why he is the way he is. 

I imagine Minji would be forced to spend a lot of time making sure that Unknown ate something other than liquid sugar. She’s hopeless at hacking. That’s what he would settle for. He would tell her what to do and she wouldn’t fight him but she would try to pick him apart piece by piece until Lila because she isn’t entirely in danger of being hurt. 

Let’s see, her cheery optimism that doesn’t die bothers Unknown. She would do these kind things to him and he would be so fucking lost, man. His heart would pound wildly for some reason when she ruffled his hair and did things for him with no prompting needed on his end. I imagine that he finds that the longer that he’s around Minji, the more he feels like he has a partner that he can trust. That is until Judas starts pushing in. 

Rika wants Unknown to get someone in that apartment right now. So, she pushes Judas to work with him and his new assistant to find out who would be best for this situation. Judas remembers helping Minji and flirts with her quite a bit, and Unknown warns him that she’s his. Judas is going to keep pushing his buttons and he’s going to keep pushing at Minji. It’s going to be tense and Minji is going to find herself working with these two guys, trying to protect the next person that winds up in the apartment she was meant to walk into—

And at the same time, she’s finding more and more that she’s got feelings for the two guys that she’s working with. Unknown is angry but when he has nightmares at night and needs comfort, he shows her that he’s got a heart. Judas helped her in the past and she trusts him, even if she’s lost in his hatred. Her kindness in the face of cruelty is to be admired. 

 I imagine this relationship is one where all parties have feelings for each other but are pretty torn and confused about how to bring the pieces together. In the end, if they’re able to be saved from Mint Eye, I can imagine that SE Saeran will have the most fun just devoting his time in the kitchen helping Minji and being her assistant, hilariously. She just makes him feel safe and warm. Who wouldn’t feel safe when their tall girlfriend scoops them up and dotes on them? Now, it would be harder with Judas. 

I know that they’re going to have sassy banter and they’re going to be snarky, even catty. Their relationship is one where both parties keep pushing the other to their limits, and then they wind up kissing. It just works for some reason that I can’t explain. Judas can be very... high-maintenance but that doesn’t mean that Saeran can’t bite back. 

Can you imagine their cuddle pile? Minji is in the middle and both of the guys are curled up next to her and it’s kinda cute, wtf. 

Now on the flip side, let’s talk about what would be going on with Lila. We all know that Lila more or less left home after she had a big blow-up with her sister, who misunderstood just how much their mother was bullying Lila after she had moved away. It was a big spat. She left because she needed to... not be near the family anymore. She’s hurt and upset but she just wants to be as far as she can get from home. So, this is the first place her hand landed on the map and she went with it. 

She’s insecure, and the only time that she feels like she can be herself is when she’s in Coordinate. If she’s not wearing a cute dress, then she’s looking at the ground and clutching onto the ends of her sleeves. She’s quiet, but she will say things if she has to. She’s also a painter that gets lost in her thoughts, I would call her paintings a blend of Rococo style and Impressionism if that makes any sense. The objects on the canvas feel Rococo but the style itself on the board is Impressionist. 

Let’s say that she wasn’t the object of Ray or Unknown’s infatuation in this AU of yours. I think that Judas would pick her from the crowd and Minji would have given the idea to go and pick someone quiet and easy to manipulate, even if she didn’t say it like that, she gave him the idea. Judas takes it upon himself to bug her phone by tricking her and saves Unknown and Minji the trouble of getting her to open some phishing email. 

She winds up in the apartment, just as confused as everyone else is and she realizes that she got tricked. She just wanted to help someone because she’s a selfless type. She’s lucky if she doesn’t have a panic attack from that happening, but that aside, I think Seven would realize really fast that she’s just a girl who’s from overseas who got tricked because she didn’t think things through. Her use of Korean is a little messy, too, which sort of helped the fact that it was easy to trick her. 

You can Seven felt drawn to her the minute that he started looking into her past and her social media. After all, how can he not find a girl that spends her free time sewing and crafting outfits delightful? He can see that she’s hiding behind a mask just as he is from the start. She’s rather polite to him but he knows that it’s lovely to hear her laugh. She always humors his jokes and pranks for some reason that he can’t understand but it isn’t long before Lila sounds a bit sad whenever she talks to him late at night. 

He means to say, how can she be so polite and straightforward on the chat, and yet, he’s got her laughing so hard she’s crying on the phone? 

He probably won't get the answer until he’s locked in that apartment with her and there’s nowhere for him to go but the corner. Lila clearly is barely holding herself together but she’s biting her tongue and her fears to make sure that Seven feels like she doesn’t blame him because she doesn’t. She’s kind of blaming Rika for asking for a fucking bomb. Who asks for a fucking bomb? 

It isn’t until Lila breaks down in front of him and admits why she feels so happy and at peace with Saeyoung, and it’s because his jokester mask reminds her of her big sister. Her sister is always smiling and laughing, but there’s a pain in her heart that she’s hiding. Whenever Lila talks to Seven now, she thinks about how much she misses her sister but at the same time, she thinks about how much pain Seven must be in. She saw him hear that everyone had lied to him and he had been hiding so much for the sake of everyone around him. 

She’s able to confront him about lying about who he is. She tells him that he can’t hide behind a mask. That won’t make anyone happy, and it won’t make him happy. It’s what she failed to say in the past, and now she finally has the power to confront this problem head-on. She cares about Seven because he makes her laugh and forget about everything, but she also cares about those moments they have had where he whispers his fears to her and she listens to him say it all in the dead of night. 

Seven has to admit that she’s right. He’s not happy, but he wants to be happy and nobody has ever told him that he has the right to fight for his happiness if he wants it. He tried to break her by saying that she’s hiding behind her own mask of some polite princess, and Seven pushes her outside of her bubble and all of a sudden, she’s been tested. She finds herself standing taller and looking people in the eyes, without fear anymore. 

They push each other to bring out the good inside of themselves that they’ve been hiding because they were too scared to be themselves. 

I can see Saeyoung and Lila as this couple that tests each other. He pushes her buttons and makes her believe in herself. She pushes him to be himself, and not once fear that. They’re supportive. Saeyoung gets to explore his gender identity more with Lila and boy, does he not mind being called she/her, or they/them, he isn’t picky, but there’s something about being able to dress up and be doted on in this fashion that makes Saeyoung feel good. 

I HC him as NB/GenderFluid, have to throw that in there. I just want Lila to playfully call Saeyoung her girlfriend when they’re dressed up together and that redhead to turn into a mushy mess. I think there’s potential with the two of them to get along really well, I just never think of them in a romantic way because I’d fear that people would assume that Lila is projecting onto Saeyoung kind of like Yoosung does with RIka. 

Oh, boy. I said too damn much. 

[vulpesmellifera]

Fic Offerings of 2019

Ahhhh!!! I can’t believe the end of 2019 is here!

My goal at the beginning of 2019? Post six short stories and start posting one long fic. Instead, I posted 15 stories of varying length, and wrote the long fic, (two long fics, in fact), but it needs some attention I wasn’t really willing to give it in 2019.

And I’m okay with that. 

I expected to write Mystrade, and I ended up writing that plus Sherstrade, Johnlock, and Hannigram. 

Mystrade: The Longer Fics

The Tenth Muse - Two parts comprise this work, with 27,605 words between them. Mycroft sees things other people can’t. Lights, spectres, shades, demons, phantasms, and creatures that no one else can see. Voices no one else can hear. Colours eddying around people’s bodies, visible only to his eyes. It isn't deduction for Mycroft; it's a living nightmare that leads to self-imposed isolation. When Sherlock "dies," Mycroft finds himself reaching out for a golden slice of happiness, just one person to call his own in a landscape of horrors.

(On a lark, an absolute lark, I tell you, I wrote The Tenth Muse. In no way did I expect the reception it got, and I thank every one of you who read it, and left a kudos or a comment, from the bottom of my heart.) 

Craquelure - Two parts, 44,172 words. Part 1, To Capture Light, was actually posted in December of 2018. Part 2, Shaping the Negative, was posted this year, and takes up soon after where the first part left off. Mycroft Holmes had everything in hand: a powerful position in civil service to the Crown with the ability to affect politics across the globe, an impeccable taste in modern luxuries, and an iron-clad philosophy on life and how one should live it. He didn't expect it to shatter around him in a series of events facilitated by his siblings.This is the story of his rebirth.

(The reception to this one also included personal family stories from readers, and I treasure every one of you, particularly those among us who have suffered toxic family relationships, and have found our way out or above them. Part 3, The Hue of Loss, planned for 2020!)

Mystrade: The Shorter Fics

Woes of the Pharynx - Sickfic. Fluff. Humor. 844 words. The British Government felled by a cold. Oh, who could possibly take care of him?

The Petal Painter - Part of the #MystradeStoryTime series. Each part stands alone. 1,897 words. Gregorios is the beloved son of the Grain Goddess, safe and treasured inside her gardens. One day, he meets an alluring stranger dressed in black.

Marry Me - Part of the #MystradeStoryTime series. Each part stands alone. 1,684 words. Mycroft doesn't care for marriage; it's a vestigial organ on a modern society. Greg cares about marriage. Yet, he's never brought it up with Mycroft. That begins to chafe at the civil servant.

Sun-Bleached - Part of The Songs of Solomon series. Each part stands alone. 2,154 words. Sherlock would find curious things: the dried exoskeletons of crustaceans, hollowed out shells of mollusks, and one time, the sun-bleached bones of a little bird that usually nested along rivers. Alcedo atthis, the common kingfisher. That image never quite left my mind. Sherlock’s face like a bright beacon on an overcast day, the skeletonized remains of a bird that waved with his movements, held between two fingers. This is how I want Greg Lestrade: pinched between two fingers, a flag in the breeze, unshielded from the elements of me.

With Appetite - Part 2 of Imperfections Can Be Loved. Can stand alone. 2,937 words. Sometimes when he thinks of that fat little boy, he is reminded of the monster Charybdis. She was a fleshy thing with a gargantuan maw who was chained to the rocks on one side of a strait. She waited for passing ships, sucking down her prey in a voracious whirlpool before her neighbour Scylla snatched up too many of the sailors. He doesn’t have to wonder what it is, to be a despised thing that aches with appetite. Mycroft Holmes is a proud man, particularly when it comes to his work and his massive intellect. But for his new fiance, he thinks he can do better in terms of appearances.

Night of the Grey Mare - Christmas Fic with a touch of horror. 8,606 words. Every Christmas Eve, Mycroft visits the Watson-Holmes family to deliver a story to his precious niece, and share in a little of the mulled wine. This year, Rosie wants to hear something scary. Mycroft tells her a frightening tale of The Christmas Witch, and then takes his leave before Sherlock and John can enact their usual routine to make him feel unwelcome.The way home is fraught with unforeseen events and Mycroft soon finds himself in his own frightening tale of horror. Or does he?

Pillow Fights - Humorous ficlet. 821 words. Mycroft returns home early from a business trip to surprise Greg. Greg isn't the only one who gets surprised.

Pillow Fights, Redux - A different take, still a humorous ficlet. 952 words. Greg gets back early from a conference, to find Mycroft pining in a way he would never have thought.

Sherstrade 

[Deleted] - 10,400 words. Greg Lestrade and John Watson awake to find themselves locked in an unfinished basement. While they are well acquainted with one another, the two men aren't friends. But, the darkness has ways of bringing people closer together. Meanwhile, Sherlock and Sally must work together to solve the case of a missing John Watson.They're running out of time.

Johnlock 

Haunted -  Horror Fic. 22,369 words. Plagued by the past, John moves himself and his daughter to a new flat for a fresh start - and it's not 221B Baker Street. While he grapples with new knowledge and old guilt, he's confronted with odd neighbors and strange noises in the night. But is it the new flat, or is John Watson losing his grip on reality?

The Stars Upon Your Back - Part 1 of Imperfections Can Be Loved. 1,735 words. Sherlock prefers shadows to sunlight, his coat collar popped and his scarf wrapped about his neck like a hug. He wears bespoke because he’s trim, but he prefers to feel covered, and wears the dressing gown more often than not. The first time John Watson kisses him, he’s stricken. Sherlock Holmes is painfully aware of his ugly parts and his failures when it comes to John Watson.

Hannigram

Leftovers - Post-Canon Domestic Fluff. Basically, this is my headcanon for what Hannibal does with his leftovers. 1,311 words.  Will discovers that Hannibal has a soft spot for one other kind of creature in his life.

Aaaaannnnddd that’s all she wrote, folks! (Well, not all...but everything that got posted!) A Happy New Year to everyone! <3

Cheers,

Vulpes

[polarishq]

Meet ERZSÉBET VARGA/ELISABETH “BETH” BAKER. They are SEVENTY years old and hail from SZEGED, HUNGARY. Beth embodies the constellation, PICTOR. They use she/her pronouns. Their faceclaim is ADELAIDE KANE.

Beth reminds me of screaming, so much screaming, waking up with a pencil in your hand and someone’s death note on your door, the rest is confetti, sleep paralysis, locking yourself in your room to scream into your pillow, yin and yang, beautiful dresses, poised and perfect manners, a haunted look in your eyes.

BIOGRAPHY

 A lady in waiting. That was the highest level she ever thought she’d be able to get to be. It was one thing to serve the princess, wholly another to end up marrying the future king of Hungary, and then run away from it.

As a child, Erzsébet truly wanted for nothing. As the only child of the Varga family, she sometimes wished that she had been born a boy, if only to pass along the family name and keep it going. But it was obvious to her from childhood that her parents expected her to make a good match-- a Viscount, maybe, or even a Lord, but that was even aiming a little high. As a child, Erzsébet had a fascination with painting, so far as to say she was a prodigy at it. When not playing with the Princess, you could find her on the palace grounds, sketching the royal hounds or painting the gardens. Once, she was lucky enough to do the Princess’s portrait, and it’s true that Elonora served as a sort of muse for her.

Erzsébet couldn’t tell you why she was chosen to be the bride of the Prince. That meant she’d be queen someday. She wasn’t sure he’d even looked at her, let alone knew her name, but all of a sudden the world became wholly magical for her. Like a fairytale. And of course, why wouldn’t she love a handsome prince? Who couldn’t? It was very innocent, very sweet for her. She knew what her royal responsibilities would be. She could only hope the Princess didn’t hate her. But still, Erzsébet was excited.

Then her powers fully manifested.

She saw her father’s death before it happened, went through the entire day feeling a sense of existential dread. She painted it, even, and once Erszébet paints something, that’s the confirmation that things will come to pass. She didn’t figure this out for several years, and it took several bad instances (her dog was hit by a carriage, her father passed away, she broke her foot once midway through a play from a traveling troupe of actors which was hella fun to illustrate) and Erszébet quickly realized that if she had a vision, she was going to have to keep it to herself. Holding everything inside started to take its tool on her, and she suffered greatly as a result of it.

When Tommy had told her that he was leaving Hungary with his sister, there was a moment where Erszébet paused and wondered if that meant that he was breaking their marriage. But she quickly realized that she did love him, and she’d follow him to the ends of the earth... so that’s what she did.

At Polaris, she now goes by Elisabeth, or Beth, and she’s very slowly learning how to take control of her magic and use it for good. It hasn’t been a spectacularly easy process, but Beth is nothing if not a fighter, and she’s desperate to be happy. That’s all she’s ever wanted, really.

INCLINATION

Pictor, the painter, has always been blessed with the ability of precognition through painting. Pictor typically chooses those who have an affinity toward the fine arts, as it greatly assists them. Pictor’s precognition comes to them in the form of a drawing or painting. Because this is viewed as a gift, the stars typically chose a light element who is mentally strong enough to handle the visions. The current Pictor isn’t sure how she was chosen, as she is extremely disturbed by the visions she sees and has given up art in all forms as a result. In addition to drawing and painting magic, Pictor is a powerful wielder of light and color magic.

CONNECTIONS

Filling the role of Tommy Baker’s Wife.

Insomniatics: Nighttime is when Beth’s visions come to her the most frequently, so she has quite a disordered relationship with sleep. Beth suffers from sleep paralysis as a result of her visions, and so she lives on coffee and her own sheer determination. This muse is someone who also doesn’t get a lot of sleep, for whatever reason, and they’ll often meet up late at night or early in the morning, depending on how you count it. Beth feels a certain sense of closeness to the muse, as they can understand her trauma.

Arts and Crafts Club: Painting used to be Beth’s great love, but now, she can’t even look at a brush without feeling sick. Instead, Beth loves to make dreamcatchers and work with mosaics. This “club” would be a group of people who meet weekly in order to chat and craft together.

Penned by Leigh ★  

[bensolotm]

✰ it’s time to wake up, PEETA MELLARK, you’ve been in cryosleep for too long and the people of THE HUNGER GAMES miss you. when you went into slumber you were TWENTY-FIVE years old, your pronouns are HE/HIM, and you VOLUNTEERED for the expanse program. now that you’ve awoken, your position as a BAKER is waiting for you. remember, the expanse thanks you! ( sophie, est, 24, she + her. josh hutcherson )

TW: mentions of violence, murder, death, attempted suicide, parental abuse, physical abuse, brainwashing

definitely hunger games spoilers

THE BASICS;

NAME: peeta mellark

ALIAS(ES): peeta

AGE: twenty-five

BIRTHDAY & ZODIAC: march 23

PREFERRED PRONOUNS: he + him

FACECLAIM: josh hutcherson

PERSONALITY: enfp. he’s charismatic, kind, gentle and people can’t help but be drawn to him. his personality helped him win over fans and sponsors during the hunger games - thus making him a bit cunning (as he used his charm to get what he wanted and help stop the hunger games). he’s been known to be quite bold, but don’t mistake his boldness with impulsiveness - peeta is everything but impulsive and rash.

A DEEPER LOOK;

BACKGROUND: peeta grew up in district 12, which is the smallest and poorest district in panem. panem is a sovereign state that was established after ecological disasters which brought about the collapse of modern civilization. panem is what is remaining of north america and consists of a federal district known as the capitol and thirteen outlying districts (districts 1-13). panem created something called the hunger games which started after the first rebellion and after the elimination of district thirteen. the games were designed to remind the people of panem what happened during/after the rebellion and to ensure that another rebellion doesn’t rise again. the hunger games happen every year and each district has one boy and one girl between the ages of sixteen and eighteen that are picked to partake in the hunger games; where they fight to their death. when winning a hunger games you are moved to the victor’s village to live out your days with fame and wealth, as well as a promise to not be reaped for another hunger games. peeta had a difficult life growing up. he was the youngest of three boys in the mellark family and worked as a baker in his parent’s bakery. his father was kind, but his mother had been known to beat peeta and his brothers if they made mistakes or misbehaved. that didn’t really stop peeta from doing a lot of things — like burning the bread on purpose so that he could give it to a starving girl and her family. this girl was katniss everdeen and peeta had been in love with her since before he could remember. the first moment she opened her mouth to sing in class he was hooked... but the two never spoke and peeta kept his crush to himself. during the 74th hunger games reaping, peeta’s name was picked from the bowl and he was chosen as a tribute for district 12. he stood along side katniss everdeen who volunteered after her sister’s, primrose, name had been picked. he met his family in the justice building and his father and brothers were distraught where as his mother made a comment about district finally having a victor — katniss everdeen. his mother never expected to see her youngest son again and she didn’t seem too bothered about that fact.  peeta boards a train with katniss to go to the capitol and that’s where he meets effie trinket, their escort and advisor (but moreso katniss’), and haymitch abernathy, their mentor. peeta and haymitch don’t hit it off so well in the beginning due to haymitch’s alcohol problem. it results in haymitch punching peeta in the face and katniss stabbing the wine bottle that is in between her and haymitch. katniss and peeta train together and are urged to stick together by haymitch’s wisdom... and despite katniss and peeta’s somewhat constant fighting. throughout his interviews for the hunger games he admits to caesar flickerman, and the rest of panem, that he is in love with katniss - which surprises everyone... including her. long story short the 74th hunger games end with peeta and katniss standing together as the last two remaining tributes - and the apparent victors as they hd changed the rules mid game to allow two victors. as katniss and peeta are standing there, the gamemaker’s voice echos through the arena and announces that the rule to allow two victors has been revoked and now only one victor may remain. not wanting to kill each other, katniss and peeta decide to commit suicide and are about to eat nightlock (a very poisonous berry), but right before they consume the berries, they’re announced as the first two victors in hunger games history.  living in the victor’s village was hard after peeta and katniss had a falling out due to katniss’ hesitance with her feelings for peeta. they spent months ignoring each other, but despite how hurt peeta is by katniss not reciprocating her feelings for him, he continues to perform and play the part of “star-crossed” lovers when in front of a camera during their victory tour. districts are outraged by the capitol and show signs of rebelling in front of peeta and katniss, which result in the capitol guards taking members of the districts and killing them in front of everyone as to show them what happens to traitors... but it only fuels the rebellion’s fire. now the 75th hunger games roll around which is also known as the third quarter quell. every twenty-five years, the president of panem selects a card from a box made during the original establishment of the hunger games that makes a change in the rules of the reapings. for the first quarter quell, or the 25th hunger games, each district had to choose the children who went into the arena. for the second quarter quell, or the 50th hunger games, twice as many tributes had to be reaped to go into the arena. for the third quarter quell, or the 75th hunger games, the tributes were reaped from the pool of existing victors. the victors were outraged as they were promised to never be reaped again, but this was also hard for katniss as she was the only female victor for district 12, which ensured her return to the hunger games. peeta and haymitch were the only two males and when haymitch’s name was picked from the bowl, peeta volunteered as tribute in his place. this hunger games end with katniss shooting an arrow up at the arena’s roof that has a bolt of lightning surging through it which causes a screeching halt to the 75th hunger games and causes the arena to collapse. in the mix of the chaos, the tributes are rescued from the arena by district thirteen, ran by president coin, who have been putting together a rebellion since the first rebellion. peeta is taken back to the capitol where he is brainwashed and used against katniss. during his captivity, he is beaten, tortured, and injected with tracker jacker venom which distorts his memories and allows the capitol to brainwash him into thinking katniss is out to kill him. the capitol uses him and puts him on the screen during interviews and to call for a ceasefire, the capitol hoping that katniss would listen to him. there are a total of three interviews and the last one takes place with caesar flickerman interviewing peeta giving another warning about a rebellious act from district thirteen. the interview is interrupted with footage of katniss and peeta remembers her. the interview ends with peeta warning katniss and district thirteen that the capitol is coming and that they’ll all be dead by morning. the footage is lost and the last thing seen is peeta being punched in the face by capitol guards. peeta is rescued from the capitol, but his memories of katniss are severely distorted and he attempts to strangle her thinking that she’s going to kill him. he becomes hysterical and unstable. peeta believes that katniss is responsible for the destruction of district 12 and the lives of its residents. he lashes out in uncharacteristic fits of rage, retreats into his own head, temporarily loses the power of speech, cannot differentiate between what is an illusion and what is reality, and at one point argues with himself in a fit of madness as if he is two different people. he is only allowed to be treated by people he never knew before as to minimize any harmful risks. peeta slowly gets better and his memories start coming back, but he has trouble differentiating from illusion or actual memories. he tells katniss that he remembers giving her the burnt bread, but the two continue to be harsh to one another. later on president coin constructs a team of special sharpshooters that contains katniss, peeta, gale, and finnick. he insists that the team leaves him in the capitol, but they all refuse. during this time he and katniss have a civil conversation. she later kisses him during an episode he has and it calms him down and reminds him of a time when he loved her.  on the day of president snow’s execution (for unleashing bombs on children), katniss kills president coin instead as she was the one who unleashed the bombs on the children, killing her sister primrose who was working as a medic. katniss goes back to district twelve and is marked mentally ill. peeta doesn’t return to district twelve until late after seeing someone to help him with his hijacking. when he returns to district twelve he has largely recovered from the hijacking, but still has flashbacks of the hijacking and usually clutches to something until it passes. in the meantime he plants a garden full of primrose flowers for katniss. peeta and katniss slowly start to find each other again.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS: katniss everdeen (love of his life), primrose everdeen (katniss’ sister, friend), finnick odair (friend), effie trinket (friend), haymitch abernathy (friend), president snow (enemy), president coin (enemy), caesar flickerman (enemy).

WEAPONS: none.

POWERS/ABILITIES/SKILLS: some skills of fighting from the hunger games, excellent painter and baker.

GREATEST STRENGTH: how kind and gentle he is.

GREATEST WEAKNESS/FLAW: the ptsd he gets from the hijacking and the hunger games.

OUTFIT THEY WOKE UP IN: casual clothing consisting of a somewhat nice, casual, jacket, jeans, boots, and a t-shirt.

FAVORITE FOOD: everything.

ONE FEAR: losing katniss

ONE HOPE: to live a happy life

ONE HEADCANON: he still suffers from his hijacking and has episodes where he shuts himself away for a period of time as they pass.

THE QUESTIONNAIRE;

How does your character feel about being dropped into the expanse program? Are they excited? Suspicious? Confused?

definitely suspicious. while he volunteered for the project, he’s afraid it’s going to turn out as another hunger games or that this is some weird trick from the capitol.

What does your character hope to see the most during the expanse 009’s journey?

when he calms down he would love to see other planets and what they have to offer.

If your character could bring one thing from home, what would it be?

katniss is the only thing that comes to mind — peeta doesn’t have much else.

[everlarkbirthdaygifts]

Happy Birthday, lynamloveseverlark!

Today, we wish a happy belated birthday to @lynamloveseverlark! We hope you had a wonderful birthday back on December 28, and celebrated in style. To bring the party feels back, the wonderful @mega-aulover has written a story just for you!

For: Lynamloveseverlark Happy Birthday sorry it's a bit late...special thanks to Norbertsmon for betaing at the last minute!

Prompt: I would love an everlark fic with horses and smut… prompt Katniss’s family owns a barn and Peeta comes to be a working student to learn how to ride horses and relax himself

Rating T:

The Bet

Horses were huge beasts.

“Baker boy is going to fall,” Gale snickered.

Thom laughed as they watched Peeta Mellark struggle to stay on the horse.

“PEETA!”

Katniss ran over to the riding circle where the guys were located. Angrily, she pushed Gale out of the way, “What have you done!”

“Nothing,” Gale laughed.

“You put him on Buttercup; that horse is nastier than a pissed off rattlesnake!” Katniss climbed over the fence. Gale tried to stop her but she kicked him in the nuts. As he let her go, the horse threw Peeta off and she quickly scampered over the fence to drag Peeta out of harm’s way.  

Buttercup was Prim’s horse and was as mean as its namesake, that mangy muddy eyed orange fur-ball. No one could ride that mare; it only liked Prim.  “Peeta,” Katniss muttered as she came by his side, taking his hand.

“Here to finish me off sweetheart?”

Katniss laughed, then without thought she kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back; his hand gently cupping her face. She reared up and angrily swatted his arm, “Peeta Mellark, what do you think you were doing, riding that horse!”

“Katniss I’ve ridden Buttercup before, I think Gale or Thom put a spur in my saddle.” Peeta sat up, running his hand through his hair to remove the dirt.

Katniss watched him narrow his blue eyes. He stood up brushing off his clothing and walking toward the nervous horse. Gale and Thom were trying to calm it down. Peeta slipped in between the two tall lanky men, and within seconds Buttercup was sweetly following Peeta out of the riding circle towards the barns.

She shook her head. He was a natural with the horses, even though he had no experience prior to showing up. He’d been a baker all of his life, until a month ago when her father hired him.  Getting up, she followed him to the barn.

Finding him, she put her hand on his shoulder.

“Ahh!” he shouted.

Katniss chuckled.

“Why do you have to be so silent! I’m going to get squeaking things for all your shoes.”

Katniss chuckled, “Peeta, go get checked out by my mom and Prim. I’ll deal with the spawn.”

He nodded, and left. Katniss watched him walk away, and took a deep breath. She had a thing for his damn fine ass. Shivering, she turned and made a face and said, “Okay Buttercup time for your bath, and if you bite you’ll get no apple.”

The horse stomped its feet in protest but it wouldn’t cross her, not when an apple was at stake.

 Katniss finished her day mucking out the stalls. That evening when she dressed for dinner her sister sat on her bed. “You look pretty.”

Katniss flashed her sister a don’t-go-there-look.

“I know you and him are a thing.”

Katniss smile thinned, “Prim.”

“Don’t Prim me. I know you Katniss. I know that three months ago you came home with a hickey on your neck, and that during the Spring Fair you came home really late each and every night.” Prim stood up and came to stand behind her. Her little sister was taller than Katniss, and Katniss though she was prettier too. She was no longer that little girl with the twin braids and the un-tucked shirt.  “I also know that Peeta showing up here isn’t just because of his mother.”    

Horrified, Katniss watched the blush bloom on the apples of her cheeks.

“There’s also,” Prim said picking up the brush and staring at Katniss’ face, “no denying that I saw you kiss Peeta today.”

Katniss cast her eyes down. She became all flushed, she had no words, “I..ah…I…” It wasn’t just her cheeks, now her ears were burning.  She walked to her closet to find her shoes, “There’s no need to jump to conclusions.”

“Katniss you’re wearing a dress,” Prim pointed to the orange knee length dress.

“You like him,” Prim whispered, grabbing her shoulders, her sister stared into her face. “No you….loooove him.”

Katniss pulled away. She sat down to put her shoes on, refusing to acknowledge what Prim was saying, she did love him, but she couldn’t say it. Standing up she checked herself in the long mirror. She didn’t want to be one of those gushy, overly emotional women who changed who they were for a man. As Peeta once said, she didn’t want to be a piece in anyone’s game.  

Prim followed her and turned her around. “This is great. I mean you don’t date and the last serious thing you had was with Gale when you were sixteen, and he came back with a black eye and he limped for a week, because you kneed him in the crotch.”

Katniss narrowed her eyes, instantly getting angry. They’d only gone out on a two dates when he tried to feel her up. She told him to stop, but when they got home he tried to kiss her, so  she slammed her knee in his groin and punched him the face. “He tried to be fresh!”

Prim chuckled. “He did deserve it.” Her sister’s eyes twinkled. “His mother wasn’t too happy either; remember how she clocked him in the back of his head.”

Katniss’ ire dimmed as she laughed along side her sister. Gale’s mother Hazelle was furious with Gale’s actions and at eighteen he’d been grounded. She took away his cell phone and the keys to his truck. She drove him to and from the farm for a month.

Prim wiped her face. “Gale learned his lesson because of you. He never again tried anything similar with anyone else; Madge should thank you for making him the man he is today.”

Katniss sat on the edge of her bed. She never talked about her feelings; she normally bottled her true emotions. The only people she let her guard down around was her family. Other than that Katniss kept her heart a guarded secret and it stemmed from all the harassment she faced in school. “Prim do you think Peeta feels the same way?”

“Yeah,” Prim squeezed her hand. “Peeta was one of the few kids who wanted to be your friend when we moved to Merchantville.”

“Those were hard days, and we were lucky to be able to move from the Seam.” Their dad left his mining job to move to this quiet Kentucky town. Everdeen Ranch belonged to an uncle who passed away and left it to her dad. It took them a long time to gain the respect of those in Merchantville.

“Katniss, if you’re in love with him you should tell him. I mean you’ve been dating him for a long time,” Prim said.

Hope blossomed in Katniss heart, but by the time dinner rolled around Katniss was so nervous about telling him that she spilled her glass of water, dropped her fork, and fell backwards in her chair.

After dinner, Katniss was standing outside glancing at the night sky above.

“Hey.” Peeta wrapped his arms around her middle from behind, “What’s wrong?”

Katniss pushed away, her jaw set, she was angry at herself for letting her nerves get the better of her. Hugging herself she began walking away.

“Katniss, talk to me. Tell me what’s going on,” Peeta begged, chasing after her. The crunch of the gravel told her Peeta was catching up to her.

Katniss moved quicker, running toward the small cabin.

He caught up and held her by the shoulders. “Okay, so you’re mad that I let the guys get to me, goad me into riding Prim’s horse. I’m sorry, it was wrong of me. It just reminded me of being around my brothers. I always had to prove I was good enough with them.”

She shook her head as she took a deep cleansing breath, “It’s not the horse.”

“Wait, if it’s not my boneheaded move, what is it?”

She glanced at the ground beneath her feet. “I just want to know if you’re messing around with me.”

Peeta’s face softened, he gave her a lopsided goofy grin. “No.”

Katniss wasn’t convinced she stood arms akimbo.

“Katniss I’ve been in love with you since the moment you came to town, when you were twelve. You were chosen to sing at the spring fair over the town favorite, Mary Spenser. I was a goner and I spent my childhood trying to find a way to ingratiate myself to you. I know I sound like a loser.” Peeta held her hand, “When we got stuck planning the carnival games for the fair it was my luckiest day. I love you.”

Katniss touched her face, as tears fell from her eyes. She was crying, and she laughed out of joy. His confession was a little stalkerish, but she too had been watching him from afar. He’d been nice to her family, at twelve Peeta spoke up for them, helping them in the community.

“You’re crying, you never cry,” he whispered, the pad of his fingers touched her cheeks tenderly.

She smiled, and confessed, “I’ve kept track of you throughout the years. I know you’re stronger than your brothers, you love kids, and you gave them sugar cookies when your mom wasn’t looking.”

Peeta wrapped his arms around her. “What else did you notice about me?”

“You double knot your shoelaces,” Katniss wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. She loved his broad shoulders, his wavy blonde hair that curled at the nape of his neck, his generosity and kindness. All of these qualities were a turn on

and her voice deepened, took a suggested tone. “You never take sugar in your tea. Your signature wrestling move in high school was the butterfly and because you can use it to move into other moves, you can also pin someone with it.”  

Peeta kissed her lips briefly, the palm of his hands skimming down her back.

“You’re a painter and as I found out recently, you prefer to sleep with your windows open instead of the air conditioning.”

 He pulled her closer, his warm lip made her sigh. His hands grasped her butt and pulled her close and she could feel his arousal.

“Peeta,” she moaned as his mouth traveled to her neck. She wanted to be alone with him. “The cabin,” she urged.

He picked her up and brought her to the cabin, and pressed her up against a wall. His hands traveled up the skirt of her dress grabbing her ass, grinding himself against her.  

“Peeta, Katniss, what’s going on?”

Hearing her father’s voice caused them to jump apart.

“Father!”

Peeta shoved her behind him. Katniss rolled her eyes and stepped out from behind Peeta.  Her father did not look happy. “Father, before you say anything you should know I love him. We’re in love.”

Her father then turned around, “Prim you’re right.”

“Told you so, now pay up, dad, Thom,” Prim said grinning. “You too Hawthorne, pay up. By the way if you ever do that to Buttercup again, I’ll skin you alive.”

Katniss glanced at her sister in shock as she collected money, “Prim, dad, Gale…Thom?”

Prim grinned, “Sorry we were all betting on how you’d confess that you love Peeta. Gale thought by putting him in danger would do the trick. I told him that finding you in a compromising position would work, and it did.”

They left, and Katniss turned around, she really couldn’t be mad at her sister. She faced Peeta, that goofy half grin was back on his face.  “You love me, for real?”

A smile graced her face, “Yes I do.”

[ichormyth-a-blog]

☀ NPC’S:  IMPORTANT  FIGURES .

yasmine  leclair .    -  gwendolyn’s  birth  mother ;

a  bright  &  eccentric  woman  embracing  her  roots .   a  painter  at  heart ,  it  is  no  surprise  that  the  greek  god  apollo  takes  an interest  in  her .  their  romance  doesn’t  last  long ,  but  the  god  leaves  her  with  a  gift .   a  child ,  innocent &  pure ,   blessed  with  ichor  in  her  veins .  at  first ,  the  woman  couldn’t  be  happier  with  a  daughter ,  but  after  time  the  once  beautiful  & lovely  woman  fell  into  insanity .   having  a  child  that  reminded  her  of  every  moment  spend  with  the  love  of  her  life  a  bitter  thing .   she  gets  committed  to  a  mental  institution  when  her  child  is  only  eight ,  where  she  still  resides  until  this  day .   she  still  gets  frequent  visits  from  her  daughter ,  who  has  grown  up  to  be  a  bright  & eccentric  woman  herself  .

daphné  dumont .   -  gwendolyn’s  adoptive  mother ;

it  was  the  united  kingdom  that  had  been  home  to  daphné  for  quite  some  time ,  studying linguistics  at  the  university  of  cambridge  when  she  gets  older .  it  is  there  that  she  meets  benjamin  dumont ,  a  french  man  with  a  sense  of  humor .   they  fall  in  love  &  get  married  at  twenty - four .   they  continue  to  live  in  the  united  kingdom  until  daphné  loses  her  first  child  through  miscarriage  &  finds  out  that  because  of  a  car  accident  when  she  was  only  a  pre - teen ,  she  was  now  unable  to  carry  children .  it  is  after  this  that  they  decide  to  move  to  the  united  states  to  enter  its  adoption  program .  a  full  year  passed  as  a  lot  of  things  seemed  to  work  against  them ,  but  after  a  lot  of  hard  work  &  effort  they  managed  to  adopt  a  child  that  had  been  in  foster  care  for  longer  than  they  had  been  searching .  they  immediately  fell  in  love  with  her ,  her  lively  personality  a  key  factor  in  this .   they  came  to  care  for  her  as  one  of  their  own   &  to  this  day  she  still  has  a  warm  home  with  them .

benjamin  dumont .  -  gwendolyn’s  adoptive  father ;

born  in  france ,  benjamin  grew  up  in  the  center  of  lyon  as  the  son  of  a  baker  &  a  nurse ,  never  having  much  money  to  get  food  on  their  plates  or  enough  to  pay  the  bills .   this  is  why  he  strived  to  always  do  his  best  in  school  so  he  could  later  get  a  job  that  paid  well ,  just  so  he  could  support  his  parents  & have  a  better  life  for  himself .   all  his  hard  work  paid  off  as  he  managed  to  secure  a  spot  at  cambridge  university  in  the  united  kingdom ,  his  studies  focusing  on  architecture .  it  is  here  that  he  met  daphné  &  in  that  moment  he  knew  he  wanted  to  spend  his  life  with  her .   in  their  final  year  of  university ,  he  asked  her  to  marry  him .   she  said  yes .   they  got  a  place  together  on  the  outskirts  of  london ,  but  moved  away  years  later  after  his  wife  had  a miscarriage .   it  is  here  that  they  adopted  a  little  girl ,  who  he  now  sees  as  his  own  flesh  &  blood .    he  resumed  his  work  as  an  architect  in  the  united  states .

juliette  stone . -  gwendolyn’s  first. girlfriend ; (  previously  written  by  zoey !  )

as  a daughter  of  athena ,  she  occupies  a  space  at  camp  half - blood  for  several  years .  it  is  here  that  she  meets  gwendolyn  leclair ,  being  assigned  to  show  her  around  the  campsite .   they  easily  become  friends ,  but  both  girls  develop  feelings  for  each  other  in  a  gradual  pace .  after  admitting  to  their  mutual  attraction ,  they  make  the  promise  of  commitment  to  one  and  other .  their  love  was  innocent ,  still  being  children  at  the  time ,  but  they  clearly  loved  each  other .  it  is  when  the  two  girls  go  on  a  quest ,  in  search  of  the  lost  necklace  of  harmonia ,  that  the  astonishingly  smart  girl  falls  into  the  hands  of  alec  lyle ,  a  rogue  demigod .  it  is  he  who  drives  a  sword  through  her  heart  as  her  girlfriend  watches .  she  dies  shortly  after ,  at  the  fragile  age  of  fifteen .   (   for  more  info:  contact  @oncetragic .  )

alec  lyle .   -  gwendolyn’s  arch  nemesis ;

it  is  this  boy  that  holds  an  important  part  in  the  life  of  gwendolyn  leclair ,  his  actions  &  determination  to  swade  her  over  to  his  side  a  recurring  thing .   he  stands  for  the  rise  of  the  demigods & the  fall  of  the  gods ,  convinced  that  the  gods  were  not  fit  to  rule  any  longer .   being  a  son  of  athena  himself ,  he  takes  advantage  of  strategic  war  plans  & often  uses  his  wits  to  survive .   until  gwendolyn ,  he  rarely  tried  to  recruit  people  to  his  side ,  feeling  like  that  took  more  energy  than  it  was  worth ,  but  the  daughter  of  apollo  managed  to  gather  his  interest .   this  is  why  he  murders  her  girlfriend  when  she  refused  to  join  him .   this  spurs  on  a  sequence  of  meetings  between  the  two ,  which  ends  when  they  kill  one  and  other  years  later .

[bbcky-barnes]

Destiel Fanfics RecList

(Reminder that these are not in any specific order!!)

1. Painted Angels

Words: 105K 

Summary: Author Castiel Novak has finally hit the big time, with a book based on his failed college relationship with a brilliant painter. He's put all his pain behind him, but at a book signing, he comes face to face with Dean Winchester for the first time in twelve years, and the reunion doesn't go like Cas hoped. Dean's a broken man, with a lot of scars and secrets, shoulders weighed down by his demons and self loathing. Cas sees a second chance with the man he's never stopped loving, but Dean's moved on, and is about to get married. Sam launches a "brilliant" plan to reunite his brother and his best friend, but Cas is worried it will all blow up in their faces, and he'll go through the agony of losing Dean a second time.

2. Easy Now, With My Heart

Words: 50K

Summary:  Dean Winchester is a kindergarten teacher. Castiel Milton is a writer slash works-in-a-coffee-shop. He also happens to be the extremely hot one-night stand that Dean never intended to see again other than in his own fantasies (he’s classy like that). But suddenly Cas is everywhere and Dean is convinced that Fate is out to get him. And maybe they do this thing backwards, but that doesn’t have to mean they can’t make it in the end, right?

3. Sweaters & Cigarettes

Words: 150K

Summary: Dean Winchester is in high school, crushing hard on Castiel Novak, the unbelievably hot goth who Dean does his very best to convince himself he hates, despite the fact that he can’t really stop staring at him. Dean tries, but when the two of them finally cross paths, their first conversation takes a surprising turn. And suddenly, they both find themselves falling harder and faster than they ever could have expected.

4. Freefall

Words: 129K

Summary: Kindergarten teacher Dean Winchester spends his days elbow deep in play doh; the most exciting his life gets is when he plays mechanic in his uncle Bobby's shop on the weekends. That is until a birthday party goes tequila-nova and he trips into a one-night stand with an incredibly hot firefighter named Castiel.Dean's life gets a lot more exciting after that.

5. California Waiting

Words: 173K

Summary: Dean and Castiel's relationship has evolved over time- from strangers to roommates, roommates to friends, friends to best friends. The most troublesome evolution came to pass when they went from being best friends to "We're just friends."

6. Appoggiatura

Words: 121K

Summary: Castiel leaves the religious commune of Heaven Farms to study classical piano after winning a full scholarship paid for by the Deanna Campbell Memorial Foundation, and answers an ad in the campus newspaper: 1 bedroom to let. Meals provided. 50mb wifi, quiet odd music student preferred.

7. Heaven & Hell Escort Service

Words: 124K

Summary: Loosely based on the film 'The Wedding Date'. Castiel Novak is a high class escort, and an expensive one at that. He likes to help people, and being an escort allows him to do that... barely. Dean Winchester is a mechanic/waiter who may have accidentally told his father he has a long-term boyfriend to bring along to Sam's wedding. Desperate times call for desperate measures... an escort service might not be what he wants, but it could be exactly what he needs.

8. Cursed or Not

Words: 115K

Summary: While experimenting with magic when he was a kid, Sam accidentally cursed Dean. Now, Dean is forced to wear a spelled amulet constantly, or he'll turn into a random animal. For a little over a decade, he's learned to live with the curse, and has even found it useful in some cases, but he sure would be happier without it.When he meets a witch named Castiel, he's offered a deal. Instead of assuming all witches are bad, Dean can spend a season getting to know him. If at the end of the season, Dean still thinks he's evil Castiel will send him away with his memory wiped of the whole experience. But if he learns that Castiel is not the monster Dean assumes he is, he'll lift Dean's curse.It's an offer Dean can't bring himself to pass up.

9. Satin and Sawdust

Words: 160K

Summary: When Castiel moves out of Jimmy's house and into his own place for the first time, he saves money on buying a home by investing in a Fixer-Upper. He knows nothing about how to fix the many problems the house has, but he figures he's smart enough to figure it out. Unfortunately it's not too long before he learns that he's way in over his head.Thankfully his new neighbor Dean is a handyman, and agrees to help him out. He knows Dean has a bit of a crush on him, but he's not taking advantage of it, really. Dean's a great guy, and quickly becomes a good friend.But a flash of satin under Dean's toolbelt changes everything.

10. Muscle Memory

Words: 20K

Summary: Dear Castiel, Hello – it’s Castiel. This must all seem very confusing, and I’m sorry for that. Dean says to tell you that this isn’t some kind of ‘time-travel stunt’, although I’m sure that won’t be your first thought. I know it wasn’t mine. I’ve told Dean to leave now, as this is my notebook and I want everything in it to come from me – or rather, from you. I know you think it's the fifteenth of January, 2010, but it isn't. At the time of my writing this, the date is the fourth of October, 2013. Dean Winchester is your boyfriend of a year and a half, and you no longer work at the library, and in early 2010 you were hit by a car and hospitalised. I’m sorry.

a.k.a the 50 First Dates Dean/Cas AU where Castiel wakes up on a day just like any other, except that three years have passed without his knowing, and Dean Winchester is in the kitchen wanting to marry him.

11. Morning, Teach

Words: 174K

Summary: Art teacher Castiel Novak has just turned 29 when he meets Dean Winchester at a gay club. After sleeping with the boy, he leaves in a hurry, trying to cope with the guilt over betraying his girlfriend and his overly conservative parents. But forgetting Dean becomes close to impossible, when Castiel's new job at a High School in San Francisco reveals Dean to be a most troublesome student.

12. Hot Water

Words: 151K

Summary: Castiel hated public showers. In which Castiel is forced to use the company shower after hours and ends up doing unspeakable things he never thought himself capable of...

13. Waves  

Words: 55K

Summary: Dean Winchester is the average guy: football, college, kid brother, nice car, girls and beer; his life is black and white, that is until he meets Castiel Collins: pretentious, slutty, sweater-wearing genius, who won't even take the time to look up at him from his obscure novel while he insults him. And then everything is shades of gray and Dean is drowning.

15. Soft Touch Raw Nerve

Words: 152K

Summary: Due to a hunt gone wrong, Dean has an injured leg; he has to stay in a rehab-center for the next six weeks, while Sam continues the hunter's life on his own. The only glimmer of light is Castiel, Dean's physiotherapist, and how they come closer to each other as time goes by.

16. How To Save a Life

Words: 48K

Summary: Having lost both of his parents in a terrible car accident, Dean Winchester lives a life filled with guilt and self-hate. That is until he calls a suicide hotline and the soothing voice of 'Cas' turns his life upside down...

17. Porcelain

Words: 73K 

Summary: High School AU ~ Dean Winchester has it all. He's captain of the football team, a self-confessed ladies' man and one of the most popular guys in school. But, is all of that about to change when he meets the mysterious Castiel Novak in an online chat-room?

Side note: do NOT read this if you’re looking for fluff and no angst at all bc even though this shit is amazing, it’s also sad as fuck :)

18. The Open Sky (Is Mine Tonight)

Words: 22K

Summary: Castiel Novak is a wedding planner in San Francisco who doesn’t have the time or the energy for a relationship right now. After an accident introduces him to the charming pediatrician Dean Winchester, he thinks that might change. Unfortunately, Dean is engaged to Castiel’s new favorite client, Anna Milton, and it’s suddenly a game of tug-o-war between what Castiel wants and what Castiel needs — but as he comes to find out, often times those things are exactly the same.

19. Peace And Good Luck To All Men

Words: 32K

Summary: Christmas in the Milton household was difficult enough without the added complication of guests- and if Luke and Gabriel placing bets on who can get with Sam first wasn’t bad enough, then Cas developing a ridiculous crush on his sister’s boyfriend definitely is.

20. Danger Danger

Words: 101K

Summary: Life turns upside down for Detective Castiel Novak, when his partner and lover Balthazar is shot by a member of a crime syndicate. Life gets even weirder with rookie Dean Winchester showing up as his new partner and somewhere in between revenge and grief the explosive duo becomes closer than they thought they would…

21. Small Town Charmer

Words: 82K

Summary: By ten a.m. Dean had seen his dream of expanding the hardware store dashed. By one, his baby had been impounded off the street. By midnight, Dean's personal space had been invaded by an angry, wet bookseller with hot blue eyes and an armful of natty first editions. There was also a cat. Maybe we should start at the beginning..

22. The Breath Of All Things

Words: 66K

Summary: Dean Winchester was twenty-six years old when a car accident killed his father and left him paralysed from the waist down. A year and a half later, Dean is in a wheelchair and lives in a care home in Kansas, where he spends his days waiting to die. It's only when Castiel Novak starts volunteering at the care home that Dean starts to wonder if a changed life always equals a ruined one.

23. Kiss The Baker

Words: 113K

Summary: Jo is pregnant and craving something a little bit unusual. When she sends Dean on a mission to find her some chocolate cake donuts with bacon sprinkles, he's sure that he'll fail. Luckily his partner Benny comes to his rescue and introduces him to a quirky little bakery that sells all kinds of weird (and delicious!) baked goods. And they do special orders!Dean finds excuses to keep going back, and Castiel finds excuses to keep giving him special treats.

24. Like Real People

Words: 135K

Summary: Dean Winchester is a respected literature teacher at Lawrence's best private school, yet he feels like he's still a complete and utter travesty of a human being. Months after his father's death, he's yet to come to terms with the negative impact John Winchester had on his life. Though he's determined never to admit it, the only thing Dean's ever wanted was an Apple Pie Life: it's something that's been dangled in front of his face, though he's certain he could never deserve it.While Dean struggles to come to terms with the isolated, lonely life he's made for himself, a disruption comes in the form of Castiel Novak, Lawrence Private's newest faculty member. Those blue eyes and raspy voice are things Dean can't ignore for long, and when he's forced to stop fighting his affections, Dean finds his lonely life turned upside down.Is it possible he could deserve an Apple Pie Life after all?

[mega-aulover]

❤ Bread ❤

To my friends who have birthdays @chele20035 and @notanislander  Happy Birthday! I hop both you ladies had a lovely day. A small gift for you. 

Rated G: forgive the rambling and run on sentences and grammar mistakes…they are all my mistakes.

Katniss loved the sweet smell of bread she loved it with all of her heart. Every time she went to the bakery to either to trade or simply to look through the glass pane, she had to stop and smell the bread.

 Nothing was sweeter, in life. Nothing was as important than bread, especially when it was made by her boy. The boy with the bread.  Katniss cheeks grew warm when she thought of him. The connection and bond, she could never rid of.

She told herself it was because he’d saved her life and she’d never paid him in full.  A debt unpaid rested heavily on her soul.  But it didn’t explain why she loved to see his arms covered in the dust of flour, or why she paused to watch the sun filter through his golden hair.  Or why she knew, exactly how many pounds Peeta could lift and toss over his head.

Katniss could tell you just about anything when it came to her boy with the bread.  She noted he tied his laces in a double knot.  She’d watched him pour tea for himself from the kettle and never put sugar in it.  She could also tell you that her boy with the bread, was a kind generous soul. Sharing cookies with the less fortunate.

For years she kept track on him, for years she silently yearned for those hands. Even today as she stood behind Gale and his father she watched him silently. Long lean fingers, that expertly mixed the ingredients, forming a ball, and kneaded the supple dough with expert movements. She wondered his fingers would do the same on her skin.

 Her flesh heated and she forcibly turned her face away. It was an instinct a need a hunger she ignored. She lied to herself, chided herself, to believe she didn’t want or need anyone.  The truth lay with her boy with the bread, and the scent of him. The very scent of him drove her to seek the lonely comfort of her fingers at night when she was sure her sister and mother were fast asleep.

On the day of the reaping she stood on that stage and when they called out ‘Peeta Mellark’ she thought ‘oh no not him, not my boy with the bread.’  She dreaded having to kill him. Dreaded to make the choice to kill a pure, good, sweet soul, but the odds were in her favor. She never had to destroy him, but she was afraid.  Afraid of allowing herself to love him. To loose him and in her quest she fell for him.

She sat in her room eating his bread, watching him draw.  His golden lashes like little arrows of love, being shot into her heart. Katniss never wanted to love, never wanted to grow close to him, but she did.  Love was her enemy, love was her nightmare, love conquered her, and she told him on beach, “I need you.”

Every molecule in her body had surrendered to him, and she loved for the first time someone besides her sister. She loved him in the open, and when he was taken from her she fell into madness and despair.  Functioning as a shell of her former self.

And when he returned she felt those very same hands with which she lusted after, wrap themselves around her neck. She’d lost him not to death, but to the evil cravings of a world that cared not for the good, but for the consumption of debauchery.  

She’d lost hope, until, she was reminded that her ‘boy with the bread’ was inside the monster.  She began to carefully do what he had done to her all those months ago.  She began to shoot arrows of love toward his heart. By reminding him of all that he was.

 A painter. A baker.  A boy who never took sugar in his tea, slept with the windows open and who double knotted his laces. He was her friend, he was kind, he was generous, he was a fighter, and he had her heart.  Little by little he came back to her, her boy with the bread surfaced gracefully like a swan.

She killed for him, for all that they had lost.  She was imprisoned and without the sun she nearly died.  When he came back she saw her boy with the bread, once again.  And slowly they created a new future together.  First came the chasing the nightmares away, next with soft soothing hands, followed by soft chaste kisses until they joined as one.  

The morning she found him with his fists in dough she smiled and sat across him, a soft smile on her lips, when questioned she sweetly said. “I love the smell of bread.”