#HOW DO I MARRY A GODDAMN LAKE?! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writingcold · 9 months

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Hello there! We’ve reached Act II of Bootleggers! The second act does deal with a lot of issues that some may find difficult. As we know from Act 1 Junie was married to Mr. Archer, to which things are not so good. Just be aware that there is a lot of action, some violence, violence towards women specifically, in this piece. We continue to focus on our wildflowers, Cora (and her romance with Jacob), Molly, and Susannah. There’s a lot that happens right off the bat, so let’s get to it. Did I mention, Cora finally gets into the Lantern?!

If you're just coming across this, here is the Master List to catch up.

Thank you always to @lvnterninthenight, @gardensgatedaisy and @whitesuitjake for all of the love and support during the time I was writing this.

Also just a quick thank you and sweet hugs going out to @vanfleeter and @jakekiszkasbuttsweat for the support of this story! *mwah*

This is a work of fiction, and is totally mine. Please do not take it for your own personal use. I’ve put in hours of research, hours upon hours of writing, re-writing, screaming, yelling and vomiting over this epic of a story. But it is mine.

Content warnings: Drinking, threats of violence, imagery of violence, hopelessness, anxiousness.

Word Count: approx 6300

Chapter Eleven: Bank, The Moon, and the Lantern, Junie’s Plight - Jacob POV

The weight of the air crushed his lungs and scalded the inside of his body. Josh continued speaking, reading the letter from their father, but Jake was only focused on one thing - there was dissent amongst the families that their affiliation rode upon. One of the top bosses had split, claiming distribution was not what it could be. Their father was merely alerting his boys to possible issues coming their way over the next months. With winter coming, and the driving routes effectively shut down due to snow, their father was warning them of shit coming their way no matter what they did.

“It’s time we get the bank,” Josh said, tossing the paper on the desk. “It may smooth some of the feathers for a while.”

Jacob was shaking his head. The bank. Josh had been obsessed for nearly a year. His contacts were saying that it was time - Archer had been dealt a blow served by his own stupidity. His affairs were unraveling and the venomous gossip was turning into facts. He puffed out his cheeks as he shifted against the window.

“How many more runs you think we can complete?” Josh asked.

Jacob shrugged as Sam and Danny leaned back in their seats. “If I had the Earl, I would get maybe five majors where I’m involved - four smaller ones that it’s just the trucks. But as is, we’re having to make up the large runs with twice as many small runs. Marquette county has become off limits to the trucks without me to be the bait. We add a shit ton of miles by having to run south through Delta and Menominee counties, not to mention a lot more area to get fucked by not having friends. We’re running behind as it is and won’t have enough product to last the winter for Iron County, let alone to fulfill expected deliveries to Chicago. We can’t be running the trucks beyond October anyway unless we want to dig out every few miles.”

Danny nodded. “Our first year we got in that one run in November, but I wouldn’t count on it. Even with the damn chains on the tires, a few of the trucks didn’t make the target.”

“Yeah, and we said we wouldn’t do that again,” Jake remarked with a grimace. “Remember? We almost lost three trucks on swampy assed roads. And - we lost that one skating off into a goddamn lake.”

“It’s all fucking moot anyway,” Sam remarked. “The Earl is dead.”

“She’s not dead,” Jake grumbled. “There’s nothing wrong with the engine.”

“But the fucking shell that makes it a car is dead. There’s nothing left for me to fix if there’s no body left, Jake. I sent word to Father when you dragged her into the shop. There’s something on the way. Should be here at any time.”

“It’s going to be a fucking disaster,” Jake whispered angrily.

“I’m going before the board of trustees for the bank in two weeks,” Josh said before lighting up a cigarette and cutting off the direction of the conversation. “I have all but a few votes for no confidence on the part of Mr. Archer. It will be enough to remove him as bank president. I have an offering to present that will put us into control. The last round of acquisitions put our line above my expected results, and offers more than enough holdings to solidify our position as main shareholder and bank president.”

Jacob sat up straight. Josh nodded to let Danny and Sam leave, but he stayed behind, closing the door behind the men. Turning, he felt his twin’s gaze on him in question.

“I have two weeks?” he asked as he watched Josh stamp out his smoke.

“Two weeks for what?” Josh returned disinterested.

“Junie? Cora’s sister,” Jake answered. “If you make a move now, and Archer is removed, he will disappear with her. You and I both know that girl won’t have a chance of survival if he ‘moves’ her. Hell, I don’t know if she’s actually surviving now. They won’t even let the mother inside to see the girl.”

Josh’s brows knitted in thought. Jake knew if there was one thing that his brother did not tolerate was a man who mistreated women in the fashion that Archer was accustomed to. His brother was thinking things through as he kicked his feet up on the desk.

“I may not show it, Jake, but I’ve grown very fond of Cora. I am envious of you,” he said quietly. “She has a softness and fortitude that is very comely. She’s been good for you.”

He rubbed the pad of his thumb across stray stubbles on the underside of his chin. “You and I both know that the current Mrs. Archer will not have a chance if we make this move on the bank.”

Josh nodded. Jacob could see the storm clouds behind his brother’s thoughts as he tapped the top of the desk. “I’ll get us over there Sunday. Have Cora with you. It will give me time to think this through.”

Jake lit up a smoke before reaching for his hat. “Thank you.”

“Are you avoiding taking her to the Lantern?” Josh asked as he moved towards the door.

He stopped before reaching for the doorknob. “Not avoiding. Just never asked if that’d be something she’d-”

“Jacob,” his twin said, moving around behind him. “It’s not like how things are with Susannah and Molly - or shit, even Catherine. Do not say it - I know that mistake was blatant on my part. But Cora’s a different breed. She’s a different caliper altogether. People in this town know her as something on the side of respectable - no reputation other than a churchgoing woman of no rank. You literally can mold her into anything you want her to be at this point.”

“I don’t want to mold her into anything. I love her as she is,” he whispered.

Josh hummed, drawing his attention back to his brother. “Then we should protect her and her own as is, shouldn’t we?”

He felt his eyes close for a moment and relief poured in. His brother was accepting the situation and offering a life line. This was his Joshua. His hand came down on Jake’s arm, giving it a bit of a squeeze. It was an acquiescence of events that had to be buried in the past and never revisited.

“I know you want out, same as I,” Josh said quietly. “It is still the goal. What I am trying to do, Brother, is to never have to return to this life. Once we are done here - we are done.”

Jake nodded slowly. “It’s going to get messy.”

“Let’s be honest and say what it will be, Jacob. It’s going to be a fucking bloody matter. The bank is just the first of many steps.”

His throat constricted as he opened the office door. Josh was right, of course. It was juvenile to think that they were going to be able to leave the life unscathed. Sam was just coming in the shop door, his face full of light as Jacob refocused his thoughts to the task at hand.

“It’s here, Jake!” his younger brother’s voice was full of excitement. “You’ve got to see this.”

Change was not high on Jake’s list of likes. Since the last disastrous run of the Earl, it was clear that his baby needed to be replaced. Josh was right behind him as he walked quickly past customers with his best professional smile. Sam was already around the corner and through the alley, while the twins tried to keep cool. The first he saw was the shiny black and chrome, followed by the sheer size of the vehicle. Sam was full of glint as he was already in the engine, making sounds of delight as he poked and prodded.

“It’s a goddamn roadster! I can already tell you it’s too fucking heavy!” Jake grumbled, his eyes on the bulk of the car. “There’s no way to have this shit ready for the next run.”

“We’ve got work to do, sure,” Sam said with a shrug. A demon grin came across his mouth. “But I can get this bitch up to sixty five, maybe seventy. We’ve just got to get her skinny.”

Jacob felt his jaw slacken. “One week, Samuel.”

“Considering it’ll take forever to bring the Earl back to life…”

“Then let’s get to work, Sam.”

Chapter Eleven: Pt. 2, Cora POV

Jacob did not arrive on time to collect the box. Instead of waiting for him, or stowing it in the locker, Cora decided to take it around to the shop office herself. Gathering her things, she took hold of the cashbox and headed out, waving at Marcus on her way down to the main door. The bouncer had taken a shine to her since she showed up unannounced. He would drop her treats and sandwiches with a grin, just to let her know he was there. She started bringing him bits of scratch biscuits and jam in trade. His beam at the sight would last her through the entire evening.

Making her way up the alley, she could hear Sam cursing up a storm, underscored by Jake scolding him for being a dumbass. She stepped into the store to find it closed and Renee was already gone. She could smell fresh tobacco, so she was sure Mr. Joshua was still in his office.

“Mr. Kiszka?” she called out before she reached the door to alert him of her presence.

“Good evening, Cora,” he said with a smile. His face warmed as he stood up. “I think it would be fine if we dropped the formalities, even for work, don’t you think?”

Cora nodded as she held out the box. “It was a really busy day back there and I didn’t feel right leaving this in the locker.”

He took it from her and moved towards the safe. “I didn’t think that Jake would get back there at closing time. Means you didn’t see the new lady.”

“Lady? Did you hire another shop girl?” she asked, looking over her shoulder into the shop.

“No. Come on, lovely. Jacob got himself a new toy today,” he said. “I’m quite curious to see how it’s panning out actually. Shall we? I wanted to speak with you anyway.”

“Me?”

He nodded as he stepped out of the office with her and locked the door. “I spoke with Jacob earlier. Sunday, we will be going to the Archer residence. It will just be the three of us, however. I fear that we will have to be a little pushy and use some subterfuge to get ourselves inside, but the man honestly does not like a public scene, so there’s that.”

Cora took his offered elbow as they moved outside and locked the heavy shop door. He waited until they were around the corner in the alley to continue.

“I will be reaching out to our Aunt Dotty. She’s good people, Cora. Her distance from here will provide safety.” She turned and looked at him as his words began to sink into her mind. “Sunday, I need you to assess if your sister is well enough to travel. There are events coming up that will take some finesse, but if it goes right - I will send her to Wisconsin, away from that fuck of a husband. Is that well with you?”

Her jaw dropped as Josh turned his dark eyes on her. This man was offering his help in the only way he knew how - abrupt, precise, and well-planned. She nodded and he patted her hand on his arm. The language spilling out of the garage made her stomach feel sour. The tones were hard and angry as tools sounded like they were smashing on benches and the concrete.

“There’s just one thing,” she said as they stood away from the carriage building doors. “If she wants to leave.”

Joshua’s face grew still, reflective. “Cora, I think I know you well enough to speak plainly. Harold Archer is a villain. Do not underestimate that man. There’s a reason why he has ‘lost’ three wives in six years, and it’s not due to childbirth.”

Shock percolated under her skin. She swallowed words that wanted to bubble out. Joshua smoothed his fingers across her hand once more.

“Sounds like they are going to rip each other apart in there,” he said with a smirk. “What fun.”

They stepped in to find both men red faced with heaving chests. Sam was the first to spot them, his lip curled in anger. Cora drew in a breath at the sight of Jacob, hand drawn back with a heavy metal tool. He whipped his head around, eyes flared on her the moment Sam moved.

“I was going to use the term ‘gentlemen’ but, here we are,” Josh remarked smoothly. “Perhaps I should walk you home, Cora, let these two beat some sense into each other.”

Jacob straightened up, glaring at his younger sibling as he set the implement against one of the workbenches, close to his shirt and jacket. Sam remained on guard, albeit not as tight as Jacob slid into his dress shirt.

“Right, so Cora,” Josh whispered as Jacob dressed, “tomorrow night, I would like you to come down to the Lantern with us. I think you’ll like the canary that will be visiting, and if Sammy doesn’t break any fingers fighting, he’s going to be playing as well.”

Cora found that she could not look away from Josh’s dark eyes. This was not professional businessman Mr. Kiszka. There was a humor in his eyes that she had never noticed, a mischievousness that Jacob did not possess. “I’d like that,” she answered with a nod.

“What’s that now?” Jacob asked as he was yanking at his tie.

“Your girl will be accompanying you tomorrow night to the Lantern,” Josh remarked with a toothy grin.

Jacob paused, eyes froze on his twin. “Really?”

“Why Miss Cora, you comin’ to see little old me play tomorrow?” Sam called from across the garage. “The girls are going to love having you there.”

Chapter Eleven: Pt. 3, Molly POV

“I have something I want you to try, dolly,” she said, dragging Cora towards the spare bedroom of her house.

“I was going to wear the rose gold number,” Cora remarked, giving her a bit of resistance.

“While that is very lovely and all, you’re visiting the Lantern,” Molly reminded, achieving her goal of getting to the clothes den. “You need something… more.”

When Cora raised her eyes to the ceiling, Molly knew this was more about her friend’s need to do things for herself. She more than understood the need - having had to carve everything out for herself. However, to be able to provide for her friends - her sisters - was beyond anything that Molly could have dreamed of achieving. She knew there would be resistance, so she made sure to leave the little black number on the bed specifically for ease of access.

“Trust me, Cora love,” she said with a wave of her hands. “This one is specifically for the Lantern. Your silk number is perfect for The Boudreau, even the tea parlor, or church and Sunday visits. This chiffon is what is required at the speakeasy.”

She watched as the woman’s jaw dropped. The black chiffon had intricate Art Deco designed glass beadwork that covered the entire piece. Cora picked the material up, her eyes closing against the feel of the textile.

“And look at these oyster fruits - aren’t they the cat’s meow?” She held up the choker that had strands that hung down the back.

Cora looked skeptical until she held the cocktail dress up and turned it around to reveal the extreme low cut that would expose the back until just above the swell of the bottom. Her eyes bulged.

“Now hold it there, missy boo,” Molly was quick to say as her friend was shutting down the idea of wearing the garment. “This is the Lantern. This rag will be more modest on the attire spectrum that you will be seeing tonight. The difference here is, Cora, you can pull this off without garment aids.”

“Molly!”

“I want you to just try it on, don’t worry about the choker, or the lovely hair piece that will go with it,” she held the feather and pearl and beaded band up for her to see. “Just put the dress on. Give it a chance. Susannah will be here to do your hair any moment.”

Cora made a sound as Molly hurried from the room. Honestly, the girl needed to figure it out. She was less of a prude than she knew, or at least needed to be. Molly was sure the moment she had the dress on, she would change her mind. The moment Jake saw her would be the tipping point. The man would most likely melt on the spot at first sight. He would also probably be fighting every other man in the room who happened to look at her a certain way.

Susannah was just walking into the house as Molly walked back to the main room. She was dressed in a sleek steel blue number that complimented her pale skin. Molly smiled as she tried to not listen to Cora’s scoffs and guffaws.

“What’s going on?” Susannah asked, setting her small bag of supplies down for doing hair and makeup.

“I’ve got Cora trying on something a little different,” Molly whispered with a devilish grin.

The two friends laughed quietly as Cora let out a huff before opening the door.

“I can’t do this!” she trilled, unwilling to walk out.

“Come on, dolly. Let us old hens be the judge of that,” Susannah called out.

Molly felt her lips drag in between her teeth to keep from getting upset. The woman was more stubborn than need be at times, and it was one of those times. Finally, she stepped into the light of the sitting room, her face stoic in her upset. Susannah’s head tilted as the air seemed to escape from the room.

“Might as well start calling you ‘Sticks’ because you got fucking gams, baby,” Susannah said, her tone shocked.

The dress hung on Cora’s frame exactly how she had imagined it would; clinging to her hips just right to lay against her legs to make them look like they were long and strong but delicate at the ankle. The high neckline made her torso look long and lean. Molly let out a soft breath.

“Maybe that dress was not the right one. You’ll make the two of us look like we’re dressed for the slops,” she said softly. “Damn. You’re beautiful.”

Cora’s cheeks flushed red. “Are you sure it’s not too risque?”

Both women shook their heads slowly. Susannah set in to doing Cora’s hair while Molly dressed in her ruby colored mini that had the fringe that kissed her calves. She was thankful that the two women were laughing by the time she finished, bringing out shoes for her and Cora. Susannah made gooey eyes at her as she slid into the black heels to complete her look.

“Looks like you were right, mama,” Susannah sighed as Cora stood up to reveal the completed look. “The rest of us might as well check out tonight. All eyes are going to be on this one.”

“Jacob is so going to be gobsmacked,” Molly cooed. “That poor man is not going to know what hit him.”

Much like the evening of taking Cora to the dancehall, the three friends walked into the evening together. Danny met them outside of the dancehall, leading them through the crowded space towards the employee only door. Molly held her lover back to allow Susannah and Cora to walk ahead of them just to take in the reaction of those who saw her handiwork.

They all said hello to Marcus as they took the back stairs down to the Lantern. The bouncer tipped his hat to Cora who laughed and reached out to hand the man something from her clutch.

“Thank you, Miss Cora,” he said smoothly as he watched them go down the stairs. At Molly’s raised eyebrow, he laughed. “The woman is kind enough to bring me cookies and biscuits. You lot don’t do that – at all.”

“I’ll remember that, Marcus, for next time! Promise!” Molly called out as Danny held the door open for the ladies to pass.

Danny’s hand landed in a press against her hip as they walked into the speakeasy. “I don’t know what you’re expecting tonight, but you really did up Cora, didn’t you love?” he asked as they trailed behind Susannah.

“No expectations, just dolling her up for the evening,” she answered with a grin and a batting of her eyelashes.

Jacob was on his feet before they had crossed the dance floor. His dark eyes were shimmering as they took in the sight of his girl. Molly felt a little smug. Putting the window dressing on Cora gave her such pleasure in seeing the impact that she could have on those around her. She watched as Jacob moved around the table, walking on a collision course with them. The sheer possession that radiated out of the man’s face reminded her of the rare times that she could elicit from Danny. He reached for her, slamming his mouth into hers, effectively letting everyone in that room know it was hands off of little Miss Cora.

Chapter Eleven: Pt. 4, Cora POV

The nerves that jolted her stomach as she followed Susannah into the Lantern made her want to vomit. She felt ridiculous as the first eyes to take her in seemed to stay glued to her. The smell of the room was tobacco and liquor and an assault of several perfumes blending together to make an overwhelming musk. The air was hot with a current that could only be described as a Saturday night - expectations of fun and music filled the air. The laughter was loud and the jazz band was louder. Unlike her previous appearance, Cora felt as if she was still trespassing, but only because the space was new to her. Her eyes went right to Jacob to find that he was already moving towards her. The look on his face was nothing like anything she had seen from him.

Before she could say hello, he had her around the waist, his fingers pressing into the exposed skin of her back and his mouth against hers in a deep kiss. Her heart thundered in her chest as his heat pressed against her, rooting her to the spot. There was no one else in the room. Just him holding onto her. She was slow to open her eyes to look at him.

“You look like you’re a heroine in a movie,” he whispered, dragging a finger down her cheek as his other hand ghosted down her back.

Sharp notes on the piano pierced the air as the lights dimmed. Jacob grinned as he nearly seemed reluctant to lead her to the table, but he held a chair out next to his seat. A waiter brought a few bottles of wine and glasses for the table. Joshua whispered a hello and shared a smile. Cora felt the nerves fall away to finally allow her to realize that Samuel sat at the piano. The room hushed as he settled himself in.

“Rhapsody in Blue,” he said without looking out at the crowd that waited. “Gershwin.”

The notes that started to fill the space made her heart feel like it was journeying through a space that was crowded and wonder filled. Samuel’s face was full of concentration and his body was rigid as he played. Not a sound was uttered by anyone. It was like he held the room enthralled. Pressure on the pad of her thumb drew her attention down to her lap. Jacob tugged the digit along, before caressing across the back of her hand, only to flip it and trace the lines of her palm. Looking into his face, she wanted to touch him, trace the lines of his cheekbones and jaw and brows. Instead, he continued to trace her fingers, the ridges of her knuckles, the planes of her palm.

She twirled her fingers into his, and he let her turn his palm up in her lap, running the pads of her own fingers across his, only to have him enclose her hand and take over. Looking up into his eyes, she discovered he had shifted to return her gaze. Cora felt her insides grow anxious. Her breath grew hot as her brain seized on one notion - she was in love. Her eyes began to tear as his brow flinched with concern. Sniffing, she felt silly and reached for a sip of wine to tear herself away from the moment. It was not like the wine Joshua had during their Sunday suppers, this was sweeter and lighter. Cora swallowed it down, only to look back at him and find herself wanting.

Gently, he tugged her back against him so that his mouth could land against her ear. “What’s happening, Finch?”

“I’m all jumbled up,” she whispered back.

He cupped her cheek as he placed a chaste kiss against her temple. “”What’s causing that, baby?”

“I’m in love with a good man,” she whispered into his ear, watching as the skin of his cheek became a soft shade of pink.

His eyes widened for a moment. Cora’s heart raced all the faster as he stared back at her, his face blank of emotion. He brushed his thumb across her jaw before cradling her cheek in his palm. A small smile graced his face as his brother played furiously to a crowd that seemed just as mesmerized as she felt. The room erupted in cheers, but all she could do was stay in stillness with Jacob. He barely leaned forward, his mouth pressing against her for the briefest of moments.

“You’re my beautiful finch, aren’t you?” he whispered into her skin.

Her heart swelled as he looped his finger through a curl by her ear. She felt loved. Her body hummed with each touch and caress. Her brain barely registered the intricate song that flowed across the air, but knew the moment was something special. The night twirled around her and Jacob, filled with wine and dance and music and friends that had become her family. Her heart did not just feel full. It was brimming out into the air, tethering her to a moment that she dared not forget. Not ever.

Chapter Eleven: Pt. 5, Cora POV

The anxiety spiked in her belly as the housekeeper blocked the door. She tightened her hold on Jacob’s elbow, capturing his attention, albeit briefly.

“Mr. Archer is not receiving visitors today,” the woman remarked, but Josh was already standing in the way of the door.

“I have a receipt of appointment, Mrs. Meyerson,” he said, holding out a piece of heavy writing paper. “We have private business to speak about and we are already running tardy.”

She took the slip, looking at it skeptically. Cora realized the woman was simply looking for her employer’s mark, her eyes obviously unable to read.

“The girl is not welcomed as Mrs. Archer is ill and unable to-”

“Unwelcomed?” Jacob breathed his tone incredulous. “This is Mrs. Archer’s sister. Perhaps instead of looking after her yourself, she can look in on the woman. Tend to her for you.”

“Give yourself a respite,” Joshua echoed. “Lord knows you deserve one, Mrs. Meyerson. This big old house to run by yourself. With no help and all.”

Cora shoved her nerves to the side, placing as much warmth into her smile as she could muster. “Absolutely. Please, Mrs. Meyerson - I’m more than happy to provide you with assistance in June’s matter,” she said calmly.

She looked down at the appointment receipt once more. Nodding slowly, she moved to the side, admitting them into the foyer. She waved at Cora to stay, while she led Joshua and Jacob into the parlor. Standing alone, she tried to not fidget, not appear to be anxious. Mrs. Meyerson returned, motioning for her to follow her up the stairs. Three closed doors down the lavishly wood clad hallway and the woman stopped. Cora noticed a sour smell in the air that made her stomach churn.

“Perhaps if your sister knew how to take better care of herself, she would not be in this predicament,” the woman replied with an air of dispassion.

Cora did not look at her, instead opening the door to the dark room beyond. She heard a whimper that prickled at her heart. The fear that flooded her in the air made her sick. Mrs. Meyerson let out a scoff before turning and walking away.

“Junie? Junebug? It’s me, Cora,” she whispered as she stepped inside.

The slab of a bed surprised her. As her eyes adjusted, she realized the bed was little more than bales of straw with material covering the top of it. June was curled onto herself, her tiny frame shivering.

“Junie?” Cora asked once more, trying to sound anything but scared.

The form in the makeshift bed quivered but did not make large movements. The frame of the girl was sickly, her belly swollen, but her limbs were near bones.

“Oh baby sister,” she cooed as she drew closer. “It’s Cora.”

Junie’s shoulders tensed as Cora reached out to touch her arm. Recognition flitted through her wild eyes. Cora choked as a shattering realization crashed into her chest as her heart strangled with pain. Her sister looked near inhuman from wounds and bruising that stemmed from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. The smell of urine and feces struck her nose as Junie tried to hide herself in the flimsy, soiled nightdress she wore. Again, Cora tried to wrap her hand around her sister’s frail arm.

“Junebug,” she soothed. “Junie, it’s me. I’m here.”

Junie’s eyes were little more than voids as she wildly looked at her. It was obvious the girl had come to know cruelty. Her lips were heavily scabbed and her cheeks were sunk against her once pretty face. The pain that her sister was experiencing turned her skin to flame with hopelessness.

“Cora?” the word came out as a dry, fragile shriek.

Cora cursed under her breath before she could stop herself. She turned towards the door, waiting, listening to anyone who may have heard. Bringing her hands back up so that Junie could see she meant no harm, she tried to lean in closer.

“Junie, just listen to me. Be strong. One more week, and I’m coming for you,” she whispered, trying to keep her features calm. “One more week and a bit. Ten days. You count the days. I will be coming for you and you’ll never set foot in this damned house again. But it has to be our secret. Just ours - do not tell anyone.”

“Sister…”

Cora hushed her. There were footfalls approaching. “Ten days. I’m coming back for you, Junie. You be strong and hold on. Do you hear me?”

Her sister’s haunted eyes flared as Mrs. Meyerson stepped inside. “That’s quite enough of this lot, miss. You’re obviously only upsetting her.”

Cora had never wanted to cause anyone harm of any kind before that moment. Not even Kilbourne and his smarmy ways of taking advantage of the family caused her such a wish to do harm. The woman before her sent fury through her veins and punched at her spirit. Glancing back at Junie, she shored up her emotions before following the housekeeper back into the hallway and down the stairs. Jacob and Joshua were standing just inside the doors of the parlor, their voices hushed as she descended. She could hear Archer’s voice, low and threatening but the actual words were muffled across the distance.

Jacob caught her gaze, tapping his twin’s elbow before he turned his body towards her. Silently, he offered his hand for her to take.

“Thank you, Mr. Archer,” Joshua was saying in a smooth, professional manner. “I look forward to the board meeting next Wednesday. I think you and I have some wonderful opportunities to grow these plans, sir.”

Jacob had her out the door before Archer could see her. Cora felt her eyes and mouth twitching as she forced herself to remain stoic. Her chest started heaving by the time they reached the white fence of the front lawn. She heard him curse as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Let’s get you to the house,” he whispered, holding her up as he started walking quickly. “Hold on, baby, just a little further.”

She heard him call out for his brother and the fast clack of heels on the concrete walk rang out in answer. The two men worked together to get the three of them to the Kiszka household without allowing anyone to notice the mess that they actually were at the moment. Inside, Jacob whisked her up the stairs to his room. Josh was right behind, pouring glasses of amber colored liquid on the sideboard. She had not realized that she was gasping for breath in between sobs. Jacob helped her to sit on the edge of the bed before kneeling before her, hands wrapped around hers tightly. The two gently patted and rubbed against her in an attempt to soothe.

“They treat her like an animal,” she cried. “Worse than an animal.”

Josh handed her one glass before bringing his own to his lips. She mirrored him, taking a large sip of whatever it was he had given her. She gasped and sputtered as the liquid shocked and burned its way down her gullet.

“Not helping, Josh,” Jacob scolded, taking her glass away. “What the hell happened in there?”

Cora realized the question was pointed at her and both men waited for her answer. “It doesn’t matter if she’s strong enough to travel or not. She’s dying in that house. She doesn’t even know if she’s human. She can’t travel - not alone.”

Both men paused with heat in their eyes and curses on their lips. Cora felt the defeat cool in her veins as Jacob slid his hand against hers, threading their fingers together.

“There’s no way for my family to hide her,” she whispered. “I can’t leave them behind. There would be no way they could just go like that - it’s been so hard as it is… Jacob, I can’t leave you behind.”

He took in an audible breath and squeezed her hand, his forehead coming to rest on her knee. Josh placed a calming touch to his brother’s back.

“There are some pieces for me to figure out,” Josh said, before taking down the rest of his drink. “After we do this, it’s going to be important we all just keep to our roles.”

All three froze hearing Samuel and Daniel banging around downstairs. Josh picked up Cora’s glass and set them on the sideboard.

“I’ll, uh, run interference with those four. Cora, don’t worry about anything today,” Josh said, his voice gentle. “I’ll have something planned out soon.”

“Thank you, Joshua,” she said before he walked out.

“It’s what we’re supposed to do for each other right? Now that we’re family?” Josh asked with a smile.

The room was silent. Cora found her fingers smoothing across Jacob’s hair as he remained still, resting against her knees.

“You can leave, Finch,” he whispered. “You can get Junie out of here.”

“No,” she said firmly as he sat back on his heels to look at her. “Joshua said it himself, we’re all going to have to remain in the roles we play. If I am gone, my family has no means for anything, let alone cover the rent. I cannot leave them vulnerable.”

“You can lean on me,” he said softly. “I’m more than happy to watch after them.”

She was shaking her head. “It’s my responsibility.”

“Cora, I’m not saying leave forever. Just get her to safety. She is going to need someone she knows - someone she trusts - to be with her.”

Cora watched as he pressed his mouth against her hands. Her heart was fracturing. “It would be selfish of me to ask you to come with me,” she eeked out as he rose up against her.

“Baby, I’d go anywhere with you,” he said, his hand cupping her cheek. “But this time, let me take care of your family while you settle Junie. It is what I can do. I’ll protect them, make sure they are secure. You can do this. Take care of your baby sister.”

She nodded as a sob sighed from her. He smiled before kissing her, slow at first, deepening as he tugged at her to slide down against his frame to land on his lap. He passed his knuckles down her jaw before he wiped at the few tears that had escaped.

“I love a good woman,” he whispered, studying her face, his fingers tracing the shell of her ear. “I love a strong woman.”

She threw her arms around his shoulders. Josh called her family. Jacob loved her. She was going to shelter her sister. A steadfast strength began to pump through her as he held tight to her. Cora could not help but to cry and laugh and sigh against him, absorbing every ounce of confidence he would give her.

Hi again. I hope you liked today’s chapter. Leave me a comment about your thoughts, or just a like. I do have a tag list - you can find it here. I will have Chapter 12 AND Chapter 13 up on Friday, sometime around noon CST. There’s a reason for having both. You’ll see.

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @whitesuitjake @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @streamingcolors-gvf @gretavanbitches @samsurfgreenbass @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatchercarol @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @myownparadise96 @reesetrippingthelight @kyrose11 @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @puzzle-gvf @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @brookes-so-done @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @lightmylove-gvf @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter @sammysvanfeet @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @jaketlove @redsierra1960 @gvfmarge @becinabubblegvf @wildbluesorbit

#greta van fleet #gvf #jake gvf #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #josh gvf #sammy gvf #sam gvf #daniel gvf #danny gvf #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fleet fanfic au #greta van fleet au fic #greta van fleet x ocs #bootleggers and wildflowers

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bigdumbbambieyes · 2 years

Note

Mmmh.. Could you write something like.. Billy saving Steve from something from the upside down or similar? (could be in the upside down when Steve gets dragged there, or maybe from vecna, or whatever can spark your idea) your writing is so good!

thank u, anon!! you gave me a nice little challenge with this prompt 🥰 i decided on a small rewrite for that S4 scene since Billy would’ve definitely kicked demobat ass to save Steve!

no tw, but they are established bc i think it adds a little something

———

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Billy can’t help but to ask with a lip curled in disbelief, his brows furrowed to complete the look.

Steve, who has just peeled his yellow sweater off, glances back at Billy and eyes him as he steadies himself on the rocking boat. His tone is a little condescending as he replies, “I’m going down to find the gate..?” Like they’ve been discussing the whole boat ride, duh.

Billy outright laughs at his boyfriend, sharp and mean, because fuck that. “The hell you are, Harrington.”

Brows furrow as Steve turns to face him, “And why the fuck not?”

Because he’s worried. Because he won’t be able to protect Steve from up here if he’s down in the water. Instead of saying any of that, he says, “Because you wouldn’t last a minute down there, pretty boy.”

The banter is far from new, but honestly at this point in their relationship, Billy knows that it’s long turned into bickering. Like a goddamn married couple.

Steve blinks in his own disbelief, like he can’t believe what he’s just heard, and rebuffs with, “Which one of us was captain of the swim team and a certified lifeguard for three years?!”

“Ha. We’re both certified lifeguards, remember, baby? And which one of us has been surfing in the goddamn ocean since he was a kid, hm?”

“Well—“

“Guys!” Robin finally shouts, glaring at the two of them, “Please stop with the dick measuring contest already, we have a very pressing issue!”

Right. World-ending monster man. As if this wasn’t Billy’s first rodeo with it.

Steve, his absolutely stubborn and resolute boyfriend, doubles down by saying, “I’m going down, okay? And I’ll be right back up once I find it - it’s probably right beneath us.”

“Fine,” Billy huffs, letting his mouth twist in a smirk as he stands and shrugs off his jacket and toes off his boots, “Then I’m going with you.”

A soft chorus of ‘jesus christ’ and ‘come on’ is muttered from Nancy, Robin, and Eddie as the couple stare each other down. Old habits are hard to break, Billy supposes. He can’t help but to antagonize Steve in front of an audience - regardless of how much he loves him.

But, Steve doesn’t argue. No, instead, he rolls his eyes like the brat he is and grabs a flashlight from Nancy before diving into the dark water. Like a total show off.

Not one to be outdone, Billy grabs the flashlight offered by Eddie and gives the other metalhead a playful wink before he’s diving in behind Steve.

The water is murky but he manages to keep his eye on Steve’s flashlight, following him down deeper into the lake, until he can see Steve’s silhouette in a glowing red light at the bottom of it.

The gate.

He can’t see exactly what his boyfriend is doing, but he’s getting way too close to the gate for Billy’s liking. Before Billy can swim down to grab him, the pretty boy is hightailing it back, swimming towards the surface and so Billy quickly follows suit.

They break through the surface with matching gasps, grabbing onto the edge of the boat as the other three lean over to look at them expectantly.

“It’s down there,” Steve breathes as he pushes his hair back from his face, Billy wanting to push him back into the boat to keep him safe, but Steve keeps rambling, “Right below us, it’s pretty damn big, like, this isn’t a little baby gate, this is—“ Steve stops abruptly, water splashing into his mouth as he’s pulled down a little, a confused look on his face as he looks to Billy.

Billy is about to say that it wasn’t him when Steve’s dragged underwater, and there isn’t even a second of hesitation before he’s inhaling a deep breath and diving under again. He can see Steve being dragged through that goddamn gate, and his heart is in his throat as he swims as fast as he can down to it, worried that it would seal shut before he could reach it. Thankfully, it doesn’t, and he breaks through the watery gate with a gasp, clawing at the ground as he crawls out of it.

He hears Steve before he can properly see him - hears him crying out “BILLY!” as his boyfriend is quickly overwhelmed by ugly looking creatures swooping down from the sky to attack, knocking Steve to the ground hard.

When he doesn’t get up, Billy acts, pushing past his racing heart and aching lungs to run over to where Steve’s been dragged. Fear strikes his heart as he finally gets a good look at him, pinned to the ground and crying out again, his face twisted in obvious pain as those bats bite at his skin.

There’s an old oar on the ground next to Steve that he grabs, and Billy doesn’t hesitate to plant his feet and lift the oar over his head as the fear melts out of his heart - just like it had when he went up against the Mindflayer.

The crack of splintering wood is satisfying to his ears as he hits the first bat away, stepping on the tail of the second one around Steve’s neck as he stabs it with the broken end of the oar. He’s desperate to get Steve free until another bat grabs at his blond hair, distracting him, and his mind races with no, no, no as he tries to get it away.

Nancy suddenly smacks the bat out of his hair with her own oar moments later, Robin and Eddie doing their best to fend off the creatures, too. He looks to Steve, watches how he’s slamming the last bat down again and again, grunting angrily as he does, until the bat is nearly dead. Instinctively, Billy rushes over to step on the bat’s wing as Steve gives a final pull of its tail, splitting the creature in half.

The sky cracks with red lightning and shakes the ground with thunder, and Steve looks fucking feral like this - shirtless and bloody, spitting out dark blood from a bat he bit as he and Billy lock eyes.

There’s adrenaline and anger simmering under his skin. He told Steve not to go, that Billy should’ve been the only one to swim down there, but Steve never listens and those dark eyes are fierce and alive and Billy feels his tight chest finally loosen.

He reaches for Steve then, his boyfriend reaching out for him at the same time, although he does stumble a little. Billy only lets himself feel relieved once he has Steve in his arms and they’re holding each other tightly, spitting out in half-hearted anger, “Don’t try and pull that hero shit ever again.”

Steve laughs quietly into his ear, the shock probably setting in as he leans against Billy for support rather than comfort and mutters, “Only if you promise to keep pulling that hero shit, babe.”

And he will. As much as he fucking needs to, because he knows Steve isn’t going to stop, either.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #steve x billy #billy x steve #eddie munson #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #the sass between billy and steve in s4 would’ve been so good #prompt fic #bambiwrites

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beuatifulbuttercup · 9 months

Text

song I want to see pjo edits of when the show comes out FOCUSING ONLY ON THE PJO SERIES NOT HoO

BY BOOK

The Lighting Thief:

Poker Face- Do I need to even explain this one? The best scene of the Peter Johnson movies had this ICONIC song so we gotta have this. Obviously with this would be used for the Lotus Casino scene.

The Sea Of Monsters

Speak Now- HEAR ME OUT OKAY! This song but to when Grover is being married off to Polyphemus. I think that is hilarious and peak comedy okay.

The Titan's Curse

Vampire- Yes this is a romance song but if we take of the romantic parts of it it's basically Zoë and Heracles. Specifically the

I used to think I was smart But you made me look so naive The way you sold me for parts As you sunk your teeth into me, oh Bloodsucker, fame fucker Bleedin' me dry, like a goddamn vampire

part I think works very well. It just described their relationship and what he did to her to me.

Snap but the edited version- You know the one where they take off the background music and make it slower(?). That one for Nico and Bianca. It's so sad ugh!

The Battle of The Labyrinth

But I Love You So- Pollux and the Apollo cabin's reactions to their siblings deaths. It's so sad and I love it.

Something in the Orange- Basically just the first battle and then the characters being like "Shit, Percy is about to be 16." And then preparing for the fight.

The Last Olympian

Pompeii but the edited version-You know the one that starts off sad and then they add the music back. The Battle of Manhattan. I wanna see the kids being killed, fighting for their lives, and trying their absolute hardest to stop the war. I wanna see the jungle that the Demeter cabin made, the arrows the Apollo cabin are shooting, the bridge going down, all of it. Then it cuts to them being happy at camp and just being kids. I love this idea and it was the one that inspired me to make this post lol.

Don't Blame Me- I actually have two ideas for this. The first is Annabeth taking the dagger for Percy and unknowingly blocking his one weak spot. The second is Silena pretending to be Clarisse, killing the drackon, and then dying. If we wanna spice it up we could also use that for Clarisse killing the drackon to avenge Silena.

Safe And Sound- After the war when we get those moments at camp. You know Percy and Annabeth being thrown into the lake and stuff like that. just a cute little hooray until the next prophecy.

CHARACTER

Softcore- Nico Di Angelo. Lemme let the lyrics speak for themselves

… I've been confused as of late (yeah) Watching my youth slip away (yeah) You're like the sun, you wake me up But you drain me out if I get too much

Like if you can't see how that fits Nico I don't wanna listen to you lol

She Wolf- Silena since, well, you know, traitor. It could just be a bunch of moments from all seasons leading up to the eventual reveal. It would

Still Into You- Percabeth! Just them as they grow older and develop and start to realize their feelings for each other. This would be so cute to see I would literally be kicking my legs.

Lemme know if you want more but these are the first ideas that came to mind!

#pjo #percy jackson tv series #percy jackson tv show #percy jackson and the olympians #the lightning thief #the sea of monsters #the titans curse #the battle of the labyrinth #the last olympian #nico di angelo #silena beauregard #percabeth #I wanna do more but I have no more ideas lol

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melis-writes · 1 year

Note

Sonny finding out Michael was cheating on Victoria though 🙈🙊

OH… OH NO. 😶 I remember when the “what if?” AU prompts of Michael cheating on Victoria were almost as popular as the Victonny prompts are, but now Mr. Santino Corleone finding out his brother’s cheating on the woman of his dreams? Bring on the drama. 🔥

‘What? Was I just in the wrong place at the wrong fuckin’ time or what? Married too soon? Married the wrong goddamn woman? And there you are, you smug son of a bitch…’

Sonny leans his back against the side of the boathouse, quietly and inconspicuously looking into the towards the back of you and Michael’s private estate.

Dozens of potted arrangements of plants and flowers cover Sonny up to the full length of his height, providing not just the perfect opportunity to take a sneak peek for himself but also remain hidden in one spot without the need to move around or worry about being caught.

“I will.” Michael gives a small smile to his mistress, keeping one hand lovingly wrapped over her waist. “I told you last week I would, wouldn’t I?”

A scowl spreads over Sonny’s face as he remains frozen in position, wanting to look away and pretend he’s seen nothing but at the same time take in the full scene and analyze everything to confirm what’s been going on between Michael and this new woman for the past few weeks.

“You know if it was up to me, I’d come to see you every single day.” The mystery woman speaks back to Michael softly as Sonny mostly realizes on reading both of their lips throughout the conversation; already having been his fourth time catching the two somewhere.

‘For fuck’s sake.’ Sonny presses his lips down firmly, feeling nothing but bitterness and resent building up inside of him. ‘You love lecturin’ me while you share Victoria’s side of the bed with someone else.’

“I’ll make it easier for you.” Michael caresses his mistress’ face with the back of his hand gently. “You’ll relocate to Tahoe and I’ll cover all of your expenses for you. Travel, moving, your new home, everything.”

Sonny frowns, knowing he can’t exactly tell anyone any of this, including Tom.

Sonny has no proof to show Michael has a mistress in any way possible, perfectly hidden and devised by Michael just as he wanted to, to ensure his little affair would stay as private and non-existent as possible even if someone had suspicions.

“That new Alfa Romeo wasn’t enough?” The mistress giggles, gazing up at Michael with such awe and delight in her eyes as she hugs his chest. “You really don’t have to, baby. Please.”

‘And it’s his word over mine all the damn time.’ Sonny grits his teeth, wondering just how much more of this disgusting scene he’s able to take.

“I insist.” Michael tilts her chin up, planting a soft kiss upon his new lover’s lips. “It will happen.”

‘You don’t deserve Vic. You’ve never deserved her. You’re proving it to me right now in front of my own eyes.’ Sonny knows lashing out and approaching the two isn’t going to make a difference—nobody else is home and Michael’s men won’t say a word.

“Fuck this.” Sonny mutters under his breath, quietly moving away from the boathouse building and back towards the docks to Lake Tahoe as he reaches into the pocket of his trousers for a cigarette.

Sonny glances down to see the half crushed cigarette he pulled out from his pocket, glowering at it before he throws it down to the ground.

Out of frustration and refusing to turn back around and acknowledge his younger brother doing something Sonny would never forgive himself for even having a nightmare about, Sonny crushes the mushed cigarette with the heel of his shoe.

Pacing around Lake Tahoe to make it look like he’s out for a breath of fresh air or taking a walk does nothing to calm Sonny’s nerves—a natural hot head only mounting further with frustration until Sonny can effectively get it off of his mind.

Sonny turns his head back to face you and Michael’s estate, making his way directly towards it knowing Michael will at least go back inside at some point after his little mistress can conveniently sneak off the compound grounds.

It’s only when Sonny sees the garden remains empty from where he stands does he pick up his pace, practically storming inside of the estate. ‘Now where the hell are you?’

Sonny pushes open the front door, stepping inside to see nobody and hear nothing else but the regular, calm atmosphere of your home.

Taking a deep breath and letting the door shut behind him, Sonny feels a strange sense of second hand guilt rack over him at the scent of your faint floral perfume still lingering around your home only you’re in Reno in the middle of a trial, completely unaware of everything transpiring behind your back now for weeks.

Sonny shoves his hands into the pockets of his trousers, walking down the hallway and towards Michael’s office door and expecting him to be inside only to spot his brother at the end of the hallway.

Michael reaches his hand out towards the door knob of his office door before glancing up at Sonny with a monotone expression, giving nothing away. “Still here, Santino?”

“I don’t do any of that shopping shit, you know me.” Sonny shakes his head, knowing Michael’s referring to the fact Sandra and the children are out for the day for shopping and lunch.

Michael doesn’t answer, simply opening his office door and stepping inside without bothering to look back at Sonny who follows directly behind.

“Nothing ever really goes the way you actually want it to, doesn’t it?” Sonny can no longer hide the bitterness in his voice the moment he walks into Michael’s office.

“Such as?” Michael’s not in the mood for vague or deep conversations, slipping a cigarette out of its pack from his office desk.

“For one, I should have married Victoria.” Sonny states boldly, staring at Michael.

Michael takes his lighter out of the inner pocket of his suit jacket, glancing up at Sonny with no reaction over his face. “Is that what you repeated to yourself all night when she rejected your advances in New York to help you fall asleep?”

“This isn’t about me.” Sonny narrows his eyes. “So save your insults for another time, eh? I’m talking about Victoria.”

“You’re talking about a married woman who doesn’t want you, has never wanted you, and is your fantasy.” Michael lights his cigarette, facing Sonny directly now. “And you think coming into my office to tell me about how much you want my wife is going to bode well?”

“Shit, I just thought I would let you know, considering you don’t want her anymore.” Sonny shrugs his shoulders. “You got that random broad off the streets in Reno or somethin’ and look happy with her, so maybe I just came in here to ask you why the hell you keep wasting Victoria’s time.”

“Amusing.” Michael notes, taking a long puff of his cigarette. “I suppose you don’t have proof of this ‘random broad’ you’re accusing me with?”

“You’re a sly motherfucker.” Sonny glares angrily at Michael, having never felt so repulsed and frustrated towards his younger brother in his life. “You hide the shit you do well, affair or not. I’m not here to air out your dirty laundry.”

“Then what are you here for?” Michael waits for Sonny to get to the point. “You’re wasting my time and your breath.”

“Victoria will find out one way or another.” Sonny points at him. “All this time—ten fuckin’ years of marriage—you really think you’re invincible, Michael? Vic knows you better than you know yourself. You’re not doing yourself any favours. She deserves so much better than you.”

“There is nothing better.” Michael states out sharply. “She’s my wife, Santino. Her place in my life is different. Coming from a man who cheats on his wife on a regular basis, this is quite ironic.”

“Let me know if Victoria ever decides to give you permission to cheat on her then.” Sonny forces a fake, taunting smile at Michael. “Because when that happens to be the case like Sandra, she can cheat on you with me. The one difference being that she’s not going to go back to you.”

“You disgust me.” Michael blows out smoke around him, beginning to grow thoroughly irritated with Sonny’s every word. “And your delusional little fantasies fuel your anger that you can barely control. You think I’ll let you even step a foot near Victoria after this proclamation?”

“You’re not gonna be able to keep her from me, is what I’m saying.” Sonny takes a step towards Michael. “Because the moment you decided to make that mistress yours, I made Victoria mine.”

#GODFATHER AU #VICTONNY #MOTH TO FLAME FIC #MOTH TO FLAME FANFIC #PROMPTS #MOTH TO FLAME AU #GODFATHER X READER #not canon

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ohfiendangelical · 1 year

Text

— MARRIED IN MOUNT AIRY ♡ STARTERS —

the following are lyric starters taken from nicole dollanganger’s 2023 album married in mount airy. i tried my best to choose lines that have the most potential as semi-realistic dialogue, though a level of purple prose and heavy metaphor is inescapable with lyric-based starters. all tracks included save for track 10, summer song, which is an instrumental. use & adjust however you see fit. (trigger warnings in abundance: this is nicole dollanganger, after all.)

TRACK 001 ♡ married in mount airy

“we made love beneath the mirrored ceiling.” “all you have to bring is your love of everything." “don’t recall what we were drinking.” “there was something very strange in the air.” “don’t recall what we were singing.” “he tasted of sherry.” “i remember swinging with my hands caught in the curls of his long hair.”

TRACK 002 ♡ gold satin dreamer

“i dream of the lake.” “i feel you in the wind.” “love you, baby.” “i wait for it to get dark.” “all those dreams left out in the sun, they run like syrup and clot like blood — disfigured beyond recognition.” “even though other faces i forget, yours is carved out of stone.” “tryin’a take you out of me is like tryin’a take smoke out of wood.” “gold satin dreamer, gold satin heart.”

TRACK 003 ♡ dogwood

“please don’t take him from me.” “i need him, you know i do.” “there’s no telling that man what to do.” “you’ll have to pry him from my cold, dead grip.” “i refuse to understand.” “he just makes his own bed.” “there’s no use trying.” “you know how reckless he can be sometimes.” “he doesn’t mean it when he says he don’t care if he lives or dies.” “i’m not letting go of him.”

TRACK 004 ♡ runnin’ free

“please don’t go.” “i can’t trust myself to be alone.” “i hear them drive off into the night.” “i’ll die out here if i stay.” “he’d love it that way.” “the dogs in the yard keep me up with their cries in the night.” “the days are long.”

TRACK 005 ♡ bad man

“i wish he didn’t have to die.” “he was a bad man.” “i’m still crying, but i’m not sorry.” “i couldn’t give a goddamn about it.” “he had to go — and he’d say the same, you know?” “i could tell you that i don’t love him, but you know it would be a lie.” “goddamn him, he knows why.” “i’ve washed him out of my clothes.”

TRACK 006 ♡ my darling true

“you won’t change your ways.” “it’s time for me to let you go.” “you may just be the death of me, but the truth is i’d love it so.” “hold me ‘til i’m cold and blue.” “you play such wicked games.” “that girl’s plain dumb.” “she just loves pain.”

TRACK 007 ♡ moonlite

“got you mounted on a wall in the back of my mind.” “i just can’t forget, try as i might.” “i stay on the drink and you stay on my mind.” “you were my girl, my thing, my pet, to do anything i wanted with.” “i wanna hold you in my hands like a porcelain decanter.” “i love you so much, i can’t stand you.” “i see right through you.” “i pray you can feel my eyes.” “the drunker he got, the truer he spoke.” “i keep a piece of you locked in my heart.” “sometimes you’re my girl, and sometimes, bitch, you’re dead.”

TRACK 008 ♡ sometime after midnight

“he’ll be picking me up sometime after midnight.” “i’ve spent all day thinking of what i’ll wear.” “there’s this feeling in my stomach — wondering if i should just ignore it…” “when something bad happens, it’s usually at night.”

TRACK 009 ♡ nymphs finding the head of orpheus

“i’ll make myself sick from the water.” “all my tears and rage could fill a revolver.” “now i see.” “i used to think you must be the water i drink.” “in the dark, i wait.” “i used to dream of the day it’d just be you and me.” “you cruel, cruel man.”

TRACK 011 ♡ whispering glades

“i’m sure as in life, there will be beautiful women there in your death.” “you just have your way of charming those who catch your eye like shiny things.” “you’re a nightmare disguised as a good dream.” “when she wants a garden, you give her a rose.” “you just have your ways, what with all of those grotesque displays of love you show.” “i feel sorry for them because how could they know?” “you give nothing and think it too much.” “i’ll have a smile painted on my face.” “hollywood suits you, darling; i think you should stay.”

TRACK 012 ♡ i’ll wait for you to call

“i’ll wait for you to call.” “if i wait my whole life, it won’t be wasted at all.” “i’m fine to love you from afar.” “if i don’t see you again, i understand it’s just how things are.”

#hello fellow depressed women!#☆ CUES .#ok to reblog (of course)

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kneelingshadowsalome · 1 year

Note

GIRLIE I LOVE YOUR WORK ESPECIALLY THE ONES ON AO3!!! IM TRYNAA BE LIKE YOU BESTIE, PLEASE CAN I HAVE SOME WRITING TIPS/111!!!!???

(btw i really love man-sized, just finished it a couple days ago and AAAAAAAAA ITS SO GOOD I SWEAR!!!! LIKE MARRY ME PLEASE?!!?!)

Oh my goodness. You must be what they call a pookie 😘❤️ (I will marry you or adopt you, there's no middle ground.)

Thank you so much, you're making me blush!

I'm probably not the best person to give advice because I don't really know what's going on with my writing… It's a godawful mess. But I'll try!

So, writing tips under the cut ->

1. This might be boring and said a 100 times before, but... Show, don't tell! Obviously, I break this rule all the time when I go inside my character's head and explain how they feel and not just what they see, smell, hear, and touch. But if you're writing angst or fluff like I am, I'd say you must go inside the skin to dig into the character. (Also, f* the rules 😇)

2. If you don't know where to start, start with the dialogue. Even if it's just 4-10 sentences per scene. Then you can fill the gaps with some action, emotion/sensation and worldbuilding. But dialogue is actually the heart of your story and it creates some of the best tension; treat it with respect! Also: less is more with dialogue. Not always... but usually is.

3. Write from your own experience. We all have something to draw from, even if it's something as simple as how it feels to skinny dip in a cold lake. Or a hot bathtub. How does it feel to wake up from a nightmare or kiss someone you love? Like, truly feel? Don't tone it down!

4. If you want to sound more poetic, use metaphors and symbols and mythology. If you want to sound original, use history and culture and simply anything you have up your sleeve. All the "useless" knowledge: bring it on baby! When used sparingly, these can add to the depth of your storytelling.

5. Sculpt the paragraphs, then focus on the sentences, then hone single words. Whip out a goddamn dictionary. Search synonyms online (Thesaurus etc). Work with the words until they sound right for the story you wish to tell. Choose words that are most "alive" in your story's context, words that inspire feeling and stir emotion.

6. Read your story out loud or at least inside your head. That way you'll notice the errors and can fix the flow and rhythm of the story. Everyone loves a well-paced story! Sometimes just moving a sentence to a different paragraph or deleting it entirely can resolve an issue.

7. If you write a long fic, establish a core problem in the first chapter and remember to solve it before the story ends. For example in Man-sized, I presented an issue of trust. It was heavily inspired by my own lack of trust in men and the fear of getting played. Again, don't be afraid to draw from your own experience!

8. Music can help set the mood and bring out your creative flow. I have numerous playlists for writing or create a new one for the particular story in mind. If I want to write some heavyweight yearning, I'll blast some heavyweight yearning songs while I write. I don't know if this works for everybody; some people might need silence and space for creating.

9. The most important tip: WRITE FOR YOURSELF. Write the difficult, the overwhelming, the taboo. Write the most self-indulgent, shmexy scene ever! Or the fluffiest meet-cute that puts a smile on your face.

And if you're one of those writers who are not happy with their writing... write some more. Play with it, just don't give a shit. Let the inner demons give you courage and inspiration. Write about how shitty it feels to feel inadequate. You might find you just wrote some good poetry on suffering.

It's always better to write from love and joy instead of fear and shame – besides, life is too damn short to feel ashamed! Live a little and enjoy what you do, let writing be your escape. It's supposed to be a shelter where you can flee to when life is dull and hard and unfair. If other people's writing inspires you to write, then read. If other people's writing puts you down, save yourself some heartache and don't engage: just mind your own business and do your own thing.

Hope you found some of these tips helpful 💕 Much love 🩷💋 and happy, reckless writing!

#answered

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callunavulgari · 5 months

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Year In Life | 2023

Or that annual New Year’s meme where I talk about what the year was like to live through. 2023 features: a wedding (!!!), four (??) different trips (including the ridiculous two week long honeymoon in the PNW), and the death of a loved one.

1. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before? Took a trip to DC to see Joe Hisaishi live! Saw the natural history museum! Visited the PNW and saw: Mt Rainier, the redwoods, the most northwestern point of the US, Seattle, the Hoh rainforest including the Hall of Mosses, Lake Crescent, Forks, Crater Lake, Portland, the remnants of wildfires, a little place called Wild Pear with the best butternut squash soup I've had in my entire life, another little place that I can't remember the name of but had a sherpa stew that will warm my soul until death, and San Francisco! Saw the ghoul boys for Ghost Files Live! Went back to Vegas and saw U2 in the sphere! Planned a wedding! Had a bachelorette weekend! Oh, and yeah, GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My resolution for 2023 was to be HAPPY. And you know what? I fucking was. Other than the INTENSE anxiety of planning the wedding, 2023 treated me gently. My wedding day was singlehandedly the most blissful day of my entire life. I thought it was going to be a shit show, but goddamn if it wasn't perfect. So YES, I kept my new years resolution. And yes, I will make more for next year.

Resolutions for 2024 - Be happy and healthy. Eat good food. Doordash less, cook more. Exercise. Go on daily walks, even if they're short. Get dressed (almost) every day. Brush your teeth. Write 50k of sad ghost girl (or another original idea). Attend a pottery class. Also, cough, buy a house?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I don't think so? A couple facebook friends. One of my bridesmaids is due next year though.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandmother passed this year on the last day of our honeymoon. I got the news on a beach in San Francisco. My dad texted me a time of death. I was fine emotionally for the most part at first, she's had dementia for seven years and I'd said my goodbyes the last time that we visited. I was fine. FINE. And then Nick, thirteen days my husband, twelve years my partner, tentatively asked if I wanted to buy some flowers and toss them in the bay.

I cried. Not hard. But it broke something loose, something that saw the beauty of that place- waves lapping against the shores, the golden gate bridge looming in the distance, two little boys making sandcastles while a guy with a saxophone played for tourists closer to the street. I wanted to scream. As loudly as I could. Just to see if it would make a difference. I didn't. I wept quietly, shielded by my sunglasses, Nick holding my hand next to me and stared out at a bay that she'd never seen before, that she never would.

And then I shook my shoulders out and we went to go meet up for the sunset sail on the bay, which I'd booked since it was our last night. Something special. I didn't want to miss it, not on our last night. It was pretty, but bitterly cold because fog moved in when we neared Alcatraz and just wouldn't quit. The sunset was lovely. I was queasy from the rocking of the sailboat. I couldn't stop thinking about her.

I didn't cry again, not at the funeral, not at the small celebration of life afterwards. It hurts in a different way, I think, mourning the death of someone who has been lost to you for so many years while their body lingers on. I looked back at old facebook posts from when she was still her, when she wrote letters on my wall because she didn't understand how messenger worked. She was the third of four sisters, all gone before her. She used to have so many friends and so few people showed to the funeral. It would have made her sad to see, I think.

5. What countries did you visit? Alternatively, what is your favorite place that you did go this year? No countries. We nearly booked our honeymoon to Portugal, but turns out weddings are expensive and I managed to do two weeks in the PNW for half the cost. I will say though that I have wanted to visit the west coast for years, so I am incredibly glad that we went. My favorite of all of the places that we went is a tie between Mt Rainier and Crater Lake. One- the pull of a mountain is legit. I grew up with the Appalachians, but goddamn, it doesn't prepare you for the sight of something Like Mt Rainier. Two- nobody effing told me that Crater Lake was THAT blue. The water, brilliant blue. The sky, brilliant blue. The air, crisp. The rest of it, PACKED with chipmunks. It was amazing. The whole trip was, but damn.

Some highlights-

6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023? My answer to this last year was a husband. And like, CHECKMARK there. For 2024, and I know that this is dreaming big, but we are going to try - TRY - to buy a house this year. We will have to see how that goes.

7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 26th 2023. ❤️ 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I married my best friend. And I also survived the wedding planning process, christ. I mean don't get me wrong, the day was great, it was beautiful, wouldn't change it for the world. But sometimes I think that I should have saved myself the stress and eloped somewhere.

9. What was your biggest failure? Eh, I mean I didn't lose the weight that I wanted for the wedding, but I'm not going to hold that against me. I bought a dress that I felt pretty in with the size I was at rather than the one I wanted to be and I do not regret that. I did a lot of weightlifting and I'm strong enough to do squats with Nick on my back, so that's progress enough for now. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? We got covid again coming back from our honeymoon, which was less than ideal. Mask up in the giant metal tubes, friends.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I'm honestly blanking on this right now. We bought a ton of stuff for the wedding, so... that? I got some neat stuff at farmers markets. I treated myself to good headphones and a proper stand for my computer. 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Honestly? Nick's mom. We had a falling out years and years ago and while we've had a steady truce going since about 2016-2017 or so, I always feel like we're on thin ice. She's a bit of a narcissist, she holds grudges, and honestly, I'm pretty sure that she'd despise anyone that Nick or his brother ended up with. She does not like other women.

But. She behaved herself for the wedding. There were a couple small things- she almost made our bartenders cry because they mixed up our drink packages (they fixed it, it wasn't a big deal, we had NA drinks leftover from the rehearsal the night before and they went to get more) and her dress was a pale enough pink that it showed up in all of the pictures as white, but you know what? It's a win. She seemed genuinely happy during the wedding. She didn't start shit or make a fool of herself. It was just nice.

Who knows what the future has in store on this front, but for now? I'm taking it as a win and moving on. 13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? So, my mother, stepfather, and both of my brothers didn't show up to the wedding. It... wasn't exactly unexpected and when it comes down to it both my sister and I were relieved that my mom wasn't there. If she had been I guarantee the day wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did.

But I was upset that my brothers couldn't be there. They had legitimate reasons, but it still hurt. So not appalled so much, but definitely sad.

14. Where did most of your money go? Ha. Ha ha ha. Weddings are fucking expensive. We set a budget that would have been completely and totally reasonable if we'd had the wedding prior to 2020. And then we got to actually do the research and realized that our budget was laughably impossible. We had help from Nick's mom and his grandparents, but goddamn, every time I think of how much money was sunk into one day I want to vomit. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The WEDDING. The HONEYMOON. Mt Rainier! Crater Lake! The redwoods! And then, y'know, on a smaller scale: seeing Joe Hisaishi in concert, seeing the Beatles show in Vegas again, getting to do a spooky little autumn drive to see the ghoul boys live. Books. I got a whimsical little tattoo with a flying whale and a castle in the sky.

16. What song will always remind you of 2023? Stand By Me. Paradise Valley. Hello Stranger. Glasgow Love Theme. The Spiritfarer soundtrack. A million Miley Cyrus (?) songs. Eat Your Young. Green Green Grass.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? Happier. So much happier. ii. thinner or fatter? Same size, I think? More muscle, but the scale is the same. iii. richer or poorer? Uh, probably either poorer or around the same. We've recovered a bit from the wedding, but it's been rough. 18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I genuinely do wish that I'd taken better care of myself. My blood pressure has been up, I've been having more heart palpitations, more brain fog, more headaches. And I mean, I did weight lifting, great. But I do genuinely need to eat better. I need to lose weight not because I hate how I look, but because I have sleep apnea and can't tolerate the CPAP, which means that if I don't lose weight or get my tonsils removed my blood pressure will continue to spike until I die. So. Weight loss IS a legitimate goal this year, because it is necessary.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Being an anxious mess about the wedding? I mean that's easy to say now that it's in the rearview, but the ABSURD spikes of adrenaline that I would get just from thinking about the day could NOT have been healthy.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? For Christmas Eve, we honestly just kind of lounged around. We watched a movie. Made the most mouthwatering slow-cooked beef tenderloin that I splurged on from the local butcher. Opened our one present and proceeded to not read them OR make hot chocolate.

For Christmas Day, we opened our gifts, opened the cat's gifts, then went and had Christmas at Nick's aunt's house. Other than his cousin getting engaged to someone that the entire family hates, it went well. 21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? We spent it inside. I made a pasta bake while Nick made the pirozki. Unfortunately, I didn't take enough lactaid to counteract the sheer amount of cheese in the pasta so I spent the hours leading up to midnight feeling NOT well, and then we drank sparkling water out of some fancy glasses instead of the wine I bought. 22. Did you fall in love in 2023? Okay, so it sounds trite, but yes? I mean, obviously I've been in love with him since 2012. But I don't know. It's different? I feel more at peace with it. Yes, I love him, but he picked me. We picked each other forever and then swore it in front of all of our favorite people. I didn't expect it to feel much different, and I mean, it's still mostly the same. We sleep in the same bed, we eat the same food, we love the same cats, we kiss each other, we make stupid fart jokes. But it's different. At least a little bit. 23. Best month for you this year? End of August/early September was amazing, mostly because of the trip (and the wedding). <This was my answer last year and the year before, but it still holds true, for obvious reasons.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Of just 2022? All right, so, favorites in (mostly) chronological order: Owl House season 3, Lockwood and Co, The Last of Us, Russian Doll season 2, Shadow and Bone season 2, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Vox Machina season 2, The Diplomat, Queer Eye, Wheel of Time season 2, Interview with the Vampire, Fionna and Cake, The Fall of the House of Usher, Scavengers Reign, Loki season 2, Castlevania: Noctourne, Yu Yu Hakusho live action, One Piece live action, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Of those, over all my favorite was Loki, hands down. The ENDING was just some of the best cinema I've seen at Marvel in YEARS. The score! UGH, it was perfection. Owl House season 3 was a close second.

Of just 2023, though? Probably Fionna and Cake. We honestly loved it so much. I think I ended up liking it more than I ever did Adventure Time.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No hate! Well, at least no one that I know. At this point every active politician could get struck down by lightning and I would mourn very few of them.

26. What was the best book you read? Ugh, there were so many bangers this year. Honestly probably a tie between Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tress and the Emerald Sea.

Honorable mentions: Starling House, A Power Unbound, A Day of Fallen Night, and Thistlefoot.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Hozier's new album has been a big part of my top 50. Oh, Epic the Musical has been an effing joy!

28. What did you want and got? A husband? Yeah, I'm gonna go with that. A husband. It's still weird to say.

29. What did you want but didn’t get? Ummmmmmmm, it's hard to say a honeymoon in Portugal because I am over the moon and not unappreciative of what we did do. But. I do REALLY wish that I'd gotten to see Portugal.

And on a more somber note, before we realized that my grandma was getting too bad to attend the wedding, I'd planned a dance with her. She always used to sing My Heart Will Go On to me when I was little, and I just, really wanted to have that. Instead, I played it for her the day that I said my goodbyes and showed her a picture of my dress. It was hard, but it was enough.

30. What was your favorite film of this year? I rewatched Lord of the Rings approximately a million times this year. Honestly most of the movies I DID watch were rewatches in some way or another. I loved Across the Spiderverse, the new Persuasion movie, and Nimona. Oh, and I watched Suzume in April and the Boy and the Heron for my birthday. All of those were amazing. Absolute top favorite was probably Suzume. Nimona is VERY close though. Same with Across the Spiderverse.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 34 this year! Which is great because I've had this whole weird thing where I was convinced that I would die at 33 since I was around 7 years old, so turning 34 was very nice. I did splurge a bit this year. We went to the Yuletide Village on Friday, which is basically the grounds for the Renaissance Festival done up in Christmas lights. I got to see Krampus! And Mari Lwyd! And drink hot cocoa! And buy a REALLY cool coat.

And then as if all that wasn't enough, on my actual birthday we booked a room at the bed and breakfast that our wedding was held at because they're selling it soon. We had good cheese and wine, got to revisit the pine chapel and dance all alone to our first dance song, then had dinner and walked around a lit up Granville. And then went back to our room at the B&B and did CENSORED things in my wedding dress (look, we were too tired that night and I had a fractured foot, it was a crazy day - leave me alone) and Nick surprised me with a birthday cake from the baker that we got our wedding cake from. It was nice. The breakfast the next morning was amazing.

And then we went to see The Boy and the Heron and had a relaxing Sunday. So you know, not a big deal at all. Definitely a far cry from last year where I, oh yes, covered for a coworker and then had to go to a company party at a restaurant that I hate.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Hm. Still Mal. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023? Hahaha, my hybrid job turned into a completely remote job. Which is great in theory, but means that I spent most of 2023 in my pajamas without a bra. When I WASN'T in my pajamas, I tended towards jeans and t-shirts/sweaters. One of our friends got married in July though and I got to wear the COOLEST dress. 34. What kept you sane? Nick, usually. Rigby has been a huge help too. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? It was a good year for Hozier, imo. 36. What political issue stirred you the most? I have had “fuck Donald Trump” as the answer to this question since 2015. And for the first time in half a decade… it’s not him. It’s all the problems he left behind. So I guess it is still at least a LITTLE bit “FUCK DONALD TRUMP IN THE EAR 20156789 2023″

Actual answer to this question though - Gaza. Ukraine. And to a lesser extent- all of the bullshit corporate stooges trying to use AI to replace real workers. Also getting legitimately nervous about next year. Though Ohio DID turn out and voted to: not let the republicans fuck with majority rules, protect abortion rights, and legalized recreational marijuana. So, small wins, I guess.

37. Who did you miss? Mal. My brothers. My grandma. 38. Who was the best new person you met? I met this REALLY cool chick at the place I get my hair done. We bonded over her playing Zelda lofi in the hairwashing room and geeked out over Tears of the Kingdom. She's so freaking cool and I want to be her friend.

39. Talk about a new friend that you made this year: Other than her... I don't think I made any?

40. Post a picture from the beginning of the year: Technically from January 1st 2023 because I'm 90% sure that it was taken after midnight. We went to an INSANE warehouse party to ring in the New Year last year and were out much later than I wanted to be.

41. Post a picture from the end of the year From December 15th - which is apparently just the day that I get my hair done now. Since the wedding is over I finally committed to coloring my hair for the first time since 2020. It was long overdue and am excited to cut it short in the spring, but I actually think this is the first haircut where I miss the long hair?

42. A memorable meal discovered this year? Oh my GOD, that sherpa stew. We obviously had a lot of good food on our trip. Piroshky Piroshky was my favorite highlight from Pike's Place and then there was a restaurant in Salem, Oregon that had the BEST butternut squash soup and pulled pork that I have ever had. It was amazing. I would go back to Oregon for this soup alone.

But that sherpa stew. It cups my heart in its soupy little fist.

43. What was your favorite memory this year? Honestly, there were a lot of great moments this year. Obviously the wedding was the highlight, but the rest of it was pretty great too. The night of the Joe Hisaishi concert it stormed as the concert was finishing and since the venue was mostly outdoors, everyone got soaked. It was magical. The honeymoon highlights - the breathtaking awe of Mt Rainier, the beauty of the golden rays of the setting sun in the Hall of Mosses, the SIZE and GRANDNESS of Crater Lake. The drive up to Michigan to see Ghost Files live, how the drive there was this perfect little time capsule of autumn in the midwest, stormclouds on the horizon and corn fields all around us. The day after, when we stopped into Ann Arbor to visit the cherry store that's only in Michigan, how I found the BEST possible boots at a little store. How we found another amazing little independent book store just down the street. The way Nick's mom looked after the Cirque du Soleil Beatles show, where she turned to me and said that it was her best birthday ever. Dancing alone in the pavilion where we had our reception, crooning the song to each other in the dark while the lights from the pine chapel twinkled warmly at us from 20 feet away, beckoning.

And the wedding. Obviously the wedding.

The night before, where we had a private little ceremony at the stroke of midnight, there in the dark, nightsong all around us. Just us, our officiant, his brother, and my sister and her husband. My hair was damp and frizzy from the heat, from the helter skelter of the rehearsal earlier. He was in a t-shirt and slacks that were almost highwaters. But we read our vows to each other, sealed it with a kiss.

August 26th, 12:02am. A secret, just for us. Our siblings sworn to secrecy.

And then the next day, the note that was slipped under our door from our dear friend who officiated the wedding (both public and private), written on a torn bit of notebook paper: "May today be the first chaotic day of joy in a shared life full of chaotic joy." The breakfast: dutch baby with caramelized apples, sausage links, orange juice, earl grey. Watching Annie put together bouquets at the coffee table next to the kitchen. Going to work, putting tables together. Called back to the house, hair and makeup. Granola bars one and two. My girls singing Chapel of Love to me in the bridal suite, the swell of emotion in my heart - these are my people, they love me, they're so happy. First look, Nick's eyes, his smile. So familiar, that first almost wary glint, scared to look, scared he'll mess it up in front of the photographers, the way he smiled when he saw me, wide and real, almost a laugh, then the way it curled, lopsided, a bashful tilt to his mouth as he said my name. A hug. A moment of peace before the storm. A preying mantis on the porch railing, bumblebees buzzing around my skirt. Will I remember them in twenty years? In thirty?

Fast, fast, everything goes so fast afterwards. Separate. First look with dad, with girls, line up for the walk down the aisle, careful of the puddle. Listen for One Summers Day - they didn't get the song right and are playing the orchestral version instead of the piano. Instead of soft and sweet, there's brass in the pines, french horns ushering us to our spots. Wait wait, start walking - wedding party first. My dad is nervous next to me, he keeps fidgeting. Girls and groomsmen gone, glasgow love theme starts. I'm practically dragging my dad down the aisle. Annie warned me that everyone would stand, but it still catches me by surprise. Look up, bouquet tilted just so, don't trip on the roots. I don't even look at our guests, I don't check to see if my side looks lopsided without my family there, my eyes are on him, on Annie. My heart - I feel.

Ceremony goes fast. Seth reads Pablo Neruda. Tanya reads Neil Gaiman. My eyes are wet, I blink the tears back. Handfasting cords tied loosely, begin to get anxious about how I'm going to put the ring on with my hand tied, but Annie's already removing them. I put the ring on the wrong hand, a hot flash of shame gone in seconds, kiss kiss kiss- time for bubbles, walk.

Pictures. So many pictures. Go to bustle dress, granola bar 3. I choke on it. Back to the reception, big entrance. Too queasy to eat much, I picked at the bread, at the salad, at the chicken. Drank a ginger ale, left my martini untouched. Cake cutting, burst of sugar on the tongue, still queasy. Dancing soon - will I get it wrong? First dance- spun me a little too hard, but we laughed. I didn't feel the eyes on us. I fixed his glasses when they slipped down his nose, everyone laughed. Father-daughter dance, was it a mistake? Should have practiced, should have figured out how dads and daughters dance. Swayed. He kept me talking. Kept my mind off my nerves. Looking back on the wedding footage, everyone was crying. Mother-son dance, more tears. The sheer emotional whiplash of going from Baby Mine to Click Click Boom - but it's what his mom wanted, wanted to have the wedding party do the bernie. Cringy, but fine, we'll do it.

Group selfie on the dance floor, first couples dance dedicated to his grandparents - their anniversary was two days previous, so I found out what their song was and had the DJ play it for them. His grandpa cried. His grandma cried. I cried. The photographer cried. Next slow song, it's the song one of our groomsmen got married to - his wife already left, more tears because he's alone at the head table. Pulled away, golden hour photos. A dream. Beautiful. So queasy. Go back to the house to pee, almost vomit into the toilet, nearly black out. More photos. A moment of peace in the pines - they rickrolled everyone without me.

Dancing, how did I dance so much? Photographers leave. They're playing all my favorites now that we're back, too much dancing, need to sit down. Forgot about the bouquet toss, need to do it while I have the energy. So many people have left - make it gender neutral, get people up there. Whoever wants a bouquet. My best friend catches the bouquet. I hurl myself at her and almost take us to the ground. More dancing - where is Nick? Smoking cigars with his brother. More dancing. Someone gives me a martini, but I can only drink a few sips. So tired, my foot hurts, but another two hours to go.

We sing - Bohemian Rhapsody, Take On Me, The Time of My Life. Should we be embarrassed? Too happy. Sit, talk, make the rounds. More dancing.

Winding down. It's time, last two dances. Piano Man, the DJ makes everyone get in a ring around us, it's embarrassing, but god I'm so happy. Last dance, just us. Paradise Valley, crooning quietly to each other in the dark. Tears on my cheeks. On his. A kiss, no one can see, this one is just us.

Goodbyes, see you laters, can't find my phone, someone took it, need to find the phone, need to sit, need to get out of this stupid dress, my foot hurts. Bridesmaids taking charge, have things torn down and presentable in thirty minutes flat. More goodbyes, limp across the field with a groomsmen, still can't find my phone. Find my phone, take off the jewelry, get close to crying. Someone helps me upstairs? Or maybe I did it myself. Realize I can't get the dress off on my own. Think about crying. Foot hurts, why does it hurt so much? Officiant finds me, helps me take off my shoes. Unbuttons my dress for me, leaves it half on so she can figure out what's wrong with my foot. Oh, almost go into shock, oh, it's fractured. Go to the doctor? Honeymoon is in two days. She massages my aching shoulders, my feet. It's embarrassing, but she's an OT, she doesn't want me in pain.

Nick finds us, tired and drooping, but happy. Annie leaves. Sleep now? Yes, sleep. Hurting and more exhausted than we've ever been, but fuck, so happy. Such a good day. We did good.

44. What are you excited for next year? I am incredibly excited to no longer be planning a wedding. May buy a house. May go on a vacation. May quit my job. We'll see.

45. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023: My valuable life lesson in the year of 2020 was: Life sucks. Keep your head on straight. Mourn your dead and love your living like you’ll never see them again. Live life like you could die tomorrow. And don’t take the little things for granted.

And you know what, I’m going to keep that. I think it’s a good reminder.

46. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: puff out your chest, take a deep breath you're gonna be okay if it's loud in your mind, just take your time you're gonna be okay - You're Gonna Be Okay, Ashh Blackwood

2018 me apparently quoted Singing in the Rain. 2019 quoted something sad and pretentious. 2020 me quoted This Year, because she was a dramatic bitch and hurting. 2021 me quoted an assurance that I wasn’t broken. 2022 me was tired and sad and just wanted to feel human again.

2023 me was a weird mess of anxiety, but mostly happy. The anxiety was a bitch, will always be a bitch. But this song kept me going.

#heather says what #year in review #2023 #new year's memes #tw: death #may have written an entirely too long stream of consciousness about the wedding #whoops

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henry-fox-biggest-stan · 2 years

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I’m a literature lesbian so of course, I’m relating ivy by Taylor to Henry POV.

How's one to know?

Henry could have never imagined he would ever have a relationship with Alex.

I'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones

In a faith forgotten land

I believe than that’s a metaphor for cemetery, but given than Alex and Henry didn’t see each other in cemeteries, we can find other meaning.

It can mean somewhere away from the palace. The spirit (Henry’s spirit) never meet his bones, because meanwhile he wants to do things, his body isn’t allowed to actually do them (in the palace). In a faith forgotten land where his spirit meets his bones is somewhere far from the responsibilities, like the White House, or the lake house, or a random hotel or anywhere.

“Faith forgotten” faith regarding god and the belief than god hated them for being gay. After all, the royal family is religious. English isn’t my first language so when I used to listen to the song I heard “fate” instead of “faith” which fits a lot more. Henry’s fate of marrying a woman and be closeted forever. Fate forgotten land, somewhere where he can forget about that and just be with Alex.

In from the snow

Their first kiss in the gardens, in December, in the snow.

Your touch brought forth an incandescent glow

Tarnished but so grand

After sleeping together in February (for the first time)

Tarnished because Alex insisted they were “friends with blowjobs”. Alex ignored his own feelings and made Henry believe than those were his real feelings.

“Tarnished but so grand.” His feelings might have been different to Henry’s, but he had Alex’s body against his, and his lips on his, and that was enough.

And the old widow goes to the stone every day

But I don't, I just sit here and wait

Grieving for the living

“The old widow goes to the stone every day” I see as people who were hurt just like him (because let’s be honest, Alex saying than their relationship was purely sexual and platonic definitely hurt him) trying to get better, to go to the stone every day, to heal.

Henry just sat there and waited, didn’t try to get over his feelings, to heal, to pull away. He just grieved for the living.

Oh, goddamn

My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand

Alex took care of Henry, he saw Henry with his depression and he didn’t run away, he stayed.

“Freezing hand” Alex was also hurting (his mental health, as we see in the book, was bad) and they helped each other. Alex took Henry’s pain into his freezing hand, and because of that, Henry warmed him (when you grab hands with other person, you pass body heat).

Taking mine, but it's been promised to another

Several meanings.

1- Henry believing than Alex would eventually pull away and leave him because he will find someone better, someone who would love him the way he deserved to be loved, someone who deserved to be loved by him.

2- Henry’s fate of marrying a woman in the future, against his wishes.

Oh, I can't

Stop you putting roots in my dreamland

My house of stone, your ivy grows

And now I'm covered in you

So much here.

1-Henry longing for Alex, Alex putting roots in his dreamland (should I tell you than when we’re apart…), seeing him in dreams. In daydreams,in hopes.

2-When Ivy grows on a house, there’s a certain point where the Ivy damages the house. It can damage the bricks and foundations (and walls). Henry loving Alex, loving him and hoping and yearning after him, even though it hurts. It hurts him because he thought there would never be a change of boing loved back or even if he was, than they could never be together (for his status). I also mentioned than Ivy damages the walls. I wish there weren’t a wall. I already made another post about the several walls Henry referred too, but i feel like this one could mean the walls Henry had up. Walls he used to protect himself, the truth of him being behind those walls, unseen, yet Alex breaking down those walls. Making Henry be able to let himself be vulnerable around him.

I wish to know

The fatal flaw that makes you long to be

Magnificently cursed

Curse: “a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one.” I feel like this could be Alex in Kensington, saying than they could find a way to be together, than they could do it. Alex stayed there, he flew an ocean just to tell Henry that. In Kensington (but before the morning after) Henry didn’t understand why he did that. Couldn’t he see it would all end up wrong? Henry wasn’t made to be loved. Henry was made to follow the rules written ahead of him, to continue the bloodline. He was meant to smile at cameras and be miserable, not to be in love and be loved back.

He was a prince, it could never work. Alex was only hurting himself by believing that.

Aside from his position, there was his whole self. Why would Alex love him? What was there of him to love? Henry had depression, he had bad days, days where he couldn’t even shower but it just was too much. Henry was an overthinker, someone who could only talk through paper, words only came out of him when written down, he didn’t know how to talk. He didn’t know how to communicate his feelings without writing them down. And Alex, Alex who talked a lot, Alex who’s brain always had a story he wanted Henry to know, how could Alex want to be with someone like him? Being with Henry could only hurt him. Henry couldn’t let that happen. Alex was the sun, Henry was a black hole. He couldn’t let himself drown out Alex’s light with his darkness.

He's in the room

Your opal eyes are all I wish to see

He wants what's only yours

Change “he” with “she” and this could perfectly talk about Henry’s fake dates with women.

(To be more specific, the woman he went in a fake date in January after kissing Alex in new year’s).

Clover blooms in the fields

Clover is associated with luck. The fields could be their relationship, their surroundings.

Ellen won, they were out and accepted (even if they were outed), they were moving to New York, Henry’s shelters, June’s book, Philip trying, Catherine healing.

Spring breaks loose, the time is near

What would he do if he found us out?

Crescent moon, coast is clear

“What would he do if he founds us out?” That one is obvious.

“Coast is clear” checking to see if there’s someone around, because people can’t know.

Spring breaks loose, but so does fear

They started their “friends with benefits” thing in February, by March (spring) they were together. Paris happened, the e-mails happened, the karaoke happened, all in spring (not only March, just spring). Were they dating? Was Henry just hoping? Henry was scared, scared of misunderstanding Alex’s signals and scared of being caught.

He's gonna burn this house to the ground

That’s following “what would he do if he found us out”. The description of the ambience surrounding them was to let the reader/listener have an idea of what was happening. It also mixed the description of the world surrounding them at that moment (crescent moon, springs breaks loose) with their own feelings (coast is clear, but so does fear.)

“He’s gonna burn this house to the ground” House. “My house of stone, your ivy grows” This could perfectly mean Henry or their relationship. If they were found out the house would be burnt down. Being found out by Richards made their house be burnt down (the e-mails leaked). Being found out by Mary (and like, the whole world, but we’re talking about Mary rn) burnt Henry’s house down. Being found out by Richard’s hurt them both, but Mary only hurt Henry. She only had the power to hurt Henry, after manipulating him for so long. She only burnt him down.

How's one to know?

Henry from last year could have never imagined that happening. Henry from last year never imagined he would be dating/hooking up with Alex.

I'd live and die for moments that we stole

On begged and borrowed time

This one is pretty obvious, but

“Live and die” Henry’s alone moments with Alex killed him yet they made him feel alive. Henry thought Alex didn’t love him, than those moments meant the world to Henry and nothing to Alex, they killed him, yet Alex’s touch on his skin brought him back to life each time.

So tell me to run

Or dare to sit and watch what we'll become

asdfghjkljljlkgjl

I have so many Henry feelings regarding this line omg.

“Run”

Run has different meanings here.

1-Run as in run away from Alex (lake house).

2-Run as in run away with Alex (brownstone).

In the first, he ran away from him and his feelings, believing it was for the better.

“Watch what we’ll become” With their statuses and the secrecy and all than Henry was, it would never have ended well anyway. It was better if Henry just left beforehand, trying to save Alex from entering the mess than was Henry’s life.

In the second, run away with him to New York, to live together. He ran away from the palace, from the abuse.

“Watch what we’ll become” (again, but now regarding the second meaning of run) if Henry didn’t ran away, and stayed in the palace, even if they were out, it might have been too complicated too. Henry would be stuck with a royal life he didn’t want, and by addition,Alex would also be stuck with a royal life he didn’t want. Only by running away Henry could find freedom.

“Dare” this could also be Kensington Alex and Henry. Alex daring to continue their relationship, even if Henry was scared and convinced it could never be. “You’re brave, I could use some of that” Henry ran, and Alex dared to follow, and even if Henry told him to leave that night (watch what we’ll become) he would have dared to sit and watch it happen.

And drink my husband's wine

This could be Henry being scared than Alex being with him made him began to live a (royal) life he didn’t want. “Drink my husband’s wine” Live my family’s life.

So yeah, it's a fire

It's a goddamn blaze in the dark

And you started it

You started it

Alex’s emotions being related to fire (I made a whole post about the symbolism of fire and water in Alex and Henry’s relationship)

A blaze in the dark. A light in the dark. Their relationship/Alex being a light in Henry’s life.

So yeah, it's a war

It's the goddamn fight of my life

And you started it

You started it

This one is pretty obvious too

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #casey mcquiston #firstprince #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #red white & royal blue #red white royal blue #alex and henry #henry and alex #rwrb alex #henry my love #prince henry of wales #henry mountchristen windsor #ivy taylor swift #evermore #rwrb henry

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myrwrbblog · 2 years

Text

Henry's POV chapter liveblog

Love that Henry supposedly can't cook lol

5 years living in the Brownstone ahhhhhh

"love of my life" 🥹🥹🥹 DON'T TOUCH ME

One week till moving day and two until the wedding???? So I'm guessing the wedding is in London and they are moving there too??

David my beloved😭

Okay May 2021 now

Oh wow so they lived close before moving in together??? Interesting

"in your mouth" afsjsgsjdhdafaj

Summer 2022!!! This year ahhhhhhh

They live together now after Alex's first year at NYU😭

Afajaafajsfsh Henry loves Alex's ass lmao

Christmas 2022!!!!!!

Aleeeeeex remember to eaaaaaaaat

Awww Henry loves cooking!!!

Hahahaha body double omg

Asjsgsjdgdg Catherine brought that shirt?m

Awww Angus!!!

Omg Alex afsjsgsjsgshsh

That's very Alex to not like Angus for those reasons lmao

June and Nora??? Omg???🥹

ALEX HAHAHAHHAHAHA

This was him during this

Summer 2023!!!!!

"turn the bloody light off and come to bed" they stupid love each other and I stupid love them too😭😭😭

Hahahaahha Henry you are adorable

Alex is 25 already ahhhhhhhhh

THEY ARE IN LOVE YOUR HONOUW

Spring 2024!!!!!!!

Shaan and Zahra have a baby🥹 omg

Alex has a law job!!!!

Arthur took Henry to the set of the movie he was working on😭😭😭

Guilford?? What in british hell??

Arthur was from Sheffield?? Omg??

AFAAJGSSHGSHAGACSFS OMFG

"When Henry and I get married" can you hear me screaming???? And crying???

"Alex's child of divorce anxiety" noooo😭😭

He bought an engagement ring already🥹

Afsjsgshdgd he knows Alex has one too???

I just..... It's too much

THEY'RE ENGAGED!!!!!!

Afajsgsjsgsg three hours lmao

Nearly five years together wow

New Years eve 2024!!!!!!!

5 years since they kissed🥹🥹

Wait

HENRY ABDICATED????????

Omg

OMFG????????????????????????

Hehehehehe they stay in

Bea's wedding!!! Ahhhhhhh

Rafael Luna has a partner!!! Yay!!!!!!

Drag bingo???? I wanna go there omg

HAHAHAHAH "almost thirty" Alex u savage

He wrote a book??? Fuck yeah!!!!

That's..... So many things omg afajsgshdgd

September 2025!!!!!

Wow 5 years since the leaked emails

Yep, makes sense Henry has PTSD

End of 2025 now!!!!!

Glad he goes to therapy too

"looking for Orion" 🥹🥹🥹🥹 ahhhh?

Alex hates his job😔

February 2026!!!!!!

Ohh Alex quit last month!!!!

Awww they slept in Alex's twin bed in Texas when Ellen won😭😭😭😭

🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

Omg that was lovely!!! Explaining how every versions of themselves fell in love with the other!!!!!

Wait wait, so they don't move to London?? Maybe the Lake House?? Or Paris?? Idk😭

Afsjsgdhdgdh Alex you little shit

Ohh June is gonna sublet!!!

Okay yeah that makes sense hahahha (at the beginning if the chapter the girls said they were doing some thing sin Austin to prepare?? Gonna have to read this chapter again hehe😌)

YES!!! BESIDE A LAKE AHHHHHH

Alex turning into a dad??👀 Smt u wanna say Henry???

Private ceremony at the lake house🥹🥹

A stetson omg that's adorable😭

Amy has a daughter awwwww

"You and me"

I mean....... Just.... Ahhhhh?????? Afajsgsjdghd I am literally speechless😭😭😭 as soon as I finished rereading the entire book I HAD to read Henry's POV immediately and omg I am so emotional🥹🥹🥹

My favourite goddamn book so far

That's it, nothing else to say, I loved it💜

#rwrb spoilers #red white and royal blue spoilers #collectors edition #red white and royal blue #rwrb #mine

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neonponders · 1 year

Text

I posted 6,040 times in 2022

That's 1,858 more posts than 2021!

562 posts created (9%)

5,478 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@neonponders

@memes-saved-me

@chrisbitchtree

@lovebillyhargrove

@lazybakerart

I tagged 6,010 of my posts in 2022

#harringrove - 3,628 posts

#fanart - 2,054 posts

#neonponders - 1,038 posts

#billy hargrove - 892 posts

#ficlet - 800 posts

#s4 - 681 posts

#steve harrington - 577 posts

#gif set - 539 posts

#text post - 400 posts

#oh 🥺 - 370 posts

Longest Tag: 105 characters

#but i know angst is coming so i'm saving the rest for a new chapter so i can segue through the angst haha

My Top Posts in 2022:

No one can un-convince me that Billy did not learn the world ‘amigo’ merely by being in California.

That came straight out of his favorite chef and dealer, Argyle’s mouth.

325 notes - Posted August 2, 2022

Enough “no one can understand why they’re a couple” tropes.

I want moments where Robin points at Billy while telling Steve, “Marry him.”

Bonus points if it’s totally stupid like Steve mistook San Francisco as San Flamingo when he was a kid and calls it that to this day. Max just pats Billy’s arm and informs, “That one’s yours.”

327 notes - Posted November 22, 2022

You know those Reddit stories of men experiencing actual love/affection from their significant others for the first time in their lives? Like the guy whose girlfriend washed his hair for him and he cried?

That’s Billy.

(and Steve, after he realizes how much work HE put into relationships without getting anything back. Then his efforts are finally returned and he has to lie down.)

328 notes - Posted October 7, 2022

I want Billy to be so goddamn clingy once he knows Steve means it.

417 notes - Posted October 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Thinking about a scenario where Billy and Steve become dads, but once their daughter is walking, talking, and really thinking for herself (4 or 5 years old), Billy becomes the kind of dad who’s very quiet. Not quite negligent, but he stands aside and lets Steve do everything.

It gets to a point where their daughter asks Steve if her daddy doesn’t love her. (Kids are blunt with their words but this really slices Steve open.)

Steve tells Billy, and Billy doesn’t really get time to consider anything. He doesn’t have the time to look for therapists (he’s already in therapy, but that’s for complex ptsd, not parenting) or to ask his little girl if she’d go to a park or anything with him. They already had planned to go to some kid’s birthday party at a restaurant on a boat dock.

At the party, they really only know the birthday kid’s family. But they get to know some snotty little asshole real fast because he just won’t leave their little girl alone. She’s on the verge of spilling tears when Billy interrupts, “Kid, can you swim?”

“Duh, I can swim,” he responded, all proud.

Billy picked him up and chucked him into the lake. “Well look at that. He can swim - ”

The kid’s dad comes over swinging. Gets lucky and lands one punch before Billy decimates the man. He doesn’t waste time. Kick to the balls, hit to the gut, the face, and he falls right into the lake next to his kid.

Billy scoops up his daughter and waves off the waiters and busboys who look like they feel obligated to do something, but aren’t getting paid enough in their summer jobs to fight a raging father.

Steve is beside his family in an instant, bag already packed and money on their table while their baby curls herself very small in her daddy’s big arms. “When we get home, I’m teaching you how to throw a punch. You can practice on Big Teddy. He won’t ruin your tea parties anymore.”

At home, she puts a sparkly star sticker on her daddy’s bruised cheek. He asks for a sticker every day until it heals. She kisses it just in case, and long after it’s healed and it’s a fifty/fifty chance that the kiss will be a raspberry instead.

Steve might be the dad who helps his daughter feel big, but Billy’s the one who helps her not fear being small.

749 notes - Posted September 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr year in review #neonponders #harringrove #thanks for encouraging my bs haha <3

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phoebehalliwell · 2 years

Note

bestie for pride month… please give the gays what we want: HEADCANONS OF YOUR Prue is given up at birth Piper dies!AU. please, I beg thee 🙏

lmaoooooo. okay. this is for the gays. [post for reference]

patty and sam's affair happens first before she ever meets victor then she gets knocked up grams almost has a hernia it's decided that even tho patty and sam love each other this is too much of a risk, their proximity to one another, and they need to separate in order to stay off the elders radar

patty gives birth to prue and then immediately gives her up at birth, she is taken in by the matthews family

patty later marries victor and has three daughters: piper, phoebe, and paige, but you could say it just wasn't meant to be, because patty and victor do ultimately get divorced

patty still drowns at the lake but in this specific au, she takes the water demon down with her

so there's no demon left in the lake

so when prue finds herself drawn to the lake whenever the matthews family goes camping, she really is at no risk

she'll just lie an the dock and talk, she says to herself, but that's not quite true

but idk it would just sound weird to say she's talking to the lake itself

meanwhile back at the manor piper is definitely very firm and very stern in her role as eldest sister but she's not as rigid as prue

like. bc phoebe and paige are a handful and a half. and piper tells them she tells them don't go out don't fucking do it but of course they do anyways. she doesn't bother to snitch to grams either and she'll still make them a full hangover breakfast the next morning but it always comes with a healthy dose of i told you so

one night paige and phoebe are tearing it up and paige is driving completely shitfaced and she crashes the car and phoebe, who was not buckled, goes flying through the windshield

that was the only time she ever really saw piper lose her shit, she was fucking furious, phoebe was in the hospital and piper came busting into the waiting room already screaming paige's name

but once she saw how broken her sister already was she just sat down and cried with her

that was the event that triggered paige's journey towards sobriety

it definitely also put a damper on phoebe's party spirit but grams's energy after than incident was so suffocating phoebe couldn't take it anymore and moved to new york

paige got her job in social services, piper got her job at quake, prue was working as a photographer, phoebe was a jack of all trades

after grams's death phoebe moved back in and the girls became charmed

their whitelighter in this is actually sam and he becomes something of a father figure to them

then piper bites it

this almost triggers a backslide in paige's sobriety, her & phoebe really lean on each other in this time, it's very heavy, very emotional, very intuitive

so naturally pragmatic prue matthews sticks out like a sore goddamn thumb

but still, there's something about piper's death that feels eerily familiar to her

it reminds her of how her long time boyfriend, a private investigator, andy died

and that scares her

she doesn't really want to go in on this witch stuff

however, the source has clocked her, and in an attempt to kill her, burns her house down or something, killing her parents, but, miraculous, she survived

she shouldn't have

the exits were sealed, they were pounding against the door, desperately trying to escape

there was no way she could have gotten out of the house

(unless she orbed)

so now she has nowhere to go

except for the manor

paige and phoebe really pull themselves together for this bc they were totally content to let themselves wallow their way out of existence over piper's death, but seeing prue

phoebe and paige have lost before. they've lost their mom and they've lost their grandma and they've lost their sister

it stings, but they know what it feels like to have a loved one die and they know they can make it through it

prue does not know that

she does not know how to grieve

she wants to

she doesn't even know

she wants to go to the lake

for piper, phoebe, and paige, how their mom died has always been a mystery

she didn't tell grams where she was going, only that she'd be back for dinner

prue, noting how they're all in mourning and all need the tranquility the lake offers, bring phoebe and paige with her

and they meet patty

#this is just me riffing #but like yeah ❤️#charmed #au #💌#prue x phoebe x paige

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vampiredungeon · 9 months

Text

Goodreads is really fun because you’ll find a list called “the greatest books of the 21st century” or something and the first book on the list is twilight and you’re like goddamn I hate twilight how’s it winning? So you go into the comments to find someone else complaining about twilight but to your horror everyone else is raving about the series and just as you’re about to comment your hatred of the book you see a guy named Tom. Tom keeps writing long winded comments about how he thinks twilight is a insult to literature and that there’s so many better books to be on the list instead etc etc and he keeps getting ripped to shreds by everyone else in the comments so you think huh maybe I should help him out here but just before you click reply you notice Tom’s profile picture is an old white guy and old white guys on goodreads usually have weird opinions so you decide to check his profile real quick and at first nothing looks wrong he lives in the us and his bio says something like “married, 3 kids, civil engineer” pretty standard for old white guys on goodreads so then you go and check out his favorites shelf but it’s all full of history and philosophy books you’ve never heard of before so you decide to compare your books and again at first nothing seems too weird most of the books you two have in common are just some classics you both left unrated and you’re about to close out of his profile when you see that he gave the really cool book you read couple months ago only one star unlike your five and he also left a review for it. So you click on the review and you’re a little nervous because one star is pretty harsh and that cool book had a lot of diversity and old white guys on goodreads love to bitch about diversity but you give him the benefit of the doubt and assume Tom just didn’t like the slower plot or the sometimes dull dialogue and then you start reading the review and are immediately blasted by sentence after sentence of: “Horrible woke pandering” “A disgrace to the genre” “Unnecessary social commentary” “Disrespectful to my IQ level” The review is paragraphs long and feels never ending and you desperately scroll through the rant hoping to find someone replying to Tom calling him out but instead you find the review has 62 likes and anyone who commented on it was applauding Tom for his bravely at speaking up against the woke mob you bite your fingers to stop yourself from replying to Tom and everyone in his comments calling them all ignorant cunts because while that would be satisfying you know none of them are going to give a fuck and you’ll probably just get your comment reported for harassment or something so instead you just close out of his profile and then you close goodreads and then you turn off your computer and drive it an hour to the nearest lake and you stand on the shore for a bit debating whether or not you throw it in but you eventually decide not to because it was kinda expensive and what are you going to do without a computer so you drive an hour back home but it actually takes longer then an hour because its dark now and it started raining so you take it extra slow and by the time you get back home it’s even darker and it’s gotten a lot colder too especially because you took off your sweatshirt to wrap around your computer because you don’t want it to get wet and your fingers are shaking pretty bad so you drop your keys twice trying to unlock your front door but by the time you do make it in you decide to take a nice long hot shower and about a half a second before the water hits your face you remember your hot water heater broke yesterday.

#I’m exaggerating #but barely #goodreads #books #writing #j.writes #that’s right this is getting the writng tags I’m counting this as a free writing exercise #anyways I’m not a huge fan of of the ending and I think the part about his review should go on a longer but I don’t feel like changing it #this is based on a true story btw

0 notes

literarygoon · 2 years

Photo

So,

I needed a fucking cigarette.

It was just after 9 p.m. on a sunny July afternoon in 2022, and I’d left my RAV idling in the Thetis Lake parking lot while I trekked through the woods illuminating the looming trees with my iPhone. It had taken me half the day to drive across the province and take the ferry, and now I was slapping branches out of the way and stumbling over tree roots as the sky began to darken far overhead. Was this a stupid, useless expedition or was I actually going to accomplish something? Everything was so confusing and overwhelming, I couldn’t properly distinguish between fact and fiction.

It had been five years since I first snapped, and since then I’d successfully gotten married and fathered two children. Stability. Yet somehow I was still repeatedly ending up in the pysch ward, blabbering about imaginary literary parents, family drama and gangster-style conspiracies — a perverse mish-mash of Sopranos savagery and the loopy craziness of Animal from The Muppet Show. My headspace was like hundreds of movies playing at once, and all of them had Eminem for a soundtrack. Lately I’d been obsessed with Bad Meets Evil, his collaboration with Royce da 5′9, because it reminded me of my director Spencer Savard. For years Spencer had been my pseudo-wife, and I was still mourning his death at the Royal Jubilee Hospital to cancer back in 2018.

“I don't speak, motherfucker, I float in the air wrapped in a sheet,” I mumbled to myself. “I'm not a real person, I'm a ghost trapped in a beat.”

That’s when Ryan Tapp appeared, emerging from the foliage like the apparition he was. He’d died in an epic trailer fire back in 2014 and I still didn’t understand what had happened there, or why. After I covered it for the Nelson Star, I’d established a relationship with his father Randy, who was convinced that the autopsy’s conclusion of suicide was false. I mean, how can you even tell if a gunshot is self-inflicted if the body has just spent the entire night in a smouldering trailer fire?

Riddle me that.

“Dude,” he said. “I thought you were never going to come back.”

I bit my lip, trying not to cry. They weren’t giving me any cannabis in the psych ward, so I was hyper-emotional. Before I could say anything, Ryan wrapped his arms around me and put his hands on my face. He leaned down until his jutting bum chin was level with mine, his hair in an Elvis-style pompadour.

“I messed everything up, man. Everyone thinks I’m a clown. I’m such a goddamn idiot. Like Stan Rogers.”

Ryan laughed. “That doesn’t matter. You know I love you, Will. We all do.”

Together we continued to work our way around the lake, scanning the serene surface for any sign of life. A small family of ducks paddled placidly by, just like the ones in Tony Soprano’s pool. I remembered all the times I’d come here during my years at UVic, once cliff-jumping from a rock face so high that it split my shorts up to the hip. That was with my brother Cody, who I didn’t see nearly enough. My family was a mess and I didn’t know what to do about it.

“You can’t control what other people think of you. You just need to be true to yourself, man. Stick to your own principles,” Ryan said, slinging his shotgun against his shoulder. His weapon was black, while bank robber Andrew Stevenson’s was grey.

I’d been thinking about Andrew recently—partially because there was another Andrew in the hospital with me — and how he’d tried to make a run for it while in police custody in a mad scramble to get back to his kids. Instead he ended up with a ten-year sentence in jail. As Ryan and I chatted, Andrew appeared behind us lurking. He was always an enigma to me, an embodiment of all the misanthropy that had accumulated in my chest since I’d been ejected from the City of Nelson. I’d given that city my whole soul, then they exiled me like I was a broken toy — not even good enough for the thrift shop.

“Where are we going?” Ryan asked.

I sighed. “I have an appointment sometime around midnight. Airborne Toxic Event told me so. We have to go find Kessa.”

“Kessa? Why?”

“I need her. I need her to know I’m sorry.”

“Dude, Kessa already knows that. She’s chill. You don’t need to do anything else here, this isn’t even your job. There are cops for this type of shit.”

My nostrils flared, and I turned angrily at him. “What the fuck do you know? You’ve been dead for eight years. You have no idea what I’m up to.”

“What are you up to?”

My head felt foggy suddenly, like maybe I was going to faint. I needed an Ativan or something. I’d been pacing around the hospital for weeks, plotting a global level revenge fuck. But I was also kid-motivated, wanting the nurses to release me so I could just blissfully chill with my minions in the Shuswap. I felt like MGK was rap-battling Eminem in my head, and I wasn’t sure which one of them was supposed to be me. Sometimes Nicky Minaj came bouncing in, Kanye in tow, to sing about what a fucking monster she was.

Me too.

“Don’t ask so many questions. I don’t trust you because I don’t trust anybody,” I said. “I’m putting together a special team, okay? And Kessa is the lynch pin.”

“Do you know how insane that sounds?”

I laughed. “Yes, I’m not a dunce. It’s not like I don’t understand social etiquette. I know exactly how fucking maniacal that sounds. Did you forget I’m a goddamn lunatic?”

Ryan frowned. “Dude, you shouldn’t talk about yourself like that.”

“I’m Aldo Raine, and we’re going to get the Inglorious Basterds together and blow up some fucking hospitals. We’re going to slap the Pope, then we’re going to go back in time and ass-fuck Hitler. Are you coming or not?”

Andrew Stevenson smiled then, and it was the creepiest smile I’d ever seen. The setting sun was casting long deep shadows all around us, and the night was alive with owl song. Ryan’s forehead was sweaty, and he looked shaky on his feet, but finally he nodded his assent. He understood that if I wanted to do something, there wasn’t really any way for him to stop me. Especially since he was a ghost.

For ten minutes we walked in silence, my two henchmen with their shotguns trailing behind like a V of geese. While we walked, I played Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding out for a Hero” in my head: Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night, I toss and I turn, and I dream of what I need! I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast.

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.

Finally we reached the lagoon I’d visited back in 2019 with Angela, the tiny inlet where people can swim naked without being bothered. It was a nice memory, thinking of Angela, but I had taken her for granted. She’d taught me how to paint, how to perfect my self-portraits, how to mix medium in with the colour to make it last longer. I’d gifted her a purple painting of my face, and I wondered if she had to get rid of it when she ultimately got married a year or two later. Not everyone holds on to a flame for their exes like I do.

You’re not supposed to.

“I heard you might be coming,” Kessa said, appearing to my left. Her blonde hair was wet from swimming, but she’d changed into a black T-shirt and a pair of beige Carhartts — the ones with the double-padded knees, like everyone wears in the Yukon. She looked like a young Marilyn Monroe, just like her Facebook photo, and she she was sun-kissed and happy. Perhaps the afterlife was being kinder to her than Earth was. Rolling up behind her was Spencer, sitting in his wheelchair like Professor Xavier. His toe nails were still painted in the colour of the Canucks, and he was wearing aviator sunglasses.

Next came James Gandolfini, breathing heavy and wearing a black button-down. He was standing next to Paulie Walnuts, with the grey wings perfectly formed in his hair. He was holding his knuckles together menacingly and looking at me the same way he looked at Christopher during his intervention. Neither of them spoke, but Paulie gave a “heh, heh” to acknowledge our presence.

“Okay, that’s six of you,” I said. “One woman, three dead friends, and two gangsters. With me, that makes seven.”

“What’s with the counting, kid?” Paulie asked.

“Seven’s a magic number. It’s a team. I’m putting together a special team.”

Ryan laughed. “You already said that.”

Had I? My short term memory was fucked. I’d been divulging all my deepest secrets on to a white board at the hospital as a form of therapy, but as soon as I wiped away the words with a hand towel they evaporated from my mind like ether. I was the Hunter of the South Thompson, and I’d gone AWOL chasing waterfalls and ended up in handcuffs — again. But this was it now, everything had been leading to this moment. My minions all looked at me expectantly, like I was Marcus Aurelius about to deliver a battle cry. I didn’t feel ready, but Ned Stark had told me you can only really be brave if you’re afraid.

“I really appreciate you all being here tonight,” I said. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

Andrew spoke for the first time. He’d successfully pulled six bank robberies, so I’m sure he was eager to know what kind of heist we were planning. Were we going to hunt rapists? Were we going to kill pedophiles? Or were we just going to do more stunting with my RAV, like when I ripped apart the UVic Housing field by doing kamikaze donuts with Kathryn. When security stopped me, I told them she had been driving — even though she’d been dead for over a week. I have this whole thing where I just can’t accept that death is real. There has to be something else, some essence retained, something.

“So what’s the job, Will?”

I patted around, looking for my smokes. Lately I was losing things — my credit card, my clothes, my food. I was completely incapable of taking care of myself, which is why it was so fortunate that I was married to a Filipino octopus. She was a superhero, but this work wasn’t right for her. She was a nurse, and we were The Liar’s Club. This was going to be dirty, it was going to be grim, and she wasn’t going to like it. I looked around to each face — Kessa, Ryan, Andrew, Spencer, Tony and Paulie — and saw that they were game for wherever I wanted to take this.

I was the Boss here.

I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled it into a bun. I’d been joking that I was turning Japanese, a reference to the Samurai Fox painting I bought in Nelson from an exhibit called Imaginarium. It was also related to my ex-roommate, a cute budtender with fire engine hair and goth piercings. I’d barely gotten to know her before the Nelson Police shipped me off to the airport raving and kicking, dressed in bouncer black. I took a deep breath, and Ryan put his hand on my shoulder in support.

“I need to figure out how to be an ordinary person, and this whole imaginary friends thing has to come to an end eventually,” I said. “But I’ve got one last favour to ask, and it means more to me than anything I’ve ever cared about.”

Tony crinkled his nose. “Why don’t you spit it out?”

I didn’t know how to put it. At Kathryn’s funeral we’d talked about how there was nobody to blame for her death, but I knew on a gut level that wasn’t true. I knew there were lurking family-ruiners that had driven her into an early grave. I’d made lists of their names, noted all of their addresses, concocted a whole master plan for the sort of mass killing that would go down in history. It was the only way to honour my Mad Queen, to create the world’s biggest funeral pyre and burn it to the ground. And from those ashes would emerge three dragons, just like in GRRM’s prophesy. It was a dream that haunted me every night, the overwhelming urge to absolutely annihilate all the stupid shitheads who had fucked over my sister until she died alone and friendless in a basement.

“She was the best Johnson, my sister,” I said. “Kathryn.”

They all nodded.

“Spencer, you knew her obviously, but for the rest of you here’s the deal. She’s represented by the colour blue, and we’re using the hashtag #TeamKathryn. And I hope this goes without saying, but the first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club. Trust nobody.”

“What do you want us to do?”

My heart swelled with joy, now that I finally had the back-up I needed. If Kathryn was Cersei, and I was her brother Jaime Lannister (the shot caller), then we should’ve been able to make short work of our haters with wildfire and sword-fighting. But now we needed something different. I was done with being handless. It was time I transformed into the most raving monstrosity to ever sit the Iron Throne. I needed to become the Mad King. I finally found my smokes in the pocket of my hoodie, and lifted one to my lips. Only after taking a few drags did I give him an answer.

“They killed my sister, guys. We’re going to burn them all.”

The Literary Goon

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hikarimiyanaga · 3 years

Note

the Dimitrescu's with their Titan s/o who protect them from the military force attacking the castle.

I'm assuming when you said Titan, you meant the greek mythology ones... not the anime ones.

Because as much as I love both... I can only focus on one. I hate my brain like that.

I'm adding up Donna too, hope you don't mind. From Ethan only.

Also, Reader can harness the respective Titans' powers.

Alcina Dimitrescu / Lady Dimitrescu

You heard a loud explosion from somewhere in the castle and quickly look at your wife and daughters in panic.

'Shit.' Was the first thought that came to mind. Then calm as you stand.

"Alcina. Take Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela in the basement." You growl as you harness your power.

"But Y/N I can help-"

"My love I know you can." You smile at Alcina then gently kiss her hand. "But I would rather you be safe."

Alcina sighs in defeat and leaves with the three girls. You crack your neck as you leave her room.

"Those assholes are going to get what they deserve." You close your eyes and hear their footsteps. They were everywhere. Even in the goddamn courtyard. You sigh as you activate your traps.

"Years of work, you fucking pieces of shits." You hear their terrified screams and hum. You love having Koios's powers coursing through you. You jump down then wink at a terrified soldier as you punch through his helmet. Everyone else looks at you and you just smile then wink as you begin punching through them.

"Fuck! Retreat! Now!" Chris says to his squad as he sees your figure making it's way towards him.

"REDFIELD!" You call as you drag a soldier's body with you. He stops then turns to you. "The fuck did you think would happen?" You toss him the body and he flinches as the body lands in front of him. "That I would leave my house? My wife's daughters?" You growl. "You should have known better than to attack this Castle, Chris."

"I know! But they insisted I swear! It was not me, Y/LN!" You growl.

"Dimitrescu. I married Alcina. Get. It. Right."

"Got it! Dimitrescu!" You groan. Then turn to the castle. You glare at Chris.

"This better not be repeated. Or else I will fucking leave this village." You take a step towards him. "And I-" Another step. "Will hunt-" Another step. "Everyone in BSAA." Chris falls as you tower over him. "Got that?" He nods without a sound and you leave without a word.

When you get back, you see the maids are cleaning up the bodies and collecting blood. At least, they were practical.

"Thank you, Y/N." The grand chambermaid says and you tilt your head. "You punched them in the head, it'll be a lot easier collecting their bloods." You hum then smile.

"Thanks for cleaning up after me."

"You're welcome, Lady Dimitrescu." You grin then get inside.

"Darling!" Alcina calls out to you but a blurb gets to you first. You grunt as Daniela collides with you.

"Mama! Are you alright!? Are you hurt anywhere!?" You chuckle as you pat her head.

"I'm alright, Dani. Really." You smirk. "I'm a Titan, remember?"

"Still, darling." Alcina raises your head so you would look at her. "We all worry." You look at your daughters then smile.

"I'm fine. Really." You notice the ring on Alcina's finger then grin. "I have everything I can ever need."

Donna Beneviento

In more than one way, you've always had Hyperion's power coursing through you. With observation, you knew exactly how everything worked around the Beneviento house.

So when Ethan came to the village, all of your senses just screamed at you. You knew he was dangerous. Before you knew it, your feet were moving and you were evacuating the citizens who didn't have the cadou in their body.

You wrestled down Alcina's daughters and even had to make Alcina unconscious. Her devotion to Miranda had always evaded you. Moreau was convinced easily because you were Donna's lover. Something that he also wishes for himself.

Karl just smirked at you as he went with his siblings, needing no convincing. Donna was worried as you prepare yourself for Ethan's arrival.

"Y/N, are you sure about this?" She asks in her own voice, worry lacing every word. You smile as you kiss her hand.

"I am, my love. Don't worry." You assure her with a wink and send her to Karl. He was the one who would evacuate everyone.

You wait for Ethan's arrival and even snicker as he walks around confused at the state of the Village.

You greet him as he comes to Castle Dimitrescu. Seeing as it was where Karl found him before getting him to Mother Miranda.

He tries to shoot you but you catch the bullet mid-air and smile.

"I mean no harm, Ethan. I actually want to help you."

"Why?" You shrug.

"For my love? The family that actually cares about each other? Not being alone... or dying by your hands?"

"What?" You hum then give him some guns.

"Just prepare. Mother Miranda won't go down without a fight."

And she didn't. She even screamed at you for betraying her but you remind her of one thing.

"I love Donna. Not you."

You and Ethan save Rose from Miranda and you make sure to push them away before detonating the bomb.

Donna was frantic when she sees both Ethan and Rose but you were nowhere to be seen. Then they heard the explosion and Donna's face falls. But just then a figure was coming from the sky then lands with a puff of smoke.

"Fucking underworld!" You shout as you stand and get rid of the remaining smoke surrounding you. You focus on Chris and lift him with his collar. "Did you really have to put up that much!? Fucking asshole!? If I wasn't a Titan, I would've died!"

"Y/N." You let him go in favor of turning to Donna with a smile. She cries and you panic.

"What's wrong, my love!? Are you hurt!? Did anybody hurt you!?" Donna just hugs you and you smile as you tighten the hug. "I'm okay, Donna."

It will take a long time to rebuild the village but you don't mind. As you long as you were with her.

Bela Dimitrescu

You were with Bela in the library when Daniela's scream pierced through your ears. You and Bela quickly went to her younger sister who pointed outside.

Soldiers are coming through and it made you angry.

"Bela. Can you take both Cassandra and Daniela somewhere safe? Since Lady Alcina is still out."

"But Y/N we can-"

"No. The cold is still prominent. You'll only put yourselves in danger. Go somewhere safe. I'll deal with these assholes."

You sigh as you feel Iapetus's powers coursing through you. There is a reason why you don't go to hunts with the Dimitrescu sisters.

Because if you did. You'll overdo it.

You were on the roof on the courtyard and you crack your neck as they arrive and point their guns at you. A golden spear appears as you hold out your hand.

"Deaths! For all of you!" Your eyes turn red and you start your onslaught.

In just minutes, they were all wiped out and you were standing over countless bodies. You sigh as you dismiss your spear. You get inside the castle and slide down the doors. Bela comes out of nowhere and you chuckle.

"I thought I told you to go somewhere safe." She nods then pulls you to stand. She hugs you and you sigh in relief.

"I am. I feel safer in your arms."

Cassandra Dimitrescu

It was night and all three of them were on a hunt. You were on the Castle's most highest point, just observing your love and her sisters. Then you heard massive vehicles and growl. You get down and go to Cassandra.

"Y/N! Are you-"

"No. The military is coming. Go back to the castle and warn Lady Alcina. Tell her to go somewhere safe with you guys."

"Their bullets won-"

"I know! But still. Cass. Please. I'll protect you so please." Cassandra sees the sorrow in your eyes then sigh in defeat. She pulls you then kisses you hard.

"Come back to me." You smile then nod.

"Always." You stretch your body as Oceanus's powers course through it. You hum then go greet the unwanted guests. It was a good thing that the Castle had it's own lake.

With a flick of your wrist, the vehicles were stopped by a massive wave of water. All of the soldiers got out and you hum.

Two dozens. You make quick work of them with your powers.

You look at their Captain.

"Chris Redfield. I would say it's nice to see you but then I'd be lying." You raise his body with water and your eyes take on a dangerous glint. "What are you doing here? Why are you targeting this castle?"

"There are reports. Of massive Bio Organic Weapons in this area."

"Oh."

"We were sent to kill them." You hum then smile.

"Tell the BSAA to leave this village alone. I'll deal with Miranda in due time."

"But-"

"Chris. Do you really want to drown right now?" He shakes his head and you smile. "Good. Now go. Tell them that Y/N, the titan of lost time shall take care of matters here."

"Of course. You won't attack us, right?" You smirk as you turn.

"As long as you leave us alone, I won't." You get back to the castle as Chris goes back.

You get inside and look blankly as Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela looked ready to kill whoever went through the door. You just hug Cassandra as Alcina looks at you.

"I assume the soldiers are taken care of." You nod and look at her.

"They're all disposed of. Lady Dimitrescu."

"And you? Any injuries at all?" You shake your head.

"Just tired." Cassandra drags you after saying goodnight to her mother. You were ready to fall asleep as she opens her door.

You plop down on her bed and was asleep in just mere seconds. She joins you after she fixes your position.

When you cuddle her, she hums in satisfaction.

Daniela Dimitrescu

It was supposed to be a peaceful day. But then a loud explosion can be heard on the gate. You and Daniela raced downstairs to see what it was. Alcina greeted you.

"What is it? Who is it?"

"Soldiers. The military seems to have gotten wind of us." You groan.

"Pain in the ass." You sigh. "Let me take care of them." Daniela pulls you.

"What? Y/N, no-"

"Dani. Daughter. I believe you are underestimating your lover." You smile at Daniela.

"She's right." You wink. "I'll just be 5 minutes, tops." You open the doors and the explosions stopped. Looks like they finally opened it. Mnemosyne's powers are coursing through you and you get a sword from the entrance. Your sword.

And despite not fighting for more than decades now, it seems that your enhanced memory comes in handy in times like this. You still remember every move. Every warrior you've defeated. Every single thing they did while they fought you.

When the battle ends, your sword is absolutely soaked in blood and your clothes are more than tainted. You sigh as you get back to the castle. You have to apologize to the maid because of your bloody clothes.

Daniela hugs you as you get inside and Alcina nods at you, a certain glint in her eyes.

You hug Daniela back and place your sword back to it's rightful place.

You get inside her room and take a shower before changing clothes, apologizing profusely to the amused grand chambermaid who thanks you for protecting the castle.

That night, as you slept through the night. Daniela thanks the stars that she met you.

A/N:

This took too long. Damn.

I still have requests to write then I'll get back to writing the Loving You sequel and other stuff that I'm working on.

Comments and thoughts are always welcome!

Thank you for reading!

#alcina dimitrescu x reader #donna beneviento x reader #bela dimitrescu x reader #cassandra dimitrescu x reader #daniela dimitrescu x reader #RE #RE fanfic #Resident Evil Village

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blackhakumen · 2 years

Text

Mini Fanfic #979: Bachelorette's Wedding Dress (Sonic)

6:46 p.m. at Emerald Bridal Shop.....

Amy: (Gasps Loudly While her Eyes Begins to Sparkle at What is in Front 9f her and Rouge) Oh my gosh!~

Rouge: (Starts Smirking in a Very Impressed Manner) Me-ow~

Vanilla: So.....What do you ladies think?

Amy: (Almost at a Loss For Words) G-G....Gorgeous.....

Rouge: (Takes Out a Small Mirror From her Purse and Gives it to Vanilla) Take a look for yourself, Mrs. Crocodile~

Vanilla uses the small mirror Rouge gave her to examine the wedding dress she is currently wearing. It wasn't too long for the soon-to-be bride gasps loudly at how bright and absolutely stunning the white, long sleeved dress in question, looks on her. It might not be the most elegant dress to some, but for Vanilla, it is a dress that is destined to be worn by her the moment she first sets her eyes on it.

Vanilla: My goodness.....(Eyes Begins to Sparkle at the Sight of the Reflection of Herself) I DO look gorgeous in this dress!~

Amy: Told you!~ It fits you so perfectly and everything. Looking like a princess in a ball!~

Rouge: Screw princess. She looks like a goddamn queen.

Vanilla: (Giggles Softly While Blushing) Oho girls~ You're making me blush already~ Are you certain Vector will like this too?

Rouge: Honey, the man has already fallen for your charm and looks for two and a half years now. I'm pretty sure wearing that dress will blow his mind away in a matter of seconds.

Amy: Rouge's right, Mrs. Rabbit. Or....rather Mrs. Crocodile. (Grabs her Chin) You know, now that I mention it, is your last name going to be Crocodile for now or will it still be Rabbit?

Vanilla: Crocodile. Though, there IS a part of me thay kinda sort of wants it to be Crocinstein.

Amy/Rouge: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) Crocinstein?

Vanilla: (Smiles Brightly) My sweetheart's stage name growing up. He was an up and coming DJ star in his teenage years.

Rouge: Vector as a DJ......I can somewhat believe that.

Amy: (Starts Snickering) Yeah, but DJ Crocinstein though? It sounds so lame and cheesy~

Vanilla: (Immediately Pouts a Amy) Hey! It is a very lovely DJ name!

Rouge: (Snickers as Well) Yeah. For a nerd~

Amy: (Giggles Softly)

Vanilla: Yeah? (Crosses her Arms While Playfully Looking Away) Well, this bride is going to marry that wonderful, handsome nerd as we speak. In fact, I happen to be one myself in my youth.

Amy: Wait really? I figured you were in the popular crowd. (Places her Habds on her Hips While Pouting) And what is this I hear about you being in a bicker gang once?

Vanilla: (Gives Amy a Bit of a Cocky Smirk on her Face While Flipping her one of her Ears) There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Amy. ('Sigh') But still, are you girls sure you want to pay for the dress for me? It cost an awful lot.

Rouge: (Smiles Softly at the Bride to Be) Hey, you guys are already paying a lot for the wedding. So let us worry about dress while you worry about staying pretty for your future hubby.

Amy: (Happily Nodded in Agreement)

Rouge: Ooh...Speaking of which....(Makes her Way to the Store Window Watching Four Familiar Faces Walking Outside the Store and a Certain Blue Hedgehog Holding onto One of Them) Is that our boys out there soak and wet?

Vanilla/Amy: (Gasps as They Rushes Towards the Window) MY BABY!?

Meanwhile Outside.......

Knuckles: (Sighs While Walking With Among the Boys) Well, that could've gone better......

Vector: (Sighs While Squeezing the Warer Out of his Hat) Tell me about it....And I was really hoping I could catch that golden bass too....

Shadow: (Raises an Eyebrow at Vector in Curiosity) Golden Bass?

Vector: My dad caught two of them when I was kid. (Starts Rubbing The Back of his Head Back and Forth) Soooo....Once I heard there's only one located in the lake, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to catch it on my own. (Starts Rolling his Eyes) Guess that didn't work out.....

Omega: Do not feel discouraged, Vector the Crocodile. (Smiles Reassuringly) I am certain you will have many more chances of catching it one day-

???: Wow, Froggy!

The Gang (sans for Sonic who is still shaking) turns to see Big and Froggy walking by with a golden bass in his Hands.

Big: I can't believe we managed to catch a rare golden bass without a fishing hook! Do you think it'll be taste to eat?

Froggy: Ribbit.

Vector: (Watches the Duo Walk Away With his Mouth Widened and One of his Etes Twitching in Shock).................

Omega: ...........Well........That's unfortunate.

Vector: ('Sighs Heavily') I love you, dad, but....(Angrily Throws his Hat at the Floor) This is the last time we're going fishing!

Everyone: Agreed.

?????: (From a Bit of a Distance) Vector-Kins!!~

Vector: (Turns to See His Future Wife and the Rest of the Girls Making Their Way Towards Them) Oh hey dear. Were you ladies find anything you were looking for this evening?

Vanilla: (Happily Nodded) Mmhmm. (Gently Grab Both of Vector's Hands) What happened to you boys?

Rouge: Yeah, did your fishing didn't go too well or something?

Vector: It did at first....(Starts Rolling his Eyes Whe Grumbling) Till a certain big cat had to jump in and ruin it to find his dumb frog....

Vanilla: Oh! You mean Big? How has he been as of late?

Vector: Peachy. He has a job now. So....there's that.

Vanilla: How wonderful~

Amy: (Watches Omega Gently Gets Sonic Off his Head) Okay, Omega, just....lower him down for me. Slower.....slower....slower....

Omega: (Slowly Places Sonic into the Ground) The boyfriend has successfully landed into the grounded area.

Amy: (Smiles Reliefly at the Robot) That's great, Omega, thank you.

Sonic: (Gives Omega a Thumbs up While Shivering a Little) Y-Yeah, man. You're a live saver.

Amy: (Turns to Sonic With Worry in her Eyes) Oh my poor sweetie~ (Takes Off her Jacket and Place it Onto Sonic's Shoulders) Are you gonna be okay?

Sonic: (Sighs Heavily While Rubbing his Hands Up and Down on his Arms) Yeah.....I'll live. Just came out if a near death experience is all.....It was terrifying....

Amy: I know it was, but you have nothing to worry about now that I'm here. (Kiss Sonic on the Cheek)

Sonic: (Chuckles Lightly While Blushing a Little) Right. (Places his Head Onto Amy's Shoulder) Thanks, Ames.

Amy: (Happily Hugs Somic Beside Her)

Rouge: As lovely as this is, I think it's time we headed on outta here before you all catch yourselves a cold.

Vector: Already? We were about to head to the pizza place and eat.

Vanilla: We can have one of us go there and place an order.

Omega: (Immediately Raises his Hand) I vote for myself to go! (Uses Jet Boost to Make his Way to the Pizza Place)

Rouge: Wait, Omega! You forgot the- (Sighs and Facepalms Herself as She Sees Omega Boosting Off) Money. Guess I'll go with him then. (Waves at the Rest of the Gang While Catching up to Omega) See you guys back at your place!

Vanilla: (Waves Back at Rouge) 'Kay! (Turns Back to Everyone Else) Let's head home everyone. (Starts Walking Back Home While Ressting her Head Onto Vector's Shoulders) I'm sorry your fishing trip ended on a sour note.

Vector: (Shrugs) Eh. It's not big deal. (Smirks at his Girlfriend Next to Him) 'Least I get to spend the rest of the day with the prettiest bride in the globes~

Vanilla: (Giggles Softly as She Nuzzles onto Vector's Shoulders) Aww~ You missed me that much, sweetie pie?~

Vector: You know it. What kind of husband I'm gonna be if I didn't? Speaking of which.....

Vanilla: I'd it's about the dress, you have to until the wedding to see me in it.

Vector: (Playfully Disappointed) Awww....Do I have to wait until then?

Vanilla: (Simply Nodded) That's right. You know it's bad luck to see your fiance in one beforehand, right?

Vector: Yeah, but-

Vanilla: Vector....Be patient.

Sonic: (Starts Snickering at the Crocodile With Amy Containing her Giggling) I'd listen to her if I were you, Vector-Kins.

Knuckles: He's right. (Starts Smirking) You're days of being a married man are numbered.

Shadow: (Nodded in Agreement With a Small Smirk on his Face) Hmph.

Vector: ('Heh') I ain't complaining. Already can't wait. (Gives Vanilla a Kiss on the Head) You owe me a nightly cuddle session.

Vanilla: (Smiles Softly) You'll get your cuddles after you dry yourself off. (Kiss Vector on the Cheek) Okay?

Vector: Yes, dear.

@keyenuta

@rechicken-and-waffles

@cyber-wildcat

@caleb13frede

@ma-lemons

@vectorfan2

@ma-lemons

#sonic series #vanilla the rabbit #amy rose #rouge the bat #vector the crocodile #knuckles the echidna #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #e 123 omega #big the cat #froggy #takes place after the boys went fishing #humor #cute romance #lots and lots of fluff here #vanilla x vector #sonamy #vector and vanilla wedding adventures

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