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honeykngdom · 10 months

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𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢 | 𝚎.𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 | 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

Pairing: Embry Call x Original Character Summary: Join Ainsley and Embry as they embark on a journey where they are forced to question everything they thought they knew, and embrace the pain that is inevitable to avoid in love. An imprint story. Self-discovery. Angst and romance. Word Count: 4.7k Warnings: NSFW - mentions of prior sexual assault, mentions of prior ingestion of date rape prev. chapter | next chapter

The sun broke through the curtains, pulling me from my slumber. Embry left the window open throughout the night, making the air within our shared room frosty and bitter; I sunk deeper into the mattress and pulled the thick duvet under my chin. My eyes strained against the light, and I gave a sort of whining noise as I stretched my legs, entire body aching with the movements. A pair of warm arms tightened around my waist and Embry’s nose pressed into my neck as he hugged me closer to his half-asleep frame.

My eyes watched the gentle fall of the snowflakes, a small smile breaking across my lips as I gingerly ran my hand along the arm that held me. “Look, babe. It’s snowing.” I whispered quietly; the gentle lift of his chin was followed by a slight hum, then a lingering kiss was pressed to my jaw. It was mornings like these that I wanted to freeze in time forever. Wanted to remain in bed all day with Embry and his warm embrace. “I have to get up.” I lamented, my breath faltering into a laugh as Embry groaned in reluctance.

I spent several minutes trying to coax him into letting me go – it ended with multiple kisses and disapproving mumbles. I had an early shift at the diner, and needed to give myself ample time to get to Forks so that I wasn’t late. I rushed through my shower, slipping on two pairs of socks to keep the cold tiles from bothering my feet. Once I was satisfied with my hair and no longer looked lifeless, I returned to the cold bedroom to see Embry’s frame spread across the bed frame. He laid on his stomach, hugging his arms around the pillow his head was resting on. The bed was a King, and still, he almost looked too big – as though he were sleeping on a double.

I pressed my cold lips to his back, evading his desperate fingers as they searched blindly for me. “I’ll see you at Emily’s tonight – I promised her we’d help out.”

“Your keys are in the ignition.” Embry grunted in response.

I expected the Jeep to be buried under a mountain of snow, but instead it sat in the driveway cleared. Embry must have slipped out while I was showering to clear it off for me - and had even started the heat inside. I shivered in the warmth of the vehicle, thanking all the Gods for my boyfriend before I pulled the car into drive and sped off down the road towards the highway out of town.

It took me an extra twenty minutes to get through the snow banks; the plows hadn’t come through the reservation yet but I was certain the drive home would be less daunting. I parked behind the diner, rushing through the backdoor. I was shrugging out of my jacket just as the clock ticked to 7:00 AM.

“Mornin’ chickie!” Debbie chirped from the front counter, her red hair curled uniformly away from her face.

“Morning.” I smiled, kicking my boots off at the door to pull my sneakers on. “Where’s Angie?”

Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear. The short-haired girl rounded the corner, supporting the tray with her hip. I could tell Angie had recently buzzed the undercut, leaving the three inches up top to grow out a little more. I smiled wider, catching the cloth that was tossed in my direction.

“Hey, nugget.”

“How’s the rush?” I asked.

“Not much of a rush,” Angie sighed, sorting the dishes off her tray. “Damn snow.”

I bumped her hip, rolling the sleeves up on my white blouse to wash my hands. “Don’t knock the snow.”

“What’s so great about it? It’s cold, it’s wet, it gets ugly when exhaust and cars run over it all the time.”

I rolled my eyes. “It means Christmas is coming.” I rinsed the soap from my skin, and flicked my fingers at Angie’s face, water droplets pelting in her direction. “Plus, it means my birthday is almost here.”

Angie was about a year older than I was. When I first started working at Shaker’s, Ang’s hair had just reached her chin, was parted in the middle and was a warm chestnut brown. After her break up, she buzzed the undercut and kept it short, just long enough to grab a decent fistful whenever she was stressed. Her teeth sat in perfectly straightened rows – many thanks to the braces she endured in her teen years. Her pale skin made me envision red sunburns in the summertime. She was simple, but still pretty. It was her firecracker attitude that made me fall in love with her.

“There’s somebody out there asking for you.” Angie stuffed her towel into the back pocket of her black jeans. “All morning - showed up right when we opened.”

I pulled my brows together, tying my apron around my waist hastily as I wandered towards the front. The girls were right – the diner was essentially empty, except for the two occupied booths in the corner. There was a man that sat at the front counter, his hands wrapped gingerly around a cup of coffee and his hat pulled down over his eyes. I grabbed one of the breakfast menus as I wandered towards him.

“Special for the day is blueberry pancakes. Trust me, you’ll want to try ‘em if you’re just passing through.” I mused lightly, sliding the laminated booklet in front of him.

When he looked up, I froze. I would have recognized that petulant stare from a mile away; his brown orbs now darkened into a sort of black, his mouth pulled back into a slight grimace. I braced my hands on the countertop between us, trying to keep the bad taste from rising completely up my throat.

Maddox looked as though he had been through hell and back a few times. I couldn’t find the heart to feel any sort of sympathy.

“Not hungry,” he said finally, pushing the menu away with the tips of his fingers.

I watched him carefully for a moment, assessing the way his shoulders hunched forward, the way his movements seemed controlled and careful. He was trying to make himself small, so much different from how he used to be.

I had loved him once. Prior to the date-party, prior to my unhappy ending, I had believed him every time he said he’d marry me someday, that he’d make me happy. He’d take care of me. That is what I had counted on - being with someone that could protect me from any sort of danger, although I had never fathomed what that danger could possibly be. His honey-brown orbs used to make my head spin, the way he carried himself made me feel as though he was an unstoppable force of nature.

When he was hanging out with my brothers, he spent fight nights stepping into the shoes of some stereotypical douchebag, trying to put on a show to get the cash flowing. He knew people would never bet against him if no one ever landed a solid swing or two on him. He never wanted me to be there, mentioned something about it being too crowded, too busy. I never listened, obviously. Travis always kept good on his promise to sneak me in, but always failed to make sure I didn’t go missing.

“What are you doing here?” I asked curtly, pulling the menu from the countertop to drill holes into his forehead.

Maddox lifted his chin and sighed, his eyes wandering just above my head for a split second before he cracked a small half-smile. “Staying with some friends in the area,” he lied, cocking his left brow, “what are you doing here? Don’t you live on the reserve?”

I pulled my brows together. “How did you know?”

His eyes rolled. “Because you told me where you were born, love.”

“Do not,” I seethed, leaning forward to get in his face, “come in here and pretend like you know me.”

“But I do know you.” Maddox pressed, leaning back away from me quickly. “Your favourite colour is purple. You absolutely love ketchup even though it’s awful for you. You can’t stand the rain yet you can’t seem to find yourself anywhere sunny and warm to live. You’d never admit it outloud, but Trenton is your favoured brother -”

I held up my hand, having heard enough. I was certain he could go on and on. We had spent the majority of a year together as an item; being young had meant we spent more time in private than at house parties. The first time I agreed to go to a frat party was only because he was a freshman and had begged me to come along. Maddox was on bitch duty, had to make sure everyone had a drink in their hand, and had to be the one to clean up the house once everyone had left. Before that night, I thought I had met the one, thought I knew what it was like to be loved.

If only I had known a love like Embry’s, I might’ve been able to save myself from the months of nightmares and internal torment.

I moved down the countertop, wiping the space at the end of the counter where my regular usually sat. He only came in Tuesday mornings, right before his shift at the department with my father. My lips broke into a slightly forced smile as Charlie took his seat, shrugging out of his coat.

“Regular black?” I asked as I pulled a mug from the dishwasher.

“Yes ma’am,” he beamed; his face was old and weary. TJ talked about Charlie quite a bit, with him being the Chief and all. When I finally met him, we clicked and he swore up and down he’d only come in for breakfast or dinner on the nights I was working. He always tipped generously, and always left smiling. Last I heard, he was dating Sue, Seth and Leah’s mom.

I glanced at Maddox from my peripheral vision; he had removed his hat, light brown hair pulled back into a small bun. He was watching me, assessing my movements much like I had been watching him earlier. I tried not to let my annoyance surface, poured Charlie’s coffee and tossed the empty canister into the sink.

I set the mug in front of Charlie, leaning against the countertop. “The special’s blueberry pancakes.” I said cheerfully, browsing through the laminated pages of the menu. “But, you have yet to try any of the omelets – which is a sin, because they’re so delicious.” I mused, eyes scanning over the page.

“How about just a big stack of bacon.” I glanced at him with slight disapproval. “What? Look at the crap I gotta deal with today, I deserve some pig meat.”

“Only if you get eggs with it.” I finalized, standing up straight.

“Fine.” Charlie replied bitterly, taking a sip of the steaming coffee. “Poached.”

“Bacon burnt to a crisp?” I asked, slipping the menu back into its place under the register. Charlie nodded.

Customers trailed in one by one over the course of the next two hours, each seated with heaping mountains of warm breakfast filling their tables. Maddox had yet to finish his coffee, but I was certain it was ice-cold by this point. When I walked past him for the umpteenth time, I swiped his mug off the countertop, dumped the contents in the sink and poured him a fresh cup.

“You didn’t have to do that.” He said once I replaced it in front of him, leaning back on the stool when I neared. I pulled her brows together first in confusion, then annoyance.

“Yes, I did.” I grumbled, wiping the counter around him. “My boss does keep an eye on me, and the customers.”

Maddox pursed his lips together, settling his hands around his mug again, “You’re doing a good job.”

“Don’t.” I hissed, turning to pile the empty and used mugs into the dishwasher up front. When I turned around to restock the napkin dispenser, Maddox was wearing a smug smile. His smugness was nothing like Embry’s - and that made me want to launch my fist right into his nose.

“Would you prefer it if I left?” He asked.

“Yes, actually,” I braced my hand on the counter and the other on my hip, trying to keep my face straight and emotionless, “because I don’t know why you’re here.”

“I wanted to see you.”

I clenched my jaw together tightly, lifting my eyes from his to scan the restaurant. Charlie was pulling his jacket over his uniform, offering me momentary relief.

“I never wanted to see you. So, I think it’s best if you leave.” I pressed, hard eyes cutting back to the unwelcome visitors before I pushed away from the counter to meet Charlie at the till.

Another hour passed; another hour where Maddox waited patiently, where his coffee remained untouched, another hour where I could feel my irritation building. I pushed through the doors behind the kitchen, wandering over to where Angie sat on a pile of skids. I sat down next to her, leaning against the wall for support.

“Still there, huh?” Angie asked with a laugh, working her fingers through her cropped hair.

“Mhm,” I sighed, fixing my ponytail. “I wish he’d leave.”

“Tell him off.”

I rolled my eyes, “Don’t you think I haven’t tried that, Ang?” My friend tossed me a sheepish smile over her shoulder, shrugging meekly. “Debbie would be pissed if he left a bad review.”

“Would he leave a bad review?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Probably. Just to spite me.” We exited the kitchen together, working to clear the tables on our respective halves of the floor, quickly wiping down tables and restocking condiment containers. By the time lunch pulled around, I opted out of walking down the street to buy lunch. I tossed my apron onto the skids in the back, and walked out into the dining area, around the counter with my food.

Maddox watched me take a seat in one of the booths. Much to my dismay, he slipped off his stool, bringing his cold coffee with him.

I watched him settle into the booth across from me; I began pouring the syrup across my two slices of french toast, trying not to pay him any mind. We sat in silence for five minutes before he spoke up, “I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”

I dropped my fork on my plate, folding my arm., “That’s funny.”

“What is?”

“You’ve got a lot of balls, Maddox.” I spat, cutting through the second piece. “To show up here and pretend like I don’t have every reason to completely hate you. The only reason why I’ve been playing nice is because this is my job, and I have to be nice.”

Maddox leaned forward. “And if we weren’t here?”

“I would’ve kicked you in the fucking balls three hours ago.”

He laughed, mainly to himself, folding his hands on top of the table. “Still feisty, it’s adorable.”

“Yeah,” I growled, “my boyfriend seems to think so, too.”

“I’m sure he does.” Maddox – for the first time that morning – took a small sip of his coffee, face even, smooth and emotionless. “Embry, isn’t it?”

I paused again, eyes burning holes into his, jaw clenching shut again. “How do you know his name?”

“Are you happy?”

I shook my head, pushing my plate away from me. “Dammit, Maddox.” I growled, leaning back in the booth. “How do you know so much about my life here? I haven’t seen you since –” I stopped talking, pursing my lips shut tightly. I watched the slightest hint of remorse flash in his dark eyes. “You need to leave.”

“Ainsley.”

“No. You don’t get to show up here and pretend like nothing happened – like you have a right to know me.”

“Your friends aren’t the safest people to be around, Ains.”

“What friends?” I asked bitterly.

“Jacob, Embry – the rest.” His tone was suggestive as he leaned forward. “They’re walking timebombs, love, you gotta know that’s not safe.”

“Better than a bunch of rapists –”

“I am not a rapist.” He retorted, his eyes flashed quickly and his voice was low and raspy. The sudden change in his demeanor sent a shiver down my spine, causing the hairs on my arms to stand at full attention.

My tongue moved slowly around the words. “No. You’re just an accomplice, which is just as bad.”

Maddox was moving quickly then. He slid out of the booth, reaching into his wallet for a twenty. He slapped it on the table, his nostrils flared angrily. “For the coffee.”

“Coffee’s two-fifty –”

“Then consider it a tip.” He growled, pulling his hat back over his head. Maddox paused for a brief moment, then inhaled deeply and bent down quickly, pressing his lips to my hair – which I tried to refrain from recoiling from. He then turned and appeared to glide towards the front door, walking into the white storm with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. I moved my eyes back down to the twenty on the table, then looked up to meet Angie’s eyes, sinking down into my seat with a sense of defeat washing over my body.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

I parked next to Emily’s house, cursing myself for not thinking to pack an extra set of clothing for after my shift. The baby shower was tomorrow, and I promised Emily I would stop by after I finished at the diner to help set up. There were sisters from her hometown that would be driving in, along with the entire pack plus their significant others, and some extended family. Embry and I had gone halfsies on adorable onesies. One read “You People Are Huge” (my choice) and another read “Watch your language asshole, I’m a baby” (Embry’s choice, unfortunately).

I slipped my boots off at the door, leaving my jacket draped over one of the kitchen chairs. “You shouldn’t be doing that.” I chided, moving to help Emily down from the mini-ladder. The kitchen had been overfilled with streamers and balloons carefully and strategically hung from banister to banister.

“My husband wouldn’t help.” She growled, resting a hand on her swollen tummy.

Sam popped his head out from around the corner of the living room, his thick brows pulled together. “You yelled at me and told me you could do it yourself!”

“You’re not supposed to believe me!” Emily hissed, shoving the leftover garbage into the white bag that sat in the middle of the table.

Embry came up from the basement with Jared on his tail; I felt my chest lighten, hands instinctively reaching forward to him. “Warm.” I mumbled happily, wrapping my arms around his stomach, pressing my cold hands against his bare back. He leaned down with a quiet chuckle, pressing his lips to my hair.

And then shoved me away quickly, arms gripping my shoulders tightly.

“Ow.” I whined quietly, trying to squirm away from his grip. “Emb, ease up.”

“You stink.” Embry said definitively, his eyes hard and cold.

I stopped moving, feeling the heat rise in my chest. I looked around the room uncomfortably, then lowered my voice. “No, I didn’t have time to go home and change, I’m sor–”

“No, shut up.” He growled, pulling me into him again, returning his nose to my hair. Embry inhaled deeply, pulling his face away with a look of disgust before he looked over his shoulder, “Sam, c’mere.”

I shoved his arms away from mine, hands rubbing over the skin tentatively, hoping that it wouldn’t be too heavily bruised. I planned on wearing a short-sleeved dress for the shower. Sam put his empty wrappers into the garbage, then leaned over the chair to sniff the air around me.

His face hardened, much like Embry’s had, a certain distaste crawled over his features as a visible tremor rolled down his spine. Emily watched from behind Embry with a confused expression, carefully keeping close eyes on Sam’s frame. “That’s the scent.” Embry finally said, taking a step away from my frame.

“They’re in Forks.” Jared said quietly from his seat on the stairs.

“What are they doing in Forks?”

“Who’s in Forks?” I wondered out loud, looking up at Embry for some sort of explanation. He ignored me, following Sam into the living room as the pair began conversing hastily. Jared rolled his eyes, giving Emily a knowing glance.

“Woah, what stinks?” Paul scrunched his nose up, Jacob, Leah and Trent following suit as they entered in from the crisp outdoors. Paul and Jacob were bare-chested and wearing cut-offs, which meant they were back from their evening patrol.

“Ainsley.” Jared grumbled in reply to Paul, his eyes narrowing in my direction.

Emily threw a roll of tape in his general direction. “Give it a rest, Jared.”

“What’s going on?”

Emily rolled her eyes, sitting next to me at the table, “Ainsley came across one of the scents today and brought it home, so I’m sure Sam and Embry are in the living room plotting how to eliminate the threat.”

Paul sat on the other side of me, sniffing again. I blushed. “That’s the males – how did you manage to bring that home?”

“Bring what home?” I asked, annoyance dripping off each word.

“The leeches scent. You’re covered in it.” He stated, as if it were the most obvious thing.

I paused, rearing my thoughts back to my day. I always kept an eye out for anything that seemed out of place, people that seemed obviously beautiful and perfect. People that seemed restrained. “Maddox ..” I whispered quietly, feeling my chest cave abruptly. There was no way –

“Maddox?” Trent asked from across the table. “What’s he doing in Forks?”

“He was looking for me at Shaker’s.” I replied absently, eyes unfocused on the table in front of me. “Came by before I even showed up, didn’t leave until after lunch rush.”

“What did he want?” Paul asked, kicking his feet up onto the table. Emily grimaced.

I shrugged, hoping I could remain cool and collected. “No idea, honestly. That would explain how he knows you all by name – that’s what he meant when he said you were …” I sighed, letting my eyes slip shut. “This makes sense.” Kind of.

“His scent is saturating you, Ains.” Embry drawled from the doorway, arms folded across his broad chest. Sam stood next to him, mimicking the same seriousness.

I could feel my shoulders drop forward, attempting to make myself small under the careful watch of everyone in the room. “He sat with me when I was on break.”

“You let the scumbag sit with you?” Trent asked dubiously.

Better rip the bandaid off. “And he might have kissed my head before he left.” I conceded.

“Ainsley –”

“I told him to leave.” I said desperately, trying to avoid bringing my eyes to meet my boyfriends. Embry had tried his best to keep his temper from coming forward when I was around, trying to believe nothing I did was to purposely hurt him. But in that moment, I could see Leah move in between Trent and Embry, hands braced on the back of his chair. The room had shifted; it was suddenly thick, hot and uncomfortable.

“Who’s Maddox?” Jacob asked, breaking the silence in the room. I shared a look with Trent, hoping he would keep good on his word. When he met my eyes, his face softened in understanding. The situation I had thrown myself into was not one out of choice: undoubtedly, Embry was fuming. If not because a vampire had been close enough to his imprint that I could have died, then because said vampire had actually touched me. Kissed me.

“Someone from Seattle that I knew.” Trent said finally. “Worked with him for a few months. Not the greatest guy.”

“Perfect. So, we’re doing the world a favour, then.” Embry suggested, anger dripping from his words. It was uncomfortable to hear him speak so freely about the idea of killing someone, although I knew they didn’t necessarily see it as murder. Couldn’t kill what was already dead.

“What are you going to do, Emb? Kill him yourself?” Leah asked from behind Trent, her tone half-teasing.

“Yes.”

All eyes shot to Embry then, watching his arms settle at his sides, fists trembling the slightest bit. I thought back to Maddox – small visions played across my mind. Embry’s large gray wolf ripping through his flesh, his growls filling the empty air. I tried to suppress the urge to shiver.

“Guess we’re heading back out there.” Jacob sighed, nodding toward Leah. “Embry, maybe you should go home with Ains. If one of them knows her, it might be better if –”

“No.” He said angrily, his hard eyes cutting back to me briefly before he returned his gaze to Jacob dutifully. “I'm going with you.”

At this point, I couldn’t tell if he was adamant about finding Maddox to kill him, or if he really didn’t want to be stuck with me. I was trying to pretend like the latter wasn’t a possibility. The room emptied quickly, each warm body following Embry out of the front door, slamming it shut behind them. Trent, Emily and I sat around the kitchen table, quietly looking around the half-decorated room.

“Better finish this, then.” I said finally, grabbing a roll of tape. Emily and my brother watched me for only a moment, both of their faces heavy, before Trent stood and came to help. We spent the following hour hanging multi-coloured ribbon from the ceiling, turning Emily’s kitchen and living room into open areas with lots of space, full of balloons and streamers.

I offered to give Trent a ride back to Leah’s, seeing as Jacob had been their original ride to Emily’s. Once we were in the Jeep, he turned the heat on full and turned to me.

“Are we going to talk about what happened?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“C’mon, Ains.” He sighed, leaning his elbow against the window. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s a load of shit,” he grumbled, “Maddox gave you hell.”

“Maddox wasn’t the one who defiled me and left me on the bathroom floor.”

Trent clenched his jaw. “No, but he was the one who let frat scum slip a pill into your drink.”

“Trent, leave it alone.”

“Why?” My brother asked, neck craned so he could look at me with a hard expression. “Maddox deserves everything Embry wants to do to him, and probably more.”

I didn’t respond; my hands gripped the steering wheel tightly while my eyes focused on navigating through the white sheet of snow that whirled around in the darkness. I didn’t want to talk about Maddox. I didn’t want anyone to know about what had happened, or give Embry more of a reason to get angry. I didn’t want to make excuses for the man, but I didn’t want to think about my boyfriend taking pleasure in killing anyone.

“Ainsley,” Trenton finally broke the silence, a sigh tumbling from lips. “Do you wanna go home? We can go home. I’ll stay at the house with you.”

I shook my head vehemently. “No, I should probably be there when Embry comes back.” I sniffled, wiping my nose on my sleeve. I was still sick and the outside weather wasn’t helping me feel any less crappy. “You’re living with Leah now?” I asked, glancing over at Trent in the darkness.

He shrugged. “My idea. Took a lot of persuasion.”

“I bet.” I mumbled, turning into Leah’s driveway. “She doesn’t seem like she’s the type to jump head first into all of this.”

“Definitely not.” He laughed, pulling his hat over his ears. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, offering him a smile as he exited the vehicle.

The ride back to Embry and Jacob’s side of the reservation was slow; neither of the men were home when I arrived. To spare any sort of argument later, I showered as quickly and thoroughly as I could, and threw in a load of laundry in hopes of eliminating any traces of the vampire stench. The clock on the kitchen wall read 11:56 PM by the time I finished eating and cleaned the dishes.

My eyes fought sleep until my phone read 2:00 AM. I finally gave up waiting for Embry to come home, and gave in to the exhaustion that draped over me like a thick blanket. I locked the windows tightly, ensuring to keep any harsh winds from coming through. Then, I collapsed onto my side of the bed, pulling the thick white duvet up to my chin, shivering slightly in the bed that was colder than usual.

#embry call fanfic #embry call x oc #embry call x reader #kiowa gordon #embry call #twilight #* mine #series: SAH

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tallmadgeandtea · 5 months

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The Peace Testimony

“Lower thy sword, and release it from the throat of thy brethren.”

Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1777. The Battle of Brandywine brings war into the quiet countryside, as both armies fight for control around Philadelphia. Every night since, a young Quaker woman must watch her father try and do the unthinkable: convince soldiers to desert their line and support the Cause of pacifism, not Independence. Esther’s father never succeeds.

Until one night, he does.

—————

“Say good evening to our guest,” Father instructed.

Esther said nothing.

“Captain Daniel Ainsley of the 1st Dragoons,” the solider bowed, “your servant, miss.”

Oh, Good God, he let a horse soldier in? She looked past him, found his saber slung across the table, its sheathed blade hanging over the edge, and his leather helmet, black as night, its horsehair plume, white as snow, cascading above the floorboards. Soldiers with muskets were terrifying, but cavalrymen did the Devil’s work. They scouted routes, spied on neighbors, raided, and cut men down as they ran from their horses, their sabers were Death’s scythes.

“Thou art no servant of mine,” she said.

—————-

(Post script: A short historical fiction story by yours truly.)

#making this to motivate myself #I’m writing it for my creative writing class #have had it in my head for ages #if you guys wanna read it maybe I’ll post it? but where is the question #historical fiction #the Philadelphia campaign #american revolution #amanda writes (kind of)#none of these pictures are mine #the battle of brandywine

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mermaidsirennikita · 7 months

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Weekly Book Recs: 9/29-10/6

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

I read The Love Hypothesis, enjoyed it, and didn't read another Ali Hazelwood book until now. Not because I have anything against her work; contemporary books just aren't often my main priority, and when they are, I tend to learn towards more erotic contemporaries. But this was lovely! It felt weirdly cozy, which is what I needed, I loved the way Hazelwood dealt with both the issues in academia and the heroine's diabetes, and the hero was... quite hot. Like, a stern nerd who went down on her while she was watching Twilight because he needed to "amuse himself". Which, I gotta say? Is kinda the dream. She lived the fantasy. I feel like Hazelwood is often framed as this "spicier Emily Henry" thing, and while her books are definitely hotter than Henry's, they're very much their own thing. And I personally find her messy approach (with Big Fucking Guys) a lot more appealing.

The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

Sometimes I forget how good a historical romance can be--like, not just fun, but a special kind of good that makes me feel warm and happy and comforted but also amused and entertained and emotional. I love the first two books in this series, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage; and I also love this installment, about a rakish Scot who's actually a horse girl/Single Dad Trying His Best and a seemingly innocent (but seriously complex) widow with a penchant for theft. It's passionate, it's fun (God bless the scene where Ainsley just begins jacking Cameron off at the opera while he presses his head into his hands to hide how badly he is losing his miiind) and it takes some turns I didn't expect. It's more character than plot, and it does that very well. Heads up before reading: there are fairly explicit discussions of previous domestic violence and sexual assault (not against the heroine). The book actually takes a pretty different approach to this than... any historical I've read.

Hollow by C.M. Nascosta

Perfect for spooky season, this is essentially a novella-length bind-up of two short stories revolving around Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman. The second story is a bit more of a conventional retelling, leaning on the romance side, with Katrina Van Tassel caught between Brom Bones and ol' Headless. It's a bit Gothic, a bit dark, and fairly spooky (and sexy). The first story is an erotica short about Ichabod Crane being spit roasted by two headless horsemen (one of which is named Brom Bones--different one) in a locker room. Yes, the heads are carried around separately. Yes, they are used. And while I enjoyed both--I would be lying if I told you my favorite wasn't... the locker room one.

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley

Perhaps my favorite historical romance in quite a while--this one just blew me away. You spend the previous three novels on Hart Mackenzie's younger brothers; he's an overprotective, domineering force in their life, determined to control the world. Here, you see him completely thrown off guard when his former fiancee and first love, Eleanor, returns to his life (not because she wants to get back together, but because someone is sending her Hart's old nudes). It's passionate, it's angsty, you have a perfect "alpha hero and the woman who sees straight through him" dynamic. Eleanor fucking owns this man, and she does so with a smile and a crook of her finger. There's also a lot of intense emotion and melancholy, a strong sense of loss and misspent youth. And like. Passion. It's really fucking good, basically, and I enjoyed everything about it.

#romance novel blogging #book recs #books #book reviews #weekly book recs #lol me reading the sins of lord cameron and the duke's perfect wife: finally some good fucking food #there's just something about a reallly good scottish historical

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zorlok-if · 2 years

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Dev Log – Aug 1st

Hello everyone!

Hope you're all well. After a very busy week, my last summer course is finally done. I've now got about three weeks til my final semester begins. That means I can finally get back into working on Zorlok without feeling guilty about avoiding homework. Anyways, here we go 😊

Zorlok Progress

OVERALL: No major writing updates.

Changing/tweaking some of the characters names, no one major (mostly Tommy's mom and Ainsley), I'll make a separate post about it soon

Main Posts

Random reaction post

Cast as tarot cards

Asks about the hellhound: here, here, here, here, and here

This art by /@riessene (which is still blowing my mind)

Me being a dumbass

How did the Celestial decide on eir human form?

Dance idea

Ciel comment

Post about using books and libraries as resources to learn coding (and this one about library usage)

This essay about being a villain-coded queer

Posts about short story: here and here

Other Stuff

Completed the first draft of my short story (the one I turned in for my class). Check out more about it here.*

Literally not much else, this week has been absurdly busy with class and work (luckily this upcoming week I get an extra day off to make up for the extra hours I worked this past week)

That's all! Thanks as always for reading this and supporting this project. Hope you have a good week!

- Albie 😊

* There's a link to play this version in the Zorlok discord server's #show-and-tell channel (if you're interested in a sneak peek)

#update #dev log #game development #twine #twine game

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laikuh · 1 year

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@spoopy-action-at-distance

If you have time, can you give a short run-down on why this show is a good watch and why a SPN John Winchester fan might like it? The gifs are making me curious!

hey! sorry it’s taken me a few days to get to this! i would be happy to give a short run-down of prodigal son.

basic premise: malcolm bright, born malcolm whitly, is the son of martin whitly, an infamous new york serial killer known as “the surgeon.” malcolm was close to martin as a child, and even after martin was incarcerated at an asylum, he remained close. both men further bonded over murder and what makes the mind of a serial killer tick as malcolm grew, but eventually malcolm cut off martin to study profiling and join the fbi as a profiler. when the show starts, he’s been fired from the fbi and is now consulting for the nypd under the leadership of the cop who helped him as a kid and that cop’s detective team.

the bad: this show is a knock-off nbc hannibal. malcolm has will graham’s same empathy gift, though it’s packaged differently, he’s just as mentally unwell (if not worse), and his push and pull dynamic with martin is very very similar to will’s push and pull with hannibal in season 3.

it is also a procedural. and i mean, like, really a procedural. like criminal minds level, not like hannibal having to pretend at being a procedural to tell an actual story, just a straight up procedural (don’t take a shot everytime i type the word “procedural”). this means it’s...i mean it feels like criminal minds. and i don’t mean that super negatively generally speaking. i love criminal minds tbh! i have seen most seasons of cm like 4 times, i just never talk about it here bc it would ruin whatever weird artsy incest vibe i’ve managed to acquire on this blog. but i just mean if you think you’re going to get a show as delicate as hannibal with prodigal son, you aren’t. it’s going to be more akin to criminal minds.

it is also very stupid and dramatic. like. shit happens that will make you roll your eyes. it’s ridiculous. it’s over the top. it’s silly.

the good: the acting and the cast is wonderful. the dude who plays malcolm is so good. i mean, so fucking good. and michael sheen needs no words. it’s michael fucking sheen. he’s taking his volturi camp and making it somehow worse, by which i mean better, and he’s just so fun to watch. lou diamond phillips is great as gil. i love both the actors who play dani and jt. bellamy young took me some time as jessica whitly, malcolm’s mother, but she’s grown on me a lot if you assume she is also playing camp instead of serious. and the actress who plays ainsley is...fine. lol. also down the line we also get recurring roles from dermot mulroney, catharine zeta-jones, and alan cumming.

also i mentioned above that it is stupid. but actually i love that it is stupid. i love that it is stupid so much. i think it’s so fun! i love rolling my eyes fondly and thinking, “god, this show is dumb.” it’s campy! it’s having a grand time! i love it for its wildness and think that’s what makes it so enjoyable. let shows be dumb! it’s good for us as a society, i think.

but really, the best selling point for this show is the martin-malcolm dynamic. it’s so juicy. it’s so gross. it’s so tragic. they play off each other beautifully, and tom payne as malcolm really does a perfect job of getting us a crystal clear image of how damaged malcolm is by his experience with his father. how fucked up his love for martin has made him. he’s gone on his dad, his dad is gone on him, and it’s so unhealthy and awful. but it’s also really interesting. i eat up every scene together, and i love how unpleasant it is. malcolm is a very whumpy character, very dean winchester, very will graham. he’s so sad, he has so many daddy issues, he is so broken. we love to see it.

as for your specific question i’ve kind of been avoiding, i don’t really have a reason why a john winchester fan would like prodigal son, as john and martin are not overly similar beyond the damage they’ve caused their oldest children. and even then, john at least was a good person trying to do some good. martin whitley is genuinely a serial killer who is deeply psychotically unhinged. he is trying to do only harm, even to malcolm, even if he thinks otherwise.

tldr: prodigal son is fun and emotional if lacking in originality and realism. it’s a procedural, which means it’s repetitive, and its flair for the dramatics may not be a good fit for some. but if you love characters that are filled to the brim with daddy issues, are super traumatized, and also might be a little in love with their fathers, i think it’s a great pick to watch.

#mine #prod son

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bookgeekgrrl · 1 year

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My media this week (29 Jan-4 Feb 2023)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊👂‍A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) (T.E. Kinsey, author; Elizabeth Knowelden, narrator) - very entertaining historical cozy mystery with charming characters and not heavy historical accuracy (which doesn't detract in any way from the entertainment value (at least for me)). Plus the fact that they are free in both ebook & audio via KU. Definitely going to read more.

🥰 Exquisite (copperbadge aka Sam Starbuck) - 172K, White Collar, Peter/El/Neal - complete AU rewrite of s1-2, very well plotted & integrated; light D/s dynamic with P/N. I regret endlessly that there is not more good OT3 stuff like this for this show!

🙂 Push The Button (Kalee60) - 100K, shrunkyclunks - absolute tropefest: fake dating, team-as-family, only one bed, an entire pine forest

😊👂‍Mystery Mile (Albert Campion Mystery #2) (Margery Allingham, author; Francis Matthews, narrator) - this one was full on 'mysterious criminal gang adventure' than 'domestic murder' - I really do enjoy Campion's whole THING: his complete willingness to be the absolute fool so that people vastly underestimate him. alas, CWs for all the usual period typical/contemporary racism/antisemitism/xenophobia (+ a mouse death)

💖💖 +80K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

the night breeze carries something sweet (asbealthgn) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 4.8K - short but delightful rockstar!Eddie/some guy!Steve meet cute

His Greatest Adversary Yet (architeuthis) - original work: 15K - absolutely wonderful story about a retired superhero and the supervillian who keeps seeking him out because he misses him (and has a very late-in-life gay awakening when he finds him)

And I Knew (in the Crystalline Knowledge of You) (PippinPips) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 27K - fantastic Practical Magic AU

Cassiopeia, Orion, Bootes (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 10K - another incredible monsterfucking fic. what a fucking gift!

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Shotgun Wedding

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - s2, e1-4

Poker Face - s1, e1-4

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Off Menu - Ep 104: Martin Freeman

Welcome to Night Vale #210 - Ten Years Later

Welcome to Night Vale #211 - Howl

The Sporkful - The Boom And Bust Of Meat Alternatives

Renegades: Born in the USA - Relationships with Our Fathers & Masculinity

Welcome to Night Vale #212 - The Campus

You Must Remember This - 1980: Richard Gere and American Gigolo (Erotic 80s Part 3)

Welcome to Night Vale #213 - Murals

Welcome to Night Vale #214 - The Comet's Tail

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Galileo’s Middle Finger

Strange Customs with Sasha Sagan - Nicole Richie—The Conspiracy

Renegades: Born in the USA - Fatherhood

Off Menu - Ainsley Harriott

Vibe Check - Hope Is A Light-skinned Ideal

99% Invisible #523 - Six-on-Six Basketball

Ologies with Alie Ward - Laryngology (VOICE BOXES) Part 2 with Ronda Alexander

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Freud Museum London

Welcome to Night Vale - Bonus Episode: Crime Line

Welcome to Night Vale #221 - The Glow Cloud, Explained

You Must Remember This - 1981: Neonoir, Body Heat and Postman Always Rings Twice (Erotic 80s Part 4)

Into It - A History of Whammies at the Grammys (Plus: What's Lil Rel Howery Into?)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Westgate with Rico Gagliano

Renegades: Born in the USA - Looking Towards American Renewal

Off Menu - Ep 137: Michael Schur

Endless Thread - Him: An AI Love Story

You Must Remember This - 1982: Teen Sexploitation, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porky's and The Blue Lagoon (Erotic 80s Part 5)

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Presenting Miley Cyrus

Presenting Britney Spears

Presenting Dua Lipa

Future Friends [Superfruit]

Presenting Lady Gaga

My Mix #3 {mostly '80s pop with a New Wave concentration}

my 'Thumbs Up' playlist

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bookwyrrm · 1 year

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I read 5 predicted 5-star reads. Here’s how they turned out!

#1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

This was a good introduction to the world that these novellas are set in. The characters did not grab me as much as I would have liked - I do wonder if the choice to write this story as a novella rather than a full novel was a disservice to the ideas of political intrigue and devotion that Vo was interested in. However, I then went on to read (well, listen to) the second book in this series and LOVED it, so I’ll definitely be picking up the third one too!

#2. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

Honestly, Portrait of a Thief was disappointing. I feel like this review by Cindy Pham sums up many of the thoughts I also had while reading in a more concise way than I could, lol.

#3. Babel by R. F. Kuang

Babel is just as good as everyone says it is. Holy shit. The first half of the book is reaaaalllly slow, but after having finished the whole thing, I do think that level of minute detail / forcing readers to live in Robin’s head for so long worked to emphasize the ending.

#4. Fangs by Sarah Andersen

Just adorable. I think more of a connected storyline would have put this book over the top for me into something that I loved rather than something that I really liked. However, this was the perfect thing to pick up after Babel because it was short and sweet.

#5. In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard

This book was so fun. The world building was interesting, I loved Vu Côn‘s relationship with her kids, and the theme of nature vs. nurture throughout was one was touching + handled well, in my opinion. As a result of all these other things going on, the romantic relationship in the book does suffer a little bit, simply because there isn’t enough space to develop it very much.

Final Notes: I got the idea for this 5 books project from Chandler Ainsley on Youtube. It was a fun way to break up the huge TBR list I’ve been working off of and identify some books that I was excited about.

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strooples · 1 year

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Slice-of-life stories

SOL stories or other genres (but with elements of SOL/a SOL feel at times) tend to be my favorite thing to experiment with when coming up with a lot of my stories. Whether they’re upbeat or depressive, more adventurous or more day-to-day realism etc.

So I thought about some of the story ideas I have plans to make one day or just like to think up! I have basically a billion different story ideas and more OC’s than I could count (IDK if I’ll ever post/talk about them here one day?? might have to do something separate there). Some of which have been planned for years — though never written down.

Off the top of my head we have:

A small story revolving around 3 young adult friends who live together in the top floors of a flower shop. The shop is located in the city center of a big city, where usage of public transport is common. The main character being a girl named Juniper, who gets taken in by 2 roommate friends named Pandora (whose family owns the flower shop) and Ainsley when Juniper’s family kicks her out. The story is just a series of the 3 helping Juniper navigate her first few years as an adult, Juniper playing catch up from not being able to learn how to do a lot of things under her parents’ care, as they all explore the city together.

A comic I have in one of my old sketchbooks from 2019 about a girl who does art but is the struggling-to-stay-motivated type (LOL, I guess this is relatable) and works at a sandwich shop. Basically just some small tidbits of her trying to find her place in the world as she introspects through her job, place in the world, future, and self-comparisons. Some goofy scenes happen too, like bumping into old high school classmates at her job or meeting an artist she’s both admired/compared herself to and becoming good friends in an ironic-kinda way.

Another comic idea of a girl who works in a tea shop but has a gigantic pink pterodactyl friend… it’s supposed to be random and on the humorous side here (but I suck with writing humor sometimes, so I’m figuring this one out). The pterodactyl basically gets the tea shop worker girl out of a ton of hijinks in their crazy/chaotic city, where some new customers or a new recently-hired worker tend to draw strings of crazy events that pile up into some more surrealist randomness. *TBH I sort of like having characters in service jobs of big city environments ((not necessarily food or drink places; it could be something random like a librarian bc of the observations they can make of a diverse range of people)).

Some series of short stories of a happy family I wanted to get down. Exploring a 3-generational household that includes: The grandparents, their daughter (the mom) and her husband (the dad) who marries into the family, their 2 kids, 1 of the kid’s friends who stops by often (as their household becomes like a 2nd home to him), and a single mom + her child residing in their extra room — a friend of the 1st mom and whose kid has been friends with the siblings for most of their life. They’re kind people who help others (which explains why the single mom + the siblings’ friend is integral to their family as one of their own), and everyone looks out for each other. TBH, this is probably a story intended to stay happy + wholesome since it’s a bit of an escapism to see everyone have such a happy place together, no one abandoned or left behind. So my intention was to create stories that abound. Like how the quieter sibling has always struggled to fit in at school, the parents’ past love story, the 1st mom’s childhood as the only child, the single mother and her daughter’s story (+ their previous struggles with a living situation), the friend who comes by often and his feelings, how the grandparents are coping in old (etc etc). I guess I also love weaving stories by understanding people in layers, remembering real life people I’ve interacted with, and trying to understand and envision those characters’ lives similarly.

I have one more that’s kind of a nod to Gary Paulson’s “Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas” — a book I read in schooling that’s stuck with me for a long time. So basically, it’s 3 separate stories in the same book with a common theme: How the companionship of dogs and art have helped characters cope in difficult times. The first story being a kid who copes with a hopeless life by ceramics, the second a girl who never belonged at home or in school by the friendship of dogs, and the last, a guy whose hope in life is both drawing and dogs.

My own idea was generally theming it around sleep problems that pour into your life, and how kids similarly cope with cats and art. But like “Paintings from the Cave,” it’ll still have a bit of a depressive/somber undertone.

So you get sleep issues like:

Insomnia due to anxiety + trauma for the main character of the first story, whose semi-nocturnal cats and sketchbook keeps them company in the moments awake before dawn. I haven’t planned this part out a lot.

Narcolepsy, as a medical condition that screws with a girl’s life (cause community college + work always sucks if you get sleepy in the day but are utterly unable to sleep at night). Because of her situation, she’s almost flunked a few times and a lot of her employers sadly had to let her go. So she decides to use her imbalanced sleep cycle to volunteer at a local shelter that needs night volunteers — where friendly cats help her regain a sense of confidence. You can’t fail at cats or get rejected from them like in a work environment — so long as they’re given space, care, food, and adequate shelter. So their lack of judgment soothes her in such a way.

Being a self-taught lucid dreamer who often uses sleep to escape reality. That leads to their hospitalization later on. But after being let go, they’re guided by a social worker who’s now organized to come by + help plan their life. They decide one day to use some of their dreams’ events and adventures as the springboard to draw out stories. I guess in a way, using art as a new coping mechanism and way to experience joy while awake.

There was a last story I made for a project in my last year of high school that’s also primarily late night-based and involves a sleepless protagonist (IK this is kind of a running thread — unintentional here). I haven’t really taken it seriously or planned in-depth, but it’s also one that crossed my mind ever so often. The plot basically goes:

A young adult lady works as a translator whose job is to travel between countries to work on translation projects. Her company of employment has bases in tons of different countries that work to transcribe anything from newspapers, books, or subtitles on screen. They have different departments for stable work vs. freelancing, and she’s somewhat 50/50 an office worker and a freelancer (tho the freelancery bits take her all over). She’s fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and English — partaking a project that requires her Mandarin + Cantonese skills. But upon the journey, she meets someone who eventually shakes up her quiet, lonely life between countries.

All in all, each of these stories takes the day-to-day situations and pacing. SOL is sorta what I use as a tool to explore different people’s life situations or see through different lenses for a day. Every now and then, I get ideas for new SOL-themed stories but it’s mainly these in my mind right now. I have many that aren’t in this genre though… but explaining my magic-fantasy-adventure-worldbuildy stories will take forever in comparison lolol.

Maybe one of these days, I can motivate myself to act upon my ideas?

#thoughts #writing ideas #writing #this was all exposition dump #because i do not keep my stories anywhere else except my brain #and maybe some random scraps of paper #can you be a writer who never writes? is that considered still a writer #bc that would be me LOL #if we forget the whole SOL genre though #i have a google doc that spans paragraphs into a fantasy world for a story i wanted to make #explaining geography/culture/cultural and geopolitical dynamics of their world #and i am still here like #are we gonna do anything with it?? to my brain #and it is like… no! not at all

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twwpress · 2 years

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Weekly Press Briefing #2 - July 3rd to July 9th, 2022

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from July 3 - July 9, 2022.

Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing!

Fics:

Presenting your weekly roundup of fics posted in the tag for The West Wing on Archive of Our Own. If you are so inclined, please be sure to leave the authors some love in the form of kudos or comments. Be mindful of posted warnings/tags for each story.

Josh/Donna

it's 3am i must be lonely by sam_writes_fics | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

if we're sinners then it feels like heaven to me by BimadaBomily | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

all i want is for you to be mine by payback16 | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Healthcare Reform by hufflepuffhermione | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Pop tarts And All The Things We Never Say by Shinyrosa | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Agent Moss by Shinyrosa | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

this is the wonder (that's keeping the stars apart) by joshatella (shuuuliet) | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Midnight Strings by sam_writes_fics | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

the only thing i wanna do is be with you by mikaylawrites | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

CJ/Toby

let there be hotel complaints and grievances raised by JediAnnieScrambler | Rated M | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler | Complete

all the king’s men by singingaboutwishing for claudiasjeancregg | Rated T | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler | Complete

come home to my heart by claudiasjeancregg for crossingdelancey | Rated M | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler | Complete

Other Pairings/Gen Fic

Drabbles and shorts of all sorts by providing_leverage (multi-fandom drabble collection; link leads to TWW chapter) | Rated G | Ainsley Hayes/Donna Moss | Complete

No, Josh Lyman isn't straight by rosier16 | Rated T | Josh Lyman (No Pairing Listed) | In Progress

and your eyes look like comin’ home by JediAnnieScrambler | Rated T | CJ Cregg/Andrea Wyatt | Complete

i've waited long enough by rearviewmirror | Rated M | Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry | In Progress

I'm Happy Being With You by SocialOutsider | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete

The Language of Healing by silasfinch for justdreaming88 | Rated M | Ellie Bartlet/Original Female Character(s) | In Progress

Bedtime Stories by krazykitkat | Rated E | Danny Concannon/CJ Cregg | Complete

Multiple Pairings

5 times characters of the west wing got an abortion by fiery_one_18 | Rated T | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet, Donna Moss/Original Male Character(s, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Zoey Bartlet/Charlie Young, Zoey Bartlet/Original Male Character(s), Elizabeth Bartlet Westin/Doug Westin, Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg | Complete

The Pianist by mlea7675 | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn | In Progress

The House Warming by Jillian B [archived by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist | Rated T | Sam Seaborn/Original Female Character(s), Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

The first 100 days by JessARober1501| Rated M | Helen Santos/Matt Santos, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

Challenges/Prompts:

Our weekly round-up of open challenges/prompts/fandom events. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

Stories in the In Another Life: A Josh/Donna Alternate Universe Prompt Fest were revealed in June and the collection is still open for submissions. Learn more here.

The fic drive for reproductive rights is looking for authors to participate in their auction event. Learn more here.

The Department of Fanworks is hosting Fic-Based Initiative, a summer fic exchange, and sign-up are open. Learn more here.

Trope Soup: A Josh/Donna Tropes Fest is open for prompt submissions and claims. Learn more here.

The West Wing Daily prompts: July 5 | July 6 | July 9

Photos:

What an absolutely wild week in TWW photos! Here’s what was posted from July 3rd - July 9th.

Janel Moloney posted her first public Instagram photo.

Janel Moloney posted a picture of her dog, Ollie.

Janel Moloney posted a Throwback Thursday picture of her, Brad, and Richard on set while filming 20 Hours in America. (+ Responses from Brad and Richard.)

Amy Landecker posted some photos of her and Brad at Niagara Falls.

Amy Landecker posted some photos of her and Brad at Berczy Park Dog Fountain.

Amy Landecker posted some photos of her and Brad on a Tiki Taxi.

Amy Landecker posted some photos of her and Brad at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Amy Landecker posted some miscellaneous photos of her and Brad in Canada.

Janel Moloney Word of the Day: July 3 | July 4

Edits/Artwork:

Here’s where we’ll share all the photo edits, videos, and other artwork in the fandom this week!

i think it must be true love by @theRollyJogerYT [VIDEO]

Uncle Josh Instagram AU by @kennysroys [PHOTO EDIT]

Shout-Outs:

This is where we shout-out members of our fandom! Got a birthday coming up? Did a friend start their first watch-through of the show? Let us know! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

Happy birthday to Twitter user @jeaniecregg! You can read their fics here.

Editor’s Choice:

This just in from this week in canon: Josh and Mandy broke up on July 9. There’s no word on whether or not Sarah Wissinger’s smoking jacket actually had an impact on this decision, but in any case we’ve pulled together some fics, new and old, centered around Mandy and the break-up. Know of one we’re missing? Be sure to reblog or retweet with links to your favorites, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to share it!

Valuable by Tyrols | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Mandy Hampton/Josh Lyman | Complete | So, why did Mandy and Josh break up on July 9th?

She’s Not You by Quaggy | Rated G | Mandy Hampton/Josh Lyman, Amy Gardner/Josh Lyman, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | A couple of years after she left DC, Mandy meets up with an old friend.

Seven Days in July by JessBakesCakes | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | This shouldn’t be so hard. They’ve had their fair share of almosts and their maybes and their moments to ignore. If she could even consider them that, knowing he doesn’t feel the same way. Or, a look into the minds of Josh and Donna during the week of Josh and Mandy's July 9th breakup.

when I'm screaming at the sky by slightlyraspberry | Rated T | Mandy Hampton/Josh Lyman | Complete | Josh and Mandy, finish to start.

Lipstick by ETraytin | Rated T | Mandy Hampton/Josh Lyman | Complete | A short and tempestuous tale of Wisconsin, wild women, and woe.

Same Auld Lang Syne by kiss_me_cassie | Rated T | Mandy Hampton/Josh Lyman | Complete | Mandy thinks over what might have been and what really was.

the rhythm of in betweens. by furies | Rated M | Mandy Hampton/Josh Lyman, Mandy Hampton/CJ Cregg | Complete | "And you managed to fuck that one up too, didn't you?"

And that’s all the news that’s fit to print! May your AO3 tabs be many and your emotional support water bottle always full; we’ll catch you next week!

THE WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING TEAM CAN BE REACHED VIA THE FOLLOWING METHODS:

Twitter: @TWWPress

Email: [email protected]

Feel free to let us know if we missed something, if you have an event you’d like us to promote, or if you have an item that you’d like included in the next briefing!

xx, What’s next?

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general-radix · 2 years

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Main character concepts for a story that Aaron Freed and I are collaborating on, titled “Omnisciens: Cyberotica”, a very much adults-only work that was forked from other projects. (Long story short: audiences were not responding positively to the amount of sexuality added to the original setting. Aaron and I decided that this was the best course of action.)

O:C takes place in a future where, among other things, sexual mores are different and largely more relaxed (note: this is NOT code for “ASStr-tier depravity”). Unfortunately, problems like greed and war still exist, even all the way out on Saturn’s moon, Titan; O:C concerns seven cyborg veterans of a twenty-five-year war and the “tantric expert” who gathered them to her hangout, which she calls “Cyberotica”.

The four nations relevant to O:C are Polybotes (authoritarian capitalist hellscape), Oranion aka the People’s Soviet Republic (Stalinist hellscape), Aristaeus (theocratic hellscape), and Eurymedon (”libertarian” capitalist hellscape and technical victor). Main characters are listed in the order they are in our document.

* Romaine Blanchett: “Ultimate weapon”, Eurymedon, they/them. Romaine is the central character, a soldier who grew up in a military household and enlisted more out of a sense of duty than patriotism. This duty motivated Romaine to become Eurymedon’s “finest work”: a super soldier capable of turning the tide of war single-handedly. Romaine is still struggling with the fallout and guilt of this decision.

* Rasmus Toivonen: Fighter pilot, Orianon, he/him. Rasmus was a fairly cynical man even before experiencing war first-hand, having watched his idyllic country slide into ruthless self-preservation. He’s the only survivor of his unit and not very sociable.

* Marion Donoghue: Soldier, Polybotes, he/him. Marion enlisted to try and provide for his family, particularly their failing alcohol business; before long, he had nothing left to fight for but survival. He tries, with little success, to play this off as being in the past.

* Arjun Hashemi: “Messiah”, Aristaeus, he/him. Arjun agreed to become a “war messiah” for Aristaeus in the hopes that this village would be spared, only for his captors to betray him. His experiences as a helpless figurehead have left him rather withdrawn.

* Claris Ainsley: Soldier, Eurymedon, she/her. Claris comes off to outsiders as relaxed and carefree, but she enlisted specifically to kill Orianian soldiers for bombing her island village. Though her hatred and rage have since subsided, Claris and Rasmus are often at each other’s throats.

* Honorine Chery: Spy, Polybotes, she/her. As a spy, Honorine has learned the art of political manipulation, which she may or may not be applying to her post-war singer career. What much is certain is that she’s cunning.

* Ji-yu Shin: Assassin, Aristaeus, defector to Orianon, she/her. Ji-yu enlisted to kill targets in Eurymedon, which was bombing Aristaeus at the time, but after years of abuse, she defected to Aristeus’s mortal enemy, Orianon. Her experiences have led her to conclude that there were no heroes in this war, or in any war for that matter.

* Dr. Metis Fadel: Pan-tantric expert, any pronouns (usually she/her): Dr. Fadel is a sex education teacher, which in this setting is a firmly hands-on vocation; she founded Cyberotica as a means of relaxing in her off hours. A certified sex maniac even by the standards of her world whose unique cyborg augmentations allow her to body-shift, Dr. Fadel reached out to the seven cyborgs for a particular purpose; among other things, she’s very good at preventing them from coming to blows.

#original #omnisciens cyberotica #radix art

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honeykngdom · 10 months

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𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢 | 𝚎.𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 | 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

Pairing: Embry Call x Original Character Summary: Join Ainsley and Embry as they embark on a journey where they are forced to question everything they thought they knew, and embrace the pain that is inevitable to avoid in love. An imprint story. Self-discovery. Angst and romance. Word Count: 4.3k Warnings: Not much going on here; just cute lil heart to heart and some awkward family convos. prev. chapter | next chapter

𝙴𝙼𝙱𝚁𝚈

Embry followed Sam back into the house with his hands shoved into the deep pockets of the shorts Sam had brought out to him. Embry hadn’t had an outburst like that in a really long time, and he was beside himself at his carelessness – what with the imprints in the room.

Upon entering the home again, he looked over to where Emily sat at the table with a steaming mug between her hands. “I’m so sorry, Em –”

“Don’t you worry about it, I’m alright.” The woman smiled, moving to hug his large frame in her small arms when he bent down to her level.

Seth and Quil looked up from the table across from them. “Your girl's a mess, dude.” Quil whispered, looking towards the stairs. On cue, Embry could hear Ainsley empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet; he grimaced, looking down at the floor with shame. He definitely felt like the biggest piece of shit for multiple different reasons. This wasn’t how he had wanted to tell her, or how he wanted her to find out.

His intention had been to start with the stories, and talk about how the pack first started. How he had originally given it up to keep that part dormant for his own sake, and was willing to leave it behind for her. How he had only phased again because there were two rogue vampires in the Peninsula, frequently stopping by Forks to feast on the innocent and young, and he was helping his pack. He was doing his duty as a protector of the reservation.

Instead, Ainsley had witnessed the wrong side of the beast. And according to the heaving that echoed upstairs, she was absolutely sickened by it.

Embry took the stairs two at a time before stopping just outside the bathroom door. His fingers touched the knob gently, hesitant, before opening the door slowly. Ainsley was seated on the floor with her back pressed to the tub and her knees pulled to her chest. Her swollen eyes lazily drifted up to meet him, “Hi.” She croaked, doubling over in pain.

“Honey,” his voice broke, and the shifter dropped to the floor in front of his imprint. “I’m sorry, I should’ve said something sooner.”

“What?” She cleared her throat. “About turning into a giant dog?”

“Wolf,” he corrected, pulling the wet face cloth from her lap to dab her forehead gently, “but yes. It wasn’t right to keep that from you – Edward’s right, it’s safer if you know.”

She sat in silence for a few moments, breathing deeply through her nose to try to calm her stomach. He wanted to pull her into his arms, he wanted to press kisses to her forehead and soothe her worries but he knew he couldn’t do anything until she said it was okay. Knowing he could lose his temper at any moment had her mortified, he was sure.

“Ainsley .. the way I feel about you is crazy.”

“You got the crazy part right.” She spat, leaning her head away from the cloth to glare at him.

“Just hear me out.”

“Embry –”

“You don’t understand,” he started, the words tumbling past his lips before he had the chance to even filter through his thoughts. “I have waited nine years for you. Specifically you – not just any connection, or any relationship. And nine years might not seem like a long time, but it is painfully long when you know that the possibility of that epic love exists. Having an imprint was all I have ever wanted, and everyone thinks I’m absolutely mad because of it but I don’t care what they think.”

Embry felt as though he were going to break. He was sure she could see the tears brimming in his eyes, and could hear the desperation in his voice. She couldn’t leave him, right? This is what they were for – he belonged to her.

“Embry,” She started, closing her eyes tightly, “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”

“You are.” He promised, this time he moved quickly, pulling her into his lap and securing his arms around her. “I’m still me.”

She shook her head vehemently. “That wasn’t you.”

“I’ve been having a hard time,” he sighed, pressing his face into her neck, “keeping my anger in check since I started phasing again. It’s even more difficult now that I have more reason to give into my genetic instincts by having you in my life.”

“But … why do it? Again?” She asked, her body rigid in his hands.

“It’s part of my job. I made an oath to protect this tribe, but we haven’t had any real threats come through to our land in years. So, when one showed up I didn’t have a choice. I have an obligation.”

“When were you going to tell me?” Ainsley demanded, pulling him back so she could watch his face.

“Tonight. I told you earlier that if you had any questions, I would answer them. All of them. I was going to tell you everything.”

Ainsley watched his face, checking for any sort of indication he was lying about that. “Tell me now.”

Embry stopped for a moment, mouth ajar for a short two seconds before he nodded once curtly. “Not here. Not when they’re being nosey.”

Ainsley looked over his shoulder to the open door, wondering just how much the others could hear. Embry watched her nod her head slightly in defeat.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

𝙰𝙸𝙽𝚂𝙻𝙴𝚈

Once I was showered and wore a fresh change of clothing, I sat in the center of Embry’s bed with my feet tucked under my bottom while I waited for him to join me. Jacob agreed to go check in on Renesemee for the night, allotting the two of us some privacy to sort through what happened this evening. I already started thinking of a list of questions to ask Embry – many of them had to do with what exactly I was dealing with, others played into the more curious nature in me.

Embry entered the dimly lit room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He wasted no time pulling a pair of boxers on when he saw me waiting patiently, and slipped under the covers beside my legs, propping his head up with the palm of his hand.

“Go for it.” Embry said once was comfortable.

“Okay,” I moved a little so I was facing him more directly, “what are you?”

“Shapeshifter.”

“Not a … werewolf?” God, it felt so insane to even say out loud in conversation.

Embry shrugged. “You could say that, but I’m still pretty convinced that’s not exactly what we are. But we have nothing that proves otherwise.”

I nodded. “And when did you … become this?”

“When I was fifteen.” I leaned back a bit, surprised by his answer. Fifteen was so young – I was worried about school dances and math homework, and he was morphing into a giant wolf and killing other mythical creatures. Speaking of –

“What dangers are you protecting the tribe from?”

Embry paused, falling onto his back to exhale a loud sigh. “Mostly vampires.” He said quietly, watching me for my reaction. “Cold ones, as we like to call them – or leeches. That one’s just Paul’s personal favourite.”

“Vampire’s are real?”

He nodded once, resting a hand on his stomach. “Unfortunately. They’re the reason why we turn in the first place. The ‘magic’ in us awakens when they’re near and threatening our people – that’s why there’s so many of us now. The Cullen’s kind of brought out more of us by taking up permanent residency in Forks. We’re the largest pack the tribe has ever heard of.”

“Cullen's? Like, Renesmee’s parents?”

Embry nodded again. “Bella was human when she met Edward. But she wanted to be just like him, and she wanted to be changed. Jacob all but had a fit over it, too. Tore the pack apart – literally, there were two packs for a while –”

“Two?”

“Bella got pregnant during her honeymoon with Edward,” seeing my expression, Embry held a hand up, “please, don’t ask me how, I don’t even like thinking about it all too much. When she came back, Jacob lost his shit. We had never dealt with or heard of anything like that. The fetus wasn’t something we were comfortable with, and we didn’t know if it’d be like Edward, except worse. Unable to control its thirst.”

“Renesmee ...” I said quietly, looking at my hands.

“We were going to kill her,” he stated simply, “while Bella was still pregnant. Jacob took a stand to Sam and broke ties – being the rightful alpha and all had its perks, I guess.

Even after Jacob imprinted and everything had settled, the packs were never the same. After Sam and Emily got married, he wanted to step away from this life with Jacob stepping up to the alpha role. The pack gravitated towards him. Now he’s the alpha, but Sam still has the best strategies, so they work as a team.”

“Sam calls the shots, Jacob just dishes them out?”

“Mhm. I ran patrols and stuck with them until I was twenty-two. I had decided that being like this was starting to get the best of me, and that it was easier to control my emotions and keep them under wraps if I didn’t give into the animal.” He turned his head to look at me. “We won’t age unless we stop. It takes a lot of self-restraint and discipline to walk away from something like this. Sam and I are the only two that had reason to do it. He wanted to grow old with Emily - and I just wanted to feel normal again.

I never wanted this. When I first turned, I remembered thinking it was the best thing that could’ve happened. Sure, I was isolated and alone and scared to shit, but being the wolf made me feel powerful and strong. Like I had finally found my purpose.”

“So, what’s the issue?”

“It’s not the same,” he started, fingers reaching forward to run across my bare thigh. “I mean, I feel just as powerful as before. I’m just as strong, just as lethal and deadly and terrifying, but it’s not just me anymore. I used to think I found my calling in life, that I finally found my reason for being here. Until I saw you,” he sighed, letting his eyes close, “you’re so feisty and stubborn. The way you placed your hand on your hip, the way your hair fell out of place, the way your chest was flushed pink. That very moment when I first saw you, it cleared everything I thought I knew about myself out of my mind. I literally had no idea who I had become, but I knew it wasn’t a man you could love. And I wanted to be someone you could love.

Everything shifted into place. When it happened, I hadn’t even known exactly what it was until Jared and I spoke around the fire. The others absolutely hate the idea of it for the most part. Being out of your own body, losing who you are for someone that could still leave you seemed like another hopeless and empty promise. It’s a complete loss of autonomy – creating a bond with another person, having them be the center of the fucking universe seemed like such a disgusting notion, until it isn’t. Take Paul and Jacob, for example. I was so confident I would never be like the others, that nobody had been hand picked for me.”

I blinked. From the way he spoke, I could tell that Embry meant it when he said he had longed for this … imprint connection. But, from my slow understanding, this entire process seemed to strip them of their ability to choose. I swallowed thickly, “But?”

“Then I saw you. And I understood it – all of it. I felt the pull and switch in gravity, I felt the need and longing. I thought I was going insane for a while, thinking about where you were or what you were thinking. You looked so uncomfortable that night, watching everyone else get along, and I just wanted to know you. I wanted to be selfish and pull you away, I wanted to hear you talk all night.

So, I pulled soccer together. I begged everyone to come, just to make it less awkward for you. The first time I knew I had imprinted on you was the first night when I held your hands in the Jeep. The second time was when I looked over and saw you curled up in my blanket on the beach, talking with Emily and Kim and Collin. By then, I was certain that if anyone could break me or ruin me, it would be you. It took seventy-two hours for the reality of the situation to sink in, and I haven’t looked back since.”

“Embry,” I interrupted, shaking my head, “I … that’s a lot. I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with me because of some stupid bond.” That didn’t sound like love; that sounded like obligation. And a weird one, at that.

Embry’s face hardened, “This isn’t some bond or fate telling me I’m stuck with one person for the rest of my life because my genetics say so. We could’ve been friends, and just friends. I was prepared to just be that. But the genuine feelings and attraction I have for you? They’re magnified by this bond. I remember Seth and Quil making comments about your eyes and lips, and wanting to strangle them both and hang them from their ankles.”

“Emb,” I groaned, “those are your brothers.”

“You’re the light of my life.” He said simply, “I need you and I want you. I have spent countless nights waiting for some sort of freedom from the darkness that binds me to this fucking curse we pretend is a gift, and you’re exactly what I’ve been waiting for. You were hand picked by destiny for me. And I’ll be damned if I let you slip right through my fingers.”

I felt it was only appropriate that I entwined our fingers together, holding them high enough so we could both see. “I don’t think you should worry for now.”

Embry seemed to consider this. “Really?”

I nodded slowly: I was sure this was the right decision. He would never hurt me, or his brothers. He hadn’t lost his temper over Jacob – he had lost it over Edward.

Edward.

The vampire.

And Bella, who was also a vampire.

And Renesmee – who was a half-vampire?

I needed to distract myself from the vampires and concepts of imprinting – just for a while. The longer I pondered too long on either subject, the more uneasy I felt. One part in fear, one part in insecurity.

“Tell me more. What’s it like?”

“Being a wolf, or being me?”

I contemplated. “Both.”

“It’s like this, I just get a little extra benefit. Speed, better hearing, faster reflexes. As a wolf, we communicate through our thoughts, and it’s not really something that’s easily controlled. It’s a really vulnerable position to be in. Apart from that, our bodies kicked into overdrive when we changed. A fever set in that never quite went away, we grew several inches, all the muscle in our bodies hardened and became more permanent and solid.”

“Is that why you’re so warm? It’s a wolf thing?”

“It’s also why I eat so much. I burn the calories off too quickly.”

“And here I thought you were trying to fatten me up with all those carbs.” I teased, shimmying closer to his side. “So … you turn now. Which means what, exactly?”

“There’s another threat. Two new vampires. The Cullen’s have never seen them, and none of us recollect their faces.” Embry rolled onto his side, pulling me close. “That’s why I wanted to keep you out of all of this. To save you from worrying the way the other imprints do. The less you know, the less shitty I feel for lying about picking up double shifts –”

“Wait, wait, wait,” I held up a hand, pulling back to get a full look at his face, “you lied about work?”

“Did you really think I was working fifteen-plus hours in a factory, Ains?” When I blinked blankly, he chuckled. “I was running patrol. The only reason I run mornings is because Jake knows I actually work overnight.”

“But you’re here when I get up?” I said, more to myself than to him.

“I come home after work-work and sleep for like .. two hours and then I leave again. And I don’t work-work every night – the nights I have off, Jacob usually has me pull a double on this end of town. So, I slip out after you pass out and come home before you notice I left.”

“You leave me?”

Embry frowned. “I never want to. But it’s almost over. Soon you’ll have so much free time with me, you’ll get sick of me.”

I chewed on my lip, contemplating his words. “Impossible.”

Embry appraised me cautiously before he gently pressed his lips against mine, sealing my worries away. We remained like that, lips parting briefly so that tongues could collide, getting lost in the heat and fire that coursed through our veins.

“So, you’re really okay with this?” He asked breathlessly when we parted for air, pressing his forehead to mine.

“I will be.” I tried, caressing his cheek with my free hand. I hope so.

Embry let his eyes fall shut, a sort of relief washing over his strained face as he pressed his mouth to mine again, “Honey, I love you.”

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

My mind wandered aimlessly as I drove through the winding roads leading back to La Push. I had a job at a diner in Forks, and had finally compromised on sleeping at home every other week (Embry would sneak in for snuggles, not that Jennie ever knew). I made a point to talk to Trenton about Leah – he had started to fall into the same absent pattern I had: staying out late, sneaking out, not being home for long periods of time.

Jennie had called a family meeting; despite her children being old enough to take care of themselves, she still felt the need to mother us as though we were five. Travis, being the middle and favoured child, sat in his place across from me with a smug smirk. For once the meeting wasn’t about him.

It had started off with the usual: be home for a family dinner once a week, keep in touch, etcetera. By the end, Jennie was all but in tears, asking Trenton and I if we were doing drugs. Point blank, placed two small cylinders on the table and requested we provide urine samples. At first, I thought Jennie was joking. It wasn’t until she placed her hands on her hips that I understood the severity of the situation – my mother really thought I was chasing highs.

“They’re not getting high,” Travis jumped in, “they’re getting laid. And I know he has condoms,” he pointed to Trenton, finger guns blazing. “But I have no idea if Embry wraps his di–”

“Alright,” I said loudly, hard eyes cutting through my brother's skull, “enough.”

“What, you don’t think I can’t hear when he’s visiting?”

I recoiled in disgust, completely mortified as Trenton leaned forward, “Dude, you listen?”

“She’s not exactly quiet –”

“Okay! Enough!” TJ clapped, pushing away from the table. “This was obviously a waste of time – Jennie, baby, they’re just being kids.”

I felt the heat rising in my chest and neck, eyes pressed shut tightly as I tried to push the thoughts away – Travis sleeping on the opposite side of the wall, able to hear everything. Much to my dismay, my moans weren’t the worst thing he could possibly hear during the nights Embry came to visit. Too much private information we shared, many of them his secrets.

I pushed my meal around that night, not having much of an appetite. I was sure my mother would have plenty more to say when the boys retreated to the basement – I purposely stuck around to help with the dishes in awkward silence.

Just as I was about to give up and retire for the evening, knowing Embry was likely already half-naked and warming up my bed, my mother started the Keurig and turned to me expectantly. She did not look impressed.

“Sex is really not the worst thing I could be doing.” I said finally, defeated and tired. I fell back into my chair at the dining table, watching Jennie with weary eyes as she took her seat across from me.

It was silent for another two minutes - and I thought about trying to convince her I would do better, but decided against it. I would be twenty-one in the new year, and was fully capable of being involved in a sexually active relationship without Jennie –

“Does he hit you?”

I reared my thoughts back to the present, snapping my eyes up off the tabletop to glance at my mother. I almost couldn’t think of anything to say, but was most definitely concerned about Embry and his inability to shut people out. God, I hoped he was now.

“Ains, baby,” she whispered, leaning forward on the table, “you can tell me.”

“What?” I shook my head, pulling my knees up to my chest. “No, Embry definitely doesn’t hit me, mom.”

“Then what is it?” She asked, looking defeated. “I don’t get it. You’re never home, you never want to be home. You’re always with him, or them.”

I failed to see the issue with any of this. “So, I made friends? What’s the big deal?”

“It’s just not you.” Jennie knew many things about me; I loved my education more than anything, I loved all animals and I certainly loved my alone time.

“I don’t know,” I started, looking down at my hands. “I’m just comfortable with him. He doesn’t physically drain the energy out of me the way everyone else does – when I’m with him, it’s like I know what it’s like to be normal.”

“You are normal –”

“I’m not,” I laughed, shaking my head. “People suck the life right out of me, they leave me tired and frustrated and anxious. When he’s around, it all goes away. He’s my solitude.”

“That’s not healthy. Codependency is an ugly thing.”

“I’m not codependent, mom, I’m just ...” I sighed. I never liked saying the words out loud to anyone but him. I had never known this emotion before, never had the luxury of being with someone that tolerated me enough to let me really grasp onto the idea of how beautiful love could be. Saying it to other people made me feel naive, like I didn’t have the right to say it at all.

“In love?”

I looked at Jennie. I wanted to nod, but I also felt as though my mother would smile in such a way that said, ‘Oh, honey, you don’t know what love truly is.’ That she would undermine what Embry had built in me, the confidence he gave me. I lifted my chin and shrugged, “I told you that you didn’t need to worry about me.”

“You’re having unprotected sex.” She snapped, leaning forward on the table again. “You will not make me a grandmother before I’m forty-five. I expect that out of Travis, but not you.”

“Mom –”

“I get it, Ains. You’re not my baby anymore, or at least you’re trying very hard not to be. I know you’re anxious and ready for the real world, living in your boyfriends house, zero responsibilities –”

“I do have a job now.”

“- staying out all night and partying with his friends –”

“Jacob is part of ‘his friends.’”

“But I promise you, it gets old real quick.”

I dropped my hands onto the table, this time looking a little harder at my mother. “Why can’t you just support my relationship with him?”

“I do.”

“No, you don’t. Because if you did, this conversation wouldn’t have started with the assumption I’m being forced to stay in this relationship. You’re trying to convince me this isn’t what’s best for me, or what’s good for me. So, what is it? What’s so wrong with him?”

Jennie sighed, looking at me with sad eyes, “Because when I look at him, I see your father.”

I skewered my face, “Doug wasn’t an abusive piece of shit.”

“No, Ainsley. He wasn’t.” She nodded in agreement, looking down at the table, her voice dropping barely above a whisper. “I look at you and Embry together and I think about what I had with him. The love I had for him. But when he left me, I thought I was going to die. I wanted to.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is that I don’t want you to get too attached to him. Just because he was the first to stay, doesn’t mean he’s the one.” Fate would say otherwise, I wanted to say. My sex life was none of my mother’s concern. Embry was not going to leave me like my father had.

He loved me.

He belonged to me.

#embry call #embry call x oc #embry call imagine #embry call fanfic #kiowa gordon #twilight fanfiction #jacob black #paul lahote #seth clearwater #lee writes #* mine #series: SAH

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