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robinrunsfiction · 4 years

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Life in Pink

Pairing: Frank Iero x Female Reader Rating: General Requested By: None Word Count: ~1,200 Author’s Note: Spotify randomly brought me the song Life in Pink by The Ready Set today. I’d never actually heard it that I can remember, but I was instantly like “oh that’s a story!” and it was one of those things where my brain wouldn’t let me focus on anything else until I got this done. At first it wasn’t even gonna be Halloween related, but a quick edit made it so I didn’t have to wait to post this it lol

If Frank had to describe (YN) in one word, it would be pink.

Not because of her appearance, or wardrobe, but because of her whole aura, her presence. A total stranger would have felt the warmth and affection she radiated toward everyone. It was as if she heard the expression "leave a little glitter everywhere you go" and she made it her personal mission to do just that. She could charm her way into any party and the host would only be mad at themselves for not inviting her in the first place.

Now he was standing in the corner of a Halloween party, feeling glad the actual day, his birthday, wasn't for another week as he wouldn't want to spend here. Unless (YN) would be there, he'd hang out in a trash dump if it meant hanging out with her. Luckily he didn't have to sit in trash tonight, as she had just walked into the party, but hadn't spotted him yet. Of course she was dressed as a princess, while he was dressed as a disgusting monster. It was an accurate representation of both of them he thought.

He watched her as she moved through the crowd. (YN) kissed her friends hello and he wondered how soon she would finally make her way to him. He lived for the moments when her lips grazed across his cheek, or she wrapped him in a hug.

But he also knew the other side of her that she didn’t let anyone else see. The sad days, the lonely days. There weren't many people she trusted with that kind of information, not wanting to be a burden on anyone else, but she had let Frank in and he always wondered why she chose him. Maybe because more often than not he was sad and lonely, closed off from others, the opposite of her.

"Hey Frank!" She greeted him with a big smile, eyes sparkling as she pulled him into a hug. She smelled good. She always smelled good, like fresh laundry. It made him almost happy to do his own because it reminded him of her.

"Hey (YN)," his expression warming now that he was in her orbit.

"You looked like a lonely zombie over here, so I thought I'd come join you."

"You don't have to worry about me," he replied, looking down at his cup of stale, room temperature beer. "I'm good."

She gave him a knowing look. "Come on, let's at least go someplace quieter, I feel like we haven't talked in forever!"

Frank acquiesced and they made their way out the front door. "Wanna stay here, or walk?" He asked.

(YN) pondered for a moment. "Walk."

Frank dropped his beer on the lawn, and they made their way to the sidewalk.

"So how've you been? Honestly?" She asked.

"Honestly?" He replied. "Ok I guess. Nothing's going on one way or another, just waiting for my next gig."

"Are you gonna invite me to the next My Chem show?"

"You wanna go?" He asked, surprised.

"Duh! You're amazing! You guys are amazing."

A smile broke across Frank's face at her compliment as they arrived at a small park. They made their way to the swings and sat down. "You just wanna get with the lead singer," he said in a joking tone, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he was right. All the girls loved Gerard. Hell, all the boys did too, himself included, the guy was gorgeous, but nothing compared to (YN).

"Mmm no, I like guitarists better," she replied as she started to swing.

Frank drew his eyebrows together in confusion. "I'll let Toro know that he has a chance then," he replied and (YN) laughed.

"Oh Frank," she sighed.

Frank kicked at the gravel as (YN) kept swinging. The squeaking of the chains and the rustling of her skirt in the breeze were the only noises in the moonlit park.

"I'm gettin cold," Frank said suddenly as a chill shook through him. "Only you could drag me out of a perfectly warm party."

(YN) laughed. "You know you love me, Frankie."

"I do," he replied out loud, surprised at how easily the words slipped out.

"Ok Frankie," she replied with another laugh.

Frank's mind was spinning. He could leave it alone and let her keep thinking that he meant nothing by it. Friends tell each other they love the other all the time right?

Or.

Or he could be honest. He could tell her that he's been hopelessly, pathetically in love with her since he first saw her.

"No, (YN), I really do love you. I am in love with you!"

(YN) let her feet drag in the gravel as she swung back down. Confusion on her face turning to surprise. "You... Oh!"

"Sorry," he said, getting up and walking away. Why had he bothered telling her how he felt? She could never love a guy like him back. She deserved someone like Ray, with a warm heart, or like Gerard, gorgeous and creative. He was so lost in thought and self pity that he didn't hear the crunching of gravel behind him.

"Frank!" She said grabbing his hand, making him stop in his tracks and face her. "You didn't let me respond."

"It's ok, you don’t have-"

"I love you too Frankie. Not just as a friend, but like, in love. Really really in love. When I first met you, I actually didn't ever think someone as cool and tough as you could stand to be around someone like me for more than five minutes, but you've always been so kind and genuine and that's why I felt like I could be more honest and open with you than anyone else I know. And the fact that you never bailed on me just made me fall even harder. I just really never thought you'd ever feel the same."

He realized his hand was still intertwined with hers, so with his free hand he reached up and caressed her cheek. Her skin was so perfectly soft, but a little cold from the night air. She leaned into the touch and Frank felt like his heart was going to burst.

"I love you so much (YN)," he said again before leaning in and kissing her with every ounce of pent up love and affection he'd ever felt toward her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him tight against her as she kissed him back. He never wanted his moment to stop. He could die right then and he'd be satisfied.

When they pulled back, he searched her face for any glimmer of regret, but despite the fog from their breath swirling between them, he saw nothing but love and adoration on her face, he leaned in again, kissing her sweetly. When they parted, they walked hand in hand back to the party.

"Wait, your birthday is next week! What do you want for your birthday?" She asked looking up at him excitedly.

"I got everything I could ever want right here, right now," he replied with a soft smile before lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to it.

#frank iero x reader #frank iero fan fic #frank iero fan fiction #frank iero imagine #my chemical romance fan fic #my chemical romance fan fiction

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soccer-fanfiction · 3 years

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Parker Arranges A Funeral

Hey everyone, welcome back. This is my 7th story, featuring Scott Parker of Bournemouth (although in the story, he was still at Fulham). Fast Fernando, Esther Parks and Alicia Lowell are my OCs.

Leave comments!

IT was another normal Tuesday in London. Scott Parker had just woken up. It was a good day. He had sung in the shower, and nobody had interrupted. Unlike the day before, when Josh Maja had burst in. Parker had had to reach for what he called his “anti-public-nudity-machine”.

Which just happened to be a bath towel.

Now he was dressed and in the kitchen, sipping a steaming mug of coffee. Secretary Esther Parks walked into the kitchen. He had just hired her that week.

“Morning, Mr. Parker,” she said, reaching for the coffeemaker.

“G’morning,” he said. “Esther, I told you already. Just Scott.”

“Okay, ‘Just Scott’,” she said with a teasing tone. “Ready to make plans?”

“We’ll need it,” he said. “If we’re going to beat the drop, I have to have a plan for every possible situation. But I need to step out first.”

“You’re a top-flight manager, Scott.”

“Even top-flight managers need to get into nature.”

Parker stepped out the back door and drew a breath. He loved the outdoors. It wasn’t that Craven Cottage wasn’t cozy. Far from it. He loved every corner of that place like the stadium was himself. But the outdoors, with the trees and sky and birds, held a special appeal to him. He slipped his feet out of his shoes, digging his toes into the gravelly soil and grass. Tiny violets shyly peeked from the grass as, one foot after another traversed the lawn as he went over to a special place, one of joy…

It was Areola who came out. Alphonse Areola, with his goatee and purple shirt, discovered the manager in the yard. He was on his knees and mumbling something.

“What on Earth is going on?” said Areola.

“You wouldn’t know.”

Areola took a step back and surveyed the scene. Parker, phone in hand, was kneeling in front of a bare patch of land. In front of him was what seemed to be a mass of dried flowers. Instantly, Areola remembered…

“They’re your sunflowers, no?” he said. The responding nod was all Areola needed to know.

“Hello? Anybody home?” Areola called into the door of the Chelsea stadium, Stamford Bridge.

N'golo Kante popped his head out. “Eh? Alphonse! Long time, man!”

“It has,” said Areola with a smile. He hadn’t seen Kante since the international break.

“How’s life in ‘The Zone’?” Kante said, referring to the player’s common term for the dreaded 18th, 19th and 20th places.

“Not bad, actually. I kept a clean sheet last time out.”

“Oh, congratulations! I scored a goal.”

“If only I was that lucky.”

“You will--if you’re El Loco.”

“I’m not crazy, N'golo.”

“So what brings you to the Blues?” said Kante as the two Frenchmen walked through the main hall.

“Depends if you know about Parker’s flowers,” said Areola, “or not.”

“Eh, Parker?”

“Our coach.” The two stopped at a huge mural. Areola had never seen it before. In it, a bunch of guys were lifting up a big silver trophy.

“Who’s that?” said Areola.

“Oh, him? Just the greatest coach of all time.”

The two whipped their heads around. A man in a black suit stood at the other end of the hall, leaning against the wall.

“Lampard!” said Kante. “What are you doing here? I thought you left London!”

“Well, I did, after Mr. German stuck his nose here,” said Frank Lampard. He fingered the collar of his blue shirt. “But I still visit once in a while. And this is my favorite mural of O Especial, the Special One.”

Kante rolled his eyes. “Mourinho again, right?”

“You’ll never catch a break from him.” The Englishman shook his head. “By Jove, I’m in Birmingham the other Wednesday, chatting with John and who shows up? Mr. Alwaysright. He pops up when you least expect him. Me, John, Didier, Guilherme, Petr, Scott, Olivier, David-- you name it, he’s there, blasting ‘Park the Bus’ at full volume.”

“Could we back up to the Scott part?” said Areola. “What’s he got to do with Jose Mourinho?”

“He was his player, who else? Scott Parker. Only made a handful of caps. Now the chap’s over at Fulham FC and the coach. By Jove, he’s relegating ‘em faster than a shire horse on the Grand National Course.”

“So you can help me with his sunflowers,” said Areola, which was more of a question than a statement.

“Sunflowers?” said Kante. “What sunflowers?”

“Ah, yes, his sunflowers,” said Lampard. “What happened? Weeds? Pesticides? Global warming?”

“I haven’t a clue, Lampard,” said Areola. “But apparently they died this morning.”

“Parker will be gutted,” said Lampard, shaking his head. “Those were special flowers.”

“Why were they so special, Lampard?” asked the Philippinian goalkeeper.

Lampard rubbed his chin in thought. “Well…”

It was the 2003-2004 season, with Jose Mourinho as our coach for the first time. And it was February, three days before Valentine’s Day. We had just beaten Wartsmouth by two goals to nil. But it was a special day for Parker. He had scored one of those goals, his first goal for Chelsea, and he was in seventh heaven. Mourinho had come in just that moment with a gold purse. We all stiffened at his presence: me, John, Didier. We were trying not to break out into grins, for we all thought the purse was ours. It was the beauty of a purse: gold, with a red silk lining. But he passed all of us until he reached the back of the room, where Scott was.

“Scott Matthew Parker,” he had begun--and Scottie shivered, for nobody ever referred to him by his full name-- “I have something for you.”

Scott had sat up fast--Mourinho had never given him anything but a rollicking before.

“I got this bag of Canadian sunflower seeds from my wife last weekend,” he began with a hint of a smile. “Trouble was, I never was much of a gardener. But you never say no to Matilda, and these were 100% sustainable, non-GMO sunflower seeds. So I’ve been waiting to give these seeds to the next player to score his first goal for us. That, Scott, is you.”

He had dropped the seeds in Scott’s lap. And a smile grew on his face as he realized the seeds were his!

“Really?” he had said, dumbfounded. ‘Really and truly, Boss?”

“Really and truly, Scott,” Mourinho had said, “although, I have no idea what that means.”

“And so, Parker had planted the sunflowers outside Stamford Bridge,” said Lampard. “Wherever he went, so did the flowers. And I’m guessing that now their time has come. They were 16 years old.”

“But you should have seen him when he just discovered the dead sunflowers,” said Areola. “He just knelt there. It was almost like he couldn’t believe it himself.”

“Well,” said Kante, “he should be better in a couple hours. I mean, they’re just plants--” The Malian was cut off by a high-pitched sound.

“Eh?” said the three, running outside. What they heard was beyond their brain capacity: a slow, mournful tune.

“LIEBESTRAUM #3?” said Areola. “Who on Earth plays that?!”

At that moment, Kante spied a familiar face on the path. It was--

The one and only Antonio Conte.

“Hey, guys!” he called, striding up the drive. “What’s all the talk about sunflowers?”

“Parker’s died,” said Kante.

Conte shook his head. “A life so short...and so young, too...couldn’t reach the stars, like he planned.”

“Not Parker, his sunflowers,” said Areola. “They wilted this morning.”

“Oh--well, that’s a relief,” said Conte. “I thought Parker’s funeral was going on and the sunflowers were on his wreath. Always better to lose plants than a person.”

“Antonio Conte, where do you get such ideas?” Lampard laughed. “We were talking about nothing of the sort.”

“Well, if you listened to the music you’d think it was a funeral!” Conte protested. “Believe me, I know music. Liebenstraume #3 is one of the most sorrowful pieces of music ever. Franz List was disturbed, all right. Only place I’ve ever heard it was on Very Depressing Violin Songs.”

“Where on Earth do you hear that?” said Areola.

“Channel 8 on European Radio.”

“Well, wherever you heard it,” said Kante, rolling his eyes, “I hear that song and it’s coming straight from the general direction of the River Thames!”

Seventeen minutes later, a very round Areola stuck his head out of the blueberry-less blueberry bush he was attempting to hide in. There, where the old sunflower garden was, laid a casket!

“Are you sure I’m not right?” Conte whispered.

As soon as the words were off his lips, Parker solemnly strolled into the garden. He opened the casket and laid a wrapped bundle in it. He then closed it and was off as silently and glumly as he had come. As soon as he was gone, everybody surged towards the casket.

“Loved and Lost’,” Lampard read the label. “I haven’t a clue what he means by that.”

“Well,” said Areola, “whatever he laid to rest in there, wasn’t named. And it wouldn’t be in such an informal manner, either.”

At that moment, Kante spied Parker on the drive, this time carrying a large wreath of white and black roses. He was heading towards the garden.

“Scott!” said Lampard. “Where have you been, lad? You don’t talk much these days!”

The Fulham gaffer just stayed quiet. He laid the wreath on the casket, then wrapped his scarf around him.

“Then, come to think of it,” said Lampard, “he doesn’t talk much at all usually.”

“Just wait until you see his mouth,” Areola warned. “But no, Parker. Could I be so bold to ask you--what’s in the...casket?”

Parker bit his lip. He looked away, facing the blowing north wind. His tan scarf flapped in the gale.

“It’s--okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” said Kante, trying to be sensitive. “I mean…”

Parker sighed. He turned to face the foursome. His mouth was pressed shut. “Sunflower...sunflower is gone. My, my sun-sunfl-sunflower…” He turned his back on the group again.

Areola rolled his eyes. “Oh, great. Just great. Nice job, N'golo.”

Kante made another snap decision, as he was often called to do when with Gerard. “Okay, Emergency Guys’ Night, now,” he said. “Meet me in half an hour.”

“But then it’d only be eleven-thirty in the morning,” said Conte.

“Meet. Me. In. Half. An. Hour.”

When Kante spoke with punctuation for emphasis, nobody dared disobey him. So they all met at a nice cafe in Paris near the Eiffel Tower at exactly eleven-thirty for an emergency meeting.

Kante stood up on the table to start the meeting. “Fellows of Providence--”

“We’re in France, not Rhode Island,” Lampard protested.

“Fellows of Providence,” Kante commenced with a side glare at Lampard, “I have strong evidence to believe that something else is bothering the Fulham manager, Scott Parker.”

“Come on,” said Areola. “I know you’re practical, N'golo, but those flowers were special to him.”

“Look,” said Kante. “I know about sentimental value and stuff, but they’re flowers. They are flowers, sunflowers. You can get the seeds at any gardening store. Maybe he’d be a little wistful, but a coffin and wreath? Come on. Next thing you know he’s going to host a funeral.”

“Come on,” said Conte. “There is no way he could host a--”

At that moment, a blur whizzed in. In two seconds, Fast Fernando, the mailman, was standing in front of them, four white envelopes in hand.

“Here’s your mail, dudes!” said the eighty-four year old with a smart salute, and whizzed off.

Conte opened his envelope. His eyes scanned the letter enclosed, then his mouth dropped open. Areola did the same.

Kante looked up from his invitation. “I told you so,” he said. “Funeral I predicted and funeral we got. Invitations to one, anyways.”

“For a bunch of sunflowers.” Conte rolled his eyes. “You’re right, Kante. I admit it. We have to snap him out of this.”

“But this isn’t simple,” said Lampard. “This is like the whole Princess Diana business: mawkish sentimentality all over again.”

“Then,” said Kante, “we’ll have to go easy on him.”

That weekend wasn’t the most memorable one for anybody closely associated with Fulham. First it was another dour and lifeless draw, this time at Brighton, and then the sunflowers’ funeral.

Contrary to his attitude that Wednesday, Conte was now just a touch sympathetic for the opposite gaffer. He was the last one in the room left with Parker as the latter pulled on a stark black trench coat. Usually he rocked the color black, but today it just seemed to heighten his somber demeanor--so much that Conte wasn’t sure he’d last the whole funeral.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” said Conte.

“I have to,” said Parker. Another look away, then he buried his head in his scarf. “And if anybody, it should be me.”

Outside, two dozen people were waiting for the ceremony to begin. Among them were John Terry, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, and of course, Jose Mourinho.

You couldn’t get a break.

“Mysterious funeral, this,” said Mourinho. “Wonder why the coffin is so small.”

“There isn’t even a coffin,” said Areola. “That’s what confuses me.”

“Maybe,” said Lampard, “he had a private burial.”

“Before the funeral?” said Mourinho. “I don’t think so.”

Parker strode out of the stadium towards the altar. He turned to face the crowd, and it was obvious to even the usually flippant Mourinho that he was deeply sorrowed.

“The lad,” said Terry. “Never seen him like this.”

“No state for getting un-relegated,” said Mourinho, before Lampard elbowed him. “Hey, ow!”

“Shush!” Drogba hissed.

Parker shuffled a bunch of papers and cleared his throat before Contenuing. “Today we are gathered here for..a very special woman.”

“WOMAN!!!” everybody’s minds screamed at the same time. Their faces, though, expressed their shock--all but one. Conte just stayed with his eyes fixated on Parker. The younger man was obviously choked up, and trying to keep eye contact with the crowd was obviously getting harder for him. He shut his eyes, though, and went on.

“Alicia Lowell Westwood, age 31, faithfully remained at my side from Newcastle to West Ham to everywhere else. And when I came to Fulham, she remained my closest friend.” He closed the book.

If confusion was a tremble, Kante’s brain was undergoing an earthquake. “He never told us about a lady,” he protested. “Never, ever.”

“And to think it was the sunflowers,” said Areola. “You wouldn’t!”

They quieted down though, when they heard a screech.

“I’d like you to please quiet down, crowd,” said the manager. Conte was beginning to note the crack in the Brit’s voice, which had only gotten worse as the funeral had gone on. “And if you would...flip your programmes to Page 3, you will...find…that it is...time for the….tributaries…”

“It’s getting harder and harder for him to speak, huh?” said Lampard.

“I still think he’s overdoing it,” a cloy Mourinho replied, flipping his collar back and forth.

Parker took a long breath and sat down at the piano. His fingers were obviously more playful than his mood, tinkering with the keys until he had seemed to find something pleasing. The crowd was enjoying the simple, if somewhat melancholic, melody. And then the enjoyment when a squeak of a voice bounced from Parker’s throat. “When you’re in a storm/ Hold your head up high--”

“You’ll Never Walk Alone by Judy Garland?” said Areola. “That’s a famous song.”

“It’s supposed to be triumphant and consoling,” said Kante. “And yet Parker’s voice makes it sound so...sombre.”

“Walk on through the wind/ Walk on through the rain/” Parker’s voice was cracking more and more as his fingers flew over the keys in stark contrast. Conte looked on, shaking his head. That’s when a voice called out from the crowd.

“Scott!” Esther Parks climbed up on the stage. She was wearing a black suit, as always, but her face seemed especially concerned as she came to join him.

“I’ve come to join you for the final notes, Scott,” Conte heard her whisper. “In case you don’t make it.”

“I will,” he whispered. “But thank you.” The final chords struck. “Walk on, walk on/ With hope in your heart/ And you’ll never walk alone/ You’ll never walk alone…” That was all he could take. He rotated the seat away from the crowd, leaving Sec. Parks to send the crowd away. She immediately went over to Parker, who was pushing the piano in.

“This never really was about your sunflowers, right?” she said.

Parker looked up at Sec. Parks, and he sighed. The coach was obviously miserable. “No, it wasn’t,” he finally said. “You actually thought so?”

“I did,” said Sec. Parks. She shrugged. “And really, I thought you were overreacting. Kante told me and said to go easy on you until after the funeral.”

Parker looked like he wanted to protest, but he stood up and looked at Sec. Parks in the face. “You thought I was overreacting over the death of my ex-secretary?”

Sec. Parks’s jaw dropped. “Your ex-secretary? You mean you had one before me?”

“Yes, for a long time,” said Parker. “She was my best secretary, but nobody knew how it was. We were managing together since I was managing the under-18 squad in London. And last month, I asked her...if she would like to be my co-manager.”

“You did?” said Sec. Parks. “What did she say?”

“She said that she didn’t...she was moving away from me because she was getting married to some guy in Edinburgh. She was getting on the airplane that afternoon, but she was going to miss me. We promised to write to each other every month and we said our good-byes. And then last week, the police called me to tell me that the car she had been taking with her fiancé crashed. She was buried that same day.”

Sec. Parks shook her head. “Why didn’t you just tell us, Scott? I was honestly thinking we should turn you over to a mental institution.”

Parker looked Sec. Parks in the face. “You’re right, Esther. I should have told you the truth, but...I was afraid to look weak.”

“Weak?” said Sec. Parks. She couldn’t believe it. “To get a team relegated and bring them back up again, that’s tough, Scott. You’re not weak at all.”

“You told me that before,” said Parker. “And you also said that it’s true that the strongest people aren’t afraid…”

“Not afraid of what?” said Sec. Parks.

“They’re not afraid...to show their emotions. Strong leaders whoop when elated, scream when infuriated, whack their heads when they’re confused, and...they can sing the blues when they feel it. What I’m saying is...strong people do cry. Strong people can…”

At that moment, Parker held Sec. Parks’s hand. His face was wet with tears, and abashed, he began rubbing furiously with a handkerchief. He didn’t look up at Sec. Parks, but just bent his head. Finally, he looked her in the eye again. Of course, the Welsh secretary had been watching the entire thing.

“Well,” she finally said after Parker had calmed down, “Conte’s right. But I think you still don’t get it.”

“I don’t?” Parker was now genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”

“You were hiding your face while shedding tears for three minutes,” Sec. Parks explained. “Then you looked up exactly when you stopped, and you blushed from embarrassment. So technically, you’re still ashamed to cry in public.”

“I am,” he admitted.

“Look,” said Sec. Parks. “You’ve had a tough day, Scott. Why don’t we take a walk? I’d like to show you something.”

“Fine with me, Esther,” said Parker. “It’s better than me moping around all day listening to old radio music.”

It was still a beautiful winter afternoon as Parker and Sec. Parks traversed the London sidewalks. The first snows were dusting the streets, and street constables were patrolling. They turned into a park, and bought steaming pretzels from a street cart. Finally, Sec. Parks led Parker to: a frozen lake.

“Look, Scott,” she said. “Do you remember this lake?”

“How could I forget?” said Parker. “The swans lived here.”

A whole flock of swans had set up housing in the lake and even had cygnets that spring.

“They did,” said Sec. Parks. “But do you remember what happened after?”

“I do,” said Parker. “The cygnets grew up, and some of the older adults passed on. Then last November, they all rose in one flight and flew away.”

“And we were gutted, right?”

“Obviously.”

“But what did you tell me?”

“I told you that with every thing that leaves and grieves us, another thing comes to bring us joy.” Parker’s face suddenly lit up. “That’s right! There’s always more joy!”

“See?” said Sec. Parks. “There’s a light at the end of this dark tunnel, Scott.”

Parker turned to the secretary. “Esther,” he said, “you’ve basically been keeping me from becoming insane these past few days.”

“It’s the least I could do, Scott,” she said. “But we still have to make a plan. Fulham isn’t going to save itself.”

“All true, Esther,” said Parker. “I was thinking of pulling a Mourinho au film noir.”

“Are you sure the bosses will let that sit?” said Sec. Parks. “You know how American impatience is.”

“Ah, you’re right,” said Parker. “But a film noir would be fun to perform. Maybe a redo of Casablanca.”

“Isn’t that a little old?” said Sec. Parks.

“Filme noirs are always old. But you’re right again. I doubt Guendouzi would like a film about before Morocco was an independent monarchy.”

“True.”

“What about Humphrey Bogart? Can’t go wrong with him.”

“A little pistol-y?”

“You’re always right, Esther.”

“I know.”

The next morning, Maja answered the door. Parker and Sec. Parks burst in, laughing.

“Explain what is going on?” Maja yelled.

“Well,” Sec. Parks breathed, “we kind of spent the whole night ice-fishing. I caught a minnow, but it got away.”

“I thought you were taking a walk?” said Maja.

“We kind of stretched the park visit,” said Parker. “After fishing, we swam.”

“In the ice-cold water?” Maja reached for the phone. “I’m calling the doctor.”

Odd, right? I know. But he looked so sad in December that I had to make an explaination.

By the way, Scott Parker and Esther Parks are not in love--they’re just very good friends. Maja doesn’t understand that.

Leave comments!

#scott parker #josh maja #esther parks oc #old chelsea players

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imagineseclipse · 4 years

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Theo Raeken x Reader-You saved me.

You stood tall next to Lydia Martin in the empty McCall house. The whole pack stood in silence, everyone was afraid of opening their mouths to speak; everyone was afraid in general.

The hunters that Gerard and Munroe had recruited would do anything for your blood, for all of your blood. Even if the tiniest drop of McCall pack blood was spilt there would be celebrations. Anyone who was associated with you and your friends were in grave danger.

You had tried so hard to protect Beacon Hills, never did you think that you’d be protecting yourselves against them. In their eyes you were the enemies.

Theo Raeken’s eyes wandered around the room, he stood awkwardly alone in the corner- keeping his distance. He knew that he didn’t fit in just yet, he’d only just returned and he figured that it would take time for him to regain your trust.

As Scott opened his mouth to make an announcement Theo’s eyes landed on you, his breath was drawn in as his pupils ran over your facial features. You were different.

When Theo returned from hell he made a vow to himself that he would steer clear of you and Stiles as you were the ones who figured out his devious plans in the beginning. He knew that you would give him problems.

However to his surprise you were the only one who wasn’t treating him like an outsider, you stepped forwards for him.

“We can’t just let him loose into Beacon Hills”Scott shook his head as you all surrounded Theo who was covered in dust and rubble.

“Well I’m not babysitting him”Malia scoffed, a small growl leaving her lips.

“Count me out”Liam muttered.

“You were the one who brought him back”you exclaimed, rolling your eyes.

“I thought he could help catch one of the ghost riders, and he remembers Stiles”Liam offered as he stood next to Hayden.

You blinked absentmindedly a couple of times before turning to Lydia.

“I’m sorry after what happened I don’t think I should be anywhere near him”Lydia briefly glanced at Theo.

“I’ll do it”you stated.

“What?!”Theo and Scott both chirped up in unison, everyone’s eyes now staring into your soul. Malia suddenly burst out laughing and you rolled your eyes, glaring at her from across the tunnel.

“Oh you’re not kidding”she coughed awkwardly.

“Y/n are you sure about this I mea-

“Guys seriously I’ll do it, I have nothing else to do he’s my responsibility now”you decided, nodding towards your friends letting them know that you weren’t going to change your mind.

Scott let out a sigh before turning to you again, knowing that you were stubborn so you wouldn’t back down.

“If he tries anything-

-he is still here you know”Theo interrupted.

“No one cares”Malia snapped, turning on her heel disappearing alongside Lydia.

“Just don’t let him out of your sight, one funny move and he’s going back down there”Scott warned before sending you a silent nod, placing a set of keys in the palm of your hand.

You understood clearly, nodding in response as you watched Liam and Scott walk away after one last warning glare in Theo’s direction.

“What are we gonna do with you?”you sighed out, pivoting to face a very confused Theo who stood in handcuffs, chains hanging from his arms heavily.

You rolled your eyes slightly, disapproving of the chains. Theo stayed silent, his mouth slightly hanging open at your appearance, things had certainly changed since he’d been cast down to hell.

“First of all let’s get rid of these”you muttered, taking a step towards the boy who stood stunned. He flinched back quickly, moving out of your reach as you lifted your arm, the keys jingling on your fingers.

“What are you doing?”Theo asked quietly, his eyebrows raising.

“Well you can’t stay like this forever, it’s gonna be a killer on the wrists eventually-unless you want to stay like that I mean that’s not a problem”you folded your arms, waiting expectantly-you really weren’t a fan of the underground tunnels.

“Aren’t you worried I’m gonna hurt you, aren’t you scared of me?”he finally breathed out.

“Do you want to hurt me? Do you want me to be scared of you?”you replied quickly, holding the keys tighter.

“N-No I don’t want to hurt you, no to both questions”Theo’s whole aura had changed since he’d returned, something down there had taught him a well needed lesson, however there was a small part of you that felt bad for sending him to hell in the first place.

“Then we have no problem, it’s okay”you sent him a small smile before freeing him from the handcuffs, letting the chains drop to the floor in front of you.

Standing still next to Lydia you could feel a pair of eyes trained on you, a blush unintentionally crept up on your cheeks realising which direction the stare was coming from.

Never for one second did you think that you were going to be fighting on the same side as Theo Raeken, the thought of not fighting against him comforted you a little bit and you didn’t know why.

You finally mustered up the courage to flick your attention over to Theo who stood leaning against the wall in the corner casually. His eyes lingering over you as they lifted to meet yours. His skin started to tingle and the feeling of awkwardness he was feeling before began to fade away.

Your lips twitched up into a smile, and your hand involuntarily lifted, waving him over so that he wasn’t standing alone in the corner. Theo’s eyes widened, hesitating before pushing himself off the wall. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he slowly made his way over to your side.

“You’re gonna want to hear what Scott’s saying right? I mean you are technically part of the pack now”you whispered. Raeken’s stomach filled with butterflies as you accepted him fully, giving him all he ever wanted, a pack. Somewhere he belonged.

“I don’t think you should have brought me here y/n”Theo hummed as he trailed behind you slightly. Looking up at the daunting Beacon Hills High School sign.

“Why do you think that?”you pouted as you turned your head to keep an eye on the chimera who was looking paler by the second.

“People here hate me, and so they should after what I did”Theo shook his head as he stopped walking completely.

You paused aswell, taking a step towards him.

“Okay first of all stop feeling sorry for yourself, secondly so what it’s high school everyone hates everyone”you shrugged, watching Theo narrow his eyes at you.

“Look, yeah you have done some really shitty things, but I mean who doesn’t mess up, and people sometimes do bad things for good reasons I don’t know what the case is with you because I’m not in your brain- but what I do know is that you have the potential to be amazing you just have to want it for yourself. After what happened you still deserve an education, you deserve to live a happy life and show people that you aren’t the bad guy everyone makes you out to be”you were waving yours arms around frantically, letting the words tumble from your lips.

Theo’s lips pressed together, blinking a couple of times trying to register and digest everything you had just said to him. You believed in him, when no one else did.

“Why are you being so nice to me y/n? Why did you step forwards to watch over me after everything I did, after what I did to you”Theo protested.

“Because I know what it’s like to be the bad guy in someone’s eyes Theo, believe it or not I was there the night Donovan died, it wasn’t just Stiles I was there too but you didn’t know because Stiles was onto you and he knew you’d tell Scott- but Scott found out about what we did anyway and I just know what it’s like to be seen as the bad guy”you finally admitted, Theo listening to every word of your confession.

“I didn’t know-

“I know you didn’t, it’s okay I don’t know about your situation either but we’re going to be late we can save the stories for later”you informed him, glancing down at your watch.

“Later?”Theo questioned, jogging to match your steps as you drew closer to the school.

“You, me and a big stack of English literature textbooks, oh and maybe some fries I’m starving”you groaned.

“Y/n it’s halfway through the year, they won’t let me graduate”Theo exclaimed.

“They will let you graduate, I’ll make sure they do, with my help you’re gonna be top of the class”you grinned, holding the door open so that Theo could walk in front of you.

“You really think I can do it?”

“Oh c’mon if you can come up with a master plan to take down a pack full of supernatural creatures and a true alpha I’m pretty sure you can answer a few algebra questions”you snorted, leading Theo towards the library.

Scott’s announcement became muffled as you and Theo stood alongside eachother, the warmth from your bodies engulfing you in a small bubble, you could feel your shoulders brushing against eachother. You smiled up at him once more, making sure that he was okay.

The brown haired chimera opened his mouth to say something then abruptly shut it again, his eyes narrowing, training on your neck. His head fell at an angle as he noticed a bright red dot dancing over your skin.

Your eyebrows furrowed together as you tried to read his facial expressions.

“Theo what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”you breathed out, whispering over to him.

The laser beam flashed across your skin once more and Theo’s eyes widened with panic after realising what it was.

“Everyone get down!”Theo yelled, startling the whole pack, you felt a strong pair of arms wrap around your body immediately as you heard the window glass shatter, a bullet flew past you but never touched your skin as Theo Raeken gripped onto you, using his own body to shield yours, the two of you were now on the ground.

Scott had already gotten Lydia and the others out but it was too dangerous for you and Theo to escape, instead he’d hidden you both well behind the island in the middle of Scott’s kitchen. That’s where you both intended to stay until the hunters outside stopped shooting.

Theo could feel your body shaking in his arms, his jacket wrapped over your body as the two of you sat huddled together in the ruined kitchen where you were once stood as a pack.

After the bullets died down Theo cautiously lifted his jacket from around you, brushing the hair out of your face. The cold air from the shattered glass window hit you instantly.

“Are you hurt?”you felt his warm hands settle on your chin lifting your face so that he could assess any wounds.

“N-no I’m okay, are you hurt?”you asked quickly, not hesitating for a second.

“I’m fine, I’m okay”Theo nodded, letting you know that he was unharmed.

Silence fell over the two of you, Theo’s arms remaining tight around you.

“Y-you just saved my life, that bullet could have killed me but you saved me”you glanced up at Theo, not realising how close the two of you had become.

“I’m just returning the favour”he mumbled out, your body lifted from against his, turning so that you could ask him what he meant but you were interrupted.

“Y/n, Theo?!”Lydia called out in a state of worry.

“Lydia?”you jumped up, holding onto Theo’s hand so that he had support getting up from the floor.

“I’m so glad that you’re okay”Lydia wrapped her arms around you, squeezing the air out of your lungs.

“It was Gerard and Munroe, they sent them over here luckily no one got hurt and that’s thanks to you Theo, you saved all of us especially y/n, I’m grateful”Scott nodded over to Theo, a genuine smile spread across his face.

“What do we do now?”Lydia questioned Scott.

“Nowhere is safe for us right now, we’re going over to use Derek’s loft it’s secure enough, the others are on their way there now we should probably head over there”Scott informed before leaving with Lydia.

You and Theo stood in silence once again, brushing the shards of glass off your clothes.

“Did you really mean what you said before about me saving you?”you quickly breathed out, choosing a slightly risky time to talk about something so important.

“Of course I did, over these past couple of months you have made me feel so normal and wanted even after I did bad things you were the only one who forgave me-you saved me y/n you gave me my life back and you made it a hundred times better at the same time I don’t think you understand”Theo took a daring step towards you.

“I love you”you finally blurted out after replaying his words.

“Theo, I love you”you repeated, shutting your eyes briefly after confessing something that had been on your mind for a long time.

“And I love you”you heard his voice ring out and your eyes flickered open just in time as he closed the gap in between you both, one of his hands finding your waist and the other settling on your back steadying you as he kissed you for the first time. His lips met yours and you felt your stomach explode with butterflies.

A/N:There was so much more to this story but I decided to end it there idk I might carry it on who knows🤷🏽‍♀️❤️

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rpf-bat · 4 years

Text

Far Beneath The Trees

Pairing: Gerard Way x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Summary: A kindly wizard, clad in green, finds you in the rain, and takes you back to his forest hut to warm up. Requested by @robinruns.

You hadn’t meant to stray from the forest path. It was supposed to be a simple journey - you were just going through the woods, to the town on the other side, to get some medicine for your grandmother.. But now, you were hopelessly lost, and the rain was beating down on you, soaking your clothes and hair. You ducked under a tree, hoping it would provide some sort of shelter. Thunder boomed overhead. You shivered.

“What’s this?” a soft voice asked, and you saw a bearded man in a green cloak coming down the forest path. “A traveler?”

He lifted his lantern, to get a better look at your face. You blinked at the sudden brightness, in the dark night. As he drew closer, you noticed his round, kind face, and soft, brown hair.

“Here, come stand under my umbrella,” he offered. He was a stranger, but you were so wet and cold that you didn’t think twice. You blushed as your shoulder brushed his.

“My name is Gerard,” the man introduced. “I was just out picking some herbs….what were you doing, wandering around in this storm?”

“My name is Y/N….I was trying to cross the woods, and get to the Paper Kingdom on the other side,” you explained.

“Well, I’m afraid you’ve been blown quite off course,” Gerard chuckled. “But, I live not far from here…..would you like someplace warm, to sit and wait for the rain to stop?”

“Oh, thank you!” you accepted gratefully. Maybe it was naive of you, to follow this man home, who you’d just met. But the ice cold rain had you shivering. Your socks were soaked through, and you feared if you stayed out in the chill wind any longer, you’d catch cold.

Gerard gently took your hand to guide you, and keep you under the umbrella’s protective brim, as he walked up the path. Soon, you came to a small, round hut. There were plants growing on the windowsill, and smoke was rising from the chimney.

“Come on in,” Gerard welcomed. “It’s not much, but I suppose it’s much better than being out here in the cold.”

You entered the hut, and immediately sank into an armchair, beside the roaring fire. You took off your socks, and bent your toes towards the warm flames. It felt so nice.

“Let me put some wood in the stove,” Gerard smiles, “and then I can fix you a cup of cocoa.”

“Oh, you don’t have to!” you said quickly. He was being so kind to you, even though he didn’t know you.

“Nonsense,” Gerard shrugged. “We need to get you warmed up as quickly as possible. You should get out of those wet things, too.”

Your face reddened. “I can’t just….strip naked!”

Gerard began to flush himself. “I’ve got a nice flannel nightshirt that you can borrow. I’ll happily turn around while you change into it.”

“No peeking!” you warned, wondering if there was a real reason he’d brought you here.

“Of course not,” Gerard assured you. “I would never do something so ungentlemanly.

He pulled the nightshirt from a cabinet, and handed it to you.

“Let me know when you’re done,” he said, and turned and walked to the other side of the hut, and stood with his back to you.

You still felt embarrassed as you gingerly removed your wet shirt. Droplets of frigid water fell off of it, on to the floor.

“You should find a clean towel on the table, next to the chair,” Gerard called to you, still keeping his back turned, as promised. “You can use that to dry yourself, before you change.”

“Thank you,” you said, finding the fluffy towel just where he’d described. You wiped the cold water from your top half, before removing your soaked trousers. You glanced over. Gerard still hadn’t moved from his spot in the corner.

He really is a gentleman, you thought, pulling the nightshirt over your head. It was big on you, covering your knees, and the sleeves swallowed your hands.

“Are you finished, Y/N?” Gerard asked.

“Yeah, I’m done,” you nodded, sitting back down in the armchair. “You can turn back around.”

“Oh, good,” Gerard smiled. “The cocoa is almost ready. And the herbs I picked, will be delicious in a kettle of soup.”

“You’re making me dinner, too?” you gasped.

“Warm soup is just the thing for a rainy day like this,” Gerard nodded, setting a steaming mug on the table for you. “And it will be nice to have someone to enjoy it with!”

You picked up the mug, and took a sip. It was the richest, sweetest cocoa you’d ever tasted.

“What do you do, out here in the woods?” you asked curiously. “Is it lonely out here?”

“Sometimes,” Gerard confessed. “But, it’s the best place to pick the plants I’ll need to make my potions.”

“You’re a wizard!” you realized.

“I know a few recipes, to make things in my cauldron that will help others,” Gerard shrugged. “Brews that have the power to heal.”

“That’s actually what I’m going to the Kingdom for,” you admitted. “My grandmother, she’s very sick…”

“Then I’m glad I ran into you,” Gerard replied. “I have just the thing, that you can take with you when you leave. A mixture of dragon’s blood, wolfsbane, a few tasty mushrooms….it’ll cure just about anything.”

“Oh, thank you,” you gasped. “Gerard, you’re doing so much for me….”

“You must love your grandmother very much,” Gerard smiled warmly, “to journey out into a storm like this, to try and help her. I had a grandmother once, who was very dear to me, too. She was a witch. She taught me everything I know.”

“What was her name?” you asked.

“Helena,” Gerard frowned. “She passed, some years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you sad….”

“No, it’s alright,” Gerard assured you. “She had a good, long life, and helped anyone who crossed her path, who was in need. She made me promise to do the same.”

“Sounds like you’re living up to your vow,” you smiled. Suddenly, a shiver ran through you. Even with the warm clothes and the fireplace, you still felt chilled.

“I think it may take a little more, to rid you of this hypothermia,” Gerard realized. “Come here.”

“What are you going to do?” you asked. “A spell?”

“Not quite,” he smirked, and sat down next to you in the armchair, pulling you close. Your cheeks reddened as he held you against his warm body, chest to chest.

“If your body can’t make heat,” Gerard whispered, “take some of mine.” He ran his soft hands over your bare calves, the friction generating heat.

“What happened to being gentlemanly?” you teased.

Gerard’s hand froze. “.....if you don’t like it, I’ll stop. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright,” you purred. “Gerard….you’re very handsome.” You pulled him closer, winding your hands through his long hair. You nuzzled your face against his. It made your nose less cold.

He kissed you softly as he pulled you in tighter. His warm hands stroked your back.

“....will you stay with me the whole night through, Y/N?” Gerard asked softly. “I don’t think the rain will let up any time soon….and I think you’re the most beautiful maiden I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” you breathed, and surrendered, to all the warm his body could provide.

#gerard way x reader #wizard gerard #gerard way imagine #current gerard

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demolover · 4 years

Note

since there have been a few posts about hesitant alien: what do u think about guys' solo stuff in general? what's ur favorite?

i think all their solo stuff is really good! however i do not personally enjoy all of it <- disclaimer lol in case i seem mean. i appreciate it but i do not always like it lol. i am so sorry if this seems rude i have a tendency to sound rude when i talk about music. i have opinions unfortunately. however i don’t think that takes away from the actual quality of the music and if u like the ones i don’t like that well that’s awesome!! once again. disclaimer.

unfortunately i have never been able to enjoy remember the laughter that much :( it just doesn’t have the things i personally look for in music ig. i don’t personally find the lyrics compelling and it’s not really my style of music and it makes me sad. i do sometimes look at the lyrics tho cuz while i don’t find them that interesting they do make me smile. they’re just sweet :). to be clear. i think ray toro is a music genius. i don’t think that comes out in remember the laughter super well unfortunately (once again! personal opinion if u love remember the laughter. wish i was u i’m sure it’s awesome!)

frank’s various things. i can’t vibe w most of his vocals that well unfortunately. death spells is fun but sometimes gives me headaches (part of the experience?) i enjoy certain specific songs a lot! (guilt tripping is one of my faves) and his lyrics make me stare at the wall for long periods of time. i like his lyrics.

electric century! i like electric century but it really does kinda seem like a watered down version of other music i can tell it’s influenced by sometimes. wish it was more original and different i guess. i like the lyrics of electric century and some of them hit really well! but again. idk they sound like less interesting versions of how gerard writes lyrics sometimes. i do enjoy electric century i promise i like vibing to it! it’s good vibing music. but i don’t think i would care about electric century very much if it wasn’t connected to mcr. like sure it’s fine! i don’t find it that interesting in general tho i think for me there are more interesting versions of the same things already out there. i do like it tho.... i’m listening to one of their songs rn actually and it’s good!

gerard and hes alien! i lovee hes alien. i think it’s very good. i like a lot of the genres and stuff it’s influenced by and i love gerard’s lyrics. i’m really big on lyrics i think they’re an essential part of the experience. today i was just looking up lyrics so long on firefox without doing anything else that it asked me if i was a robot haha. but yeah personally it’s the only one of their solo projects i feel like i would enjoy a lot without the connection to mcr already being there to influence my feelings on it. it makes me go insane i love the music and the lyrics and just. everything! so good. i mean one of the main things that drew me to mcr in the first place was gerard’s lyrics so it’s no surprise that’s something i like about their solo stuff but i like the music of it too! i just think it’s neat <- it makes me go insane. i want to analyze hes alien and such more but i never have for some reason. doesn’t make me go quite the same brand of insane as actual mcr ig lol

#this seems so mean and i was trying so hard not to make it seem mean :(#i have a tendency. to be mean about music but i still can like it! i can probably be mean about mcr too #<- i actually don’t know whether i can. but i probably could. i KNOW i could be mean about cw #nonsense #asks #hangernhigh #thank u! what r ur thoughts?#this is sooo long i’m srry #long post

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lavender-hemlock · 5 years

Text

Aw.. Shit, here we go again. (Questions below the cut because I’m not an asshole like the below.)

@kazexvoss

Get To Know Me Uncomfortably Well

1. What is you middle name?

Marie

2. How old are you?

3. When is your birthday?

October 7th

4. What is your zodiac sign?

Libra

5. What is your favorite color?

Burgundy

6. What’s your lucky number?

7. Do you have any pets?

One dog

8. Where are you from?

The US-Tragedy-A

9. How tall are you?

Hahaha.. 5′. 10. What shoe size are you?

Size 6

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Probably over ten.. and more than half are boots.

12. What was your last dream about? Asked by breaking-from-grace

13. What talents do you have?

I guess I have a talent for my empathy, art, and writing? Not sure what merits as a talent without being overzealous.

14. Are you psychic in any way?

I’ve been called a witch because of intuition for emotions of others? Or being scary close to presuming things.

Sadly can’t bend any spoons, stay tuned.

15. Favorite song?

Toooo many. Music is too vast to pick just one, but I’ve been listening to Day Dreaming - Jack & Jack a lot lately.

16. Favorite movie?

Probably the Phantom of the Opera version with Gerard Butler.

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

Someone who is capable of respecting the flow of my energy. When I need space, when I’m all for being close. It isn’t that I’m picky or moody, but I know what I need and also don’t need them being worried when I’m just being quiet and reading a book. It’s just a mutual respect and understanding.

Ya feel?

18. Do you want children?

Yeah. Which is weird to think about. I’m not in any rush.

19. Do you want a church wedding?

I think it is right for me to pursue it, but kinda no. I want a venue probably really low key done up in lights, curtains, and simplicity that doesn’t need a huge budget. Its about the bond, right?

20. Are you religious?

Yep, I am a christian.

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

I have! I had a piggy bank get knocked on top of my head when I was little and my mom rushed me to the hospital. I think that was the first time I saw stars. Only time though!

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

Yeeeeap.

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

Yes! I’ve been fortunate to meet a few bands and also see the cast of Fast and the Furious. I got to go on set for the 5th movie! I was lucky.

24. Baths or showers?

Showers.

25. What color socks are you wearing?

Black. I hate this question. I’m looking at only one person rn.

26. Have you ever been famous?

Kinda? Yet I think famous in this way is very subjective? I had my old (and first) RP community for like eleven years. Its not fun when everyone knows your name, I’ll tell you that. You get put on a pedestal or get called terrible things if you don’t respond. It was a whack time. I don’t miss it. I was just famous for the designs I would put for the community and being like a “veteran” member with tons of “powers” (community bling). Blegh.

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

Nope. I admire those that do great things and gain that attention for the work they have put in, but its a double sword. Everyone knows your business and looks at you. Seems like a ant under a magnifying glass analogy.

28. What type of music do you like?

I like a lot of pop/alternative. I listen to generally everything except some heavy techno/bass stuff isn’t really for me.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

Nope, don’t plan to. What if a snake bit my ass? How do I explain that to a doctor.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?

31. What position do you usually sleep in?

I have to pick one!?

32. How big is your house?

It’s modest.

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Asked by Caewen!

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

Yes! I have been trained to use one strictly for defense over the home. What a sad world.

35. Have you ever tried archery?

No, but I wish!

36. Favorite clean word?

Cleaaaan?

37. Favorite swear word?

Fuck.

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

Hahahaha 72 hours. I like sleep.

39. Do you have any scars? Asked by Sangria-Fangs!

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

Yeah! It’s.. okay. Kind of creeps me out tbh.

41. Are you a good liar?

No. I would psych myself out.

42. Are you a good judge of character?

Yeah. It took a lot of fuck-ups to figure that out!

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Poorly. All of them.

44. Do you have a strong accent?

No.

45. What is your favorite accent?

Gosh. British or Australian.

46. What is your personality type?

INFJ.

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

Boots!

48. Can you curl your tongue? Cries. Asked by Caewen.

49. Are you an innie or an outie?

Innie. This is weird.

50. Left or right handed?

Right handed!

51. Are you scared of spiders?

Don’t @ me.

52. Favorite food?

Snow crab.

53. Favorite foreign food?

Italian.

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

SO fresh and SO clean ~

55. Most used phrased?

”I dare everyday.” She says before she does something stupid.

56. Most used word?

Ye.

57. How long does it take for you to get ready?

Anywhere from 5 minutes to over 30 minutes. There is no inbetween in this.

58. Do you have much of an ego?

Either the biggest in the room or the smallest. There is no inbetween.

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

BITE.

60. Do you talk to yourself?

When I’m trying to focus really hard.

61. Do you sing to yourself?

Only to myself, yes. In my car and forgetting there’s someone in the car next to me? yes.

62. Are you a good singer?

I’d like to think so.

63. Biggest Fear?

Snakes.

64. Are you a gossip?

No, but I’ll discuss, not spread.

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Asked by Hingan-Fox!

66. Do you like long or short hair?

I like both!

67. Can you name all 50 states of America?

Unfortunately.

68. Favorite school subject?

Literature.

69. Extrovert or Introvert?

Kinda inbetween. Ask me on a random day, it may be one or the other.

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

No but it sounds cool!

71. What makes you nervous?

Confrontation.

72. Are you scared of the dark?

Kinda.

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

It depends on the thing. If its not my place, I won’t. If they’re ignorant, it depends if its worth it. If they deserve it- passionately.

74. Are you ticklish?

I will stab you.

75. Have you ever started a rumor?

Nope

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

Yep!

77. Have you ever drank underage?

Yeeeap.

78. Have you ever done drugs?

Mary Jane.

79. Who was your first real crush?

A boy in kindergarten who drew me cards everyday and left them in my desk each morning. ; ;

80. How many piercings do you have?

None! Needles and I do not work out.

81. Can you roll your Rs?

I can’t even curl my tongue and now I get this question.

82. How fast can you type?

90 WPM average.

83. How fast can you run?

Fast as fuck boi. I’m just memeing now, aren’t I? Just trying to get through this. I don’t think anyone will get this far.

84. What color is your hair?

Dark brown!

85. What color is your eyes?

Green-blueishhhh. Depends on the day/lighting.

86. What are you allergic to?

Wax and bees.

87. Do you keep a journal?

I used to until someone read it lol.

88. What do your parents do?

Work?

89. Do you like your age?

I kinda have to?

90. What makes you angry? Asked by Caewen! Oo boy.

91. Do you like your own name?

Yeah, I’d say its just fine. It’s mine.

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

Jace and Claire.

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

Happy with either.

94. What are you strengths?

Empathy, understanding.

95. What are your weaknesses?

Patience (depends), Failure.

96. How did you get your name?

They said they just shouted it out until they figured they could say it everyday for the rest of my life and not get tired of it- and the meaning is pretty.

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

I don’t think so. Never looked into it.

98. Do you have any scars? Asked by Sangria-Fangs!

99. Color of your bedspread?

White.

100. Color of your room?

White, greys. I like snow and furs and lights.

Now, after all that- I am clearly no bitch @kazexvoss. Do yours.

#TAPROMPTS #HUFF #This was fun but lengthy #clearly i am EFFICENT #and a perfectionist #and the best healer

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reputationiseverything · 3 years

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How Using Emotional Marketing in Content Can Help Drive Way More Sales

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Whether you care to admit it or not, the decisions you make today will be driven by your emotions. In emotional marketing, we talk a lot about using psychological triggers to get customers to click, convert, engage, etc.

“By leveraging common psychological triggers all people have,” you might hear, “you can drive more sales.”

While it may feel like we make decisions with our minds, using logic and reasoning, the “mental triggers” we hear about are tied more to emotion than anything else.

Case in point, Antonio Damasio spent time studying individuals with damage to the area of the brain where emotions were generated and processed.

While these subjects functioned just like anyone else, they couldn’t feel emotion.

The other thing they had in common was they all had trouble with making decisions.

Even simple decisions about what to eat proved difficult.

While they could describe what they should be doing using logic and reason, most decisions couldn’t be settled with simple rationale.

Without emotion, they weren’t able to make a choice.

This is supported by data from Gerard Zaltman, author of “How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market.”

Zaltman found that 95% of cognition happens beyond our conscious brain, instead coming from our subconscious, emotional brain.

Emotions are an X factor you can’t control, but you can’t afford to ignore them in your content marketing.

Why is Emotion Marketing so Effective?

When you make an emotional connection with your audience, it’s incredibly easy to steer them to the desired outcome.

You’ve formed an emotional bond, however brief and fleeting, that makes them open to ideas and suggestions. It creates a certain level of trust that’s virtually impossible to artificially manifest.

Rob Walker and Joshua Glen found firsthand what an emotional connection can do.

In one experiment, they bought hundreds of items from thrift stores and similar locations — all cheaply priced.

The duo wanted to see if they could sell the products using an emotional connection through the power of stories alone.

With 200 writers on board, they generated fictional stories for the products and used those stories to sell the thrift store items at auction on eBay.

They raised just under $8,000, which was a profit of approximately 2,700%.

And they did it all using that emotional connection through storytelling.

That’s not to say there isn’t a place for the logical or the rational in decision making.

This is where marketers often leverage the theory of dual processing in psychological marketing.

The theory holds that the brain processes thoughts and decisions on two levels.

The first level is that of emotion, which processes automatically, unconsciously, and provides a rapid response when we need it with virtually no effort.

The second level is the more deliberate and conscious thought process, where we handle decisions with reason and logic. It happens far slower than the emotional response.

In most cases, we fire back with a ready response from our emotions and then try to consciously rationalize it.

Think about some big-brand rivalries and preferences will surface in your mind.

How do you feel when you look at this major brand comparison?

Here’s another common one that has people divided, sometimes within the same family:

And then there’s this brand rivalry we know all too well.

In each of these, you likely have an opinion almost instantly about which you prefer, but it’s not because you have a logical reason.

It’s typically tied to emotion and/or experience; how you feel using their products, or how the brands left you feeling after an experience or reading a news article.

The brain then tries to rationalize that emotional response.

For example, your emotional response goes straight to Coke and then your brain works to rationalize the decision by deciding that it tastes better in a can, it’s fizzier, has a stronger bite than Pepsi, etc.

So, while you might feel like you’re making a rational choice about your beverage, it’s really just an emotional one.

The most successful marketers know how to lean on the emotional over logic in order to make their content draw in the audience.

That’s why nearly a third of marketers report significant profit gains when running emotional campaigns, but the number of successful campaigns dips if you introduce logic into the marketing.

And those results get sliced in half when marketers switch to logic over emotion.

Emotion Marketing Doesn’t Guarantee Successful Engagement

We experience a laundry list of emotions every day.

Is it really as simple as leveraging some emotion to make content more effective?

Yes and no.

Emotion is certainly important, but there are also other factors like timing, exposure, the format of the content, how it’s presented, who produced or shared it, etc.

Despite understanding the role emotion plays in content, we still haven’t quite perfected a formula for what makes content go viral.

Though we’ve gotten pretty close.

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Brands have long tried to inflate the consumer’s emotional response through manufactured content; some met with great success.

Take, for example, Intel’s five-part “Meet the Makers” series.

The videos profile a person around the world who uses Intel’s technology to create new experiences and build new technology that makes a difference in the world.

Like 13-year-old Shubham Banerrjee, who used Intel’s technology to build an affordable Braille printer.

And of course, some companies try to leverage emotion and create viral campaigns that just don’t take off.

CIO reported a number of failed viral marketing campaigns, such as “Walmarting Across America.”

In this blog, two average Americans travel across the country visiting Walmart locations, reporting their interactions on a blog along the way.

After countless upbeat entries about how people loved working for the company, it was discovered that the trip was paid for by Walmart and the entire thing was a campaign created and managed by the company’s PR firm.

That didn’t receive a warm reception from the blogosphere, which deemed the content to be a “flog” or fake blog.

Which Emotions Attract the Most Marketing Engagement in Content?

Many emotions fuel our behaviors and our decisions, especially our purchase decisions.

Some more than others — especially when they’re authentic.

A study was done by Buzzsumo analyzing the top 10,000 most-shared articles on the web. Those articles were then mapped to emotions to see which emotions had the greatest influence on content.

The most popular:

Awe (25%)

Laughter (17%)

Amusement (15%)

Conversely, the least popular were sadness and anger, totaling just 7% of the content that was most shared.

Two researchers at Wharton also wanted to dig deeper into virally shared content to find commonalities and better understand what makes that content spread.

What they found was the emotional element, and some very specific results tied to emotions.

Content is far more likely to be shared when it makes people feel good or it creates positive feelings such as leaving them entertained.

Facts or data that shock people or leave them in awe were more likely to be shared.

Instilling fear or anxiety pushes engagement higher, from comments being posted to content being shared.

People most commonly shared content that incited anger, leaving comments as well.

While some emotions are more likely to engage than others, every audience is different. What drives one to action may do very little for another.

This modern adaptation of Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion, illustrated by CopyPress, shows the range under eight primary emotions: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, and anticipation.

For content to be widely shared and have an impact on your audience, it needs to leverage one or more of these emotions.

The proof is on the web, not only in the statistics I shared above, but also in the popularity of user communities that regularly share content.

Just look at Reddit and some of the most popular subreddits by subscriber count. Each can be tied back to emotions (some more obviously than others) like anticipation, awe, joy, and more.

Here’s how some of those emotions can play into the engagement with your audience:

Anxiety May Cause Uncertainty For Customers

You don’t want your audience to make bad decisions. Bad decisions can lead to buyer’s remorse, which can paint your brand and the overall experience in a negative light.

But it can be helpful if you leave the audience a bit more open to influence.

A Berkeley study revealed that anxiety can be linked to difficulty in using information around us to make decisions. When we experience uncertainty, it becomes harder to make decisions and our judgment is clouded.

Still, anxiety can also spur people to act as a result of that uncertainty.

Take a two-year study by Wharton Ph.D. student Alison Wood Brooks and a Harvard Business School professor.

They found that upon increasing the anxiety of certain subjects with video footage, 90% of the “anxious” participants opted to seek advice and were more likely to take it.

Only 72% of the participants in a neutral state, who viewed a different video, sought advice.

Capture the Focus of Your Emotional Marketing Audience With Awe

Awe is comparable to wonder, but it doesn’t always fall under the umbrella of joy or humor.

It’s intended to captivate the audience and keep them riveted.

You often see this kind of hook in headlines that seem so earth-shatteringly significant that no one in their right mind would want to miss it.

Here’s a good example of that kind of awe used in content when Dropbox first launched.

Co-founder Drew Houston submitted his product to the website Digg, hoping to get some visibility from the social bookmarking site. That headline helped significantly.

Another great example of using Awe to capture attention is a video produced by Texas Armoring Corporation.

To emphasize the quality of the company’s bullet-resistant glass, the CEO crouched behind one of TAC’s glass panels while several rounds were fired at it from an AK-47.

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Awe can impact decision making as much as anxiety.

A study from Stanford University found that people experiencing awe are more focused on the present and less distracted by other things in life. They also tend to be more giving of their time.

When you have their attention and their focus, they’re more likely to have time to rationalize a decision.

Drive People to Action With Laughter and Joy Through Emotional Marketing

While joy and laughter can have their lines blurred, they’re really two different emotions when it comes to your content.

Because while laughter often leads to joy, not everything that is joyful is laugh-out-loud funny.

Still, next to awe, joy, laughter, and amusement were the highest contributors to social sharing and engagement in the above studies.

That influence goes all the way back to early childhood.

As babies, out first emotional action not long after being born is to respond to the smile of our parents with our own smile.

Per psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, joy and amusement are hardwired into us from birth.

His studies tell us that our innate desire for joy increases when it’s shared. That’s the nature of the “social smile.”

That explains why these feelings or emotions are such huge drivers behind the virality of content. Happiness, overall, is a huge driver for content sharing.

In fact, Jonah Berger’s study of the most-shared articles in the New York Times (around 7,000 articles) revealed the same kind of results around emotion.

The more positive the article, the more likely it was to go viral.

Brands have worked “joy marketing” into their strategies for decades, aiming to make their audience feel warm, comfortable, and happy.

That’s the intent of campaigns like P&G’s highly successful and viral “Thank You, Mom” campaigns that are injected with a lot of emotion (especially joy) when celebrating the strength of mothers.

Joy can take a lot of forms, though, and it doesn’t have to be commercially intended to elicit a direct sale.

Look at what Beringer Vineyards did with influencer marketing.

Russian Instagram sensations Murad and Nataly Osmann built a following of more than 4.5 million people with photos featuring them holding hands at locations around the globe during their world travels.

They attached the hashtag #FollowMeTo on those posts.

The couple teamed up with Beringer Vineyards to create some images meant to inspire joy, love, and of course the sense of adventure the couple already shared with their hashtag.

Immediate Gains in Emotional Marketing From Anger

Anger may be perceived as a negative emotion by some, but it can have positive influences as well as positive outcomes when leveraged in the right way.

A leading researcher in the study of anger, Dr. Carol Tavris, draws a parallel between anger and how it impacted society over the years.

Women’s suffrage, for example, developed from anger and frustration.

Anger can be empowering for the individual, bringing a sense of clarity and positive-forward momentum. It gives people a feeling of direction and control according to a study from Carnegie Mellon.

In the previously mentioned study on content shares in the New York Times, negatively perceived emotions like anger are equally associated with the virality of content.

In fact, Berger’s study of the New York Times content found that content which incites feelings of frustration or anger is 34% more likely to be featured on the Time’s most emailed list than the average article.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you deliberately create controversy by taking shots at readers or picking fights.

The key with using anger in content is to frame an issue that incites anger or frustration in a way that’s constructive.

You have to be thought-provoking and engaging.

This interactive graph from the New York Times is an example of how content can lead to frustration and anger over economic or societal issues.

This piece of content is simple, yet it provokes engagement as well as thought when results are revealed in comparison to what an individual perceives to be the truth.

Using the Right Emotional Marketing Words in Content

The difference between logic and emotion in content comes down to the words we use and how we position statements and information.

It’s just like the laundry list of power words used to improve conversion, or terms commonly used in e-commerce to get customers to buy more products.

When creating copy and content, you have to be acutely aware of whether you’re taking a rational or emotional approach to the information you’re sharing.

You need to think about the response you want to elicit to help guide your content development to make the right kind of psychological and emotional connection with your audience.

The context of your copy can remain the same.

By changing the words you use, however, you can make content appeal more to the emotions of the audience and prospective customer.

The simplest approach to finding the right high-emotion words takes only three steps:

Think about the action you want your audience to take when they read your content.

Decide what kind of emotional state will drive that action. What would make them do what you want them to do?

Choose emotionally persuasive words appropriate to the action and the emotion.

What you’ll find in researching the right words is that emotionally persuasive and impactful words tend to be abrupt. It’s the short, concise, basic words that appeal most to our emotions over our intellect.

Just look at this list from the Persuasion Revolution.

The majority of this emotionally weighted list (and there are over 350 items) is made up of shorter words.

The rational mind, on the other hand, tends to associate with longer and more complex words.

You Can’t Assume When it Comes to Emotional Marketing

It’s not easy to make that emotional connection with your audience. You have to know them.

Like anything else in marketing, your decisions and the content you create needs to be based on data. In this case, that data is your audience research.

That same research that tells you what topics to create, where your audience spends their time, and the content they prefer to view, can clue you into how to make that emotional connection.

You just need to expand your buyer personas.

In this case, you want to build up the psychological profile of your audience. You can achieve this by asking the right questions to help steer your content research and production.

What do they find humorous?

What are the pain points that frustrate them?

What topics make them angry?

What are common problems they speak about?

What kind of content is being shared that clearly pleases them or brings joy?

Your research could turn up a common topic or theme that appears frequently in the content they read and share.

For example, you might discover that a certain segment or demographic in your audience has a strong affinity to family values, or health and wellness.

Turn that into a content campaign that shares the feel-good side of your company.

Delve into the family life of your employees, how your company supports the work/life balance, or better health initiatives.

Google is well known for its company structure, promoting flexible schedules, support of family time, personal projects, and a focus on work/life balance.

The company often shares behind-the-scenes images (visual content) showing off employees enjoying what they do. Here’s an example from Google Sydney’s offices:

That can influence a positive emotional response toward the brand when targeted segments see that content.

Emotional Marketing Works in the B2B Process

Don’t get caught up with the dated idea that emotion is only applicable to consumer-focused businesses.

Emotional marketing has its place in the B2B world as well.

You may be dealing with a longer buying process between one or more organizations, but the decisions are still made (and fueled by) people who are absolutely driven by emotion.

That includes emotions like:

Awe: over what a solution is capable of and feeling empowered to bring that solution to the workplace.

Anticipation: in finding a piece of the puzzle in a product or service that will help the company achieve its next goal or milestone.

Fear: in purchase decisions that could reflect on the individual, resulting in a personal risk associated with a B2B purchase.

Joy: in knowing that a B2B purchase is likely to lead to a positive outcome that will reflect positively on the individual.

Emotion absolutely influences B2B purchases, and in some cases, emotion matters even more than logic and reason.

Conclusion

You hold a great deal of influence with your audience when you’re able to tap into their emotions.

Once you understand your audience, you can better determine their emotional state.

From there, make the decision about whether you need to influence and exploit emotions that are already present, or if you want to create or give rise to emotions the audience wasn’t initially expecting or experiencing.

Even the most (seemingly) rational decisions are influenced by emotion — and that applies to everyone.

When you learn how to leverage that emotion in your content, you will see increases in engagement, social action, and conversions within your funnel.

How do you use emotion in your content and copy?

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remelitalia · 3 years