#Finish Liza's Run

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

"At work today, I learned that Eliza Fletcher was abducted this morning, and I had several conversations with people about the struggle of staying safe. Yesterday, my coworker walked me to my car at 5 p.m. as a matter of course. At this point, worry and fear have permeated our lives.

I’m tired of constant vigilance."

#Memphis Flyer #Women have to be worried all the time #Memphis Flyer Op/Ed #Memphis TN #Memphis Tennessee #Eliza Fletcher #violence against women #what you don't contradict you condone #Speak Out Against Violence #Raise Your Voice #Coco June #Finish Liza's Run

[lunarsturniolo]

Everyone Loves You

“I met Matt and Y/N in an escape room,” the girl narrated, a poorly lit photo of the couple with the girl filling the screen. 

“She was sweet,” Matt mumbled, a fond smile growing on his face.

or

The fans loved you. 

masterlist

The fans love you, too

Sometimes, more than they love Matt. 

Maybe it’s the relatable nature of being an ordinary girl attending university classes in LA, or maybe it’s your witty humor. No matter what it was, you were loved, and the fans made sure you knew it. 

It was a busy day in LA, and you had just finished a couple of midterms the day prior. Matt decided to take the morning off and take you to brunch and coffee as a treat. 

Matt held your hand tightly as you dragged him around the area where you were grabbing brunch. You navigated through crowds, tugging on his hand slightly when you felt he was too far from you. 

“Do you wanna run into Zara?” You ask him with a wide grin. 

Matt sends you a matching smile- he can’t help but smile when you do. “Yeah, let’s go.” 

He lets go of your hand and wraps it around your waist, “I wanted to get some cargos,” he mentions quietly. 

You nod slightly, still a little flustered from how close he was to you, “Yeah, I can help you look,” you look up at him with a soft grin. He sends you an eager nod before helping up the steps of the store, headed towards the women’s section. 

You immediately begin picking through the clothing, holding things up to get a good view before draping them over your arm to try on later. It had been almost ten minutes of looking when you noticed there was a small group of girls following you both.

You turned around, a polite smile gracing your face, making eye contact with one of the girls. Matt was oblivious, still sifting through a rack, all while the girls waved. 

“Hi,” you say simply. Matt hears your voice and turns towards you, finally noticing the girls behind him. He gives them a pretty big smile and waves as well. 

This elicits a small gasp from one of the girls, “Hi, my name is Emma! I love your YouTube videos!” 

You smile, looking at Matt, “Hey, Emma. Thanks for the support. How are you guys?” He asks.

“Good,” they chime. 

Matt nods, “That’s good. Do you guys want a picture?” He asks

They nod eagerly, and another girl holds her phone out for a selfie.

“I can take a photo!” you say, ready to take her phone. 

“Oh,” the girl says, “We were hoping you could be in the photo.”

You break out into a large grin, “Yeah, I’d love to. What’s your name?”

“Hannah,” she says. 

“Hannah,” you repeat, “One of my best friends' names is Hannah!”

She blushes, “Did you post her on Instagram yesterday?” 

You let out a little laugh, “Yeah, I guess I did,” you say, “I haven’t seen her as much since school started.” 

Hannah nods in understanding, “I get that,” she says. 

With a bit of triumph, you look at the last girl, “And what’s your name?” 

“I’m Liza,” she says softly. 

“Hi, Liza. I’m Y/N,” you joke, “Do you want to talk for a minute, or are you in a hurry?”

Liza’s eyes dart between yours and Matt’s, “I have to go study for a final.”

You nod, “No, I totally get that. I just finished all of mine. No worries!” you smile, finally positioning yourself next to Matt. 

The three girls crouch in front of the two of you. You smile softly at the camera, and Matt holds up a peace sign. 

“Thank you guys so much,” Emma said. 

“Of course,” Matt says, “It was great to meet you guys.”

The girls echo Matt's sentiment, “Is there any way I could give you a quick hug before we leave?” 

“Oh yeah! Of course!” he says, finally relaxing a little bit, “That I can do.” 

The girls laugh, one by one giving Matt a hug before finally heading off towards the front of the store, “Bye, guys!” Matt calls out behind them.

“Good luck on your final, Liza,” you say, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze as she hugs you goodbye.

“You’re so good with them,” Matt comments. 

You let out a little laugh, “What do you mean?” 

He shrugs at you, “I can never think of what to say. You’re good at that,” he clarifies. 

You smile at him, “I have lots of practice talking to new people.” 

“Okay, Miss ‘I’m getting a degree’,” he teases with pride in his eyes. 

--

You were in bed with Matt lying on your chest, scrolling through his TikTok. He kept swiping through edits of himself in his brothers, cringing slightly whenever there was a sexual edit that would come up on his page. 

“You look good,” you comment as he scrolled past a video of himself.

“Mmm,” he hums, “Thanks, baby.” 

You nod in response, reaching up to play with his hair as he continues to scroll. 

You let out a sharp breath at the next video that shows up. It is an edit to the song ‘My Love Mine All Mine’ by Mitski that compiles all the clips of you and Matt that have surfaced in vlogs and the only car video you were in. 

Matt quickly likes the video and leaves a comment of just the goat emoji. You snort at his comment as he adds the video to his favorites. 

“Everyone loves you,” he says as he scrolls through comments.

“What do you mean?” you reply. 

He shifts his phone up to be at your eye level, letting you scroll through the comments yourself. There were about 200, all of which were giving you excessive praise. The comments ranged from “Y/N is so unbelievably pretty” to “I love how they look at each other”. You were really feeling the love.

You hum a reply to Matt, allowing him to lower his phone and continue through his for you page. One of the next videos he stumbled upon was a video of a girl who they had met earlier that day. 

“I met Matt and Y/N in an escape room,” the girl narrated, a poorly lit photo of the couple with the girl filling the screen. 

“She was sweet,” Matt mumbled, a fond smile growing on his face. 

You nod in response, focused on the video. “Basically, I had gone to do an escape room with my friends from the fandom I met on TikTok, and as we were walking into the building, I see Nick, Madi, and Chris running to their car,” she says. The next photo that appears on the screen makes Matt let out a belly laugh- a photo of Nick's blonde hair behind a sprinting Chris flooded the screen.

“Obviously, I’m not gonna follow them to their car,” the girl paused, “That would be really weird,” she said. 

“That would be,” you nod in response. 

“So, my friends and I just keep walking. I’m pretty shocked at this point because I just saw some of the coolest people I’ve ever met, but it gets better!” She exclaims.

Then comes the photo of the three of you. You are standing particularly close to Matt, his hand around your waist, and the girl on the other side of you. You smile softly at the photo; you and Matt look adorable. 

“Y/N and Matt come walking out super calmly. Like they weren’t running like everyone else was. So I quickly tried to catch them. I call out Matt’s name, and both of them turn to look at me. Y/N immediately waves and drags Matt over to me with this huge smile on her face.”

You blush and look down at Matt in a fleet of embarrassment, “God, I hate being perceived like this.” 

Matt chuckles in response, “I know, right.”

He refocuses his attention on the video, “Basically, the two of them came up to us and talked to us for like 15 minutes before we had to go in and do our escape room. But I could tell that Y/N was doing a super good job of helping him talk to us and make him feel comfortable because he was cracking jokes and seemed super excited the whole time!” the girl concluded. 

Matt smiles before opening up the comments once again. This time, the comments were flooded about how great you are for making Matt feel comfortable in his own skin. He points a few out to you before he stumbles upon a different comment. 

“I can just feel how in love they are from how close they are standing,” Matt reads out loud, “Damn right, we’re in love,” he laughs, looking up at you, puckering his lips for a kiss. 

#chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #nick sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #chris sturniolo imagine #matt sturniolo imagine #sturniolo fanfic #chris sturniolo x reader #christopher sturniolo imagine #matthew sturniolo imagine #matthew sturniolo #matt sturniolo x reader #sturniolo triplets

[lizaluvsthis]

Liza you and Shay have slowly just become an iconic duo we all run to for all the smg34 food so thankful for you two giving us amazing art and fics

Yes! (Suprisingly became the iconic duo) oh man smg34 gives us insane ideas even when talking dude like- ah man we need these fruits so bad EUHHHHFG

Be grateful everyone! :D making the fics and the art is hard but we managed to finish it! (Poured the soul we have for the big shipping TEEHEE)

We made it to the Iconic duo for this week's creation of Mistletoe and CnB BR AU! Theres more coming up in the future lets see how much of a fan you guys are by staying here with us 🤓🤓

#lizaluv #smg3 #smg34 #smg4 #smg4 smg3 #shygirl4991

[cato616]

NEGOTIATING OVER US (part seven)

roman roy x fem reader

!note: sorry this one is quite short, I usually write these at night pretty late and try to finish them as fast as I can so I can post it lol

summary: you're definitely planning to go see roman at Connor's party, you want to speak your truth. Is it going to be a bad or a good party tonight?

content/warning: lot of fluff and maybe angst; alcoholism (not addiction tho)

i will be there, i promise.

You close the shop with Liza, you've been filling her in about the roman situation, she been asking all day about it. "oh my god... so that's what happened yesterday?" You nod with your head. "well that is a complicated situation, and you don't have to feel bad about it honey" She tenderly lets you know. You were fine tho, it didn't hurt like it did before. "oh yeah i know" you said very sure of yourself. "i can't fix him, i mean, who could fix roman roy" You laugh with Liza and then you paused, feeling a shock wave of emotions, making you speak in depth. "i think tho..." you feel your mind full of veracity. "i think that he might feel some kind of safe space when we stand close to each other..." Liza gazed at you, comforting you with a smile; she thinks that you may now know want to want. Then you both walk out going down the street, hugging each other side by side. "it's complicated, but it's different... you need this" Liza states. "because, life's not perfect, and you may not want to let go of it." You think it was good advice, or at least, it's what you wanted to hear.

You finally get home, ready to start war with your closet. You first get a shower; and by then you get to your room to put some music to not make your little movie-like montage seem sombre.

You open your wardrobe, and began to dig in there, hoping to find some gold.

<outfit one> cute dress, actually could fit in with it since they wear the fanciest dresses... but no, not there yet.

<outfit two> oh wow... i look, jesus... but no, too too sexy for me and for the party's vibe. i look good, but no, i don't even know why I have this.

<outfit two> oh that's some really great pants actually... but what do I put upwards, that's just my bra. do i have a top?

"oh for fuck sake this is SO HARD, it's easier to go NAKED" You yelled while looking for more clothing, then you remember just the top you haven't been using for a while. "HELL YEAH fucking eureka." You grabbed the top and put it on. "I knew it, that's fucking good, i need to grab that clear open shirt to complete this mistical outfit."

You finally completed level one; you were all black. Then you continued on doing your make up very quickly. Then fix your hair a little bit, gave some last touches, grabbed your purse, and then decided to start running over there. You were about to leave then suddenly, you hear knocking on your door. You stopped mid way through opening the door, by then of course you did, to see who it was. "Hello? you are..." You didn't know the man how was standing right in front of you, very tall and large, looked like those security guys at the building. "Ms y/n, sorry to barge, Mr roy sent me here to collect you to give you a ride to the party" Said the very large man. "Oh, well, actually that doesn't sound so bad, i wasn't liking the idea of looking like this while taking the subway." You muttered. "Subway you said?" he accidentally chuckles by then tries to compose himself back, but kept on smiling, even when you were coming down the elevator. Jesus, they really haven't touched a bus in their lives.

You get outside the streets of your building; the driver opens the back door for you when you were about to do it, you smile at him through the pain, it's so painfully fancy that makes a little bit uncomfortable, but you try not to judge and enjoy the moment. Actually you aren't enjoying one bit, you've been biting the skin off your fingers for the last 5 minutes now, thinking your every movement for when you'll get there: even your shoulders were tense, it looked like shoulder pads ready to play some football. "hey... it might not be my saying, but, it's okay if these aren't your thing, but you'll be okay, you already know you're not one of them, so definitely be yourself, ok?" The driver was nicer than you thought. You shaked your head when you didn't know what to say like if you wanted to say sorry for not making a response, and then nodded, "-yeah of course, t-thanks."

You arrived at last to the party; it definitely wasn't a small party, but apparently wasn't too big for the rich side. The driver opened your door very gently, you come out and was about to head in. "remember, yeah? yourself kid." You put your thumps up and smiled, and he smiled back; he then drove away.

There you were, standing outside, really scared; you start walking to the main door, then a woman with a tablet next to it, asks your name, later letting you go in.

Full of people, it was worse than the time you first went inside waystar's building. Didn't know where to go; of course your goal was to find roman eventually, didn't want to randomly text him tho, you needed to find him in person. Awkwardly greeting people you don't know wasn't really your plan, so you settled on waiting at the bar, didn't feel very chatty yet. "Are you ordering anything?" The bartender caught off guard. "Um... yeah actually, could i have some... vodka and sprite? i think." Very nervous to say anything. "coming right up" You smiled satisfied. "and i might... need some shots after" You mumbled, but he still heard.

You were given your vodka and you immediately start drinking like life depends on it. "oh god... ugh, too fast damn... another one" You requested. He made you the other drink and you chucked it in as well. You were feeling great actually, a bit dizzy but still very tense. "Let's do the shots now mr bartender thank you" You asked in a funny way... you get drunk pretty easily, fast metabolism. "... sure." He didn't feel worried like that, since it's his job to mix alcohol with more alcohol, he just felt curious about your desire for it. He made three shots, although you weren't sure you would be able to drink all three. You drank the first one, "wo-Woah, that felt a little bit strong" However you didn't care, your mission was to feel, something else. You were wondering if roman was looking for you, or just waiting for you; right now, you weren't ready to see him yet. You took the second shot. aw why am I doing this to myself. Although deep down is what you wanted. And there it was, the last shot; you looked at it, trying to focus on the glass, feeling dizzy already, so, should you take it? it might wear off quite fast, then i should drink it. "Yo, you really don't have to drink if you don't want to." He tells looking straight at you putting himself in front. "oh, shut up mr bartender, i can take it." Definitely drunk already. So you grabbed the shot, and the next thing you knew, it was slowly going through your throat, burning you one last time. I better not throw up, i already regret this.

You gradually stand up from your seat, taking step by step. "thank you mr bar... mr bartender, have a great week" You already went away from the bar but he had replied, "it's the weekend tho, but you too..."

You didn't know which way you were supposed to take. Everything was quite a blur, but you managed to walk around with no problem at all, at some point. You didn't know where to go, so you sat on top of some stairs at the corner of it. You weren't feeling very tipsy, you looked up the celling, and you sigh. It didn't make you feel that good after all, just a little bit, it did make you loosen up. People passed by and you wouldn't notice, you just kept observing the place around you, but, you did feel a little sad you weren't trying to talk to the people, you could even hear your mother's opinion about that; so you felt a tiny bit stupid about the drinking. You thought coming over would be different, but maybe you were wrong. I should get out of here, it isn't worth it.

"y/n? uuh what are you sitting down there?" You could hear the voice you wanted to hear all night just right in front of you. You instantly look up at him, and stood up rapidly. "Roman!!" You were so drunk that you couldn't hide your excitement. "oh wow, this morning you were like a statue and now you almost look like you had a sugar-crush" He said feeling mazed by your grand reaction. "I had some fuel to feel up my empty tank of energy" You were surprised you could even finish that sentence. "oh, so you had some drinks... but i think too much maybe? don't you think?" You can't control your emotions when you're this unstable. "Oh come on roman stop judging me, I'm here, i came..." You implied, as you were getting closer to him, again, you can't control your emotions. And there was nothing but pure eye contact. "Yes, you did came" He slowly adds when he then fix your hair and tucks it back behind your ear, and then tries to put his hand on your cheek. "oh wow you're hot" your face doesn't change, huge smiley drunk face. "thank you" you reply. He laughs kindly at your response. "no I'm, yes i mean, y-you're literally hot, are you... feeling okay?" He seemed a little worried. "i think... (you zoned out for a while) not." Yet you still kept on grinning. "Oh okay um... i think you should go sit somewhere, or maybe leave?" leave? Since you couldn't think that straight, of course you were now thrown out by his remark, and made you stand back. "hold on, you want me to leave?" So embarrassingly sad. "no I didn't say it like that, you definitely are really drained, how many did you take?" he asked. "like this..." You tried to make the numbers with your hand but mistakenly made the rock and roll sign. "yeah well that says everything, let's go" He showed his hand to you so you could take it. "to where?" you asked. "i think you should go to your place." You then grabbed his hand, and made you remember today's meeting with him. You got now even closer than before. "You're coming with me right? I'm not sure if I can go there alone" You suggested, tho it was true you would need someone to get you safe to your flat. "i will, i will come with you." He sincerely said while looking at your face up and down.

"okay so, then take me." Roman does what you say, and starts to take you out of the party while holding your hand to guide you outside.

And so you go both to your place.

continue.

#roman roy #roman roy x reader #roman roy x you #fem y/n #y/n #fem reader #succession #succession fic #roman roy fic #angst

[miras-ash]

I finished the translation of my mini Oneshot and here it is. Disclaimer: My grammar is total trash and I bet some words are wrong, too. I tried my best and I hope you're all still able to understand anything😅

Freezing night air flows into the room through the open window, only the moon enlights the room in pale light which makes the already bleak room seem even more loveless. The steady beeping of the hospital equipment to which she is connected has become a familiar sound in my head, almost as if it had always been there.

A shiver runs through my exhausted body and pulls me back to reality. Here I am, once again in a hospital. One too many times in a damn place like this. I saw too many beloved people hurt or worse; die. I should be used to it but how can someone get used to it to see family and friends suffering.

A lump forms in my throat and I have to swallow, again tears run down my face. My gaze falls to my side, to the bed next to me, the bed in which the woman lies I love the most. Eliza.

The last weeks I have spent only at her side and nothing and no one could have stopped me. How could I leave her after I already failed to protect her.

It was Deimos plan, his bomb but I was the one who found the location for the "Nighthaven armory deal", I stumbled into his trap and yet she's the one who payed for it. That's not fair, it should be me lying here fighting for my life, not her. If I could I would take her place without hesitation. All I can do is stay at her side and hold her hand as she becomes weaker and weaker, as her life drains away with every breath.

The doctors have given her time, more than enough. I know that myself. But I had hope, a small part of me still have to this very moment and yet here I am to say goodbye.

I know Eliza wouldn't approve seeing me here like this, she would tell me to carry on as usual, to fight, that she's not worth it but I can't. She's the fighter who never gives up, not me....

I'm no doctor but even I can see on the small ECG monitor that her heartbeat is getting slower and weaker. I want to look away, don't want to see it, don't want to hear it, just don't want it to be true.

I put my forehead in front of hers, the tears from before have become an uncontrolled torrent and wet Eliza's pale face.

I know it's happening, but I don't want it to happen. I am so afraid. Of waking up every morning in a world without her, of king to work without an Eliza Cohen rushing through my office door and shit talking about something, of going to sleep at night without feeling her warmth, of having to "live" my life without ever being complete again.

"Liza, my poppy flower, my fire, my heart. Don't you dare to ever forget how much I love you because I will never. The next time you wake up we will be separated but I hope you know that I would never leave you and I know one day we'll meet again, no matter where no matter how. I will find you in any universe at any time. I am your spirit, your fallen angel." A sob escapes me before my voice fails completely.

One last time my fingers stroke her soft red hair, her cheeks, her mouth and one very last time our lips meet and for a moment everything feels normal, that familiar feeling of her closeness, her smell, just her.

"Goodbye"

#r6 ash #rainbow six siege #ash #eliza cohen #mira x ash #tom clancy #mira #r6s mira #elena alvarez #ash x mira #mirash #r6 ship #oneshot #fanfic

[whumpacabra]

47. Save Point

Successful rescue, on the run, vague medical treatment, referenced gunshot wound, referenced head injury, dog mention, fictional politics

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

Walker wasn’t going to interrupt…whatever was going on with the Ghost and the target. RJ, on the other hand, had no reservations about disturbing the peace. They crouched next to Ghost and pressed a hand to his back, succeeding in getting his attention.

His body language was tense, teeth bared, shoulders curled forward toward Wolf - but he wilted seeing the blood on their glove. His blood.

“Just grazed you it looks like.” RJ’s voice was soft, only audible through their comms over the roar of the helo’s blades. “Liza - ”

“On it. Casey - ”

“I got the other two.”

The team sprung into action, a well oiled machine, a dance of perfectly practiced partners dividing duties and supplies as they spread about the helicopter interior. Casey was helping Thomas with his head wound, the pale country boy flush while the Irish merc flirted to keep him distracted from the sting of antiseptic. RJ and Liza were tag-teaming Ghost (and Wolf, to a lesser extent, who sat impossibly close to the older mercenary). RJ was right - it looked like the bullet just grazed Ghost, catching mostly in the Kevlar of his vest.

Dog lay at the back of the helo, ears pinned down and eyes pitifully damp and begging to rejoin the group, but Liza had ordered it the stay and so it stayed. Probably for the best, seeing how Gomez was staring it down like the beast would jump up and tear out his throat if he looked away for just a second.

“You good?” Walker signed to Harrison, trying to get his attention off the dog. It worked, though she didn’t like the way his gaze shifted to the Wolf, and then to the floor. His signs were clumsy.

“We’re out. Really out, now.”

“Yeah.” Walked crouched in front of him, eyeing the bloodstained folder in his hands and the heavy databank in his lap. “You boys are gonna be alright.”

“Thanks.” Something in his eyes betrayed that he didn’t trust her word. Walked sighed, seeing Casey taking his sweet time finishing up with Thomas’ injuries. (The boy was a flirt who couldn’t stop himself from sweet talking a civi, it seemed.)

“My family…” Harrison’s signs were unsteady, unsure. “…I need to know they’re safe. They - ”

“Don’t worry about them, Gomez. Made sure some of my friends were keeping an eye on them.” That didn’t soothe Harrison as much as she hoped it would, a flicker of defensive suspicion in his dark eyes. “Once we get you up across the border and figure out where you’re headed, we can get them out of the country.”

“Canada too close for comfort?”

“Yes. Switzerland is probably your best bet. How’s your French?”

“Nonexistent.” A weak, sheepish grin twitched on his face.

“I’m sure you’ll pick it up quick.” Walker was relieved that her smile was returned, Harrison’s eyes soft and content.

“Walker, I want a sitrep up here.” The voice from her comm came from the pilot.

She stood with a sigh, stretching as she staggered to the cockpit and slumped into the copilot seat, trading her earpiece for an aviation headset over her ears. Jackson was tense, a curl of concern across his face as he glanced at her.

“Target acquired. According to Ghost’s tracking dog, both were in the bunker.” She studied the cloud below them, the sun bright but air chilled at this altitude. “Seems that he knows one of them. Or knew him. The two are practically glued to each other.”

“And the other?”

“Gomez - on of ours. Was, anyway, before he was reported MIA and then KIA after months without contact.” Walker scowled, the messy paperwork already behind her eyelids. “I’ve had a few of my trusted coworkers go out to provide overwatch for his family, keep any unwanted eyes off them when we decide to move them.”

“You sure that Gomez will go through with blowing the whistle on this one?”

“If he doesn’t, I will.”

“Walker…there’s always projects like that. Not your fault this one flew under the radar. Hell, your director might not even - ”

“He knows. Anders, one of my department’s best men, was out there today.”

“Status?”

“KIA.” There was a warmth in her gut at the memory, rage and hate bubbling in his chest. How she wished she could have made that fucker suffer -

“Christ, Sarah.” Jackson took a steadying breath. “Guess you’re also going to need a ride across the pond?”

“Affirm.”

“Why’s this got you so rattled? You know…you’ve done your fair share of dirty work.”

“Not like this. Not like that bunker. You - ” She caught herself, swallowing back the misplaced anger. “I’m done doing dirty work for them. This was the last straw.”

“Fair enough. No hard feelings for me if I stick on the straight and narrow?”

“Keep your hands clean and we’ll see.”

“No promises.”

“I know.” Walker softened her gaze, even knowing the pilot was focused on flying. “You’re a good man Jackson. They haven’t beaten that out of you yet.”

“They sure as hell try - do you know I’m here on shore leave? We fuck this up and we’re both getting charged with violating several international laws.” He laughed, meeting her warm eyes with his own. “We’ll see how much more I can take before they break me.”

“Let me know when they do. I know a crew good at dragging folk outta hell.”

“Mm, that those Specters you called in? Charming. I’ve had Ghost on my personal red list for sometime.”

“Oh, well, then I appreciate you keeping this professional.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Once you and yours are safe he’s fair game again.”

“As though you get much time out in the field these days. Have you officially given up dying the silver out of your hair?”

“Oh, fuck off love. The lads at the bar love it - say I’m a silver fox.”

Walker laughed, continuing to heckle Jackson as they flew.

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

(An AU of my Freelancers series)

Taglist: @i-eat-worlds @whumpy-daydreams @stargeode

#whump #rescue #on the run #medical treatment #gunshot wound #head injury #dog mention #fictional politics #freelancers au #epilogue up next — this series…man I am so proud of this.

[missmortox]

Comprehensive 2022-Present Alida Morberg Behavior Timeline

January 2022 - Alida spends a whole week celebrating her birthday. It starts at Villa Morberg in Bequia amidst theories that her and Bill have possibly broken up. This is when she posts the nudes of Oona on her IG (Liza does as well). In this time she also posts the two sex game videos. Bill in no way acknowledges her birthday like he has done previous years.

February 2022 - Bill doesn't acknowledge Valentines day with Alida either more rumors circulate about Bill possibly having an affair with a producer on the set of Boy Kills World. Alida travels to South Africa dragging Oona along with her. No proof she ever saw Bill or got on set. The video of Bill and approaching that Producer in a familiar way while Alida comes in from the side appears as they go on a Safari together for some wrap party celebration thing.

March 2022 - Alida crashes The Northman premiere, not clear if she was invited or she just showed up to get her photos taken wearing that crazy Kimono outfit.

May 2022 - Alida attends the Elle Galan looking straight up orange with that weird zebra onsie and the three braids in her hair. Bill does not attend with her. At the Clark premiere, Bill looks like a sweaty nervous wreck almost the whole night. Alida appears to have a weird side lump under her dress that looks like a tumor. Rumors circulate she's pregnant.

June 2022 - Alida appears at Semra's bridal parties with some kind of belly, speculation continues that she's pregnant. The infamous IG comment on her "Friend's" pregnancy post that she is also 6 months pregnant surfaces and gains attention.

July 2022 - Molly has her baby shower where Alida appears to give her all of Oona's old clothes from a trashbag in a photo taken at the party and posted to IG stories. Alida does not look 6 months pregnant in any of the photos. Alida likes a post about a pregnant woman getting a full body scan for whatever reason on Ingelaviolamakeup's IG account. She likes one other post about herself getting a face scan at the same company for undisclosed reasons. This is also the month with the "fan selfie" in Prague that happened under high suspicious circumstances that still haven't been explained.

August 2022 - Alida makes her giant pink debut bragging about how pregnant she is with her belly and ass looking super padded as the day before at a different event she was tiny with almost no bump at all. Though this event was supposed to be to promote The North Sea Connection, Alida spends every second of every interview bragging about being pregnant and also speaking on Bill's behalf about how excited he is. Bill, at that point, has made no statement himself. Alida later appears at the NK Galan and is also drinking causing backlash and producing a lame statement about how she doesn't drink while pregnant in poorly written English. Her bump seems to collapse when she sits down/leans forward.

September 2022 - Alida appears awkwardly at the Backstage Hotel party run by Eija. A video of her "dancing" and rubbing her belly against her friend's appears. So do the hostage looking photos of her standing with Eija and then with Bill who barely seems to want to touch her despite not having been around her for awhile as he was filming in Prague. Ingelaviolamakeup posts photos of a fake pregnancy belly that she is working on in her SFX shop. In the comments she confirms it is a belly meant to be 8 months pregnant and it is finished on the exact same day Alida needs to be at the premiere with Bill for Burn All My Letters. The premiere shows odd behavior with Alida's arm uncontrollably twitching she appears to leave moments after she gets her miserable photos with Bill on the red carpet.

October 2022 - The staged surprise shower for Alida happens. It's very obviously staged for several reasons including the fact that you can see Alida check to make sure people are in the room and also she comes in from a side area not the front door. Even if that weren't the case she's the worst actress ever so it's kind of obvious. Only days before this shower she appeared in a photo with Semra with no baby bump at all and suddenly she's super inflated and pregnant. Somewhere in this time Alida leaks on her Pinterest account that she's decorating a house in South Africa.

November 2022-December 2022: Alida does two interviews about how she's a "private person" where she also includes very personal details about her life, where she is on Holiday (which I'm sure wasn't supposed to be public) and appears in a Zoom interview using Bill's zoom account. She brags about having a Nanny, becoming an international actress, makes claims that she has "Several projects" in the upcoming year (none of that has seemed to happen for her at all) and then goes silent. There's a photo leak of her, Bill, and Oona in a cafe in SA, seems to be intentional. The poster took screenshots from a video she took of them but won't post the video. No reason given. A few videos surface of Molly and Dajana at the SA house. The rest of Alida's family stays in Sweden for the holidays including Per. There is no birth announcement when the baby is born but due date is suspected to be around November 15th if she was actually telling the truth about being the same amount of pregnant as her friend. No way to know with how her bump magically vanished and inflated when she needed to appear pregnant.

January 2023 - Alida's friends do the usual tagging her in crap on IG so she can repost it for her birthday but she looks to be alone for it, mostly, spending time by herself at a spa. Alida posts a photo which IG wrongly translates to saying "My husband" which was probably done on purpose to fuel the rumors certain people have already started that Alida and Bill are secretly married. They aren't married and in this entire year have not gotten married. Alida goes silent again for a long time.

March 2022 - Alida returns to Sweden and brags about getting some gifts from one of the brands she pretends to be an influencer for but really isn't (probably arranged by Semra her PR agent...I mean "friend") Bill is nowhere to be seen in this time, partially because of filming Nosferatu and partially because he probably doesn't want to be around her. Alida posts an IG story to pretend like she's in Prague with Bill but more than likely is not and never actually proves anything beyond that (or if she even took the photo herself)

April 2022 - Alida shows up by herself to photobomb Valter and Gustaf at the Grona Lund amusement park opening which historically she went to with Bill. Seems like she didn't bother to bring either kid and I'm sure if Bill was there with her he'd have been photographed at least once. The video of the photobomb wasn't posted anywhere super official and the photograph that was being taken was not posted by Grona Lund so clearly they didn't want Alida in it which proves that she photobombed it. Valter doesn't appear very happy about it either. Alida starts to leak photos of Minou with emojis over her face or just the back of her head but it's pretty clear she's taking this kid everywhere she can to try to get her photographed and seen by anyone who might be important.

May 2022 - The "Drunken Baby Dance" video "accidentally" leaks onto a TikTok account gaining massive exposure rather quickly. Debates on what is happening in this video continue to this day but a good majority of people do not think Alida's behavior is very normal in that video.

August 2022 - Alida incentives a tabloid to publish and article about her daughter's full name Minou Inese Morberg Skarsgard. Most of the article is recycled content with Oona's name initially being misspelled. Alida appears with a new and super weird haircut at a party that she doesn't seem to be actively a part of as much as she's just there, no one seems to be interacting with her much. End of August Alida shows up at Fares Fares premiere with Bill looking equally as miserable as him. People around her look awkward as well. Days later Alida posts a story about how they had a fun time but were "tired" with no further explanation.

==As of this post there have been no further updates from Alida's account or in the media that is known if I missed anything feel free to tell me and I'll add it to the timeline=

[If you have any thoughts on this behavior or what any of it could mean, theories, whatever, feel free to share. Hate will be trashed]

#alida morberg #bill skarsgård #timeline #just saying

[crystalelemental]

Unicorn Overlord apparently had a new update patch that rebalanced some things (buff to Virginia and Swordmasters; their second shield/sword now gets 50% of their stats factored in instead of 0%), but most critically, added some more postgame stuff. You can redo the final fight, meaning it's now reasonable to achieve level 50 on more than like two teams, and they added fights against Amalia's demon form, five of which have entire teams backing her. I did manage to clear them on both of my files, but only one stood out. The Alain/Eltolinde team on Tactical managed to clear every single fight. Not necessarily first try, but they did it. Ridiel has Ice Arrow to freeze stuff that can become a problem, Chloe gives Keen Call to Eltolinde's big explosion attack, Alain tanks for the party. They had Liza up front, which wasn't like...the best use of her probably, but she does have Toxic Bolt which slows down Amalia significantly. The real fun is that Eltolinde can just Primus Call like eight times in succession to finish the job. For being so low on AP, it's hilarious how long she keeps that running.

#unicorn overlord

[greenxgloss]

guys i have so many ideas and i started writing a bunch of them but i just don’t have the energy to type.

like one was meeting euro and a christmas party and sitting on his lap and like having little run ins with him around school and other social events until he makes a solid effort to ask you out

another was based off triple dog the movie where the reader is liza and gets dared to hide in jack thurlows closet until midnight and he finds out and then he creates a sexual tension that can’t be ignored and they have sex before the reader meets back up with the group

and i have no problem with anyone using these cuz honestly idk if i’m even gonna finish them😭 like i feel like i’m creative sometimes but i just can’t sit for hours writing idk

#rory culkin

[legion1227]

The Bear: A review.

If this show ends up on the chopping block because of the Writers and Actors strike, I will be furious.

The Bear dropped all ten episodes of its first season on June 23rd, 2022. The Bear dropped all ten episodes of season two one year later, on June 22nd. Both seasons were watched and finished this year, and I found the show overall to be really great.

If you're looking for a show to watch on Hulu, this is one of the best shows out right now. Jeremy Allen White plays Carmen Berzatto, a young chef who returns to Chicago to run his brother's restaurant. The Bear is considered a comedy, and while it can be funny, it also meshes brilliantly elements of intense drama and chaos.

What separates The Bear from other shows I've seen is its intensity. Multiple episodes are dedicated to Carmen and others cooking and trying to run their business. You get an up-close look at the cast in the kitchen trying their best to make everything work, and so many mistakes or problems arise. Constant issues arise as people bump into each other, the food isn't precise, or huge personalities clash with one another, and the tensions continually rise. It provides the most anxiety-inducing content on streaming, and it's sublime. One of the best episodes of the entire show is season 2, episode 6, titled "Fishes." It's the epitome of comedy and drama, and my anxiety levels have never been higher than during this episode. It's amazing. Celebrity guest stars appear to portray various members of Carmen's dysfunctional family, and one of the best moments to me stems from Carmen's brother and uncle getting into a heated argument where his uncle repeatedly drills the words "You're nothing" into Carmen's brother's head.

Accompany Jeremy Allen White's stellar performances are equally strong cast members in Ayo Edebri as Sydney, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie, Abby Elliott as Natalie, Matty Matheson as Neil Fak, L-Boy as Marcus, Liza Colon-Zayas as Tina, Oliver Platt as Carmen's uncle, Edwin lee Gibson as Ebra…there's just so many star players that need to be mentioned. Many of the previously mentioned have episodes dedicated to them, and they're all equally compelling. I don't binge shows much lately as I try to savor and juggle many different shows on my plate at any given moment (how I experience certain shows is a complex system I won't get into,) but if I could, I would've easily binged the seasons. This show has the potential to be something truly special. Jeremy Allen White as Carmen carries with him a brokenness seen similarly in the likes of Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul, Bill Hader in Barry, and Jeremy Strong in Succession. All these spectacular shows ending around the same time leave Carmen as the next person to carry the brunt of the weight of the guilt and sins that the aforementioned three held with them for multiple seasons.

(Better Call Saul, Barry, and Succession are some of the best shows I've seen in a while, and The Bear could join them if the cards are played right).

Shoutout to Christopher Storer for penning such an immaculate show. Without talented creatives like this, we wouldn't have such amazing shows.

I hope season 3 comes soon. To nitpick, the first few episodes of season 1 are a bit slow, but once it picks up steam, it does not falter. Overall, both seasons of The Bear are great, and if you have not watched already, I sincerely recommend it. 4/5 overall.

#tv show review #review #tv review #the bear #the bear fx #the bear hulu #carmen berzatto

[hamliet]

finished part 3 of demons....no words honestly. i'd like to hear your thoughts on Stavrogin's end in relation to Raskolnikov for example and why you think Dostoevsky had two different ends for two of his "main characters". Also I've had this thought since I started reading, about how Stavrogin reminded me of Johan from Monster, and also wondered if you had ever made that connection yourself and if there's any merit to it, ty again for the answers!

Yeah. Yeah. Lol.

Stavrogin and Raskolnikov

Raskolnikov looks for meaning via believing himself somehow better than society; it's an inwards-->outwards type thing. Stavrogin is the opposite. Society determines that he's somehow better than they are because he's blessed with good looks, intelligence, likable, an outwards-->inwards type thing.

The main idea of Demons is of course that if you become obsessed with an idea, any ideology at all, it can consume you and turn you into a demon. This is explored to a degree in Raskolnikov's character, too. Yet at the same time as this is true, being empty, with no ideology at all, only leads to being filled sevenfold with demons.

Stavrogin is the empty one.

Svidrigailov, Stavrogin, and Raskolnikov

Raskolnikov (and Svidrigailov) have a tendency to see other people as tools. Raskolnikov, however, acknowledges the humanity of Sonia, of the Marmeladov family, of Razumikhin and Dunya and his mother. Svid... doesn't acknowledge others as people with their own wishes and dreams, as I've mentioned before.

Stavrogin also doesn't acknowledge this about others, not really. There are similarities in how he views Dasha and how Svidrigailov views Dunya, but there are also extreme differences.

Svidrigailov wants a Good Girl to redeem him, but doesn't realize that comes from acknowledging humanity in yourself and in others. He wants to die when he realizes that he will never be loved by this one person he's made into an idol of goodness and beauty.

Stavrogin has numerous Good Girls who are willing to risk their reputations to help him. Liza runs off from her genuinely good fiance for him, he marries a mentally ill woman (Marfa), he has Dasha the servant girl risk her reputation to be his confidant (and frankly, he seems to only be able to trust her). Marfa is murdered and he lets it happen despite it not being his wish, Liza also gets murdered because of her dalliance with him, and Dasha survives but sees his suicide. He also has a child with Shatov's wife, has Kirillov who is kind, has a mother who loves him, a tutor who believes in him, and a revolutionary friend who loves him.

Yet none of that saves him, because Stavrogin cannot acknowledge his own humanity and so cannot acknowledge that in others, and no one around him acknowledges his humanity either. They all see him as something above them--with the exception of perhaps Dasha. But her acknowledging his humanity isn't enough to save him. So he sins and sins worse and worse hoping to feel something, but never does. And if he can't feel anything, is he truly human?

The irony, of course, is that he's painfully human. He's ashamed of what he's done to a degree, even, because he refuses to allow society to find out about all he's done. In other words, there's an aspect of Stavrogin that resists the idea of people seeing him as human. And isn't that somehow paradoxically human, to want to be a god and have the world go according to how you want it to?

I do think this aspect of feeling inhuman is similar to Johan, though I think Johan is ultimately more similar to other characters like Ivan or Smerdyakov, or even Raskolnikov, than to Stavrogin. Johan does face humanity in the end, after all.

NB:

I also think it's worth noting that characters who have sexually abused children never get happy endings in Dostoyevsky's works. They have the chance to, they are human, but they never do, and that probably reflects an aspect of Dostoyevsky's trauma and limits, which is frankly relatable.

#ask hamliet #nikolai stavrogin #demons #fyodor dostoevsky #crime and punishment #rodion romanovich raskolnikov #svidrigailov #tw

[triviareads]

i just finished a novel you recommended (bed me duke! excellent!) and moved on to my usual annual re-read of northanger abbey and do you have any recommendations for romance novels for each austen couple? i think that would be pretty cool!

I love that! the Bed Me series has never failed me so far, and I'm very excited for book 4, Bed Me, Baronet (the hero's a blond and possibly a virgin based on ALL his friends speculating about him in each of their books lol). As for romance novels based on Austen couples, I'm gonna be a little selective here because I haven't actually read Sense and Sensibility (but I vaguely remember watching the movie) or Mansfield Park:

Pride and Prejudice

There are lots of romance novel adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, and there are even more claiming to be inspired by the "enemies to lovers" aspect of P&P EVEN IF IT'S NOT AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE. So my best recommendation would be Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne; it's a modern adaptation set in Washington D.C.; Liza is a local radio DJ and activist who meets Dorsey (a Filipino adoptee) and realizes they're on opposite sides of the gentrification situation occurring in DC. I loved how the book dealt with the class difference along with the added layer of race. It also modernized the "proposal" aspect really well imo because randomly asking a gal to marry you without even dating wouldn't necessarily work in the modern era BUT the proposal Dorsey put out there still felt inherently degrading to Liza even if she'd hooked up with him already (another change from the original, and an appreciated one).

Persuasion

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas: I'll forever recommend this; McKenna and Aline were childhood sweethearts before they were separated by her father the earl, because McKenna was a stableboy. Now he's uber-wealthy and resentful about what happened all those years ago BACK for REVENGE and by revenge I mean he's going to seduce Aline and... that's about it lol. Never has a man come back with more loathing/self-loathing with a plan that's so half-baked even his drunk friend is like "but are you sure buddy".

Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez: Another second-chance romance; Gillian asked Nicky to take her virginity when they were teenagers and teach her about sex stuff before leaving for college. Now she's back and divorced, and they're skirting around each other and having multiple clandestine encounters even though they think it's all temporary. While there's not much of a class difference, you get the sense Nicky thought of himself as her bit o'rough and she was an unattainable princess-type to him.

The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long: Second chance romance with love at first sight; There were a couple aspects that really reminded me of Persuasion; there's very similar language to Anne where Olivia is described as having "withered away" since Lyon left, and she refuses all other suitors. And! Lyon is a sailor like Wentworth except, well, not on the legal side of things lol. It's also just super romantic when they do reunite years later.

Emma

Bed Me, Baron by Felicity Niven: George and Phoebe are long-time friends who've known each other since she was a baby. She asks him for sex lessons so she can help her please her future husband who she's engaged to (not George lol). While there's not much of an age gap in this one (4 years), George Danforth is daddy so that should square you away there.

Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway: Here's an Emma/Knightley-ish age gap, plus, Ben and Livy were family friends/friends since she was a kid. Later on, she sees him having sex with another woman in the stables and it's basically her sexual and romantic awakening, so she spends a lot of the book chasing after him while he's running for his life.... until he isn't. Sex-wise the vibes are daddy dom/mildly bratty.

Sense and Sensibility

The closest I could think of in terms of Marianne/Col. Brandon was Rosalind and Torrington from A Recipe for a Rogue by Kathleen Ayers. Like Marianne, Rosalind is initially horrified that an *older man* like Torrington might want to marry her (the number of old man-girdle and secretly balding hair jokes.... hilarious) and Rosalind avoids every attempt her mother makes to match them. Torrington is attracted to her from the get-go and slowly woos her by way of exchanging recipes, baked goods, and licking food off her thighs.

tbh I have no idea who'd fit Elinor/Edward's vibe.

Northanger Abbey

It's actually very hard to find heroes who have Henry Tilney's playful irreverence paired with Catherine's sweet naivete so I'm holding off on this one for now!

#book recs #kathleen ayers #angelina m lopez #grace callaway #felicity niven #julie anne long #lisa kleypas #nikki payne #historical romance #romance novels #contemporary romance #ask #jane austen #pride and prejudice

[breanutbutter]

Left it all behind *Sam x OC*

*hey all! This is my first published fic so kindness is super appreciated that being said if you have any constructive suggestions those are more than welcomed! I’m hoping to make this a chaptered series so let me know how you like it! Please enjoy!*

Sam x OC

No triggers

2925 words

Summary: Sam and Liza are friends from college, Liza invites Sam to a graduation party and he stands her up. They lose connection and haven’t seen each other in 4 years. Liza doesn’t know why san fell off the face of the earth h but she’s happy to reconnect.

Chapter 1:

*Flashback to 2005*

Liza’s pov

2005 was my year, I was finally finishing my bachelors degree in History after many hours of cramming for exams and forgetting to eat. it was finally all worth it. I poured my blood sweat and soul into this degree. I'm pretty damn proud of myself. I only have a few more months left to finish studying and I'll be free.

Student life has been exhausting. Whoever told me it would be the best years of my life are absolutely full of it.

As I'm in the library staring at the few words I scribbled out in my notebook for the essay I'm supposed to be writing, I see a familiar flash of messy chestnut hair rush past me. I set my pen down and rotate my body to get a better view of the guy with the hair of course it’s Sam. Sam and I weren't very close to say the least we didn’t know each other very well at all we had a few mutual friends at school that caused us to cross paths pretty often. We met in the fall 4 years ago. My friends knew Sam's friends. He's been at most events I attend so he's comforted me in a weird i-don’t-know-you way. I've always been good at reading people, from strangers to friends I had a bad feeling about. Sam tries to act polished and put together but I can tell there's something in his life causing him to hide his true self. He’s always a storm of chaos flying through the halls in a rush darting from side to side. He’s always in a wrinkled collared shirt strung over his body, never tucked in his pants neatly like our peers. I just know there's something in him he’s ashamed of. “Hey Sam!” I shout down the library aisle at the lanky boy that's scurrying off somewhere probably late for something important. He turned his body to face me stopping dead in his tracks, there was a smear of sweat over his forehead causing him to swipe his hand over it wiping it away. He looked like a mess of lost time and stress, his face twisted up in a look of confusion as to why i’m calling him over.

“Are you going to Ethan's graduation party in two weeks? ” I asked him to cross my legs over each other resting my cheek in the palm of my hand. He cocked an eyebrow up at me “i don’t think i was invited” he shrugged about to turn away seemingly to dart off for whatever reason. “That's okay you can be my plus one. See you then Sam "I smile as I wave him off. He offers me a curt nod and shy goofy grin. Ethan is our mutual friend, he's friends with Sam’s girlfriend Jessica. That's why I thought it was odd he wasn't invited or maybe he just didn't want to make small talk with me there. I finish my last couple of sentences before I pack it up and stuff my book in my backpack, the interaction still lingering on my brain.

*2 weeks after the initial interaction*

My brain shocks me back to reality as I remember the conversation I had with Sam two weeks prior. Twas the night of Ethan's big graduation party. Ethan explained that he likes to throw his party before graduation so we could finish studying and give us a bit of relief before the big exam comes up which is much appreciated. After letting my mind wander back to Sam for a short moment I realize it's already 5pm and the party starts at 7pm. After lots of deliberation I decide to hop in the shower to scrub the grime of the day off my body. I run myself a steamy shower and glide in letting the warmth engulf my cold body. I dip my head under the stream making sure my hair gets evenly coated with the hot water before I begin my normal shower routine. After my relaxing shower I wrap my favorite pink fluffy towel around my body tucking in the loose end under my armpit making my way back to my room. I let my damp towel fall to the floor as I picked out my outfit. I normally go for the safest option: a collared shirt and a modest pair of taupe pants but tonight I decided to go out with a bang. I flip through my abundance of modest attire and reach for my black strappy dress. It fits my body in all the right places. It accentuates my slim waist and allows enough cleavage to give a taste of what’s underneath the dress. I smile to myself and slip it on after my underwear and bra. I finish up my hair and makeup with just enough time to drive over to Ethan’s house. I greet my best friend who grew up in a similar family situation as me: wealthy and unable to be reckless. We grew up with each other and were as close as two peas in a pod. She’s the one I can rant to about my parents considering she understands how old wealthy parents are she gives great advice. Olivia was just finishing up talking to Ethan when she greeted me “hey girl right on time as always” she slapped me on the shoulder pointing at the overhead clock showing I was in fact not on time and I was almost 30 minutes late. I laugh and shove her back “hey it takes time to look this good!” I shout in her direction. After I shrug off my coat and shoes she pulls me into Ethan’s lush kitchen pausing to grab two shot glasses.

“We’re letting loose tonight” she says as she reaches for the vodka I audibly gag “fuck dude vodka tastes like rubbing alcohol” I hiss as she chuckles and pours out shots “don’t be a puss” she says. I bring the cold bitter liquid and suck it back feeling the burning sensation hit the back of my throat “I hate you” I say slamming down my glass causing an echo to ring through Ethan’s very large house.

After a couple more shots we end up mingling in the living room. I'm constantly checking my watch waiting for Sam’s arrival but he doesn’t show. After two hours goes by I look at the door and let a disappointed sigh pass through my lips. I don’t know why I care so much. I don't even know the guy yet I’m here anxiously waiting for his arrival. Another hour goes by so do a few more shots and by this time I’m living my best life and dancing to I wanna dance with somebody with Olivia and a few other drunk girls. I pause halfway through the song to glance at the door. Nothing. I nervously look around and pull my phone out of my purse, shooting a quick text his way ‘hey Sam! you coming tonight?’ I quickly send it and push my phone back to its confines of my purse. I easily forget about the whole Sam situation and eventually I’m wasted and it’s time to head home. Sam never texted me back; he stood me up. I shoved the thought out of my head as I stumbled through my door. He wasn’t even my friend, he probably had other plans.

I stripped out of my clothes and dove into my bed happy to head to bed after an exciting and excruciating night.

Present day 5 years later (2009)

I open my eyes as the sound of my alarm clock blares through the room. I squint as I roll over to check the time “shit” I mutter it’s already 8:15am I’m going to be late for work. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and jump up out of the warmth enclosing me. I leap into my closet and grab a white button up shirt with a small yellow daisy on the breast pocket, a black pencil skirt and my favorite black blazer. I quickly throw my outfit on my body and run to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I stare at myself in the mirror as I am cleaning my teeth, a mixture of toothpaste and saliva dripping down my chin. I'm unable to believe I’m late for work. little miss perfect is never late. I shake my head and spit the toothpaste into the sink. I’ve only been late once in my life: senior year of college that following Monday after Ethan’s graduation party. I was so stuck in my head as to why Sam never showed up. Rejection was my biggest enemy and I over thought every little thing even back then. I barely knew the guy yet I was so disappointed he turned me down for some reason. I shook the past out of my head and decided to focus on the now: getting to work as soon as possible. After slipping in some orthopedic flats I grabbed my coffee mug, purse and keys and raced out the door. I ended up late to work and was stuck in rush hour for nearly an hour.

I rushed into the museum huffing and puffing, setting my purse and coffee cup down at my desk. It wasn’t like I would get in trouble for my late arrival after all I was the head conservator . It was more of an internal issue I’ve dealt with for as long as I could remember.

“Hey Elizabeth what’s got you so out of breath?” My coworker Brent asked with a look of worry plastered on his face “I’m late” I said between breaths. He nodded and gave me a gently smile before turning on his heels,as soon as he was almost out of my office he turned back around “oh Elizabeth I almost forgot 2 Agents from the FBI have requested a meeting with our conservator and that would be you, they’ll be here in an hour” he smile and resumed his journey out of my office. “Thanks Brent!” I shout to him as he saunters away. I finally get a chance to sit down and enjoy my coffee over my many emails. What kind of business does the FBI have here at an art museum? I push the thoughts to the back of my head and let my breathing get back to normal. After about an hour I hear a knock on my office door “come in '' I shout. Brent pushes the door open with a small nudge and smiles politely at me “they’re here Elizabeth '' I nod my head and gather up my paperwork. “Show them the way to conference room 2 I’ll be there shortly, thanks Brent '' I give a swift nod before packing up my stuff to bring into the conference room, I’m unsure of what they’re looking for so it’s better to be prepared. I make my way to the conference space with my stack of paperwork and my laptop bag slung over my left shoulder. I give it a gentle nudge and it swings right open.

I step into the large room and set all my paperwork and laptop bag on the large conference table in the middle of the room before making any introductions. My back was turned to the two men as I prepared all of my information in a nice spread on the table. Once I finished laying everything neatly out I cleared my throat and turned around to face them. I firstly notice a man a little taller than me who gives me an almost forced smile and proceeds to introduce himself “ thank you for meeting us Miss Thayer i’m agent Hamil and this is Agent ford” the man says offering his hand to shake mine. I extend my hand into his and give him a firm handshake with a smile on my face. “It's a pleasure to meet you Agent, please call me Liza” I say gingerly before letting my eyes wander to the taller boy beside him. I only had a small glance at him previously while i was talking to agent Hamil so i didn't get a good view of him yet. As my eyes find his face I begin to wonder where I knew him from. He looked awfully familiar yet I couldn't place my finger on it. The taller boy snaps me out of my staring spell and extends his hand out to mine “nice to meet you miss” he says before taking a step back shuffling in his spot. As I hear his hoarse voice my mind is able to source whose voice it is: Sam Winchester’s. I am so beyond confused at this moment that my brain is running in overdrive. I swallow the saliva in my mouth harshly before offering them a seat. Sam looks the same as I last saw him yet different at the same time. He's taller and older yet there's something sadder in his eyes. He looks exhausted from life. He let his hair grow out, he could barely see over the mop of shaggy hair sitting on his head and now his hair is about chin length it suits him this way. I take a breath and turn my head to Sam nervously. What if he doesn’t remember me? Will he laugh at me or think im stupid? What if it isn’t even him? “Sam Winchester?” I blurt out my brain spitting those words out before I even have time to think if I want to ask him that question.

Sam gives me a confused look as if he’s unsure of how to respond. He doesn’t answer my question but explains why they are meeting with me. Sam talks for a few minutes about an artifact they are investigating before his partner, the shorter one from earlier interrupts him. “Where do you think you know him from?” he asks coldly pointing to his partner, it seemed like the question was still on his mind. I brush the strand of hair out of my face and look over at them. “I’m sorry for the abrupt question you look like someone i went to college with” i look down at my feet feeling the embarrassment ripple over my body and hit my face causing a sense of warmth to heat my cheeks up. His partner who I assumed was Sam pipes up “what college did you go to” he asks looking at me with a look of interest “stanford” i reply still looking at the hardwood floors. I look up and my eyes meet his, he has a look of remembrance on his face and grins widely “Liza Thayer? Whoa it's been awhile” his partner punches him in the arm and gives him a look of what-are-you-doing. I faintly hear agent hamil or whatever his name is angry whisper into sam’s ear “we’re working a case man stop flirting with the museum lady” they continued to silently argue before sam looked back at me from across the table “so how have you been?” he asked so casually and all i’m wondering is where he's been after he stood me up and dropped off of the face of the earth. “You know, living life. How have you been? How’s Jess?” I ask, the air seems to shift after i ask about Jessica Sam shuffles into his seat uncomfortably “uh Jessica passed away the night of the party” she speaks slowly and looks away “i’m so sorry” i say softly giving him an empathic look.

We stop talking about our personal lives after that and begin talking about artifacts, giving them the info they need. “Here’s a little more in depth information on the origin and other useful things about the tablet you are investigating” I say and hand them a few loose papers I scooped up off the table. They nod and thank me for the help “come around if you have any more questions” I smile as i stand up. “Thanks for the help” Sam says once more before they both exit my office.

After the long day I settle in my cozy pjs on my couch with a warm mug of tea between my hands trying to wrap my head around the day. I was late and I ran into Sam, what an unexpected day. I felt bad about Jessica, this whole time I was victimizing myself when it wasn’t even about me. Sam went through a whole loss that night and I was worried that he stood me up? Boo hoo. I just switched friends on the tv when I heard my phone ring. I saunter over to my home phone that's primarily for business calls. I pick up and hear Brent on the other line “someone broke into the museum” he said panic running evidently through his voice. “What?’” I ask not expecting to hear that at 8pm at night. Brent explains the whole situation to me about how an ancient tablet was stolen shortly after close and that i need to come down and access the scene. I nod into the phone as if he could see me “I'll be down as soon as possible. Thank you for letting me know Brent, "I say before hanging the phone up. What is up with today? I think to myself before rushing out of the house to investigate whatever the hell is going on.

#sam winchester #supernatural #dean winchester #jared padalecki #jensen ackles #original character #spn #fanfic #spnfandom #spnfamily

[jtargaryen18]

Hounds of Hell MC 2: Snow

Emily -- Most wonderful time of the year? Yeah, right. Business isn’t booming at my bakery this Christmas and I’m behind on my business loan. And if that weren’t enough, my SUV’s transmission is dying, my ex is in town for the holidays, and our regular Santa broke his leg and can’t make it for the annual children’s Christmas party. Somehow, we’ve ended up with a biker playing Santa Claus this year and I think he’s the wrong man for the job. Santa shouldn’t have all those muscles and tattoos. And I shouldn’t be daydreaming about sitting in Santa’s lap.

Snow -- I’m not a man with a sweet tooth -- at least I wasn’t until now. If I’d known about the gorgeous little baker, I’d have snatched her up years ago. The little lady has a lot of problems this holiday season. For her, I’ll play Santa Claus for the kids, and her ex will wish he got a lump of coal in his stocking when I’m done with him. Emily will have a good Christmas. I guaran-damn-tee it.

Buy it today!

Excerpt

Snow (Hounds of Hell MC 2) Jamie Targaet All rights reserved. Copyright ©2023 Jamie Targaet

Emily

“Wait. What?” Emily Frost couldn’t have heard that right. The annual Christmas event they held in Mercy each year for the town’s children was two weeks away. “What do you mean Andy isn’t going to be able to play Santa Claus this year?”

While she listened to the elderly man’s wife explain why he wouldn’t be able to be Santa this year, Emily was fighting off hysteria. She understood that he’d taken a nasty fall and told his wife she was very sorry he’d broken his leg. Automatically, she asked if there was anything she could do. She did care. But she really wasn’t listening for a response.

What was she going to do?

Emily carried on the rest of the conversation as best she could, taking a deep breath when she ended the call.

“Fuck!” Her yell echoed through the quiet bakery.

Could things get any worse? She was blinking back tears as she finished counting the register and got all the goodies that hadn’t sold today boxed up. And there was a lot that hadn’t sold today.

The planning committee for the Christmas event was meeting tomorrow. Each member of that committee had jobs to do to make the event happen each year. Liza Austin and her husband owned a greenhouse in town. Each year they provided a beautiful wreath for the door. A live potted Christmas tree for the event was displayed in her bakery shop’s window throughout the holidays. Liza had a key to the shop to take care of the tree so it could be replanted later.

Myra Michaels handled the guest list, answering questions from parents and guardians about the event. She also handled donations that came in. Mina Dock had passed away this summer, but her granddaughter had moved back to town and was taking her place on the committee. Jade Dock and Emery Phillips oversaw setup, using folding chairs and tables Emery used at his bar, Sackett’s, for special events. They got out the decorations they used each year. Most had been donated by Jade’s grandmother Mina.

Emily had been a part of the committee since its first year, five years ago. Her job was supplying all the baked goods for the event and, with help, filling stockings with candy and treats for the kids to take home.

And she’d been the one who found their Santa Claus, Andy Wilder. Each year the elderly gentleman arrived as Santa and was just the best part of the entire event in her opinion. His warmth and sincerity made him a perfect choice. Plus, he could handle anything from kids scared of Santa, to those who were acting up and rowdy.

But he wasn’t coming this year. That was just the latest calamity this week and it was just Thursday night.

Where were they going to get another Santa Claus with two weeks to go?

Locking the door on her way out, she carried the box of goodies out to her SUV and got in. Emily crossed her fingers that the damn thing would start because it hadn’t been running right for the last several weeks. She knew her transmission was failing. What she didn’t know, since things had been so slow at the shop, was where she was getting the money to fix it.

In five minutes, she reached Mercy’s homeless shelter, delivering what she didn’t sell as she did every day the bakery was open. Heading for the back door, Emily rounded the corner and almost collided with someone.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered glancing up into gray eyes.

There were two men, both tall and wearing leather vests with their biker gang name on them, carrying a bed frame into the shelter. The one closest to the door was blond and nice-looking. The one she almost ran into? He was just as tall and muscular with a dark beard and mustache and almost entirely white locks of hair were in disarray on his head. She did a double take because hair that color didn’t usually go with a younger face. His eyes were pale gray and stunning.

The Hounds of Hell had long been a part of Mercy according to Liza, and she spoke of them fondly. Emily didn’t know much about motorcycle gangs and none of them ever came to her bakery. She really wanted to keep it that way. They were a little scary for her.

That gray-eyed gaze moved over her until the blond lost patience. “Snow, we still moving this frame?”

Snow returned his attention to the task, and someone else walked over to her.

“Emily, how are you?” Jade Dock asked. “Making your deliveries?”

Emily smiled. “I am. How are you?”

“Donating some things,” Jade said, watching the men carry the bed frame carefully through the shelter door. “At least I have some strong help to move them.”

Jade walked with her into the shelter. As she always did, Emily placed the box of treats on the receptionist’s desk just inside.

“Who’s your friend?” a deep voice behind her asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Guys, this is Emily,” Jade said, motioning to the two bikers who were apparently with her. To Emily, she said, “This is Hero and Snow.”

Emily shook hands with both, noticing the one she called Snow wasn’t too quick to release her hand. By the time he did, she noticed the blond had his arm around Jade’s waist. So they were a couple?

“I’d better get going,” Emily said. “It’s nice meeting you.”

“I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow?” Jade called as she walked back to the SUV.

When I get to tell the committee we need another Santa Claus, and we just have two weeks to find one? Yes, wouldn’t miss it.

“I’ll see you there,” Emily said over her shoulder as she reached the door. And as she headed back to her SUV, she just hoped the damn thing would start and not embarrass her in front of the bikers.

* * *

Snow

August Crowe, Snow to his MC, watched the petite blonde rush back to her SUV, the long braid of her hair dancing behind her. She looked so perky in her soft sweater and form-hugging slacks. He’d never seen an ass like that on such an uppity girl.

“Who’s that?” Snow asked Jade as he helped Hero get the old box spring out of the truck bed.

Jade watched her drive away in her SUV before turning back to Snow. “That’s Emily Frost. She owns Whisk and Whimsy in town. It’s a bakery.”

Frost, huh? That had Snow grinning. They sounded like a matched pair.

“Say that five times really fast,” Hero said from the other side of the furniture they were moving.

Figures. She looked like someone you’d find in a bakery, making treats. If he thought she’d give him the time of day, Snow would become a bakery patron real fucking fast. But from the look she cut him, he probably wouldn’t have a lot of luck.

“What meeting is tomorrow?” Hero asked Jade, holding one end of the box spring and guiding Snow who carried the other.

“Planning committee for the annual kids’ Christmas party,” Jade explained. “It’s only two weeks away.”

Jade had mentioned it recently. Doing an event for the poor kids in Mercy sounded like a good plan to him. If Miss Uppity was in on it, she had a good heart.

“If you need help with that, let me know,” Snow said. It earned him a look from both Jade and Hero, but he meant it. There had been a few times when he’d been a kid that he and his family wouldn’t have had food if not for the kindness of others. He liked the idea of paying it forward.

“Thank you, Snow,” Jade told him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Hero shook his head as they reached the shelter door.

“What?” Snow asked. “Something wrong with wanting to help kids? Razor did say we should do some community outreach.”

“Not that,” Hero said. “The blonde. I’d forget that if I were you.”

“Why?” Jade asked. “Emily’s nice.”

“Maybe so,” Hero said. “But I’d be willing to bet someone in an MC isn’t exactly her type.”

“I might have said the same thing once,” Jade didn’t look convinced. “You can’t assume things like that.”

She had a point.

“So the party is for any kid in Mercy?” Snow asked as they maneuvered the box spring through the shelter door.

Jade followed them. “Technically. We have to leave it open for anyone to avoid singling people out, you know? The ones who really need help.”

“Good approach,” Snow said.

“I’m told each year we have a tree and decorations. There’s an older man who comes to play Santa Claus. There are treats for everyone and everyone gets a gift from Santa. We identify the kids who really need help and they get different gifts than the ones we give the other kids that show up.”

“Makes sense,” Snow said. “What do the poor kids get?”

“The smaller ones get a toy, some candy, and a gift card this year,” Jade explained. “The older kids get candy and a bigger gift card. Santa tells them they can’t open their presents until Christmas Eve. Liza said most of the time that works.”

It was thoughtful.

They set the box spring down, heading back out for the mattress.

“Offer stands,” Snow said to Jade. “Let me know if I can help. Even if it’s just setup.”

#Published works #MC Romance #Hounds of Hell MC #Working on 3 right now

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

⭐⭐⭐

I appreciate this, hun. Thank you. 💜 Hopefully to not bore you, I'll talk just a bit about my Far Cry stories.

First up is 'Where the Tainted Kiss'. So the title is based on the song 'My Name is Dark' by Grimes which is Liv's theme song. She started as no more than an OC for a Vaas one-shot I wanted to do years ago but never got the chance. This one-shot is now 'Run Princess Run'. Lol. But since I was fixated on the concept of dark-themed stories and OCs with personal traumas, I came up with the backstory for Liv.

At the time I was planning the story, I could not for the life of me figure out where I wanted to start the story. I wanted Liv to be friends with Liza but I also wanted to give her and Vaas more time to impact the other, so the idea to connect her to the FarCry Experience popped into my head. I was surprised by how easily I was able to connect her.

But then the issue of how to integrate her with the Pirates and Vaas came to mind. I didn't know how I wanted Liv to react to them. In her situation, things would be frightening, but I also wanted her to be smart about her decisions. As a character, I didn't want her to annoy Vaas in a way that would get her shot, but intrigue him enough to want to keep her alive.

It's a fun story to write despite Vaas being so hard to envision. Every piece of dialogue written for him, I have to say out loud in a terrible accent, throw in some curse words, and think WWVD? (What would Vaas do).

'Zombies in the Sun', a Far Cry AU I'm writing is based on the song of the same name by From Letters to the Fire. It's the product of my imagining the Rook Islands crawling with zombies and Vaas just ruling like the psycho boss he is. The idea to make it a soulmate AU came much later when I tried to imagine how to connect the MC with Vaas. I love tethers, so this was a great way to toy with it, especially since if either of them were to die, the connection would mean the other experiences depression and become lost.

So when it came to a main character, I was set on bringing back Liv as I love her character so much. I changed up her backstory for the AU to keep her character fresh. I wrote her as a friend of Liza as I originally wanted, but I kept certain aspects of her character true - her love for photography.

The design for the zombies is something I was happy about going into the story. My husband loves zombie movies, so I've watched so many. 😭 I used media like 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, and The Walking Dead to flesh them out, including the animals. I can't express how excited I am to bring in the zombie cassowaries. 🫠

Now as for the plot, I want to do things differently than WTTK. I want to bring in certain characters Liv never had much time with. I want Citra to worship the dead, and Buck to be... Well himself but nastier. Vaas' past will be looked into more and I'm hoping to have Liv more involved.

Once WTTK is done, I'll finish outlining this story and start it back up.

#far cry oc #far cry 3 fanfiction #vaas montenegro x oc

[dreaminggoblin]

Letters from the Village of Wolves

I wrote these and everything that follows from 2020 to 2022. Admittedly, I got sick of editing at some point, and my writing process has changed much, so I will share the whole of Wolventraum here in bits and pieces.

First up: Viviane's letters to her publisher and family.

First Letter

Wolventraum, March 28th, xxxx

Dear Mister Carter,

I have reached the village of Wolventraum, and every bag and suitcase arrived safely. I have almost finished putting the house in order. You can expect the new manuscript before the month is out. The village has a post station and seems to maintain a regular postal service to the nearest town, so I am sure that our communication will continue as before.

Best regards,

V. Walkers

Second Letter

Wolventraum, April 2nd, xxxx

Dear Mother, Dear Liza,

I have arrived safely in Wolventraum. The name gives me pause whenever I read or write it, but you know how small villages in the countryside are. The house is almost in order, and I know you’d love to see it for yourselves, but the journey would take too much time for a simple visit, so I shall describe it for you both.

The house is half-timbered, red brick and dark wood, and the roof has dark tiles. You’d fall in love with it the moment you saw it. The front door is similarly dark, but the interior is bright and welcoming. The windows let in sunlight from dawn until dusk, and the view of the valley is breathtaking. Even now, after almost a week, I still spend so much time simply looking out over the trees and distant river that I forget I need to write my next book.

The furniture is all old and simple, but I brought out the tablecloths you gave me, and they add life to every piece. Even the vase made it in one piece, it’s on the dining table. I have yet to pick flowers for it, but it sits on the table as a reminder every day.

There is a rug in my writing room in the shape of a flower, it was here when I arrived, and I left it by the window where I found it. It's faded, but it used to be a bright red, and the shape makes me think it was maybe a poppy.

The kitchen and living room both have fireplaces, and I can cook over both. I make my tea in the living room, and my meals in the kitchen. They are the warmest rooms in the house, but the attic will surely take that title come summer.

My bedroom is right across from the bathroom, and the bed creaks when I move too much. I brought my blankets and pillows, and had to stuff a mattress the day I arrived because only the bed frame remained. I sleep well every night, listening to the song of wolves at dusk and the song of birds at dawn.

I shall write more letters when work has loosened its grip on me.

With love,

Viviane

Third Letter

Wolventraum, May 3rd, xxxx

Dear Liza,

Don’t show this to our mother, she’ll want to come visit immediately, but the roads are horrid and bumpy even in the best carriages, and it would still take almost two weeks just to get here. If she asks what I wrote, tell her I’m complaining about the manuscript or Carter's attitude.

I can hear wolves outside my house, howling at the moon at night. I used to hear them from far away, now they sound like they're right by the village edge. I even saw them out the window once, running into the valley after a deer. They got it, I think.

It’s hard to sleep, knowing wolves are so close, but the house is brick, the doors are heavy oak, they won’t come inside. Aren’t they even rather shy? I heard stories about wolves running away from people, not the other way around.

I met one of the village’s hunters the other day, a fine man, just a little older than us. Yes, he looks quite dashing. If I was any good at it, I’d draw you a portrait of him. He told me that most of the meat people eat here is hunted, not raised. I have yet to buy any from the butcher, his shop looks quite frightening with that huge knife hanging above the door.

I wanted to write this quickly, but the hunter came to visit. He told me I was looking a little pale the last time we met, so he brought me some meat from the butcher’s and taught me how his family cooks it. I have yet to get used to the taste, I admit.

It’s late now, but expect another letter soon.

With love,

Viviane

Fourth Letter

Wolventraum, May 23rd, xxxx

Dear Mother, Dear Liza,

I received quite the tongue-lashing from Mister Carter about the manuscript I sent him. Not the writing, he liked that well enough this time, but the state it arrived in. The packaging was torn up, he wrote. Can you believe it? What postal service tears up their packages? I hope my letters reach you in a better state.

I am once again getting busy with work, so excuse my brevity. I miss you both. Send my regards to Tomlin and Elizabeth, they must be seething because I haven’t written to them yet.

With love,

Viviane

Fifth Letter

Wolventraum, May 23rd, xxxx

Dear Liza,

Again, I send you a secret. Not as secret as I would hope, I’m sure mother knows you get letters addressed just to you. I hope you keep her from reading this one, too.

The hunter, his name is Valentin, and he insists on cooking one of his family’s meat dishes for me at least once a week. Can you believe it? You don’t think he’s courting me, do you? I can hear you laughing as I write this. I can even see you grin like a child, ear to ear, about to run to mother and tell her. Don't think I don't know you well enough.

Don’t tell her. Not yet. I still find myself unsure what to think about him. He wants to introduce me to his family soon, he said they were asking why he suddenly wanted to learn how to cook. Maybe I’ll meet them. I’ll write to you again soon.

With love,

Viviane

Sixth Letter

Wolventraum, June 20th, xxxx

Dear Liza,

I know I took my time writing again. A lot has happened, and I shall summarise.

First, I met Valentin’s family. His father seems very strict, but his mother is very kind and welcoming. He has a sister and a brother, both younger than him. His sister was very interested in the city, and I told her all the reasons I miss it, and all the reasons I don’t. His brother is the youngest, and full of energy, like a puppy on a sunny day.

Second, Mister Carter sent me a small wooden chest to use for my manuscripts from now on. The one I sent him at the end of last month again arrived torn, so badly he had to piece it back together before reading. Whatever letter I sent him with it was lost, it seems. He told me to rely on his private messenger, rather than the postal service.

Third, my current manuscript has hit a wall. I think it might be the usual problem, so I shall take a short break from writing, and instead wander around the village for a few days, meet other people, maybe take a walk through the woods with Valentin.

I hope you and mother are doing well. Send me a letter soon, will you?

With love,

Viviane

Seventh Letter

Wolventraum, June 24th, xxxx

Dear Mister Carter,

With this, I send a copy of the manuscript from last month, with the changes you suggested. I hope it arrives safely. Surely nothing can tear up a wooden chest heavy enough to make a dent in my floor boards.

Best regards,

V. Walkers

Eighth Letter

Wolventraum, July 14th, xxxx

Dear Mother, Dear Liza,

Are you well? No letters have made it all the way to Wolventraum if you sent any. How is father doing? Has he come back from his travels yet? How are Elizabeth and Tomlin?

The old lady at the post station said that many towns closer to the capital refuse to forward mail all the way here because it's too far out. I shall take a trip soon to see if any of your letters have been kept there. Mister Carter has his own messenger who keeps coming all the way to Wolventraum's little station, though I've yet to meet and apologise to him for all the trouble.

For a time, I found the howling wolves to be almost endearing, hunting in the moonlight like in the stories. But lately, they sound like they're on my doorstep. There was one night when I had to ask Valentin to stay over, I was so afraid.

Mother, Valentin is a hunter from Wolventraum I befriended. His family has been very kind to me, but I have no intentions of marrying him. Don’t get any ideas, please. I’m married to my work, after all.

Summer is at its height, but the air remains pleasant up here. I can still sit and write half the day, and the forest scent wafts through my open windows. I feel like I’m writing underneath a tree, with birds singing around me. I hope you can stave off the heat in the city.

With love,

Viviane

Ninth Letter

Wolventraum, July 14th, xxxx

Dear Liza,

Don’t be jealous, I caught a glimpse of Valentin without his shirt on. When he stayed over that night, after I had gotten ready for bed, he went into the garden for a moment. He said he wanted to chop some firewood for me because I can’t hold the axe properly, and he took it off while he was chopping.

He is a fine man indeed.

His parents raised him to be all clean and tidy, too. I don’t know what aunt Phoebe was going on about, people in the countryside are just as well-mannered as us. Even better, maybe, because they are more welcoming, even to outsiders like me. I have met others now, thanks to Valentin's family. They share vegetables from their gardens with me sometimes, and some fruit from their trees, and the children help me with my own gardening if I tell them stories.

I have been to visit Valentin’s family many times since my last letter, I'm sure you can tell. His mother is a fantastic storyteller, it is an honour, as a writer myself, to witness her.

Please write soon. I’m already thinking about getting you a trinket from the village for your birthday this winter.

With love,

Viviane

Tenth Letter

Wolventraum, August 12th, xxxx

Dear Mister Carter,

Has my manuscript reached you? I have yet to receive a reply. I was told your messenger has not been to Wolventraum's post station recently, and I do hope the roads are not too troublesome to travel this summer.

Please let me know what changes you would like me to make.

Best regards,

V. Walkers

Eleventh Letter

Wolventraum, August 12th, xxxx

Dear Mother, Dear Liza,

I was told in town that your letters were forwarded to Wolventraum, but no one at the postal station here wants to know anything about it. I thought about sending this letter from town, but the day I went there, the whole town was awash with news that someone was attacked by wolves. I’m afraid to go out now, even with weather as picturesque as today’s.

Valentin stayed over again so that I would be calm enough to sleep. The howling is getting louder and more frequent, too, but no one else in the village seems to mind it. Maybe it’s a common thing in the countryside when summer is ending?

I hope your next letters reach me. I miss you both terribly.

With love,

Viviane

Twelfth Letter

Wolventraum, September 12th, xxxx

Dear Mother, Dear Liza,

A whole month has passed. I got used to the howling, and Valentin is always by my side these days. It is reassuring to have him here, even if I just sit at my desk and write while he reads book after book on my humble shelf.

I haven’t heard from Mister Carter in a while. Do you know what happened to him? I received my payment as usual, delivered right to my door by a messenger I didn't see, but no further instructions or requests for my next manuscript, so I am left writing what comes to mind. Maybe I shall write about wolves, now that I no longer find their presence as threatening.

Valentin’s mother told me stories about wolves in the region, but they were so frightening I dare not tell them to you.

But I am safe, so you need not worry about me.

With love,

Viviane

Thirteenth Letter

Wolventraum, September 25th, xxxx

Dear Liza,

Don’t tell mother yet, but Valentin asked me if I wouldn’t like to live with his family, or if I would mind terribly if he moved into my house. I have room enough, but you can imagine what this proposal makes me think.

Not that I mind, of course.

Don’t tell mother this, either, but Valentin told me that all of his mother’s stories are true. Do you believe in werewolves? They were just folk tales to us, but here, they are easy to believe, don’t you think? Woods and mountains and wolves howling in the night, isn’t this the ideal soil for such stories?

I’m not sure I believe them myself, but it seems everyone else here does.

I’ll write again soon. No letters have arrived from you, but none of mine have been sent back yet, either, so I shall assume they have reached you and you are doing well.

With love,

Viviane

Fourteenth Letter

Wolventraum, October 13th, xxxx

Dear Liza,

I have grown afraid once more. Still I have no word from Mister Carter, and now, Valentin is always on edge, his temper has grown shorter, and yet he keeps telling me it's fine, the season brings that upon this place, he says, and not to worry. Everyone in the village is nervous. It’s like they’re waiting for something horrible and inevitable to happen. The children don't ask me for stories anymore.

No matter how tightly Valentin holds me at night, I cannot shake this fear. I want to return home, but there are more news every day of wolf attacks on the roads. Whenever I go to the baker's or the post station, I hear about them. And I don’t want to leave Valentin behind, either.

I wish you were here to talk some sense into me, Marie. I miss you. Tell mother I’m doing well, don’t make her afraid.

I love you.

Viviane

Fifteenth Letter

Wolventraum, October 29th, xxxx

Dear Liza,

Valentin has proposed marriage. In such times! No one has left the village in days, not even the hunters, everyone rushes about between the houses like they fear the sky might fall on them if they stay out too long.

Valentin’s mother often comes over to visit, and she keeps talking about these terrifying stories. It feels easy to believe her, now. She treats me like her own daughter already, but Valentin’s father still seems to have some dislike for me.

I was torn whether to tell you, but it seems that the whole village is expecting something to happen in just a few days. People are building barricades. Still, no one is telling me what is going on, not even Valentin or his mother.

I am afraid, Marie, but even more afraid of leaving on my own. I wish I was back in the city, where gossips and papers run their mouths so much that no one stops to think which tales are true.

Viviane

Chapter 1

#dreaming goblin writes #Wolventraum #my writing #writeblr #werewolves #vampires #fantasy #fantasy writeblr #fantasy writer #fantasy writing #dreaming goblin rambles #dreaming goblin writes books #writer tag game #writers on tumblr #original writing #creative writing #I am also putting this here for posterity #I am still proud of myself for finishing it (or getting to the point where I was DoneTM editing) #even if it's not really a project that I still like a lot #subject to tag editing or intro editing