#Mother Malcolm comes to me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thefallennightmare · 5 months

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Just Pretend-fourteen

*gif created by me. feel free to use, simply give credit*

Parings: Noah Sebastian x Musician! Reader

Warnings/Tropes: language, angst, fluff, smut, star-crossed lovers, right person/wrong time, cheating, talks of mental abuse.

Summary: “I can wait for years, heaven knows I’m not getting over you.” A story about two star-crossed lovers, that always find their way back because their souls are entwined. The universe desperately attempts to bring them together, no matter what the cost.

Authors Note: Have fun 🪽🍡

Collaborating With: @thescarlettvvitch(better give her all the love as well)

Tags: @thescarlettvvitch @ozwriterchick @waake-meee-up @notingridslurkaccount @niicoleleigh @sammyjoeee @xxrainstorm @dominuslunae @notmaddihealy @malice-ov-mercy @crimson-calligraphyx @iknownothingpeople @writethrough @thebadchic @blackveilomens Claudia on Tumblr @tobe-written @blacksoul-27 @loeytuan98 @loverofagoodbeard @comfortcharactercraze @lma1986 @plutonikchaos1 @spicywhenspeaking @lyschko666 @somewhere-diamond @hi-fancy-seeing-you-here @koskeepsake @bngurngheart

NOAH

My knee bounced with nerves as I sat in the chair in the quiet waiting room, the only noise came from the slow ticking of the clock on the wall opposite of me. I eyed it carefully as the seconds ticked by. My appointment didn’t start for another five minutes. I still had time to walk away from here but the daunting reality of the guys asking how it went today kept me rooted in place. So instead of dwelling on the fear of what’s coming, I typed out a new message on the Hollow Omens group chat.

Me: The new song premieres on Octane tomorrow night. Eight pm!

Malcolm: Oh shiit

Jolly: let’s fucking go! We’re excited for you guys to hear it.

Angel 🪽: excitement is so mother fucking real. I’m sad I’ll still be in Japan so I’ll have to figure out what time that would be here! I want to listen to it live.

My stomach dropped as all the wind got knocked out of me, the realization that Y/N would hear the song. The one I wrote about her in my haste of anger. Would she know it? What would she think?

Y/N had another week in Japan and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss her like fucking crazy. She’d already been gone a week so another seven days without her close to me made my heart stutter. I’d been taking care of Salem for her and the scent of her in her bedroom didn’t help the ache in my heart and stomach. I miss the way she smelled so when I noticed her perfume on her vanity; I spritzed the sweater I wore that day a couple of times, so it felt like she was close.

We kept our 2:30 FaceTime call every day since she left, even if it only lasted a few minutes. Just the occasional check-up on how things were going on each of our ends before she had to go, her dad having something planned for them. I called her every morning at 7:30, except this morning since I overslept. I was furious with myself but kept my cool as I sent her a text, letting her know I’d call her at 2:30 my time.

Angel 🪽: I’ll be in bed so don’t make fun of my bedhead.

Me: You’ll still look beautiful.

The corner of my lip turned up when I remembered the selfie I sent her the other day of Salem and I lounging on the floor of her bedroom.

Angel 🪽: oh, my baby! I miss you so much.

Angel 🪽: Oh, you too mochi!

Me: ouch, I’m hurt, angel.

Angel 🪽: I’ll make it up to you when you take me out for dinner. We can go half and half on an appetizer.

Me: For you? I’ll cover the whole bill while you order whatever you want.

Two days ago, Chase and Malcolm returned home so there was no need for me to check on Salem anymore. We expected Y/N to come back with them but she stayed longer for more one-on-one time with her dad.

“Noah?”

Snapping my eyes up to the petite voice, I nodded towards the older lady who stood at the open doorway of the office.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” she stepped to the side, allowing more space for me to walk inside.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as my eyes cast towards the other door; the one that led outside where my car was parked.

“I hate to tell you this but even if you leave right now, I’ll still get paid,” the doctor joked with a small smile.

I hummed while slowly rising to my feet and walking past her into the office, the words on the door barely catching my attention. “Might as well get this over with.”

Dr. Poulos. Therapist.

NOAH

“Are you concerned she’ll be upset by what you’ve written?” Dr. Polous wondered while writing something down in the book on her lap.

I shrugged while chipping away the black nail polish on my fingernails. “Maybe.”

“Hm, I’m sensing you are.”

For the last twenty minutes, I told the therapist everything about my life; from the past till now. At first, I was apprehensive but knowing this was something I needed, I gave in.

“It doesn't matter. What happened is in the past. We’ve moved on.”

“Why are you using the past tense, Noah? She’s in your life. You’re starting over again, and trying things from a different approach.” Dr. Poulos steepled her fingers together.

“Yeah, I know,” I nodded

She hummed while sitting there to analyze me with her blue eyes, a slight pull on her thin lips.

“Y/N’S on a vacation, right?”

When I nodded, she continued. “Why don’t you take one as well? It might be good for you.”

I shifted on my spot on the couch, eyes darting over to the plant she had on the left side of her dresser. A bit fuzzy because of the connection between phone lines.

“I don’t need a vacation, that’s not what I do- I work. I have too much to do, so much shit to handle. Everything would fall apart if I didn’t,” I admitted. “It keeps my mind focused on what it needs to be focused on.”

Dr. Poulos raised a brow. “What shouldn’t you be focusing on?”

“I hate how much of my mind gets fucking distracted by her. It’s fuckin pathetic, all I see is a life I doubt we’ll ever have. Everything will be taken from me, I’m used to that by now,” I sighed while running a hand over my face.

“Your need to control everything is leaving you vulnerable to the parts of your life you can’t control. It makes you feel uncomfortable not being able to read her feelings, and control the situation, doesn’t it?”

My eyes snapped up from the floor, shoulders rigid with anger. “What do you think? I’ve never known the feeling of a stable home. There were so many years of my life living out of backpacks and on the road. I have these panic attacks, something she hasn’t seen, she doesn’t know about my darkness. She’ll never come back to me if she sees that.”

Dr. Poulos sighed while closing her notebook to set it on the table in between us. “You don’t know that, Noah. Unless you talk to her, you don’t know what she’ll think. Your issue with communication and feelings is, I think, causing a barrier between the two of you. You would rather live in your fantasies than risk giving up control. You wanted to give up control, even for a moment, and run. Are you upset you didn’t?”

I rubbed at my chin while adjusting my position on the worn leather couch. I didn’t know how to answer that so it took a few long beats of silence for me to find the right words.

“Fantasies don’t include repercussions. We were safe in our expressive, well-appointed studios, locked up with our rages and rebellions. I just want things to go the way they’re supposed to, the way I need them to. There’s no life without my band, my work, without her.”

Dr. Poulos smiled. “You don’t need to run from those feelings Noah, I think you need to start by opening up and letting yourself be truly honest. From the get-go, you’re only making yourself crazy running in circles, pushing your own limits.”

I couldn't help but snicker. “Are you sure you haven’t listened to my band before?”

She simply smirked while pulling out her schedule book.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, going back to her previous statement.

“It won’t be easy Noah, but I think we can start from here. What days work best for you?”

I mentally went through my schedule. “Wednesdays are fine. Just not at 2:30. I have another appointment I can't miss.”

NOAH

Music played from the speakers, bass pounding against the walls of the house, as I sat with Jolly and Michael on either side of me on the couch. It was still early in the afternoon so we hung out at the house. Jesse and Orie were cooking something on the grill while the three of us were browsing on our phones. My eyes were glued straight down at mine, my heart hammering throughout my body as my breath was still caught in my throat. My cock twitched lightly in my pants but I was frozen to adjust myself discreetly.

“How sweet does Y/N look in this photo?” Michael said while showing his phone to Jolly, who agreed with a small smile.

“Looks like she’s having fun. Noah, did you see it?”

I’d been staring at it for 5 minutes. Everything about it was beautiful. She was truly just as ethereal, as I said she was.

“I wonder if her caption is for a song,” Michael continued to analyze the picture, a little too long for my liking.

Realizing I didn’t even read the caption, I peered down and read it; my head tilted in confusion.

Fuck this wondering. Fuck this trying and trying. Fuck this belief that two people can become one ideal. Fuck this helplessness. Fuck this waiting for something to happen that probably won’t ever happen.

I knew it wasn’t good enough, no matter what I did, or how much I attempted to show her I was the man she needed. She didn’t want to feel trapped under someone’s gaze. Well, okay then.

Tossing my phone on the couch, I got up in a huff, irritated, walked to the kitchen, and slammed the cabinets as I looked for a glass.

“What’s the matter now?” Jolly asked with a sigh.

“Nothing,” I said while pouring myself some orange juice, slamming the fridge after putting the jug back.

“Who the fuck is slamming shit?” Jesse wondered while walking back inside with a platter of burgers and brats and setting it on the kitchen counter.

“Dude, it’s nothing.” I sucked in a breath, trying to keep my anger in check.

“Your actions beseech you, my friend, why are you mad?” Orie said now standing next to Jesse.

I shrugged while crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m just done,”

“Done with what?”

“Y/N feels trapped, Jolly! I knew she’d never fall back in with me. I knew it. She probably met some Japanese dude who can give her real ramen and is having the time of her fucking life. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t come home yet.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jesse pinched his eyes in annoyance. “Noah, it’s not that deep. Nowhere in her post does it say that or imply that she’s seeing another man. Y/N is with her dad.”

“All I’m saying is she doesn’t need to be trapped under my gaze anymore, she can do whatever the fuck she wants,” I grumbled while sitting on top of the kitchen counter, legs dangling off the edge.

“You’re so dramatic. You can literally just ask to FaceTime her you know, talk this shit out like rational adults,” Orie said.

“No,” my voice was firm while my heart said something else.

It was almost 2 in the afternoon, which meant our daily FaceTime call would happen soon. Should I bring up the post to Y/N? Or just ignore it like we did every other elephant in the room.

“Good, good hide your feelings. Don't actually share them- see where that gets you.” Jolly shook his head in defeat then rose to his feet.

“We’re writing a record, aren’t we?” I shot back.

“Yeah that don’t mean-”

“Wait, sit down jolly. I just thought of another track. We need to write this down.”

With a reluctant sigh, Jolly pulled out his phone to type as I sang softly the melody that was buzzing in my brain.

“I asked for more than I could take with nothing left to give. So who, who, who, who are you, you? Who, who, who are you? Every day it’s all the same. I don’t wanna play your games. If you wanna know, it depends on who’s asking. Who, who are you?”

“You really are a head case you know,” Michael says before retreating up the stairs to his room.

“Good, don’t care!” I called back before jumping off the counter. “Shit, we need a new amp tuner! I’m going to head to the record store and get a new one.”

“You can use mine,” Jesse said with a mouth full of cheeseburger.

This mother fucker is always munching on something.

“No, it’s fine, I need to clear my head, anyway. I’ll be back soon.”

NOAH

I held my phone in my hand, the constant ringing as I walked towards the record store irritating my already on-edge attitude. It was 2:35 and the second time I tried calling Y/N with no answer. I tried to tell myself that she even said she would miss a few calls, but she hasn’t yet. A week away and we still made our 2:30 FaceTime calls.

Something still didn’t add up.

With an agitated groan, I stuffed my phone back into my pocket while I hummed a new tune to myself, the words rolling off my tongue with ease.

“You’re too good to be true, yeah I gotta go, gotta run You don’t want me the way I want you, no. You walked too close to the rails; I picked you up when you fell.”

As I walked into the record store, a loud bell sounded my presence, and a brunette lifted her head from the front desk to give me a small smile. “Hi, welcome in.”

Her eyes shined as her face twitched, the typical holy shit, I know that person's face that I always recognized when I went out in public.

“Hi,” I waved before walking over to the front desk, her eyes getting larger the closer I got. “How are you?”

“Go-good,” she stood straighter. “I’m sorry, I’m a little star-struck right now.”

I chuckled. “You’re fine. How long have you been a fan?”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “For the last few months. I saw you guys play with Hollow Souls this last tour.”

My face twitched at the mention of Y/N’s band but kept my composure.

“You know, Y/N’s a huge inspiration for me. Just how she dealt with everything with Trey. It’s amazing how she overcame that relationship.”

I went stiff but slack at the same time. “How do you know about that?”

The girl shrugged. “It’s all over the internet. Reddit has some pretty insane stories about the breakup. Some say Trey was cheating with underage girls while some say she cheated on him but I don’t believe that. She’s not that kind of person.”

“Um,” I rubbed at my chin, desperate to change the subject. “Can you show me where your tuners are?”

She nodded and motioned for me to follow her to the back of the store. We spent the next few minutes talking about the different kinds they had, even though I was familiar with it all, but having a conversation with someone who didn’t judge me or my actions was nice. For the first time in a long time, Y/N was at the back of my mind.

“So,” I peered down at the nametag on her shirt. “Bailey.”

Her cheeks reddened as her lips curled up. “I’d never thought I’d hear Noah Sebastian say my name.”

I chuckled, enjoying how easy it was to talk to her. “What’s your favorite song of ours?”

“It’s not a song but more so a verse off your self-entitled album; My pretty little face with all the right parts. My pretty little face I couldn’t keep from the dark, I learned from the best as my sorrows grew. And then they pulled me out after I introduced them to you.”

“You liked that?,” I asked, almost astonished.

Bailey smiled as she stared up at me, a soft expression on her face.“Yeah, it was deep, like you said you’re perfect on the surface but deep inside you’re flawed, like anyone else. But didn’t notice until the person who hurt you pulled them out.”

When my eyes widened, she quickly stammered over her words.“I’m sorry if that was a wrong assumption, it’s just how I saw it.”

“No, no,” I spoke quickly while running a hand through my hair. “That’s-that’s pretty close. I’m glad it has meaning to you, in that way. That’s special.”

“A lot of your lyrics make me feel that way,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Well, I hope the next record does the same.”

Bailey's brows raised to her hairline. “You’re already working on the next one?”

“Most of it is in the early stages. We’re about to release our first single tomorrow night; octane at eight. Make sure you’re ready.”

“There’s no such thing as ready,” she says. “There’s only willing.”

My jaw went slack for a few seconds until I let out a low cough to make my feelings. Her words had a different meaning than what I was thinking but it still sat deep low in my stomach; the comment kept replaying in my mind.

“What are you doing later?” I blurted before I could stop myself.

“Later?” Bailey raised a brow.

“Yeah, maybe grab some food and talk?”

“I don’t know,” she shifted on her feet to tuck another piece of hair behind her ear.

It was a simple action that reminded me of Y/N. Except it was something that made my heart flutter when she did it. With Bailey, nothing. My heart rate was slow, almost even, and there were none of those butterflies there.

“Are you- are you sure?”

Bailey’s voice brought me away from thoughts of Y/N and how she didn’t answer my call or any of the texts I sent her earlier.

I shrugged. “Well, I asked you, didn’t I?”

NOAH

Walking through the front door, guilt weighed down my heart. Jolly and Jesse were sitting on the couch watching a movie and they raised brows at me.

“You’re back late,” Jolly noted.

“Yeah, I uh- I went out with a girl tonight.” I stopped at the first step, hand gripping the railing.

“I’m sorry?” Jesse nearly dropped the bowl of popcorn. “Who?”

I sighed while turning more towards them while on the stairs. “The cashier at the record shop was nice, and we hung out. We went to Applebee’s and went half and half on an appetizer.”

“Wait- what about Y/N?” Jolly asked.

I snickered, eyes narrowing. “Y/N won’t mind, trust me.”

Anger still pooled low in my stomach because before walking into the house, I sent another text to Y/N to ask how everything was going.

Nothing.

Silence.

Kept me on read.

Message loud and fucking clear, angel.

“Noah, do you not remember what we discussed in the kitchen this morning?” Jolly said, raising his voice a bit, unusual for him. “What the hell, dude?”

Jesse tossed a handful of popcorn in his mouth. “You can’t tell a girl you’ll wait for her then go out with someone else.”

“It’s nothing serious,” I scratched my face. “I hung out with this girl. That’s all.”

“Noah-,” Jolly started.

I motioned upstairs, ready to change the subject. “Hey, Chase and Malcolm want to play Fallout. Are you in?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he sighed.

MALCOLM

“Hey, sweets. How are you feeling?” Chase asked into the phone that lay between us on our bed.

“I’m alright,” Y/N’s tired voice came through the speaker. “I spent the entire day sleeping. My dad had a full day planned for our last day together but I couldn’t get out of bed. I feel like shit.”

I gave a small smile even though she couldn’t see. “He understands, Y/N. Your dad isn’t going to be upset.”

There was a long beat of silence. “Before he dropped me off at the airport, we had a heart-to-heart today. About everything, about Noah.”

I shared a look with Chase. “What about Noah?”

“I’m ready, guys. Noah’s been so patient with waiting for me to go through these feelings and trauma. I thought being with him would deter me from healing but he’s actually what I need to heal.”

“You sure, buttercup? Don’t take this the wrong way, we’re happy that you’re finally at a good place mentally and that you want to jump into this with Noah. But we want to make sure that you’re sure.”

“It’s Noah,” there wasn’t a hint of hesitation in her voice. “I’d never been more sure about anything like this before.”

Chase smiled a little as we linked our hands together. Both of us were so proud of how far Y/N came within the last few months. When she first moved in with us, there was a dark point in all our lives we didn’t know if she would make it past the pain of what she did to Noah; even though it wasn’t completely her fault.

“We’re proud of you, Y/N,” Chase said.

“I love you guys. I feel like I don’t say that enough. Every single bad thing in my life, the two of you have been by my side.”

We could hear the tears in her voice.

“We love you too, sweets.”

We chatted for a few more minutes, making plans for when she returned to the States before her flight home was called. We weren’t able to pick her up when her flight landed so we dropped her car off earlier at the airport so she could drive herself back.

As soon as we hung up, a noise came from my computer, an invitation on Twitch.

“You sure you don’t want to play with us?” I asked Chase while I set up at my desk.

Chase nodded. “I’m fine with watching you play.”

“What’s up, fuckers,” I snorted into my microphone as I loaded up into the game with Noah.

Jolly was there as well but only Noah was listening to me.

“Hey guys.”

I glanced over to Chase when we heard the somber voice of Noah.

“What’s wrong with you, Sebastian?” Chase asked.

“It’s been a long day,” he sighed.

For the next half hour, I played with Noah and Jolly, with Chase watching, and we all joked about random shit but Noah was quiet for most of the time. Something was off with him and as the last match ended, I was ready to get off the game until Noah’s words gave us pause.

“I went out on a date tonight.”

Chase stiffened next to me as I fell back to my chair with my heart-stopping. “I know I’m colorblind but I’m not deaf. What did you just say?”

“No, you’re not,” Chase playfully smacked my chest.

Noah let out a deep breath. “I’m seeing somebody- I can’t, I - she doesn’t want me how I want her.”

Although he never said her name, we knew exactly who he was walking about.

“That’s not true, Noah, you know it’s not. She does. She’s just-.” I said.

“Look, please don’t start this shit right now. I just need to attempt to move on, at least.”

I quickly put my microphone on my mute and then turned my chair towards Chase.

“What the fuck?” I said with an exasperated breath.

“I don’t understand, this isn’t making sense,” He ran a hand over his buzzed head, something he always did when something bothered him. “Should we tell him about her dad and the song?”

“No, 'cause she’ll be pissed.”

“You don’t think she’ll be more mad now? Noah went on a fucking date tonight,” Chase seethed.

I pushed my auburn curls away from my face. “Man, I don’t know. It almost feels like it’s not our place to get involved but it’s-.”

“Y/N,” Chase finished my sentence.

“We need to give her a heads up, just end this tension bullshit. They have to talk,” I sighed.

“She can’t get upset,” Noah’s voice brought us back to the conversation, and I unmuted my microphone.

“Who can’t get upset?” I asked.

“Y/N, she can’t get upset. She ignored me all day after that post on Instagram.”

Chase scoffed. “What the fuck, dude. What does that have to do with you going on a date?”

“I tried to call her, it was 2:30! No answer.”

The way that Noah was speaking clarified that there were underlying feelings behind his actions but of course, wouldn’t tell anyone about it.

“You want to fucking know why she didn’t call you?” Chase sat forward, elbows on his knees and veins in his neck twitching. “News flash, Noah, the world just doesn’t stop when you don’t get attention.”

“Excuse me?”

I could see the darkness take over Chase’s usual bright eyes and knew what he was about to say. I shook my head. “Chase no, it’s not-.”

“No, fuck this soap opera shit. Y/N passed out at 2:30, she has been all fucking day. She was in pain you, idiot.”

A long beat of silence. “What do you mean?”

“Chase-,” I tried again.

This wasn't our business to tell. This should have been something Y/N and Noah talked about privately.

Chase ignored me as his knee bounced with anger. “No, I’m tired of this nonsense. Y/N has endometriosis you ass!”

More silence, only this time you could hear the background noise coming from Noah’s mic clear as day; voices.

“Wait-she told me she deals with something that takes a lot out of her every month. That’s it?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Stage Three. It’s a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. Every month when she has her period, the pain is worse than normal because of this. Hence today all she did was sleep. She wasn’t ignoring you, Noah. She was just asleep.”

“It's serious. She’s been dealing with this for years and she’ll continue to deal with it for the rest of her life,” Chase said.

“If it wasn’t for the surgery, it could have been worse,” I informed next.

“Wait, what surgery? When?,” Noah asked with pure confusion in his voice.

Chase bit the inside of his cheek. “It was a few years ago before Hollow Souls took off. It’s called a laparoscopy.”

“She had a what? I don’t know what the fuck that is?”

I repeated the word for Noah but his agitation was clear in his next words.

“A lapara-parascopy”

“Bro, sound it out, lapar-o-scopy,” Chase gave a light chuckle, given how tense the conversation got.

“Yeah still don’t know what the fuck that is, is she alright? Is she-.”

Chase and I shared a look, knowing there’s a lot more we can go on about this but also knowing that we’ve said all we could say.

“Like Malcolm said, Endometriosis comes with pain and inflammation, and she can pass out from the pain. Y/N gets sick a lot-you have to do your own research on this, Noah. But you also need to know, it’s not all about you,” Chase said with a shake of his head.

“Why can’t she just tell me that?”

“She wants to, trust us. We know-.”

Noah’s voice cut me off. “I know you know her, but you don’t know what feelings she has. I can’t keep falling for this every time.”

“Noah. come on you’re so stubborn! What happened to waiting?” I shot back with an edge to my voice.

I rarely ever lost my patience but right now with how stubborn Noah was being, I couldn’t help but scoff.

“Never said I wasn’t, but I need to move forward too until she speaks to me herself about this. What else can I do?”

“Noah, she loves you, man. She fucking loves you.”

“If that’s true she would tell me, Malcolm, this shit fucking hurts enough. I’ve got to go, I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Before we could even say goodbye, Noah exited our chat that we used to play video games, leaving just the buzz of dead air playing back on my speakers.

NOAH

Stage 3 of endometriosis is considered moderate.

Endometriosis itself is not a fatal condition. However, experts associate endometriosis with some potentially life-threatening conditions, such as ectopic pregnancy and depression.

There are two types of endometriosis surgery: excision and ablation. Both are laparoscopic, meaning the surgeon makes tiny holes in the patient’s skin and can enter through those holes to perform the surgery, rather than needing to make large incisions. Ablation uses heat to destroy tissue, while excision uses heat to remove it. Ablation can only remove tissue on the surface, while excision can dig deeper to remove all of it.

“Oh Angel baby,” I sighed while dropping my pen on the piece of paper I’d been writing on for the last thirty minutes.

With both hands dragging down my face, I let out another deep sigh before scrolling through another article.

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic and lower back pain, especially during the menstrual period. Rather than the cramping that many women experience during their periods, women with endometriosis often experience severe pain that can be difficult to manage. Other symptoms include pain during intercourse, pain with urination or bowel movements, heavy bleeding during periods, bleeding between periods, fatigue, and infertility.

A small gasp left my lips when I remembered back to that night we shared. The pained expression as I hovered over her until we switched positions then the blood on the condom.

Fuck, infertility. That’s why she freaked when I mentioned a family.

Deciding I had enough research for one night, I called out for Jolly and Jesse.

“Everything alright?” Jesse asked a moment later, followed by Jolly.

The two of them sat on the edge of my bed while I continued to sit on my computer chair, slowly rocking back and forth.

“I-um-I just found out something about Y/N. Might explain why she left that night,” I said while handing them the notepad of paper that I was using for my notes.

Both of them read through it, Jesse sucking in a breath while Jolly let his shoulders fall and took a deep breath.

“Shit,” Jesse said.

Jolly, however, gave me a look. One I knew all too well.

“You fucking knew,” I accused while leaning forward in my chair.

“Not what she was going through. Nick wanted to tell me but-.”

“Wait,” I shook my head in disbelief. “Nick knew?”

I didn’t give Jolly time to explain because I quickly dialed Nick’s number and put the call on speaker while it rang.

“Yellow?” Nick answered on the third ring.

I rolled my eyes. “First of all, don’t answer the phone like that. You know I hate it.”

“Exactly why I do it. What's up?”

“You knew, I fucking know you knew,” I seethed.

There was a very long moment of silence from Nick’s end before a tired breath sounded. “Noah-.”

“No! Why did you fucking help them lie to me? You had me believing I did some shit for months! You all knew what her issue was and you just let me sit here in the dark over it?”

I rose from my chair and paced my room as the anger intensified. For months, they made me think I was the problem; it was my fault that Y/N walked away.

“It wasn’t our place to bring it up, Noah,” Jolly said.

“Y/N should have just been honest upfront about it,” Nick spoke next.

“Clearly she was scared! Read this shit!,” I pointed to the notepad. “She goes through that every month. And not one of you told me. I could have faced her anger later. Fuck, man.”

A shaky breath fell from my lips as I ran a hand over my chin, trying to control the way my heart raced and pulse quickened.

“It’s not too late, Noah,” Jesse reminded me.

“It is because I certainly don’t know how she feels; not now,” I said reminding them about the Instagram post this morning.

Jolly pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Not this again. It was a post, Noah!”

“Whatever, I’m not dealing with this right now, just know I fucking know you knew and it’s irritating,” I told Nick on the phone.

“But now that you know, does it change how you feel?”

As I opened my mouth to answer, the phone buzzed in my hand and my heart rate now doubled, thinking it was Y/N.

Unknown: had an awesome time with you! 💕 so glad we’re trying this.

Fuck.

My heart sank to the depths of my insides realizing that the text message wasn’t from Y/N.

“It doesn’t matter now,” I answered Nick’s question with a defeated sigh.

CHASE

Malcolm paced the entire length of our bedroom with his hands on his hips. His auburn hair fell around his shoulders in curly waves and if it was any other situation, I would marvel at how gorgeous he looked.

“Mal, you need to calm down. You’re going to burn a hole in the floor,” I tried to reach for his hand but he sped past me.

His emerald eyes burned. “He’s dating someone. Can you believe that? After all that bullshit about waiting for her. The second she’s ready, he moves on?”

“We don’t know that they’re dating. Noah said they went out on one date, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Malcolm sighed before falling onto the bed next to me. It was nearing eight in the evening. Y/N’s flight would land any minute and we were patiently waiting for her to return home.

“Are we going to listen to their song?” Malcolm asked.

I rubbed his knee. “They’re still our friends, Mal. We need to support them.”

Eventually, he nodded before resting his hand over mine. “We need to warn, Y/N. I don’t want her to be blindsided by this news or find out about it from someone else.”

I agreed and pulled out my phone, quickly typing a message out to Y/N.

Chase: sweets, we need to talk to you. Call us when you can.

Sweets: I have pretty shitty service where I’m at. What’s up?

Malcolm and I shared a look, neither of us wanting to tell her over text but knew that it would be better if she found out from one of us. The words almost burned on my fingers as I typed them.

Chase: Noah went out on a date. He’s seeing someone.

Read 9:30 pm.

Chase: sweets??

Read 9:43 pm.

After almost twenty-five minutes with no response from Y/N, I tried calling her twice which only went straight to voicemail. Malcolm pulled out his phone so he could pull up her location. The three of us always shared our location, in cases of times like this.

“Fuck,” he cursed.

“What?” I asked, heart pounding hard against my chest as I peered over his shoulder to look at his phone.

Immediately, we recognized where Y/N was; her avatar on the map unmoving and staying in the same spot for the last half an hour.

Chase: Y/N, please let me know you’re okay.

“What do you think she’s doing there?” I asked.

Malcolm rested his head in his hands. “I don’t know, babe. But whatever the reason, shit’s changed now. It can’t be good.”

We sat in silence for another long few minutes, my hand rubbing soothing circles on Malcolm’s back in a way to keep him calm. I was about ready to text Jolly when Malcolm’s phone rang.

“Buttercup, where are you?” He rushed out once he saw the caller ID.

There was silence on the other end until a broken, destroyed voice sobbed into the phone.

“I fucked up, guys.”

#noah sebastian #noah sebastian and reader #noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian reader insert #noah sebastian smut #enemies to lovers #right person wrong time #starcrossed lovers

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vlansy · 2 months

Text

Run Away Baby Before I Put My Spell On You

Pairings: WandaNat! x Fem!Reader

Summary: Natasha and Wanda is set on a mission to find out who the "new" super hero in town is.

Warning(s): Violence, Voyeurism, murder, use of gun, swearing- (MINORS DNI 18+ )

CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2

Reader's POV

Growing up I have always wondered what I was made for, my mother said she prayed to have me and the deities gave me to her. She said I was special and she was the most blessed woman to have me. I was blessed by every God, giving me gifts and power.

But I still wonder what my purpose is.

I mean don't get me wrong having been given powers to move things with my mind, and control anyone if I wished to is an honor I will forever be thankful for, but sometimes I feel like I’m cursed to have them. I still have morals though, I ask for permission first before I enter someone's mind but even without asking I could still do it. Levitating and creating illusions is also one of the many powers given to me by the Gods. The Goddess of beauty and love herself even bestowed me with the power to charm and captivate anyone I wish to kneel for me.

When I was given to my mother they all expected me to be the one to stop the war and create peace among everyone.

I was sent to the mortal realm at a young age by my mother, she wanted me to live there with her immortal friend whom she said she’d known for a long time. I don't know what her reason is and why she wanted me to leave her but I know better than to question the queen.

I visit sometimes though, I mean what's a castle without its princess?

And what's a mother without her daughter….

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

“Y/n, are you awake?” A soft masculine voice said.

I was lying on my bed my feet dangling on the edge. I raise my hand opening the door without getting up.

I hear my Uncle Malcolm's footsteps coming closer my eyes remain closed.

“Is it just me or does the “woman in white” look familiar?” He said emphasizing the “woman in white”.

I opened my eyes and turned my head to him. I looked at him and raised my brow. “I see you’ve seen the news.”

“Y/n, I know you have a mind of your own and you’re a bright girl, but honey please be careful out there.” He said as he sat on the edge of my bed.

I’ve lived with my “uncle” Malcolm here on earth since my mother decided it would be a good idea for me to leave. He’d known my mother when he was in high school and my mother was a curious princess who wanted to see the whole universe.

His only family is me now and his fiancé Luthor.

They’re both very much in love and I would love nothing more than to officially welcome Luthor to our family. They both treat me as if I were their real daughter and I love them both like their my real Dad’s

It’s ironic really, before I got sent to earth I’ve only ever had women around me, since where I came from women are the ones to rule and provide for their offspring. No men exist where I came from they’re practically extinct.

I look at my uncle. “I promise I won’t get hurt, Dad,” I assure him. “And would you really think I’d let anyone catch me?”

“I know you wouldn’t let that happen but I know you too well to know that if the Avengers were the ones after you, you would let them.” He said knowingly.

“I- okay I probably will, but come on Dad if the Avengers were to want me I’d be honored to be caught by them.” I laughed at him.

It's an understatement to say that I'm a huge fan of the heroes that protect the world. But I would never admit that to anyone but my Dad’s.

They know how much I admire them, especially the two wonderful redheads I have a tiny bit of a crush on.

So when I thought of the idea that the Avengers might be on to me I had mixed feelings about it. I don't know whether to be excited that they know of me but also a bit scared because they know of me.

“And besides, whatever happens, happens. I'm a powerful being but I can't control what will happen, Dad.” I finally sat down on my bed.

He just sighed at me, knowing how stubborn I am he probably thought not to argue with me further.

“Where's Papa, by the way?” I changed the topic.

“He's still in his office, you know your Papa he's very hard working.” He said proudly. I just nodded.

My Papa is a well-known lawyer and my Dad is a popular Fashion designer. When I was younger I started to model the clothes he designed which gained me popularity all throughout high school and college.

I graduated college at 18 due to my high credentials and skipping a few grades. I honestly don't know what to do since I don't go to school anymore, I'm 19 now and turning 20 in a few months but all I want to do is keep my position in the modeling industry.

People say I'm too smart to just throw it all away but I don't really care what they think, plus My dad’s supports me with everything I do and whatever I choose to be.

I live by myself most of the time, I bought myself a house, but I miss my Dad’s too much so come over at weekends.

“I'll leave you to rest now sweetheart, goodnight,” he said as he kissed my head.

“Goodnight, Dad.” I smiled at him as I watched him walk out the door.

A few minutes passed and I was tucking myself to bed when my phone rang.

“Yes, Shaye?” I said when I answered the call.

“Y/n! Girl let's go out tonight!” She screamed right in my ear making me move the phone away.

I look at the time, “Babe it's literally midnight?”

“Yeah so? Come on honey the other girls are coming too,” she reasoned.

I thought for a second, what could go wrong? Right?

“Fine, give me like 30 minutes.” I finally agreed.

“Yay! Okay hurry up and I'll call you when I'm there, Byee!” She said cheerfully.

“Bye.” I said and quickly went to my walk-in closet and chose an outfit.

Once I found a white crisscross halter top and some denim jeans I went to my mirror and got changed. Then I went out of my closet and to my vanity. I started putting on a little bit of makeup and took the claw clip that was on my hair to let down my soft curly hair.

I got my purse and made sure my important belongings were in there and went to my Dad’s room.

I knocked on their door and waited for it to open.

“Yes, sweetheart?” my Dad said as he opened the door.

“I'm going out with Shaye and my friends.”

“Okay, be careful alright,” He reminded me.

“Yes, Dad bye,” I said and smiled back at him.

I was going down the stairs when Shaye called. “We’re here.” she is said.

“Yeah, I'll be right down,” I said and ended the call.

When I got out the door I was greeted by my friends squealing. I opened the shotgun seat and Shaye started driving.

“Oh my God Y/n we’re gonna have so much fun tonight!” My friend Leven said in excitement.

The car ride was pretty much us singing to loud music and taking photos.

When we arrived at the bar the guard didn't even need to check our IDs or make us stay in line because we go to parties here almost every weekend.

Some of our close friends were already waiting for us in the VIP section of the bar with drinks ready.

“Y/n babe, You made it!” A familiar feminine voice catches my attention.

“I probably wouldn’t have come if I knew you were here.” I joked at her.

Vienna was my ex when we were in college but we were more best friends than girlfriends so we ended up on good terms. But even when we broke up we would still playfully flirt with each other, but we both have zero romantic feelings for one another.

“Oh don’t act like you don't miss me, honey,” she winked at me.

I playfully rolled my eyes at her.

We partied all night and drank so much alcohol that my friends could barely walk anymore.

“Oh my God, do you guys remember when we all got in trouble because we couldn't stop laughing at Mr. Wilkins when we caught him picking his nose.” Leven reminded us.

“HAHAHA, or when he tried to flirt with Shaye in front of the class but Shaye said she also likes girls?.” I said and they all laughed, especially Shaye who almost choked on her drink.

As we caught up with each other's lives and reminisced about the times we had together I excused myself to go to the bathroom.

As I walked to the exit of the bar I could already feel the danger come my way.

I excused myself to my friends earlier because I saw a woman being followed and harassed by two men. I watched her for a while and when she was going to the exit I knew I had to follow.

As I looked around the exit I saw the two men following the girl out so I quickly but carefully followed them.

One of them ran up behind her and covered her mouth so she couldn't scream the other guy went to a nearby van and opened its back seat.

I walked towards them and spoke. “Watcha doing there big boys?”

They turned towards me. “You wanna join in doll?” The guy holding the girl said and smirked. I smirked back at him and walked closer to them, my heels clicking as I walked. The other man from the van now went closer to us.

“You know, two big guys like you shouldn't be out here at night,” I said as I got close to them the girl still trying to get out of the other man's grip.

He looked at his buddy and they both grinned. “Yeah, and why is that?” He asked a menacing smile plastered across his face.

“Because you might come across women like me,” I said as my eyes glowed golden.

Their smile slowly went away while mine grew wider.

I raise my hand in front of them making them both paralyzed.

I use my other hand to move the girl with my powers, freeing her from the guy's grasp. The girl stumbled in front of me so I held her close.

“Are you okay?” I asked with a look of concern.

“Y-yes, thank you,” she said as tears ran down her eyes.

“Go, and please don't tell anyone I was here,” I pleaded. “I'll take care of these boys for you,” I said as I turned back to the men giving them a sharp glare.

I heard the girl run but my attention was caught by the two men in front of me grunting and trying to move.

“It really isn't fun being helpless huh?” I asked with a fake pout.

“Oh! How about we play a game? Would you like that?” I asked then laughed. “Oh I forgot you can't speak, let me fix that for you,” I said and waved my hand in the air giving them the ability to talk.

“You little bitch!” one of them screamed at me.

I gasp. “You guys aren't very nice.”

“Let us go you fucker!” the other guy commanded.

“How about this, I'll give you five seconds to run and then I'll run after you, and if I catch you… I'll kill you.” I said as my smile dropped.

“1…2…3 GO!” I scream as I free them. They ran as fast as they could not wasting and second.

I just waited there and looked at my watch and when it was time to run after them I used my powers to make me fly making my current clothes disappear and turn to my white armor and covering myself with a white cloak.

As I was in the air I could already see the both of them run to a nearby alley. I fly with speed and when my feet touch the ground I start to play with them.

I surrounded them with clones of myself circling them so they had nowhere to go. “You have nowhere to run boys.”

One of them took a gun out of his pocket and the other one a knife. They started attacking the clones of me but every attack just went through my clones while they laughed at the men's pathetic tries.

When I finally got tired of watching them struggle I made one of them float in the air making him drop his weapon the other guy tried to attack me but I paralyzed him into place.

I entered the mind of the guy I held in the air and bent him to my will.

“θα τον σκοτώσεις και τον εαυτό σου (kill him and yourself)” I whispered in his mind and as I did his eyes glowed golden and his face expressionless.

I both let them go and watched as the man I whispered to attacked the other guy.

“Stop! What are you doing man!” the man grunted as they fought each other.

I was gonna watch them kill each other when I felt something in my chest and I felt my power in my veins. My veins are visibly glowing golden.

“What's happening to me?” I question myself as I look at my arms.

I quickly flew out of the alley not caring if anyone sees me.

But as I was in the air something shot the side of my stomach from a distance making me lose control and fall onto a rooftop of a building.

My stomach was bleeding and I tried to cover it up with my hand. When I gained composure and tried to stand up I saw a red entity fly towards me and as I turned my head the other way I saw a black-suited figure jump from building to building going after me.

“Shit!” I cussed out figuring out who they are.

It's the Scarlet Witch and the Black Widow.

I try to fly out of there but suddenly scarlet threads wrap themselves around me making it hard to move.

I breathed in and out catching my breath as I was about to use all my strength to break free from the witch’s spell.

At this point, my whole body was glowing and I could feel the witch’s spell slowly breaking and when I broke free a powerful force blew them both away making the widow hit her head on the cement and the witch fell on the ground.

“Wanda!” I heard the widow scream.

I wanted to help them and apologize but it was too much of a risk so I gathered all the strength left in me and flew as fast as I could out of there.

(Please tell me how I did in this chapter and if there are any errors.) Thank you all so much for the support!!😘

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader x wanda maximoff #natasha x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda maximoff x you #wanda x nat x reader #wandanat #marvel #natasha marvel #the avengers

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rhapsodynew · 10 days

Text

“The Found Weekend”

This happened exactly 50 years ago: in late March- early April 1974, Yoko Ono lost total control over John Lennon, putting him in care Mei Pang.

Yes, John would later call this period of drug and alcohol delirium “A lost weekend”, but considering that the last one took place at that time - in fact, the only one after the Beatles! - jam session with participation Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon, and their last photos together were taken, then this is just a godsend for history and Beatlemans!

29.03.1974. Mae Pang, John Lennon, Paul and Linda McCartney, Harry Nilsson. Photo: MEL Evans (MALCOLM FREDERICK EVANS ARCHIVES)

On Thursday, March 28, 1974, Paul and Linda McCartney drops by Burbank Studios in California to see how the album is being recorded Harry Nilsson's Pussycats, produced by John, and Paul joins a jam session with John and other musicians on the track ‘Midnight Special‘, which is their first joint performance in the musical environment after the split of the Beatles, which happened about four years before. At the end of the day, John invites Paula at her music session at the beach house in Santa Monica.

01.04.1974. John and Paul by the pool. Photo: Dougal Butler. Perhaps the MOST RECENT photo of them together!

“Don't be too serious, we don't get paid. We don't do anything, we just sit here together, and if someone gets bored with me, take the lead!”

- John Lennon

Ringo and Paul

These days, the last known photos of John and Paul together were taken. The photographers were John's mistress, Mae Pang, as well as the former roadie Beatles and at that time Lennon's bodyguard, Mel Evans. Several polaroids belong to Linda McCartney, as well as a friend and assistant Keith Moon to Dougal Butler. Dougal takes pictures on April 1, 1974, in which Paul performs a medley of Beatles songs on the piano, as well as those where John and Paul are together by the pool. (This polaroid photo will be the last ever joint photo of John and Paul...)

With no plans to record at Burbank Studios, John spends Sunday, March 31 relaxing by the pool, and later that evening holds the second of his Sunday music jam sessions at his beach house. Paul was among those present.

John. Linda's polaroid

“Just turn up the fucking microphone... McCartney plays harmony on drums,

” says John Lennon

during the evening-long session, which is recorded for posterity on equipment borrowed from Burbank Studios

youtube

Along with two former Beatles (John on guitar, Paul on drums behind the drum kit of Ringo, who was absent at the time - and both often on vocals), there are Linda (Hammond organ), Stevie Wonder (electric piano), Jesse Ed Davis and others. Cecilia is recording, and among them are melodies that they completely do not understand, you never believed, like: "Never trust a Bastard with Your Mother", "Little Beauty", "I Left Home And Wandered around", "Lucille", "Nightmares", "Be on your Guard I", "Cupid", "Chain Gang" and "Take This Hammer".

At the end of the session, in the early morning of April 1, Paul, Linda and their family go to the nearest hotel. And to the beach house Jonah is coming to Ringo... and he finds out that Paul had been here shortly before and played his drum kit.

Closer to lunch, they return to the beach house Paul and Linda, however John hadn't gotten up yet. Paul immediately heads to the piano and, along with Moon and Nilsson, performs a medley of Beatles songs, which all three musicians are happy to join. After that, Nilsson suggests Semi is a bit of a dangerous drug known as ‘angel dust‘, from which Paul refuses. John wakes up around 3 p.m. and joins other musicians and friends who are relaxing by the pool.

During his 1975 interview on BBC2 Old Grey Whistle Test John briefly recalled that session:

“I really played with Paul. We did a lot of things in Los Angeles. But there were fifty other people playing, and they were all just watching me and Paul!”

By the way, in April 1974, after many refusals following his drug conviction in England in 1973, Paul finally received an American visa. And on April 13, 1974, the album Band On The Run ascended to the top of the American album charts. It would go on to sell over 6,000,000 copies worldwide and spend over two years on the US and UK charts. Meanwhile, it is reported that on the same day, Paul's ex-girlfriend, an actress Jane Asher, gave birth to a baby girl in England.

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steppin-on-the-last-train · 5 months

Text

cowboy like me

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: As a part-time criminal and a full-time escape artist your first priority was always to keep people at arm's length. When you meet someone who also knows what it's like to live from day to day, you're not so sure you want to let her slip away.

Foreword: Title taken from the Taylor Swift song cause it’s evermore season y’all

The first time you met the Black Widow was aboard a train heading south toward London.

You sat, facing the window and watching the people mill about the terminal outside. Your cheeks were still red and wind bitten from your commute to the station. The car was almost full now, most everyone dressed in Manchester United jerseys and hats and the like. You blended in just fine among them. Another fan headed home after the match with a scarf and an old pair of trainers.

You rehashed the details of your current mark in your head like a mantra. Jameson Harris. 42 Malcolm Rd. Wife was Anna Harris. Two children, Marcus and Emily.

“All aboard. The 5:00 train from Manchester to London is off in three minutes,” the conductor announced from a speaker overhead. You could barely hear it over the excitement of the crowd. A little boy ran screaming down the aisle, his mother giving a futile chase.

In the set of seats facing you two men about your age sat down. They were clearly drunk, laughing like hyenas and shoving each other in a manner that bordered on real anger. At least one of them smelled like heavy smoke.

“Hey, mate,” the tall, lanky one with a bad neck tattoo waved at you. “How about that game, eh?”

You grinned widely as if you had one too many drinks coursing through your veins. “Fucking wild.” You stumbled over the words as if your tongue didn’t sit correctly in your mouth. “Best match of the season, if you ask me.”

The other guy, fitter and dark-haired took out a lighter and a cigarette. He lit it and pulled a huge drag. The exhaled smoke blew right into the face of a passing attendant.

She coughed stiffly into her hand. “Sir, there is no smoking allowed onboard. I am going to have to ask you to step out or please put it out.”

“Are you talking to me, sweetheart?” You averted your gaze, scrolling mindlessly through the contacts in your phone. If the woman was looking for a hero, you were a false beacon of hope.

“Yes. Now, please. There is truly no smoking allowed in the car.” The acrid stench of nicotine once more assaulted everyone misfortunate enough to be in the general vicinity.

The man took a deep breath and stood. Elaborately he stubbed the cigarette out on the back of his seat, little bits of ash flaking into the air. The attendant moved on and he dropped back into the chair. “Fucking cunt,” he swore loud enough to cut through the din.

You closed your eyes to shut out the cloudy winter light intent on piercing your retinas and the jerky movements of the other passengers, high off the energy from the match. You swore you would take a break after this job. You had made that exact same promise to yourself last week in Bogota, and the time before in Cairo. No, you wouldn’t stop. Just as relentless as the blood rushing through your veins, stopping would be tantamount to death.

“Excuse me.” A voice caused your train of thought to come to a screeching halt. Innocence dripped from the words like honey, and you could tell the woman’s voice was pitched up from her normal tone. “Is anyone sitting here?” A slender hand gestured at the seat next to yours.

You pushed yourself up from the slouch you had been lounging in, feeling self-conscious. “No. Go right ahead,” you answered, cockney accent shining right through. She was pretty, you noted; about your age as well. A hitch tugged at the back of your brain. An evolutionary alarm from living your entire life on the move. This woman was not to be trusted. Underneath the wide eyes and the girlish smile was a viper coiled to strike.

“Thank you,” she said, looking quite small against the backdrop of the raucous train car.

A wolf whistle pierced the air, looking for trouble. The bloke who had been smoking flashed a predator’s grin at the blonde beside you. “Where are you traveling to all alone now, girlie?”

You watched the exchange from the corner of your eye. Why did conflict seem to follow wherever you stepped foot? The woman merely glanced up from her book, unwilling to feed the fire.

“Oi. Why don’t you go ahead and look at me when I’m talking to you? I know you can hear me.” The train had begun to depart, ushering in a wave of quiet to the car as passengers settled down. The demand was impossible to ignore. Even as parents hushed children and drunkards passed out in increasing numbers, his voice only gained intensity.

“This train is headed for London, is it not?” She asked, face as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.

“Hey Jack. She’s a witty one,” he said, slapping his friend on the chest. The woman flicked her gaze at you. Your attention wandered to her like a moth to a flame. You stomped down on any inclination to help her. You weren’t going to lose this game of chicken.

“Sweetheart.” The man so called Jack joined in the instigating. “How about you come home with us, eh? I’ve got a real nice flat. I bet you’d like the bedroom.”

“No, I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you come with me to the bathroom right now?” The dark-haired one surged forward, grimy hand outstretched toward the woman. Caution gone with the wind, your arm darted out on its own accord. You intercepted his wrist, tugging harshly enough for him to stumble closer to you.

The blonde’s eyes widened and she shrank in on herself in her seat. You saw right through the act. An elderly man with a newsboy cap across the aisle watched the altercation like a deer caught in headlights. You prayed he wouldn’t call for help.

The entire damn point was to not draw attention to yourself. Today though, electricity charged the air with biting energy. The presence of the mystery-shrouded person beside you drove you past the gates of reason.

You squeezed the man’s pinky until you heard the crunch of bone pushed too far. He screeched like a cat. “Go and find yourself another seat. I don’t care if the car is full. You’ll throw yourself out the rear if you have to. Don’t let me see your fucking face again,” you whispered in his ear. The words leapt flaming from your tongue.

Eyes wild with adrenaline and the courage of alcohol, he swung at you with his free fist. You caught the clumsy punch, seized the man by the wrist, and snapped it clean. He screamed, turning the heads of the other passengers. Your gaze swept like a searchlight through the crowd, promising more hurt to anyone who might even think about interfering.

He crashed back into his friend’s lap before staggering to his feet. His sniffles and shuffling footsteps echoed through the silent traincar. “Go on,” you directed his buddy, who wasted no time before similarly scrambling from his seat. A final burst of dauntlessness flared up your throat. “What the fuck are you all staring at me for?” You broadcasted to the intrigued onlookers.

Half of these people weren’t sober enough to remember this in the morning. For those who did, you would be a completely different person the second you stepped foot off this godforsaken vehicle.

“Thank you,” the woman said, sickly sweet.

“Don’t mention it.” You admitted beating up assholes wasn’t an entirely cumbersome task.

“I feel obliged now to ask what your name is,” she continued.

You raised your eyebrows, turning in her direction. “What about stranger danger? How do you know I didn’t just stop them so I could be alone with you?”

“How do you know I needed your help?” She batted the question back at you.

“Touche.” You knew she didn’t. But she had indeed wanted to keep her cards close to her chest at the expense of you revealing yours. You offered a hand. “I’m Sam.”

“Nadia,” she replied, conceding the handshake. Her palms and fingers were lined with ridges of calluses.

“That’s a pretty name.” But not one that belonged to her, you thought.

She was so close now. The setting sunlight streamed through the window and coaxed the vibrance from the green of her irises. You stopped yourself from lingering there too long. You imagined all the people who had lost to her siren’s call before.

You cleared your throat and broke off the staring match. “Can I ask what you’re doing in England? Excuse me assuming that you’re not from around here.” If she wanted to play this game, you didn’t see the harm in joining in.

“I’m visiting a friend.” Her American accent drew attention. Odd for a thief or a spy or whoever she was to forgo language assimilation. “What about you, Sam? Did you grow up here?”

“I did. Never been out of the country meself.” Lies to you, but truths for Sam the football fan.

“Got anyone special at home?” She smirked, looking up at you from a downturned face.

You scoffed. She was messing with you. “No. Not for me. I like to keep available. You never know when an opportunity might come around. I’m not usually one to let a good thing pass me by.”

“And what makes a special opportunity? How do you know one when you see it?” How fitting that smoke still lingered in the air.

“I guess,” you started slowly. “Some people just have this spark about them.”

She wet her lips. “Do you think I have it?” If some people sparked with electricity, she certainly blazed with the sun’s heat.

The corner of your mouth lifted in a smile. You rolled your eyes with playful mirth. That was all the answer she needed.

Good thing as soon as the train pulled into the station in London you would get your ass as far away from her as possible. And with any luck, as the moon eclipses the sun your paths would cease to cross for a very long time.

—

Prime Minister Jameson Harris had an expensive taste in liquor. You were alone in his house, save for a half dozen security agents scattered about various entryways. Tonight you doubled as the man himself while he and his family had been whisked away to another secure location. You owed a friend in MI6 a favor, so you played the sitting duck amidst rumors of an assassination plot. Just another average night.

You snagged a crystal bottle of mystery alcohol from the shelf. Twisting the cork off with a pop you smelled it experimentally before taking a swig straight from the jug. Mister Harris had a fine taste in whiskey indeed. You rounded a giant mahogany table and sat, polished leather squeaking in protest.

The study lights weren’t overwhelming thanks to the dimmers you had spent way too long fiddling with. In addition you had lit a couple of candles. The room had smelled too much like mothballs and stale paper for your taste.

You raised the whiskey bottle in a toast to an imaginary gathering. “Long live the United Kingdom. To the prosperity of humankind. May all mutant scum drop dead,” you pronounced with the fanfare of a juvenile king. No one had stuck around to tell you your birthday, but you still had a good year or two before you were of drinking age. That much at least, you knew.

You didn’t follow politics, not keen on allying yourself with a particular nation, but the anti-mutant sentiment reached you anyhow. Hate and fear for you and your kind served as a rallying point for human leaders. They ceased pointing their guns at each other and instead set their targets on you.

Bottle in hand, you stood abruptly and turned toward the giant bookshelf behind you. Classic novels, history collections, and political theory publications lined the entire wall. You traced your fingers down their spines. You had to stay the night here, but thought it may be wiser to resist the call of sleep lest you don’t wake in the morning.

You pulled a relatively thin volume down. Between the stealing and fleeing and occasional strong-arming you didn’t have a lot of time to read. Tonight, you could start playing catch up with The Scarlet Letter.

You meandered back toward the desk. Glancing up, a cool breeze rushed at you from an open window. Your stomach dropped, heavy with an iron pit. The curtains flapped in the wind, taunting you for letting your guard down.

You set the whiskey and the book down on the desk and instead wrapped your hand around the slick steel of a pistol hidden beneath. “Show yourself,” you called in the voice of Jameson Harris. “Don’t think I won’t shoot you for breaking and entering.”

The study was by no means cramped for room, but even still there were few places to hide. You cleared the room in less than a second before realizing the door was ajar too.

You stalked out into the hall, only to find a guard passed out on the floor. You dug your fingers into your temple. Someone was clearly amusing themselves with the game they were playing. Even so, a chill ran down your spine. You weren’t used to being the rat in the maze in these situations.

Outside the study, the rest of the house was blanketed in darkness. For you, the absence of light made no difference. You could see just fine with the barest hint of sunshine. From above the bannister, you peered down the sight of the gun at the foyer. The ground floor lay still, as if holding its breath. The security guard posted at the front door sat slumped against the wall. You couldn’t tell if the dark spot pooling beneath his body was born of shadow or something much more sinister.

A cold hand on your shoulder jolted you from your search. Before you could turn around, meticulously sharpened steel carved a grinning line across your throat. You clamped a hand around the wound, panic fluttering in your chest like a trapped canary. From the corner of your warping vision you saw a figure, wrapped in a shawl of shadows. The light from their eyes waited eagerly for the one in yours to wink out.

You stumbled, choking on your own blood. Pink froth bubbled from your mouth, burning with the chase of death. Your attention slipped and you shifted from the body of Jameson Harris and back into yourself. Well, almost. What you imagined you might look like without the lizard eyes and cobalt blue skin of a freak.

Beneath your palm your skin grew unnaturally warm. The waterfall of blood ceased its torrential flow. Slowly your skin sewed itself back together. You sighed in relief. You knew you could heal, but had never tested your powers to this extreme.

Behind you a voice muttered in Russian, “What the fuck?”

You stood straight up, flicking blood absentmindedly from your hand. Surprise gripped your heart. Standing in the corner, as still as a statue was the girl from the train that had brought you here. Nadia no longer looked the picturesque part of a wonderstruck American teenager visiting London. Blonde hair, that you now decided had definitely been dyed, lay neatly down her back in an intricate braid. She wore a black form-fitting tactical suit. Not military issued, you thought.

You blinked and found yourself staring down the muzzle of a pistol. You raised your hands in surrender, assuming the form you had been posing as on the train. A familiar rush raced from the top of your head to the ends of your limbs as your skin reformed itself. “Remember me?” You asked, spitting out a glob of blood and exposing red-stained teeth.

She cocked her head ever so slightly and just a moment of opportunity presented itself. You lunged for the gun while she grappled with the fact you’d been three completely different people in less than a minute. You let yourself shift back to your common appearance and vaulted across the floor. Muscles wound tight, you straightened your torso and kicked at the weapon.

Snapping back to reality she snatched the gun away just in time. You stood before she could re-aim and cut at her wrist. The gun clattered to the floor and you kicked it further down the hall.

You craned your head to avoid a viscous elbow to the nose. Sweat began to build along your hairline and drip down the back of your neck. You didn’t fight often, preferring to run into the foliage rather than confront the enemy and run the risk of being caught. You missed the rush.

She fought like a dancer. Momentum built from a lunge forward charged a stinging jab at your ribs. You pushed her two steps back and she went for a low sweep at your legs. You moved so fast you could hear the rush of cloth through the air, the sound of a fist soaring at your gut. A knife appeared in her hand, opening a surgical gash along the length of your tricep.

Hot blood ran down your arm. You weren’t sure what the limit of your healing factor was, but as the cut refused to close, you realized you might have spent it for tonight.

Your heart thundered in your chest. You couldn’t lose, no doubt that if she caught you she wouldn’t hesitate to snap your neck and unload an entire round into your head, just in case. But you had to think five steps ahead even as a boot came flying hairwidths from your face and lightning fast slashes struck at any spot you left unprotected.

She flipped herself and suddenly you were flat on your back, staring up at the ceiling. You pulled air back into your spent lungs, gasping as your fingers dug into the floorboards. From the corner of your vision you saw her bolt for the discarded gun. Panic flared through you and you sprung yourself up, tackling her off course.

The both of you crashed through the bannister and went soaring onto the ground floor. She managed to maneuver herself midair so that she would land on top of you. The impact shot up the knobs of your spine, your head whipping painfully against the cool floor. Her shoulder dug into your collarbone, breaths coming in steady little exhales. You lost your focus for a split second, the pain radiating from the back of your skull overwhelming everything else.

Involuntarily you transformed into your natural appearance, attention split in so many ways you couldn’t hold onto maintaining your looks. You grit your teeth and shoved the woman off of you with all the strength you could muster, which admittedly beat the strongest of humans even on your worst days. She flew back and smashed into a side table, residing lamp tumbling down and shattering on the floor.

You hurdled over the staircase railing at the halfway point and cleared the rest of the steps in one bound. You normalized your complexion, hoping the dark had shielded you from her seeing the momentary exposure.

You scooped a gun up from the ground and whipped around, catching her at the top of the staircase. Strangling the grip, you tensed the muscles in your forearms and leveled it at her chest.

“Where’s Harris?” She asked, voice as harsh as the blade caught in her fist, still drip, drip, dripping with your blood.

“A safe place. Somewhere far away from pretty women with sharp objects.” Your pointer finger ghosted over the trigger. A voice in the back of your mind urged you to pull it. Return the favor.

She arched one eyebrow. “You think I’m pretty?”

“I think you’re good.” You’d never tell her, but even with your enhanced strength and agility she’d had you on the ropes the entire fight. If you had so much as breathed differently you were sure the roles would be reversed right now.

“But not good enough for you,” she finished. Even as she bowed completely at your mercy her expression gave nothing away. A long time ago, you thought, she sculpted her face from marble, and the mask had been cemented in place since.

You lowered the gun. You weren’t a killer anyhow.

Blood crusted under your fingernails and in the lines of your palms, your shirt was starting to stick to your skin. You slid it over your head and tossed it on the floor, well aware of the woman’s lingering gaze.

You turned your back on her and strode into the bedroom, stealing a new shirt before locking yourself in the bathroom.

With a sigh you stopped holding a normal appearance and shifted back into your innate form. Staying in shape had become easier as you’d grown and fully navigated your powers but the process still ate up much of your concentration. Exhaustion slogged endlessly at your mind.

You eyed your arm which had thankfully stopped actively bleeding, but the flesh still gaped open in a deep red valley. You pulled all the cabinets open, coming up with a roll of gauze and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Catching your lip between your teeth you washed the stinging wound, a hiss escaping as you flushed it out. You wrapped the bandage tight around your arm, ripping the extra with your teeth.

Methodically you cleaned yourself up. Filling your mouth with cold water from the tap, the sour coppery taste flushed away from your tongue. Then you scrubbed at your face, neck, and chest, trying hard to ignore the blue ridged flesh of an aberration. As the adrenaline started to drain from your system, the realization that death had been seconds away from stealing your life weighed on your mind like a wet blanket.

You scrubbed harshly at your hands until the water ran clear and then some. Staring at your reflection you slowly recomposed yourself. Freakishly red hair gave way to a more muted color, the yellow in your eyes faded to white, and bit by bit, the blue scales that cursed you with this power overturned into ordinary skin.

You curled your lips into a careless grin lined with a protective amount of cockiness. The great Mystique smiled back at you.

There you are, you thought.

The first time you had ever lied you were small and alone and desperately hungry for food. You had stolen a loaf of bread from a baker’s cart and bolted around a corner before shifting into someone else. When the seller asked you if you had seen a child run off, you looked him in the eye and told him no.

You weren’t sure how that one little lie had consumed you until there was no you left. Every morning you woke up and put on a charming show at the cost of further warping the person you ought to be. You’d die in your castle of lies, alone and bitter.

You walked back out into the hall, finding your attacker right where you left her. She stared down at the pool of blood staining the wood floor as if maybe she had imagined the entire ordeal.

“Unfortunately for you, I am still here,” you said. Unease churned in your stomach. Perhaps she was simply lying in wait, like a predator crouching in the tall yellow grass. “Made quite the mess though, don’t you think? The Prime Minister might have to look at new flooring.” You cringed as you stepped over the dark, coppery smelling spot. The warm light from the study spilled out into the hall. You walked into it, boldly turning your back on the woman. “Come on. I know you have questions.”

You leaned against the desk, next to a little bobble head of a dog. She walked in a few moments later, looking infinitely more at ease than she had in the hall. The knife had disappeared from her grasp. You saw right through the veil, having constructed a similar one in the privacy of the bathroom.

“So you’re not Jameson Harris, and you’re not Sam from London’s east end.” You shook your head, flicking at the toy. “Then who are you?” She stopped a respectable distance away, standing with her shoulders back and chin high.

You told her your name. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d done that truthfully. Yet this stranger managed to coax it out of you with one question. Faith was a funny thing. “And you?” You asked, tracing the curve of her jaw with your eyes.

“Romanova. Natalia.” She told you so almost robotically, as if the name was reserved for other people to use against her. As if she did not have the right to define herself.

“Nice to meet you, Natalia.” You took another sip of the whiskey before offering her the bottle. She eyed it suspiciously. “It’s not poisoned, I promise. It’ll get you damn drunk though.”

She took the bottle, fingers brushing yours momentarily. “I prefer vodka,” she said, drinking as if she’d been denied water for the past week. She passed it back, staring at you as if searching for something. “How?” She asked, your expression denying her any plausible answer.

“How what?” You asked, failing to suppress a growing smirk.

“The disguises.” The firm line of her lips told you she wasn’t entertained by your antics. “You’re wearing some kind of suit, are you not?” You could imagine the gears turning in her head, trying to explain the impossible.

You slid yourself back until you sat fully on the desktop. “Nope. Fanciest piece of technology I own is a little flip phone,” you said, tracing the smooth lip of the desk with your fingertips. “And I don’t wear tacky suits.”

“I’m offended,” she said lowly, not sounding the slightest bit bothered.

“Don’t be. The whole dark assassin thing suits you,” you said, waving your hand. “Not me though. I mean, could you imagine me in a skin tight suit?”

“I wouldn’t sell yourself short. I think you could pull it off.” She raked her gaze over you and heat rose to your cheeks.

You transformed into an exact copy of her, inspecting your hands in wonder as if she wasn’t standing an arm’s length away. “You’re right,” you said in her voice. “I do look good.” You threw a toothy grin her way before shifting back with a woosh.

Realization dawned on her, green eyes brightening. “You’re one of them,” she said.

“Yep.” You swirled the alcohol around, watching how the light played off the bottle. “One of them.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just I’ve never—I’ve never met a mutant before.” She seemed awestruck at the revelation. You were so used to being met with fear and disgust.

“I’m sure you have. Especially with all of the traveling you do,” you said. You remembered the window, still propped open from earlier. “Those of us that can try to blend in with everyone else. Take any street in a big city, for example. If you walked around for a little I guarantee you’d pass at least one of us.” You gazed up at the night sky, dotted with a billion brilliant stars. The estate sat well removed from the city and its hungry lights. “Most of us learned pretty quickly how to adapt, how to stay safe and hidden in the crowd,” you explained.

“And those of you who can’t?” You looked over your shoulder at Natalia, so curious yet so far from innocent herself.

“We go underground to survive. Or run the risk of being killed, or worse.” You’d heard the rumors. Missing mutants spawned stories. Stories of various governments and other organizations abducting your kind for experimentation. A shiver crawled down your spine.

“Sounds like a lonely way to live.”

You slammed the window shut with more force than necessary. “Takes one to know one.” You guessed people in her life were nothing more than fleeting moments either. “My turn,” you said. “What’s got you sneaking around in the middle of the night, attempting murder on the British prime minister?”

“That’s none of your business,” she said as if speaking to a child. She took another long drink, fingers twitching at her side as a nervous tic. “What’s got you sitting in his house playing body double?” Her voice had taken on a defensive edge.

“A friend,” you replied smoothly. “And money, of course. Turns out protecting politicians pays almost as well as stealing from them.”

“Well I’m not a sellout.”

You narrowed your gaze. “No, you just slit throats because you’re told to, then.” Natalia furrowed her brow. “Unless you’re telling me you got bored and picked up a new hobby.” She stayed quiet, your words seemingly falling on deaf ears. “What?” You asked. Her lips were slightly parted. She stalked closer, eyes flickering over your face. “Hey, hey,” you stuttered, tripping over your feet as you backpedaled.

You huffed as you slammed into the wall. She reached out, so close now you could feel her breath on your face. You froze, heart thundering in your chest. She cupped your cheek tenderly, thumb brushing your flaming skin.

“Your eye,” she whispered as if it were something holy.

You blinked, taken aback. “What?”

“It’s yellow. They weren’t different colors before.”

You broke out of her hold, forcing yourself not to run to the mirror on the wall. The frame was a golden oval, hung in between a family portrait and a pair of framed university degrees. Sure enough your right eye had slipped back. You blinked and it fixed itself, but the damage was done.

“I should go,” you muttered, staring at the floor and beelining for the door. Too much alcohol and too little sleep and this was what you wound up with.

Natalia snagged your wrist and held you from taking off. You knew if you pulled away she’d let you go. You untensed the muscles in your back and let her spin you around.

You tilted your head down and met her in a slow kiss. She had you hooked and you didn’t care. You couldn’t think straight, the taste of her lips clouded your head like a powerful drug.

You threaded your fingers through her hair and undid her braid while her hand wandered down to your belt. You pulled back, breathless. “I’m not looking for nothing here,” you insisted, even if only to try to convince yourself.

“Me neither,” she agreed. “One night.” She kissed your neck and a low grunt wound its way up from the back of your throat. “You’ll never have to see me again.”

You didn’t know why a pang wracked your chest still her words. That was the plan, after all. You knew you weren’t cut out for more than tonight. And with the way Natalia dragged her nails down your back, you guessed she wasn’t either.

“Bedroom,” you demanded, stepping out of your pants that now lay pooled around your ankles. You stumbled down the hall, blinded by her body as she lost her suit, and deafened by the way she panted your name between desperate kisses.

God, you were screwed.

—

You didn’t sleep, knowing you’d lose grip on your appearance if you did, but with each passing minute you found it harder and harder to stay awake. Natalia lay pressed into your side, so close that you could feel her heartbeat in your ribcage. Her body radiated heat, not the kind that made your face flush with infatuation, but the kind that felt like finally finding shelter after an eternity in the freezing rain. Her breaths wound in and out as if she were sleeping, but you knew she couldn’t. No. Someone who led her life had to be hardwired to never let their guard down.

Finally, after catching yourself almost dozing off for the tenth time you peeled back the covers and forced yourself to leave the confines of the mattress that seemed intent on sucking you back down. Goosebumps immediately rose along your skin, but you didn’t dare to glance back at bed and the woman feigning slumber. You stood and stretched, working the stiff muscles in your back and shoulders. Don’t look back. You followed the trail of hastily removed clothing down the dark hall and back to the study, candles still alight.

You buckled your jeans and grabbed your bag, lingering by the door. Don’t go back. Hastily you rummaged through the desk drawers, finding a pen and pad of paper. You scribbled down the address of a PO box that you checked quarterly along with a note that read, For another one night.

A/N

If you didn't catch it, R is a shapeshifter like Mystique from the X-Men. I wrote this piece with the intent of having it serve as the first chapter in a longer story. I wasn't certain of the amount of interest in a series though... I fear Tumblr may be drying up some.

Let me know if you'd like to see more and I can post up the second chapter, otherwise I'll leave it be as a one-shot.

As always, thanks for reading and just a reminder, my requests are open.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanov x reader

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hobgoblinns · 7 months

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you can put the word fuck once in every season of nuwho. Where is it going?

what a great question!

s1: i wanted to choose something funny, but i think nine screaming FUCKING KILL YOURSELF at that dalek would go hard af. but also…… nine and rose have the kind of relationship where i’m sure she’d jokingly say “oh fuck you” every time the doctor takes a cheap shot at humans

s2: i already posted tonight about wanting ten to be allowed to say “fuck you, mickey” (specifically in rise of the cybermen when mickey gets mad at him for favouring rose). but right now i kind of love the image of rose in doomsday throwing herself at that wall and screaming FUCK!!!!!!

s3: the tensimm fan in me wants to replace “are you asking me out on a date?” with “are you trying to fuck?”. but i think it would be more gratifying if, in the same episode, we got to see martha say “fuck you, i’ll do what i like” to the doctor when he tells her not to call home

s4: this is DONNA we’re talking about. you expect me to choose just one? well. alright. “i was asleep, in my clothes, like a fucking kid!”. imagine how much it would hurt if all this time she’s been censoring herself and then, with her memory wiped, she’s suddenly back to cussing the hell out of everyone she meets

2009/2010 specials (yes im cheating shhh): in the end of time: “i had fucking estates”.

s5: river: ooh, i’m going to be a professor someday? doctor: (softly) fuuuuuuuck….

s6: instead of that amazing “the doctor is very dear to me. but you know what else he is? not here” speech that amy gives, she should just say “fuck you madame kovarian” and murder her in cold blood. genuinely like, amy was exhibiting insane restraint for a mother who’d had her child taken from her.

s7: “i didn’t know when i was well off. all fucking twelve of them.” “no sir — all fucking thirteen!”

s8: again, this is TWELVE. almost every line feels like a pg malcolm tucker. but i’m going to go with dark water’s “can you hurry up please or i’m going to hit you with my fucking shoe”

s9: easiest one yet: “get up, off your fucking arse, and win”.

s10: missy and the master: “hold me” “fuck me” “make me” (this scene made me queasy but those two are horribly fucked up and would 100% say this)

s11: i have only seen this season in snippets but i think someone in ‘rosa’ has got to tell a racist to go fuck themselves

s12: during the master’s whole pathetic “wahhh kneel call me master” spiel i think the doctor should have just told him to fuck off. when i saw that scene i was yelling at the screen for him to fuck off so i think she should be allowed to tell him to as well. or maybe spray him with a water pistol like a bad cat

s13: for some reason the first thing that comes to mind is evil dan but tbh he doesn’t need to say fuck. he’s already powerful enough. instead in that opening scene when thirteen is trying to get the voice activated handcuffs to open: “RELEASE!!! oh, maybe i was scottish when i set them up…….. fucking RRRRRELEASE!!!!!!!!”

s13 specials (cheating again shh): tegan: and yes, i WOULD like to go in the fucking tardis!!! (alternatively: “i know these teeth… what… WHAT… WHAT THE FUCK????”)

#this was so much fun thank you anon #please send any and all doctor who asks my way #doctor who #hob.txt #ask #anon #ninth doctor #tenth doctor #eleventh doctor #twelfth doctor #thirteenth doctor

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justzawe · 3 months

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Zawe Ashton Covers AMAZING Magazine | Issue 4

Actor, author, playwright and new mum Zawe Ashton adds another string to her bow: supervillain. As she joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she tells AMAZING about her love of poetry, getting physical on the set of The Marvels and the unwavering support of her own parents.

Zawe Ashton is no stranger to playing the antagonist. From her very first film role as rude schoolgirl Bianca in 2009’s St Trinian's 2: The Legend Of Fritton's Gold, to playing the intimidatingly cool Violet “Vod” Nordstrom in four seasons of student sitcom Fresh Meat and – more recently - as the rejected Julia Thistlewaite in 2022 period drama, Mr. Malcolm’s List, Ashton has a knack for taking on characters who appear unlikeable on paper… and making audiences fall in love with them. However, for her latest role as Dar-Benn in The Marvels, she had to go full villain.

“Very little can prepare you to have to embody an antagonist at this level, in a Universe that is literally not known to anyone – like our Space - and to make it real and impactful,” says the London-born actor, a new recruit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “There's something deeply humbling about having to return to the sandbox; you have to go back to the playground and that was something I was not expecting. You have to indulge in adult play and it’s surprisingly vulnerable. I know that there are gamers out there, there are cosplayers out there, there are adults who have managed to keep that level of childlike play going and I respect it so much. There's a self-consciousness that can take over if you are not careful. Trying to react realistically to a laser coming towards you is not something I’d done since I was seven years old, and I had to get to that level of childlike confidence to just delve into the imagination. Once that was all clearer, the villainous elements came so much from the physical world, with costume and hair.”

For 39-year-old Ashton, adult play will likely become a more frequent fixture in her life, thanks to her most exciting new role – as a mother. She welcomed her first child in 2022 with fiancé Tom Hiddleston, her co-star in the 2019 revival of Harold Pinter's Betrayal on London’s West End, later transferred to Broadway. “What has genuinely surprised me about motherhood is how much I don't feel ready to talk about it,” she laughs. “And this isn’t to shut down the conversation. I have gained so much insight from public people who have this incredible candour and this disarming, relatable dialogue about it very early on, but it's something that I am just dedicating time to absorbing. I’m listening rather than expelling energy. That genuinely has surprised me, because it's something you want to shout from the rooftops about; it's the most unparalleled, most important role in my life. The surprise has been how quiet I want to be about it. Maybe that's also me as a writer and this is something that will come through the pen at some point.”

Ashton attended London’s Anna Scher Theatre School from the age of six and was a member of the National Youth Theatre, before getting her degree in acting at Manchester Metropolitan University, but writing has always been significant in her life. She won the London Poetry Slam Championship in 2000, becoming the event’s youngest winner, at 17. “I may have been knocked off that pillar long ago, but in my head I'm still the youngest,” she laughs. “I love poetry. I had not written for a really long time; during the pandemic I lost a huge chunk of my creative soul when it came to putting pen to paper, which was really scary and was clearly the fallout of being in survival mode and feeling quite fearful. People's attention spans just went all sorts of different ways, didn't they? It was very hard for me to read, and it was very hard for me to write, which is very strange for me.

“More recently, a friend of mine from drama school who I used to do open mic nights with in Manchester – I used to perform poetry and she used to sing - asked me to write a poem for her wedding. I had a few moments where it was really tough, but I did it. I love her and I'm so happy for her, and being inspired enough to get a poem out and read it aloud really opened the floodgates. So, weirdly enough, I've been writing a lot of poetry recently and found a new love for it. I will always continue to use poetry as a way to understand the world. It's just so much part of who I am.”

For Zawe's full interview and shoot, order your copy of AMAZING issue 4 now. The Marvels is out now.

#zawe ashton #amazing magazine #interview

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justtwotired · 4 months

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Whispers of the night - Lloyd Garmadon x F!reader

Part 1 - previous - next

Your POV:

When I made my way downstairs for breakfast the next morning, I heard the voices of multiple people coming from the living room.

I walked inside and my eyes widened at the sight in front of me.

“Ah, look at that, she’s awake,” my father walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “This is my eldest daughter Y/n, it’s her you will be protecting and looking after,” my dad said.

“Y/n, this is the geen ninja, he will be your body guard for multiple days in the week, things are becoming more serieus than we expected.” He explained and I nodded slightly in disbelief.

Malcolm and my mom where in the room aswel. I could see by the look in my mothers eyes that she had been crying.

“What about Ace?” I asked, looking at my dad. “Can he go to school again, now that Malcolm can be around to protect him?” I said and my father nodded.

“Yes, Ace is allowed to go to school again, I am afraid that he does have to be followed around, but I have my suspicions that Ace wouldn’t mind and actually find it rather cool,” he said and I chuckled slightly.

From what I could hear, Malcolm was going over my protection procedures with Greenie and I decided to sit next to my mom and take her hands in mine, hoping it brought some reassurance, she smiled at me and I gave her a warm smile back.

“What about work? Can I work again? We have to close on the Tuesday because I can’t be there,” I said and my father was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer.

“Fine,” he said and I was about to cheer when he turned around. “But only Tuesday,” he said and my face fell. “But on Thursday I work with Lu!” I complained and he gave me a stern look.

“That is my final answer, don’t go in discussion with me,” he said warningly and I grumbled but complied.

“I think it’s a good idea if we let you two get to know each other and make agreements about how you will proceed,” my mom looked at me and greenie.

My dad agreed with her and soon enough the two of us where alone in the room.

“How ironic,” he said and I gave him a look. “You think you’re so funny, don’t you?” I asked and he smirked at me trough the mask. “I know I am,” he winked.

“But honestly, we do need to talk about what the plan will be, Malcolm told me that he lets you be at school?” He asked and I nodded at him.

“Yes, he just chills in the teachers room and he drives me to school and back again.” I explained and the ninja nodded. “Alright, we’ll keep that up, I’ll leave you be at school and you push that scare button if something happens,” he said and I nodded in agreement.

“What about work?” He asked and I thought for a moment. “Well, I think it’ll be fine if you just stay in the back, I mean, I am there a lot aswel, the shop is rather small so it’ll be easy to find me, and yeah, I think it’ll work,” I shrugged and he nodded along.

“Alright, then that’s that, now I do have to say, whenever you are in public, let’s say with friends or maybe alone or whatever, I will be close to you at all times, the procedure has changed for that.” He explained and I thought for a moment.

“How does that work?” I asked a bit confused. “You see, if you are with friends, let’s say at the skatepark -you’re there a lot no?- then I will be just outside the gates of the skatepark and you will remain in my eyesight at all times,” he explained.

“Alright, I can work with that- but I have a question,” I said and met his eyes. “Shoot,” he said, I leaned forwards slightly as if the answer would come faster that way.

“How did my parents manage to contact you?” I asked. “Oh, yeah apparently your father knows our sensei, and if he didn’t, we actually have a phone number you can call in case of an emergency,” he explained as if he was expecting a complexer question.

“I see… does that mean my father knows your identity?” I asked and the green ninja was silent in thought for a moment. “I actually have no idea,” he admitted, making me chuckle.

“Wait but like- am I allowed to hang out with friends today?” I asked and he shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m your bodyguard, not your babysitter,” he said and I smiled at took my phone out of my back pocket.

“Great, I’m going to see if I can grab some breakfast with a friend- or well, yeah friend is fine,” I mumbled the last bit and his eyes narrowed slightly, but I didn’t think much of it.

I opened my phone and saw his number at the top of my contact list.

You

Hey blondie!

Wanna grab breakfast?

I looked at my screen, he always texted back within a minute, but for some reason, he didn’t do that now.

Not read either, so for all I knew he wasn’t ignoring me again.

“What’s wrong?” The green ninja got up and walked over. “You seem troubled.” He stated and I looked at my screen to see that Lloyd had been online around 3 AM last.

“Oh, my friend isn’t answering, he normally answers almost instantly,”’ I said a bit disappointed. “Give the boy some time, Princess, he’ll answer,” greenie waved his hand and I chuckled slightly and put my phone down.

“If he doesn’t answer I’ll probably call James, if he’s awake, that lazy bitch sleeps until twelve or so,” I said making the green ninja huff out a small laugh.

Suddenly my brother came running into the room, making both of us look up. There were stars in his eyes as he looked at the green ninja and he pointed at him, not able to form words.

Greenie pointed right back at him making Ace squeal in excitement. “N/n- n/n it’s the green ninja!” He said making me chuckle. “Yes, I can see that,” I said and he jumped up and down in excitement.

“Hey there, bud,” greenie said and a grin spread across Ace’s face. “Can I get your autograph?” He asked and the ninja chuckled slightly. “If you get me a pen and some paper, I will give you an autograph,” he promised and Ace bolted away.

“Sorry about that,” I apologised but the green ninja was obviously smiling through the mask. “Don’t worry about it, I love it when kids freak out at the sight of us, I appareantly have an autograph now, which I suddenly had to make up one time,” he admitted and I laughed.

Ace came running back in and shoved the pen and paper into greenies hands. He signed it, put Ace’s name under it and handed the notebook back.

“Holy shit-” he said making me scoff. “Language Ace!” But he just ignored me. “I have the autograph of the green ninja!” He jumped up and down once again.

“Why are you even protecting my sister? I am way more important than her!” He rolled his eyes making me give an offended noice. “You little gremlin!” I said and he laughed and stuck out his tongue at me.

“Well, at the moment, your sister needs it a little more,” greenie said and Ace grumbled before his attitude changed and he looked back at me.

“Is he your boyfriend?” He asked and my face became red. “Ace!” I said and greenie laughed. “Oh wait! You went on a date with that blonde boy, didn’t you? Didn’t you, Y/n?” He asked and I shook my head.

“Ace, please, go to your room, the green ninja and I have some important things to discuss,” I said and with some grumbled Ace left the room, probably off to raid the kitchen.

“Awe, why sent him away, I like him,” greenie said and I gave him a glare. “I would prefer it if he didn’t spill my entire non-existing diary too you in his excitement,” I said making him chuckle lightly.

It was silent for a moment, we didn’t have much to talk about, did we?

I just looked at my phone to see if Lloyd had replied, but he hadn’t read the message yet. Maybe he was at work?

“So, blonde boy, huh?” Greenie suddenly said and I looked up. “Uh, yeah,” I said before a smirk made its way to my face, “what, you jealous?” I asked and he huffed a small laugh.

“Maybe a bit,” he winked, making my heart rate quicken slightly, oh how I hoped he didn’t hear that.

“Mhm, gotta stop with the pet names now,” I said and he gave me a daring look. “As if,” he said cockily. “Your blonde boy can suck it up,” he said making me laugh.

“Do tell me, sweetheart, what’s his name?” He asked and I was about to reply before stoping myself.

“Well, this is awkward,” I said and he raised an eyebrow. “What?” He asked and chuckled a bit. “It’s uh, it’s Lloyd Garmadon,” I said and he let out a small laugh in disbelief.

“You’re going out with my arch enemies son?” He asked and I gave him a look. “Didn’t you turn Garmadon good again? Like multiple years ago?” I asked and he shrugged.

“Well, yeah, but still!” He said and I shook my head slightly. “You are such a drama queen,” I said making him laugh.

I shot another glance at my phone, still no reply. I let out a sigh of disappointment at this.

“Hey, is it alright if I go to the bathroom?” Greenie asked and I looked up. “Yes, of course,” I said. “It’s in the hall, the door on the left,” I said and he thanked me and stood up, leaving the room.

A minute later my phone buzzed and I immediately snatched it.

Blondie

Sounds good, only I’m really busy at the moment, sorry ):

You

Awe, now I have to go by myself ):

Blondie

Hey, don’t you make me feel bad

You

So lonely :<

Blondie

You’re going to make me cry

You

As if

Blondie

Currently crying :(

You

Sounds like it ain’t my problem I gotta grab breakfast alone now

Blondie

Damn, you’re mean

Maybe I might not show up for that date if you act like this

You

Wait nooooo

I’m sorry >:

Blondie

Forgiven

I’ll talk to you later, I have to go now

You

See you<3

I sent it and immediately regretted the heart. I pulled my legs up to my chest and banged my head against my knees slightly.

Alright, that was stupid, you just had your first date, no time for hearts yet.

It suddenly felt like your knees changed and looked up to see greenie had put his hand in the way.

“What are you doing?” He asked and I let myself fall back in the chair.

“I am scolding myself for being stupid,” I said and he gave me a look. “Did you steal skittles again?” He asked and I glared at him.

“Are you ever going to let that go?” I asked and he grinned. “Never,”

“Well, blondie can’t hang out with me, so I’ll be calling James in the hopes he’s awake,” I said and then dialed his number, putting the phone on speaker like I always did out of habit.

The phone rang for a few seconds before it was picked up.

“Hm, who’s this?” A tired voice sounded. “James, get your lazy ass out of bed, we’re going to get breakfast,” I said and he let out a dry chuckle.

“If you’re going to talk to me like that I ain’t coming,” he said and I rolled my eyes. “You just woke up because I called, didn’t you?” I asked and he mumbled something inaudible.

I looked at the green ninja, hoping he caught that with his great hearing and stuff. “He says you’re an annoying alarm clock,” he said making me let out an offended noice.

“Excuse you, Jamie, I am not annoying, I am just your very lonely best friend that needs attention.” I said and when he spoke again he sounded a lot more awake.

“Who’s with you?” He asked confused. “What? Why?” I asked, also a bit confused now.

“I don’t recognise his voice,” he sounded protective making me laugh. “No worries, it’s my new bodyguard,” I said.

“What, is Malcolm not enough anymore?” He asked and I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see. “Appareantly not,” I answered.

“Go get breakfast with your bodyguard, N/n, I’m to tired for this crap,” I heard him fall back on his bed and I sighed. “Well I don’t think it’s your normal everyday occurrence to just go and grab some breakfast with the green ninja,” I said and I heard him bold right up again.

“Excuse me?” He then asked for a video call making me laugh and accept. I saw his bed head, his hair was everywhere and there was actual drool visible on his chin.

“You look horrible,” I said and he mocked me in a childish voice. “Show me, I don’t believe you when you say the green ninja is your bodyguard,” he said and I chuckled, looking up at greenie who came to stand next to me and bend down to look at the screen.

“Hello there,” he said and James let out a screech. Greenie seemed surprised, I didn’t, this was actually quite normal.

“Holy shit! Why? Did your life get threatened this time?” James asked and I shrugged. “I don’t know, my dad just decided to invite this fucker into our home, not aware he once got mad at me because of a bag of skittles!” I bit at him and he gave me a look.

“You stole them!” He said and I rolled my eyes. “It was one bag!” I said and scoffed. “You are going to be a pain in the arse to look after aren’t you?” He asked and I grinned.

“I am happy you caught up.”

After calming down James, we hung up and I decided to just grab some food at home and take a walk in the park, meeting my friends later in the afternoon.

“Wait, but what if something happens and you need to leave?” I asked and he shrugged. “Probably won’t happen, except if something really big happened but I don’t expect that,” he said and I thought for a bit.

“But like- don’t you also have smaller missions?” Is asked and he nodded. “Yes, and I am currently on said mission and that is to protect you, I can’t get called on for another mission when I am already on one,” he said and I did the math in my head for a moment before understanding.

“Ohh, yes, alright I get it,” I grinned and he looked down at me with smiling eyes. It’s only then that I noticed how tall this guy actually was, making me actually stop in my tracks.

“Why are you so tall?” I asked and he chuckled. “You only just noticed I am taller then you?” He asked and I shook my head. “I noticed it that one time when you- you kind of pushed me against a wall, but I never thought about it any further.” I said and I saw his face become red.

“When did I push you against a wall?” He asked and I was at a loss for words for a moment when I realised how that sounded. “When like- when I stole the skittles, got caught me and you pushed me against a wall!” I said and poked a finger into his chest.

“You pushed me into a wall because of a bag if skittles!” I said in a confrontational voice making him chuckle slightly. “Sorry about that, Princess,” he said making me pull back my hand.

“What didn’t tell you about the nicknames?” I folded my arms and he tilted his head to the side. “That you have a boyfriend now and that I can’t call you that anymore?” He asked and I scoffed.

“Lloyd is not my boyfriend!” I said and he grinned at me. “Better not, you know, I am a way better choice than Lloyd Garmadon-” he started and I cut him off.

“Oh, shut it Greenie!” I said and he grinned down at me. “What, am I not?” He asked and I rolled my eyes.

“First off, don’t make me compare you and Lloyd, second off, big difference is that I’ve actually seen his face,” I said and he huffed.

“What does that have to do with anything?” He actually seemed quite offended. “Also, I bet I am way more handsome than him,” he said and I huffed an amused laugh.

“Yeah, sure,” I said and he bend down slightly, our faces a bit closer now. “Did you just insinuate you think Lloyd is handsome?” He asked and I rolled my eyes.

“He is! So what? Lloyd is actually, perfect boyfriend material,” I pointed out and greenie gave me an amused look.

“Oh? Tell me, why is he ‘perfect boyfriend material’ because I bet I can live up to it,” he said cockily and I scoffed.

“First off, he is actually really kind and funny, when he laughs he has a dimple on his right cheek, if he does something wrong -which only happened once- he apologises with chocolate and is actually genuinely sorry, he texts back immediately, except for today and that one time, he has beautiful eyes- and hair, of course, like it is so soft, also, he is just genuinely kind, like not fake kind you know?” I looked at the green ninja who was actually speechless for a moment as he looked at me.

“I also have green eyes,” he said and I groaned as he laughed at me. “I’m kidding, sweetheart, just know that if he does something wrong, you may always call me,” he said and I grinned a bit.

That night, as I laid in bed, I decided to on texting Lloyd.

Greenie was stationed outside my bedroom door, he had his nights of on Mondays, Wednesday and Thursdays, then Malcolm would take over. I had stated how that is unfair because he needed to sleep to, but he had promised that these where normally his patrol nights, so it was normal for him.

Altough I still didn’t agree, there was nothing I could do about it.

You

Blondieee

Are you up?

Blondie

I am

Why are you up??

You

Can’t sleep, kind of a crazy day

Blondie

What happened?

Got kidnapped??

I chuckled slightly at his joking around and texted back.

You

Not yet

Sadly

But I did get a new bodyguard.

Blondie

Ohh

Is he hotter than me?

You

I don’t know actually

But probably not ;)

Blondie

Are you flirting with me, L/n?

How do you not know??

You

Hey! You flirt with me all the time, let me aswel

But he’s actually a ninja, I can’t know his identity apparently

Blondie

Damn, as I said before, rich rich

Which one do you have?

Would be ironic if it was the green one

You

Well it was mostly because my dad knows their- whatever it is, boss??

And I do in fact have the green ninja…

Why is that ironic?

Blondie

Are you actually asking that question?

You

Ohhh, right, the evil dad thing

Blondie

Don’t call it the evil dad thing

You

What else do you want me to call it??

Blondie

Idk

You choose

You

Evil dad thing it is

Blondie

You’re insufferable

You

I know <:

Wanna hang out?

Blondie

Are you taking your bodyguard ninja with you? Maybe not a good idea??

Are you even allowed to leave the house at this time?

You

Obviously not to all the questions

Sneaking out is an art and I can do it perfectly

Blondie

What? No, don’t you sneak out

It’s dangerous!

Y/n??

You

Too late, I’m already opening my window.

I’ll see you in the park?

Blondie

No, you won’t see me in the park, I won’t be there and neither will you

N/n?

Ffs

I ran across the lawn with a grin and suddenly felt two arms wrap around my waist. I was about to attack my attacker but was met with a familiar voice.

“What do you think you are doing?” He put me down and I looked around. “Testing your reaction time?” I tried, he did not look amused… he looked angry even.

“Are you crazy? You can’t try to sneak out! If I didn’t realise you had snuck away, what could’ve happened? What if it had not been me that caught you?” He narrowed his eyes and I blinked at him.

“Well, you had a very useful catching method, I would probably have broken their neck, but had they done it differently, then yeah, probably death.” I shrugged and he sucked in a sharp breathe of annoyance.

“We are going back right now, what were you even planning to do?” He asked, holding my upper arm and excorting me back to the mansion.

When I was back in my room, I sat grumbling on my bed and opened my phone.

You

Plan failed

I can’t seem to meet you in the park

Blondie

Thank God

You idiot, what were you even thinking? Something could’ve happened!

You

Now you sound like greenie

Blondie

He caught you?

You

Sure did, that is one strong fucker

Blondie

Do not say it like that, that sounds weird

You

Lloyd you dirty minded ass😭

Blondie

Oh come one, had I sent it like that you would’ve thought the same!

You

Yeah probably.

Anyway, I will sleep now, I am pretty tired after that run

Blondie

Good thing you where caught then

Sleep well<3

I squealed at the heart and immediately sent a message back.

You

Night Lloyd<3

Lloyd POV

I sent the last text and heard her squeal on the other side of the door, making me smile lightly.

If she hadn’t directly told me she was running, I’d just have heard the window open, but I think it was good I had the heads up because she is one fast runner.

I will not let anything happen to her, even though she might actually let something happen to her, I am here to prevent that and protect her.

Her talking like that in the park only made me fall for her harder then I already had and I wondered how long it would take until she managed to find out about me and Lloyd being the same person.

#ninjago lloyd x reader #lloyd garmadon x reader #ninjago lloyd #lloyd garmadon #ninjago x reader #ninjago city #Ninjago #ninjago nya #ninjago kai #ninjago cole #ninjago zane #ninjago jay #lego ninjago

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yellobb · 3 months

Note

Tell me about ye olde "cold case outline"

Ooooo I was hoping someone asked about this one when I first posted the ask game!!!!

From this ask game

Cold Case Outline

This is another WIP that my sister and I did that we actually fully fleshed out, but I am still holding out a bit of hope that one day I’ll actually write the damn thing.

Simon is a mechanic and Baz is an Instagram model. They first meet when Baz brings his Jag in, and he’s immediately enamored with Simon in his oil-stained tank top, messy curls, and freckles. Simon immediately falls in love with Baz’s Jag and fawns over it, which does not help Baz’s predicament. He starts coming to the shop as often as possible with any excuse he can think of (oil change, tire rotation, “the building is just very aesthetic, Snow, so I need you to take my picture while I pose all sexy”). He even keys his own car at one point to have an excuse to visit him (it was a moment of desperation and he’s not proud of it, but he stands by his actions).

Simon lives with Penny and Shepard. Shepard is very into true crime and is hoping to start a podcast of his own about it. Shep visits Simon at work one day, but he gets very quiet and starts staring at Baz when he walks in to drop off the Jag, looking like he’s seen a ghost. Baz is visibly uncomfortable, so Simon kicks Shep out until Baz is good to go. He asks Shep what the hell that was all about afterwards, and Shep is like “that’s Baz Pitch”. “Yeah, and?” “Like, Natasha and Malcolm Grimm-Pitch’s son?! From the 2002 Olympics! Do you think he’d let me interview him for my podcast?”

It turns out, Baz isn’t just mildly famous for his Instagram presence. In 2002, when he was just five years old, his mother was an Olympic figure skater. The day of her event, she didn’t show up to warm-ups. She was found dead under suspicious circumstances over a week later. There are clips of some of her last moments where she acts erratically that went viral, and her case has fascinated the public ever since.

We didn’t get far on actually writing out this story, but what I did finish is a news report that explains the circumstances of Natasha’s death 👀 I’ve included it under the cut if anyone wants to read it! I’m actually pretty damn proud of how it turned out and have always wanted to share it, so I hope y’all enjoy :)

Natasha Grimm-Pitch Death Still Stumps People 20 Years Later

Natasha Grimm-Pitch, world-renowned ice dance figure skater from Great Britain and 3x Olympic medalist, went missing on February 9th, 2002. That morning, her husband and partner, Malcolm Grimm, woke up to find she had not returned in the night. Assuming she had stayed the night with her sister, Fiona Pitch, who had traveled with the pair in order to watch their 5-year-old son, Tyrannus Grimm-Pitch, while they competed, Grimm got ready for the day’s competition, but began to grow worried when Pitch met him at the Salt Lake Ice Center without her sister. She had met Grimm to take Tyrannus, known as “Baz” by those close to the family, but was shocked to find out that Grimm-Pitch had not returned to the couple’s room in the Olympic Village.

“Nat had come over the night before, yeah,” Pitch said, when interviewed about the disappearance the day after the event. “She came over to my hotel room to get some stress relief. I mean, this was her moment. She’d been out of the public eye for a while, after having Baz, and felt like she needed to medal in order to prove herself. I couldn’t tell you who she was proving herself to, though. She never cared what other people thought of her; not even me.”

Grimm was hesitant to alert the police, hoping that his wife had stayed with a teammate, but couldn’t hesitate any longer once warm-up was scheduled to start and she had yet to make an appearance.

“Nat would never have missed a warm-up, especially not now. She’s always on time. Something happened to her,” Grimm told the press the day of the disappearance. Grimm-Pitch’s disappearance caused a stir in the Olympic Village, especially amongst her teammates.

“I knew Natasha. That woman was a force to be reckoned with. When I heard that Malcolm had forfeited their position, I knew something was wrong. Everyone was uneasy as soon as we heard. I think we all knew, deep down, what must have happened. None of us even saw Natasha take a sick day. There was no way in hell she was going to let something stop her from competing again,” said teammate, Mitali Bunce, a year after her disappearance.

A mass investigation was launched into the disappearance, with state and local police leading the search. Grimm searched the streets with his sister-in-law in the hopes of finding her, often leaving their child in the care of the other British athletes. Though the ice dance competition continued, this would not be the case for long.

Natasha Grimm-Pitch’s body was found, washed-up in nearby Farmington Bay, on February 20th, just over a week after her disappearance. The Olympic Village, and the world, watched on in shock as her death was officially announced by the Salt Lake City Police Department at 11:08 AM. The Olympic Committee officially suspended what remained of the ice dance competition that evening, putting out a statement about the tragedy:

“In light of the recent tragedy involving ice dancer, Natasha Grimm-Pitch, the Olympic Committee has unanimously decided to suspend the ice dance competition for the remainder of the Olympic season. We ask the figure skating community to come together at this time to honor her legacy and mourn her loss. The Committee will reconvene in the next month to determine when the events will be completed.”

Her body was flown back to the family’s home in Hampshire, UK, but the FBI stayed in contact with British authorities for the resulting investigation. In the coming months, the mystery only grew. According to her autopsy, Grimm-Pitch had been dead for around 230 hours, placing her death sometime on the evening of February 10th, the day after she went missing. To make the case more shocking, she had only been submerged in the water for five days upon being found, meaning there was a six day gap between her death and her body being, supposedly, dumped in the bay. Despite this, she appeared to have died of natural causes, with nothing to indicate that she had resisted an attacker. There were already rumors in the news surrounding foul play, but things really exploded once security camera footage was made publicly available in April 2002.

In a now infamous clip, Grimm-Pitch is shown entering the Olympic Village at 3:00 AM, missing her shoes and the bag her sister claimed she left her hotel room with. Grimm-Pitch appears to be disoriented, running to hide behind walls and looking around wildly, despite no one being in the vicinity. The footage lasts six minutes, with Grimm-Pitch circling the building she was staying in, even briefly entering the entranceway before stumbling back out.

Her erratic behaviour combined with the confounding circumstances around her actual death threw the media into a frenzy. Every major news outlet reported for over a month with updates in the case, but no suspects were ever identified. It seemed that there were no leads whatsoever. The figure skating community and the true crime community alike waited with bated breaths to find if her death was ruled a suicide, homicide, or accident.

Unfortunately, the answer never came. In 2013, the case was unofficially closed after over a decade with no new information. The case has gone down as one of the most shocking and mysterious disappearances in British and American history alike. The Grimms and Pitches are still desperate for answers, though.

A year after the death of his wife, Malcolm Grimm officially announced his campaign for Prime Minister in the United Kingdom. Despite critics saying he was using Grimm-Pitch’s death to further his political aspirations, which had begun in 1997 with the birth of his son, he won the seat. With his victory, the most popular conspiracy theory surrounding Grimm-Pitch’s death was born.

Many people believe that Grimm knew their performance would fail, leading to them fading from the public eye. To prevent this, Grimm chose to murder his wife and use the sympathy he garnered following her death to get elected. He, allegedly, drugged her, waited for her to die, and hid her body in their room until, six days later, the police grew suspicious of him, so he dumped her body in the bay as a cover-up. Proponents of this theory claim that the mortician performing the autopsy was paid off to lie about finding drugs in her system.

Another popular theory surrounds Fiona Pitch. Pitch has a record of substance abuse, so theories have circulated about her, accidentally or otherwise, giving Grimm-Pitch more than she could handle (despite multiple sources stating that she never used drugs). The theory states that Grimm-Pitch managed to leave her sister’s hotel room before she started experiencing delusions and paranoia. Her sister, who had aided in the search for her, then found her body six days later, dead from overdose, and dumped her in the bay to avoid indicating herself in manslaughter. Many point to a 1995 case involving Pitch where her boyfriend, Nicodemus Petty, overdosed in their London apartment. Pitch herself barely survived the ordeal, but was saved when Petty’s sister, Ebeneza Petty, happened to visit that morning and was able to call paramedics. Pitch was convicted of illegal substance abuse and spent five years in rehabilitation facilities. She claims that she has been clean ever since.

Others believe that it was simply a case of mania, despite Grimm-Pitch’s nearly spotless mental health record. She had been prescribed Wellbutrin following the birth of her son, but stopped using it after only a year. To this day, the case remains unsolved.

Despite the rumors surrounding the family, they have seen unbelievable success. Grimm still enjoys a successful political career, but the star of the show is Tyrannus “Baz” Grimm-Pitch. He has grown a large following online, amassing thirty million followers on his Instagram since its creation in 2018. Grimm-Pitch enjoys a life as an Instagram model with an estimated net worth of nearly $10 million. Despite being in the limelight since his mother’s death, he has yet to publicly comment on the infamous case. His aunt acts as his manager, but abstains from all public appearances.

#m writes #m answers #tag game #wip #the simon snow series #simon snow #baz pitch #snowbaz

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monbons · 24 days

Text

Seven Sentence Sunday

Y'all! Y'ALL!

The Eternal Life of Baz Pitch is out in the world! So exited. If you want more in depth behind-the-scenes, take a look at my procrastination post.

This past week was spring break and I spent ALL of it writing like it was my job. Ask me how many Romeo and Juliet essays I graded for my actual job... (Please don't. The answer is zero.) But, I finished 25k words in a week and I'm really fucking proud of me.

In any case, once I finish the last few revisions to the last few chapters, I am going to block Google Docs from my life and finally get back to reading all the amazing fics that have come out since I started this project 6 weeks ago.

Given that I've started posting, I can now preview sentences from later chapters. Moving forward, all previews will be under the cut to avoid spoilers for those who have not read/are not caught up on current chapters.

Here's a bit of past Baz from Chapter 3

Baz is so in love that he does not notice the world pass him by. Every morning, Baz wakes up to the ghost of Niall’s touch, so he does not see his mother’s shaking hands as she drinks her tea. At night, he falls asleep to the memory of Niall’s groans heavy in his ear, and he does not hear Natasha’s hacking coughs. Baz helps his father around the stables, daydreaming of Niall’s smiles and completely missing the furrow in Malcolm’s brow. Then, a day arrives when Baz can no longer ignore any of it. Natasha collapses at dinner, silverware and plates flying as she makes a weak grab for the table. Glass shatters around her, the shards sharp and menacing.

Thanks for the tags @roomwithanopenfire, @thewholelemon, @emeryhall, and @cutestkilla. Your snippets all looked great and now I can FINALLY read your fics... or wait with baited breath for yours @thewholelemon.

Tag, you're it.

@thewholelemon, @roomwithanopenfire, @noblecorgi, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @cutestkilla, @bookish-bogwitch, @emeryhall, @valeffelees, @beastmonstertitan, @raenestee, @arthurkko, @iamamythologicalcreature, @hushed-chorus, @rimeswithpurple, @aristocratic-otter, @cattocavo, @larkral, @drowninginships, @artsyunderstudy, @whatevertheweather, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @comesitintheclover, @shrekgogurt

#there are no hot takes left for R+J #grades are overrated #is it summer yet?#the eternal life of baz pitch #addie larue x snowbaz #baz pitch #simon snow #six sentence sunday

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nitrateglow · 4 months

Text

Favorite films discovered in 2023

2023 kind of sucked, but it was a fruitful year for me as a movie geek. I finally got around to seeing films that have been on my TBW pile for years now. I also gave myself a challenge that I actually completed: watch at least one film from every year between 1900 and 2023.

Anyway, I'll stop beating around the bush. Here are my top 20 favorite film discoveries in 2023. (The order is very, very loose from 5 on down. I genuinely had a hard time narrowing the list down to 20, let alone ranking everything.)

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (dir. Mikio Naruse, 1960)

This well-regarded drama follows Keiko, a bar hostess who's just turned 30 years old. She has limited options as an unmarried woman in postwar Japan. Considered "old," she has to marry soon or scrape enough money to buy her own bar. With its jazzy score and first-person narration, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs has a noirish vibe but it certainly isn't noir at all. Though the film is tragic, what moved me so much was Keiko's character. She has a tough lot and her story is ultimately tragic, yet she is determined to keep going, even if life won't give her a break.

The Boy and the Heron (dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2023)

Miyazaki's current "last film" is certainly his most abstract and puzzling. I imagine it'll be one of his more divisive titles in the years to come, but count me among its fans. While being "in the know" regarding the current state of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki's 60+ year-long career in animation allows one to better appreciate the many allusions and themes within the film, it stands just fine on its own as a surrealistic adventure about grief and the power of art. Also, damn, I LOVE hand-drawn animation so much.

Black Cat (dir. Kaneto Shindo, 1968)

Kaneto Shindo's Black Cat is yet another confirmation of my feeling that horror pairs best with humor or heartbreak. While there are some morbidly funny moments, Black Cat is largely a devastating supernatural horror story about a young samurai who encounters two mysterious women in the woods, not realizing they are the ghosts of his murdered wife and mother. Even worse, they've sworn to kill any and all samurai they encounter, since their deaths were the result of raping, pillaging samurai-- but they remain human enough to desire an exception. I was creeped out thoroughly by the chilly atmosphere and imagery of this film. I liked it even better than Shindo's Onibaba and that was one of my favorites from 2022!

Malcolm X (dir. Spike Lee, 1992)

I usually dislike big movie biopics for being stuffy and formulaic. Malcolm X avoids both of these issues. Directed to the hilt by Spike Lee, this film is passionate and compelling, about as far from a stuffy Oscarbait biopic as you could imagine. Also, Denzel Washington is AMAZING in the titular role. Like, we're talking one of the best performances I have ever seen because not only is Washington convincing as Malcolm X, he also perfectly portrays his arc from zoot-suited young criminal to uncompromising activist leader. I was absolutely mesmerized the entire time-- it's a long movie that never feels its length and I'll definitely be revisiting it in the future.

The Kiss Before the Mirror (dir. James Whale, 1933)

James Whale’s horror movies are listed among the finest 1930s cinema had to offer, but his other works remain woefully overlooked. The Kiss Before the Mirror is a strange marital drama set in a dreamlike interwar Vienna. A lawyer defending a murderer who shot down his cheating wife comes to discover his own wife in the midst of a casual affair. Will this discovery lead to another killing? Despite the lurid plot elements, Kiss is closer to Kubrick’s introspective Eyes Wide Shut than a typical 1930s melodrama. Both husband and wife are complex characters struggling with destroyed illusions, making the story a hell of a lot more complex than you'd expect.

Five Miles to Midnight (dir. Anatole Litvak, 1962)

I am so glad I ignored the meh reviews on this one because I would have missed out on one of the best thrillers I've seen in years. Sophia Loren is a woman desperate to shake off her narcissistic, abusive husband played by Tony Perkins. When Perkins is wrongly believed dead in a plane crash, he hides out in Loren's apartment so they can collect the life insurance money, split the funds, then part amicably. This being a Hitchcock-style thriller, it doesn't work out that way. What sells the film is the psychological cat-and-mouse game between Loren and Perkins's miserable, mismatched married couple, and a noirish sense of doom lends a great deal of atmosphere.

Shoes (dir. Lois Weber, 1916)

Shoes is the best Lois Weber film I have yet seen and it still packs a wallop a century-plus since its initial release. Mary MacLaren plays a young woman single-handedly supporting her family on a five dollar a week salary. She wears shoes that are falling apart but can never seem to save enough for a new pair-- that is, until an unsavory way of getting the cash presents itself, much to her horror and temptation. This is a heartbreaking little film that showcases a lot of what I love about 1910s American cinema. There's less glamor in the settings and nothing at all genteel or cleaned up about the poverty on display. MacLaren is wonderful in the lead too, her performance a quietly compelling portrait of quiet desperation.

Jeopardy (dir. John Sturges, 1953)

Barbara Stanwyck was in such a wealth of films that I can forgive myself for not realizing this one even existed. After seeing it, it's easily in my top five favorite films of hers. On the surface, the plot sounds like fodder for sleazy sex fantasy: a housewife on vacation is kidnapped by a hot escaped convict. She's racing against time to save her husband from drowning after the tide comes in at the beach where he's trapped; the convict has a very specific price for any aid he's willing to offer. Stanwyck's characterization complicates the situation and the direction amps the tension to a breaking point. Great, great stuff!

Girlfriends (dir. Claudia Weill, 1978)

This film came across my path in a weirdly personal way. One of my sisters got engaged this year. We've been close all of our lives and shared an apartment for years, so this is going to be a big change for both of us. Girlfriends is about a young woman whose best friend is getting married, meaning she'll be on her own for the first time. In addition to making this adjustment, she's a photographer currently hired for weddings and bar mitzvahs, but dreaming of entering the larger world of art galleries. I guess you could say it's a 70s version of a quarter-life crisis film (Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha takes A LOT from it). The performances and direction are exceptional, having that unglamorous, lived-in vibe I love about the films of this period. It also just happened to come into my life at the most resonant time, so there's that.

Ivan the Terrible, Parts One and Two (dir. Sergei Eisenstein, 1945 and 1958)

As a person who hates the idea that realism is the only valid form for cinematic drama, Eisenstein's hyper-stylized Ivan the Terrible movies are a joy. The compositions are like something out of a painting, the acting is operatic, the writing mythic and sweeping. The dance number in Part II is one of my favorite scenes in any movie ever. Best of all, the films rise above their propagandist origins, becoming a fascinating study of institutional power set against individual charisma.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (dir. Emilio Miraglia, 1972)

I've been getting more into giallo lately and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is among the more memorable titles. You have the fashion world setting, a disguised murderer running around in a red cloak, over the top kills, a villainous junkie who looks like Bucky Barnes, a spooky castle with death traps, the works. It's a movie where I don't really care too much about the plot. It's the off-kilter, sinister atmosphere that draws me in, as with most giallo movies.

Little Miss Sunshine (dir. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, 2006)

It took Alan Arkin dying for me to finally get around to seeing this much beloved 2000s gem. I expected to only be interested in Arkin as the drug-addled, foul-mouthed grandpa, but the entire movie is so warm-hearted and hilarious that I fell in love with it whole hog. The characters are all quirky without being Quriky (tm), if you know what I mean. And I love the final message about just living your life and not worrying about whether or not you're "successful" in the eyes of society. An old theme to be sure, but done so, so well here. (Also, the mercilessly satirical jab at child beauty pageants is pure gold.)

Pom Poko (dir. Isao Takahata, 1994)

I feel like a lot of western anime fans only see Pom Poko as "lol that movie where the tanuki have comically oversized testicles." And yeah, that is indeed something in this movie but there's so much more. It's one of the boldest films I've ever seen, an "animated documentary" (to use Takahata's words) about a village of tanuki waging war against humankind's encroachment upon the natural world. It's such a genre grab-bag, critic Daniel Thomas' description fits it best: "The story weaves through slapstick comedy, social commentary, satire, surrealism, and tragedy. It changes moods much the way the tanuki change form, bending and molding into a new shape, and relentlessly moving forward." I still think Only Yesterday is Takahata's best film, but Pom Poko is strong competition and yet another film I can see myself rewatching many times to come.

Bullet Train (dir. David Leitch, 2022)

I still kick myself for not seeing this in the theater when it came out. Bullet Train is a wonderful lark of an action film. On first watch, I recall thinking it was like a live-action anime shot in a very Tarantino-esque style. I've seen it a few times now and I enjoy the hell out of it every time. And if you don't like it, well, you just might be a Diesel.

That Cold Day in the Park (dir. Robert Altman, 1969)

Another film with a so-so reputation that I really enjoyed. Sandy Dennis (who's gradually becoming one of my favorites with every performance I see from her) plays a virginal rich woman who takes in a handsome young guy one cold day. Her initial kindness quickly curdles into erotic obsession and her house guest has his own secrets. It's an early Robert Altman film and not his most polished work, but that makes it all the more fascinating to me. It's a creepy psychological thriller with a haunting ending, as well as an interesting time capsule of the late 1960s.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (dir. Russ Meyer, 1965)

Where has this movie been all my life?? It's a bizarre campfest about three criminally minded go-go dancers who romp across the California desert, strewing all kinds of havoc in their wake. It's such a strange movie that I don't know how to describe it properly: it's got a New Wave sensibility to it all the while indulging in exploitation B-movie nonsense. Definitely a fun film to watch with a group.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (dir. Chantal Akermann, 1975)

I finally bit the bullet to watch this one after it topped the 2022 Sight & Sound list. Do I think it's the greatest film of all time? No, but I don't like singling out any work of art for such a designation. Putting aside all the drama that ensued when this was granted GOAT status, Jeanne Dielman is a striking film. It's definitely not something you just throw on casually-- you need to set aside the time to watch it and be in the right headspace. My initial mild interest morphed into a sense of anxious dread as the film ground along its three hour runtime, its protagonist struggling to retain her total sense of self-possession and control as she's thrown off her groove by unexpected events.

The Wicked Lady (dir. Leslie Arliss, 1945)

This is not high art by any means. It's melodrama with a capital M, laying the cheese on thick. Margaret Lockwood plays a devious, scheming femme fatale in 18th century England who's a gold-digging noblewoman by day and a highwaywoman cavorting with bad boy James Mason by night. This is easily the most entertaining of the Gainsborough melodramas I've yet seen, dripping with soap opera antics, sumptuous costumes, and camp-a-plenty.

War and Peace (dir. Sergei Bondarchuk, 1966-1967)

There is no substitute for reading Tolstoy's massive novel, but this 1966 Soviet version is definitely a fine work in its own right. Filmed in three parts, it's about nine hours long and it does a good job capturing the interior lives of the characters in the source material. Everything about it is just breathtaking: the costumes, the sets, the massive numbers of extras during those battle scenes. It's the kind of intellectually and emotionally stirring epic that makes all those hours fly by.

The Sweet Smell of Success (dir. Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)

I often chafe when people act as though all 1950s American cinema were Leave it to Beaver wholesomeness and buttoned up repression. Some of the nastiest Hollywood movies I've ever seen came out of the 1950s and The Sweet Smell of Success is prime among them. Among the best of the late classic noir period, it follows Burt Lancaster as a popular but monstrous newspaper columnist who uses his power to control the lives of everyone around him, particularly his sister, to whom he has a borderline perverse attachment. The dialogue is as sharp ("You're dead, son. Get yourself buried." "I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic.") and the cynicism as thick as the best of Billy Wilder. If you love noir, you can't miss out on this one.

What were your favorite film discoveries of 2023?

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vigilskeep · 10 months

Note

thoughts on handersbela? just in general, since you’re so good at thinking about dragon age

this is VERY good timing... i have been thinking lately of Them

i read a little snippet of andersbela fic the other day that wormed its way into my brain... theyre so interesting. putting them in a terrarium to study. with isabela’s avoidance of causes and anders constantly dwelling on his, they’re natural foils who can be lighthearted with each other and also have genuine discussion that brings out a unique philosophical side in isabela plus anders’ humour and slips of i think mixed frustration and admiration at the life she leads. their approach to relationships would create so many sparks (and not just in the bedroom. okay ive made my obligatory joke about them canonically having sex) with anders’ desperation for attachment while he can get it and isabela’s desperate avoidance of the same, and isabela’s need to take care of herself first and foremost and anders being self-sacrificing to the point of self-destruction. with my preference for red hawke i like hawke as a fierce solid support for anders and isabela as someone to lighten and distract; hawke to defend and stand by isabela as no-one has and anders to be gentler and affectionate with her as no-one has but also to challenge her to be everything she’s capable of. but with other hawkes there’s so much you can do too. the POSSIBILITIES

the idea of hawke holding onto them and them both convincing themselves they can risk having this one thing just for a little while... um some assorted thoughts. i think the classic arishok duel aftermath with anders desperately trying to save hawke’s life afterwards and isabela with her heart in her throat knowing it’s her fault is peak drama of all time. i think anders moves in and isabela always leaves in the morning and one time she can’t move because the stupid great big dog got in and laid down on top of her and she likes waking up with them so much and the whole day is full of light and she doesn’t come back for weeks after. i think isabela insists on anders’ terrible lute playing. i think anders doesn’t wear a hawke favour bc he has malcolm’s honour but one day he finds a hole in his coat skilfully patched with a square of blue and gold that doesn’t match at all. i think isabela never fights with as much brash cackling confidence as when she knows anders will heal her before she even stops to realise she’s taken a hit (obligatory “my hands look like this (glowing spirit healer magic) so my girl can look like this (sexy armour)” joke) and anders never feels as safe as when he knows he can count on her to appear out of nowhere to watch his back. i think she’d fascinate justice. i think anders is so bitchy abt her act break disappearing act and isabela snaps right back and that they always make it up to each other repeatedly. i think anders doesn’t understand why isabela keeps leaving and she doesn’t understand how he can bear not to keep moving

they both love hawke so much and they’re both so terrified of what it’s going to do to hawke, is the thing. i was vividly imagining them the other day (i really do mean it when i said this ask was good timing) and there was this rough wistful act 3 dialogue in my head that went like... isabela out of nowhere tells anders he should marry hawke and get out of kirkwall and have a dozen glowing children who talk too much. and he’s vaguely amused and disbelieving as they chatter through the hypothetical (“who’s going to marry us, then? the chantry?” “ship’s captain! right here! you get any old revered mother instead of me and i’ll scratch her eyes out”) but eventually he shakes his head, and says quiet, tired, “if only i could run away anymore.” and then he raises an eyebrow, and says, you should marry hawke. yeah? yeah, marry hawke, get out of kirkwall. have a dozen pirate children with no manners. win each of them a dozen ships to sail. and they laugh through the hypothetical and she says, “it’s almost a shame i’m not the marrying type.” and they both kind of sit there with the knowledge that hawke has lost so much and they’re inevitably going to leave them alone

and then because i’m a sap the last straw is isabela’s chance to step up and fight for what’s right and what’s hers without running away, and anders isn’t cast aside like he always expected but fought for no matter the odds, and hawke gets out of kirkwall and onto the open sea, sailing off with their loves to free the rest of the mages and to learn how to laugh again. and then corypheus rises and hawke is the one to leave them behind after all

also the champion of kirkwall and their bf and gf who can’t stop getting kirkwall burned down is, like, so funny. can’t you three do this at home.

those are my thoughts sorry it got long and silly and embarrassing its late and i love them both so much

#i wrote the sorry its long and then just kept going back and writing. Sorry. its been a day #i thought abt anders and bela having to coparent the hawkeling without hawke #and caught some diseases from that i think #handersbela #theres like less than 20 fics on ao3 or something stupid. none of you care abt me

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theealluringstoryteller · 6 months

Text

Against the world around us

The rewrite

Chapter 1

They say being happy over someone’s death says a lot about how you were treated by that person or it gives away what type of person you are. As Omorose sat at the head of her family’s table watching as the servant of her family’s estate sat around in the grand custom made chairs that lined the polished white marble table positioned in the middle of the spacious dining room. All talking with light expressions, no care in the world, no stress, no judgmental overbearing eyes peering harshly down at them with harsh comments and demands following close behind. Omorose thought herself to be cruel sitting there at the head of the table-her father’s seat without any one of sadness, remorse, or any feeling of lost. It’s been a week since the imperial navy knocked on the Fentress estate to give their condolences over lost parents that never loved her. The news of her parents being lost at sea never to be found shook her to her core but that feeling soon left like a sudden chill going down your spine and was replaced with the overwhelming weight of her parents standards and expectations lifting off her shoulders. The now official Baroness felt lighter. So much so that everyone has been commenting on how brighter she looked.

So as she Sat at the head of the table eating her second plate of what the chef prepared- a simple act that would’ve had her mother scowl and unapologetically torment for- the Baroness found herself in pure joy and contentment because instead of sharing the massive table with two cold hearted people she shared it with people who made her feel warm and safe to be who she really is.

“I don’t know how you’re going to survive the memorial tomorrow, Rosie.” Omorose’s old nanny commented after the head butler joked about how many suitors visited in such a short time span to give the same regurgitated ‘sorry for your lost’ speech hoping to be invited in to stay and comfort the ‘grieving’ gorgeous noble woman. No doubt those suitors would show their faces hoping to win over the Baroness.

“Suffer and wish for the day to end,” Omorose joked digging her fork and knife into the spot buttery scallop potatoes that side dishes alongside garlic roasted Brussel sprouts to the main dish: blacked salmon.

“There was a time when flirting with someone while they were in mourning was heavily frowned upon.”

“Back when morals were in standard practice” comes the house keeper to the stable hand.

“The younger generation!” Scoffed the head butler Malcolm who rolled his eyes as he brought his glass of wine to his lips.

“Don’t know what from what but always thinking they’re running the show”

“Don’t know what from what not always thinking they’re running the show”

The table chuckled at the duo as the Baroness smirked amused after she mocked the man who was somewhat a father figure when she needed it most.

“I don’t think we’re all that helpless,” added Omorose pushing her not finished plate away so she could rest her chin on her palm.

“Thanks to Nina,” Malcom pointed to the elderly lady who took care of Omorose soon after Amara gave birth “You were raised with morals and sense! Can’t say the same for the rest of your generation,”

“Hey! Exclaimed the Rhodes triplets. Mouths full of food causing the table to groan in disgust.

“Proving my point exactly - and under 5 seconds too."

“The older generation I tell ya!”

“Always so damn judgmental…” The second born continued.

“And their heads are always up their—”

“No respect, no dessert!” Nina scowled pointing her fork at the three boys who are thick as thieves among themselves. Her simple threat settled the trio quickly.

“Let me guess Ceci made their famously delectable cheesecake?

“The only way I knew how to calm everyone before tomorrow’s…festivities,”

Nina quickly follows the Baroness into her room asking “How are you really feeling, little rose?”

Omorose rolled her honey brown eyes at her fussing nanny

“My parents are gone and I’m officially the youngest Baroness in the imperial court. Expected to continue the support given by my parents to a war I never supported. On top of that I’m prey—more so now than ever to a bunch of ‘hungry’ men and women who only want to climb the empire’s social ladder while gaining a pretty little trophy wife they can have on their arm,” she listed of everything that plagued her while she kicked off her shoes and threw herself on the soft cushions of the sofa in her junior master bedroom.

“And because I’m an imperial woman I have to marry one of those oafs who doesn’t care about my brilliant mind and everything I stand for,” the gleaming light in her honey eyes faded as she meant on.

“No! They concern themselves with how to persuade me into their beds because they only care about how attractive I am in their eyes—it’s humiliating! Like I’m nothing more than my body,”

Sensing the sudden mood change Nina made her way over to the sofa moving Omorose so her head could lay in her lap. “You’re more than just beauty …You know that right?” Nina questioned tangling her thick callous fingers into Omorose’s thick soft curls.

“Well of course! But I don’t want to be with someone who is only satisfied because of my beauty but I must. It’s what we nobles do! Get married to people who doesn’t give a damn about us, become an alcoholic, have a child and then years down the line get lost at sea…”

“You’re not going to end up like your parents,” Nina assured

“Being in a loveless substance abusing marriage is the imperial way.”

Dinner plates classed as they were removed from the table. In the low light Rhett grabbed a hold of Aurelia’s hand stroking the back of it gently with his thumb. Seeing the soft gesture the ‘play boy’ of Intacia ‘awed’ before downing the rest of his drink. Rhett looked away from his wife towards his best friend,a soft smile on his face “what?”

Castin shrugged his shoulders pouring himself another drink “Nothin’… just wish I had what you two have …seems warm and I don’t know …fulfilling,”

“You?” Rhett began with a chuckle “You want to settle down? With a wife? Committing to only one person for the rest of your life? You?”

“Don’t think I can?”

“Honestly brother, you’ve built quite the reputation. I don’t think any Intacian woman would entertain you with the thought of marriage,”

Castin rolled his eyes at the mention of his infamous reputation “so I’ve had a load of experience and practice! At least she won’t ever be left unsatisfied ,”

“I think the fact that you’re the commander of the first army at your age trumps your…reputation. If anything you can marry one of those…what are they called?” Aurelia tapped her chin pretending to think. “Trash chasers!” She calls out with an amused smirk.

“Tag chasers? Nah they aren’t the marrying type,”

“And you are?” Aurelia retorted scoffing.

“Yes and I probably would’ve been if I wasn’t dealing with your fellow imperials—”

“We aren’t all bad—”

Yeah right! They only got lucky with you,”

“Castin!” Rhett cuts in with a warning tone.

“No Rhett,” Aurelia said quickly

“He has every right to feel that way. This war has made a huge impact on your’s and his life.”

“Glad one imperial can admit that—”

“I have a friend!" Aurelia cuts Castin off “she’s now officially an imperial Baroness who has spent countless hours and money in dedication of being a humanitarian for both her people and yours despite her parents—her late parents supporting the empire’s war with Intacia and despite all the negativity she faces from other imperials—”

“So she’s a decent human,” Castin shrugged not impressed.

“She’s given money and aid to Intacian villages—”

“The least she could do!”

Rhett grumbled under his breath knowing he couldn’t argue with Castin because he knew it was true. After the horrific things the Empire has done to Intacia money and aid was just touching the surface of what anyone of the empire could do.

-later that night-

“I’m sorry for Castin’s behavior tonight, my love,” Rhett apologized taking off his shirt.

“With this was I believe joking is a way he copes with the stress,”

Aurelia nodded silently accepting her husband’s apology.

“I want to invite Omorose here,” Aurelia stated talking a seat at her vanity.

“Imperials tend to be inactive during events like deaths. I just know she needs a breather,”

Rhett thought it over for a minute whether it was a god idea or not for a noble of her status to visit.

“Is it wise to have her here?”

“It can be for diplomatic purposes …please? We haven’t seen another in such a long time,”

The king couldn’t simply say no to such a simple request his wife made to see an old friend

“Wait until after this upcoming battle is over. I have a feeling this war is going to end soon.”

-The memorial-

The beach was decorated lavishly for the service of Baron and lady Fentress. The late couple’s daughter dressed pristinely as she was expected to do. A blank expression on her face as she sat front row zoning out at the speeches ‘closes’ friends of her family gave. Nina sat left off her as Lord Reyes sat right, the rest of her friends along with the families that knew her since forever sat in the other rows behind her. Omorose could only hope that once the funeral was over she could escape from the fake condolences and prying questions, back to her safe haven. Their gaze felt like spiders crawling all over her and she was forced to sit as they explored.

“Only an hour left bookworm,” Reyes mumbled slipping his hand into hers. Squeezing his hand trying to will herself to ignore the feeling of their eyes.

“Through Baron Kendrick and lady Amara are tragically gone they won’t be forgotten. Baroness despite being so young I know just like everyone who personally knew your parents know that they raised you to take over your family’s legacy,”

“Please! That girl is the down fall of the Fentress legacy. So covered with the welfare of those uncivilized pigs,” an elderly nobleman grumbles to one of his shared friends of the late Baron Kendrick.

“We need to gain control of it before she does something stupid,”

“I don’t see how! You mention the word marriage and she instantly ignores you,” The other old man rolled his eyes before saying “Shame she wants to be an old maid,”

“Ew!”

“I know!”

“Imagine! Anree scoffs loudly gaining the attention of the two and those close by " two men gossiping as if they are two bitter housewives jealous over the Baroness! Its like you've switched places with your scorned wives who know they lack your attention because it's on the Baroness. Wait—”

“Anree here isn’t the place—”

“That’s why you’re really upset! The Baroness won’t entertain the thought of ever being with you geezers …”

“You’re disgusting!”

“And you lack respect and decency,”

As the sunset flowers were passed around to toss into the ocean to say their final good byes.

Omorose stood right where the tide waves kicked her feet waiting a moment to toss the bouquet in so it appeared to the others that she was grieving how she was expected to. She let out a sigh as she threw the solid white flowers into the salty waters before retreating. She didn’t care to stay and watch the others toss their flowers in, she wanted to get back on her estate to have a moment to herself before she had to host the dinner for all who attended her parents watery funeral.

“You know you could just stay in your room. I’ll just tell everyone your not feeling well enough to host,” lord Reyes offers after catching up with Omorose.

“You know they don’t care about any of that, Rey. There’s no point in even trying to attempt that,” Omorose huffs climbing into her carriage, Reyes following close behind.

“It’s sick…them using your parents death to get a leg up.” Reyes sighs settling into the luxury seat he took. “Our society…”

“Makes you want to run away doesn’t it?”

“Actually I’m planning on going to Steelgate. Explore the city, maybe apply to their university …learn something you don’t already know!” Reyes teased.

Omorose cracked a smile “Impossible!”

“I know but it won’t hurt to try,” He jokes

-The Fentress estate-

A deep heavy sigh passed through Omorose who stood in front of her locked bedroom door snitching out the dress she changed into after arriving home. She knew 30 minutes was all she had upon arriving and those 30 minutes slipped by quicker than a rat in an ally.

She has to be back in front of everyone like she was expected too and she dreaded it.

The war and the death of her parents were the topics on everyone’s lips and she was tired of both. Like the smaller they were they found away too make both topics the reason what she should marry them.

“You’re young! 24 years right? With this war going on you need to be protected especially now that your parents are gone,” another one of her fathers close knit friends stated. “Rotten people have no problem manipulating someone as young and beautiful as you! You’re like a little kitten abandon in this world. I’m offering shelter,”

“So my family’s wealth, my title, my youth and beauty for your ‘protection’ and to be your trophy wife you get to dote on-sorry brag about to your friend who have already offered me the same?” Omorose questions raising a brow.

” Did you all have a meeting where you copied each other’s speeches?” The Baroness questioned unamused. The older man’s expression dropped from the faux sympathy and hope to the stoic demeanor Omorose one ask her fathers friends to have.

“Truth is no one believes you can run what your family built. They start quiet waiting for you to realize that beauty doesn’t room companies and estates.” He takes Omorose’s hand which she snatched away without a second thought.

“I’m the best option here! I’m richer than the others and still can produce heirs–”

“I want to be with someone around my age not my fathers,”

“Foolish! No man around your age has a quarter of what I have,”

Ignoring him Omorose’s turned on her heels moving towards the crowd and away from the secluded space one of the snakes caught her in.

“Are you okay?” Lana asked witnessing the whole thing.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m use to this by now,” The Baroness assured paying her friend on the shoulder as she passed by.

It wasn’t long until dinner was announced ready and the chairs in the dining room was filled with mostly unwanted guests. As they all settled and the elaborate dinner was being served an elderly woman, the mother of a middle aged screw up began complementing the Fentress estate “seems awfully lonely being alone all by your lonesome,”

“I’m not alone. I have Nina, Malcolm, the triplets –”

“How sweet! She thinks the help is viable company!” The woman snickers, her eyes sweeping the room to see if anyone else found it funny.

“You need your own family. The Help won’t do!”

“They are my family! Have been since forever,”

“They are servants! Most from Intacia! You need to make a proper family! Pure blooded imperial family.”

Rolling her eyes Omorose picked up her glass of wine before calmly demanding

“For once can you all stop trying to pawn yourselves or your degenerate adult children on me? My parents were just ‘laid’ to rest! Have some respect,”

The night continued with whispers of disapproval and praises of her parents. Soon as the last unwanted guest left Anree cheered loudly as everyone else let out signed off relief. With a tired smile Omorose stares “now that they are gone, let us eat cake.”

So as the small group lounged in the family room slumped in chairs and laid out on couches and plush rugs eating the morning fresh cake, Intacian and imperial entered the last battle between each other. Castin standing in the front line staring menacingly at Andrei an imperial noble commander who looked on in disgust. By morning one country world be the Victor of the war. By morning everything would change.

Months later

Omorose’s stepped out of her carriage nervously running her hands over the course of her warm brown dress. Her eyes studying the palace of Intacia noting the stark difference between that one of the empire’s -what was once the empire’s. The two countries were polar opposites in many ways but, knowing the empire was the reason why Intacia looked other worldly made her sick. The trip over was nothing but slums and torched lands, discarded belongings and displaced families picking through it to see what they could salvage. For her to see up close what her people did only inspired her to quickly figure out what she could do to aid those way less fortunate than her.

“Rosie!” Called Aurelia from the top steps.

“Aurelia! It’s been years! Hectic and crazy years since I last saw you!”

“I know! Let’s never allow another war to separate us ever,”

“Let there’s never be another war,”

Rhett smiled at Castin who was grinning still high on the victory was winning the war.

“Coming to join another party, Rhett?” Castin asked bumping into a lower ranks drunkenly.

“You could say,” The king leaned aunt the wall watching as his soldiers drunk copious amounts of liquor and danced horribly “Aurelia’s friend is visiting- the Baroness and while Aurelia is getting her settled in the palace I wanted to visit you…see how you were doing after a few months,”

“On top of the world,brother!” The commander shouted leading his fellow soldiers to howl in agreement.

“Good …” Rhett trails faking a smile.

Snagging a cup of the strong brown liquid from a passing soldier and offering it to his friend, Castin let out a sigh knowing something was wrong “what is it Rhett?”

“Resistance…”

“Already?”

Nodding Rhett downed the drink before getting everything on his mind off his chest

“I have to figure out how to get the coastal empire and Intacia to become peaceful with each other—"

“Never going to happen!” Castin cuts in shaking his head at Rhett childish dream. “To much bad blood,”

“We have to try! If not there will be another war,”

Scoffing Castin rolled his eyes before spitting out his outlandish suggestion “how about we arrest all the empire military, their nobles and the rich and allow the poor to remain free and equal to us?”

“No Castin that wouldn’t be wise,”

“Worth a shot,” Castin huffs leaning into a chair that was open.

“So Aurelia’s friend …what’s she like?” He asked curious about the imperial Rhett welcomed into their country after years of war with her’s . Castin thought it was stupid! The idea of having an imperial stay in the palace as if the war never happened.

She’s kind, respectful , introverted—she reminds me of you,”

“What?!” Castin wrinkled his brows offended.

“Younger you! Before you joined the military. When you were just a boy in our village —”

“So boring?” Castin mutters under his breath

“Hmm?”

Oh I said I should come to the palace to meet the Queen’s friend. Who knows maybe I can charm her before I leave to fight the resistance. Never been with an imperial especially not a noble one,”

“From what my love has told me about the Baroness the only way you can bed her is in your dreams,brother”

“Oh please! I’ll have her feeling like she’s dreaming!” Castin snickers saving up the nearest man while a few female soldiers that heard rolled their eyes in annoyance.

Rhett cracked a plastic smile a laugh slipping past his slight chapped lips at his friend’s antics.

“You can’t take take every woman to bed, Castin.”

A ‘pshh’ pushed through Castin’s mouth “women can’t keep their pretty little hands off me,”

“More like you can’t keep your hands off them,” Rhett points out voicing the gossip he’s heard about his close friend.

“They’re irresistible… I’m irresistible . It’s a dilemma,” Castin chuckled

Rhett roll yes his eyes “I’m just saying Castin coming home to someone who actually cares and loves you beats spending countless nights at a brothel,”

Waving him off Castin turns in his seat waving down someone to bring him another drink.

“You deserve love Castin… before it’s too late —”

“I deserve to celebrate winning a war I put my life on the line for, Rhett! Loosen up!”

“This isn’t my type of scene anytime ,Castin. I’ve grown.”

“To a prude!”

“To a king!”

“Don’t try to get all up with me. We grew up in the same village, Rhett!”

“And it’s sad that you no longer want to grow! We can’t start rebuilding with our head commander being a drunk hound dog when he’s not in battle!”

“Let’s not do this here,” Castin hissed not liking the attention they were gaining.

“You’re right! We’ll have words when you’re sober.”

The room watched as the king marched out of the room bet everyone turned to their commander.

“We beat imperial asses! Drink to that!”

Authors note: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of the rewrite and excited for how the fanfic is going to be told! Please leave feedback in the comments and or repost! I love reading your thoughts!

#black!reader #asmr boyfriend #desmond asmr #fanfic #castinxbaroness #black oc #black!fem!reader #against the world around us #asmr roleplay

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pamsimmerstories · 2 months

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meanwhile in sulani

transcription

[meanwhile... cassie and malcolm are in their honeymoon in sulani]

[malcolm]: so... i don’t know if aurora told you anything, but wolfgang is in jail. i offered to pay for a lawyer, but jacques already did.

[cassandra]: she did. i hope he’s out soon. i feel so bad for her, but he had it coming

[malcolm]: i know, but it’s just... man, she’s alone

[cassandra]: when did you become so empathetic?

[malcolm]: you ruined me

[cassandra]: *laughs* i call it improvement

[malcolm]: definitely. because of you i finally had the guts to cut nancy out of my life.

[cassandra]: she’s your mother, she’s gonna be always lurking around us.

[malcolm]: hey! no pessimism at our honeymoon

[cassandra]: you know it’s true. she even walked you on the aisle. and let’s be honest, she’s nancy. she’s everywhere.

[malcolm]: i’m so sorry she was at our wedding. the minute i got in contact with her i regret it letting her do what she wanted.

[cassandra]: it’s okay, mal. like i said, i know she’s gonna be Around

#sims 4 #the sims 4 #sims 4 gameplay #ts4 gameplay #ts4 simblr #simblr #the sims #the sims community #ts4 #malcolm landgraab #cassandra goth #landgraab gp3

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dent-de-leon · 7 hours

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Lastly, Leo Amicus Circle connections. I'm going to miss him ; ;

Taliesin: "Let's start with Lycoris. I'm going with Coworker. I will admit, when you talk about what you do, I kind of glaze over. I really appreciate the suit, because it makes me look good, which is a good wingman to have. But the circles you run in are definitely circles I don't run in, and that's so valuable. You're a tough nut to crack, so I always like--I really enjoy trying to get you to laugh, smile, or grimace...getting a reaction out of you is always rewarding."

"Grimoria--Confidant. I am a keeper of secrets. I know everybody's bullshit, you have to tell someone. You are more or less the only person on earth I actually more or less tell everything to. I think I probably invite you up for coffee and tea quite often, cause I'm also in the Red Lamp district, and I like to think it is really a safe haven, and you're invited up. You probably have a key to my place. So no matter what happens--sit down, we're going to have a cup of coffee. But I may talk more than you no matter what's going on..."

"Synamynt...I love it, I love the name...I put down Muse. I feel like my charms don't work well on you because I'm nothing but eye contact, and I do not know how to turn it off. I'm sure there comes a point--there are occasional points where I have to talk to you and I literally close my eyes, just to make it possible. The work that you're doing fascinates me, and I think there might be a solution to my problem that is in your problem, and so your problems interest me, because I feel like we might have some stuff in common with our damage.

"And you're smart enough to be able to actually approach it in a direction I can't. So I would like to think that I am at least trying to encourage your work however I can. Quietly. I think we would've [crossed paths before] I'm trying to see if I would've remembered...my feeling is, I would've remembered you when you were younger, because those sorts of functions were the boring ones where people trotted out their families. So it was never the wild or crazy stuff, it was Uncle Titus' Boxing Day party that is held every three years, because they have to divide it up amongst the family. And everybody's in a fucking suit, and it's vile. Oh, you would've been trotted out, like just the grandkids shown off , cleaned up. So you know, I would've been aware. There would've been that mental image of where you are because, you know, you start taking account. But I don't think I would've read a personality in you yet. But I do know your family, and you apparently--and I think I have the right read--fell delightfully very far from the tree. In a weird direction, but anything's better than that tree. (Katy: "Would you have known my mother?") Probably, yeah...Yeah, you know all the other families cause they have money. You know, money knows money, so yeah. That's possible. We can cement that. I would've at the very least known of her."

For Malcolm, I put Family. For kind of the same reason you did, which is we have the bond of where we came from, which no one really understands. That is such a very unique place. We are very different people, but in this one point, we are-- (Imari: "Connected.") --There's just no one who can know what that is. Everything else is just--'My word, you're useful and it's wonderful to have you around.' But yeah, we would not be friends if this wasn't here. In the real world, we would never talk. We both grew up in a cult, more or less."

Taliesin saying Leo likes to make the doctor laugh and smile and that Malcolm is family to him...my heart is in shambles.....

#mY HEART--#leo amicus my belove #picking him up and putting im in my pocket #taliesin please tell us more i love this amicus lore #also #I think I lowkey maybe ship the dr and mr amicus--#leo amicus #candela obscura spoilers #candela obscura

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high-functioning-fang1rl · 15 days

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Well I’m already exhausted and it’s only Monday, and there are NO WORDS to describe how TERRIFIED I am of what’s to come on Wednesday, so what better thing to distract myself with than some writing? So here’s Part 2 of my AU, where Chucky manipulates Nica into thinking she’s his daughter at the end of Cult!

One Side of the Knife! AU PART TWO!

The sound of a drill and cackling laughter pierced the air eerily as Nica rolled her chair through the empty asylum hallway. Not sure she wanted to know what she’d find, she hesitated before she rounded the corner, stopping at the bizarre scene before her.

The one-armed Good Guy was holding a drill that she noted was shiny with blood, laughing shrilly with the other doll she had followed. Malcolm lay on the ground beside them, blood pouring from the fresh hole through his head, his face frozen and blank with death.

Dizzy and queasy, Nica spotted yet another body, her heart sinking when she recognized that it was Nurse Ashley.

She’d had kids, Nica thought with a pang. Kids who wouldn’t ever know what happened to their mother.

Unable to stop her gasp of horror, the two dolls turned their attention on her.

“I knew you’d make the right choice!” The Chucky she’d followed crowed, his arms spreading robotically in victory.

But she leaned back, recoiling. “What did you do?” She demanded anxiously.

The doll holding the drill shrugged, lowering the weapon to his side. “The guy was certifiable! He killed the nurse pretending to be me and got himself killed for it! He was on borrowed time anyway.”

Nica recalled Malcolm claiming to be “Charles” the last time she’d spoken, but she couldn’t stop the pang of regret coursing through her as she remembered the relief she’d felt meeting him, the feeling that she finally had an ally again when she’d felt so alone and helpless in the cursed walls of Harrogate.

“It couldn’t be helped, kid!” Chucky tried to assure her. “Now we can get out of here no problem!”

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Nica nodded, rolling the chair after him, doing her best to ignore the bodies and how they basically made a trail toward the office she’d been in as she passed. The two dolls split up, Nica immediately following the intact doll down the longer hallway toward what she knew was the exit. She only paused when he did, looking into an empty room.

A young man, his back toward her, stared down at what she guessed could only be the third Good Guy doll Nica had seen in Dr. Foley’s office, though it was so smashed under the person’s boot that she couldn’t be sure.

As if sensing he wasn’t alone, the figure turned, immediately pointing a gun in their direction.

It felt like a jolt of electricity ran through her as she faintly recognized that the man in front of her must be Andy Barclay, all grown up.

For a brief second he seemed just as surprised by Nica’s presence, his lips parting slightly and eyes widening a fraction. Then his eyes went to the doll and without hesitation, his handsome features determined, grim, he trained the gun forward the doll and pulled the trigger, and Nica tensed in her chair as an empty click indicated he was out of bullets.

“Tag you’re it, Pal!” Cackling, Chucky suddenly swung the door shut. “Lock it!” He barked at her as Andy ran to the door.

Only hesitating for a brief moment, Nica obeyed, her wrist flicking out quickly to shut the young man in.

“NO!” Fists pounded on the door, Andy howling and cursing Chucky behind the door.

Against her better judgement, Nica looked at Chucky, hoping to assuage the guilt she felt at leaving the attractive stranger locked in Harrogate. “Why is he here?”

Chucky awkwardly clambered up onto her lap, his eyes big blue and earnest. “The kid’s got issues! He’s stalked me for years- he heard I was coming here to free you and thought you were working with me. He wanted to keep us both locked in here, but the joke is on him! Let’s blow this popsicle stand!”

With one last glance to the locked door, still unsure she was doing the right thing, she continued toward the exit obediently.

*****

The cold was the first thing she noticed, and she began shivering immediately as the air hit her.

Snow was falling gently, and despite the circumstances Nica couldn’t help but admire the beauty of it, couldn’t stop herself from taking a deep breath of fresh air, the feeling of freedom making her body sing.

Carefully wheeling around the steps, she made her way toward the gates, where a red car sat waiting for them.

The gorgeous blonde- Tiffany Valentine, she recalled- stood waiting beside the car patiently, her eyes fixed on the doll in Nica’s lap, a smile fixed on her expertly painted red lips.

She addressed Chucky, her voice as distinctive and unforgettable as it had been when she’d met with Nica to tell her about Alice and leave Chucky with her. “Hey, Sweetface. ‘S good to see you.” She said playfully.

Nica was surprised, however, when the doll replied, a fondness she’d never heard before evident in his voice. “You look great, Tiff.”

Tiffany smirked, her big eyes moving up to regard Nica curiously.

Chucky read the question in her eyes and quickly offered “I believe you’ve already met but, Tiff, may I properly introduce Nica Pierce? Nica, meet my wife; Tiffany.”

“Hi.” Nica shifted shyly, uncomfortably, trying for a smile.

It felt like there was fire in her gaze as Tiffany smiled back, offering a pleasant “Hello.” in return, and Nica got the impression Tiffany was not thrilled by her presence.

“Nica here decided she wanted to know more about where she came from, so she’ll be joining us, just like we hoped!” Charles said authoritatively, reaching up for Tiffany.

Seemingly more pleased when holding him in her arms, Tiffany grinned. “Let’s go, SweetFace!” She cooed, bringing him around and placing him in the passenger seat. Then she returned to the driver’s side, opening the door to the backseat and opening her arms. “Nica…” she politely waited for permission before lifting Nica out of the chair, carefully putting her in the backseat and helping her buckle.

Nica noticed the car wasn’t big enough to fit the wheelchair, and she paused, her body going tense.

“I…um, I’ll need my chair…” she told them apologetically, embarrassed, years of conditioning making her cheeks heat red.

But Chucky looked back at her from the front seat as Tiffany slid into the driver’s seat, his voice gravely but unbothered. “Not a problem! We have a chair at home for ya- I told ya, we planned on this! Well, hoped on it, at least!”

Despite herself, something small fluttered inside of her chest; the ease of her disability being accepted foreign to her, a tiny part of her preening, grateful for the kind treatment.

“Thanks.” She said softly.

In the driver’s seat, Tiffany sighed.

“What.” Chucky demanded.

Meeting Nica’s eyes in the rearview mirror, Tiffany said with a pout. “I was just thinking about Alice...”

Nica’s heart constricted, tears immediately burning behind her eyes as she looked away, pain lancing through her heart.

The blonde continued, “And how much I miss her and how sorry I am that she’s gone… but maybe having you here will help us all feel close to her.”

Sniffling, Nica nodded, wiping at her eyes as she attempted to swallow the grief. “Yeah…yeah, maybe it will.”

“Good point, Tiff. Now let’s get the hell out of here!” Chucky waved his arm.

Smiling, Tiffany turned the engine on, and settling back into the seat as the car started, Nica finally saw the blonde, female doll in the seat beside her, jumping in shock when it turned to return her curious look with one of it’s own.

Seeing her surprise and momentary fear, the doll laughed, the shrill sound unmistakably a duplicate of Tiffany’s. From the front of the car, the human Tiffany and Chucky joined in the laughter, as if sharing an inside joke.

In between bouts of uninhibited cackling Chucky apologized for the surprise. “Boy, do we have a lot to catch up on!” He told her as the car pulled away.

Feeling lighter as the car left the facility she’d been contained in for too long, a place of nightmares, Nica began chuckling at herself too, the car growing loud with the sound of their mirth.

She didn't even notice the body left discarded on the pavement, the red blood soaking into the white blanket of snow around it.

*****

Well, we’re on our way now! Thanks for reading!

When it comes to future installments, there are MANY ways this could go, and I’m curious what you all would like to see/read! How dark should Nica go/how deep into Chucky and Tiff’s claws should she get? I’ve got a few ideas for many scenarios, so I’d be happy to hear what you all want to read!

I’m slowly loving this AU more and more so I’d love to hear any input/thoughts you may have! :)

*Hope you all are having a great week already! 🥰*

#chucky 2021 #nica pierce #andy barclay #brad dourif #chucky series #chucky syfy #fiona dourif #jennifer tilly #tiffany valentine #chucky #jevon #junior wheeler #jake wheeler #lexy cross #devon evans

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