#abby is so calling you princess coded

[matchamilkislover]

White Horse, 2. (a.a.)

pairing: knight!abby x princess!reader

cw: fantasy!au, fem!reader, a tiny bit of blood mentioned, eventual displays of fighting and violence bc it’s fantasy, kind of slow burn?, tension, reader has an attitude, tall af!abby bc size difference, royalty!au, mentions of arranged marriages, some mentions of au politics, abby in armor is a warning in itself

synopsis: you are the youngest princess of the royal family that rules over your kingdom, Aphrynia. now a young adult, you’ve come of age in a tense time, and your personal protection is of utmost importance — which is why the resignation of your previous personal knight means a rushed reassignment ceremony with little to no preface. That being said, why does the name of your new knight sound so familiar?

word count: 3.67k

a/n: this is a kinda slow and really dialogue-heavy chapter but i’m still giggling and kicking my feet, i am so excited for the rest of the story omllll (it’s my own story i have to write it myself but i’m also delulu)

you can read part 1 here!

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Clapping resounded in the large room, but you paid the sound no attention. Yours and Abby’s gazes were still locked on each other, like you were caught in a dance to see who would break away first. Finally, she gently kissed the top of your hand and released it, standing to tower over you with her tall, built form. The simple kiss on your hand made your heart speed up unexplainably, and you swallowed and quickly pulled it down to your side, burying your hands in the skirts of your gown. Abby’s gaze, however, was still locked on you, and you looked down and then around the room to avoid her gaze. What in the world was going on?

Realizing that everyone else in the room had moved on from the ceremony and started milling about, you too decided that it was time to go, clearing your throat before stepping out of place to find Nina. Abby opened her mouth and looked like she was about to reach out and say something to you, but was interrupted by members of the court starting to swarm and try to steal her attention. Thank god, you thought to yourself, dashing away before court members could swarm you, too.

A hand suddenly fell on your shoulder as your eyes searched the room for your lady’s maid, and you cursed in your head, turning to see which Lord or Lady (or worse, daughter or son) had gotten their claws into you. You would’ve breathed a sigh of relief when you saw that it was one of your own siblings if it wasn’t George.

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’d just seen a ghost, little sister,” he teased, that shit-eating grin of his spreading across his face. You just rolled your eyes and turned to face him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, George,” you lied, brushing his hand off your shoulder and crossing your arms. He laughed.

“Oh sure. She’s the one you always attended lessons with, right? Yeah, she was fun,” he replied casually.

“If by fun you mean insufferable, then sure,” you retorted. “Please, you only liked her because she supported your shenanigans.”

He lifted his hands humorously. “Hey, you got me there. It’s nice to feel appreciated once in a while.” You sighed and started visually searching the room again, hangover still leaving you in a mood not quite fit for George’s lovely personality.

“I’m sure it is. But you’re a big boy, so if you could entertain yourself so I can get away from this lovely conversation, that would be great,” you finally huffed and quickly strode away, back on the hunt for Nina. Finding her meant finding breakfast and a nice rant session. And, you thought as your head throbbed again, a lot of water.

“There you are!” A familiar voice squealed as you moved about the cavernous room. You instantly smiled.

“Oh, Nora, thank goodness,” you squealed back as your eyes landed on your friend approaching just from your left. The two of you met with joining hands, squeezing comfortably.

“Are you alright? You looked entirely shocked to see Knight Anderson up there,” Nora inquired, her brows furrowing in concern. You sighed for what felt like the millionth time on this already exhausting day.

“I’m fine, I just didn’t really expect to see her, that’s all,” you replied, trying your best to brush off the way your heart pounded in your chest. You really wished it would stop that. Nora suppressed a knowing smile.

“She’s certainly changed a lot, hasn’t she,” Nora noted with waggling eyebrows.

“Nora,” you gasped, fighting the urge to smile with her. “You know good and well my opinion of her, so you can stop that now!” Though it felt genuine to you, your retort was unconvincing, and Nora simply rolled her eyes.

“Are you seriously still hung up on that? It’s been what, 8 years?”

“9,” you interrupted. “It’s been 9.” Nora rolled her eyes again.

“Close enough. If you want to hold a grudge, that’s fine by me, but I am going to enjoy this while I can,” she teased, sauntering away as you gasped again and feigned reaching out to hit her playfully as she walked away.

Finally, you spotted Nina waiting patiently for you near the edge of the room and let out a breath of relief. You approached her quickly, and her face lit up as you neared, feeling much less awkward when she was with you rather than being alone as a lady’s maid without her princess. You easily hooked your elbow with hers as you took a spot next to her, desperate to seem too occupied to socialize with anyone else.

“Can we please get out of here?” You begged through the clenched teeth of your plastered smile, nodding gracefully to people who passed you like nothing was wrong. Nina almost giggled.

“Yes of course, princess,” she replied, the two of you stepping forward and turning to the door.

“Why does everyone keep giggling at me?” You questioned, again through clenched teeth.

“Excuse me for my bluntness, but your reaction to Knight Anderson was quite entertaining,” she replied, still suppressing giggles.

“My reaction? What reaction?! I was under the impression my face was quite neutral, thank you!” You replied in a way that was almost offended.

“You just seemed quite surprised to see her, is all,” Nina explained gently. “I highly doubt someone who doesn’t know you well would have noticed, princess,” she reassured as the pair of you finally approached the large doors that would lead you out of this blasted throne room.

“It’s not my fault no one told me she of all people would be my new knight! You would be caught off-guard too if you were me!” You retorted, trying to keep your voice to a whisper despite your urge to raise it.

“All I’m saying, princess, is that-” Nina’s reply was cut off by a voice ringing out over the chatter of the crowd to you.

–

In terms of the aftermath of the ceremony for Abby, it was certainly a wave of attention — attention she didn’t want even one bit, especially when the only person she really wanted to talk to was you. Judging by your reaction, you certainly hadn’t been expecting to see her. Hell, she hadn’t been expecting to see you either until maybe 10 days ago. But it seemed like no one had bothered to inform you that she would be your new knight.

“Knight Anderson?” a voice asked, bringing Abby out of her thoughts and back to the many people surrounding her in the throne room.

“Hmm?” She replied, clearly having zoned out and not heard whatever the woman had said. She was quite a sight to take in, with gaudy clothing and a tight, pointed face. The woman smiled, but it looked more like a sneer.

“Oh, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Lady Ulfrid, I’m new here as well. I was just wondering, Queen Arabella spoke quite highly of your accomplishments, and it must be so for you to be a personal knight for her youngest daughter. What might these so-called accomplishments be, I might ask?” Lady Ulfried sneer-smiled again, and this time, Abby couldn’t help but feel like Abby saw the expressions just as they were. She was questioning her.

Raising an eyebrow, Abby let a smirk dance on the corners of her mouth and adjusted her stance. “Well, I was top of my class in training, but that’s not the answer you’re looking for, is it? So what would you like to hear about? The battles I led in our recent land conflicts with Chryiont? Or the ones I led 2 years ago in Dungard? Or was it my successful takedown of the great Pirate Duke? You’ll need to be more specific, my lady,” Abby replied with a knowing smile, satisfied by the woman’s widening eyes.

“Oh, well, I- I just meant, um-, well,” Lady Ulfrid floundered, and it satisfied something a little sadistic within Abby. She was tired of being questioned because of her age, much less her gender, and it felt nice to make people who questioned her then question themselves instead.

“Don’t worry,” she replied, cutting off the woman and leaning down to her height. “I think I know exactly what you mean.” She smirked, and stood back to full height as Lady Ulfrid’s face reddened and she sped away from the knight, muttering something incoherent under her breath.

Turning to scan the rest of the room with her hands clasped behind her back, Abby suddenly realized that talking to Lady Ulfrid had made her lose sight of you. Last she saw, you were talking with one of your court friends — Nora, was it? — and now you had completely disappeared. Something about this felt oddly familiar. Right as she thought she caught a flash of your dress — god, that dress made you look something unearthly — another person tapped on her arm, and she nearly groaned before turning and seeing who it was.

“Long time no see, huh Anderson?” George asked with a sheepish grin, pulling her in for a one-handed hug. Abby grinned back and returned the hug gladly.

“Too long,” she replied easily. “But you know, I don’t think I can condone your shenanigans now,” she continued teasingly. George laughed with a wide, open mouth, patting Abby on the arm.

“Yeah, well, I’ll just have to figure out a way around you,” he replied jokingly.

Abby chuckled and shook her head. Suddenly remembering that she had been looking for you, she snapped to attention, scanning the room quickly. Finally, she spotted you nearing the exit with your lady’s maid, and she patted George on the arm as a farewell before starting after you.

“Princess!” She called, nearly jogging across the room and swiping between different huddles of people. “Princess!”

—

Your smile dropped when you heard Abby calling after you. Shit. While you stood there trying to accept that Abby Anderson would be constantly on your heel from now on, Abby caught up, slowing to stop and face you. You looked at her, expecting her to say something, but she just stared back.

And you both kept staring.

Looking at her felt like seeing a dear old friend and someone entirely foreign to you all at the same time. Like two winds hitting you from opposite directions, pushing the breath out of your lungs and filling them back up all in one motion. She was so different but so familiar, it made you want to both run away and never leave her presence all at once. You didn’t even realize you were staring, studying her like art in a museum, until Nina loudly cleared her throat beside you.

Whoops.

You came to a start and also cleared your throat awkwardly, nodding to Abby as a delayed greeting as you shared an uncomfortable look with Nina. “Well, uh…I, we…it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” You remarked awkwardly. This was already going terribly.

“It has,” Abby confirmed with a nod. You pursed your lips.

“Well, uh, I suppose we should get going, shouldn’t we, princess?” Nina asked timidly, looking at you with wide eyes.

“Oh, yes, of course,” you replied quickly, nodding and turning with Nina to return on course to your chambers.

You grimaced uncomfortably in Nina’s direction, and she returned the look apologetically. Abby looked like she had wanted to say something else, but instead bit her tongue and followed the two of you silently. The walk through the corridors was painfully quiet, you unconsciously straining to listen to the sound of Abby’s footsteps behind your own, hyper aware of her proximity to you. For someone who called her despicable the last time you had seen each other, you were certainly strangely invested in even the smallest movements of Abby Anderson.

Once you and Nina were safely inside your chambers, with Abby standing in place just outside your door, you flopped into a chair, rubbing your forehead. “This day has got to be some twisted sort of dream,” you moaned, slipping off your shoes one at a time. Nina simply suppressed a giggle and shushed you.

“These walls are not as thick as you wish them to be,” she reminded you in a hushed voice, perching in a chair adjacent to yours while she awaited your breakfast request. You pouted and sighed.

“I truly don’t understand why nobody told me she would be my new knight! I mean, she disappeared the day after we had our millionth argument 9 years ago, and now, out of the blue, she’s going to be right behind me 24/7? Guarding me? Protecting me like someone’s out for my blood? It’s just…fucking insane!” You whisper-yell, frustration bubbling over now that it was just you and Nina. Well, and Abby, waiting just outside the door.

Nina sighed, knowing that she should try to make you feel better, even though she couldn’t help but agree with how you felt. “The queen does what she does for a reason, I’m sure. With you being young and the whispers I hear from the other servants, I’m not surprised she wants a trusted eye on you,” she replies in a quiet voice. You take a deep breath and close your eyes, nodding.

“I know, I know. It’s just frustrating that not a single soul ever bothers to tell me anything. I mean, I would have really liked a warning that the girl I basically grew up with was not only returning to the palace as a knight, but my personal knight, and, to make matters worse, she looks like—” you gesture wildly to the door, “—that! How am I supposed to deal with that!?” you exclaim, your whisper lifting a little. Nina starts giggling uncontrollably, and after a minute you join her, if only because of the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

“I think,” Nina says, taking a deep breath once her giggles finally subside, “that some breakfast and a lot of water might help make you feel better, hmm? Maybe a tonic from Dr. Anderson?” Nina offers kindly.

“Yes, please, you’re a saint, Nina,” you reply, rubbing your forehead again as the throbbing pushes forward. “But, no tonic, actually, please—I can’t handle being embarrassed by asking Abby’s father for a hangover cure the first day she returns, I think I might keel over from sheer embarrassment,” you finish with a groan. Nina chuckles and nods, standing from her perch.

“Whatever you say, princess,” she says with a pat on your shoulder. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, she pushes the door open and exits the room, mumbling an awkward greeting to Abby that makes you cringe from sheer discomfort.

Sighing, you look around at the chaos that is your room after this morning’s rushed preparation activities, and decide that the least you can do even with this raging hangover is make your bed. You stand determinedly and approach the bed, pulling back layer after layer neatly to then arrange each one on top of the last. It’s a bit awkward with the shuffling of your dramatic skirt around the edge of the opulent bed frame, but you manage to make it work.

You’re tucking in the last corner of your many blankets when an unfamiliar knock on the door catches you off guard, and you get stuck pulling your hand out from beneath the mattress. You pull harder and harder, gritting your teeth and kicking yourself mentally for the ridiculousness of it all. Stupid fucking mattress, you groan mentally as you pull, why is this thing so goddamn heavy!? With one exceptionally strong pull, your hand rips free from its feather-filled prison, only for the momentum to send you falling backwards into a heavy sofa behind you, the collision making a crashing sound that mixes oh so wonderfully with the surprised shriek that leaves your mouth. You catch yourself just barely on an arm of the sofa, but have no time to process what just happened when Abby comes barging into the room, eyes wide as she searches for you.

Just perfect.

You both stare at each other like deer in headlights when your eyes meet, unsure of what to do. It’s Abby who breaks the silence first.

“Are you alright, princess?” She asks in a concerned tone, walking over to you gingerly. Her large form seems almost unnatural in your space, and it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the proportions.

“Um, yes, I’m fine, I just…fell,” you explain awkwardly, cheeks going pink. You stand straight and pull your hand off the sofa arm, hissing quietly when the friction stings on your pointer finger. Looking down to inspect it, you notice a long splinter shoved inside of the skin and grimace.

“You just fell?” Abby asks quizzically, raising an eyebrow as she eyes the splinter.

“Well, I, um— I got my hand stuck, and when I pulled it out, I guess I pulled too hard and just…fell…” Your voice trails off as you look from her to the bed and back to your hand, touching the splinter gingerly and hissing again.

Abby nods, humming in understanding. “I see…do you need help, um, with that?” She asked, gesturing to the splinter.

“Oh no, I’ve—I’ve got it,” you reply casually, trying to hide the clenching of your jaw when you gently pull on the slice of wood. Abby opens her mouth to ask if she can help again, but you're already setting your jaw and pulling the splinter firmly, gasping at the more intense stinging when it slips out of your skin. A large bead of blood immediately forms on the spot, hinting to a stream, and your face pales at the sight as you bite your lip and look away, eyes searching for a handkerchief.

Your breath quickens in panic as you search, just the thought of the blood now seeping out of your finger making your breath quicken and your heartbeat skyrocket. A warm hand on yours and the feeling of a handkerchief being dabbed on your finger pulls you out of your growing panic, and you look to see Abby ever so gently holding your hand in one of your own while the other dabs the blood from your finger with a handkerchief.

“I remember one time when we were 9, you fell and scraped your knee on the stone while we were running in the garden, and you were very nearly screaming,” Abby said suddenly as she looked at your finger. “I guess I was right to assume that fear hadn’t changed much,” she continued, chuckling. A breathy chuckle left your mouth in return, gaze still focused on her hands touching your own.

“I never did have the stomach for it, did I?” You responded quietly, a gentle smile dancing on your lips. “I guess some things never change.”

“Yes,” Abby agreed, “some things never really change, do they?” She spoke in nearly a whisper, eyes finally glancing up to meet yours. Your breath caught in your throat, heartbeat slowing as you gazed into the stormy blue of her eyes.

“I guess not,” you whispered.

The sudden rapt knocking of Nina’s small fist and her pushing the door into your room ripped both of you out of the trance you had been in, you grabbing the handkerchief and holding it to your finger while Abby’s hands dropped yours and she stood at attention. Her mouth opened like she was about to announce her arrival before she spotted the two of you standing unusually close, and her movement stopped, brows immediately furrowing in confusion.

“I— We—“ you started.

“She fell!” Abby nearly shouted, her expression unsure. “She fell and I heard the commotion, so I came in, and she, um, got a splinter,” she finished, gesturing toward your hand. You raised your handkerchief covered finger as proof, and Nina nodded slowly. You weren’t quite sure why you felt like you had been caught doing something wrong, but it certainly did, and you certainly weren’t sure how to feel about it.

Abby cleared her throat, and nodded to the still open door. “Well, um, I should…yeah,” she stuttered, nodding a goodbye to both of you before returning to her post outside of the door that she closed behind herself.

As soon as the latch clicked, Nina’s eyes were on you like a hawk, and you were retreating back to where you had been sitting with your face in your hands. “Did I seriously just see that?” She asked incredulously, bringing a tray of food over with her and setting it on a small table. You nodded, face still in your hands, but you were quickly coaxed out by the smell of the food.

“I was just trying to make my stupid bed, and my stupid hand got stuck under the stupid mattress, and I fell pulling it out and got a splinter on my finger, and then it started bleeding when I pulled it out, and…yeah. That’s about it,” you poured the words out quickly, immediately feasting and downing large gulps of water when you finished. Nina simply nodded knowingly and watched, nibbling on a piece of toast as you ate.

“Y’know, that didn’t seem very despicable to me,” she remarked after a few minutes of comfortable silence, a mischievous grin growing on her face.

“Ughhhhh,” you groaned, turning an annoyed glance at her. “Are you going to keep being like this? It was just an awkward situation,” you complained, shoving another piece of fruit in your mouth. Nina laughed and nodded.

“I’m sorry, princess, but it’s been just too easy,” she retorted, still laughing. You rolled your eyes, but inside, your heart still skipped a beat every once in a while, thinking about her calloused, warm hands encapsulating yours, and her deep eyes gazing into yours like nothing else existed in the world.

You seriously needed to distract yourself if you were going to survive this.

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taglist: @paqerings @katniiss @dummysimp011 @chocbaleine

#white horse #knight!abby x princess!reader #abby anderson #abby tlou #abby the last of us #abby is so calling you princess coded #knight x princess #wlw #abby x reader fic #abby anderson fic #abby x reader #matchamilkislover

[weabdl]

Baby Salon Part One [Patreon Commission]

Thank you to @Nope for this story! They are a Diaper God tier and have decided to use their 1500 words a month to have this story written. They told me to post it to whatever tier, and I decided that it would be public, they will always have the right to change this if they want to but until then enjoy part one. Also make sure to thank them in the comments.

My sister has always been such a pain in the neck, ever since we were little, just because we were twins somehow made it my job to be the mature one, or at least that was how it used to be. Somewhere down the line she had turned more mature and dependable, even started her own salon! I can’t describe how happy that made our mother, I mean ya sure I was in between jobs at the moment but that didn’t make my degree in computer science any less impressive.

But sadly, the job market dried up once anyone with a chrome book could do it, once A.I had mastered the art of programing, companies dropped the pay from over 100k a year to a basic minimum wage paying job. That and it wasn’t even programing anymore, it was just looking over the A. I’s code to fulfill certain legal requirements.

“Ring, Ring, Ring,” I woke up on a normal Monday morning to the sound a feeling of my phone going off, I slowly rolled over and pulled it up revealing that my sister was calling, that's when I noticed that the clock read 7:35, with a loud Grone I slid up answering the call. I knew that if I declined it she would be pissed and probably just wake me up in person.

“What do you want sis?” I asked making sure the grogginess was apparent in my voice! I mean most people didn’t wake up till eight anyways, right? So why was she calling this early?!

“Well morning to you too princess, hey I know you need a job and I need a someone who is decent with computers to come and do my internet set up and manage my outreach,” my sister Sophie said, I could feel her clicking her perfect nails together while she said this.

“... Sure,” I said after thinking it over for a few seconds, while I knew I would hate working for my sister I really needed the money, that and I wanted out of my parents' house as quickly as possible. While they didn’t berate me or anything I still found it hard to live there. I had always been a diaper lover, well ever since my late teens, and when I was making good money, I was able to buy diapers whenever I wanted, even had a good stash at one point. But that was starting to get horrifically low, and I needed some way to buy more.

“Now I can’t offer you what you were getting before A.I took over, but I can at least offer you a livable wage you pampered princess,” I heard her laugh as she said this. I could feel the hairs on my neck stand up at this comment, while this would just be normal banter for anyone else, my Tumblr and other secret social media’s handle name was in fact Pampered Princess, and while I had never shown my face on these platforms or connected them to any of my personal emails this comment seemed very out of place.

"Oh, and my friend Abby is now working for me, you know the one you had a massive crush on!” She said, I could feel my face grow red at this comment.

“Ya, ya whatever, anyways I will be over in like thirty minutes then,” I said getting up finally.

"Ok, see you then princess” Sophie said before hanging up, leaving me with way too many questions and not enough answers!

#diaper kink #diaper humiliation #diaper sissy #adult diaper #diaperlife #diaper check #ab/dl #diaper change #ab/dl sissy #baby

[freyayuki]

Fate/Grand Order Saber Wars II Space Ishtar and Calamity Jane Banner Pulls

The Revival: SABER WARS 2 - To the Beginning of Space - Lite event just started in the Fate/Grand Order (FGO) mobile game.

This came with the Revival: SABER WARS 2 Pickup Summon banner which features the following chars:

5-star SSR Avenger, Space Ishtar

4-star SR Archer, Calamity Jane

Thoughts about Avenger Space Ishtar

I like 5-star SSR Avenger Space Ishtar from Fate/Grand Order (#ad) well enough, I suppose, but wouldn’t really call her a fave or anything. Well, I do like the art of her 3rd Ascension and her alt costume.

But right now, don’t really know much about Space Ishtar. That’s because I didn’t get to play through the Saber Wars 2 event when it first showed up.

Or at least, I’m nearly 100% certain that I was on a hiatus from FGO when the aforementioned event happened. So I don’t know anything about the story of said event.

What gives me pause and what makes me wonder though is the fact that I apparently have 1 copy of the 5-star SSR Craft Essence (CE) Princess of Red Bean Paste, 1 copy of the 4-star SR CE Planet Rock, and 1 or 3 copies of the 3-star CE Cultural and Martial Arts (Simultaneously). These Craft Essences are also on rate-up on the Saber Wars 2 banner.

Since I wasn’t playing the game when the Saber Wars II event was ongoing, have no idea where and how I got copies of the aforementioned CEs.

Pretty sure I really wasn’t playing FGO during Saber Wars 2 because I don’t even have any copies of the shop CEs, don’t have the featured Command Codes or Space Ishtar’s alt costume, the Mystic Code that apparently only came with this event, and don’t know anything about the story either.

Maybe these CEs were also featured on another event or something. I know I was able to play through the first Saber Wars event although that happened what feels like forever ago.

Anyway, my main interest in Space Ishtar is primarily because she’s a really good Arts looper under the so-called “Double CAstoria System”.

This involves using 2 5-star SSR Caster Altrias or Artorias plus 1 DPS who has an Arts Noble Phantasm (NP). Hoping to get at least 2 copies of Space Ishtar from the Saber Wars 2 banner.

Don’t know anything about Calamity Jane and not really interested in her. Doubt I’d get her anyway.

Because I can still remember how I failed to get 4-star SR Lancer, Mysterious Alter Ego Λ (also known as Mysterious Alter Ego Lambda, Lambdaryllis, and Meltryllis).

Threw all the Saint Quartz (SQ) and Summon Tickets that I had on her banner but sadly, Lancer Melt never showed up.

The 5-star SSR on that banner was Foreigner, Abigail Williams. Wasn’t interested in her. Only pulled on said banner for Summer Meltryllis.

But somehow I ended up with 3 copies of Abby and 0 copies of Summer Melt because eff this game. I talk more about that in another post.

Now I’m just hoping that I’ll be able to get Space Ishtar as “easily” as I was able to get 3 copies of Abigail Williams.

Also hoping that I can get at least 1 or 2 copies of the 5-star SSR CE The Black Grail. My copy of this CE is stuck at Level 60 of 60. Need 2 more copies in order to be able to fully MLB this CE.

Revival: SABER WARS 2 Pickup Summon Banner Pulls Results

Currently, have 135 SQ and 46 tickets on hand. Already got all the tickets in my gift box as well as the ones available in the shops and such.

As for the Saint Quartz - still have a lot in my gift box and as SQ fragments. Decided to roll with all these SQ and tickets first.

Fate/Grand Order now has a “pity system” but it costs 900 for 1 rate-up SSR. If you happen to get the rate-up SSR before spending 900 SQ, you’re not guaranteed to get another copy even if you keep pulling until you spend 900 SQ.

In short, this so-called pity system sucks. I doubt I even have 900 SQ even if I get all the Saint Quartz I have in my gift box and as fragments.

Don’t want to have to pity Space Ishtar anyway even if I can afford it because I’d like more than 1 copy in order to further increase her damage output.

Anyway, so I started using my tickets first. Here’s a list of the notable Servants and Craft Essences that I was able to get from this banner.

Didn’t bother to take screenshots of everything though, especially since more often than not, I just ended up getting bronze and silver trash.

One of my summon tickets gave me my first copy of 4-star SR Berserker, Frankenstein.

Well, at least she’s new. Still, wish I could have gotten Space Ishtar already. Also don’t really have a use for Fran since I already have other Berserkers.

Her NP isn’t even Arts so she doesn’t have synergy with Caster Altria. And, unfortunately, don’t have my own 5-star SSR Caster, Scáthach-Skadi, the premier support for Quick-type chars.

After a few more tickets, I was surprised but super pleased when a gold Avenger card showed up. Hell, yes!

So happy to see this turn into my very first copy of 5-star SSR Avenger, Space Ishtar.

Here are some more screenshots of Space Ishtar:

Was down to around 30 or so tickets when Space Ishtar showed up. IIRC, I got her a bit before the end of my second 10-draw.

Wasn’t keeping exact track of this since I was just tossing tickets on the Saber Wars 2 banner so can’t remember for sure anymore.

Still have 26 tickets left but for now, decided to try my luck with a multi-draw using 30 SQ. This brought my 135 SQ down to 105 SQ.

Was hoping to get another copy of Space Ishtar but instead I got my very first copy of 4-star SR Archer, Calamity Jane.

Well, at least she’s new. Not really interested in her though. And right now, I just find myself thinking back to my pulls on the Summer Meltryllis and Abigail Williams banner.

How come Melt who I really wanted never showed up at all and yet Jane who I’m not even interested in actually appeared on my first multi on the Saber Wars 2 banner? Sigh.

The rest of this multi didn’t give me any other gold which sucks. I did get a new 3-star CE but didn’t bother even looking up more details about it. This wasn’t even the rate-up 3-star CE. LOL.

Decided to do another multi-draw. This time, I got a gold Berserker card.

This turned into my very first copy of 4-star SR Berserker, Penthesilea or Berserker of El Dorado.

This reminds me of how I also got some off-banner 4-stars on the Summer Melt banner. Was really pissed off because how could I get these off-banner SRs and yet not a single copy of Lancer Meltryllis who was supposed to be on rate-up?

Anyway, this multi also gave me 1 copy of the 4-star rate-up CE and 1 copy of the 3-star rate-up CE. Other than that, the rest were all basically trash and useless.

Decided to go back to using my tickets since the results of my multi-draws weren’t really that good. Couldn’t even get the rate-up 5-star CE.

Thankfully, my tickets ended up coming through for me again since a bit later on, I was able to get another gold Avenger card. Hell, yes.

Yay for getting my second copy of Space Ishtar.

So happy that I was able to get Space Ishtar to NP2.

Used up the rest of my tickets but sadly, wasn’t able to get any more copies of Space Ishtar or anything else of worth.

Tried another multi-draw but this one turned out to be crap too. Well, I did get 2 copies of the rate-up 5-star CE plus 1 copy of the rate-up 3-star CE but still. It sucks that I wasn’t able to get even 1 gold Servant on this draw.

Technically, I should be done with this banner now since I was able to get NP2 Space Ishtar already. But since I still have some SQ, I’m wondering if maybe I should keep pulling.

Maybe I should try for NP3 Space Ishtar? Maybe my remaining resources will give me more copies of her. Maybe I can even get another copy of The Black Grail.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to get anything good if I continue to pull here. I could just end up with crap and more crap.

Maybe I should just save the resources that I have left and just leave this banner alone already. But I don’t know. I kinda feel like pulling some more. Thought about this for a bit longer, considering the pros and cons, before deciding to just go for it.

Here are the results of the rest of my more notable pulls on the Saber Wars 2 banner. This time, I just stuck to doing single pulls.

Got more copies of the rate-up CEs but didn’t bother taking note of them anymore. Also didn’t bother to take screenshots if I got CEs that weren’t really of use to me.

5-star SSR CE, Volumen Hydrargyrum

This is like my second or third dupe of this CE. Not really pleased to see this. Can’t even remember the last time I used this Craft Essence.

Only bothered to take a screenshot of this because it’s a 5-star CE and - argh, if I was gonna get a 5-star CE, why couldn’t it have been another copy of The Black Grail instead? Sigh.

5-star SSR CE, Love’s Curse

This is my first copy of Love’s Curse. It seems like a decent enought CE, I suppose, but seeing as I only have 1 copy of this, I doubt I’ll ever bother to equip this when I can just use my fully leveled and maxed out Craft Essences like Aerial Drive and Golden Sumo.

4-star SR Saber, Rama

It was nice seeing a gold Servant card even though it turned out to be a Saber instead of an Avenger.

That Saber card then turned into my very first copy of 4-star SR Saber, Rama.

Well, at least I got a new Servant but still. Space Ishtar, doko da?

5-star SSR Lancer, Karna

A bit later on, got a gold Lancer card from a single draw. I thought I was gonna get a 4-star Servant again.

So I was really surprised when 5-star SSR Lancer, Karna showed up instead. Nice.

This is my very first copy of Karna. While I am pleased to see this, I do wish that I’d gotten another copy of Space Ishtar instead.

When I ran out of SQ, I went to exchange all my Saint Quartz fragments to get more.

When that ran out too, went to claim all the SQ I had yet to get from clearing missions like “complete x amount of interludes”, “complete x amount of rank up quests”, etc. Then I also started getting the SQ from my gift box.

Was able to get 37, 34, 42 and then 35 SQ from doing all of the above.

4-star SR Rider, Marie Antoinette

Another single draw gave me a gold Rider card.

This turned into a copy of 4-star SR Rider, Marie Antoinette. Ugh. Was really disappointed when I saw her because this is like my third or fourth dupe of Marie.

Haven’t even bothered to fuse the dupes of her that I already got because it’s been a long time since I last used her.

4-star SR Archer, Calamity Jane

Got my second copy of Calamity Jane although haven’t bothered to fuse them yet. After all, don’t really have any plans of using her.

Already have lots of other Archers that I can use so haven’t even bothered to level up Calamity Jane yet.

Continued pulling. A lot. Just kept on pulling and pulling and pulling some more. Even did another multi-draw. But it was all for nothing. Just kept on getting crap and more crap. No more gold Servants showed up. The few gold CEs I got were all useless.

I kinda regret continuing to pull on this banner. I could and should have stopped a few pulls ago like after I got Karna. Now it feels like I just wasted a lot of SQ for nothing.

I want to stop pulling already. But somehow, that’s easier said than done. For now, I’ve finally been able to tear myself away from this banner but I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep on resisting throwing more SQ here until the Saber Wars 2 event ends.

One moment, I really deeply regret continuing to pull here and want to just save what little Saint Quartz I have left for future banners. But the next, I feel the urge to keep on trying and hoping to get another copy of Space Ishtar and even The Black Grail.

I don’t know. I should stop. I should just walk away from this banner but I don’t know if I can. Maybe I’ll just keep on pulling until I’m completely out of SQ. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

5-star SSR Avenger, Space Ishtar

Anyway, I finally got ‘round to leveling up my Space Ishtar to the max. After getting her to Level 90, decided to Grail her to Level 100 to further increase her damage output.

Gave her the 3-star Fous. Would have given her the 4-star ones as well but I’m all out of those so will have to wait until the game gives me more.

Update: been playing through the Saber Wars 2 event so was able to get a few of the gold Fous already. Gave them all to Space Ishtar so she now has +1060 HP and +1040 ATK.

It’s gonna take a long time before I can get her to +2k ATK and +2k HP though since we only get a few gold Fous at a time.

Been using Space Ishtar already while I play through the Saber Wars 2 event so I now have her at Bond 5 of 10.

Got all of Ishtar’s skills to their max of Level 10. Unlocked her second Append skill (Load Magical Energy or Mana Loading) and maxed that out to Level 10 as well.

Still have some of her Servant Coins but I’m still trying to decide if I want to unlock her Extra Attack Boost Append skill 1, her Anti-Archer (ATK Up) Append skill 3, or level her up past 100. So I’ve just left her as-is for now.

Saber Wars II Story Event

Started playing through the Saber Wars 2 story event already. The story’s pretty good and interesting.

The event is pretty easy since we get damage-boosting CEs and I now have my own Space Ishtar for farming. Ishtar herself gets a damage boost in this event, which makes things even easier.

After clearing the main story, I was finally able to unlock Space Ishtar’s Ashtart Origin Spiritron Dress or alt costume.

Bought the item from the shop and spent the resources needed to unlock it so I have the option of changing Ishtar’s skin to this.

Revival: SABER WARS 2 Pickup Summon Banner Pulls Results Part 2

As I feared, couldn’t help but return to the Saber Wars 2 banner to keep on pulling some more.

Still just kept on getting crap and more crap though. It was really disheartening and frustrating. I wanted to stop but couldn’t seem to help it.

I felt like I might as well just keep on going until I was all out of SQ since I’d already wasted enough as it was anyway.

Aside from the useless trash I kept on getting, the rate-up CEs also kept on showing up. Ahh, if only the same can be said for the rate-up Servants. Sigh. Rate-up is a lie. LOL.

At one point, I got another new CE. Initially, I thought this was a 5-star CE but upon taking a closer look, this was actually just a 4-star one. Still wish this had been The Black Grail instead though.

The Craft Essence I got was called The Beginning of Ambition. It increases Arts card effectiveness by 10%. It also increases HP recovery amount by 10%.

Much, much later, just as I was once again lamenting the fact that no more gold Servants (not even 4-star dupes or something) have shown up even though I feel like I’ve already spent thousands of SQ on this banner, I was surprised when a gold card actually appeared.

Even more shocking was the fact that this turned out to be a gold Avenger card. I was trying to remember if there were other gold Avenger Servants in the non-limited pool but it was only now that I’m writing this down that I was able to clearly remember the existence of Hessian Lobo or the Avenger of Shinjuku.

Hessian Lobo is a 4-star SR Avenger that’s already spooked me twice. I’m so glad that that didn’t happen for the third time because this gold Avenger card turned into my third copy of Space Ishtar instead.

Hell, yes! NP3 Space Ishtar, let’s go! Yay! Really pleased to see this. Readily fused this copy of Ishtar to my main copy.

And that’s it. I really am done with this banner now. NP5 Space Ishtar would be really nice, of course, but I don’t think that’s gonna be possible unless I whale or get really, really lucky.

Don’t want to take my chances anymore. Besides, I’m close to running out of SQ by now so best to just cut my losses already.

Now I no longer regret continuing to pull even if it still sucks that I kept on getting lots of crap. At least I was able to get NP3 Space Ishtar and a few other gold Servants and CEs.

So, all things considered, this banner was actually pretty good to me. Hopefully, the next banner I pull on will be good to me as well.

On a side note, I ended up with multiple copies of the rate-up Craft Essences thanks to pulling on the Saber Wars 2 banner.

Got enough copies of the 3-star CE to be able to MLB 3 of them and then have 3 more left over. Was able to MLB 1 copy of the 4-star CE and then have 2 more left over. Was able to MLB 1 copy of the 5-star CE and then have 4 more left over.

I’m mostly done with the event now so the screenshots also show that I now have the shop CEs as well.

Conclusion

So, what about you? What do you think about the Revival: SABER WARS 2 - To the Beginning of Space - Lite event? Did you pull for Space Ishtar and/or Calamity Jane?

What do you think about these chars and the Saber Wars 2 event? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Fate/Grand Order game account

#fate/grand order #space ishtar #calamity jane #saber wars 2 #fgo #fate grand order #games #mobile apps #gacha games #mobile games #grand order #fate go

[alecmagnuslwb]

Young Fools

Writer’s Month 2020 Day Twenty-Nine

Read on AO3

“And lastly with the Salem witch trials, Zatara and Constantine,” the teacher says just before the bell rings. John startles from where he’d definitely been napping through most of class.

Oh fuck, he thinks first, because group projects are absolutely not his thing. And double oh fuck, he thinks when he realizes who his partner is.  

John Constantine is unaffected. He walks through the halls of school head held high, beat up trench coat with a bi pride flag pin on it not giving a fuck. Ever since his mother moved them to the states to get away from his father the English transfer has made a name for himself as the school’s resident bad boy. Late to classes, always getting caught smoking and telling off anyone who looked at him sideways.

He’s perfectly content with everyone thinking he doesn’t give a damn about them and that he’s an asshole.

Except her.

Zatanna Zatara is the genius goth princess of his dreams and the only thing that’s left him truly feeling something other than annoyance or anger since they moved.

He darts out of the classroom as soon as he can though, just because he likes the girl doesn’t mean he’s going to happily do a group project or worse yet make a fool of himself in front of her.

“Hey Constantine wait up!” she shouts running after him in the hall. He doesn’t know how she manages it in the chunky boots she’s wearing, but she catches up to him in seconds. She trips a little when she reaches him grabbing his arm for stability. It’s in that moment he realizes this is the closest they’ve been in the year they’ve been attending school together and this is most definitely the first time they’ve touched.

John looks at her the uninterested demeanor he’s maintained on full display.

“Hi,” she says smiling at him and John feels his steely demeanor slipping away already. “You ran off on me there, partner.” Her arm drops and John misses the contact immediately.

“Uh, yeah,” he says scratching at the back of his neck. “Sorry, ‘bout that. I’m just not the best at teamwork.”

Zatanna nods her lips twisting up in thought.

“Well I can work around that,” she says with a confident pat to his arm. “Meet me after school in the parking lot, you’re coming over and we’re working on this project.”

She walks away leaving him no room for argument strutting off to catch up with her friends. John watches her go in interest and in confusion. No one, save for Boston who forced his friendship upon John and who he’s fairly certain just talks so much he misses all social cues, has ever ignored his standoffish behavior before. No one’s ever really fought back against it before until now.

There’s no way he’s getting out of this project without breaking his don’t give a fuck attitude around her and he just knows it.

For some reason even though he could very easily just skip the rest of his classes and not show up in the parking lot, he sticks around until the final bell rings, attending all of his classes and everything.

Zatanna walks out with her little pack of friends she’s often with and smiles when she spots him. She turns to them throwing a wave and then makes her way over to John.

“Hey,” she says once she gets to him. “Not gonna lie I thought the chances of you not showing were 80 to 20 not in my favor.”

John huffs a laugh. “More like 70/40.”

Zatanna laughs at that a genuine thing that lights up her dark blue eyes even more.

“Come on, my cars this way,” she says tugging on his sleeve. Across the lot a series of wolf whistles sound from Zatanna’s friends as they all pile into another car. Zatanna stops and rolls her eyes.

“Ignore triple a,” she says gesturing to the end of the lot.

“Triple a?”

“Abby, Alec and Andrew. They’re my best friends and it’s just easier to call them that than list them off,” she shrugs then nods at a black vehicle once they’re in front of it. “This is me.”

John looks at the car that previously he could only see the front end of and realizes starkly that it’s a hearse.

“Um, do you drive a hearse?” he asks walking to the passenger side.

They both get in and Zatanna chuckles.

“Yup,” she says starting the engine. “My family’s in the funeral business.”

“I thought your dad was a magician?” John says recalling some conversation he overheard when a couple of jocks were mocking her for her style. They’d ended up with live fireworks in their lockers the next day courtesy of him, not that she or they know that.

“He is on the side, funeral directing is the main source of income though,” she explains a little hesitantly. It’s clear some people have judged her families work. John is the son of a full time alcoholic and a grocery clerk so he’s not about to be one to judge.

“Creepy, and kinda cool,” he says with a smirk. She tilts her head to look at him briefly biting her lip holding in a smile. The rest of the ride is spent mostly talking about their project and John finds himself actively caring about something from school for the first time ever.

“You sure know a lot about witches being burned at the stake for a seventeen-year-old,” he says after they park in the driveway outside of her house which also serves as funeral home.

She chuckles opening the large double doors.

“Grow up around dead bodies and you find yourself into all sorts of spooky stuff,” she says gesturing for him to follow her upstairs. They walk past two large halls where he assumes funerals are held and a casket display room. John wonders how inappropriate it would be to ask her if they can go down to the mortuary before he leaves.

She comes to a stop at the top of the stairs pulling John into the first door on the right and just like that he finds himself in her bedroom. In the past year they’ve said maybe a three dozen words to one another, John always just noticing her from afar, and now he’s alone with her in her bedroom.

She pulls a wheelie chair from her desk gesturing for him to sit down as she crosses her legs and sits on her bed.

She dives right in basically planning out their entire project on her own, but asking for his input anyways. He listens closely while she talks, but surveys her room as well. The room is at least seventy percent books ranging from classics like Frankenstein to specific movie themed cookbooks. Her wall space that isn’t bookshelves is scattered with an array of indie band posters and photos of her with her friends. The thing that catches John’s attention most is the top hat and wand sitting on the desk on top of an old book he can’t read the title of. He wonders if maybe there’s a little more to her love of witches and her father’s side gig.

It doesn’t take long before they have a game plan, that shockingly he plans to actually follow if for no other reason than to not let her down, and John learns that she may or may not already own painted mini figurines of Salem witches for their diorama. They migrate downstairs after that both seemingly prolonging their time together with conversation swerving away from school.

Draped across a row of fancy folding chairs with an empty casket at the front of the room John finds himself telling Zatanna little bits and pieces of himself he hasn’t told anyone since coming to the states. In turn she tells him about her family and incredibly specific music tastes.

“Thank for not being weird about all this,” she says gesturing to the room at large after a while. “Or asking to see a dead body.”

John coughs at that bit glad he refrained from asking earlier.

“Most people don’t get it or think it’s too creepy,” she goes on picking at her fishnets lightly. He’s constantly in awe that she gets away with wearing them at school surprised he’s never seen her in detention for dress code violations with him.

John just shrugs. “So you live in a funeral home, I live in a shitty trailer park where my kitchen, living room and bathroom are basically all one room. Everybody’s got different lives, no point in judging someone else’s.”

She stops picking at her fishnets and looks up at him from under her choppy bangs with a smile. Her eyes catch on the clock behind him.

“Oh, shit you should go before my dad gets back. He’ll absolutely kill us both if he finds out I was alone unattended with a boy who willingly wears a trench coat,” she says after seeing the time. It’s already almost eight and John has no idea where the time has gone.

He turns down her offer of a ride, even though he’d kill for a few more minutes alone, opting to walk home instead. She walks with him to the front door pausing and tugging on his coat once he’s stepped outside.

“We should have lunch tomorrow, John,” she says leaning against the doorframe and calling him by his first name for the first time.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose. You and your friends got your thing,” he says. Part of him would also admittedly feel a little bad abandoning Boston, would he just sit there and talk to himself for forty-five minutes if John wasn’t there?

“Well you and your talkative friend can absolutely join us sometime if you’d like, but I was thinking more just you and me tomorrow,” she says reaching out and fixing the lapel of his jacket quickly. “I bring my lunch most days since I’m a vegetarian and I’m sure you know all the good spots where a teacher can’t find a couple students for a whole period.”

He smiles at her shoving his hands in his pockets so he doesn’t do something stupid like reach out and kiss her, especially if he’s reading this wrong.

“So we can work on the project?” he asks wanting to be certain.

Zatanna purses her lips in thought for a second and then morphs into a smile.

“Nope.”

John chuckles, “Well in that case I know all the secret spots.”

Her smile just gets brighter at that. She pushes off the doorframe and leans in to kiss him on the cheek lightly.

“Great,” she says pulling back and slowly closing the door. “See you tomorrow.”

And then all because of a kiss on the cheek resident bad boy John Constantine can’t stop smiling the entire walk home.

#my fic #writersmonth2020 #johnzee #john constantine #zatanna zatara

[spn-safeandsound]

11. Too Many Coincidences

Safe and Sound

Dean Winchester x Original Character

Episode: 1x16; Shadow

Word Count: 8,933

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence + gore, minor character death, angst

Author’s Note: Introducing the Petersen clan! Tell me what you think of this chapter! Enjoy, reblog, and like!

Find the masterlink pinned on my profile!

Julia could feel their eyes on her every now and then. First it would be Dean; his green eyes would look into the rearview mirror and study her pouring over her bible, head bowed. He would look away and then, not even three minutes later, Sam would turn to check on her, his puppy dog eyes peaking over the back of the seat. She would ignore them and continue on reading, her eyes stinging harshly.

She got the call the night before, just after they rescued Sam from the creepy family that hunted humans for sport. It was Taylor, Beth's husband, that called her, telling her that she needed to come home now. They were supposed to be on their way to Chicago for Beth and Levi's birthday in a day's time; now they were going for a different reason.

Levi was dead. The police had found him in his condo in Chicago after he didn't show up to work for two days. She didn't know how her brother died because at that point, she was a mess. Sam had pulled her into his arms while Dean took the phone, getting the details from Taylor. They were on their way to Chicago as soon as they packed up their things.

Julia had been inconsolable for the first half of the eight-hour drive from Hibbing, Minnesota to Chicago. Dean had stayed with her in the backseat, holding her tightly while Sam drove them. Then Julia fell asleep; when she woke up only an hour later, she was alone in the backseat. She cried silently as she pulled her bible out of her backpack and started reading, trying to find strength from whatever passage she turned to.

Now they were just getting out of the early morning traffic on their way to Winnetka, the village that the Petersen-Alexander family lived in which was only sixteen miles away from Chicago. Beth, Taylor, and Lizzie still lived in the house that the siblings grew up in while keeping rooms for Luke, Abby, Levi, and Julia.

"Jules," Dean spoke up gently as he pulled up to the gates that kept strangers and any enemies off the Petersen property. "We're here."

Julia barely looked up, just enough to give Dean a view of her bloodshot eyes. She looked back down, hearing Dean sigh and roll down his window to speak into the speaker in front of the gate.

"Name?" a gruff voice spoke.

"Dean Winchester," Dean stated. "I'm here with Julia and my brother, Sam."

"Codeword?"

Dean cleared his throat and recited the codeword that Taylor gave him the night before. "Peanut butter cup."

As the gate buzzed and slowly opened, Julia wondered if Lizzie picked the codeword. It had been food before, but Lizzie's favorite candy was a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. She probably insisted that it would be the week's passcode. Her niece was a special one, that was for sure.

The head security guard, a man named Mike that had been with them since Julia was a baby, greeted them at the front of the house. He hardly acknowledged Sam and Dean as Julia got out of the car, immediately pulling her into a tight hug.

Julia felt the tell-tale sting in her eyes as she buried her head in Mike's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Jules," Mike said hoarsely; he was just as upset as the siblings, considering they considered Mike and his wife, Judy, their family. "Levi was a good man. One of the best."

Dean felt his heart ache for Julia when he saw his shoulders heave, a sign that she had started crying again. He felt so bad for her on top of his own sadness; he and Levi had been good friends since childhood. Everyone was feeling his loss right now.

Julia pulled back from Mike and wiped her eyes, giving him a tired smile while Sam and Dean started getting their stuff out of the trunk. "How's Judy?"

"She's okay," Mike told her, grabbing her bags from Sam and Dean. "We've missed you around here."

"I've missed you guys too," she assured him. Turning to face the house, she sighed heavily. "Is Abby home yet?"

Mike nodded. "Yep. Maggie got here an hour ago."

"And no Dad?"

"Not yet," he frowned; Dean and Sam copied his expression. "Sorry, Jules."

Julia didn't answer verbally; she reached for his hand and squeezed it before climbing up the steps to the front door. She typed the four-digit code in to unlock the door and opened it when the locks unlocked loudly.

"Auntie Jules!" a squeal erupted from the foyer before Julia was almost knocked over by a small force.

"Lizzie!" Julia plastered a smile on her face for her niece, who probably didn't understand what was going on. All she knew was that Aunt Julia and Aunt Abby had come home earlier than they were meant to. She picked Lizzie up and poked the dimple in her right cheek. "Look at you! You're almost as tall as me!"

Although Lizzie was tall for her five years of age, she wasn't almost as tall as Julia. She was the cutest little girl that Julia had seen, though. She got her dad's face full of freckles and height but everything else was Bethany. The wavy brown hair that all Petersen women inherited, the brown eyes, and the pretty smile.

Lizzie giggled. "Yep!" she exclaimed as her eyes left her aunt and found Dean behind her. "Uncle Dean!"

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted her with a grin, reaching forward to tug on one of her braided pigtails. "Lizzie, you remember Sammy?"

"Hi, Uncle Sammy!" even though Sam and Lizzie had only met three or four times, she was always fond of the tall man. "Your hair is silly!"

Dean chuckled in amusement while Sam smiled. "Hey, Lizzie."

Julia shook her head and hid her laugh. Clearing her throat, she gained her niece's attention once again. "Hey, Lizzie, where's your mom?"

"Upstairs in her room," the bright smile fell from Lizzie's face. "With Aunt Abby."

Julia set Lizzie back down. "I'm gonna go check on her, okay? Why don't you bring Dean and Sam to your dad?"

"Okay!" Lizzie chirped, grabbing Dean's outstretched hand. "Nana Maggie is here, too."

Forcing a smile, Julia waited until Lizzie led Sam and Dean out of the foyer. Mike had already gone to put all of their bags in her room and the guest rooms, so all she had to do was go to Beth and Taylor's room.

She knew as soon as she saw her sisters she would break down again. Levi was a quiet man but he had always watched over them. He was protective and the best big brother Julia could have asked for. The three sisters would feel his loss forever.

Julia wandered around the staircase to the hallway at the back of the foyer. The master bedroom, as well as two guest rooms, and her dad's room were on the main level. The closer she got to the master bedroom, the more she could hear gentle sniffling. She gently knocked on the door before opening.

Beth and Abby were laying together on the king-sized bed, their eyes red and faces puffy. They looked up when Julia entered the room and, when she broke into sobs and ran to the bed, they started crying again.

Julia buried her head in Beth's shoulder, inhaling her rose and vanilla scent. She already felt better in her sisters' arms but she'd be perfect if Levi was still there, too.

-

-

It was a somber night in the Petersen-Alexander house with all three sisters not coming out of the master bedroom since Julia arrived. Sam and Dean had greeted Taylor and Maggie fondly, knowing both of them quite well, and the four of them made sure that Lizzie was entertained and the sisters were checked on every hour.

In the morning, the news had centered around Levi's death. As one of the most eligible bachelors in Chicago, it was a big deal to hear that Levi Petersen had passed away. Taylor had to turn the channel when Maggie burst into tears over her cup of coffee from the rumors that were going around about her nephew.

Julia was the first of the sisters to emerge. At eight, she was freshly showered and dressed in lounge shorts and a PSC t-shirt. She and Taylor greeted each other fondly and then she and Maggie had an emotional reunion.

Maggie was one of Julia's heroes. Her aunt was a spitting image of Naomi, with the wavy brown hair and dimple, but that wasn't the reason why Julia looked up to her. When Naomi first got sick when Julia was ten, Maggie took over as the CEO of Petersen Sports Co.. She was thirty-two years old and previously the head of sales, much like Levi was. She thrived in her new role and kept the company successful while making sure her sister was taken care of while Luke was out hunting every week. And when Naomi died, Maggie was the one to take care of Julia while grieving her sister and still taking care of the family business. Even if Maggie didn't fight or hunt, she was a badass in her own way. She stepped up when she needed to, was a faithful woman, and she loved her family fiercely. Julia hoped to be half of the woman Maggie was as she aged.

"Julia," Maggie sighed into her hair as they hugged tearfully. "I've been worried about you."

Julia pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears away, giving her a confused look. "Why?"

"Well, you're hunting," Maggie pointed out the obvious. "Without your sister, might I add."

"Sam and Dean are great, Aunt Maggie."

"I know they are," Maggie nodded, sending Sam and Dean a warm smile where they sat on one of the couches in the large living room. "I just worry about you kids."

"I know you do," Julia squeezed Maggie's hand. "but I'll be okay. I promise."

Maggie smiled and kissed the top of Julia's head before going to join Lizzie by the coffee table to color from a princess coloring book.

"So," Julia took a deep breathed and smiled at Sam, Dean, and Taylor. "Who wants blueberry pancakes for breakfast?"

"I do!" Lizzie exclaimed excitedly. "You always make them the best!"

"Hey, I heard that, you rugrat!" Beth entered the living room, giving her daughter a mischievous smile. Abby walked in right behind her, both of them showered and freshly dressed.

While Abby greeted Sam and Dean, Beth picked Lizzie up and kissed her cheek, making her giggle, "Sorry, Momma."

"How about I teach your mom how to make them like Nana Naomi taught me?" Julia asked Lizzie. "Extra blueberries?"

Lizzie nodded jerkily. "Extra blueberries."

Beth shook her head in amusement and set down Lizzie before walking over to Sam and Dean.

"Hey, guys," she pulled Dean into a hug, who returned it easily. The Petersen family were huggers and he was comfortable enough with them to return the affection. "How are you?"

"Hanging in there," Dean smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry, Beth."

Beth's dimple popped out as she frowned but gave him a grateful look. "Thanks, Dean," she turned to Sam, wrapping her arms around him. "Sam, you need a haircut."

Sam pressed his lips together while Dean laughed. "Lizzie said that too."

"Yeah," Sam rolled his eyes as Beth started laughing with his brother. "Laugh it up, guys. Real funny."

Dean and Beth continued to laugh until Julia called over for her sister. "Beth, come on!"

Beth sobered up and grinned at the men she considered her brothers. "I better go before she gets all bossy on me."

Dean looked over Beth's head to where Julia stood with Lizzie on her hip, both of them looking over the oldest sister expectantly. She looked good with a kid on her hip, he realized. It made him think of his dream, of Peter, Jonah, and Levi and their life together.

He didn't know that he had a certain glint to his stare as he watched Julia but Beth did. She quickly looked between the two, noticing that Julia was now staring back at him with a small smile and looked to Sam to see if he noticed too.

She raised her eyebrows at him in a silent question; do Julia and Dean have feelings for each other? Sam nodded back at her; they're both oblivious, but yes.

An amused smirk crossed Beth's face as she crossed the living room to her sister and daughter. "All right," she gave in. "Let's go make breakfast, girlies."

Maggie followed Julia, Beth, and Lizzie into the kitchen, leaving Dean, Sam, Abby, and Taylor. Abby waited until the sound of the mixer started before sitting next to Taylor on the couch and bringing up a difficult subject with all three men.

"Did Taylor give you the details about..." she hesitated for a long second, swallowing the lump in her throat. "about Levi?"

"I didn't," Taylor shook his head. "Not all of them, anyway. I figured you'd have a better perspective about the whole thing."

Abby nodded and Dean gave them a curious look. "What are you talking about?"

"Levi's death wasn't—" Taylor shook his head sadly. "It wasn't from natural causes. Someone—or something—murdered him."

"Something?" Sam raised his eyebrows at Taylor, stomach sinking in dread. "You mean you think something supernatural killed him."

"I do."

"I do, too," Abby added. "His condo was locked and the security system was on without any reported break-ins or tripped alarms."

"Have you seen the condo?" Dean asked; Taylor nodded. "Was there anything weird or any sign of a presence?"

"I took pictures of it," Taylor's face paled immensely as he remembered the crime scene. "It—it was bad. I had to identify the body and, well, Levi put up a fight."

Abby sniffed as tears filled her eyes; Sam and Dean gave her sympathetic looks while Taylor wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"Listen, I looked more into it," she pulled herself together. "There was another death a week or so ago and this morning. Same thing as Levi; locked apartment, no tripped alarms."

"This morning?" Sam asked in shock.

Abby nodded. "Guys, I think this is something," she inhaled deeply. "and I would do this myself but I-I just can't."

"We'll take care of it," Dean assured her quickly; he knew how important this way. This was Levi and he wasn't about to let his friend's little sister look into his murder. "We'll find what did this to Levi."

Abby wiped her eyes and sniffed noisily, taking the tissue Taylor offered her. Dean hadn't seen her cry since Naomi died; Abby was a tough one and didn't wear her heart on her sleeve like her sisters.

"Thank you," she managed to smile at them before standing up. "I'm gonna go see how they're doing in there."

As she left the room, Sam and Dean exchanged serious looks. They had to find out what exactly happened to Levi. They owed it to their friend and his grieving family.

After a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage—because Lizzie was weird and she didn't like bacon—and bacon, the arrangements for Levi's memorial began. While Maggie was on the phone with the funeral home where Naomi had her memorial—the family knew the home's director, who made sure their family was salted before being cremated—Taylor, Sam, and Dean retreated into the former's study, where they went over the photos of the crime scene in Levi's apartment while Julia, Abby, Beth, and Lizzie went through pictures of Levi to display at the memorial.

There were around twenty photo books to go through since the Petersen family were big on pictures. There were three whole photo albums just on Levi himself, from infancy to adulthood, while there were five books or so of the siblings all together and even more for special events and holidays.

It was heart breaking to go through the books, looking at Levi's smiling face but there was also something calming about it for Julia. Seeing Levi's bright smile in the pictures made her miss him so much but she knew he was happy up in Heaven with their mom. He had been a momma's boy through and through and he was destroyed when Naomi died. Julia would see her big brother again; she was sure of it.

"Look at this one," Beth smiled sadly down at the picture in her hands. She showed Abby and Julia, who were sitting side-by-side across the kitchen table. "Do you remember this?"

"Oh, my God, was that the Easter?" Abby reached for the photo and grinned widely when her question was answered. "It is. God, that was the funniest thing that ever happened to me."

"Yeah, funniest for you, most embarrassing for me," Julia grumbled as she took the picture from her sister; she couldn't help but smile at it anyway. "I tripped and fell at the Easter egg hunt, right in front of the boy I liked."

The picture was from when Julia was ten years old, Abby was thirteen, and Beth and Levi were seventeen. It was Easter and they were all dressed up in their best spring outfits. Right before the picture had been taken by Naomi, there was an Easter egg hunt that Julia participated in while her family watched on. She ended up tripping in the church parking lot in front of Simon Johnson, the boy she liked from her school. Her knees were still bloody and her face was tear-stained in the picture where she was smiling forcefully in front of Levi.

Beth and Abby snickered and Julia tried to glare at them but she couldn't keep it up. "All right, fine," she admitted. "It's kind of funny now."

"It was funny then!" Abby exclaimed before turning to Lizzie who sat next to her mother. "Auntie Jules is clumsy, isn't she?"

Lizzie nodded, her eyes eagerly soaking in the picture as Julia handed it back to Beth. "I like that picture."

"Me too," Beth smiled fondly. "It's going in the sibling pile."

Julia sighed; why must her sister torture her. "Fine."

She grabbed a photo album from the middle of the table and opened, smiling when she realized that it was Levi's teen years. It was full of awkward but sweet pictures. There were some of him with the youth group they all participated in; some from school events like prom and soccer games; there were a lot with Beth, especially when they graduated; and there was even one with Dean by his side, both of them looking at the camera with unamused looks. She saved that one, intending to give it to Dean later.

It was nice to see the pictures and remember times that she may not have on her own. She was seven years younger than Levi and Beth, which meant that some of her memories of them were different with a child's point of view. When she was younger and Levi went to prom with his date, she thought that he needed to hire a stylist. Now, as she looked at the picture, she knew that he dressed as best as he could, considering it was the nineties.

They went through the rest of the photo albums, pulling the pictures they wanted to frame for the memorial. They had to take a few breaks for the sisters to shed some tears. The worst part for them was when they had to decide which picture they needed to blow up for the large frame that would be in front of the church. It hurt them so much to know that the picture was the last representation of their brother.

Lizzie, bless her heart, was a Godsend. Taylor had explained what happened to her Uncle Levi the night before and she was sad but she was smart, too. She understood that her mom and aunts were grieving so she took it upon herself to cheer them up. To distract them, she'd the song that Beth sang to her while tucking her into bed every night.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." It made all of them smile.

Lizzie's favorite thing, though, was something she had in common with her Aunt Julia. She was a big fan of corny jokes and it was something so simple that had the sisters crying in laughter.

"What do you call a cow with no legs?" she'd say so innocently. "Ground beef!"

Normally, Beth and Abby would snicker politely but when Julia really got going—and she laughed hard at stupid jokes like that—they couldn't contain themselves. And then, Lizzie would join in, looking very happy that she made her mom and aunts laugh.

It was nice to laugh instead of cry. It felt right; Levi never could bear to see his little sisters cry.

-

Dean climbed out of the Impala outside of the apartment building of a woman named Meredith, the latest victim that fit the pattern of Levi's death. They had spent the morning and most of the afternoon pouring over the crime scene photos of Levi's condo and more details about Meredith's death. When they found the woman's address, the brothers decided to go check out the apartment for themselves.

"All right, Dean," Sam got out of the passenger seat, allowing Dean to lock up. "This is the place."

Dean nodded and tugged at the jumpsuit Sam insisted he wear so they could pass as workers for the company that provided the security in Meredith's apartment. "You know, I gotta say that Dad and me did just find without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork."

Sam gave him his famous bitch face, making Dean chuckle.

"Hey, what was that play you were in?" he asked Sam. "What was it—Our Town," he nodded, grinning when he recalled how adorable Sam looked a the main tree. "Yeah, you were good. It was cute."

Sam sighed in annoyance. "Look, you wanna pull this off or not?"

"I'm just saying," Dean shrugged as they got closer to the building's entrance. "these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?"

"Whose?"

"Our," Dean answered Sam's skeptical tone with an obvious one. "You think credit card fraud is easy?"

"Just shut up," Sam scoffed, holding back his laugh as he opened the door for his brother.

They spoke to the landlady, Maria, about who they were and why there were there and she led them up to Meredith's apartment.

"Thanks for letting us look around," Sam thanked Maria as she let them into the apartment.

"Well, the police said they were done with the place, so," she trailed off, shrugging as she and Sam moved further into the apartment. Dean closed the door behind them, his eyes looking around the place curiously.

If he closed his eyes, he could still see the gruesome photos that Taylor took of Levi's apartment. It was messy, obviously from when Levi struck up a fight, and it was bloody. Meredith's apartment was bloody, too. The white carpet was absolutely destroyed from the blood that was soaked up in it.

"You guys said you were with the alarm company?" Maria asked them.

"That's right," Dean confirmed.

"Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man."

Dean and Sam exchanged a taken aback look.

"Well, that's why we're here," Dean assured her. "To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again."

As Dean started to look around the living room, Sam asked Maria, "Now, ma'am, you found the body?"

"Yeah."

"Right after it happened?"

"No, just this morning," Maria sighed sadly. "Meredith's work called—she hadn't shown up in a few days. I knocked on the door and that was when I noticed the smell."

Dean nodded and studied the windows, looking for any disturbances. "Any windows open? Any sign of a break-in?"

"No, the windows were locked, the front door bolted," Maria told him. "The chain was on the door and we had to cut it just to get in."

Dean turned back to her. "And the alarm was still on?"

Maria nodded. "Like I said, bang-up job your company's doing."

Dean hummed, his eyes searching the area of the room where it faded into the kitchen. "You see any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of a struggle?"

"Everything was in perfect condition," Maria's eyes filled with tears. "Except—except Meredith."

"And what condition was Meredith in?" Sam wondered, remembering the police report on Levi.

"Meredith was all over, in pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of whack-job," Maria shook her head in disgust. "But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said it was a wild animal that did it."

Dean pressed his lips together and bowed his head; the report had said the same thing about Levi's body. Not about the wild animal, but that he was in pieces. When he read that part of the report, he had to take a minute to pull himself together. He couldn't imagine Levi—who was the closest to a best friend that Dean had—like that.

Sam, seeing the distant look in Dean's eyes, turned to Maria. "Ma'am, do you mind if we take some time to give this place a once-over."

"Oh, well, go right ahead," Maria agreed. "Knock yourself out."

As soon as Maria left the apartment and the door was shut firmly behind her, Dean pulled the EMF meter out of the tool box he brought. "So, a killer walked in and out of the apartment—No weapons, no prints, nothing."

The EMF meter whirled to life as Sam sighed. "Just like Levi's place," he stated. "So, you talked to the cops, right?"

Dean nodded. "Nothing we don't already know," he told his brother. "but the deputy I talked to told me something and it matched right up to Levi's case."

Sam raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Hmm?"

"Meredith's heart was missing."

"Just like Levi's?"

"Just like Levi's," Dean confirmed as he started waving the EMF meter around the room.

"So, what do you think we're dealing with?" Sam wondered he finished his own snooping and met back up with Dean in the middle of the room.

"Well, Maria said that it looked like an animal attacked Meredith," Dean reminded him. "Maybe it was a werewolf?"

"No," Sam shook his head. "No, the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace."

Dean nodded in agreement, catching some of Meredith's blood out of the corner of his eye. He looked down at the blood splatter fully, eyebrows furrowing when he saw that the drops were in some kind of pattern.

"See if you can find any masking tape around," he said to Sam.

Sam went searching throughout the apartment and it didn't take long until he found some electrical tape in the junk drawer in the kitchen. Dean got to his knees and started taping the stains together, like a gruesome connect-the-dots challenge.

The tape made out a symbol that Dean had never seen before. There was a circle in the middle with two lines going off either side of it and curving up on one side and down on the other.

Sam studied the symbol with furrowed brows. "Have you ever seen that symbol before?"

Dean shook his head. "Never."

"Me either."

-

After talking to the bartender at the bar that Amanda worked at, Dean walked back to the table where Sam was waiting for him, pages deep into their dad's journal. He sat on the stool across from his brother and tapped the surface of the table, almost impatiently.

Sam looked up from the journal and Dean sighed, "I talked to the bartender."

"And did you get anything besides her number?"

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother. "No, and I didn't ask for it, either."

"Really?" Dean wanted to punch the bewildered look off of Sam's face. "Why?"

"Dude, one of our friends—who was pretty much family—just died," Dean avoided his brother's eyes; truth was, it didn't feel right drinking and flirting with attractive women while Julia was at her house mourning her older brother.

"Hmm," Sam hummed and Dean looked over at him with narrowed eyes; Sam quickly moved on, "so, what did you find out, then?"

"Meredith worked here; she waited tables," Dean told him something they both already knew. "Everybody here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so..."

"Huh..."

"Yep," Dean clicked his tongue. "So, did you find anything out about that symbol?"

"Nope, nothing," Sam shook his head. "It wasn't in Dad's journals or in any of the usual books. I just have to dig a little deeper, I guess."

"Okay..." Dean tapped his fingers on the table again as he tried to think of something that would help. "Well, what about the first victim? The one before Levi?"

"Right, yeah," Sam pulled a newspaper clipping out of his jacket pocket, handing it to Dean. "His name was Ben Swardstrom. Last month he was found mutilated in his town house. Same deal as Levi and Meredith—the door was locked, the alarm was on."

"Was there any connection between the three of them?" Dean asked as he skimmed the article.

"Not that I can tell," Sam sighed. "I mean, not yet, at least. Levi worked for PSC, Ben was a banker, and Meredith was a waitress. None of them met or knew anyone in common."

Dean handed the newspaper clipping back to Sam. "So, we have nothing."

When he didn't get an answer from his brother, he looked over at him. Sam was looking across the bar and, when Dean followed his gaze, he saw that there was a tall woman with short blonde hair seated at a table with a few other people.

"Sam?" he looked back to his brother. "Hello?"

Sam quickly stood up and left the table, heading across the bar to the blonde woman. Dean quickly followed him, watching, bewildered, as Sam hugged the woman fondly.

"Sam," the woman pulled away from the hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I'm just in town visiting friends," Sam answered her with a half-lie.

The woman looked around Sam, her eyes sliding past Dean without a pause. "Where are they?"

Sam stiffened for a second before he spoke. "Well, they're not here right now. But, what about you, Meg? I thought you were going to California?"

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. Is that how Sam knew this chick? He met her while he was trying to hitchhike his way to California to find their dad?

"Oh, I did," Meg—that was what Sam called her—told him. "I came, I saw, I conquered. Oh, and I met what's-his-name, something Michael Murray at a bar."

"Who?" Sam looked confused.

Dean knew who she was talking about, though. Julia was a big fan of One Tree Hill and watched it every week when a new episode premiered. Chad Michael Murray played one of the main characters that Julia wasn't a fan of because he cheated on Brooke with Peyton and it was a whole thing. He didn't even know he knew exactly what she passionately rambled about until this moment; did this mean he was a fan of One Tree Hill?

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Meg grinned up at Sam. "Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while."

Having enough of being left out of the conversation, Dean cleared his throat to get their attention. He was promptly ignored.

"You're from Chicago?" Sam asked her in surprise.

"No, Andover, Massachusetts," Meg told him. "God, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?"

"Yeah, I know," Sam smiled. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well, I'm glad you were wrong."

From the looks Dean saw coming from Meg to Sam, it looked like those two had a connection. He grinned, amused like he always was when Sam met someone he was interested in, and cleared his throat again.

Meg immediately turned to glare at him. "Dude, cover your mouth."

Sam realized that Dean was there. "Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg," he apologized to the blonde. "This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean."

Meg gave him a surprised look. "This is Dean?"

Sam nodded while Dean smiled charmingly. "So, you've heard of me?"

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of you," Meg said; Dean was taken aback by the hostility in her voice. "It's nice, the way you treat your brother like luggage."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows; maybe her head her wrong. "Sorry?"

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do?" Meg scolded him like she had any right to. "Stop dragging him over God's green earth."

"Meg, it's all right," Sam intervened; Dean gave him a surprised look. Is that what Sam really thought about him?

"Okay, this is awkward," Dean mumbled, wishing Julia was there to break the ice. "I'm gonna go get a drink now."

Dean only got through half a beer when Sam all but dragged him out of the bar. Dean immediately started questioning him, wondering exactly had happened earlier.

"Who the fuck was she?" he asked as they walked through the parking lot.

"I don't really now," Sam admitted. "I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird."

Dean didn't pay much attention to Sam's concerns. "And what was she saying, huh? I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitching about me to some chick?"

"Look, I'm sorry, Dean," Sam sighed. "It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana...but that's not important, just listen—"

"Well, is there any truth to what she's saying?" Dean interrupted him worriedly. "I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?"

"No, of course not," Sam assured him. "Now, would you listen?"

"What?" Dean stopped walking once they crossed the street; Sam did the same and faced him.

"I think there's something strange going on here, Dean," Sam stated. "Like, our kind of strange. Maybe even a lead."

Dean blinked at him. "Why do you say that?"

"I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road and now I run into her in some random bar in Chicago?" Sam pointed out. "I mean, the same bar where a waitress was killed and the same time Levi was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?"

Dean didn't know what to think. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe it couldn't be a coincidence but even if it was, they could still check Meg out to see if she did anything suspicious.

"Okay, so you follow her," Dean suggested. "I'm gonna go back to the house and look through their library. See if they have anything on that symbol."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "and check to see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts."

Dean agreed and the brothers split up.

-

-

Julia wandered through the house, looking for Dean. She had heard the Impala roll up to the house around ten but she hadn't seen him at all in the hours since. Granted, it was midnight and pretty much everyone else was asleep, or trying to fall asleep, but Dean was a night owl. He usually stayed up until the infomercials came on and even then, he'd sit and watch some of them that he thought were interesting—he was especially interested in the knives that claimed to cut through anything, which Julia thought was kind of adorable.

She entered the small library that was connected to the study and was surprised to see Dean at the large table in the middle of the room, flipping through some pages in one of her dad's old hunting journals.

"Hey," she greeted him as she walked over and sat in the seat next to him.

"Hey," he gave her a small and concerned smile. "How are you?"

"I'm managing," Julia tried to conjure a full smile but she didn't have it in her. "What are you doing?"

Dean hesitated for a couple of seconds and Julia could tell that he was seriously thinking about something.

Finally, when he spoke, his voice was careful. "I'm gonna tell you something and it's gonna be hard to take," he said cautiously; Julia stiffened nervously. "Abby and Taylor thought that something was off about Levi's death so Sam and I are looking into it."

Julia swallowed harshly as she took in the new information, her eyes stinging. She let herself shed a few tears before forcefully pulling herself together. If something that they hunted killed Levi, then she owed it to him to help find out what—or who—it was.

"What do you have so far?"

"Julia—"

"I'm not saying that I want to go hunt the thing," Julia cut him off and grabbed his hand; he was the one to give her a comforting squeeze this time and it almost made her cry again. "I just—I want to help if I can. I need to help, Dean."

"Okay," Dean's green eyes stared sadly into her hazel ones. "Okay, there was another victim this morning so Sam and I went to check it out. The apartment was locked, the alarm wasn't tripped, and there was no sign of forced entry. We found something, though."

He took his phone and pulled up the picture he had taken of the symbol. Once he handed her the phone, Julia studied it for a minute or so before her eyes lit up in recognition.

"I know what that is," she declared, standing up to head to one of the large bookshelves.

Dean followed her with his eyes. "You do?"

Julia nodded, finding the book she was looking and pulling it from the shelf. "Yeah," she confirmed as she walked back over to him. "It took me a second to place it, but yeah, I know it," she flipped through the book. "My dad...he told me about this one time."

"Okay, so what is it?"

"It's Zoroastrian," Julia informed him. "It's old, like two thousand years before Jesus was born. It's a sigil for Daeva."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "What's a Daeva?"

Julia skimmed the information on the page she stopped at, the familiar symbol inked into the top. "It translates to 'demon of darkness'," she read. "The Zoroastrian demons are savage and animalistic."

Dean looked at one of the drawing of the demon. "Like a demonic pitbull?"

"Exactly," Julia nodded at him and then looked back to the book. "This says that the Daevas have to be summoned or conjured."

"So, someone's controlling it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah and they look terrifying," Julia's voice wavered as her eyes started to sting again. "If Levi...I mean, who would want to kill him? Why would someone do this to him?"

Dean couldn't stand to see Julia so upset and not comfort her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her into his chest. Her body shook with sobs but Dean held on tight, determined to support her just like she always supported him. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, whispering comforting words.

It wasn't until Julia fell asleep in his arms that Dean let his own tears fall.

-

Levi's memorial was scheduled for the next day, his and Beth's birthday. Beth insisted that it was done that day so she could give him one last birthday party. The house was quiet in the morning as everyone gathered in the foyer, dressed in black, to pray before they left the church. Dean didn't pray—he didn't really at all—but for Levi, he did. He held onto Julia's and Sam's hands and prayed to whoever or whatever was out there, hoping that the Petersen family would find peace with the loss of Levi and that his friend was up in Heaven like he told Dean he would be going after he died during one of the conversations in high school about faith, Christianity, and God.

The church was crowded when they arrived and the family was swept up in condolences from PSC employees, family friends, school friends, and church members. They were all very kind but, like any church, there were a couple of people who just seemed like snobs to Dean.

The memorial itself was beautiful; a large picture of Levi was at the front of the church next to the podium where the pastor spoke and there were more pictures in white frames around the church that detailed Levi's life with friends and family. Dean sat in the front row with the Petersen family on one side of Julia—with Abby on the other side of her—holding her hand and letting her squeeze it as tightly as she wanted.

There were eulogies and kind words spoken about Levi. Beth's speech was by far the most moving and it had Julia quietly sobbing into Dean's shoulder, his own tears falling down his cheeks as he held onto her. The pastor's message was moving, too, and for a second, it made Dean appreciate the faith that Julia, Levi, and the rest of the Petersen family had.

When the service was over, completed with a rendition of Amazing Grace from the church's choir, they moved into the banquet hall part of the building to enjoy a meal in remembrance of Levi. It was a potluck; made up of foods brought in by church members and Levi's friends.

It was after Dean finished eating that Sam pulled him aside to tell him about his night of watching Meg. It didn't really shock him to find out that Sam was right about seeing Meg was too much of a coincidence. It was her that summoned the Daeva and it was her that killed Levi.

"That's not all," Sam said as Dean's blood boiled. "She was communicating with someone."

"Someone?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "With who, the Daeva?"

"No, you told me those things were savages," Sam shook his head. "No, this was someone different. "Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's coming to that warehouse."

Dean closed his eyes in realization; he had looked up some more information on the other victims and he had completely forgotten to tell Sam what he found.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. "I looked into the records of the other victims. We missed something."

"What?"

"The first victim, the old man, he spent his whole life in Chicago but he wasn't born here," Dean informed his brother. "He was born in Lawrence, Kansas."

Sam's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Mmhm," Dean nodded. "and Meredith, it turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from?"

"Lawrence, Kansas," Sam breathed. "Shit."

Dean hummed. "Yeah."

"I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom," Sam sighed. "That's where everything started. You think that Meg's tied up with the demon?"

"I think it's a definite possibility."

Sam frowned. "I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? Why was Levi targeted? How do these Daeva things fit in?"

"Well, we're from Lawrence," Dean pointed out. "and Levi was practically family."

"And the Daeva?"

"Beats me," Dean shrugged. "but I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation."

"No, we can't," Sam shook his head immediately. "We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showing up to meet her."

"Fine, we'll go tonight," Dean agreed. "In the meantime, we need to support Jules."

Sam nodded and clapped Dean's shoulder. "Yeah," he stated. "We do."

-

The hallway to the motel room Sam got for them seemed much longer after they were thrown around by Meg and her little Daeva friends. Sam trashed the black altar she was using to control the demonic pit bulls but not before they got a little slashes in; Sam's right cheek had three claw marks scratched into it and, compared to him, Dean was let off easily.

"Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean asked his brother about the duffle bag full of weapons he was carrying as he pulled the room key out of his jacket.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again," Sam said, adjusting the bag's strap on his shoulder. "Better safe than sorry."

Dean shrugged and unlocked the door; he walked into the room but stopped just beyond the threshold when he saw two tall but dark figures standing near the window.

"Hey!" Dean barked at them, reaching for his gun.

The two men turned around as Sam reached for the lights, allowing him and Dean to see them clearly. The brothers recognized them immediately; Dean felt hope swell in his chest.

"Luke?" his eyes flicked between the blonde man and the brunette man. "Dad?"

John smiled warmly at his sons, his dimples making an appearance. "Hey, boys."

Dean didn't care if he usually didn't do chick-flick moments. He hadn't seen his dad in almost nine months and he thought he was dead for half that time. He walked forward at the same time as John, both of them pulling each other into a warm but strong hug.

Dean inhaled the usual scent that his dad gave off, peppermint and leather, and committed it to his memory for the thousandth time. The hug ended then, as Sam and John greeted each other, and he walked over to Luke to shake his hand—Luke was definitely not as touchy-feely as his children were.

"Luke," he greeted Julia's father; Luke's grip was as firm as it usually was but there was a sadness in his blue eyes that wasn't always there. "I'm really sorry about Levi."

"Thanks, Dean," Luke nodded, his gruff voice wavering only a little. "How are my girls?"

"Managing," Dean told him. "but they need you."

Luke pressed his lips together but didn't say anything; he wasn't positive, but Dean took that to mean that Luke wasn't visiting his grieving daughters while he was in town. It was discouraging and he grew irritated enough to turn away from the older man.

Dean had never really loved Luke—despite the fact that he was his dad's best friend—but he never disliked him, either. Now, though, his respect for the man had plummeted. His son had died and he wasn't at the memorial and he wasn't going to show up for his daughters, either. If Dean knew Naomi—and he did, she was the closest thing he ever had to a mother—she'd be rolling over in her grave right now at her husband's behavior.

"Dad, it was a trap," Dean focused on what was happening at the moment instead of letting his anger at Luke get the better of him. "I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"It's all right," John nodded with a small smile. "We thought it might've been."

"Were you there?"

"We got there just in time to see the girl fall from the building," Luke told him and Sam. "She was the one who killed Levi, right?"

Sam and Dean nodded in unison. "Yes, sir."

Luke inhaled deeply, his eyes flicking to meet John's. "Good. That's—that's good."

Well, as least he seemed grateful that his son's murderer was dead, Dean thought to himself.

"Well, the trap doesn't surprise me," John kept the conversation going, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, as well. "It's tried to stop me before."

Sam looked at him in surprise. "The demon has?"

John nodded. "It knows we're close," he told his sons. "It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to Hell—actually kill it."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows; from what Julia told him and what he already knew, he didn't think demons could actually be killed. "How?"

John and Luke shared smiles. "We're working on that."

"Let us come with you," Sam insisted immediately. "We'll help."

"No, Sam," John bowed his head as he denied is youngest son. "Not yet. Listen, try to understand, this demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I don't want you hurt."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us," Sam tried to talk sense into his father.

"Of course, I do. I'm your father," John shook his head and then paused, his eyes softening. "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

Sam's lips pursed as he started to tear up. "Yes, sir."

John sniffed. "It's good to see you again," he said thickly. "It's been a long time."

"Too long," Sam agreed; the two hugged, tightly holding onto each other as they fought their emotions.

To matter the circumstances, Dean was glad this was happening. It'd been four years since that nasty fight when Sam took off for Stanford; it had been one of the worst nights of his life; Sam was gone, John was an angry mess, and Dean's favorite person in the world had left him. Things were looking up now, though. Sam was by his side—until they found the demon, at least—Julia was hunting with them, and his dad was okay.

John and Sam finished their hug and John was looking at Dean tearfully when he was forcefully thrown back against the wall with some invisible force. Sam went down next, falling hard on his side when the Daeva attacked him, and then it was Luke who was on the floor.

"No!" Dean shouted before he was soaring through the air, too.

There was a lot of screaming from John and Luke as the Daeva seemed to focus on them but Dean couldn't focus on that them with all of his attention as he tried to get away from the Daeva knocking him around. Frankly, the grunts of pain Sam was letting out concerned him more but he couldn't shake the Daeva on his tail.

"Shut your eyes!" he heard Sam shout just after the Daeva swiped its claws down his forehead. "These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!"

Dean covered his eyes as Sam lit a flare; flooding the room with bright light and smoke. The Daeva attacking him disappeared and so did the ones on John and Luke. He slowly got to his feet as he coughed heavily and tried to make his way to John.

"Dad?"

"Over here!" John called back to him.

Dean followed his voice and found his dad where he was tossed in the kitchen. He ducked under John's shoulder and helped him up while Sam got Luke to his feet. The four of them piled out of the bright and smoky room and tried to get out of the motel as fast as they could.

"All right, come on," Sam said hurriedly as they approached the Impala; he let Luke lean against the car while he put the duffle bag full of weapons into the backseat. "We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean stopped him, his mind racing. He took in a deep breath as he turned to face John and Luke. "You guys can't come with us."

"What?" Sam looked to him in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"You boys," John argued breathlessly. "You're beat to Hell."

"We'll be all right."

"Dean, we should stick together," Sam protested angrily. "We'll go after those demons—"

"Sam, listen to me!" Dean interrupted him. "We almost got Dad and Luke killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop, they're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to them. I mean, Meg was right, Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's—he's stronger without us around."

Dean saw the look of realization and understanding on his dad's face.

Sam saw it, too. "Dad, no," he put his hands on John's shoulders. "After everything, after all the time we spent looking for you...Please, I gotta be a part of this fight."

"Sammy, this fight is just starting," John grabbed Sam's wrist. "and we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son. Okay? You've gotta let me go."

Sam hesitated for a couple of seconds before he finally nodded and let go of John's shoulders. Luke, who was in much better shape than John was, went to his friend's side and helped him stand on his own.

"He'll be all right," Luke assured Sam and Dean. "I'll take care of him. You take care of my Jujube."

Dean pressed his lips together and nodded; he had hoped that Luke could stay around for Julia, Beth, and Abby but now he saw that it wouldn't be safe. Luke was just as wanted by the Daeva as John was and he couldn't bring it around his children, sister-in-law, and granddaughter. For now, it was best for him to leave.

John smiled at his sons. "Be careful, boys."

Dean and Sam watched as Luke and John limped away, back down the alleyway to John's truck. As the truck started and pulled away, Dean grabbed Sam's arm and urged him toward the Impala.

(Gif is not mine)

#supernatural rewrite #dean winchester x oc #dean winchester x reader #supernatural #dean winchester #Sam Winchester #dean winchester fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x original character

[randomly-random-jen]

Heaven Can’t Wait - Chapter 38

I’m super depressed so I’m going to release this new chapter a day early because I need something to cheer me up. Not that I expect many people even remember the story.

If you wan to start from the beginning, here you go: Chapter One Don’t worry, I have fifteen more chapters pretty much ready to go. I might even do another tomorrow just because I have so many.

Enjoy.

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Space is Limited

Hours pass with the lights alternating sporadically between off and sometimes, sorta, kind of on for a bit. So maybe David has no idea what he’s talking about. The thought calms Bellamy in a strange way but then guilt fills him because when was the last time anyone had that much faith in him? Your mother would be disappointed.

The thoughts swirl around his head, back-tracking on themselves in a torrential mess as he watches the candle burn low. So very few people ever had any faith in him. How am I supposed to have faith in myself? He can’t stop picturing all the people he couldn’t save—Charlotte and Diggs and Roma and Fox. So many more. God, so many more.

He blinks, eyes burning. The glow of the flame burned into his retinas follows his gaze over to Heaven snoring softly on the sofa. In all his plans for the future, not once did he see himself married let alone with a kid. Too risky. How do you explain to your wife that she can’t come into your mother’s quarters? Not to mention, if he moved out, they’d make his mother change to smaller quarters—more potential danger. No, the plan had been graduate, become a guard, and keep his family safe. That’s all he needed to be happy. Right?

Who am I kidding?

Rubbing his face, he leans back, the chair creaking under his weight. He never considered getting married because he didn’t believe he’d make it long enough to find anyone to love.

And now? Maybe he found someone he could spend his life with, but he’s still not sure he’ll be around that long. His chest tightens at the thought. Their future is so precarious, he can’t even imagine what he’ll be doing a month from now, let alone a year. The Grounders still want him dead. Some of the Guard as well. And the planet itself is trying to kill them all. Between all of that and being locked in a tin can for five years—honestly, he doesn’t see any of them lasting more than a couple years if they’re lucky. They’ll tear each other apart before then. Or starve.

He forces his thoughts away from that terror, focusing on reports of other incidences from the past week. It’s all more of the same—high anxiety and frustration setting off clashes between neighbors. None of the reports are helping his mood. With the candle nearly burned out, he wakes Heaven who smiles up at him, eyes twinkling. She eagerly climbs into his arms, hugging Bae close, as Bellamy locks the office.

The halls are mostly empty. They pass a few patrolling guards, but no one else wants to be out in the dark. He considers calling Raven for another update, but he’s sure she’s got enough to deal with right now. He’ll check on her in the morning—make sure she’s not still blaming herself.

Of course she is. Because she’s Raven. Because she’s just like you.

They can hear the music as soon as they turn the corner to their corridor. Bellamy groans. Sure enough, a thumping bass rattles his door.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Heaven shoots him a curious look when they stop outside the door. He sets her down to type his code into the pad still lit with emergency power. The music blasts when he lets himself in. And the tiny room is packed with nearly a dozen people. Heaven holds her hands over her ears, peering around Bellamy’s legs. He sets what’s left of his candle next to a lamp on his bedside table. The two girls making out on his bed turn bright red and slide apart. Across the room, Miller, Bryan, and some other guy are watching something on a tablet and arguing animatedly. Harper is sitting on his dresser, Monty leaning against it between her legs. Three other kids he doesn’t know are sitting on his desk—his books, shoved to the floor. They barely notice him.

How the hell can these many people fit in this room?

The door suddenly shoves open, knocking Heaven into his knees.

“I’m baaack,” Jasper drawls. “And I come bearing-”

Bellamy crosses his arms, face set in a scowl at the box of bottles in Jasper’s arms.

The music cuts off at about the same time. “I thought you were working,” Miller says.

“I was. Now I’m not. What the hell is this?”

The two girls from his bed, scamper out of the room, giggling. The three kids on his desk teeter precariously, eyes drowsy. There’s a distinct smell in the air that makes him want to vomit. He glares even harder at Jasper. Jasper grins back.

“We’re just having a little fun,” Harper says, running her hands through Monty’s hair. “You remember fun, right.”

What?

The trio on the desk looks from Harper to Bellamy, a semblance of understanding dawning in their dull eyes.

“Out,” Bellamy growls, jaw tight.

“Oh come on,” Jasper says, bumping his arm and nearly dropping the box. “Have a drink. Relax a little. Chill.”

“I’m as chill as I’m going to get. Out. And that still will be shut down.” When he reaches for the box, Jasper backs into the hall, banging into Heaven on his way out. She hisses, baring her teeth. It’s adorable and manages to calm the anger building in his gut. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” he calls after Jasper who sticks his tongue out at each of them. Heaven mirrors the move in the fiercest way possible.

One of the kids on the table snickers. Bellamy jerks his head after Jasper, holding the door open. They grumble as they slide off the desk and stumble into the hall. Monty tugs a reluctant Harper behind him.

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

Bellamy pats his back as he passes. The other unknown kid follows them, leaving Bellamy’s two roommates. Bryan grabs his jacket from the chair and pecks Miller on the cheek. “Come by later.”

The door shuts behind him. Miller crosses his arms over his chest and glares back at Bellamy. “This is my room, too,” he says through gritted teeth.

“It was mine first.”

“Really? That’s mature.”

Bellamy rubs the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want to argue. Space is limited so we’re stuck with each other, but I’m tired, and I need to put Heaven to bed.”

Miller’s glare hardens further. “Right, Heaven. Maybe Heaven should get her own room.”

Heaven’s eyes narrow—a growl building in the back of her throat. She has no idea what they are saying, but she recognizes her own name and can probably tell by their tones it isn’t a pleasant conversation.

“Well, she’s not going to right now,” Bellamy says, resting his hand on her head before she gets any ideas about biting Miller again.

“I can’t believe you’re getting this bent out of shape over a kid. There are dozens of families in this station that could take her. And don’t give me that crap about her throwing a fit. She’ll get over it.”

“She’s like two. I’m not going to just toss her off. She had a traumatic experience.”

“I know—I was there. She seemed to be doing just fine until she met you. Now she’s a big baby.”

“What is your problem? She’s just a kid.”

“Not your kid. Do you even hear yourself, Bellamy? You’re getting too attached. You’re not her father so get over it.”

“Get out.”

“What?”

“I said out. Go stay with your boyfriend.”

Bellamy moves to the side and waits for Miller to grab his stuff. His friend says nothing, only glares at Heaven as he leaves, slamming the door behind him. Bellamy sits with a sigh next to Heaven on the bed. “That could have gone better.”

Heaven pats his shoulder—a close approximation of a comforting look on her face. It makes him smile.

“Come on, let’s straighten up before we have dinner.”

Heaven follows him around the room as he picks up books and clothes. She haphazardly stacks items and shoves things into random drawers until the room at least looks neat. When they’re done, Bellamy kicks off his shoes and stretches out on the bed. Heaven does the same, wiggling her toes next to his knees. Bellamy digs a finger into her ribs until she giggles. He will never get tired of hearing that sound.

He pulls a granola bar out from the nightstand drawer and breaks off a piece for her. She immediately starts nibbling at it, sending crumbs down her chin. Bellamy laughs. “My mom never let us eat in bed. Every meal, even if it was just protein paste, she made us sit at the table and we’d discuss our day. Like things ever changed. It was so boring.”

He hands over another chunk of granola and brushes crumbs from her chest. “Of course, I’m kind of seeing her point now.”

Heaven licks each of her fingers then bats her eyelashes at him. He gives her another piece. Where did she learn that? He shakes his head. She devours the rest of the granola then eyes the last bit that Bellamy is planning on eating. He hands it to her. Abby can never hear of this.

Before the candle can burn out completely, Bellamy washes Heaven up and gets her ready for bed then he brushes the crumbs from the blankets. They snuggle up together with Miller’s discarded tablet. “This was my favorite as a kid,” he tells her as he queues up an animated movie from the archives. Heaven chatters away at Bae until the movie gets to the singing. She watches, eyes wide, as the characters dance and sing. She starts to sway back and forth against Bellamy’s side. When it ends, she taps the screen, obviously wanting more.

Bellamy just laughs and starts another one. It’s one of the better nights he’s had since landing on the ground. He drifts off to sleep towards the end of the movie, and thankfully, dreams of only of talking animals and knights saving princesses from dragons. Not unlike his childhood.

Chapter 37 | chapters | Chapter 39

#the 100 fanfic #heaven can't wait #bellamy blake #nathan miller #jasper jordan #with friends like these...

[travllingbunny]

The 100 6x07 Nevermind

Season 6 of The 100 has been fantastic so far, and 6x07 is not just the best episode of the season so far, but also one of my favorite ever episodes of the show. Nevermind is, in many ways, a dream come true for me: this is exactly what I was hoping for at least since the promos for the show started promising the theme of characters “facing their demons”. At the time, I couldn’t have guessed that it would be about Clarke battling a centuries old woman who has taken over her body after her parents had decided to bodysnatch Clarke in order to bring their daughter back, but I was hoping for trippy, mind-bending, character-based storylines. Most of all, one focused on Clarke Griffin, the main character and hero of the show (oddly enough, this needs to be pointed out, since there are fans who keep forgetting it), her psyche, her traumas and emotional issues and character development.

After the wonderful last scene of 6x06 and the promos for this episode, my expectations were really high, and they were met. There was a little bit of fear that the whole “which characters will make a cameo”, “who will be mentioned how many times” thing would distract from Clarke’s character exploration, but that was not the case. This episode was almost entirely (except for the last scene) set in Clarke’s and Josephine’s mind space rather than the real world. The walk down the memory lane that the drawings we saw on Clarke’s mind-wall was there, but it was, above all, a great character study of the show’s protagonist, a battle of wills between the hero and the villain, and it had some big revelations – for the audience or for the characters. It had brilliant dialogue and acting, and was emotional, dark, intense and even funny at times (mostly thanks to Josephine, who is evil and detestable but also incredibly funny and charismatic).

And what particularly made me happy is that it addressed some long-standing questions of morality that the show had been ambiguous about. The show’s moral complexity/greyness has long bordered on moral relativism, and allowed (mis)interpretations in the fandom, to the effect that “There are no good guys, the protagonists are as bad as the villains, therefore it’s all the same and it doesn’t matter if someone does bad things, since everyone does it”. The unfortunate motto “for my people” has been overused and abused by many morally ambiguous or straight-up villainous characters on the show, to justify their own actions (the classic “who are you to talk, when you killed all the Mountain Men! Therefore I get to do whatever I want ‘for my people’’ – as if doing the only thing that could have stopped the evil society of technological vampires/overlords from killing and cannibalizing all your loved ones, is the same as killing people with no remorse to get power). By season 5, Clarke herself seemed to start buying into that view. Josephine Lightbourne again try to use that against Clarke in this episode, and nearly made her give up. This time, however, Clarke and the show both finally said “f*ck you” to that worldview.

One of the reasons why Josephine is such a great villain is that she is both a parallel and a striking contrast to Clarke. On the surface, they seem similar – their looks, background, family. When we first saw her in the flashback in 6x02, the similarities were obvious – another intelligent, capable, beautiful blonde girl with loving parents (Russell, in both versions, even matches the same physical type as Jake), a princess from a privileged background. But Josephine is everything that Clarke-haters (in and out of the show) claim Clarke to be, but that Clarke most definitely is not: selfish, narcissistic, with a god complex, remorseless, sociopathic, completely ruthless, pampered, classist, treating people as disposable. A start contrast to Clarke’s compassionate, caring, self-sacrificing nature.

Various thoughts about this episode in bullet points under the cut.

One of the many contrasts between Clarke and Josephine is the disorganized, beautiful way that different memories fill Clarke’s mind space, as drawings all over the walls of her room, unlike Josephine’s highly structured, organized mind. Just like “Monty”, I also like Clarke’s better.

I’m overall very happy with how this episode included references to various people and events from Clarke’s past, through a combination of drawings, flashbacks, mentions and objects. Most important people in Clarke’s life were referenced – both dead ones like Jake, Finn, Lexa, Jasper, Monty, and living ones like Bellamy and Madi (not so many mentions of Abby, but that’s because she’s both alive and, unlike so many others, not a source of guilt for Clarke).

The only exception is arguably Wells, and it’s really unlucky that the planned appearance by Eli Goree didn’t work out. We still got a confirmation of his importance in Clarke’s life (which should be big – he was her best friend since childhood and died tragically, even if he didn’t last long on the show) through several drawings (and the Chinese version of the idiom “A friend in need is a friend indeed” under one of them), and, more importantly, a close-up of one of them. Let’s be honest, the drawings are generally little more than a cool Easter egg for the fans, if the show doesn’t focus on them through close-ups and flashbacks or mentions – something that the general audience would notice.

I love the way that Clarke’s outfit and hairstyle kept changing depending on which memory or part of her mind space she was in at any given moment. For instance, she started as Ark Clarke from the Pilot, then turned into Eden Clarke when she visited her safe space of the life there with Madi for those 6 years – which was far from perfect (what with being isolated from everyone else, without any adult with her, without other friends or any chance of love or sex life, and waiting for Bellamy to come back and talking to him without answer to keep sane), but was still the most peaceful time she’s known. Except maybe for her childhood, which she did spend in a not-happy space (life on the Ark was difficult, if not for her, then for so many others who were less privileged, and we know Clarke was aware of that), but she had a happy family life, so it makes sense that her father is the first person she would see in her mind-space. Jake and Eden stood for safety and family life and peace, which Clarke thought she got when she briefly believed she had really died – before Jake (aka her own mind) told her it wasn’t true. It’s the sign of her being upset – the rain and storm outside that happened due to her mood – that alerted her to the fact she was still alive.

Every character, other than Josephine, who appeared in Clarke’s mind space was, of course, an embodiment of a part of her.  

Although I’m not sure about ALIE, whose code may have remained there, and who delivered information that Clarke may not have already known. It was the one cameo in this episode that really surprised me (since the rest had been revealed or guessed on social media). She was there for the big revelation that the neural mesh from the time Clarke was in the City of Light is what ended up saving her. This made this episode’s link to 3x13 Nevermore even stronger. (Funny that the erased memory of ALIE!Raven is what gave rise to that awful amnesia theory. Glad that this has been shut down now.) I guess this means that I was wrong about other hosts being savable, and that Delilah is gone forever? A big part of why I wanted it to be true, apart from liking Delilah, was to give the Earthkru more incentive to fight the Primes. But we have been given a lot of other reasons why they should make the decision to so that.

ALIE also had a conversation with Clarke about the nature of life and humanity, which, however, could be just Clarke talking to herself. Clarke has been tempted to run away from pain, she’s even tempted to run from it by accepting death in this episode, but she’s still insisting that pain is a necessary part of life and that there’s no joy without it. At the core, Clarke is not someone who gives up.

The revelation that the darkest and most painful memories are those that aren’t even on the wall and that Clarke keeps hidden, explained some things, such as why there were no drawings on the mind-wall of such huge moments as Jake’s death or Finn’s death (Clarke’s trauma from this was a subject of an entire episode – one of my favorites, 2x09, Remember Me)... However, while I don’t want to criticize the prop department, who did an incredible job drawing those pictures from scenes, they did make an error - one of the drawings of Lexa is actually from the scene of her right after being shot, which doesn’t really fit (her death is one of the “darkest place” hidden memories) – though you wouldn’t know that by just looking at the picture and not knowing the scene.

I’m glad that Josephine called out Clarke on child abuse, and that the drawing of Madi in pain in the shock collar was so prominent on the wall. Season 5 had Clarke at her lowest point, and that was certainly, IMO, one of the worst things she’s done.

We know (from 6x04) that Clarke’s biggest regret is leaving Bellamy in Polis in season 5, and this episode confirmed that this weighs so heavy on Clarke’s heart that she can’t even face Bellamy in her mind space (which fits with the fact that the darkest and most traumatic moments are those she did not put on the wall). She is afraid that he hasn’t really forgiven her in his heart, and that he can’t, because she can’t forgive herself. Even if Bellamy is alive and well, Clarke’s feelings for him make her betrayal of him unforgivable in her own eyes (even though, at the time she did it, she had been heartbroken and furious because she felt he had betrayed her). Octavia, or rather Blodreina, was the right embodiment of her guilt in a weird way, since she was the danger that Clarke left Bellamy to, the one who threw him into the pit in the first place (kind of like Jaha was the embodiment of Bellamy’s guilt over the culling in 1x08). She reminded Clarke of some of her other sins, those that involved Clarke being ready to sacrifice Octavia (while trying to protect Bellamy) – letting the bomb drop on the people in Tondc, stealing the bunker in season 4, but she was there mostly to talk about Bellamy, because the relationship between Clarke and Octavia has always mostly revolved around their respective relationships with him. Even in her own mind, Clarke is still deflecting when confronted with her feelings for Bellamy (“I care about both of you”, just like she said “I care about all of them” when called out on her feelings for Bellamy by Lexa in 2x14). Octavia is also the embodiment of the unwillingness to forgive, so her refusal to fight for Clarke makes sense.

Not that Clarke needed any help to kick Josephine’s arse. It was satisfying to see, but expected. Josephine is an actual pampered princess who’s never had to fight for anything, while Clarke has been fighting and surviving in adverse circumstances for 7 years.

Maya’s appearance made perfect sense, but she was the most OOC character of all the “mind space” characters – maybe because Clarke didn’t get to know her that well, but mostly because she was the embodiment of Clarke’s guilt over the innocent deaths she’s caused. Maya was a good person, someone who helped them against her own people because it was the right thing to do, and because she knew what the Mountain Men were doing was wrong. She is also linked in Clarke’s mind with her feelings of guilt over Jasper – Clarke didn’t know Maya well, but Jasper was one of her closest friends, and Clarke feels deeply guilty for indirectly causing his downward spiral that ended with his suicid4. I was happy to see him referenced so much in this episode – through “Maya”, the case Clarke found in 5x01, and his goggles that she found there, which all played a big role in this episode. The accusations that “Maya” (Clarke herself) made sounded a lot like the repertoire of Clarke-haters: that she likes being a savior, has a god complex, has killed more people than she’s saved, is no better than the Primes… This is a confirmation that Clarke herself has agonized over all of these things. But it’s not what the real Maya would have said – the real Maya died acknowledging the responsibility all of the Mountain Men had for the evil things their society was doing, saying “None of us is innocent”. When Clarke made her “Maya” character be helpful against Josephine, it was the closest thing to what the real Maya had been like.

Clarke’s darkest place, the most painful and traumatic memories she has, are the deaths of Finn and Lexa, the only two people she has had romantic relationships with – relationships that were both extremely brief and tragic, and ended with deaths that traumatized Clarke a lot and made her feel guilty – even though she doesn’t really have, IMO, objective reasons to feel responsible for either of them, it’s not hard to see why she would feel, on the emotional, irrational level, that she is the one causing people to die. (The show and especially the fandom have tended to ignore one of these relationships  post-season 2 and to over-focus on the other, so I was pleasantly surprised that they were both acknowledged in a similar way for their role in Clarke’s development and emotional traumas – with the visual references with Lexa’s throne and the pole Finn was tied to and the knife Clarke used to mercy kill him, combined with the flashback of Finn’s death, a different flashback of Lexa seen before, and Josephine’s indirect mention of her death – which was probably the most elegant solution, since I don’t think the show would ever dare replay the footage of her death for fear of more backlash.)

It’s certainly no coincidence that this dark place that’s about Clarke’s traumas of her tragic romantic life is the place where Josephine breaks Clarke by convincing her that Bellamy has given up on her and that he and everyone are better off with her dead. Josephine didn’t technically lie – she told her he took her death hard but in the end made the rational choice of agreeing to the deal with her murderers. But, by showing her an out-of-context memory of Bellamy taking the deal, she showed her a skewed version of the truth. Clarke didn’t see Bellamy’s grieving, despair and anger, and didn’t realize that Bellamy saying that she would do the same was out of admiration for her, as a leader who’s not just smart but also selfless and caring. She probably took it as another sign he sees her as a monster, doesn’t care that much about her and is better off without her, because it fed into her own insecurities.

Josephine: “Have you considered sacrificing yourself?” Bitch, watch the season 4 finale. She didn’t just consider it, she did it.

I loved the fact that the case Clarke used to hide the important memory was Jasper’s case, that it contained Jasper’s goggles alongside Jake’s video, and that the lock password was “102”. More confirmation of the importance of the initial Delinquents community from season 1 in Clarke’s life and the show. “You forgot Bellamy and Raven” may be my favorite line from this episode.

Monty’s return (which the show tried to hide by not putting Chris Larkin’s name in the credits until the end credits, but it revealed it through not cutting enough of one of the promo pics) was not a complete surprise, thanks to the detective work of some of the fans, but was still my favorite part of the episode. Monty was most in-character, because Clarke knew him so well, and it makes perfect sense that he was the voice of Clarker’s reason and moral compass, which is what made her change her mind after having given up and given Josephine the victory. (You want a great platonic friendships between a man and a woman on The 100? Here it is!)

The ‘Monty” part of Clarke’s mind fought back, against all the BS – the “bear it so they don’t have to”, “for my people” mottos and moral relativism and Josephine’s half-truths) and reaffirmed Clarke’s resilience and will to live, and reminded her that what it all comes down to is not just saving your people, but doing the right thing. After Monty told them to be good guys and be happy. Both of these messages are what Clarke had to remember. As I’ve been pointing out, doing better is not just standing by and not killing people. It’s also actively fighting against evil. They are not being good guys if they let the Primes murder, bodysnatch, oppress, brainwash and sacrifice the people from their community, just because it doesn’t affect them.  As “Monty” (Clarke) pointed out, it’s not doing better if you let the Primes murder people to live forever.

Clarke’s trip through Josephine’s memories (of being killed by Kaylee, and of killing Isaac and sacrificing a baby) helped her fully realize that Josephine is truly evil and needs to be stopped. Really, if killing babies is not enough to make you classify someone as true evil on a whole different level, what can?

Josephine tried to pull the “for my people” motto with Issac, but she was full of s*hit. She only does things for herself and maybe a few other people (not even all the Primes, since she murdered four of them). We learned that Children of Gabriel are literally the children that the Primes tried to sacrifice to the trees and that Isaac saved and brought to Gabriel. We also got another confirmation of the cruel caste system of Sanctum, where “nulls” (people who are not Nightblood gene carriers) are treated as lower life forms, and routinely sacrificed, and that Josephine would rather kill them all, if she was allowed to by her father. Not that having the NB gene is so good, as it means your child may end up as a host, and obviously, the “honor” of being a Nightblood means you get bodysnatched at the age of 21.

When Isaac said  “if only we were allowed to be more than your janitors and guards”, it felt like it was the writers’ way of reminding us of the class system on the Ark, where Bellamy was a janitor and a guard-in-training. It’s also another reminder of how different Clarke and Josephine are – Josephine would have considered someone like Bellamy expendable and useless, whereas Clarke quickly showed in season 1 she valued people based on their personal qualities rather than their origin or class.

It was cool to see a flashback to the time before the apocalypse, complete with references to Diyoza and Becca, but this memory was my least favorite part of the episode. I guess I just wasn’t that interested in Josephine’s traumatic memories, since I don’t think they’re enough to explain her sociopathic nature. On second thought, you could say that this guy was her Finn, and that her response to that trauma was completely different from Clarke’s – genuinely shutting herself down to any compassion or remorse.

I love the fact that what saved the day was the fact that Clarke and Bellamy were both good students of Earth skills (taught by Pike!) and that they are, once again, so well attuned to each other that they can communicate this way. Or the fact that Bellamy was watching JC so carefully, even though it must have hurt him emotionally to look at her, that he noticed her movements and read them correctly.

Nice to see Miller back, but did he have to be so… not-bright? In any case, it’s great to see Bellamy as determined to save Clarke, as he was despondent in the last episode. This is maybe the first time that Clarke really needs saving, but a huge and crucial part of that rescue was Clarke deciding that she wants to live.

Rating: 10/10

#the 100 #the 100 season 6 #the 100 6x07 #nevermind #clarke griffin #josephine lightbourne #bellamy blake #monty green #jasper jordan #maya vie #jake griffin #wells jaha #octavia blake #madi griffin

[sometimesrosy]

I wasn’t in fandom then but why did people think Bellamy was a bad guy in S3? Its weird to me people thought that I mean I wasn’t HAPPY w/Bellamy I was frustrated he was lead by Pike(I prefer mentorKane)he did terrible things but hasn’t EVERY character??At NO point did my brain think Bellamy=Bad. There are shows that turn characters to a villain but watching S3 I actually saw S1 Bellamy w/ the volume turned up he was an ass but it was him overprotective & there was more to it than we saw

It was a BIG fandom discussion. And it was on both sides of the dumb shipwar Bellarke vs CL.

Let me put this behind the drop because the harder it is for people to access the fewer people who want to start pointless fights will see it. 

CLs thought that Bellamy was the bad guy because they believed that Lxa was the hero of the story, the sky people were invaders and colonialists, and Bellamy was the one who stood between Lxa and victory. HE’S the one who led the charge. HE’S the one who cause war and violence and stopped peace from happening, which, they believed, was Lxa’s goal, because she was the good guy and her love for Clarke was pure and good and Clarke was the love interest heroine and the Hero’s reward for being the hero. That’s my read. They looked at CL as a classical romantic fantasy/fairy tale with L as the warrior king and Clarke as the fair princess. Fair enough. But they were getting the wrong story out of The 100, because that wasn’t the direction The 100 was going.

However, their story made Bellamy, the evil love interest who wanted to take Clarke away from the hero, into the villain of the story. He was the one who stopped the hero from reaching her goal. Therefore, that made him the villain. 

Never mind that Lxa wasn’t the hero, Clarke was, Bellamy was the co-protagonist not the villain, the POV characters are told to us in the title, The 100, they are NOT the marauding enemy. Or that ADC had a contract on a bigger show where she was a main. It was a ship-based interpretation that made Lxa the star of the show, Clarke the reward, and Bellamy the villain. And BOY did they hate Bellamy. 

If you ask me, the bellarke fandom ALSO adopted this idea that the sky people and Belamy were written as villains. But instead of taking it as the CORRECT interpretation, they decided that JR was the enemy who was now VILLAINIZING Bellamy, and ruining the show, taking the heroic POC hero of the story, and demonizing him in a racist story where all the POC characters are colonialists intent on taking over the POC “coded” grounders. 

I didn’t see much POC coding in the grounders. To me, the stylization was more viking than say, african tribal, or native american. Maybe some Hun. Their decision that the grounders were POC coded was basically limited to fur ideas. 

they used bronzer and makeup to appear darker (they apparently did not live through the 80s, decade of bronzer and deep tan.)

clarke had dreadlocks. (those are literally not dreadlocks. dreadlocks don’t fall out when you get caught in the rain.)

the bindi-helm of awe that the commanders wear, and the influence of eastern religion on their beliefs. (that is there but I don’t think it’s enough to make them POC coded. And I am speaking as an actual buddhist, nam myoho renge kyo.)

that grounders are barbarians which they think=POC, and The Ark is tech advanced which they think=white (an equivalency which I personally think=racist.) now i just googled barbarian tribes and do you know what I discovered? All the barbarian tribes were damn europeans. :/

I don’t know, man. I think a lot of the reading of Bellamy as a villain was misinterpretation, and adoption of shipwar and fanwar antagonism. 

They were ANGRY at JR making Bellamy go through that and also at “giving” Clarke to Lxa. They BELIEVED the CL’s interpretation and took it on because it fed their anger and outrage. They wanted to fight, not understand the story. 

They ignored that almost everyone in the Arkadia story was minority. With the Filipino mixed race dude as the center of the story, whose soul was being fought over by the “good” half peruvian peace maker and the “bad” black warmonger. The support for that story was, a troubled white girl, a middle aged asian woman, her asian son, a gay black man, two white girls (one of whom died,) a gay white man, and a black man who died. Bellamy had to choose his commitment. Be the good guy or do whatever he must for his people and be lost. He chose to be the good guy, because he is the hero, and he was the hero of the arkadia story. (Jaha’s story was separate and not part of that political story, so Raven, Abby and Jasper were in that story, not Bellamy’s.) 

But you know, every time someone came up with evidence to back up their interpretation, someone called them delusional. or everyone called them delusional, even if their “delusions” were actual canon. So people stopped believing in canon and started making up their own interpretations based on outrage, political positions, accepted dogma, and your standard online battles. 

#the 100 #i survived season 3 #people like their misinterpretations and fanwars and don't care if they are based on canon or logic

[serak-sarak-meta-sarahk]

They are slamming their roof crawl space walk door for the try to jam through the titanium.

They did just hit the titanium.

They are now doing it again.

They are tapping the maf given machine gun that Mehoy-menoy in SpongeBob was created over.

THEY DID THIS FOR THREE DAYS WHILE CHANTING BACK AND FORTH WHILE COMING DOWN OFF OF COUGH SYRUP AND PILLS. WHILE CHANTING "WE KILLED THONMETOM AND SARAK AND GOT THE MACHINE GUN AND TURNED OJ AND KILLED NIKKI AND STOLE BLU SOFIA AND PRINCESS" WHILE WE WATCHED FROM THE DOME LAUGHING BUT ALSO KIND OF CRYING for your minds for three days until your were done. After that yall started jumping on the floor to sleep.

Even the Macdougal-thomas-cassettos. Which was a combo of the three last names on the last people lineal families trying that slavery shit.

Yall with the marcellos were the prettiest once who tried to fuck your own kids where some wives and kids left YOUNG AND FOOT RAN WITH THE MILITARY TO SAFETY.

For how non racist America really is, that was even kept a secret from yall until 2020.

They're dropping g change in the titanium again to say they know I'm watching. They call this their "cynical pretend scared" I've watched these girls have breakdowns all of college while I didn't break down over the same until around them.

They're trying to play the sound game hahaha this is when they want me to type what it means in morse code but it's not morse code

THEY DONT KNOW THIS UNTIL TODAY BUT IN 2008 WHEN WE GOT BACK FROM CHINA WE HAD A SECRET FBI BREAK IN SLEEPOVER AS LAURYN WAS GETTING HER STOMACH PUMPED AND NAME CHANGED WITH A GUN TO.HER HEAD FOR STEALING LEAH THEN MIAS BOYFRIENDS LIVE ON THEIR CAM SHOW.

It's so funny the @fbi-swiftunit gets the streams live as they happen when Lauryn was actually over dosing but on the fbi screen they have boxes over their bodies. The boxes cvi find their bodies when they get backed and censor them from that location.

They almost killed their friend so that night we had a.sleepover making them laugh at their own censored cam steam and tell that their morse code wall game is not really nores code but my aim convo from their end.

They were dubbed the most psychopathic for moving back in and posting the aim convo on the wall. They are known as THE ONLY CREW IN AMERICA WHO THOUGH THE ABBY DOUBLE HAPPENED SO THEY ALL GRT SUED BC IT HAD TO HAPPEN TWICE AT THEIR UPROAR ABOUT IT

Didn't they say "the ones who got to go to UT WERE GONNA HATE THEIR DEGREES ACTUALLY NOT ME."

The dad just sped off.

I actually have a speaker into my room for if they try to talk at all. Those ones I've actually gotten to learn so well through fbi camp THAT I WENT TO TWITCH CAMP. Where Twitch the dancer and I went back and they had me get a full tan when I didn't at the pageant. They got so mad when I went white. I pretended to be twitches kid with Twitch so we could save nova and her sister. OH SHIT I FORGOT THEY JUST LEFT THE SISTER IN THEIR.

They're checking the fbi body dolls. They left the girl who thought she was playing doctor on two heroine machines to make her daughters the ultimate sex workers. Anytime their kids got taken away by not us, they'd try to kill thommy and I.

So we gave them the most close and most robotic fbi body dolls.

They started slamming around stuff as I was trying that and slamming in the crawl space.

Yall were even allowed in organization to be investigated like the contracts you signed in 1998 with Ken Paxton.

[pofcroyalfanfiction]

Chapter Fifty Seven - The Runaway Returns

Ellie glanced back up at Scarlett, wanting to stop feeling sorry for herself. Scarlett was examining her like a science project, her gaze focused on Ellie's hair.

"What now? What's wrong with my hair?" Ellie asked. The summer heat had mostly dried her soaked hair whilst they had been talking, but it was still a wild mess. She could feel strands of it standing up seemingly miles above her head, a tangle of bobby pins and hair spray.

"Nothing." Scarlett told her. She had already stood up, hairbrush in hand, and started cleaning up Ellie's hair for her.

"It's obviously not nothing." Ellie stared up at her.

"Just let me fix it up for you, okay?" Scarlett said, removing a stray pin occasionally and storing them in her mouth.

Ellie let her continue. She pretended to be put out, but she was secretly loving the attention. It had quickly become her dream to be remade in Scarlett's image, and her dream was coming true.

"I used to know someone who did their hair this way, all the pins, the side part, the curls." Scarlett told her, disappearing out of Ellie's view as she worked.

"My... friend Anna did it for me."

Anna has her titles, but I don't want to look even more posh in front of Scarlett by calling her my maidservant. She is really just my friend.

The styling suddenly stopped. Scarlett seemed to just vanish without a word. Ellie waited for a moment before she turned around, yet Scarlett was still there, albeit a few feet further away. Her face had gone completely pale.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine!" Scarlett brushed it off and quickly resumed brushing her hair. Ellie pulled away, concerned and not wanting to ignore it.

"You've gone completely pale. Are you sure you're okay?"

The colour was starting to return to her cheeks as Scarlett spoke once more. "Yeah, yeah. Think I just got an electric shock off your hair."

"Well, I do have a lot of pent up energy." Ellie snorted out a little giggle while Scarlett visibly relaxed.

"Hah." Scarlett returned to brushing her hair. She seemed glad to break eye contact and made a point of staying out of Ellie's view for the next five minutes.

I didn't feel a shock.

Time kept passing, the sun was starting to set, and a relaxing silence settled in. The only noise being the hairbrush making its way repeatedly through her hair. Neither of them said a word as Ellie had gradually grown more and more uncomfortable. Scarlett was a mysterious girl who seemed to be holding onto many secrets, and as much as she wanted to be her friend and learn more about her, Ellie started to feel like she'd had enough mystery for the day.

"There, you look great. A proper rebel girl now!" Scarlett ran her hands through Ellie's hair to lift it up a little more.

Ellie quickly grabbed her shoes and stood up just as Scarlett was about to sit down. She intended to be brief, say her goodbyes and make a quick exit, but the weight of her hair surprised her. It felt so much bigger, fluffier, like a lion's mane.

I don't want to go.

But sensible Eleanor was starting to step in. "I should get back, it's getting late."

"Oh, yeah, that's cool." Scarlett looked dreadfully disappointed.

Fuck.

It was as if they both had conflicting sides, fighting to keep themselves restrained and yet eager to explore what could be an exciting friendship. Ellie lingered, her brief exit becoming more and more drawn out. Scarlett waited, watched, hoping she would change her mind.

"Doyouwanttocomebacktotheparty?" Ellie blurted out. She could feel her cheeks going red.

"What?" Scarlett asked, also blushing.

"Do you... want... to come back to my party? It's probably time for the cake..." Ellie stared down at Scarlett's feet. "It's probably quieter now, all the posh people might've gone home."

"You mean, back at your mansion? A party?" Scarlett sounded reluctant.

It's not really a mansion. Well. It's... a large house. "Yeah, it'll be fun."

"Maybe that's not the best..." Scarlett trailed off, looking down at herself. The band tee and ripped jeans probably wouldn't fit the dress code.

Ellie could tell what she was thinking. She linked her arm with Scarlett before she could think about going home alone. "It's fine, you look great."

"Are you sure?" Scarlett asked her. "I'm not sure..."

Ellie felt odd, like their roles had reversed. Scarlett was now the nervous and uncertain one, whilst Ellie was the leader, dragging her along. Weird how much difference a bit of makeup and styling could make.

Scarlett yanked her back hard, bringing both of them to a sudden stop. Ellie was surprised at how pushy she was being. She had made a new friend, and she wanted to bring her to a big party, with lots of food, so they could hang out even more.

And Scarlett lives in a tiny flat with a bunch of dirty people, surely she wants this?

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked her.

"I'm just not so sure it's a good idea." Scarlett played with her hair and avoided looking Ellie in the eyes.

"It'll be fine, I promise. I just want to hang out with you, if anyone has a problem we can tell them to go away, okay?" Ellie reassured her.

Scarlett smiled at her, her face brightening up. "What have I created? Did I fuck up the succession plan already?"

"Shutup." Ellie yanked her back by the arm and they were on their way. Back through the grass, towards the river.

They passed by a dozen or so guests from the party who had gone for leisurely strolls along the river. Some gave her strange looks, probably due to her dress. If it wasn't for that last remnant of the party she probably wouldn't have been recognised.

Nobody stopped them, instead just giving Ellie a double take to make sure it was her. The makeup and hair seemed to be throwing everyone off. It definitely wasn't ordinary princess style. She felt like a girl doing a poor impersonation of a princess, one who didn't understand the rules that dictated their appearance.

She didn't care. With Scarlett by her side she felt relaxed, like she could be Ellie, but be her own version of Ellie. A version that she could be proud of.

They reached the edge of the forest where she had run through hours before and started making their way back through, following the path of crushed grass that had clearly become a popular route for escaping the party. Scarlett kept slowing down, hit by waves of anxiety as they steadily got closer to the house and could hear the voices of hundreds of people up ahead.

It wasn't quieter. If anything it was louder than before. Nobody had gone home just yet. Scarlett froze.

"Ellie, it's pretty busy."

"It's.... it's fine! Please stay." Ellie almost begged her, taking the moment to slip her heels back on.

"We can leave when we want?" Scarlett asked. It was more like a statement.

Her hair suddenly didn't feel so cool. It felt massive and uncomfortable. She imagined her eyes being even worse, black circles that covered her whole forehead, overdone to the extreme.

"I can't go in there alone, not like this." Ellie held onto Scarlett's arm, desperately patting her hair down. "Please, for me?"

Scarlett groaned, flinging her head back and finally relenting. "Fine, okay, fine. Let's do it."

"Eleanor! Where have you been!" Anna's voice shouted down at them. She'd heard them talking and was marching ominously towards them, but then she froze. Scarlett froze, Ellie froze.

"Abby?" Anna whispered.

"What?" Ellie asked, stunned. Her hold on Scarlett's arm vanished. The girl next to her slipped away in an instant. Ellie span around and saw Scarlett sprinting away, expertly leaping over tree branches and roots, not stopping to look back even once. She disappeared into the woods like some sort of mythical creature, leaving Ellie shaking. Ellie hugged herself, trying to contain the shock.

"That was..." Ellie struggled to use her words.

"What were you... she..." Anna couldn't use her words either.

Anna looked like she was about to run after Scarlett, there was a longing look in Anna's eyes that stared at the last spot she'd seen her.

"Never mind! We have to get you back to the party." Anna gripped her shoulders and turned her around, marching her back towards the garden. She did her best to push down Ellie's hair as they moved, tutting and repeatedly asking what Ellie had done to herself. She wouldn't stop talking, preventing Ellie from getting a word in about what just happened. Her support was now gone, she felt like everyone was against her, even Anna. Was Scarlett even real?

Now Ellie was the one who didn't want to move, her feet turning to concrete. Anna led her through the maze of hedges and back into the thick of the party guests, all of whom split apart to let her through to the centre of the garden where the cake had been set up. Her family had all gathered around the massive cake, set up on top of a large round table.

Everyone was looking at her, all the guests and staff, all waiting. She spotted Taylor again, winking at her and giving her a sort of proud smile. They were all proud, appraising her. Nobody paid any attention to the makeup or the hair, or the state of her dress.

Ellie was still in shock, floating along through the whole event, guided by the hand by her parents. They brought her close to the cake, put a large knife in her hand and helped her cut the first slice. Everyone around them cheered, cameras were flashing, everyone smiling, laughing. Her family all around her, Alex hugging her side, the twins hugging her legs, their parents looming above them, cheering her on and shouting.

"Happy birthday Ellie!"

That was Viola's granddaughter.

#pofcroyalfanfiction #royalfanficcentral #royalfanficcollection #royal fanfiction #emma watson #kate middleton

[matchamilkislover]

White Horse (a.a.)

⊹ ⋆｡˚ ————————— 𓆩♡𓆪 —————————⊹ ⋆｡˚

a knight!abby x princess!reader fic

coming soon…

⊹ ⋆｡˚ ————————— 𓆩♡𓆪 —————————⊹ ⋆｡˚

#abby anderson #abby tlou #abby anderson fic #abby x reader #knight!abby #princess!reader #knight!abby x princess!reader #pirate!ellie #the last of us #tlou #tlou fic #royalcore #princesscore #knightcore #literally drooling over this #abby is so calling you princess coded #abby x reader fic #yes this is a knight in shining armor fic what about it #by coming soon i mean like tomorrow lol

[breziarchive]

BOOGALOO for my dear friend from the mythical land of Australia, @a-queenoffairys! Gay Aelita and Marinette Dupain-Cheng in a code lyoko/miraculous ladybug crossover!

valentine’s day boogaloo - guidelines - ko-fi

(requests closed! just getting through the last of em)

~~

They were next to each other in line at the cafe.

Marinette noticed her because she was rather, well, noticeable. Not loud, but she definitely stood out, in a soft and friendly sort of way. Bubblegum pink hair pulled up in a ponytail, sweet curls from her bangs bordering her cheeks. Every accessory seemed to be knitted, and from the stitches and insignificant mistakes Marinette was able to see that it was definitely homemade. When she spoke too, she radiated a sort of kindness that Marinette found comfort in. So much stress from unhappy people becoming akuma! On top of that, her favorite barista wasn't working today. But she relaxed next to this person, waiting for her coffee to brew.

After a while she tapped her foot, a little nervous. It was charming how this girl stood out without being loud or pretentious, seemingly comfortable in her clothes that didn't clash or compete. Biting her lip, Marinette brought out her phone, scrolling through social media to put up a front.

Then, finally, she asked.

“Excuse me?” the girl turned, eyebrows raised and Marinette put on a big smile, “May I take your picture?”

The girl blinked, turning towards her, but at the very least suspicion wasn't on her face, “Oh? Sure, what for?”

“I uh,” Marinette felt her face get heated even though she had met Jagged Stone and not cracked this much, what was going on? “Well, I've got an interest in fashion and I just find you...interesting,”

A small smile broke on the girl's face, genuine, and Marinette felt hers widen in response. Gesturing to the scarf hanging from her neck and the arm warmers, she continued, “Those are homemade, aren't they?”

“Yes!” the girl enthusiastically replied, raising her hands to rub her thumbs against the knit yarn, “I made them myself, you definitely have the eye for your interest!”

Marinette beamed, taking the photo before noticing she hadn't even gotten her name. The girl looked to be about her age, maybe a year or two older, but she didn't recognize her from her school. That wasn't too far-fetched of an idea in Paris, but still Marinette's curiosity spiked.

“Aelita,” she answered, putting her hand out, “Nice to meet you,”

“Marinette,” she introduced, “Dupain-Cheng. My parents run a bakery, Tom and Sabine's?”

To her slight disappointment, Aelita frowned and shook her head, “I've never been, but that sounds delicious! Or torturous, waking up to fresh bread every morning,”

Marinette giggled, “You get used to it, but some mornings it is pretty bad,”

She didn't realize it, honestly, but that Aelita's demeanor matched the vibe she gave off relieved Marinette to no end. The conversation went its natural course to end, though the both of them certainly felt a little lighter due to the interaction, watching the baristas scurry like mice to fill orders. It was such a nice moment. Or it had been, until her favorite barista walked in.

Or, smashed open the window. Looking like a massive, comic crab with only her face sticking out of its shell.

“Crabby Abby!” The barista called in a mocking voice, “That's right, I'm Crabby Abby, or I was, until I became Crabitude!! All you shrimps will wish that being crabby was my only problem!”

Crabitude cackled, maniacal but, as Marinette could hear, broken behind it. Tikki bounced around in her purse until she felt the kwami race up the sleeve of her jacket until she rested at her collar.

“Marinette,” Tikki whispered, watching as Crabitude unflinchingly destroyed the front of the cafe while people scrambled over small tables and chairs to get out of the way. Marinette nodded but couldn't respond; there were too many people and the panic was palpable—she was trapped between the building and the akuma. Not really caring about the logistics of ducking into a bathroom to come out as Ladybug since only so many people were in the cafe to begin with, Marinette turned her head to locate it just beyond the bar.

“Down!”

Aelita tackled Marinette to the ground just as one of Crabitude's ten legs swept overhead, breaking pipes to spray hot coffee everywhere. Stunned, Marinette felt limp in Aelita's arms as the other girl wrapped her hands over her head and, at the right moment, lifted Marinette to her feet to clamber over the broken bar.

What.

Marinette looked at Aelita, incredulous and thankful. She was already in a sort of battle mode like this was simply natural for her, pink brows creased in focus and determination as Crabitude continued to cackle and destroy. Who could say when Chat Noir would get here to lure the akuma away so she could become Ladybug and end it all—right now all Marinette had was a deteriorating cafe and Aelita.

“Th-The bathroom,” Marinette blurted without thinking, and Aelita swung her head to look at her, “I...I gotta get to the bathroom!”

“The b-bathroom's gonna be a euro!” a gangly barista struggling to grasp some grounding for his sanity.

“A euro?!” Marinette barked, “Your cafe is crumbling around you, you think a euro's gonna save it?!”

“Hey lady,” the gangly barista barked back, “Policy's policy, and second of all, you can't just go around and selfishly save yourself! I need to go to the bathroom too!”

Marinette fumed. Suddenly she was aware of what might have sent Abby off the edge. She opened her mouth to argue but as Crabitude encroached on the bar the barista screamed and scrambled to the bathroom himself, spilling euro coins everywhere as he struggled to enter.

“That selfish, self-righteous, self-absorbed, self-abiding...,” she gaped in anger. Time to find another place to transform, but to do that Crabitude needed to bug off. (Did that count? Were crabs bugs? Screw it, now was not the time for semantics!)

“Crabitude!” Marinette called, to the chorus of aghast baristas scrunched against the far wall of the bar, “Yoo-hoo, Crabitude! If you let me by, maybe we can talk about this?!”

“Shut it!” Crabitude snapped, “A shrimp like you would never understand!”

Marinette sucked in a breath and summoned her inner Chat Noir, “Don't clam up about it, now, that's unhealthy!”

Crabitude roared in shock at the pun. Marinette prepared by ducking farther down as the crabby akuma was spurred into a blind rage. Hopefully, then, the akuma would be distracted enough so she could slip by and—no, damn it, it was impossible, Crabitude was too large and the cafe was too small. Marinette bit her lip, heart screaming that she had just written and signed everyone's death sentence. Something pricked at her cheek and she slapped at it, thinking it was Tikki.

No. It was a pair of eyes. Aelita was still staring at her, long and hard. Against her better judgment with the impending decapod despot, Marinette stared back. Vaguely in fear, vaguely in awe, mostly in confusion.

“Bathroom,” Aelita repeated, but the way she said the word implied like she knew. She knew, without knowing. Marinette's heart blocked her throat, “You need a bathroom?”

She gulped, then slowly nodded. Aelita continued to stare until one of Crabitude's claws closed around the bar behind her. Spurred into action without looking, Aelita took up Marinette's arms again and said one last thing.

“Then let's go, Princess,”

Marinette's heart stopped as Aelita led her straight through Crabitude's offense, ducking underneath the crab's massive but flat body. The akuma had no dexterity to retaliate, which somehow Aelita seemed to just know, and before she knew it they were out on the streets just as a lithe, black shape bounced from the awning across from the cafe.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette called, almost forgetting she wasn't yet Ladybug. The hero didn't hear her, far too focused on the people still inside the cafe. But when she said it, Aelita's hands tightened before ducking into an alley and swinging her behind a dumpster.

“Go.”

Marinette peeked around the dumpster to see Aelita standing at the entrance, watching Chat Noir battle the akuma. Tikki tapped on her cheek.

“Marinette, what are you waiting for?”

“How,” Marinette breathed, “How does she know,”

“We'll ask that question later!”

Marinette shook her head and herself, then nodded, “Right. Tikki? Spots on.”

#code lyoko #miraculous ladybug #valentine's day boogaloo #aelita #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #PLEASE pay me real earth dollars for the inclusion of 'decapod despot'

[tea-and-toblerones]

The One Where Ed is a Pirate, Tutor, Princess | A One Shot

I use one shot loosely. It kinda got away from me and at some point this morphed into a short story. Sorry, not sorry. Anyway I hope you enjoy the first OS of the new year! As always Feedback is always appreciated!

I was sandwiched between Sophie and Ellie on the couch as the babysitter stood in front of us with his arms folded across his chest and an unamused expression on his face. Tiny bows in a variety of colors were clipped into his crazy orange hair, one of Sophie’s pink and purple tutus was around his hips, over his baggy shorts. A tiara was placed crookedly on his head and a bandaid stuck to the corner of his eye, another stuck to his cheek. His lips were a bright pink, bright blue eyeshadow was all around one eye, along with black smears underneath his eye and some where his eyebrows should be. His eyes drifted over all of us. Mostly focusing on Ellie who was wrapped in a big fluffy black towel, bits of mud still  clinging to her hair. He shook his head in exasperation before talking in the funny way that he did.

“What am I going to do with you three?”

**********************

Ed’ POV

I had just finished a late breakfast when my mate Luke had rang me. Him and his wife had planned a romantic getaway for their 10th wedding anniversary but their flight had got moved up last minute, leaving them scrambling around last minute to find someone to watch their kids.

“I normally would ask you for something this major since you’re a pretty busy dude but it’s only for a couple hours. The sitter’s can’t come until 7, so if you could help me out, I’d owe you big time.” the frantic desperation bleeding into his voice.

Not wanting them to have to cancel their trip, I quickly agree.

“Take a breath Luke, I love kids and have no problem watching them for you. Everything’s gonna be alright. I’m on my way over right now so you can fill me in.”

When I got there, the house was in a state of chaos. Abby was flying around the house doing some last minute packing and prep. Luke was staying out of dodge, after he was told he was just getting in the way. Instead he spent the time going over the schedule. Luckily it didn’t seem very complicated.

“Okay, Michael and Sophie are at school and Ellie’s in preschool. The school has been told you’re picking them up so that’s taken care of.”

He not only had written directions on how to get to each school, he had their normal routine written out as well. It seemed fairly straightforward, pick the youngest up from preschool then Sophie and Michael was last. I could see why they were panicking now. Ellie was due to picked up at one and it was already almost noon. Abby had finished up by the time Luke had finished going over his list.

“You can use our van to pick them up.” Abby set the last bag down in front of the door, brushing away the stray hairs that stuck to her face. “That way you don’t have to fight with putting the car seats in your car.”

I had completely forgotten about car seats. There was no way I could cram three of them in the back seat of my tiny car.

“How are you getting to the airport then? I can drop you off if you’d like.” I didn’t want to further inconvenience them. I was supposed to be doing them a favor, not making it more complicated for them. Abby waved me off.

“No need, we called a cab. It’ll be here soon so if there’s anything that you want to know, now’s the time.”

There was nothing on the list that stood out, but one question did come to mind. “Is there anything I should know about? Things I shouldn’t do, things they like, things they don’t. Things that will start World War III.”

“Yeah, don’t like Ellie near Sophie’s doll collection and whatever you do don’t let Sophie-” There was a honking noise outside that cut Abby off before she finished her sentence.

Luke peered out the window. “Ride’s here Abs, we best start loading up.”

I watched them carry their luggage set out to the taxi, placing it all in the boot. Luke pulled the door open, letting Abby slide in before getting in himself. I stood in the doorway, waving them off when it hit me that she never finished her sentence.

“Wait, what shouldn’t I let Sophie do?! Guys? GUYS?! WHAT SHOULDN’T I LET HER DO?!” I called after them as the taxi drove away. I had jogged out into the yard in a vain attempt to get my question heard. “…fuck…” I muttered.

Better get my swearing out now, I won’t be able to for the next couple hours. If whatever she was going to tell me was that important, they would have written it down. Not knowing quite how long it would take me to get to Ellie’s school I decided to leave now. Better to be early than have her wait. It’s bad enough a stranger’s picking them up, even worse if the stranger’s late. I grabbed the keys off the corkboard that hung in the kitchen and began my journey to the school. There was a couple times I had to pull off to the side of the road to decipher Luke’s atrocious handwriting. Finally I had pulled up to (what I hoped was) the right school and waited in the carpark.

Do I go in and pick her up? Does she come out here? That’s crazy, she’s four, there’s no way they’d let her wander out here on her own. When I saw a couple other parents heading in, I unbuckled, crammed a black cap on head and headed inside.

There was a flurry of movement as I walked in. The kids had all been sitting a little round tables but when the teacher had pulled a rocking chair from the corner of the room, the kids flew out of their chairs and formed a semi circle around her. There was a small shelf stuffed full of books beside the chalkboard where the teacher was lingering. The kids were mostly silent now, mostly fidgeting and shuffling around.

“Alright, what book do you want to close the week out with this time?” Her melodic voice ringing out, causing them all to practically vibrate with excitement.

“PETE THE CAT!” The group cried in unison. By the look on the teachers face, she wasn’t the least bit surprised.

“Aren’t you guys sick of Pete the Cat yet?”  Her hands on her hips, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

“NOOOOO!”  Their heads all shaking, one was bouncing in either anticipation or they just really needed to go to the bathroom.

“I have a surprise for you guys.” There was a brief outburst of cheering before she put her fingers to her mouth to silence them. “I picked up a new Pete the Cat story!”

She settled down in the rocking chair as they cheered and clapped. The one that had been bouncing was now rocking back and forth. I’m beginning to think he really needs to hit the toilet. I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just ask to go use the bathroom. Surely story time wasn’t that great.

I was wrong. I was so wrong.

The teacher did such a stellar job I had found myself pulled in right along with the kids. The story was about a cat that had got new white shoes that kept getting stained by various things. Every time he just rolled with it, singing his new shoe song. I was so into I caught myself saying “Pete you need to get yourself sorted” a couple times, causing the other parents to look over at me. When she finished I clapped right along with the kids. A couple of the parents were whispering to each other, throwing glances my way as the teacher dismissed the kids. She might as well have said release the hounds the way the rushed from their spots.

I spotted Ellie fairly quickly. I may not have met them in person, I got a lot of holiday photos and Christmas cards. She also didn’t exactly blend in. She was wearing a pirate costume, well, half of a pirate costume. If I had to guess, it was one of Michael’s old costumes, since it was awhite shirt and black vest. The bandana was tied around her waist instead of around her head. Under the long shirt was a pair of black leggings. I saw her snatch up the hat shoving it on her head, throwing a dirty look toward the teacher as did so. Guess they have a no hats inside rule here. She also slid a fake cutlass under the makeshift bandana belt, before glancing  around the room, most likely looking for one of her parents.

The teacher had spotted me a made a beeline straight for me. A new face in a sea of familiar ones, I was bound to stick out. Not to mention my colourful arms and casual attire. All the parents were dressed nicely, while I was over here dressed like I was heading to the beach. White t shirt, my aviators hanging from the collar pulling it down into a slight v neck, showing just barely showing the top of my lion tattoo, baggy tan shorts, flip flops and my cap. I stood out just as much as Ellie did.

“So, I’m guessing you’re the Ed that’s here to pick up Eloise.”

Oh, I bet Ellie just loves that. One look at her and I could tell she was not one to go by Eloise and wouldn’t hesitate to tell you so. It looked like she was in a heated debate with a fellow classmate.

“Yep. That’s me.”

I saw a slight smirk cross her face. “They neglected to tell me that Ed meant Ed Sheeran.”

Not quite sure what to say I just mutter “Surprise.” Quick to change the topic from me I add, “Your story time was incredible. I really enjoyed it.”

She gave me a quizzical look. “Oh, um, thanks. The children really seem to love it. Never had an adult tell me that before.”

Before I could respond Ellie had marched over to the teacher, lightly tugging on her skirt to get her attention.

“My parents aren’t here yet. One of them is always here waiting for me.”

I squatted down so I was eye level with her. “Hey Ellie,my name’s Teddy. Your mum and dad’s flight left early so they sent me to come and get you.”

Her pale blue eyes seemed to take up half of her face as she stared at me. They narrowed as they wandered over me, a look of suspicion growing on her face. Her pale eyebrows drew together, her mouth pulled down.

“Yeah? What’s the code word then? If you’re really friends with them they woulda told you the code word.”

Smart lass. I vaguely remember Luke mentioning it as I wracked my brain, trying to remember it. Finally it clicked in.

“Trick question.” I said smugly. “It’s not a word, it’s a title, Captain Ellie. I offer you my services.” I bowed my head, shifting so one knee was placed on the ground. After a moment I felt the point of it come under my chin, pushing in, causing me to lift my head.

“I expect alot from my crew. I’ll take no layabouts, no back talk. If you think you can handle it, welcome aboard.”  Her lips had curled up in a smirk, eyebrow cocked up. Her eyes sparkled with a fierce look, commanding respect. I felt a smile trying to make its way across my but forced my expression to remain neutral. My eyes flicked up to the teacher’s who looked genuinely surprised I was playing along

“Aye sir, thank you Cap’n. I’ll do my best Cap’n.”

“We’ll see.” She muttered, sliding her sword back in its place. “Let’s go. Tommy’s being a scallywag and I’m tired of hearing his voice.”

“Eloise!” Her teacher scolded “What did I tell you about name calling?”

She let out a sniff, throwing her head back. “S’not name calling if it’s the truth. Only a scallywag would ask why I’m wearing pants and not a dress. YOU CAN’T CONQUER THE HIGH SEAS IN A DRESS TOMMY!” She shouted at a boy across the room who stuck his tongue out at her. She tugged at the cutlass and started to make her way toward him. “You want to lose that tongue boy! I’ll cut it from your skull!” Poor Tommy scrambled over the beanbag chair and hustled to the door, looking back to see if she was still after him.

Yikes, she’s intense. The teacher said her name again in a warning, causing Ellie to point to Tommy and drag her finger across her throat, her lips pulled up in a sneer.

Boy, she’s really committed to the part.  She noticed that I was still kneeling, caught up in the whole act. Her stern voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Are you ignoring a direct order from your Captain?”

I quickly scrambled to my feet, uttering an apology that was greeted by a grunt and a nod to the door indicating me to lead the way. As soon as we were outside, I slipped my glasses off and my aviators on.

“Why do you talk funny?” Ellie asked as she fell in step with me. Almost having to jog to keep up. Once I realised I slowed my pace so she wouldn’t struggle.

“Well, Im from England, everyone there talks like this. To me, you’re the one that talks funny.”

“Aaaaaaah, an old salt.” She nodded knowledgeably, causing a grin to come across my face. Although I wasn’t sure I liked being called old. When we got to the van she stopped and blurted out. “This is my parents car. Did you commandeer it?” a sly little grin coming across her face. “You really are a pirate.”

I just wiggled my eyebrows at her as I pulled her door open. She climbed in and plopped down in her carseat and sat still as fastened the belt. I felt her finger come up and brush up against the corner of my eye, then to my cheek where my scar was

“You’re a fighter. Not a good one if they landed a hit.” She added with a shrug. “Have to work on your name too…Teddy doesn’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of men.”

I liked her. Fiery. Sassy. Quick on her feet.

“Whatever the Cap’n see’s fit will do. Now Let’s go get your siblings, yeah?”

She looked less than amused. “Do we have to?”

“Yes, we have to.”

I heard her let out a huff as I got behind the wheel and pulled out of the car park. I flicked on the radio as I drove. I had almost forgotten about Ellie in the back seat until she piped up.

“You missed the turn.”

I glance at her in the rear view mirror. I had rolled down her window as much as the child lock would let me, the breeze blowing her dirty blonde hair about. I had a feeling the request was so she could pretend she was on a ship at sea.

“Wot?”

“You were supposed to turn left there. You missed your turn.” She seemed quite sure of herself, her gaze returning to out the window.

“Are you sure?”

“That sounds like back talk,” her voice gaining that stern ‘Captain’ quality again. “I’ve been this route every Monday through Friday for my entire life. I could get you there in my sleep. Yes I’m sure.”

I swing the van around. “Aye Aye captain, I’ll let you be the navigator.”

******************

Michael’s POV

As soon as we were dismissed I went and met up with Sophie before heading out to the parking lot. I spot the van in the pick up lane, yet I didn’t recognise the man behind the wheel. Sophie tugged on my hand, trying to pull me toward it. I tighten my grip on her and gently pull her back towards me. Granted, we’ve had our fair share of sitters picking us up, but we were always told ahead of time.

“Stop Sophie, I don’t know who that is behind the wheel.”  

Her lip pulled out in a pout. “But that’s our van Mike. See the little dent where you hit it with your bike?” A little whine came out, with a stomp of her foot. I could tell a tantrum was coming soon.

Whoever was behind the wheel had spotted us and stuck his head out the window. His face was mostly covered with large sunglasses and a hat. Little wisps of orange hair curled up from underneath.

“Michael, Sophie.” he called out, “Your mum and dad had to leave early, I’m here to pick you up.” I could tell he wasn’t from around here from the way he spoke.

“See it’s okay! Mommy and Daddy sent him.” She tried to pull me toward the van, to no avail.

“Sophie, don’t you ever think? That’s how kidnappers get you.” I snapped at her, still not moving.

I saw his mouth moving as he sat there. I heard Ellie’s voice come from inside the van.

“He knows the code word guys. He’s good.” Her shrill yell caused the guy to wince and look back at her.

If Ellie was with him, I know she put him through the wringer. I finally let Sophie drag me to the van. I tugged on the door, only to find it was still locked. There was an ‘oh’ from the driver’s seat and I heard the door click. I pulled it open and climbed in. He exited the van and waited behind us as we settled in, buckling us both in.

He climbed back in behind the wheel, turned back around In his seat to face us. A wide smile on his face.  “Alright so. I know you guys usually head straight home but I thought we could go have some fun.” he went to turn back toward the wheel but hesitated before adding, “I’m Teddy by the way.”

“Like the bear?” Sophie asked, her pale blonde pigtails bouncing as she cocked her head to the side.

“Yeah, like the bear.” he said with a little chuckle.

“We’re working on a better name.” Ellie piped up. “I can’t have a member of my crew with a name like Teddy.”

“Oh shut up Ellie, nobody cares about your imaginary pirate crew.” I huffed, rolling my eyes. She had stumbled upon Pirates of the Caribbean and became obsessed with the pirate life. It had grown old real quick.

“It’s not imaginary Mike. You’re just mad because I wouldn’t let you join.”

“Why would you want to be a pirate anyway.” Sophie inquired, her nose wrinkling up. “They’re dirty and smelly.”

If you wanted the definition of complete opposites, you didn’t have to look any farther than Sophie and Ellie. Ellie was a rough and rowdy, down and dirty type. It was typical to find Ellie with a healthy coating of dirt and grime. Sophie on the other hand…. Sophie was a princess. She hated being dirty. Her wardrobe consisted of pink, purples and yellow dresses, not a single pair of pants or shorts in sight. No tennis shoes either. Either fancy dress sandals or one pair of faux fur boots. Even in the winter she would wear dresses over her pants. Ellie waved her plastic sword around commanding people to walk the plank, Sophie swished her wand around, issuing declarations.

“Who wants to be a stupid princess.” Ellie retorted. “All they do is sit around, cry and wait for a prince to come save them. Pirates can save themselves.” a sly smirk came over her face “Pirates kidnap princesses. Who’s gonna save you, you don’t have a prince.”

“Teddy can be my prince.” Sophie stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ellie snorted, “He’s not gonna be your prince, he’s my first mate.”

“No, he’s my prince, didn’t you hear how he talks? Like all the prince’s do.”

“No, he talks like a pirate. Besides he’s already offered me his services.”

“Because he didn’t know he had another choice. He’d rather be a prince.”

“No one wants to be your prince Sophie.”

“No, no one wants to be a pirate.”

They began arguing back and forth and I was stuck in the middle of it. Both of their shrill voices ringing in my ears causing me to clap my hands over my ears.

“Both of you shut up!” I pleaded with no luck, their voices growing louder. Ellie’s hands point viciously at Sophie, Sophie waving hers around.

“Guys, stop arguing over me please.” Teddy called back to the girls. Ellie was now trying to claw her way over to Sophie, her fingers pulling at my clothes. “Hey! I said stop!” He said a bit louder, having the same effect it did the first time.

Teddy slammed on the brakes then spun around. “You keep it up and none of you will get ice cream. I’ll order some for just me and you’ll get none of it.”

“But mom says we’re not allowed to have ice cream before dinner.” Sophie said in a know it all tone. It’s just like her to be the goody goody.

“Is that right?” Teddy asked the rest of us, his eyebrow coming up.

“Yeah…” my head coming down as Ellie groaned. Might as well fess up now. Denying it’s only going to get me in more trouble.

“I didn’t know that.” he seemed to be pondering over his decision.

“Son of a biscuit eater, you couldn’t keep your mouth shut could you Mike?” Ellie grumbled, her arms crossing her chest. I heard Teddy snort.

“Well…your mum’s not here and I’m sure you guys can keep a secret right?” A smile coming over his face as we all nodded. Sophie muttered something about breaking rules but I knew she’d be right beside us eating it. “Alright then, I want you on your best behavior then.”

I pulled out my DS, plugged my headphones in and began playing. I couldn’t hear Ellie and Sophie bickering anymore so I’m guessing the threat of no ice cream caused them both to chill. I had just finished the level I was working on when I felt the van come to a stop. Teddy turned around and pulled his sunglasses off to reveal deep blue eyes. He replaced them with round glasses that made him sort of look like an owl.

“Okay, I expect you guys to be good upstanding citizens. And pirate.” he added when Ellie cleared her throat. Thankfully Teddy had talked her into leaving her sword in the car. “Can I count on you guys?”

Ellie was bouncing in her seat, frantically nodding. Sophie was trying her best to look dignified and uninterested but I could tell she wanted some just as much as we did.

We headed inside a picked a booth in the far back corner. Ellie slid in, clinging onto Teddy’s hand so he’d sit next to her. Sophie’s lip shot out as he sat down next to her.

“No, sit next to me!” The whine sliding out

“Shut up Sophie, you’re such a baby.” I couldn’t see why they were fighting over him anyway. Everything about him seemed weird. His arms were brightly colored, which is probably why Sophie liked him. He was willing to play along with Ellie’s stupid game, which is why she liked him. Not to mention buying them ice cream. However I wasn’t going to be won over that easily.

“Here, why don’t you sit on the other side of me then. No need to fight. Come on.” he tapped the booth beside him. Sophie scrambled up next to him. Her fingers running over his arms.

“How come you got pictures on your arms?”

“Because I wanted them.” he said with a shrug. “So a guy put them on me.”

“I don’t see any of your prince’s with pictures on them.” Ellie said smugly. “Pirates have pictures on them.”

“They’re not called pictures, they’re called tattoos.” I corrected them. Ellie rolled her eyes.

“Looks like pictures to me.”

I opened my mouth to correct her but decided it wasn’t worth it and closed it again.

“So, do you know what you guys want?” He asked, deciding to stop the argument before it started.

“Ice cream!” Ellie cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

“Well, yes, We’re at an ice cream parlour. But what type?” His voice was light and calm. “We’ve got your basics like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Then we have special ones like ultimate peanut butter brownie, salted caramel. Yknow what, here I’ll let you guy look at the menu.”

He passed them around and we all fell silent as we looked over. The only talking was Ellie asking what certain things were. Once it was decided Teddy waved over the waitress and gave her our orders. She made a comment about how cute we all were and how nice it was to see a dad spending some quality time with his kids. He laughed and corrected her, saying he was just babysitter for the day. I frowned as she walked away. I didn’t understand how she could have confused us for a family. While we all had blue eyes, all different shades, our hair colors varied. He had orange hair. Ellie had dirty blonde, Sophie’s was pale blonde and mine was brown. Our faces were thin, his was wide, though we both had freckles, his were orange though,just like his hair. In the end I guess she just assumed. Everyone makes mistakes. As we waited for our order I took the opportunity to ask him all sorts of questions, just to see what type of guy he was. He told us stories about his life back home and all the crazy things him and his friends did. By the time waitress came back with our ice cream I had decided that he actually seemed like a pretty cool dude.

“Okay, who has the cookie jar?”

“That’s mine!” Sophie cried ecstatically a grin over her face as the lady set the bowl down in front of her.

“The bear claws?” she asked

“Me” I said, looking at the delicious chocolate caramel and cashew concoction.

“The paintball blitz.”

“Aye, that be mine love!” Ellie cheered, her fist rising in the air. Her spoon clenched tightly in her little fist. The bright blue ice cream was mixed with brightly colored chocolate balls and bits of candy.

“I guess that leaves you with the jacked up Tennessee toffee.”

She sat down a giant bowl of tan ice cream coated with some sort of sauce and crumbled up chocolate bars.

“Yes mate!” Teddy said just as happy sounding, if not more so than we were.

We were mostly silent as we ate, Ellie began talking, her mouth full of ice cream and candy her teeth, tongue, lips and surrounding area stained blue. Teddy gently scolded her.

“Even pirates have table manner Cap’n, they don’t want their orders coming out slurred. You want it to be loud and ringing. That way they can’t say they misheard you. You have to swallow your food before you speak.”

I was shocked that she didn’t back talk him, just nodded and kept shoveling in. He eyed her blue stained face and asked the waitress for a glass of water. He dipped it in the water, squeezed out the excess and passed it over to her, saying no one could see her as terrifying with blue smeared all over her face. He took over, getting of the more stubborn parts around the corners of her mouth. I was also stunned that he ate every single bite of his ice cream.

Teddy must have thought the ice cream shop was enough of an adventure for one day because he drove us home. As soon as we were free we all flew to the door.

“Hey do you have any homework?” He called as we all beelined to different parts of the house. My mind snapped to the math homework I had sitting in my backpack. Apparently my face showed it because he added, “If you bring it here, I’ll help you with it. Get it done quicker so you won’t have it hanging over your head.”

“Yeah, okay. I could always use help with math.” I shrugged, thinking he’s an adult he should have no problem with a fourth grader’s math homework.

“Math, eh? That’s fun, innit?” His face said the exact opposite. “I’m sure we can figure this out. It can’t be that hard.”

An hour later, his hair was standing in every direction from running his hand through it in frustration. His eyebrow were pulled into a frown as he read over the problem, mouthing the words as he did so. He roughly rubbed his face, throwing the pencil down. The scrap paper was completely filled with crossed out work.

“Jesus Christ, this is fourth grade math? Granted I dropped out when I was 16 but come on mate, this shit is hard.”  he realised what came out and grimaced. “Whoops, you didn’t hear that. Math is hard.”

“You quit going to school when you were 16? You can do that?” I had no idea you didn’t have to finish school.

“Yeah you can.” he said still distracted by the problem. “But education is important. Get that diploma.”

“You didn’t get it and you seem to be doing okay.”

“I’m also a one in a million case too. I worked my as-buuuutt, off to get where I’m at too. I regret not getting my diploma. So yeah, it’s important.” he shoved the book and paper away. “I have no clue how they get this answer. Everything else is done, I say leave it for someone who’s better at math than I am.”

“Laurie’s great at math, she can help me out.” I closed the book and pushed it aside. “Can I go play in my room now?”

“Yeah mate, go ahead.” he muttered, gathering up the papers, putting them in a neat pile.

He had been keeping an eye out on Ellie as she played in the yard. Dueling imaginary people with gusto, phantom war cries would seep in every once in a while, causing his head to jerk up, making sure she was still having fun. Sophie was singing loudly in her room, having herself an tea party. I pushed myself away from the table and scampered off to my room.

***************

Ed’s POV

I watched Michael rush down the hallway, eager to begin enjoying his time off. I glanced outside, watching Ellie wave her sword around yelling commands to her invisible crew. A made my way down the hall towards Sophie’s singing. I found her sitting at a little plastic table, plastic cups sitting in front of various dolls.

“Hey, I thought I’d pop in and see how you were doing.” Her head spun around and quicker than I thought was humanly possible she was out of her seat and pulling me into her room.

“Will you join my tea party?” she pulled out the puppy dog eyes and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Sure, where would you like me to sit?”

She glanced around the table before shoving one of the dolls off the chair. I went to sit down but she stopped me.

“You can’t come to a tea party dressed like that.” I glanced down at my attire. I guess I wasn’t formal enough the way I was.  She shook her head, digging through her toy box, throwing a variety of costumes out before finding the perfect one.

“Here, put this on.” She held a pink and purple cloud of fabric out behind her back as she kept looking through her box.

I took it, looking it over quizzically until I realised it was a tutu. I gave it a couple quick tugs to see if it would stretch far enough to fit around my waist and pulled it on, praying she wouldn’t make me lose my pants. She spun around, giving me a full body lookover.

“Sit.” She commanded, pointing to the chair.

She had a hair brush and a box of hair ties in her hands. I sat in the small chair, my knees coming up to my chest, my ass barely fitting on the seat. I felt like a bear on a tricycle. She came behind me, her fingers pulling my hair back, not as rough as I had prepared myself for.

“Soft.” she stated as she began brushing it back, in a attempt to make pigtails like she had. Eventually she gave up on trying to include my bangs and made two little ones from what was on the side of my head.

It was obvious I wasn’t the first person to let her play with their hair. For a kid she was pretty gentle. She only pulled my hair a couple times. She stood back and admired her work.

“Give it to me straight princess. Am I pretty?” I fluttered my eyelashes and tried my best impression on a sexy pin up look.

Her hand stroked her chin as she stared at me. She went back to her box, pulling out a glittery tiara, placing it on delicately on my head, albeit, a little crooked.

“Mmm….something’s still missing…” She glanced around the room before clapping her hands together. “I know what it is!”

She went over to a small desk, a pulled out a small suitcase looking thing. She placed it on the table and pulled it open to reveal a variety of play makeup.

Oh god, this is what Abby was trying to warn me about. What did I sign up for?

She was halfway through putting makeup on me, stopping only to run and get plasters for my “owies”, when there was a loud crashing noise and frantic footsteps running through the house. Ellie busted into the room, covered head to toe in mud, waving her cutlass around. Sophie shrieked, frantically moving away from Ellie and the mud that was flying off her. I felt her hand clutching at my shorts as she hid behind me.

“I’m here to capture you Princess! I see my first mate has kept you busy so I could strike!” Her cutlass thrusting towards Sophie. Her eyebrows trying to do the eyebrow wiggle but she just managed to scrunch her face instead.

“Ellie! Why are you covered in mud?!” I hadn’t noticed at first due to the shock of her being covered  but she had stripped off all of her clothes. ”AND WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?!”

“Know your enemies weakness!” She cackled, still waving her sword around. “Mud and unproperness!”

“Well it’s either improper or in this case indecency, but chucking that aside…Ellie you need clothes. But first, a bath. Come on.”

I grab her muddy little hand, feeling it slide beneath my grip as I led her to the bathroom. Sophie was screaming, saying that Ellie ruins everything. Her pitch creeping up to tantrum levels. I could see little muddy footprints from the door clear to Sophie’s room. Thank god the floors are wood or I would have had my work cut out for me.

I began to run the bathwater, testing to make sure it wasn’t too hot. I asked her to stick her fingers underneath to see if it was to her liking. She asked for it to be a little warmer, I nudged it slightly, earning me a nod. She had smeared the mud all over her, even in her hair, causing it to hang in little clumps. Once she was settled in I quickly realised I should have put her in the shower instead. I kept draining the murky water and replacing it with clean water. I had gotten a majority of the mud rinsed off when there was a loud crash. Sophie had been screaming pounding her fists on the floor, in the middle of a full fledged tantrum. Now Michael’s voice had joined in, telling Sophie to shut up. I pulled Ellie out of the tub, wrapping a towel around her and went to investigate.

When I peeked into Michael’s room and saw him lounging on his bed, one of his shoes was off, laying on the other side of the room. I could hear Sophie flailing and screaming on the other side. I went to pick up the shoe and make sure that he didn’t damage the wall when my bare foot came down on a lego brick buried in his rug causing a string of swears to fall out of my mouth.

I’ve lost some of my fondness for the brightly coloured bricks as my foot throbbed and my eyes watered.

“No. Throwing. Shoes.” I uttered as I massaged my foot. “and don’t repeat any of what you just heard. Those aren’t kid words.”

“Tell her to stop crying like a little baby then. I’m sick of hearing it.” he pulled his pillow over his head with a groan.

It seemed like her screams had gotten louder at that, causing Michael to fly out of bed and bang on the wall yelling shut up over and over. Ellie had began loudly singing some sort of sea shanty, stamping her feet, just adding to the chaos, but clearly enjoying herself. Finally I had had enough.

“ALRIGHT ENOUGH!” I barked at them causing them all to jump and instantly fall silent. I heard Ellie mutter ‘that’s my first mate.’ with a touch of pride, like she wasn’t included in the cacophony of noise. I point out the door. “Couch. Now.”

They all shuffled out, I saw Sophie red and tear stained face following them. They all flopped down on the couch, Michael deciding he felt brave and sat between the two. I had caught my reflection in one of the mirrors. I snorted, how are they gonna take me seriously looking like this.

I cross my arms and attempt to look cross and serious.

“What am I going to do with you three?”

They all started arguing, their voices overlapping, fingers pointing towards each other, which turned to slapping hands away, which turned into full on wrestling matching between Ellie and Sophie. Michael had leaned back, a hand barely missing his  face, his  eyes growing wide as a hand had reached for his shaggy, wavy hair. He pushed himself as far in the couch cushion as he could. They had fallen to the floor, narrowly missing the coffee table, and began rolling around on the floor. Michael had shook his head, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose as the fought. His eyes came to mine with a look of ‘I deal with this shit every day’

“Come on enough!” I yelled as they went across the floor. I could picture the cartoony dust cloud around them as they went.

“Use your dad voice.” Michael had offered from the couch. “That’s the only thing that’s gonna get their attention.”

I cleared my throat. “GET BACK ON THE COUCH. NOW.”  I bellowed, a bit louder than I had anticipated. I guess my dad voice could use some work. They broke apart and hopped back on the couch. I knew no punches had been slung, just rolling but they’d come way too close to the corner of the table.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean for that to be quite that loud.” I felt bad, they all looked shocked. I continued in a much lower and calmer voice. “I expect this out of Ellie, but Sophie, I’m surprised I thought ladies didn’t fight?”

“We don’t start them, but we’ll finish them.” her nose shooting up in the air with a indignant sniff.

“You were losing and you didn’t finish it…” Ellie muttered.

I saw Sophie’s mouth fly open, her finger coming up and decided to put a stop to this right now. “Alright, I want all of you to go to your rooms and sit there for fifteen minutes.”  

“Come on how is that fair, I didn’t do anything!” Michael cried in outrage.

“You throwing shoes and telling your sisters to shut up repeatedly isn’t nothing. You didn’t fight but you added to it. Sorry, you’re not completely innocent.”

They started lumbering off, I could hear Michael still grumbling, when I realised how much they could do in their rooms. “Wait! Come back.” They turned back, all looking quite dejected. “Michael you sit at the table. Sophie you sit on the couch. Ellie…lets get some clothes on you and you can sit in the hallway.”

Cue the outrage at the fact that Ellie was getting less time out time, so I had to say that time out would start after she was clothed. Since I couldn’t find what she was wearing before, most likely still out  laying in the yard. I start dressing her, pulling out outfits and most of them got shot down.

“What about these dungarees? Put this striped shirt on underneath and you’re ready to conquer the high seas again.”

“Those are overalls. Not duna- duga- whatever you said.”

“That’s what we call them back home. Will you just put them on, despite what they’re called?”

I held them out for her to climb in and buckled them in place. I noticed little bits of mud that didn’t come out when I rinsed her hair. Oh well, bathtime will just have to happen twice. She did a couple squats and shook her legs out as she walked.

“Alright, slap me in irons and throw me in the brig. It’s all part of the pirate life.”

She marched out of her room like it was nothing.

This child. I shook my head in amazement. Where did she pick this stuff up at?

I thought I had been clever, placing them strategically among the living room until I went to turn the tv on and noticed that all three of them could see the tv from where they were at. So I had essentially put myself in time out. Michael had pulled his math homework back towards him, trying to figure out the last problem. Sophie was pouting on the couch, huffing every couple of seconds. Ellie was swaying on her stool, humming as she swayed. I took the time to mop up Ellie’s little footprints, making a note to pick up one of these mops for my own flat. Once the fifteen minutes were up I told them they were free to do whatever as long as it was quiet. Michael hopped on the couch, turning the tv on, turning it to some after school cartoon. Sophie must have agree with the choice because she remained on the couch as well. Ellie bounded over to me.

“It’s my turn now!” Her round pale eyes glowing in excitement as she bounced up and down

“Your turn?”

“You did stuff with Mike and Sophie. It’s my turn now.”

“Alright, what did you have in mind?” I didn’t really think sword fighting with her would be all too fair. Luckily she had came up with something else.

“Chalk drawing in the driveway! I’m only allowed when someone watches me. That’s why I really ran through. I wanted to draw. And it was fun.” She added as an afterthought.

We sat crossed legged on the pavement  as we scribbled away. We had started doing separate pictures, but soon had morphed it into a giant pavement mural that ended up taking up the entire walk. We stood back and looked it over.

“Not bad Gingerbeard, not bad.” She had finally decided on a nickname for me. “You’d make a fine catgrapher.”

“Car-tog-graph-er.” I sounded out for her. “That’s a map maker. Not catgrapher, that’s someone who make graphs about cats. To be fair, I quite like cats so I could be both.” I look down at her, her face bore a huge smile. “You ready to head in. We really don’t have anymore room.”

“I guess. I can draw on paper instead.” Her hand came around mine as we walked back inside.

She had went to gather her art supplies, laying on the floor, her legs swinging up in the air. Michael and Sophie were still on the couch, the only change was the cans of soda in front of them. I hover behind the couch as they watch tv.

“What are you watching?”  I ask trying to strike up a conversation.

“O.K K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes.” Michael said, his gaze never leaving the screen. “You can watch it with us of you’d like.” He moved the pillow aside, tossing it in the chair as an invitation to sit.

I sat next to him, as he gave me a quick rundown of the show in hushed tones, most likely to not disturb Sophie. Ellie had left her pad on the floor and crawled up in my lap. I stroked her crusty hair and she watched tv with the rest of us. Sophie looked half asleep, her eyes just barely open. Ellie was fast asleep, her head resting on my shoulder. I’m guessing the sugar high had wore off and they were crashing. Hard. I lean over to Michael and whisper

“What do you want for dinner?”

Michael shrugged, his eyes not leaving the screen. I rattle off a list.

“Pizza?” shrug

“Burgers?” shrug

“Pasta?” shrug

“Chinese?” His nose wrinkled and he shook his head

“Mexican?” shrug

“Thai?” puzzled look

“Yeah that was a stupid one….barbecue?” shrug

“Well I can’t really cook so takeaway is the safe bet.”

“Pizza.”

“Okay…what do you usually get on pizza?”

He shrugged and I fought down the urge to groan. Instead of going through the list of toppings I just went with the classic pepperoni and cheese. As gently as I could, without waking Ellie I leaned over to grab the house phone from its charging cradle and ordered a large pizza and cheese sticks. I quickly discovered that Ellie could sleep through just about anything when the phone rang.

“Erm….hello, um Wright residence?”

“I’m guessing your Ed, hi, it’s Laurie, your relief.”  Her voice was bright and bubbly

“Oh, hey Laurie, what’s up?”

Michael glanced over towards me when I said Laurie’s name.

“Just thought I’d let you know I’ll be there around 7:30, maybe 8. Study group ran a little late and traffic is a nightmare. Can you put Ellie and Sophie to bed for me?”

“Yeah, sure, not a problem. Have you eaten yet? I ordered pizza and I’ll save you some if you’d like.”

“Aren’t you sweet, but I swung through a drive through so I’m good. But that does answer the question of do I need to pick up food.”

“Nope, got it covered. Take your time, there’s no need to rush, everything’s under control.”

“Thanks, see you soon Ed.”

“See you soon.”

I hung up the phone and looked down at Ellie who had managed to leave quite a large drool spot on my shirt. I gently coax her awake. Her big pale eyes blinked up at me, her fists digging out the sleep.

“Come on, it’s almost dinnertime.”

She pushed herself up, still rubbing her eyes. “What we having?” Her words interrupted by a yawn.

“Pizza. You like pizza don’t you?”

She nodded the had a panicked look, “You didn’t let Mike pick did you? He like gross things like peppers.”

Michael threw her a nasty look, rolling her eyes muttering “You used to eat them what changed.”

“No, I picked. Pepperoni and cheese. With extra cheese and cheese sticks.”

“Like string cheese?”

“No, mozzarella sticks.”

She looked excited as she shifted in my lap, focusing on the tv. She’d glance up every once in a while to see if I was still watching. She’d laugh, check to see if I was laughing and laugh harder if I was. Once the food was here and on the table Sophie came alive with an unlady like snort and rushed to her seat at the table. They were quick to mimic me when I placed the mozzarella sticks on the pizza, commenting about how good it was.

After dinner I gave Ellie her second bath, mostly just washing out her hair. Sophie refused to bath with me in the room, saying it wasn’t proper. When I pointed out that a princess never washes her own hair she retaliated with “it’s always a girl, never a boy.” I did convince her to let me stay in with the curtain drawn. I just reminded her to rinse proper so there wasn’t any suds left.

Once both girls were clean and in their pyjamas I started their bedtime routines. Both had requested a story to be read. Ellie’s was Peter Pan, commenting on how a true pirate wouldn’t be afraid of a “large lizard” and would see revenge. Sophie requested a fairy tale full of romance and prince charming coming to save the day. Once I creeped out of Sophie’s room I started to collect Ellie’s pad and markers from the floor. I glanced at the picture and saw a picture of what I guessed was me and her on a ship. At the top was scribble To and a bunch of attempts of trying to spell Gingerbeard. Finally settling on First Mate Teddy. From your Captain Ellie. I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face as I tore it from the pad. I’m guessing someone taught her how to spell certain pirate words. I had to admit, I was impressed, not to mention touched.

Now that they were asleep I pulled the little bows and ties out of my hair and washed off all the makeup. I had completely forgotten about it until the pizza guy gave me a smirk and said “I see one of them got their hands on you.”

I found Michael sitting on the floor playing some sort of adventure game. He asked if I wanted to play, handed me a controller and soon I had my character made and was playing alongside him. I was so wrapped up in it that I didn’t hear Laurie come in until she knocked on Michael’s door. I had pictured a peppy blonde cheerleader type by her voice, yet was greeted by a black haired woman with large black glasses who gave off the librarian vibe instead. She seemed like a sweet warm soul.

“Hey guys, how’s it going?” a glowing smile on her face

“Hey Laurie, We’re good. Trying to show Teddy how to play this. He’s not very good. You’re way better.”

“Cut me some slack mate, this is my first go at it.” I set the controller down on the floor.

“Yeah, you’re not bad for a noob.” he put his down as well and stretched.

I turn to Laurie. “Is that a compliment, I can’t tell?”

“It’s a compliment.”

We left Michael to his game and went out into the living room. I filled Laurie in on everything that I had done and what was taken care of.

“Well, it seems like you did all the hard work for me. Leaves me plenty of time to do homework.”

“Oh, Michael needed help on his math homework. I tried man, but math is fucking hard.”

She laughed, her hand covering her mouth. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to laugh. I’m a mathlete so it’s not a problem. But I’ve got it from here so you’re free to go. Thanks again.”

“Hey, no problem. I love kids and had a blast.”

I gathered up the picture Ellie drew and told Michael bye. He glanced over said bye and returned to his game. I climbed into my car and pulled my phone out of my pocket.

“There’s a beer waiting for when you put the kids to bed.”

I quickly text out on my way before heading out to the bar. The picture Ellie drew me was displayed on my fridge for everyone to see. When Luke had gotten back he rang me to say anytime I wanted to step in and give Laurie a day off let him know because the kids loved me.

“Anytime mate, anytime.”

*************************

A/N

Ellie completely stole my heart and I’m a little  sad she’s only going to be in this one

#ed sheeran #teddy sheeran #code ginger #ed sheeran fanfic #ed sheeran fan fic #ed sheeran fan fiction #ed sheeran one shot #one shot #ed sheeran fluff

[books-in-a-storm]

Book Cover Love Master List

Book cover can be so pretty. They need love sometimes. These are all the book covers that I love. Complete series that have a the covers have a red heart beside the series name(❤).I hope you love them too.

Alphabetical Covers:

A:

A Madness So Discreet-Mindy McGinnis 

All The Bright Places-Jennifer Niven

A Court Of Thorns And Roses

A Court Of Thorns And Roses(A Court Of Thorns And Roses #1)-Sarah J Maas

Anna 

Anna Dressed In Blood(Anna #1)-Kendare Blake 

Abby Sinclair 

A Brush of Darkness(Abby Sinclair #1)-Allison Page 

Asylum❤

Asylum (Asylum #1)-Madeleine Roux 

Sanctum(Asylum #2)-Madeleine Roux 

Catacomb(Asylum #3)-Madeleine Roux 

Arcadia Bell 

Kindling The Moon(Arcadia Bell #1)-Jenn Bennett 

Summoning the Night(Arcadia Bell #2)-Jenn Bennett

B:

Beneath The Scars-Melanie Moreland 

Blood Sinister-Celia Rees

Beau Rivage

Kill Me Softly( Beau Rivage #1)-Sarah Cross 

Blackwell Pages 

Loki’s Wolves(The Blackwell Pages #1)-K.L.Armstrong &M.A.Marr 

C:

The Cold King-Amber Jaeger 

Coraline-Neil Gaiman

The Coldest Girl In Cold Town-Holly Black

The Conqueror’s Saga

And I Darken(The Conqueror’s Saga #1)-Kiersten White

Now I Rise(The Conqueror’s Saga #2)-Kiersten White

Bright We Burn(The Conqueror’s Saga #3)-Kiersten White

Callaghan Brothers 

Dangerous Secrets(Callaghan Brothers #1)-Abbie Zanders

First and Only(Callaghan Brothers #2)-Abbie Zanders

House Calls(Callaghan Brothers #3)-Abbie Zanders

Seeking Vengeance(Callaghan Brothers #4)-Abbie Zanders

Cruel Beauty Universe

Cruel Beauty(Cruel Beauty Universe #1)- Rosamund Hodge

Chicagoland Vampires

Some Girls Bite(Chicagoland Vampires #1)-Chloe Neill

Friday Nights Bites(Chicagoland Vampires #2)-Chloe Neill

Twice Bitten(Chicagoland Vampires #3)-Chloe Neill

Hard Bitten(Chicagoland Vampires #4)-Chloe Neill

Drink Deep(Chicagoland Vampires #5)-Chloe Neill

The Curiosity House

The Shrunken Head(The Curiosity House #1)- Lauren Oliver & H.C. Chester

Code 11-KPD SWAT

Center Mass(Code 11-KPD SWAT #1)-Lani Lynn Vale

D:

Dangerous Lies-Becca Fitzpatrick

Don’t Look Back-Jennifer L. Armentrout

Daughter of Deep Silence By Carrie Ryan

Daughter Of Smoke And Bone❤

Daughter of Smoke & Bone(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)-Laini Taylor

Days of Blood & Starlight(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2)-Laini Taylor

Dreams Of Gods And Monsters(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3)-Laini Taylor

Darkest Powers

The Summoning( Darkest Powers #1)-Kelley Armstrong 

Dark Guardian

Moonlight(Dark Guardian #1)-Rachel Hawthorne

Full Moon(Dark Guardian #2)-Rachel Hawthorne

Dust Lands❤

Blood Red Road(Dust Lands #1) By Moira Young

Rebel Heart(Dust Lands #2)-Moira Young

Raging Star(Dust Lands #3)-Moira Young

E:

English❤

Dirty English(English #1)-Ilsa Madden-Mills

Filthy English(English #2)-Ilsa Madden-Mills

F:

Flame In The Mist- Renne Ahdieh

Furthermore-Tahereh Mafi

Fangirl-Rainbow Rowell

J:

H:

Heartless-Marissa Meyer 

The Hurricane ❤

The Hurricane(The Hurricane #1)-R.J.Prescott 

The Aftermath( The Hurricane #2)-R.J.Prescott

The Heroes of Olympus

The Lost Hero(The Heroes of Olympus #1)-Rick Riordan 

The Son Of Neptune(The Heroes of Olympus #2)-Rick Riordan

Hidden Legacy

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1)-Ilona Andrews 

Hudson Valley❤

Nuts(Hudson Valley #1)- Alice Clayton 

Cream Of The Crop(Hudson Valley #2)-Alice Clayton

Buns(Hudson Valley #3)-Alice Clayton

Hex Hall

Hex Hall(Hex Hall #1) By Rachel Hawkins 

Harry Potter-J.K.Rowling

The Philosopher’s Stone 20th Anniversary Edition Paperback

I:

I Was Here-Gayle Forman

The Infernal Devices❤

Clockwork Angel(The Infernal Devices #1)- Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)-Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess(The Infernal Devices #3)-Cassandra Clare

Indexing

Indexing(Indexing #1)- Seanan McGuire

G:

The Grisha ❤

Shadow And Bone(The Grisha #1)-Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm(The Grisha #2) By Leigh Bardugo

Ruin And Rising(The Grisha #3) By Leigh Bardugo

Guild Hunter 

Angels’ Blood(Guild Hunter #1)-Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Kiss(Guild Hunter #2)-Nalini Singh

K:

The Killing Jar-Jennifer Bosworth 

Kate Daniels

Magic Bites(Kate Daniels #1)-Ilona Andrews

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2)-Ilona Andrews

Magic Strikes(Kate Daniels #3)-Ilona Andrews

Magic Bleeds(Kate Daniels #4)-Ilona Andrews

Magic Slays(Kate Daniels #5)-Ilona Andrews

L:

Long May She Reign- Rhiannon Thomas 

Leave A Mark-Stephanie Fournet 

Let It Snow- John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle

Life And Death-Stephenie Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles 

Cinder(The Lunar Chronicles #1)-Marissa Meyer

Scarlet(The Lunar Chronicles #2)-Marissa Meyer

Cress(The Lunar Chronicles #3)-Marissa Meyer

Legend

Legend (Legend #1)-Marie Lu

M:

Missing- Kelley Armstrong 

Made for You-Melissa Marr

My True Love Gave To Me

Magisterium

The Iron Trial(Magisterium #1) By Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

The Copper Gauntlet(Magisterium #2) By Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

Mayhem❤

Mayhem(Mayhem #1)-Jamie Shaw

Riot(Mayhem #2)-Jamie Shaw

Chaos(Mayhem #3)-Jamie Shaw

Havoc(Mayhem #4)-Jamie Shaw

The Mortal Instruments❤

City of Bones(The Mortal Instruments #1)-Cassandra Clare

City Of Ashes(The Mortal Instruments # 2)- Cassandra Clare

City Of Glass(The Mortal Instruments # 3)- Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels(The Mortal Instruments #4)-Cassandra Clare

City Of Lost Souls(The Mortal Instruments #5)-Cassandra Clare

City Of Heavenly Fire(The Mortal Instruments #6)-Cassandra Clare

Mythos Academy

Touch of Frost(Mythos Academy #1)-Jennifer Estep

Kiss Of Frost(Mythos Academy #2)-Jennifer Estep

Magonia❤   

Magonia(Magonia #1)-Maria Dahvana Headley

Aerie(Magonia #2)-Maria Dahvana Headley

Man Hands

Man Hands(Man Hands #1)-Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby

Monsters of Verity❤

This Savage Song(Monsters of Verity #1)-Victoria Schwab

Our Dark Duet(Monsters of Verity #2)-Victoria Schwab

N:

November 9- Colleen Hoover 

O:

Of Beast And Beauty-Stacey Jay

Our Chemical Hearts-Krystal Sutherland

P:

Poles Apart-Kirsty Moseley 

Passenger

Passenger-Alexandra Bracken 

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

The Lightning Thief(Percy Jackson And The Olympians #1)- Rick Riordan

The Sea Of Monsters(Percy Jackson And The Olympians #2)- Rick Riordan

The Titan’s Curse(Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)-Rick Riordan

Poison Study 

Poison Study(Poison Study #1)-Maria V. Snyder

Assassin Study(Poison Study #1.5)-Maria V. Snyder

Magic Study(Poison Study #2)-Maria V. Snyder

Fire Study(Poison Study #3)- Maria V. Snyder

Power Study (Poison Study #3.5) by Maria V. Snyder 

Shadow Study(Poison Study #4)- Maria V. Snyder

Night Study(Poison Study #5)- Maria V. Snyder

Dawn Study(Poison Study #6)- Maria V. Snyder 

Q:

R:

Roseblood-A.G.Howard

Real

Real(Real #1)-Katy Evans 

Mine(Real #2)-Katy Evans

Remy(Real #3)-Katy Evans

Rogue(Real #4)-Katy Evans

Real Love

Eye Candy(Real Love #1)-Jessica Lemmon 

The Rule Breakers ❤

The Rule Book(The Rule Breakers #1) -Jennifer Blackwood

The Rule Maker(The Rule Breakers #2)-Jennifer Blackwood

The Raven Cycle ❤

The Raven Boys(The Raven Cycle #1)-Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves(The Raven Cycle #2)-Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Lily, Lily Blue(The Raven Cycle #3)-Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven King(The Raven Cycle #4)-Maggie Stiefvater 

Reawakened

Reignited(Reawakened 0.5)-Colleen Houck

Reawakened(Reawakened #1)- Colleen Houck

S:

Spinning Starlight-R.C.Lewis

Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda-Becky Albertalli

Suspicion-Alexandra Monir

Stitching Snow-R.C.Lewis

The School For Good And Evil

The School For Good And Evil(The School For Good And Evil #1)-Soman Chainani

Simon Snow

Carry On(Simon Snow #1)- Rainbow Rowell 

Wayward Son(Simon Snow #2)-Rainbow Rowell

Shatter Me

Shatter Me(Shatter Me #1)-Tahereh Mafi

Slater Brothers

Dominic(Slater Brothers #1)-L.A.Casey

Bronagh(Slater Brothers #1.5)-L.A.Casey

Alec(Slater Brothers #2)-L.A.Casey

Keela(Slater Brothers #2.5)-L.A.Casey

Kane (Slater Brothers #3)-L.A. Casey

The Storymakers❤ 

Spelled(The Storymakers #1)-Betsy Schow

Wanted(The Storymakers #2)-Betsy Schow

Banished(The Storymakers #3)-Betsy Schow

Six of Crows❤  

Six of Crows(Six of Crows #1)-Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom(Six of Crows #2)-Leigh Bardugo

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper(Stalking Jack the Ripper #1)-Kerri Maniscalco

Stage Dive

Lick(Stage Dive #1)-Kylie Scott

Play(Stage Dive #2)-Kylie Scott

Lead(Stage Dive #3)-Kylie Scott

T:

Trick-Natalia Jaster

It Ends With Us-Colleen Hoover

Twilight Saga

Twilight(Twilight #1)-Stephenie Meyer 

New Moon(Twilight #2)- Stephenie Meyer

The Tiger Saga❤

Tiger’s Promise(The Tiger Saga 0.5) by Colleen Houck

Tiger’s Curse(The Tiger Saga #1)-Colleen Houck

Tiger’s Quest(The Tiger Saga #2)-Colleen Houck

Tiger’s Voyage(The Tiger’s Curse #3)-Colleen Houck

Tiger’s Destiny(The Tiger Saga #4)-Colleen Houck

Tiger’s Dream(The Tiger Saga #5)-Colleen Houck

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before(To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before #1)-Jenny Han

Tales of Beauty & Madness❤

Nameless(Tales of Beauty & Madness #1)-Lili St.Crow

Wayfarer(Tales of Beauty & Madness #2)-Lili St.Crow

Kin(Tales of Beauty & Madness #3)-Lili St. Crow

Throne of Glass

The Assassin’s Blade(Throne of Glass 0.5) by Sarah J. Maas

U:

Uprooted-Naomi Novik

Unexpected Reality-Kaylee Ryan

Until Harry-L.A.Casey

Ugly Love- Colleen Hoover

Unfinished Fairy Tales

The Ugly Stepsister(Unfinished Fairy Tales #1)-Aya Ling

Twice Upon A Time(Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)-Aya Ling

V:

V is for Virgin❤  

V is for Virgin(V is for Virgin #1)-Kelly Oram

A Is For Abstinence(V is for Virgin #2)-Kelly Oram

W:

Wintersong

Wintersong(Wintersong #1) -S.Jae-Jones

Shadowsong(Wintersong #2)-S. Jae-Jones

Women of the Otherworld

Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1) -Kelley Armstrong

Stolen(Women of the Otherworld #2)-Kelley Armstrong

Dime Store Magic(Women of the Otherworld #3)-Kelley Armstrong

Industrial Magic(Women of the Otherworld #4)-Kelley Armstrong

Haunted(Otherworld #5)-Kelley Armstrong

White House❤

Mr. President(White House #1) - Katy Evans

Commander in Chief(White House #2- Katy Evans

X:

Y:

Z:

#book cover love master list #book cover #chloe neill #ilona andrews #jennifer blackwood #alice clayton #colleen hoover #jenny han #cassandra clare #rainbow rowell #alexandra bracken #recommendations #booklr #june 2017 #adult booklr #bookworm #bookblr #blog banners

[tyrus-ofcourseicame]

Ight so I know I’m an andi Mack blog. But I’ve been watching the 100 and it’s also one of my all times favorite shows so imma need to talk about this.

Um Octavia Blake hello. Wya boo. Also hope coming in. The way they hugged. Are we aboutta get an Octavia wlw couple? I mean everyone already knows I stan Gabriel and Octavia BC he’s the Lincoln of sanctum Fr. But like, I wanna see Octavia MF Blake kiss a girl sorry not sorry

That goddamn Bellarke hug. HOW DOES THAT NOT SCREAM CANON. Like season seven is gon have to prepare for the bellarkers BC wtf. That was A roMANTIC hug. Like?¿ Jason wyd? One second you say they platonic THEN THIS. Like WYD

Okay Octavia MF badass Blake running into a girl Fr enGULFED IN FLAMES. My girl really saved the MF day didn’t she. I’ve never stanned harder. LITERALLY JUMPED ON A GIRL ON FIRE. The progression, the redemption. FUCK

Okay Bellamy saying “side by side, like it always should be” or some shit. Wow. Iconic. I love my Blake siblings. He is accepting finally, that everything HAS changed. That she is trying to be a better person

Octavia bringing up how she couldn’t see the truth and that’s why she burned the farm. She’s come so far. I want to give my baby a MF hug. Ffs I’m so proud of her. She recognizes her mistakes and is completely changed

Okay so...Clarke was so good at pretending to be Josephine. All of the iconic lines. And it isn’t even Eliza’s Josephine voice. Like you can hear that it’s Clarke doing an impression. Eliza Taylor deserves an Emmy and all the awards. She is so immensely talented wow

Clarke floating all those mf bitches was so good, such a good scene. She was trying so hard to do better but when Simone had the nerve to impersonate her mother that had just died. Clarke did exactly what she had to do, and I’m proud of her for making that tough choice

Clarke being so terrified and sobbing because she had killed Russell’s family and she thought russel would kill Madi was so emotional. Again props to Eliza’s talent. Girl yoURE so good

The damn princess mechanic hug. The perfect ending to their fued. Raven finally stopped being petty and realized Clarke truly is her friend. And when she apologized for Abby knowing damn well Abby was like a mother to her too, damn. Their hug lasted so long and I’m so thankful. Clarke needed that reassurance from her once best friend

Sheidheda. DONT EVEN GET NE STARTED. Him putting into the code that it was either him or the flame being destroyed, knowing Gaia is a flamekeepa and this would be horrible for her. Then Gaia’s development, finally being able to let go of the commanders

Madi seeing Clarke, ready to kill herself and that’s what switches in her mind, she couldn’t lose her mother. So she broke free from his hold. Then the relief on Clarke’s face. Then sheidhedad bitchass choking her out in the flame. How dare you touch my child. The scene where Jackson takes the scalpel out of Clarke’s hand was so good. I was so happy with it. It showed the bond between Jackson and Clarke that has never been shown but everyone knows is there. Thank you Jason

Bellamy being Bellamy, knocking some bitchasses out was so fucking amazing. God I love that man. Such a complex character. I haven’t agreed with him as much recently but it was so great. We alway get at least one scene in every season of Bellamy just completely kicking ass and this one was by far the best shot and the best fighting

I’m glad we got a niylah scene. My girl deserves more screen time🙏

So glad I ended up tolerating echo this season. Her character wasn’t bad. However, she is just Bellamy’s love interest. That’s how the show is treating her. See, I may ship Bellarke, but that’s not why I don’t want becho. I simply don’t think Bellamy and echo are right for each other. I think they should’ve just kept her alone, so we could see the inside of HER character. Not when her characters relating to Bellamy. But she kicked major ass this episode, My wonderful azgeda warrior

How iconic is it that 3 people literally knocked out like at least 70 people? Like I lOVE those three bitches. Ugh amazing

MURPHY KISSED A MAN. That is all I have to say about it really. I love memori and personally think they’re going to be endgame but it was a nice touch considering it’s a headcanon that Murphy is bisexual. Murphy handled it so awkwardly though it was hilarious

My boy Murphy coming thrOUGH like I knew he would. I knew he’d save his people. And omg him knocking that dude out was also so cool

SEEING GABRIEL FIGHT WAS EPIC DUDE. Like I love his character and we got to see this very pacefist character fight someone

Emori being a damn queen was fucking amazing. I love that woman. She is so underrated. Her saving everyone was fucking great. She’s amazing I wanna hug her

Now for the big plot twist I guess. So, when they saw octavias back I saw it differently than everyone. People this she is in this anomaly cult but I think that the anomaly left that mark so she could reunite with hope. Also people are saying she was playing everyone from the second she stepped out of the anomaly but I completely disagree. She had no idea what happened in that anomaly. Not until they touched that ball like sculpture in the pattern that was on her back. I think that’s when everything came back to her. But I’m also thinking everything came back when she saw hope. She called out to her, yelling hope. She knew exactly who she was and gave her a tight hug. Jason confirmed that what Hope says is “he still has my mom”. He who? I’m not sure we’ll find out next season and then she replies with “tell him its done”. Then Hope stabs her, where she starts fading as the anomaly did. If she died we would’ve seen her dead guys. We know Jason. She’s not dead until we see a body. She’s alive and in the anomaly, working out how to save Diyoza (diyoza just autocorrected to Fitzpatrick wtf) from “him”

Theories for season 7

It’s all about the anomaly and finding Octavia. Hope was left behind, alive so we will be seeing her character in season 7, hopefully as a confirmed regular. I can’t wait to meet the character of Hope Diyoza, the daughter of the infamous (famous to us) Charmaine Diyoza. I couldn’t be more excited. I am slightly disappointed with just how big of a twist that is because its so much of a twist it doesn’t make sense. However I am excited for season 7, canon Bellarke, a lot of Octavia content, more Gabriel and introducing hope Diyoza. Season 7 is gon he wild yall

#the 100 #octavia blake #bellamy blake #echo kom azgeda #nathan miller #eric jackson #clarke griffin #john murphy #gabriel santiago #emori the 100 #russel lightborne #charmaine diyoza #the 100 diyoza #raven reyes #anomoly

[acekatherineplumber]

The Post of Many Questions!

PART 1. About myself…

Do you like the way you look? Right now, the answer is no. I’m really working on it. I’m in recovery. I’m going to group therapy. I’m trying.

Have you ever cut your hair yourself? Not cut, but trimmed Honestly, I don’t trust other people with my hair.

What’s your Instagram @? @cheveuxderaiponce. Follow me!

Favorite console to play video games on? I don’t play video games

Do you collect anything? Mugs!

Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Ew. No.

Are you a fan of bread and butter? Nope. It’s not vegan.

Does everything happen for a reason? No. Sometimes the world is just random and terrible. All we can do is be decent and kind to each other. Do no harm, but take no shit.

What’s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you? I tend to block that stuff out.

Have you ever almost died? Yes. Back in January, the external manifestation of my mental illness almost killed me. I had to make a choice at that point, to continue letting my mental illness  take over my life and take everything from me, or to recover. I chose recovery. It is HARD. I’m not going to lie to you, and some days I really don’t want to continue with it. However, to choose recovery is to choose life. It is to choose the future. it is to choose possibility. That is what I choose.

Go-to ice cream order? I’m vegan, so it’s really hard to go somewhere and order ice cream, but I like to buy vegan rocky road at the store.

Do you like your room? I do! I’m leaving it soon though.

What do you like to do when you’re feeling stressed? Make tea and watch The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged

Who’s your best friend? @hoogwoorts and @purplerainbowsrachel

Favorite animal? Cats, hedgehogs, and otters

Do you like to read? I LOVE to read. I’m almost done with The Three Musketeers!

Are you an extrovert or introvert? Introvert

Biggest regret? Regrets are wasted energy

Are you a fan of theme parks? I don’t like big roller coasters, but I do think theme parks are fun

Have you crossed anything off your bucket list in the past 2 months? Not in the past 2 months, but about 3 months ago I graduated from college!

PART 2. Ask me if I’m a believer…

Do you believe in aliens? Yes

Do you think everything happens for a reason? No

Do you believe the butterfly effect is real? Kind of?

Do you think love at first sight is legit? Absolutely not

Do you think we go to heaven or hell when we die?

Do you believe in karma? I do. I believe that the energy you put into he world will come back to you.

Do you believe in witches and/or magic? Yes

Do you think ghosts are real? Yes

Do you believe in anything mythical/supernatural? (Bigfoot, Mermaids, Vampires, etc.) Yes

Do you believe in a God? No.

PART 3. Ask me about relationships & love…

Are you in love with anyone at the moment? No

Do you want to eventually get married? Yes

Who are your best friends? Already answered that

Have you ever broke a friend’s trust? Definitely, but usually it’s because I’m trying to help them

What was your first kiss like? Unremarkable

If a friend called you to help hide a body, would you help or turn them in? I would probably say that I was busy.

Have you ever had a crush on someone that, now as you look back, is completely embarrassing? Everyone who feels romantic attraction has. It’s a part of life.

Explain your dream date. Indian food and good conversation and then a Shakespeare play

How would you react if you had a secret admirer? Confusion

You’re having dinner with your s/o, are you guys eating at a restaurant or having a home cooked meal? Home cooked that we cooked together

Talk about one of your favorite memories you share with a friend. It’s a simple one, but I just remember disappearing off to my friend’s house for a day. We ordered Chinese, watched movies, and just hung out. :)

Have you ever secretly taken something from a friend and not given it back? Definitely not on purpose.

How would you react if a friend started dating your ex? I’d warn them about what they’re really like, and tell them how much it would hurt me to see them make bad choices and be involved with any of those people

Do you think any of your friends talk about you behind your back? Only when they’re worried about me

Where would you want to have your honeymoon? France

Do you believe in sex before marriage? Yes

Are you currently single? Yes

Have you ever broken up with someone? Yes

Have you ever cried over a break-up with a friend? Yes

If you were in an emergency, which friend would you call first? Probably @purplerainbowsrachel. I trust her and she’s the closest.

PART 4. Ask me about my favorite things!

Favorite feel-good movie? The Princess Bride

Favorite song from before 2005? 1985 by Bowling for Soup or I’m a Believer. They’re super nostalgic and have a lot of good memories attached to them/

ALL-TIME favorite album? Reputation. Sue me.

Favorite actress? ANNE. HATHAWAY.

Top 3 favorite colors? Aqua, silver, and olive green

Favorite book genre? Historical, action-thriller-mystery. Think The Da Vinci Code, but better written.

Favorite poem? “Won’t You Celebrate With Me?” by Lucille Clifton

Favorite actor? Chris Evans

Favorite type of food? Indian

Favorite pair of shoes you own? Mid-calf vegan leather boots

Favorite song right now? “You Need to Calm Down” by Taylor Swift. I had it on repeat this morning.

Favorite show you’ve ever watched? Parks and Recreation or Brooklyn 99.

Favorite show as of right now? Brooklyn 99.

Favorite quote? I draw strength from different quotes at different moments. Right now I’m drawing strength from “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated” (Maya Angelou). However, I think an over-arching one is from the 2015 live-action Cinderella, “Have courage and be kind.”

Favorite thing to do when you’re bored? Read, scroll through the internet, go for a walk.

Favorite food? Samosas and hummus. 

Favorite sea animal? Octopi

Favorite perfume/cologne/body spray? Black Tulip by Nest, Black Raspberry Vanilla and Vanilla Bean Noel from Bath and Body Works.

Favorite drink to order at a coffee shop? Tea!

Favorite person you know? Probably my cousin.

Favorite blog(s) here on Tumblr? Abby’s, Rachel’s, Carolyn’s, and a few others.

Favorite Youtuber? So many. I watch way too much YouTube. I like Christina Randall, Jessica Kent, Olivia Simone, Lucia Tepper, Once Upon a Bron, caitlovesdisney, Jay Swanson, Sarah Ingle, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, Five Foot One Teacher, Colleen Ballinger (her, not Miranda Sings), Patrcia B, Katherine Steele, the Di’Amore Family, DFB Guide, The Financial Diet, Cherry Wallis, Brian Hull, Emily’s Wanderland, kenziemacbrown, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Amy Lovatt, and definitely more.

Favorite place to shop? Barnes and Noble.

Favorite book? Les Mis

Favorite musician? Taylor Swift

Favorite city you’ve been to? Paris

Favorite sport? I life to watch gymnastics and dance, but I don’t like to play sorts. Working out is fun though.

Favorite outfit you own? My teal Lularoe dress I know, MLMs are terrible, but I bought it before I knew that, and it’s higher quality than most of Lularoe’s other stuff.

Favorite app to use? Hogwarts Mystery

Favorite flower? Irises and sunflowers

PART 5. Ask me Would You Rather…

Eat a slug OR Eat a cockroach? Cockroach

Not take a shower for a week OR Not brush your teeth for a week? Not take a shower.

Cuss out your boss OR Tell your mom she looks fat? Cuss out my boss

Fart in front of your crush (and they know it’s you) OR Accidentally sneeze in your celebrity crush’s face? Definitely fart

Jump off a cliff into the ocean OR Go skydiving and jump out of a plane? Jump off a cliff

Be the girl who was known for eating her tampon OR Have everyone in your life legitimately hate you? Be known for eating my tampon.

Not be able to own anything that costs more than $20 OR Only be able to own things that cost $100 or more? $100

Shit your pants on nation television OR Shit your pants at a job interview? Job interview

Be famous while you’re alive but forgotten when you die OR Be unknown while you’re alive but famous after you die? Be unknown and then famous after death

Go to jail for 5 years for something you didn’t do OR Get away with a horrible crime and live with guilt & fear? Get away with it.

PART 6. Ask me if I’ve ever…

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? Yes

Ever kissed someone who wasn’t single? Yes, and that is definitely part of the worst thing I have ever done. 

Ever spit in someone’s food/drink? No

Have you ever done anything illegal? Jaywalking is technically illegal, but other than that, no.

Have you ever cheated on a test? Yes

Ever spread a rumor? Yes

Have you ever saved someone’s life? Yes

Have you ever been to a foreign country? Yes

Have you ever made someone cry? Yes

Ever lied straight to someone’s face? Yes

#story of my life