Tumgik
#i know this seems random guys but trust me the french will understand
lovings4turn · 23 days
Note
𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀 𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 — (for f1) Hi ! first of I have to say I looove your work,
and second, on to my description (which I hope will be good enough) I'm 160cm/5'3, and I'm an intj, I have trust issues combined with being an introvert but once I'm comfortable with someone I can be a lot of fun, I love animals and I have a cat which I love very very much. I have autism and alexithymia (it comes with autism), so basically I don't know or understand mine or others feelings and emotions, so because of that I'm not very affectionate when it come to words, in actions perhaps not much either but more ! I love art, music, photography, books, learning new things or languages (I speak french (native language), english and I'm re-learning german), and going walking or hiking. I currently study visual communication and my dream job would be to be a car designer (aesthetic design) because I really love cars, especially sports cars.
hiya darling !!! thank you so so much oh my god ,, that means the world so thank you for being so sweet :(( this description was perfect ,, thank you so much for participating and i hope you like your ships lovely !!<33
𝐢'𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢 !
now ,, i will say that it was very close between oscar and george for me here , but ultimately oscar seemed like the perfect choice for you !!!
ᡣ𐭩 i think that oscar would be super understanding about your introversion , trust issues , and autism and alexithymia - he's a very attentive person , and so is always making sure you're as comfortable as possible in any situation ! he , too , can be a little bit of an introvert , so he likes that you're both super comfortable with one another and he can see a side of you that not many people are lucky enough to see ! oscar doesn't mind that you aren't too affectionate in regards to your words or actions either , he knows that you love him and care about him , and that's more than enough for him !
ᡣ𐭩 oscar constantly pesters you to teach him small phrases in french or german , no matter how random or obscure they are ! he just likes having them handy , especially little french compliments he can give to you when you least expect it . his accent isn't great , and there's still a slight australian twang to the words , but he's trying , and the soft grin he gives you whilst he speaks could make butter melt !
ᡣ𐭩 he is so fascinated by your studies and encourages your dream with so much enthusiasm !! he's always asking about what you got up to in your classes , and loves to indulge in conversations about cars and sports cars with you - it's perfect to him because he gets to combine the two things he loves most: you and cars !!
ᡣ𐭩 because he travels a lot , thanks to his job , he always sends you pictures of any animals he sees , whether it be a cute dog he passes by on the street or a cool lizard in one of the hotter countries - oscar just wants you to know that he's thinking of you , and wants to share any experience with you that he can when you're apart !
𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐧 !
ᡣ𐭩 now , the thing that really sold this friendship for me was the love for animals and your cat ! i mean come on , who else to be your best friend if not the owner of albon pets ??? you and alex constantly send pictures of your pets back and forth ,,, and it's a running joke between you two that you're vying for each other's pets affections , wanting to be their favourites
ᡣ𐭩 one of your guys' favourite things to do together is go for walks or hikes !! alex is one for finding pretty , scenic trails and areas , and you spend the entire time talking and catching up , perhaps pointing out a nice bird or little animal you see on your journey !! it's peaceful , and low energy , and alex couldn't think of a better way to hang out with his best friend !!
ᡣ𐭩 so interested in your photography ! as someone who travels the world and so takes a lot of pictures himself , he's always so curious about the recent photos you've taken , what you've seen and what you consequently chose to capture as a memory of it . always pours over your pictures , claiming it to be unfair that he can't capture beautiful sceneries with as much ease as you do
1 note · View note
Text
In France, we have a tradition on april fool's day to draw and cut out a fish from paper and stick it on someone's back without them noticing. It's a cute and harmless little prank.
Reblog to stick a paper fish on the back of the person you reblogged this from! 🐟
591 notes · View notes
roamingpoffin · 3 years
Text
Mr. Genova: Instructions for Use
Hello there! I recently got to re-read Hetalia’s story about Napoleon in occasion of a trip in Corsica, and suddently remembered this adorable little guy. While there are a lot of wonderful people that took the mantle and tried to give character and story to what are actually just 2 sketches from 3y ago, I also noticed some disappointment (understandable) and…. misinformation from lack of context and historical knowledge about the topic. I know that seeing the 4th italian brother when maybe your country isn’t in yet can be frustrating, but trust me when I say that Genova is a very important character for many of the events that occurred between the middle-ages and WWII (does Colombo ring a bell?).
With that said let’s try to discover together who actually was is Mr.Genova!
Why Genova and not Genoa? Genova is the correct italian name of the republic/city while Genoa is it's english version and, incidentally, the name of Genova's most renowed football team. So just like for Venezia and Roma we'll keep the original pronunciation.
In this first part we’ll talk about Genova design
Tumblr media
[Original sketch by Hima, I just polished and colored it to better convey my ideas about his design.]
I’ve heard people complaining that “he just seems like a fusion of Romano and France”, funnily enough not only the comparison is quite on point, but it’s coherent with Genova’s history and probably intentional on Hima’s side.
To understand what I mean let’s look at a little map of modern Italy
Tumblr media
We can immediatly notice some things ->
1) Liguria (the name given to Genova’s historical territories after the city became “capoluogo di regione” in 1948) borders with France and Monaco. For all it’s life Genova had to fend against France and would often end under it’s dominion for brief periods; at the same time their vicinity favored a similar culture and language (with one BIG exeption we'll see another time): Monaco and Corsica, previously territories of Genova, retain a great resemblance with Ligurian when speaking their actual language, aka Corso and Monegasco. At the same time Ligurian presents some elements common in french that are actually absent in standard italian.
2) Genova is situated in front of the Ligurian sea and has open access to all of west-Mediterraneum, becoming the most important harbor in north-west Italy since it gained his autonomy from the HRE around 1096 A.D. Due to Liguria peculiar geografical conformation (no plains and the Alps-Appenines isolating Genova from the rest of north Italy, favoring a climatic bubble that makes the region a greener version of the south) our republic decided to limit it's expansion towards northen countries and instead focus on the Mediterraneum sea, becoming Spain and by proxy South Italy best commercial/political buddy till (almost) the end of it’s indipendent life.
3bonus) Yes guys Seborga is a little town in the Ligurian hinterland and was part of the Genovese republic. While Seborga's story is really interesting (might do a focus in the future) the general history and culture of the 2 is the same.
NOTE: every time I use the term “Italy” during any period pre 1861 consider it only as the geographical meaning of the peninsula (Italy as a country wasn't a thing till then).
PALETTE AND DESIGN
With this introduction in mind it makes sense for little Genova to have his hair styled similar to France and a darker shade compared to Veneziano. While the dark gray used by Hima could hint at both black and dark brown, the latter is by far the most common color in Liguria so I decided to go with that.
His eyes are anybody’s game to be fair, but I decided to be as faithful as possible to the average ligurian so, just like Feli and Lovi when Hima decides that his eyes aren’t olive anymore, brown/light brown is the most common color in Italy (+ we already have Seborga as the random flashy neighbouring brother).
To end our palette the skin tone could be an in between: probably darker that a Northener but lighter than a Southener (no mayor arabic nor germanic influences here)
CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES
clothes -> nothing too important to say, the clothes are fit for the XVIII sec., they shows Genova’s status as a wealthy commercial republic and unofficial bank of Europe (yup, before Switzerland Genova had that role and it’s banks are considered the oldest in Europe). As long as the colors used aren’t too flashy everything is fine.
crown thingy(?) -> now this is where things become interesting. There are 3 possible options I could think as of why Genova, of all the possible accessories, has a crown when it wasn’t even a monarchy. Pick what you prefer or feel free to add your personal interpretation if you want.
1) money and superbia: as written before, during it's prime Genova was a wealthy republic, lending money to half of Europe and being the indiscussed queen of west-Mediterraneum (ofc Venezia was the queen of east-Mediterraneum, but that’s another story for another post). The city even got the nickname “Superba” to enanche the grandiosity and way too much pride of it’s people. A crown would be a fitting choice for someone who is probably a bit narcisist.
2) city status: in ancient paintings the personifications of countries and cities were made recognizable by the presence of a little crown on their head. Adding to that, in Italy to be a full fledged town or city you must receive a crown symbol to put on your emblem, maybe Hima is hinting at Genova actual predicament.
Tumblr media
3) the Lanterna: I’ll admit the first thing I tought while looking at Genova was “that looks like a little tower”. A bit strange, but actually not farfetched; if you have ever visited Genova you’ll know what I mean when I say this city has a lot, and I say A LOT of towers positioned trough the historical center. The reason? To protect themselves from the French/Ottomans/eventual pirates, in the XVI sec. Genova decided to build a massive system of walls and towers that surrounded the city. There is also a specific tower that is considered the symbol of Genova itself “la Lanterna”. The Lanterna is the oldest Lighthouse still in function trough Europe; maybe if you glance at its modern look it doesn’t scream “tower”, but before it was semi-destroyed by the French army in 1513 A.D. Lanterna beared a striking resemblance to what Mr.Genova is wearing.
“MUGUGNO LIBERO”
Last but not least, the infamous pout that gave Genova the label of “Romano 2.0”. It’s not random, it’s not wrong, it’s such a toughtful and unexpected touch that Hima would be declared honored guest by any Genovese (and made me personally laugh like an idiot for an hour).
What Genova is doing here has a specific term in the local language, mugugnare!
What is “mugugnare”? Mugugnare is a peculiar way of complaining and rambling specific of the Ligurians. This act is soo ingraned into the culture of the region that it’s considered an art and will take a good part of any conversation you’ll have with a local.
I’ll be more specific when we’ll touch Genova possible characterization, just you know that where Romano is loud, pretty offensive and direct the mugugno is more subtle and passive-aggressive. It can and WILL BE directed at anything, from the weather to jobs to Venezia and the rest of the north.
This finally brings us in what defines most of the characters of Hetalia, the wonderful land of stereotypes.
See you in the next part where we’ll talk about the temperament and culture of what is often considered the “black sheep” of north Italy!
25 notes · View notes
pretoriafics · 3 years
Text
Russian Roulette - Pt. 3
Tumblr media
In this series, you will find: Alternative Universe, Soulmate plot, Angst, Fluff. In this chapter, you will find: You went to the Friday night party, but, yeah, you think you found out about what the ginger lady had talked about with you that day at the restaurant. Word count: 2.020 Pairings: Reader x Platonic! Scott and Stiles; Reader x Derek Original characters of this chapter: Elodie, your french friend, and Au pair; Astrid, your german friend, and Au Pair; Bennie, your host mom; Warnings: English is not my main language <3 Yeah, it was based on Russian Roulette by Rihanna Russian Roulette series: Chapter Two | Chapter Four RUSSIAN ROULETTE MASTERLIST TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST
You thought about that ginger lady all days that week. Her words were so weird and creepy...
But she was right. You were definitely looking for something: you were looking for the truth about your friends. Everything was okay until you met Derek that day in the accident. And since that, a strange woman came to you.
The truth is not what you're expecting the woman said. So, the truth about your boys was not criminal issues? Something inside of you tells that a criminal issue with the boys would be easier to deal with. But if the boy's secrets were nothing related to crime, what the hell are they hiding, so?
You saved the address the woman gave to you, but you didn't read it. You didn't have the courage yet. But you don't want to think about it right now: It's Friday! And you have a party to go to.
Stiles sent you a lot of texts, trying to plan something for Friday night. You know he just doesn't want you to go to that party for some reason you don't know. And that is the biggest reason you definitely should go there.
You wear your red and short dress and then you were ready to enjoy the night. A few friends went to your house, to give a ride for you, and quickly you guys arrived at a huge house. It was full of drunk people, with loud music and dancing bodies. The house is located close to the woods, so there are no mad neighbors to complain about the loud music - which is great. You just want to enjoy the night and forget about the ginger lady and the secret of your boys.
Well, things were being really fun. You were dancing, you met some cute guys, and you drank just two glasses of alcoholic drinks. It was enough to let you "happier". You weren't used to drinking, so you were the joke of the night after being so excited with just two glasses.
You were talking with two other Au Pairs: Elodie, the girl from France, and Astrid, the german one.
"But you drank just two glasses! Come on, take just one more!"
Astrid was putting more drink in a cup for you, but the truth is that you really didn't like to drink too much. You don't trust anyone to watch you when you lose control over yourself, and if you lost control over yourself, anyone could do anything with you.
"No, thank you. I'm done."
Suddenly, you saw through the window behind Astrid something that gave you shivers. It was a pair of red and demonic eyes looking at you from the woods. Your face blushed from the high temperature of your body, became white in fear. You simply can't take your eyes off that creepy eyes.
"Hey girl, do you saw a ghost or something like that?"
Elodie's french accent pulls you to reality again, and your gaze finds her.
"Uh, no... I just think I need some fresh air."
You turn your back, without gave more explanations to the confused girls who are looking at you walking to the front door. You hear Astrid shout for you:
"But how about Stephen? He will come soon!"
"Tell him I'll be back!"
The house behind you was pure fun and party, but despite having fun, you thought that you needed some fresh air. What that eyes was? Maybe just something inside your head. You haven't had drank enough to get out of control, and even if you had, a glass of some random drink wouldn't give you hallucinations.
Well, you would back to the party a few minutes later. Now, you just need some walking.
You took your high heels off and began to walk on the street. The breeze of the night was giving you a gentle hug, and while the sound of the music becomes low, you find out that yeah, you kinda like those night walkings. All that silence, the fresh air, the peace... Wow, you should do it more.
But your peace was gone when you noticed that a man was stalking you.
Crap.
He is high, with large shoulders. You haven't a chance against him. Scared and worried, your walk becomes faster and faster, hoping that the man finally has gone. But when you crossed the street to come back to the house, you saw that the man has gone. Actually, seems like he evaporated in the air.
Okay, the party is over to you. You would come back to the party and ask for a ride for someone. And done.
When you gave the first step in the party's direction, a huge wolf jumped in front of you, roaring in a way that almost did your heart stop. You shout loud.
"What the hell?! Help!"
You began to run in the opposite direction of the party, running from that unreal wolf who was hunting you. Tears were scrolling down your face, in pure desperation while it runs to chase you. You throw your high heels to the thing, and your heels hit its snout. It seems to work because the wolf shook its head, bothered. It gave you time enough to run even faster while you catch your phone in your bag. The first number you tried to call was Sebastian.
"Come on, Bash, come on!"
But then, a voice coming out of your phone says something that fills you with horror.
"This phone is off. Please try again later."
"Damn!"
The next number you had tried to call was Stiles. He could ask his dad for help, and maybe you could be saved. Happily, you heard his voice.
"Hey, you thought about my proposal of-"
"Stiles, call your dad, I need help!"
The wolf roared for you and, suddenly, it jumps. You let out a loud shout and deflect its attack, changing your route and running to the woods.
"What's happening?!"
"There's a huge wolf behind me! Please, I need help!"
"Where are you?! Are you at that party?"
The wolf runs in your direction and jumps again. It pushes its feet into a tree and, then, it flies in your direction. You put yourself down, deflecting again of its attack, but your phone fell in the middle of the leaves. Terrified, you come up with your foot against a rooted tree and fell.
Crying as you'd never cried before, you got up and, tired, you take strength inside of you to run one more time, as a way to delay your imminent death. But seems like that were your lucky day.
A skinny figure jumps in the wolf's direction, and they roll through the leaves on the floor. The wolf got up, and let out a loud roar. When you turn yourself to understand what the hell has happened, you saw Scott stopped in front of the wolf. However, he wasn't the same: His face was bestial. Close to him, you saw another figure you hadn't seen coming while you were running. You recognize that figure too: Derek, with the same bestial face. But just when Scott turns his animal face to you, you got certain that, yeah, that thing was he.
"(Y/N)... Run."
But the Wolf seems stronger than Derek and Scott. With a hit, the wolf throws them into the air, and Derek and Scott hit the trees. The wolf run in your direction and you try to run, but things were different this time. You heard two roars when the wolf hits you with such strength, that you hit in the tree. Everything becomes dark after this.
"Is she okay? You've come in time?"
You know that voice! It was from Stiles. Your eyes opened slowly, but you still were dizzy with the blow. Your vision was completely blurred, but you could recognize the environment around you. You were lied down to what seems like a backseat, and your head was in someone's lap - Stiles's lap. You saw his worried face when you look up.
"She's fine. The Alpha didn't bite her."
That voice was from Scott, you were pretty sure. He was at the passenger's seat.
"How do you know?"
"Because we check her before brings her here, smart-ass. What do you think?"
Another familiar voice. What was his name? Daryl? Devon?
"Oh, really Derek? I thought that, I don't know, after the Alpha's bite, the mark of the bite disappears!"
But then, the voice of Scott is heard.
"Shhh! Guys, I think she's waking up!"
Stiles looks at you, with such concern in his eyes.
"Hey, miss sunshine. You okay?"
But your head was aching so much! You just close your eyes again, becoming so tired suddenly. You heard Derek's voice now, but he seems so far away from you.
"She will not stay awake too long. Luckily, she will think everything was a nightmare."
Scott let out a long sigh.
"I hope so."
That was the last thing you heard before get unconscious again.
You woke up, scared and sweat. Quickly, you sat in the bed, with a heavy breath and confused. Your head is aching a little bit, but you think it's just a silly headache.
You let out a long sigh and get up from the bed. You took your phone from the bedside table and... Wow, you don't remember to let your phone fall for it get a cracked screen. Still, you could saw a lot of messages from Astrid and Elodie. You chose to read the messages from Elodie first.
"Girl, where are you? Someone found a dead body in the master suite!"
"Where are you?!"
"I'll call the police."
"Please, please just be safe. I'm so afraid of what could be happened to you!"
"We will go back to the party's house, Astrid is freaking out. We don't care if it's dangerous, we just want you safe."
"GIRL I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TELL US THAT YOU'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THAT GUY!! HE'S SO HOT!! HAVE FUN!! You almost made us got a heart attack of worries! Next time advise us."
If that was Elodie's message, you can't imagine Astrid's messages. But... What happened? A body? A guy?
Then, you realize that you didn't remember to come back home from the party. You froze. You gave a step forward, to put your phone on the dressing table, but you felt something aching in your left knee: You were hurt! It was just a silly injury, you probably fell sometime at the party last night. But, then, you remembered.
The giant wolf. The chasing. Scott and Derek. Stiles looking at you.
You look at your phone: Yeah, you let it fall when you were running. Your knee: You fell when you're trying to save your life. Your head: You had been thrown in a tree.
Oh my God.
Scared and trying to assimilate things, you go downstairs and realize that it was 10:30 AM. It was Saturday, your day off, and Bennie was in the kitchen while the girls and Sebastian were running in the backyard. When Bennie saw you coming, she smiled.
"Good morning! Hungry? I did some cookies! But be hurry to eat all of them, you know Sebastian loves cookies, and you just have a few minutes after he got tired of being running with the girls outside."
"Bennie... You know, I think I drank too much last night and..." No, you do not think you drank too much last night "...And I'm not sure about who gave me a ride back home."
"Oh," She gave you a suggestive gaze. "Who would be? Hale, of course! He's a great guy, took care of you! He said that you got really scared after someone found a body in the house, so you got nausea and felt dizzy. And he brought you here. You didn't remember it?"
"Yeah, yeah, now you said it, I think I'm remembering."
You lied, again. But the only thing you have pretty sure, is that tomorrow you would talk with the priest that ginger lady told you.
52 notes · View notes
namaikiii · 4 years
Text
Twst Ch 5 Thoughts
[Testing out to see if Tumblr eats this one]
I have a problem with Rook: He speaks French. Rook, where did you learn French? Is there a France in Twisted Wonderland? How is French cuisine a commonly known thing in Pomefiore? And if so, where is this France? How can there be a place that speaks French or a Japan for Lilia to learn about natto if Crowley has never heard of our world in his 100 year career? How does this world work???? or maybe the problem lies with us/Yuu
Random Spacefiller Before the Cut: Leona living up to the phrase “cats hate collars”
Tumblr media
Rest is under the cut to avoid spoilers (also it’s lengthy):
Tumblr media
[Spoiler 5-10] Jamil: Kalim, it’s fine if you don’t (clean gym with ADeuce)……This line really stuck out to me because although we’ve seen Jamil be concerned over Kalim before, it’s the first time he’s showing signs of caring AFTER their incident in Ch 4 (AKA new relationship standing is: we are not friends) and it also invokes a different attitude.
Part of it is still probably out of habit, old-Jamil would say a master shouldn’t be doing the work of a servant. Another part I feel like is guilt. Having Kalim follow his orders (even though it wasn’t directed at him) might’ve triggered Jamil to how he treated Kalim in Ch 4. And his discomfort shows that he’s reflected on his actions and knows he was in the wrong. Grim comments the change in Jamil is extreme (duh Grim, his quick turnaround is thanks to his maturity, unlike some Overblotters…). The thing with Jamil is his growth will never by shown explicitly due to his nature, but the small snippets of focus on him give enough to read between the lines.
And throughout Ch 5 we see Jamil still keeping an eye on Kalim from afar, and his expressions are pensive. Kalim is showing signs of putting himself as an equal with Jamil by doing the same tasks as him and learning to put in effort at improving himself so that he may compete with Jamil on equal footings. And Jamil has to fight back old habits of giving in his victories to/coddling Kalim (thereby enabling his ignorant helplessness) and learn to let Kalim (and himself) go through the process so that they can both mature as their own person. And I think this growth between them will develop further in this chapter. Also I high key love Kalim’s reasoning for picking his favorite story. The boy believes in 2nd chances and redemption arcs.
It’s a bit of a pity that Jamil’s frustration was directed towards Kalim instead of the social system of the Land of Hot Sands itself, because he clearly is grappling with himself on his opinion of Kalim (yesss Jamil, be friends. He’s a good guy and you know it). But then again, he’s a teenage boy so it’s understandable that he’s unable to see past the oppression in his immediate space to see the issue in light of the big political picture of it all. And it seems that our overblotters suffering from twisted oppression(s) of this world outside of their control seems to be a common theme.
[Spoiler 5-21] So at this rate, we’ve technically had a sleepover with Savanaclaw, and Octavinelle, and now with Heartslabyul/Scarabia/Pomefiore. Will we get to finish the set with Ignihyde and Diasomnia? Will Malleus finally get invited to something???
Thoughts on Vil so Far: Coincidentally, while playing through Ch5, I came across an article talking about how ultra-Independence is a trauma response and while reading it, a lot of it resonated with Vil from what we’ve observed of him so far. From what I gleaned, characteristics of ultra-independence is:
A survival mechanism stemming from a past trauma (neglect/abuse/bullying/grief/etc.)
Tend to be the rulers of the household (They run the show)
Take on all the responsibilities/decisions because they don’t trust others to make the correct decisions (micromanage)
Results in too much responsibility on one person –> Become overwhelmed/unable to cope with the pressure
Asking for help/Admitting they are not coping is terrifying
Tend to take on codependent relationships (allows them to fix others which gives them a sense of security/control rather than a person who tries to help them)
And in the same order, I’ll relate the observations and how it pertains to Vil:
He holds bitterness to his past/hometown for whatever he experienced there (humiliation?) and is disillusioned by the concept that hard work will bring good results (the falsity of which he is currently experiencing due to, despite all his efforts, Neige is still “#1″). In Deuce’s SR Lab Coat story and other instances, he always scolds those who ask for help without putting in their own effort first.
Uh…..Dorm lead. Fairy Gala/His movie club projects/This training camp also show how much he invests in directing to make sure everything is as perfect as can be
Same as above, the strictness of his lessons in Fairy Gala, the nitpickiness of the smoke color in his Lab Coat Story, his critiques during lessons as well as managing everyone’s diet and skincare
We’re seeing him slowly slip and act out of character like standing blankly in the middle of the hall (every time that ink blot drips yo). Also I could add in the way his severity towards Epel is becoming more and more unreasonable and more of living a projection of his own desires through someone else (tiger mom anyone?)
Rook knows what’s up. Despite others seeing Vil as a very strong and confident personality, Rook’s description of him suggests something fragile and needs to be looked after. More so especially if the person in distress is unable to ask for help himself
His interaction with Azul in Azul’s SR Ceremony Robe story and Jade in Jade’s SSR story shows he is another one of those who hates being indebted to others. He will not be a charity case. His general relationship with Rook is also very quid pro quo. And the whole nosiness of him constantly getting involved in improving others to reach their full potential (he wanted to continue Fairy Gala boys’s modeling career even when it was unnecessary).
Rook mentions how he and Vil are excited for the first years to break out of their shells and show their true beauty and tbh I hope that means one step closer to finding their Unique Magic. Let it happen dang it! Also, when Vil OBs, I see Rook reacting in 1 of 2 ways: him with his beauty optimism will still find OB Queen as Beauté! in its own way OR  he’ll call it out that Vil has strayed from his true beauty (AKA: for once, you no beauté!). But he’ll help get his Roi de Poison come back to his senses and back on track. Yah I’m leaning towards option 2.
Yeah that was an essay but I’m loving Ch 5 so far because! MORE SCARABIA BOYS SCREENTIME AND DEVELOPMENT. and also lots more info on Twst lore. Thanks for reading!!!!!
105 notes · View notes
accioromione · 4 years
Note
I loved the fic where Hermione was jealous, can you plz do something similar with Ron? There's my idea. Ron finds out that a colleague of Hermione is flirting with her(maybe Harry told him😉) and like that's not bad enough the guy is handsome, wealthy, top of his class(head boy) at hogwarts and now has a very successful career in the ministry. Rons insecurities start coming back and he is afraid he is going to lose her😱.... do you best! 👍
“Harry I’ve told you countless times that-” Hermione began in the ministry elevator as the doors closed , but she was interrupted by the elevators opening once again due to somebody stopping the closing doors with their briefcase. 
“Sorry,” said a tall handsome man walking in, “didn’t want to wait for the next.... oh wow it’s Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, what are the odds,” he said. “Albert Wildsmith,” The man added, holding out to shake Harry’s hand and then Hermione. 
“Wildsmith?” Hermione asked, as she shook his hand. “As in Ignatia Wildsmith? She invented Floo Powder.” 
The handsome man chuckled, “it is true what they say about you then” Hermione blushed, “the one and only, I don’t take credit for her work though- the gold she left behind is more than enough.”
“Well nice to meet you,” said Harry, looking at him suspiciously. 
“What floor?” Hermione asked, going to reach to press a button. 
“Six,” said the man, 
“oh that’s my floor too, are you new then?” said Hermione. 
“Oh yeah, well here, after graduating I got a placement in France because I can speak it fluently, but I got offered the assistant head position, and it’s quite nice to be back in England. I missed it.” said Albert. 
“So you went to Hogwarts then?” asked Harry. 
“Yeah, I graduated in 1993.” 
“Yeah that would have been our third year-” said Hermione thoughtfully. 
“What house were you in?” Harry interjected. 
“Ravenclaw” said Albert, 
“Oh, you were head boy weren’t you? I remember an Albert who was a Ravenclaw head-boy!” Hermione said excitedly, Albert smiled. 
“That was me,” said Albert smiling, “impressive how you can remember, looks and brains you’ve got” Hermione blushed. 
“So you’ve been in France since?” Harry asked. 
Albert nodded sadly, “yes... I wish I could have been there...for you know.. the war.” 
“Well France didn’t ban you from coming back did it?” Harry asked. 
“Harry!” Hermione said. 
Albert smiled sadly, “I had ministry restrictions, France wasn’t prepared for me to leave.” 
“How lucky,” said Harry. “We know a girl from France, she came to England, married Hermione’s FIANCEE’S brother, she helped out even being from France and all.” 
“Harry!” Hermione said again. 
Albert smiled at her, “it’s okay- I understand, I would be that way as well. Fiancee eh? Lucky bloke.” 
Hermione’s face flushed. 
“Yeah Ron Weasley, sure you’ve heard of him if you’ve heard of us,” said Harry annoyed. 
“Oh...I have heard of him... well... lucky guy anyways,” said Albert. 
“Floor six” a lady’s voice said coolly. 
“Well that’s us I guess,” said Albert, “it was nice meeting you Harry,” 
“Oh I’m coming, Hermione and I have to talk about....ministry matters.” said Harry, Hermione looked at him confused.
“What?” Hermione asked. 
“Yes Hermione I have to discuss something of great importance with you,” said Harry puffing out his chest. 
“O-okay?” Hermione said. 
The doors opened and the three of them walked out. 
“Well, nice meeting you Albert,” said Hermione walking to her office. “Let me know if you need anything,” 
“Will do,” Albert said smiling at her  “pleasure again Harry,” 
Harry followed Hermione to her office and turned at her at once. 
“What are you doing?” Harry asked, annoyed. 
“What?” asked Hermione confused. 
“He was flirting with you!” said Harry. 
“Oh Harry stop...no he wasn’t.” said Hermione absentmindedly. “That’s seriously what you wanted to talk to me about?” 
 “You’re not going to cheat on Ron are you?” Harry asked sternly. 
“Cheat on.... are you crazy Harry? I would never.” said Hermione. 
“Good,” said Harry crossing his arms, “because once he hears about-” 
“What? Oh don’t tell me you’re going to tell him!” Hermione said. 
“Well why not? Since you don’t think its a problem!” said Harry angrily. 
“I don’t,” said Hermione, “but you know how Ron get’s... he’ll be jealous for no reason, don’t tell him Harry. It will cause trouble for no reason.” 
“Fine,” said Harry walking off, “he seems like a pompous git anyways.” Hermione rolled his eyes and Harry walked away. 
“Harry I’m serious, don’t tell Ron!” Hermione called back as he walked away. 
“I won’t!” said Harry, leaving. 
xxxxxx
“What’s his name again?” Ron asked. 
“Albert,” said Harry. 
“Sounds like a git,” said Ron. 
“That’s what I said.” said Harry. 
“Bragging about being in France during a war, Fleur’s from France, she helped.” said Ron angrily. 
“That’s what I said!” said Harry. 
“Well I reckon I need to place a visit to Hermione’s office today,” said Ron sternly. 
“Er-” said Harry. 
“What?” asked Ron. 
“I kind of told Hermione I wouldn’t tell you, she didn’t think much of it,” said Harry. 
“Right,” said Ron getting to his feet, “well, I’ll just pay a visit, make sure the bloke see’s me, and if I happen to injure him accidentally well, so be it.” 
“How tall is he again?” Ron asked looking back before leaving the room. 
“Still shorter than you,” Harry responded. 
“Right.” said Ron, “Well thanks mate, can always count on you.” 
Ron left the Auror department and headed for floor six. 
“Oh hi Ron!” said the secretary, 
“Hi Janice,” said Ron, “Hermione’s in her office right?” he said loudly. 
“Um, yes?” Janice responded, confused at the loudness in his tone.
Ron leaned into whisper, “do you know an Albert?” he asked, Janice giggled, “yes” she whispered back. 
“Do you mind telling me where his office is?” he whispered again. 
“609,” Janice whispered, giggling. 
“Right, thanks loads.” Ron said, he figured he’d ‘accidentally’ knock on room 609. 
He knocked the door to room 609, no response, he sighed, just his luck. 
He figured he’d go see Hermione to remind her that she was in fact engaged to him. He knocked Hermione's office door and opened it, “Hermione love?” Ron said entering the room. His mouth gaped open as he saw her sitting down at her desk, laughing, with another handsome man seated right across from her. 
“Ron!” Hermione said nervously. 
The man turned to face Ron. Ron was boiling with anger. 
“A-Albert this is my fiancee, Ron Weasley,” said Hermione. 
“Pleasure,” said Albert getting to his feet and reaching to shake Rons’ hand. Ron did not shake Albert’s hand back. 
“R-Ron this is Albert Wildsmith,” Hermione said, “he’s new to the department, just transferred from France.” 
Ron looked at him, “You’re fluent then?” 
“What?” asked Albert. 
“Oh you sure know how to pick them Hermione, fluent in French..what else?” Hermione glared at him and Albert’s face flushed. 
“Oh-oh yes.” 
“Nice, real impressive” said Ron, “I’ve learned a few phrases myself,” 
“Oh really?” asked Albert intrigued, Ron nodded his head. 
“Yes..let’s see...I’m a a bit rusty....umm oh yes!” Ron said snapping his fingers, “tu misérable petite baise” 
Albert’s eyes widened, “I er...” 
“A veela taught me that one,” Ron said proudly. “Funnily enough Hermione doesn’t like it when I talk to French Veelas, looks like she has no problems talking to French ... how do you say .... wankers in French?” 
“Ron!” said Hermione. 
“I-I’ll just go,” said Albert. 
“Oh no stay Albert, Alberto, Big Al, Al the pal!” Ron said, helping him sit back down
Albert looked at him awkwardly. 
“I um...” Albert began, 
“Oh let it all out Albert, heard you had lots to say with my fiancé over here, why you were just laughing five minutes ago,” Ron said. 
“Ron seriously you’re over-” Hermione began and Ron lifted her hand to silence her. 
“Listen pal,” said Ron loudly, “you may think you’re some big shot because you lived in France and you’re handsome and your great ancestor invented Floo Powder, but let’s make three  things clear.” said Ron now holding up his three middle fingers. 
“One,” Ron said, “I hate baguettes,” putting down his pointer finger
“Two,” Ron continued, putting down his ring finger so that only his middle finger was stuck up. “The Floo Network is a right MESS, and most people apparate or use portkey’s now.” 
“And THREE” he said touching Albert’s nose with his middle finger, “I don’t know who you think I am, but I am not afraid to fight any French pansies and ruin their handsome faces, GOT IT?” Albert gulped and nodded. 
Hermione put her head in her hands, 
“Now you’re off with a warning but if I hear you come near my fiancee again we’re going to have some major issues. Got it Napoleon? AU REVIOUR.” Ron said and Albert got out of the seat and ran out of the office. 
“Ron,” Hermione said shaking her head, “he was signing documents,”  
Ron looked at Hermione angrily, “must have been some funny documents,” he said snatching the paper from her desk, “ah yes policy eighty five, HILARIOUS” 
Hermione shook her head, “Why are you like this?” she asked desperately. 
Ron looked at her in disbelief, “You’re flirting with some random bloke! You expect me to be over the moon about it? YOU SET BIRDS ON ME WHEN I TALKED TO ANOTHER WOMAN.” 
“That is not the same thing, I wasn’t flirting,” said Hermione. 
Ron rolled his eyes. 
“first of all, who trusts a brit who willingly moves to France?” Ron asked. 
“Ron this is not the hundred years war- I should have never told you about muggle history” Hermione said. 
Ron looked at her furiously. 
“Fine, I’m sorry,” said Hermione “but you really have nothing to be worried about.” 
Ron crossed her arms and Hermione approached him slowly. 
“seriously,” she breathed, “that-that doesn’t even cross my mind,” 
“well letting him flirt with you is just as bad,” said Ron, slowly melting at her touch. 
She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, “what do you expect me to do? Be mean to him? He works in my department.” 
“Yes,” said Ron. 
Hermione laughed, “ugh you’re so annoying... but endearing at the same time,” she said as she placed a kiss on his lips. 
“He’s handsome,” muttered Ron. 
“So are you,” said Hermione, Ron’s ears turned red. 
“He’s rich,” said Ron. 
Hermione rolled her eyes, “yes because I definitely am looking to get more money,” Ron laughed despite his anger. Him and Hermione had gotten so many promotions that they were making well above average income alone let alone together. 
“So I have nothing to worry about?” said Ron. 
“No you jealous idiot,” said Hermione, Ron grinned. 
“I will punch him you know,” Hermione rolled her eyes, “I know,” she said, “but no punching is permitted, we all know how brave you are,” 
“He was scared wasn’t he?” Ron said, “ran out like a pansy,” 
Hermione crossed her arms. “I told Harry not to tell you because I knew you’d be like this,” 
“Well I for one am thankful someone has my back in this god forsaken place,” Ron said, Hermione rolled her eyes. 
“Why must you be so dramatic?” she asked “now he’s scarred and will be too scared to talk to me again,” 
“Good” said Ron. 
Hermione looked at him, “fine, I’ll be nicer... but if he flirts with you again, it’s my fist he’s getting in his face.” 
“Noted.” said Hermione 
“And tonight... I’m reminding you of why it’s me you’re with.” Ron said sternly, Hermione’s face turned pink. 
“Oh?” she asked. 
Ron nodded angrily, Hermione bit her lip. 
“S-so like...y-you’re going to be l-like that other time?” Hermione asked, her breath hitching. 
Ron nodded angrily, “yes like that time Harry told me when you talked to... wait a second,” Ron said with a look of realization hitting his face. 
“What?” Hermione asked innocently. 
“You sneaky witch!” Ron said, “you did it in front of Harry on purpose because you knew he’d tell me because you... you... wanted me to... like last time!” 
Hermione’s face flushed, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said. 
Ron grinned, “you’re sick.”  
“A-and what are you going to do about that?” she breathed. 
“Oh you’ll find out tonight... don’t overwork yourself... you’re going to need some energy when you get home.” Ron said, Hermione bit her lip. Ron shook his head angrily. 
“Unbelievable,” he muttered to himself exiting the office, Hermione smiled as he walked away, excited for what tonight had in store for her. 
116 notes · View notes
rxsie-the-demon · 3 years
Text
Brooklyn Baby | JJ Maybank
SERIES MASTERLIST | chapter one | chapter two | chapter three
chapter summary: Kelce confides in Nikki, who learns the details of what happened last summer. Kie devises a plan.
Chapter 4: Dark Paradise
“Hi! I’m Nikki.”
JJ’s jaw dropped. “Uh...” He blinked a couple of times, looking between me and Kiara, before rubbing his eyes and mumbling, “Ah, fuck me. I’m way too high to be doing this.” He went over to the fridge and grabbed a beer.
Kiara was sitting on the floor, head between her knees, trying to catch her breath. “I’m sorry JJ, but your face was everything.” He rolled his eyes and flipped her off.
I giggled, and took a couple steps forward to extend my hand out to Pope. “You must be Pope Heyward. It’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard such wonderful things!”
JJ snorted and took a chug of his beer. “I’m sure you have.”
We ignored him and he shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too! Kiara’s told us a lot about you.”
“Aww,” I said, turning to look at Kie. I walked over to JJ and looked up at him. Yes, looked up, since he had about a foot on me. “Nice to meet you.” I smiled warmly. Moment of truth.
He studied my face for a minute, before glancing at my hand and then away. “Whatever,” he mumbled. My eyes went wide with surprise. Sheesh.
“Ohh-kay then,” I spun. I did not think he’d be that rude. I walk over to Kiara and then smiled. “Well, what do you guys like to do for fun?” I asked the Pogues.
Pope opened his mouth to respond, but JJ said, “Beat up Kooks and steal their cash for drugs.” I snorted.
Kiara rolled her eyes. “JJ, play nice.”
JJ shrugged and chugged down the rest of his beer can and crushed it. “Just letting Pillow Princess here know how we roll down here in The Cut.”
“Um, excuse me?” I took a step forward. I could see the satisfied look on JJ’s face, like he enjoyed the fact that I was pissed.
Kie grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
“Well, this has been fun, but we should head back to Figure Eight, right, Nikki?” Kiara looked at me with a look that said Please don’t press this
I shrugged. “Alright.” I turned to face the boys. “Peace out, Pogues.”
“Bye, Nikki! It was nice meeting you! Bye, Kie, love you!” Pope waved. JJ ignored me and headed towards his bedroom.
“Love you too!” Kiara shouted back, grabbing the skateboards.
We made our way outside the house and down the dirt road.
“Did he call me a pillow princess?” I asked Kiara once we were a good distance from the house. “What does that even mean?!”
"You don’t wanna know,” Kie chuckled a little. I shot her a confused look.
“Ok, now I do wanna know.”
“Nikki, trust me-” she pulled her hair back into a bun, “-if I tell you, you’re just gonna get pissed.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, c’mon I’m not that unhinged- Wait, was it a sex joke?”
Kie laughed. “Took you long enough.”
My nostrils flared, and I spun around. “I marched towards the house, skateboard lifting above my head. “I’m gonna bash his skull in-”
“Nikki. Nikki. NIKKI- No!” Kie ran after me and grabbed my arms. “Look, I know JJ is frustrating at times, but he means well.”
“He means well?! How the f-”
“Ok, ok! Just give him time?! Please? He just doesn’t like...Kooks.” She waved her hand towards me. “And if he sees that he got under your skin that easily, he’s never going to stop picking on you.”
“He doesn’t like Kooks? You’re, like, his best friend!”
“Well, I never really fit in with the other Kooks, and besides, I’ve known them for years.”
I grumbled, “Whatever,” under my breath and turned around, making my wait with Kiara towards the main road.
Stupid fucking JJ Maybank.
*********************************************
“Uh, girl? You good?” Scarlet asked me, waving her fork near my face.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I had my head down on the table, and I sat up and rubbed my temples. Lunch had started a couple minutes ago, but I wasn’t hungry. I was frustrated. A certain annoying blonde boy was still pissing me off. And it wasn’t Topper or Rafe.
“You don’t look fine,” Topper noted.
“Yeah,” Kelce agreed. “You look like you need to take a shit.” Topper coughed up his drink and started laughing-wheezing.
Scarlet gagged. “You boys are disgusting.” She swatted his arm.
“What?!” Kelce defended. Topper and Kelce high-fived, and I smacked Topper upside the head.
“No, I do not need to take a shit. Thanks for the concern. No, it’s just that I met this kid, JJ Maybanks, last week, and he’s annoying as fuck. I’m pissing about that.”
Topper and Kelce groaned. “I fucking hate that dude,” Topper sighed. Kelce agreed.
“Why?” I asked. “And Kelce, I thought you weren’t trying to start stuff with these Pogues.”
“Yeah, well, JJ’s a special case. He’s dangerous.” Kelce shrugged
“How did you even meet him? He never comes onto Figure Eight and he lives on, like, the other side of the island.” Scarlet added, eyebrows scrunched. “Like, the poor side.”
I thought quick. If I told them I was friends with Kiara, they would start to give me shit.
“I was bored. And I just..drove around over there and stopped at some random pier near the swamp.” I lied and took a bite of my pasta, which literally tasted like cardboard. I gagged and took a sip of my water.
I could tell that Scarlet wasn’t convinced, but she dropped it, thankfully. We continued the rest of lunch talking about scuba diving, but I could feel Scarlet giving me strange looks.
When the lunch bell rang, I practically bolted out of there. Confessing to meeting JJ Maybank made me uncomfortable for some reason, and I don’t know why. Was he really a dangerous person or-
“Nikki! Wait up!” I heard a voice call behind me.
I slowed down and spun my head around to see Kelce jogging up to me. I stopped completely turned to face him, and he made his way over to me and smiled. “What’s up, midget?”
“Shut up,” I hissed and continued walking towards my class. “What’s up?”
Kelce shrugged. “Nothing.” He ran his fingers through his hair a couple times, before following up with, “Actually, are you free today after school?”
“Uh...think so, yeah. Why?”
“Uh, I wanted to go...golfing?” Kelce laughed. “Actually, I kinda want to talk to you.”
I felt a wave of panic. Was this about the Pogues? JJ? Kiara? “Sure, what ab- shit, I just walked by my class,” I spun around and hopped into my room. “Text me later, Kelce!”
“I- ok?! See ya!” Kelce laughed nervously and finger-gunned me. I sat down at a desk and pulled out my phone to see a text from Kie.
‘ayo what’re u doing after school?’
‘hanging w kelce, he like, just, asked me. why?’
‘ooh ok, i was wondering if u wanted to come over to work on the project?’
‘sure! i’ll text u when i’m done golfing w kelce’
‘golfing, srsly?’
‘lmaoo’
********************************************************************
“So, what did you want to talk to me about again?” I asked as I sat into the golf cart. Kelce managed to smack the golf ball into the water, but I noticed his hands were shaking a bit. He seemed nervous, and for the life of me I didn’t know why.
“Um, ok...look, I know it’s a bit weird because I haven’t known you for as long as I’ve known Topper and them but, can I trust you with a secret?” Kelce seemed anxious; his hands were wrapped tightly around the steering wheel and his leg was bouncing up and down pretty fast.
I narrowed my eyes. Well, of course I’d keep it, but Kelce is right, I’ve only been here about a month, and judging from how nervous he sounds, it seems like something...personal.
“Well, of course, but you seem nervous...is everything alright?”
“Yeah no-” he parked the golf cart as we got to our spot. I got out of the cart and made my way to my golf clubs. “Sorry, keep going Kelce.” I apologized and allowed him to continue.
“No you’re good! It’s just that...I think I have a crush on one of our friends and I don’t know how to tell them.”
“Wait, really?! Oh my gosh, who’s the lucky girl?” I exclaimed. Kelce didn’t respond; he just kept walking, and he looked even more nervous. The realization dawned on me.
“Them? Not her? We don’t have any non-binary friends...do you like one of the guys?”
Kelce looked away, nervous. I ran up in front of him and put my hands on his shoulder.
“Hey, Kelce, it’s ok. You can talk to me about this, you know? I’m not gonna out you or anything like that.”
He looked up at me for a second, and I could see the tiny reflection of tears starting to form in his eyes. He inhale sharpy before proclaiming, “I think- no, I am, bisexual. And I have feelings for Topper.”
I gave him a smile, and stood up on my toes to hug him. “Thank you for telling and trusting me with this.”
He hugged me back, and squeezed me tightly. He let go of me and sighed, “It feels good, being able to tell people this. My parents would be accepting, but a lot of our family friends are homophobic and I’m afraid this would ruin our reputation. And-” He stopped 
“I get it. I mean- I don’t get it, but I understand what you’re trying to say. Of course, I’ll keep this a secret, but...are you ever going to tell Topper? Or your parents?”
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “For now, I’m just gonna see if I get any vibes from Topper.”
I laughed. “Maybe. He hasn’t had much luck with girls; maybe a guy is what he needs.”
**********************************************************************
“So, how was golfing with Kelce?” Kie laying bellydown on the floor, doodling away in her sketchbook while I was (attempting to) french braid her hair.
“Uh, it was alright. Kelce kept hitting the balls into the water. For someone who’s lived here for a while, he sucks at golfing!” I joked. She snorted and threw her head back. “Hey! You’re gonna mess up the braid!”
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just funny to me how all take pride in their golfing skills but in reality, they’re not that great.”
“Honestly, I think that’s just all boys. They hype themselves up too much and we’re let down.” I giggled. Kie turned around with a sarcastically shocked look on her face. “NIKKI! Girl, I did not expect that from you.”
I gently smacked her arm, then looped the scrunchie I had in my hand around her hair. “All done. Do you think we should work on our Royal Merchant project?” I got up to grab the small backpack I brought with me. In it was the small notebook I used to jot down stuff about the ship. I had decided not to use my history notebook because this ship apparently has some important history in the Banks, and I’m most likely going to find out stuff about it while going around the island with Kie.
“Uhh, yeah sure hold up.” She stood up and went over to her desk. She pulled out a black spiral notebook that look like it’d had been dragged through the mud and dryed in a river. The cover had patchy brown stains on it and dried up water marks. She spun around and faced me, placing the book down on the desk behind her and putting her hands in the pockets of her gray sweatpants. “After John B and Sarah...we decided to write down everything we knew about the Merchant in this notebook and get rid of everything else. Not that there was much left...our maps, everything got stolen by Ward Cameron.”
“Ward Cameron? Wait...Rafe’s dad? Wheezy and Sarah’s dad, Ward Cameron? What do you mean?”
Kiara stopped. “Um...” and started fidgeting with the hem of her t-shirt, purposefully avoiding eye contact with me. “It’s- it’s a long story.”
“Is it one you’re allowed to tell me?” I was uncomfortable now- well, more like nervous. I fell very antsy, and my hands were shaking a bit. I clasped them in front of me and swallowed to ease my nerves. Something about how nervous Kie seemed made me scared...
“Well,” she started. She looked up at her ceiling and closed her eyes, then exhaled slowly. “There’s nothing legally stopping me, but JJ and probably Pope would be a bit unhappy if I told you.”
I shrugged and turned to crouch down to my bag, slightly disappointed if I was being honest. “That’s alright, you don’t have to tell-”
“Let’s go to the Chauteau.” Kie interrupted. I looked up at her. She had her lips pressed together in a weird smile. I did not know what she was thinking. “I have a plan.” She furrowed her eyebrows together, “Kind of. It’s half a plan.”
I put my notebook in my bag and grabbed the top handle. “You don’t have to tell me, you know. I don’t want your friends getting pissed at me.”
“Oh I know,” she smiled, “but I have a plan. A way to bring the Cameron family down and to bring justice to John B and Sarah. But to do that, the two of us and the boys need to work together.”
I nodded slowly, having no idea where she was going with this. “We are still gonna get the project done, right?”
Kie giggled. “Yes, of course.”
*********************************************
“Yeah, so, that’s...it, basically.” Kiara said, slapping her hands down onto her thighs and turning her head left to face me.
I think the look on my face was one of complete horror, because JJ, who was on Kie’s right, burst into laughter. Full on, tear-jerking, belly-grabbing laughter. Pope, who was standing up in front of him, kicked him in the shin. “Dude, what the fuck are you laughing about?”
After he managed to calm himself down, he wiped his tears and said, “Sorry, man, it was just so funny seeing the Kook’s reaction- I mean-”
“Stop calling me that,” I interjected. “I’m just...mortified you guys went through that, and that...” I stopped talking, and looked down at my hands. That Rafe killed someone. I clenched my fists together. I wasn’t mad, not yet. It hadn’t really set in yet. Right now I’m completely shocked, at Rafe, Topper, even Kelce who kept John B locked up in his house.
JJ must have knew what I was thinking, because the usually cocky look in his eyes faded and was replaced with slight sympathy. ”None of us expected you to know this.”
Tears started swelling up in my eyes. “My god...your friends are dead because of Rafe.” I covered my hand with my mouth. I felt like I was gonna be sick. “I’m sorry, I feel so dramatic; your friends are dead and I’m the one who’s crying.”
Pope laughed dryly and said, “Trust me, we cried enough.” When I looked up at him, he was looking down, and I could see tears forming in his eyes too.
I inhaled once, deeply, then turned to Kiara and smiled. “So, what’s this plan you were talking about?”
***********************************************
A/N
i am sorry for straight-up disappearing. it was a mix of writer’s block and mental health; i needed to plan out some details for the story but when i sorted everything out, my brain was like “nah” but yep i’m back haha
******************************
chapter 5
18 notes · View notes
nad-zeta · 4 years
Text
Match up ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪
Hi hi, love!☺❤🌈 Here is ya matchup lol. Hope I didn’t make you wait tooo long lol! I hope you enjoy this dear and I hope you have a super good day! Sending ya lots o hugs!☺❤🥰 @yunohawkeye​
So I match you with................... Arthur
Tumblr media
Oh, the second Arthur spotted a new little skirt coming into the mansion, all his attention was solely on you. It’s no secret, Arthot loves to charm a woman, so he definitely made a beeline straight to you to introduce himself. 
You were chatting with Vincent, and from where Arthur was standing, he couldn’t tell which one of the two of you were more pure and innocent, you or Vincent. You were wearing a shy smile as you chatted with the blond and simply radiated an innocent energy. What Arthur didn’t expect was the personality beneath
The next day after helping Sebastian with all the chores, Arthot spotted you sitting in the library all alone reading. He honestly wanted to get to know you better, so he decided to kill two birds with one stone. He invited you out to the pub with him and Theo. That is how you landed yourself sandwiched between the two men, drinking away. 
Naturally, Arthur was on the hunt for his night time companion after you had shot him down for the 3rd time in a row. The two of you were now scanning the bar for potential prey. You were determined to act as Arthur's wing-man, considering Theo wanted nothing to do with Arthur's escapades. You found that after the first drink, your bubbly quirky personality started to shine through. Arthur absolutely loved this new side of you! He found it refreshing that he could be himself with you, treating you like one of the guys, and not having to put up his classical playboy front. 
You couldn’t help but bust out into laughter at Arthur and Theo’s shocked expressions when you let a dirty joke slip, sometime throughout the evening. “Looks like you aren’t as innocent as you look Luv,” he said howling in laughter. 
After seeing how red Theo’s face went after you made the joke you and Arthur teamed up and started teasing the younger van Gogh brother. Although the victim to merciless teasing, that night Theo noted that, that had been the first night, since knowing Arthur, where he hadn’t nibbled on a single little skirt. Instead, all his attention was solely on you and your hilarious jokes. He hadn’t tried to charm you or get into your pants, instead the two of you chatted and joked around like old friends.
Visiting the bar with the two boys had actually become somewhat of a regular occurrence after the first night. Although neither of you ever realised it, Theo couldn’t help but chuckle at how genuinely smitten Arthur was with you. You would always tag along to act as Arthur's wingman to find him the perfect girl for the night. But between the dirty jokes and flirty banter, he would never leave your side, instead, shooting down every option in the bar and opting to spend the evening drinking with you. 
Since you had arrived in Arthur's life he, in fact, hadn’t looked at any other woman other than you. Not that either of you noticed this revelation. 
Arthur loved how you were just so different from other women. He loved your tomboyish style and teasing nature. He loved that the two of you could talk about any topic, especially NSWF topics. He loved that the two of you have equally dirty minds. And whenever someone says something seemingly innocent, both you and Arthur would lock eyes and burst out laughing. The two of you will definitely irritate the mansion’s residents with your shenanigans and inside joke, and no one is safe when the pair of you were in the same room.  
For example, one day as Sabastian placed a huge big fluffy pancake in front of Vincent. The blonds eyes lit up as he innocently said, “Thank you so much Sabastian, but this is simply too big for me” cue you and Arthur snickering and in sync saying, “that’s what she said”, followed by a prompt high five. And after you had explained to Arthur what a sex tape was, the two of you started doing “name of your sex tape” jokes. Arthur were like your best friend, and whenever the two of you hung out, you just had the best time. It honestly took no time at all for you to fall in love with the secretly sensitive man. 
Honestly, how could Arthur not fall head over heels for you. The two of you could go from serious conversations, to joking in 2.5 seconds flat. He loved how quirky and weird you are at times and honestly loves that he too can be his complete self with you. 
Your fun-loving, caring nature has actually helped him to show you his more vulnerable side. He half thought you would run for the hill after finding out about his past. But instead, you to opened yourself up and let yourself be just as vulnerable, telling him about all the struggles you have had to deal with in your life. The two of you have had a few hearts to heart moments with each other in the past, which has allowed both of you to grow and heal. The funny thing is that often after chatting about a heavy topics seconds later, the two of you are back to joking around and talking about the most random of things.
One day Arthur came by your room to invite you to the pub as he does, and noticed your notebook open on the table. Curiosity killed the cat as Arthur gently picked it up and read the first few sentences. To say the mystery author went as red as a beet would be an understatement, especially when he was reading the naughty scene of your latest smut. You walked into your room to find Arthur reading through your book wearing a sly smile. “well well well I always knew were a little minx, looks like I should be taking some notes from you,” he said with a wink, as you lightly hit him on the chest and dragged him to your usual seat at the bar. Wondering what he would say if he found out about your NSFW games. No doubt he would probably enjoy playing them just as much as you.
The day Arthur confessed his love was when the two of you were out at the bar together. A woman approaches the two of you, with the intent to steal Arthur away for the night- if you catch my drift. Arthur having eyes for no one but you, politely decline the ladies offer at company for the night. But this woman was rather insistent. That’s when Arthur reached over to gently cup your cheeks and looked deeply into your light grey-blue eyes. He examined your face, and once he found his answer, he leaned in and kissed you. He then turned to the woman and proclaimed loud enough so that the whole bar could hear, “This adorable woman right here is my dearest Luv, whom has captured this poor old chaps heart, so I’m afraid I am off the market indefinitely as of tonight.” He then sat down and looked at you, with that vulnerable boyish look in his eyes, before leaning in to steal another kiss
Your relationship is very much built on mutual trust, communication, respect and understanding. Because your relationship had been built on the strong pillars of friendship, you and Arthur know each other reasonably well at this point. Arthur knows that whenever the two of you have a little spat, that the only way to solve the problem is to talk it out. Whenever either of you is mad at the other, each of you will follow the unspoken rule of, talking out the problem to find a suitable solution or compromise. Neither of you think it is productive to yell and throw toys out the cot to get your way. Arthur honestly loves and adores the fact that he has found a companion with the same relationship values as him. 
You and Arthur have a lot of fun together. The two of you just seem to bring out the best in each other, and Arthur can’t help but fall even more in love with you every day, as he gets to know you better. Like when he discovered you could play the French horn and piano, he was in complete awe. And he very much insisted you play for him. This man will randomly dance along with the melody and tune as you play for him, and you can’t help but laugh at his goofy dance moves mid-way through your performance. Arthur will legit give you the cutest pout as you laugh at his clumsy dance moves, and before you know it he is taking your hands in his so the two of you can randomly dance together. 
Its is most definitely not uncommon for the two of you to randomly break out into dances, especially if you are cooking together.
Arthot knows you often get insecure about your skills and appearance, just as he knows that you are the absolute worst at accepting compliments. So he will shower you with love and affection the only other way he knows how, through action. He will find any and every excuse he can just to kiss you. If you are feeling insecure, he will wrap you up in his strong arms and whisper to you the sweetest words of encouragement and reassurance. And if you don’t accept his sweet little words, he will start to tickle you until you admit out loud just how absolutely perfect you are, cause that what you are in his eyes, flawless.
He knows you don’t like shopping trips or large crowds so this sneaky little playboy will bring Vic along and disguise shopping trips as dog walks. He will always be sure to pick the time of the day and route that is most quiet. And if there are still too many people, Vic will back you up and growl at the people in front of you so they can clear the path for the three of you. 
Cause online shopping does not exist yet, you are low key forced to go shopping, but with Arthur by your side taking you to all your favourite stores with Vic, it actually makes shopping trips fun and more bearable.
Often the two of you cuties can be found nestled in each other’s arms as you read Arthur your newest smut piece. Hope you are ready to be teased mercilessly after, cause this man loves to tease. Often when you are done reading, he will smile that boyish smile up at you and pull you down for a kiss while seductively whispering against your lips that he would like to try that weird position or kink that you had mentioned in your fic.
Arthur thanks his lucky stars every night as he sweetly kisses your sleeping face, for sending you to him. You are honestly his best friend, and he couldn’t imagine life with anyone else by his side. You have helped him to heal from his past, and every day spent with you is the happiest day of his life, even though the hard times and fights.
Other potential matches…………… Theo
I hope you enjoyed this, dear! And I hope you have a wonderful day.🥰❤☺ 
35 notes · View notes
creepypocky · 3 years
Note
Hello! How are you? I was wondering if I could get a romantic matchup and a friend matchup. If not then feel free to ignore this!
I use all pronouns and I’m omni with a preference for men.
I’m 5’0, pale, have long, curly dark brown hair, brown eyes, glasses (though I’ve been wanting contacts for awhile), and a bit of acne (one of my core insecurities).
My style is mostly vintage streetwear. Lots of graphic t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, and loose jeans. Every once in awhile, I add in some elements of dark academia and cottagecore. I wear lesbian earrings a lot too.
My hobbies are, listening to music, reading (mostly fantasy and historical fiction), karate, singing, playing video games, and instruments (I play the violin, saxophone, and keyboard).
One of my biggest interests is history. I like learning about all types of history and different periods of time but my overall favorite thing to learn about are revolutions, like the American revolution, French, and Russian.
My biggest goal in life is to make my family proud. My childhood wasn’t exactly the easiest, to say the least, and I just want to prove that it won’t keep me down from achieving great things. I hope that makes sense. Anyways..
My favorite kind of person is someone who’s patient and outgoing. I rant a lot about things I’m passionate about, like history for example. My favorite kind of person is someone who well just listen and not just straight up ignore me when ranting about something. I like someone is is outgoing too since I’m the opposite, and need someone to push me out my comfort zone every now and then.
The kind of person I hate is someone who is self-centered, judgmental, and dishonest. Not much to say here since I think it’s pretty self explanatory. This kind of person is just not good to be around.
Things I like are: rainy weather, nature, books, animals, music, picnics, stargazing, libraries, and coffee shops.
Things I dislike: hot weather, insects, seafood, my indecisiveness, loud noises, crowded places, and arguing.
My sun sign is pisces, rising is libra, and my moon is scorpio.
I’m 100% an introvert. I like being around friends and family but I like my alone time more. When I’m with people people for a bit too long, I start to feel drained.
First impressions.. I’m not good at them. When meeting someone, I’m very shy and quiet. They have to be the one to lead the conversation and when they ask questions, I 9 times out of 10 will respond in short answers. I also stutter and fidget a lot.
When I’m with people I know and trust, I’m loud, energetic, and like to make a couple jokes here and there. I only make jokes every now and then since I’m scared they won’t laugh. But when they do, I feel really proud of myself for making them laugh.
Okay, I think that’s about it. I’m sorry that this is long, I got a bit carried away. I hope this all makes sense. Thank you so much! Take care and have a great day/night! :)
Hi hi! Thank you for sending me this. :) I don't mind at all that it's long, in fact, the longer it is the better. This allows me to match you in more detail.
I am well, thank you for asking hon. <3
It was difficult for me to figure out who to match you with, but-
Romantic:
|| I match you with: Homicidal Liu! || (I won’t include Sully because I’m not sure how to include him into this, but in the future I will practice writing that!)
This is exciting, I've never matched anyone with him before, but I'm going to make it work.
First of all, he lovesss your hair and how curly it is he just wants to run his hands through it.
Maybe sniff it too idk...
He thinks everything about you is cute even your acne so you shouldn’t feel insecure about it, he loves you regardless!
He loves to chill with you and hang out with a book, he’ll buy all the fantasy books you want tbh and will love to point out interesting stuff he finds in them. I honestly canon Liu as a bit of a nerd. Lmfaoo
Bro, you like karate?? Watch this guy study karate as much as possible just for you. Maybe even learn it for you, hell, if not knowing some himself already. Let this hot nerd hear you sing for hours it will brighten his day up, honey. Please teach him how to play instruments, he has a hard time learning them even though he’s so interested. Regardless though, he loves to listen to you play and will even ask you to write songs if you’re up for it.
Liu was great in school which means he knows a lottttt about history since he was interested in it too and always studied history, so he could just talk to you on and on about history all day and you both could even learn from each other.
He totally gets wanting to make your family proud as a goal, he also had a very rough childhood due to his abusive dad and growing up with Jeff who was mentally ill at a young age, all he ever wanted to really do was show his family he could be someone better than that. So he completely supports you.
He is most definitely patient and outgoing. He will always let you take your time on things and would never pressure you into doing something, as long as you treat him with that same respect. He’s a really good listener, hence doing really well in school, so he’s willing to just listen to you rant on and on about things. He wants you to feel like you can talk to him about anything as long as you want to, and if you don’t he’ll respect your space. He’s pretty extroverted so he’ll try to help you get along with others more and make more friends.
He really hates liars and judgemental people too, he was bullied a lot by people like that in school so seeing people like that is like a reminder for him. He’s good at keeping his composure though and will simply ignore or avoid the people he encounters that are like that. If they hurt you though, he’s more than willing to put them in their place.
He is pretty indifferent about nature, he’s honestly more of an inside guy and just loves the comfort of inside despite being an extrovert. But he’ll go outside with you to look at nature if you asked him to.
He always loves to take you out and go on little coffee shop dates with you because he loves the sweet smile that comes up on your face. He’ll just sit at the table with you and a coffee and read a book with you if not just talk about random things.
He will squish all insects just for you honey.
If your indecisiveness ever gets to you, he’s willing to help you make a decision so it’ll be easier for you because he doesn’t want to see you upset. He always has an open mind and leaves options open but still gives you context on which would be best.
If you’re ever feeling drained from being around people all day he will let you have your own space and leave you alone, unless you want to spend some cuddle time with him. Otherwise he understands.
He gets being bad at first impressions because even though he’s an extrovert he can still be a bit awkward, but he’ll be willing to start conversations for you when you’re in groups or egg others on to start a conversation so that you don’t feel too nervous.
He loves seeing you loud and energetic and going out of your shell, and your occasional jokes are funny to him not always because the joke itself is funny but also because he thinks you’re a total goof. (In a good way bby) <3
Best friend:
|| I match you with: Masky! ||
Our good ol’ friend Tim here comes across as a rough guy, and is horrible at first impressions too. But to be honest, he’s actually much nicer and outgoing than people think he is.
His style is pretty much the same as yours kinda so the two of you get along over things like matching clothes sometimes. He also thinks it’s really fun to watch you do karate if you demonstrate it to him, but will absolutely refuse if you tell him to do karate for you because he knows he will fail miserably. He does know how to play a couple instruments though and will play the guitar for you if you ask him to. Or he’ll just do it anyway because he feels like it.
He’s honestly a total history nerd too but doesn’t show it, but if you mention history around him he will just “happen” to know the answer or what you’re talking about. Eventually though he’ll come out of his shell and have a conversation with you and maybe Liu if he joins in about history and stuff.
he doesn’t know much about making a family proud, but he does know how it feels to want to meet someones expectations through hard times, especially considering his job and Slender being his boss. He’s constantly having anxiety about wanting to be good enough for him as an employee and he’s scared to death of failing him or not fulfilling his job enough. So he sort of understands your goal and will support you the best he can.
He really doesn’t seem like it at times, but he can be patient and outgoing if he really wants to be. He can have anger issues at times and has trouble communicating with people, but once the two of you get closer he’s a lot more patient with you and is usually the one to start a conversation with you if you’re unable to.
He hates dishonest people too, honestly. Mostly because he has experience with constantly being lied to and betrayed and he is so sick of it. Please never betray him, he doesn’t seem like it but he’s so fragile. ;-; He trusts you as a friend though and he knows you would never lie to him or do something to break his trust.
He doesn’t like crowded places much either, he finds them really stressful and can trigger his anxiety at times. He’s just used to being on his own and in his own space and has trouble going out of his comfort zones when there’s crowds. He totally gets feeling drained when around people for too long, he doesn’t mind being around people in general and interacting with them but he’s still a bit of an introvert and likes to just do his own thing. He loves to go in a quiet room with you and play some kind of board game with you or share books.
When you’re loud and energetic, he really enjoys being around you and you don’t drain him as much as other loud people do because he’s closer to you and just likes to see you have fun. He is the teasing type though and if you joke around he’ll pretend to not think it’s funny while trying not to crack up.
~~~
I hope this was good enough! Thank you for sending me this, it was lovely to write for. I hope you’re having a great day/night and make sure to take great care of yourself, hon! <3
1 note · View note
thesunnyshow · 4 years
Text
Tumblr media
Name: Sarah
Writing Blog URL: @dreamsafterhours​
Age: 19
Nationality: Korean-Australian
Languages: English, Korean, Conversational Japanese, a tiny bit of French
Star Sign: Taurus
MBTI: ENFP
Favorite color: I’ve heard red suits me well, I also like purple and blue.
Favorite food: Literally everything. I love food.
Favorite movie: Always changes with every movie I watch, but one of my all time favourites is 극한직업 (Extreme Job)
Favorite ice cream flavor: Hokey Pokey/Cookies and Cream
Favorite animal: Tiger
Coffee or tea? What are you ordering? 
Matcha frappe!! I prefer sweeter drinks over black coffee
Dream job (whether you have a job or not)
Screen actor/band member/author, something that allows me to manifest my creative fantasies
Go-to karaoke song 
Tears - So Chan Whee
If you could have one superpower, what would you choose? 
Time manipulation! Ultimately what we are deprived of in the human situation is time, and if I can manipulate the speed at which it goes, or visit different points in my life and beyond, I would be able to fix any regrets I have.
If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose? 
Premodern Korea!
If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you? 
Yes, definitely. I’d spend more time and effort into my academics and start more hobbies at an earlier age.
Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken? 
A hundred horses, no matter what size, is not ideal. Especially if they want to fight you—I’ll take my chances with one chicken.
If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been? 
The protag’s childhood best friend, loyal and ready to throw hands at anyone who wrongs them.
Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures? 
Sure! It seems strange to think that we could be the only intelligent life in the entire universe.
If you could buy anything in the world right now (regardless of price), what would it be? 
Idol entertainment companies. No more slave contracts and mistreatment ✌🏻
Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know? 
I’ve never cracked a screen before (touch wood lmao), mostly because I do prefer protective cases over slimmer ones. I’m also part of a Korean traditional percussion and dance club! We put on our own concerts each year but unfortunately this year’s concert had to be cancelled. Corona really said coroNO
What fandom(s) do you write for? 
Mostly NCT; I used to write for BTS and EXO back in the day, but I’m ready to leave my writing past in my past!
When did you post your first piece? 
2014! I started my fanfic journey on Wattpad.
Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why? 
I prefer writing angst over fluff, sometimes crack if my mind comes up with something ridiculous. I’ve never written smut before and I’ve never really thought about it, but who knows? Maybe in the future.
Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc? 
For fics that I post online now, they’re mostly x reader, but with original content or plots that include characters who would have a certain name (i.e. surnames) I tend to establish an OC. I’m not sure readers would engage with an OC as much as they would with an x reader fic, so I tend to prefer x reader.
Why did you start writing on Tumblr? 
I love creating universes from my own fantasies, and since kpop groups provide content with concepts and visuals, it’s been so easy to imagine them as characters in an AU. Through writing I can share these little headcanons and scenes with people in the fandom and practise my writing skills at the same time!
What inspires you to write? 
Leading on from my previous answer, my imagination runs wild when it comes to character traits and what I think these people would do if they were faced with a certain situation. I discuss these scenarios with my friends a lot, so I’d say the characters themselves and my friends inspire me to manifest these fantasies into words.
What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most? 
Love me a good old mafia au with that angst factor. The weapons! The loyalty (and sometimes lack thereof)! the relationships! The thrill and the danger! That strange sense of second-hand excitement when we think about disregard for legal systems! Top tier. A close second is Hogwarts AUs. Something about the house dynamics and sorting people into them brings me joy.
What do you hope your readers take away from your work? 
When readers consume my work, I hope they are able to take a glimpse of what is going on in my head. I try to use as much description as possible to make it as clear as I can, and ultimately I hope readers can appreciate the wonders of the creative mind. I write a lot of timestamps because I have so many scenes and scenarios in my head that I can’t wait to craft into a full plotline, so I’ll dump all my ideas into a specific timestamp to really get that sense of a “slice of life” style! I hope they explore all the possible worlds we can come up with.
What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively? 
Discuss the topic with my friends. Keep the flow going, get some input from others. Watch some movie scenes or listen to music related to the genre to get into the feels. If it’s still not working, I take a break from it, come back to it with a fresh mind.
What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful? 
The fic with the most notes at the moment is my college bf renjun timestamp, and I think I can guess why. The line “sorry, I don’t date people who pay me” was one that I came up with for Renjun from the get-go, I couldn’t see anyone saying it better than him. My favourite? I’ll have to get back to you guys on that one. I’ve never been completely satisfied with anything I write, and I think I can do better — but the ones I have the most fun writing are my mafia AUs.
Who is your favorite person to write about? 
I prefer to write about people who I see in a variety of different situations, i.e. is very versatile as a character and suits any genre. In that aspect I love writing about Haechan — much like him as a performer and able to understand and pull off any musical concept, I’ve never failed to see him in any scenario with a range of different personalities. He’d make an amazing actor if he wanted to, and if I was a casting director, I’d love to cast him.
Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose? 
No. Not a major one, anyway. The original piece I’ve been working on for the past 2+ years is completely original and yet I’ve set a few of the characters’ faceclaims as NCT members, purely because they fit the image of what I believe my characters would look like (for example, Jeno is the faceclaim for the prince — tell me he doesn’t give off royal vibes and I’ll laugh). This doesn’t necessarily mean I’m writing fanfiction. The prince’s name isn’t Jeno. I don’t include Jeno’s notable characteristics as a person. My writing style remains consistent throughout all my works — fanfic or original — the only thing that separates the two, in my opinion, is whether or not the author draws from the celebrity as a person (i.e. using their name, perhaps their relationships with others, etc.) and ultimately feature that celeb as a character in their story.
What do you think makes a good story? 
In two words, plausibility and consistency. I don’t refer to the creative aspect of writing — go wild with imagination. Break boundaries, invent new things. By plausible I mean whether or not the choices the characters make are understandable in their respective settings. Sure, characters can do stupid things and make mistakes, sure, plot twists can occur — but can we as readers see why the characters made those silly mistakes? were they forced errors? perhaps immaturity? Are the plot twists in order with the situation and its possibilities? Is there a sound explanation behind why these choices are made? If we can’t see and understand why certain plot points happen, it loses credibility and I tend to have difficulty seeing it in my head. Also, I tend to take punctuation and grammar extremely seriously. I’m that friend who calls out grammar mistakes and repeats typos, and in my own opinion, it definitely affects the reading experience. The flow of language is definitely mediated by such mechanisms, and if those aren’t there, I tend to wonder how much I’d love it if the grammar and spelling were correct.
What is your writing process like? 
A lot of the time, I’ll think of a random scenario, maybe act it out myself. Experiment with dialogue, visualise the scene in my head. Jot down a few notes, some good lines that I can come up with. Then I imagine who would fit the scenario best, taking into consideration the characteristics and dynamics I want in the scene. I’ll write out the scene in dot points, and then write it into paragraphs.
Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story? 
I’ve never thought about fic to original story, but I have thought about repurposing an original story to a fic! ‘Casting’ idols as my characters is always fun, I get to experiment with character traits and through this I can understand my characters better. Casting idols also gives me a clear visual representation of my characters, too! So far, I haven’t repurposed a fic into an original story, since a lot of my work isn’t part of a fixed plot. That being said, I imagine it would be fun!
What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand? 
I love a good old enemies-to-lovers/enemies-to-friends trope — the initial dynamics, the turning point, the character development, the progressive trust towards each other, new loyalties, the compromises, learning to see the good in anyone — and it goes with any every genre. So versatile! I love it. A trope I can’t stand, though? Cheating/adultery. Oof. Goes against my morals.
How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you? 
It means a lot more than readers might think. I value all kinds of feedback, whether it be good feedback or constructive criticism. It allows me to see what readers liked and didn’t like, and I can shape my writing into better form with reference. It also motivates me a lot! A retweet with a simple comment in the tags will literally make my entire day.
What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)? 
Based on my top posts, I think the main factor that engaged readers was that they could also see the people act that way in that scene. I try my best to keep my characters realistic in that their on-screen images and personas align with how they would react to situations in my writing, keeping character dynamics and relationships as consistent as the plot sees fit. Instead of writing an idol into a plot for the sake of writing about them, I tend to plan out the scene and then evaluate which person would be best suited to that character.
Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged? 
Yes, we can be. i recently read this thread and it got me thinking about the foundations of fanfic and why we write it, but then as part of that group, I can’t help but think that the genre of fanfic itself just has a bad rep of being shitty Wattpad writing with no punctuation and cheesy plotlines littered with overused cliches by 13 year olds thirsting over grown men. The fanfic world that I know, however, consists of many truly amazing authors who borrow the names and characteristics of public figures to realise their creative ideas to the point where they’re not just authors anymore — they’re artists of language. Curators of words. Some of the best writing I’ve read is through fanfic, and again — the reason why fanfic is fanfic is because the characters are based on people in real life. We share these stories amongst ourselves to imagine things outside our reality, and we consume these stories because we have our support for our artists in common. This is our method of escape. It’s not much different from daydreaming about our high school crushes. They’re just beautifully written and feature people who are part of an industry that relies on public recognition, public appreciation and public support to survive. If you think writing should strictly involve purely original characters born from the author’s own imagination with no inspiration from real live people and thus fanfic is “weird”, “creepy” and “dehumanising”, then I’ll guess you’ve never made art before, nor can you properly appreciate it.
Do you think art can be a medium for change? 
I think that it can inspire and reflect change, but I find it hard to see if art can be change itself. We are the only ones capable of change — art is the medium of inspiration and emotional expression. We can create art and use it as a method to raise awareness and encourage people to take action, but we can’t exactly throw paintings at the white house and expect police reform, can we?
Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself? 
Yes, definitely. There was many a time I discussed plotlines with my friends and they’d said, “you hAVE to write this I NEED to read it”, or “where’s chapter 3?” and while I know they only mean well and only aim to encourage and support me, it can definitely backfire against their intentions and make writing feel like a chore or rush me into writing when I’m not fully inspired. Forced art is not the best, and whenever I do post something under that kind of mindset, I tend to be less satisfied with it and end up hating it.
Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times? 
Though i worry about it, I don’t think there’s ever been an instance where it’s happened. I hope it never does, either!
Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr? 
Yes! I don’t mind, seeing that a lot of my friends are also kpop fans who also stan NCT. I link my writing to them when I post, and they support me a lot! It’s not the first thing I tell people when I first meet them, of course — I would only tell a non kpop fan that I write fanfic if I knew they wouldn’t judge.
What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers? 
Myself and other authors always, always always appreciate any form of feedback! Laughed at a funny line? Cried because of another? Felt the pain the character was feeling? Tell us! Have a comment on the writing style, or noticed a certain characteristic in our prose? Let us know that you noticed it! Absolutely dying for the next chapter and can’t wait to see what happens next? Express! (but don’t impose!) have a favourite line or completely agree that they’d totally say/do that? Point it out and gush about it! it’s hard to imagine the warm feeling it gives us as creators when receiving feedback until you actually get it! Go ahead, add an extra line in the tags, send in an ask. Make someone’s day. You’re never going to be thought of as weird or annoying. If it makes you feel something, express it (even in keyboard smash! we may not be able to read it, but we will feel it with you :D)!
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there? 
If it makes you feel better, my writing when I started out on Wattpad was mega cringe worthy and still kept getting reads and votes and comments. Before I deleted my account, I read through it again and wondered how people can have such low standards when it comes to fanfic. Now, if there’s anything I want to tell you, it’s this — writing should be for yourself. It should be your personal hobby that you invest your own time and effort into, and it’s completely up to you whether you want to share your writing or not. It’s not a requirement. You don’t have to have published works to call yourself a writer. It doesn’t have to be amazing with flowing prose with immaculate worldbuilding with above-average vocabulary. Writing should be your catharsis, your personal medium by which you express your creativity. That should never be measured by likes and reblogs, nor should it come with an obsession over getting engagements.
Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr? 
Despite the advice that I give to people and my previous answers saying that you shouldn’t be writing for others, a good portion of my motivation comes from reader feedback and engagements I get with my work, which is the reason why I applied to be part of writing networks within the fandom (for more exposure to a wider audience). As much as I don’t want to admit it, the amount of engagements I get will affect my satisfaction with the work. Some works I posted that I personally really liked didn’t get nearly as many notes as I was hoping, and then I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. In that sense, I’m still glad I get to share my writing on Tumblr — but the side effects of it affect me a little more than they probably should.
Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey? 
I’ve only posted NCT fics on tumblr for a short while (maybe a month?) and so I don’t have many mutuals, but the few I have gotten into contact with are all lovely and always willing to rant about anything, despite most of them being in different timezones!
Pick a quote to end your interview with: 
“Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation.” — Graham Greene, Ways of Escape (1980)
BONUS: K-POP CONFIDENTIAL
Interested in your very own episode of The Sunny Show? Find out how to apply here.
12 notes · View notes
cassiopee-utopia · 3 years
Text
The day I run into you #1/3
Tumblr media
Hello! This is my first fiction
/!\ English is not my mother tongue! Many mistakes are probably in this story and I deeply apologize for that. Please feel free to correct them if you see some, it will help a lot! 
Summary : A short story (3 chapters) about the day a young student randomly run into Timothée Chalamet in the streets of Paris. 
Enjoy!!
xx
Chapter 1: Meet me at the corner
(2,3k words)
Today I’m randomly walking in Paris as I like to do it when the weather is good and I don't have anything planed. This way I can discover new places of this huge capital I live in during my studies. For now, I'm doing a four-months internship that will end in a month or so. I'm doing it in a fashion press office and I'd say I quite enjoy it.
Currently I am in the 16th arrondissement. This neighborhood isn't really animated as only the richest people live here. But I guess sometimes it's nice to get away from the unrest of the city and just take a walk in a calm area.
As I have been walking straight for a long time, I decide to turn left at the next street corner. And well, let's just say that decision changed my day.
Indeed, the moment I turned is also the moment an idiot coming from the street I was heading towards decided to turn at full speed exactly in the opposite direction and one thing leading to the other: boom *collision*. That's the moment I ran into you.
- Ouch, I say trying to get up.
- I'm sorry, I'm very sorry, I didn't see you, sorry… says the man I bumped into.
I can't see his face as he is trying to pick up all the books he dropped, but weirdly I have the impression that I know this voice.  
- Here, that's also my fault you know, let me help you picking up this mess, I propose.
- Thanks, but you don't have to.
He finally raises his head in my direction and boom *2nd collision*, but in my mind this time. Timothée Chalamet is just in front of me.
For a moment my brain decides to just, stop working. I fix my gaze on him and say nothing.
- Are you okay?
- Um.. Yes.. Um.. I am, I say getting a grip.
I look to the books I’m holding and hand them to him:
- Your books.
- Thank you. So, um, where were you heading before we…
- Nowhere in particular, I say smiling, I just like to walk around in Paris. Discovering new places, etc.  
- Oh, then you should know some good secret places, right?
- I guess, I say a little confused, well maybe, I don't know, depends on what you call "good secret places"… And you, um, where are you going, if I can ask?
- To my hotel, I need to put down those books I just bought.
- By the way, what's all this?
- Just some French novels. I like to buy some when I’m in Paris. It's to practice my French and my French culture I guess, he say giggling.
- That's nice! So… um…
I absolutely don't know what to say next and don't want this conversation to end but luckily, he made me THE offer of the year.
- You said you wanted to help, so maybe you could help me bringing my books to my hotel?
As I already almost collapsed in front of him, I try my best to not have my third "collision" of the day and focus. Unfortunately, all I manage to say is a quick:
- Yes.  
- Great! I take one half and you take the other, he say handing me the books I previously gave back to him. My hotel is this way, come on.
I take the books, nod and follow him quietly.
We continue walking in silence for a few blocks and then he finally asks:
- So, um, I don't even know your name.
- Oh, yes, I am Rachel.
- Well, nice to meet you Rachel, I'm Timothée.
At this moment I don't really know what to do. Do I tell him the truth and say that I know who he is and that I was basically fangirling him a few months ago, risking to seem totally crazy to him ; or do I pretend the opposite? It could be credible, I mean, he's not that famous yet, everybody doesn't necessarily know him, it's not like he was Leonardo Dicaprio or Brad Pitt. But this second option would also include me lying to him, and besides the fact that I don't like to lie, he doesn’t deserve to be manipulated. Moreover, it's not like we're going to become friends or something, as soon as we'll get to his hotel, he will nicely invite me to leave, so I guess I have nothing to lose.
- Yeah, I kind of know who you are. But don't worry, I'm not a crazy fangirl! I say giggling.
Gosh why did I have to say that too! I'm such an idiot!
He takes a moment to think about the stupid shit I just said and then he answers:
- Well, then you should know how funny I am!
That was not expected but I'm glad he doesn't care that I know him, and that he takes it with humor. I decide to take this opportunity.
- Um… that's not what I actually heard…  
- What did you hear then?
- That you were that type of young actor with an enormous ego and basically no talent, I say with a very serious tone.
He stops dead with a very offended look and says:
- What!?!
I look at him, keeping my seriousness as long as I can and suddenly burst out laughing.  
- Hey! That's not funny!!
- Oh trust me, it is, I say still laughing.
He rolls his eyes and stops:
-So, here's my hotel, I would have invited you to come in with me but since you're so unkind to me…
- Oooh… Look who's all offended!! I answer with a slight smirk.
- Fine, if you keep it that way… he say turning his back to me and going toward the entrance.
- Wait wait! Okay, I'm sorry, but you know it was just for fun right? Who would have known Timothée Chalamet was that touchy!
He stops, turns around with a big smile of satisfaction.
- And that manipulative… I add walking in with him.
After taking the elevator we arrive in his hotel bedroom. Contrary to what I thought, it's not a giant suite, it's just a big room with a little "living room area" with a table, a big sofa and two armchairs. The curtains are closed but the room is still quite luminous as it's the middle of the afternoon. The decoration is pretty standard, but the luxury and the quality of the bedroom is still visible.
- You can put down the books on the table, Timothée indicates me before taking off his shoes.
I do so and stay besides the table, not knowing what to do next, and starting to feel a little bit embarrassed. Luckily for me, this guy seems to always have something to say.
- So, why don't you say to me what you really know about me without making some bad jokes like you did earlier, he says sitting on his bed.
I roll my eyes, sit in front of him on the couch and answer:
- Why do you want to know what I know about you? I'm pretty sure you're not going to learn anything as it's just some random facts about you.
- Well, let's just say I'd like to know what fans think and know about me, to know if there are false information circulating about me.
- Okay, first, who said I was a fan? (Of course I was one, but that's something that he didn't need to know for now). But if you really want me to do that then fine.
I started to tell him things I knew about him, like the fact that he is half-French and that he used to spend some holidays near St Etienne. Obviously I didn't tell everything I knew as he asked because I don't want him to see me as one of these crazy fangirls, even if in a way, I kind of am or was one myself. I also took advantage of this conversation to make fun of him a few times, mentioning that "peach scene" or that "Statistics rap" thing for example.
We kept talking about him and eventually about me for a while.
Then, still in our conversation, as I am exploring the room with my eyes, my look stops on the little space between the two closed curtains. I squint in order to identify what there is behind it and finally understand what it is. At this moment I am not listening to Timothée anymore. I just get up and walk in the direction of the window.
- What are you doing? I think he asks.
Still focus on what I am doing I open the curtains with an abrupt gesture, revealing the most beautiful thing: a perfect view on the Eiffel Tower.
I know it's totally cliché but as I am not a real Parisian since I've only been living here for less than a year, I really love that monument and it's one of my dreams to have a view like this.            
As I open the window to go on the small balcony, Timothée joins me.
- How can you close the curtains when you have such a beautiful view? I ask.
- I just took a nap before I went to buy my books.
- A nap? Oh, what are you, 70? I say giggling.
- No but I have jet lag, he answers a little pissed.
- Oh yes, that's right, sorry… I didn't even ask you why you're here.
- For fashion week.
- Really!? That's so awesome, I love fashion! I wish I could go to a show one day, I say leaning on the guardrail of the balcony in direction of the magnificent view. So, what were you saying just before I got to the window?
- I was talking about my upcoming movie that I'm not supposed to talk about, he says sitting on the floor.
Even if we are in late June and that the weather is sunny, it isn’t too hot so we could stay on the balcony and continue our conversation. I sit like him on the floor and answer:
- Um, you're telling me secrets now? I guess that's a good point for me then… I look away from him and add in a low voice: too bad you're already taken.
- Taken? Taken by what? He asks confused.
I look back at him and roll my eyes as I have to say it out loud.
- Taken by a girlfriend named Lily.
He smirks and says while playing with a twig he found on the ground:
- Guess you don't know everything about me then.
- What do you mean?
- Lily and I broke up months ago.
- Oh, I say without being able to prevent myself from letting out a small smile, smile he immediately notices:
- You know, it's not good to be happy about other people's breakups, he says smirking.
- I… I'm not happy… I'm really sorry, um, you two were… you were a cute couple… I say embarrassed.
- You know I'm teasing you right?
- What!? Hey! That's not funny! I say punching him in the arm.    
- Haha, that was for you're little joke earlier.
As an answer I just make a face to him, which makes him laugh even harder.
We kept talking for a while when suddenly he got up after looking at his watch.
- Shit!! The fashion show!! It's in half an hour!
- It's today!? I ask following him inside.
- No, it's right now. I really have to go. Haider Ackermann may be my friend, he doesn’t like when people are late, especially when we're talking about work… his work!
- Oh, um… I should get going then…
- I am really sorry to abandon you like that but even if we talked about it earlier it completely went out of my mine. Sorry.
As he is searching in his suitcase, I realize that my little dream with Timothée is now over.
- Okay, goodbye then… it was nice meeting you… I say going to the door.
- Um, yeah, really nice! He joins me in the front of the door. Sorry again, and thanks for the books, he says pointing them, even if in the first place you are kind of the reason they ended up on the ground. He giggles.
I giggle softly too and look up straight in his eyes as intensely as I can, maybe to trigger a reaction in him that would be favorable to me, at this point, any reaction would be good. But after ten seconds nothing happens. So I look down quickly, quite embarrassed, and then look up at him again and say in French:
- Au revoir Timothée (Goodbye Timothée).
He smiles and I immediately open the door and go out before saying something stupid. As I close the door, I realize I won’t have any souvenir of this incredible meeting, no photos, nothing. Just the images I would always keep in my mind. When I walk away from the door towards the elevator, I’m starting to regret not to have insisted a little more, like asking for his number or to see him again after the show. But no, my big lack of self-confidence decided to do nothing, and now it is too late. But then, from nowhere, the impossible happened. I hear the door I closed a few seconds ago opening again.
- Rachel, wait!    
I turn back to him.
- Do you want to come with me? To the show?    
Continue reading ! -> second chapter here: Chapter 2
4 notes · View notes
heizerux · 5 years
Text
Street Fig— I mean, Gamer 2.0
As I expected this was just gonna be one of those filler episodes, so nothing too off the wall happened that im swooning over. Either way, let’s do a quick “playthrough”!
Ready?
<BEGIN>
Parisian life seems to be bustling. The sky is clear, no akumas on sight, families are the park enjoying the day. . . Just what could possibly go wrong?
Oh, right.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Oh, but what’s this?!?
Shout out to Marinette for not procrastinating, and actually sticking to her tasks!
Tumblr media
She not only took down by this timeline in the episode all the Adrien posters, but she also converted the “Adrien Schedule” into her own work schedule, and now mainly focuses on doing her own things that involve her own growth and work. Even though her dad tries to sway her with her beloved love for gaming, she stays strong and even finishes her homework! I’m proud of my girl :’) No matter how tempting video games are, you have work to do and you will do it. RE2 Remake bb I’m sorry I’ll come back I promise 😭
Another shout out to Marinette’s parents? Why? They game together 😭
Tumblr media
This is how you know they have a solid marriage, guys. Tom and Sabine are #couplegoals. Nuff said. Lol
Moving on to our akuma of the day however, we see Max. He just wanted to practice his gaming skills with his friends, but everyone is too busy to play or spend time with him. . . And then an akuma gets to him cause he’s lonely. I feel you, sweetie. *hugs Max*
Now onto Gamer 2.0
His akuma was nothing like the first version of itself. If anything he was an entire video game level replicating a rematch of their first mecha fight back in Gamer. It’s not a bad “nod”.
It was also kind of neat to take control of the akumas in a fighting game. Gave a good summary of the akuma’s we’ve seen up to this point as well as insight on how Ladybug and Chat Noir would utilize those akuma powers. It’s cool.
To Close the episode, Ladybug outsmarts Gamer 2.0 and wins “the game”. Marinette then invites Max to play with her parents since they’re free but also to bond over video games, . . . and it was a pure episode.
Overall Outlook?
I think imma start doing these per “episode analysis” post I make
This was a filler episode, but as the gamer I still am at heart, it was one I enjoyed. I’d give it a rating of 6.5 out of 10 butterflies. The reason being was that it was your average episode with no massive plot happening, yet it was still pleasant to watch! Let’s move on to the side stuff.
Speculation-Station sort of Observations:
Marinette’s work load is actually getting to her a bit, and I have a feeling this is gonna be some partial foreshadowing for “Ladybug”, the episode. If her civilian duties can get that overcrowded. . . How will she feel when her hero work seriously begins to affect her?
Tumblr media
I’m actually shocked Lila didn’t try to “prove” she’s a world champion pro gamer in secret or something. . .
I see they’re showcasing an akuma we have yet to see. I like the “Día De Los Muertos” vibe it has going. The weapon is like a sniper trumpet? Idk about you guys, but this yet to be seen akuma just drives me loco. Un poquitito loco~ (if you get that reference, you get enchiladas. Or tacos. My treat)
Tumblr media
Possible Chat Blanc behavior foreshadowing (or insight). I’ll come back to this one
Random, but seeing as how this akuma kind of went nowhere, I have an off the wall theory to offer: Anyone think that the reason why Hawkmoth re-akumatizes the same people more than once is because he’s tying to sway Ladybug and Chat Noir with the unexpected? I’m taking too much inspiration from TimeTagger. I know it’s not it but I do find it interesting that he’s doing 2.0 akumas for specific people.
Random Things That Made Me Squeal or Giggle:
The fact that it’s implied Jagged Stone still (Maybe? Please correct me for I don’t fully know French) commissions Marinette for side projects that involves her art. (If my understanding was correct) He believes and sees the talent in her . . . and I just think that’s amazing.
E3 2019’s unveiled titles to come got me feelin like
Tumblr media
Kim fully investing himself in training with Ondine, a cute girl of what looks like to have mutual interests. Chloé who? Never heard of her lol.
Marc and Nathaniel being creative best friends boyfriends.
Kitty Section’s progression. They went from kids just practicing for fun to actually making a solid band. (If you wanna follow a timeline, this episode likely goes before Silencer.)
Chat Noir really did the “I messaged a girl on (insert social media) and her boyfriend sent me this” meme finishing move. . . didn’t he?
Tumblr media
I’M WEAK
Chat Noir doing the Eddy Gordo idle dance from Tekken.
Tumblr media
How we take Lila down.
Begone. . .
Tumblr media
THOT
Tumblr media
Chat’s undying love and devotion for Ladybug. That boy really WOULD sacrifice himself and jump off a cliff if it meant keeping his lady alive and well, as well as knowing she will take down their enemy if he’s gone. That’s trust. Oh! My heart. I can’t take this. My fangirl weeps in glee.
Tumblr media
Random Chat Blanc Talk:
Returning to that Chat Blanc Foreshadowing point, so Chat Noir as I understand just outright confirmed that he’d never willingly fight her, and judging his actions, would rather sacrifice himself than harm her even if it meant taking down an enemy. . .
Weredad gave us this insight briefly. Adrien/Chat Noir does his best to not fight people he deeply cares for if he can help it.
So let’s compare an akumatized Chat Noir, Chat Blanc.
How serious can he get when he has to fight her? Will he actually do it? Will he fight off the akuma on his own when the time comes? Would Ladybug actually physically fight him?
There’s a lot to consider going into that Chat Blanc “fight” that’s to come, that’s for sure.
545 notes · View notes
mustangshelby04 · 4 years
Text
Ad Infinitum
This is the original short story I wrote for my Fiction Writing Workshop. It’s my first class as a college Junior. I’ve had the idea behind this story for ages and I’ve always planned to (hopefully) turn it into a book. I still haven’t gotten the grade back on it (my professor is quite slow on grading), so I can’t tell you how it was received by her. I can tell you that I’m kind of proud of this story and I hope you all enjoy it.
Tumblr media
The office doors burst open and Minerva walked in holding a print out. “Another one has popped up.” She made her way across the ornate office to stand in front of the old mahogany desk where Constance Devoy was working.  Minerva waited for Constance’s eyes to leave her computer screen before dropping the print out down on its surface.
“Who is it this time?” Constance asked.
“Radcliffe.”
“Again?”  
“That guy has a real love of the camera.”
“He always has.” Constance sighed. “They’re making it harder and harder to hide.”
“I think that’s his point.”
Constance shot Minerva an affectionate smile. “I’ll deal with it.  Thank you, Minnie.” The French doors shut behind Minerva and Constance picked up the print out, glaring at the image of John Radcliffe. “Arrogant prick.”
The rules of being an Immortal were simple: keep your head down, don’t leave a trail behind you, and start a new life far away from your current as soon as people start to notice that you don’t age.  Unfortunately, the Immortals were now in the middle of a conflict over those rules. For the last century, some of them had gotten a taste of fame and wanted to come out of the shadows.
Constance Devoy was not one of those Immortals.  
Born in 1598, she had stopped aging at the age of eighteen.  No one knew how they became an Immortal.  It just happened at random.  Like all the others, she had woken up one morning and felt completely different from the person she had been the day before.  Luckily for Constance, the Immortal Freya had been in Sussex at the time. Freya had felt the pull they all felt when another Immortal was near and she had followed it to Constance.  At just twenty-two years old, Constance had been forced to fake her own death and move on to another life.  
Freya had taken Constance under her wing and taught her how to survive. 
Freya, as far as she could tell, was the oldest of them.  She had stopped aging at the age of thirty-nine when the Vikings had walked the Earth.  Her rules had kept Constance safe and away from the notice of mortals.  Her rules were passed on to each new Immortal they found and it was inevitable that Freya became the official leader of the Immortals.  She had appointed Constance as her second in charge.
Now, in 2018, there were 372 Immortals in the world.  There hadn’t been a new one born since 1902.  Constance didn’t see this as a bad thing.  The less of them there were, the easier it was to hide.  Mortals en masse couldn’t be trusted.  The conflict among the Immortals had begun with the invention of the camera.  A painting or a sculpture of an Immortal could easily be explained away since features weren’t always accurate.  Artists loved to take liberties to please their clients.  But when photographs were invented…. Some Immortals became enamored with the life-like pictures.  They began refusing to burn their portraits and instead began hiding them away.  It only got worse as the technology advanced to video cameras.
And then came the lure of fame when Hollywood began making moving pictures.  
Fame is an addiction all its own and Immortals aren’t immune to vices.  The mortals began to worship the famous.  They put up giant movie posters outside buildings and bought magazines with their favorite celebrities in them.  Some Immortals couldn’t stay away.  Egos usually get inflated if you’re always young, beautiful, and can’t die.
John Radcliffe was the worst of them.  
Constance dropped the picture of him on her desk and stood up, walking across the room to look out the window at the city below them.
He had been born sometime in the late 1800s and had stopped aging around age seventeen.  He had been vain before he had stopped aging and it had gotten worse after he noticed he had stopped aging.  He was beautiful, sexy even, and that made him stand out. Tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, his body had seemingly been chiseled from the finest marble by the most caring hand.  Women and men swooned when he was in their presence.  Artists were commissioned by him constantly to have his portrait done. Once he had gotten a camera in his hand, he couldn’t stop taking his own picture.  He was always leaving a trail behind him for others to follow and clean up.
His carelessness could be labeled legendary.  Most times, he left it until it was almost too late before he would move on to a new life far from his old one.  
Mortals would begin to notice his eternal youth and the whispering would begin. He, of course, relished the gossip. He seemed to thrive on it.  He believed others should thrive on it, too. This was why he was the one leading the Immortals who wanted to “come out of the closet.”  
He was also the one that had betrayed Constance’s trust and broken her heart.
The two of them had become quite close when Freya had brought him to her.  As conceited as he was, he had a surprising depth to him. He was gentle and kind with a wit that could have her laughing for days.  It was a depth he never showed anyone, but somehow Constance wasn’t just anyone to him.  They had both let each other into their hearts like they had let no one else before. Every waking hour of those first ten years was spent together.  When it came time to part for their new lives, they made a vow to come together once a year for two days.  It didn’t matter what they did in those two days, as long as they were together.
After two lifetimes apart, John came to Constance and suggested they make a new life together. He had gone into his plan to live in the light.  He was working in Hollywood and had just had his “big break.” He was famous and he wanted her to be his wife in his “last life.”  He had laid out a plan to tell everyone about the Immortals.  He had saved the pictures and portraits of the two of them instead of destroying them like he’d promised.  He had wanted to use them as proof and he wanted her to join him in stepping out into the light.
Constance had been horrified.  This was no refusal to destroy a photograph or to leave before the rumors started. This was throwing open the curtains and exposing the Immortals, laying them bare to the scrutinization of the mortal world.  Mortals could be incredibly cruel to things they didn’t understand.  The Nazis of Germany and their ghastly experiments on the Jewish people was evidence of this cruelty.  The thought of what the mortals who excelled in science would do to the Immortals was terrifying.
Constance and John had fought.  Angry words were exchanged that couldn’t be taken back.  He had declared war on Constance, Freya, and the “old ways.” And since then, he had made good on that promise.  The Immortals had divided into factions.  The battles weren’t waged on battlefields, though, but behind the scenes.  News stories were buried, internet sites were taken offline, mortals who knew the truth and took a side suddenly disappeared.
When Immortals wanted to take a break from life before the split in alliances, Constance had used her training as a doctor to put Immortals in medically induced comas. After John had begun the fight for “freedom”, the comas had turned into prison sentences for out-of-line Immortals. Constance had been forced to turn the basement of her estate into a cozy prison for the comatose Immortals.  
Her cell phone began to chirp and she grabbed it, answering it without looking at the caller ID. “What?”
“I hate the way you answer phones.” John said on the other line. “It wouldn’t kill you to show some kindness.”
“I’ve shown you plenty of kindness and you keep spitting in my face.”
“You keep making me.”
“How?  By putting a stop to you destroying us?”
“What are you so afraid of, Connie?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?  It’s what I’ve always called you.”
“Only my friends call me that.”
“Am I not your friend?”
“Not since you betrayed myself and your kind.”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
“No, it doesn’t.  Stop trying to tell the world about us, call the others off of it, and everything will go back to normal.”
“It can’t go back to normal, Connie.”
“I told you not to….”
“The entire world is connected now.  Criminals can’t hide from the system thanks to technology and neither can we.  It’s only a matter of time before they discover us themselves.  They’re already questioning it.”
“They make memes about time travelers because you and your merry band of egotistical fools can’t follow basic rules.”
“Freya’s rules are outdated. You know this, Connie!  This is the 21st century.  We need to change with the times.”
Constance stayed silent, debating with herself on hanging up on John.
Before she could make the decision, John continued. “Mortals aren’t as horrendous as you make them out to be.”
Constance looked at the picture on her desk of herself with a twelve year old Minerva beaming at the camera as she held up a little spelling bee trophy. “No, not all of them are, but there are those who would capture us and experiment on us.  Find out why we are the way we are.”
“And is that such a bad thing?  Don’t you want to know why we don’t age or die?”
“What could that knowledge possibly accomplish?”
“If we knew how it began for us, we could find out how it could end for us.”
Constance blinked, staring blankly for a long moment. “You want to die?”
“It’s the ultimate adventure, isn’t it?  It’s the one thing we can’t do.”
Surprisingly, she felt her heart squeeze with the emotional pain at the thought of losing him.  The pain gripped her entire chest like a vice. “John….”
“I’m not saying I want to die now, but I want the option.  Don’t you want the option?”
“I like seeing the world change.”
“No you don’t.”
“Of course I do!  The changes are fascinating!  I’ve embraced technology and….”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“I’m done with this conversation.” Constance hung up and dropped her phone on her desk.  She began to pace, once again allowing herself to get lost in her own mind.  
She couldn’t lie to herself. There were times when she thought John might have a point.  Technology was advancing so rapidly and it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay unnoticed.  The internet was an insanely wide world and evidence of immortality could easily be missed. The fact that she was finally seeing John’s logic was not something she was willing to admit out loud yet, but she just knew that he could sense it.
And he knew he had Minerva to thank for it.
When Constance had met Minerva Fraser, she had been an eight year old foster child, bouncing from home to home, all but abandoned by society.  She had found her way into Constance’s large estate in Yorkshire, hoping to steal something of value to sell for food.  Somehow, she had won Constance’s affections and the Immortal woman opened her heart and home up to a mortal for the first time in her very long life.  Now, Minnie was a celebrated doctor, running a successful practice in London with her husband, Ashton.  
The office doors opened again and, much to Constance’s amazement, Freya marched in. “Constance.” The woman offered a chilly greeting.
“Freya!  I had no idea you were coming in today.” Constance walked over to hug her mentor, but Freya didn’t make a move to reciprocate. “Is everything all right?”
“No, it is not.” Freya gracefully sat down in a chair and Constance followed suit. “It seems that Radcliffe has been wearing you down.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”
Freya reached into her bag and handed her an article she’d found online and printed off.  It was a picture of Minerva and Ashton at the grand opening of their second office.  Constance could be seen clearly in the background, smiling proudly at the couple.  Next to it was a picture of Constance at her university graduation almost 40 years ago.  It was clear that she hadn’t aged a day in all that time.  The article was titled London Doctor With Fountain of Youth Secret? 
“You’ve been here much too long.  You know the rules.  I never dreamed I would have to speak to you about them.  Why haven’t you moved on?” Constance glanced at the picture of herself with Minerva sitting on the side table near Freya.  Freya sighed, “You’re attached to the mortal.”
Constance couldn’t meet Freya’s eyes. “She’s…. My daughter.”
“We can’t have children.”
Constance held Freya’s steely gaze. “I’m aware of that.”
“We must stay together and uphold our rules.  This is the way it must be.  We can’t allow the others to destroy us all with their carelessness.” “I…. understand that.”
“I once assumed you did.” Before Constance could retort, Freya stood up. “Get your affairs in order and move on.  I don’t want to do anything drastic to uphold our standard.”
Constance watched Freya walk out of the room, leaving the doors standing open and the fork in the road clearly laid out behind her.
Tumblr media
Forever Taglist
@joannaliceevans-fanficblog​
@jamielea81​
@southerngracela​
@shellbilee​
@jtargaryen18​
@lovinevans​
4 notes · View notes
streetlightyeri · 4 years
Text
you’re looking at me like you don’t know who i am ; damon salvatore [part 1]
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
part 1 to house of cards
prompt: a girl shows up at the door of the boarding house looking for directions, and somehow manages to find her way into the elder Salvatore brother’s heart, only for her to see what he truly is
word count: 10,007
-
“blood on my shirt, rose in my hand, you're looking at me like you don't know who I am”
-
A knock on the door brought Stefan out of his thoughts; he listened to see if Damon would get up and answer it, without a doubt close to the door than he was. No sounds of movement came to his ears. He sighed and pushed his chair back. As he walked down the stairs, he saw Damon reading a book. “Really? You couldn’t have answered the door?”
He shrugged, smirking, “Couldn’t hear it.”
Stefan sighed once again, opening the door to see a girl he’s never seen before. Her beachy blonde hair was pulled into two buns on either side of the top of her head with two red scrunchies, two small pieces of hair hanging by her face. She was wearing a yellow graphic tee tucked into a pair of jeans that were held up by a black belt, bringing attention to her socks and shoes. Her eyes were complimented by a light taupe eye shadow and long winged liner; the fading sun caught the white highlight on her cheekbones. She had a confused look on her face as she looked up to Stefan, her hands grabbing the straps of her booksack.
“May I help you?” Stefan asked, holding the door in his right hand.
“Uh, hi, my name’s Angel, uh” she gulped, “Do you know the way back to town from here? I’m really sorry to just knock on your door, but I went on a walk and I got lost. I’m knew in town.” At the sound of a voice he didn’t know, Damon put his book down and walked up behind Stefan, seeing the short girl at the door. The two brothers looked for any sign that she was a vampire or anyone working for a vampire, but she really just seemed to be a lost girl.
Damon began talking before Stefan could, pointing down the street where the lamps were beginning to turn on, “It’s that way, but it’s kinda dangerous around this time of night. I can walk you back to town, if you’d like.”
“O-oh, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you,” she spoke, her right foot on its toes on the other side of her left foot.
“Not a problem,” he opened the door more, “Want to come in while I go grab my jacket?”
She hesitantly walked into the boarding house, her eyes filled with wonder at the sight of the enormous living room. While she sat on the couch, looking around in awe, Damon had went upstairs to grab his coat, followed by Stefan after he got her a bottle of water. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Oh, relax, I’m not gonna bite her,” he paused, looking back at his brother and giving him a wink, “yet.”
“Don’t try anything Damon; she seems like she won’t interfere with us later on.” Stefan warned, before going back to his room to finish what he was doing earlier.
Damon rolled his eyes before taking one last look at himself in the mirror and popping his jacket collar. He walked downstairs to see the girl standing and looking at the pictures on the wall, her booksack leaning against the couch where she had been sitting earlier. He cleared his throat, making her jump and turn around; she nervously tucked one of the free pieces of hair behind her ear before speaking, “I’m sorry for looking! I was just amazed by how nice everything in this house is . . .”
Damon let out a breathy laugh, “You’re fine. You ready to go?”
She nodded, putting her water bottle in her booksack and putting it on once more. Damon walked to the door and held it open for her, sending the back of her head a short questioning look once she walked passed and gave him a “thanks.” There was something about this girl that he didn’t understand . . .
As the two were walking to the end of the boarding house’s driveway, she began to make conversation, “How long have you lived in Mystic Falls, uh, what is your name by the way?”
Damon blew out a breath, “Jesus . . . uh, a long time. However, I just recently came back again. And it’s Damon.”
“Missed home?” She looked up to the side of his face, his sharp facial features causing sharp shadows to cast across his face from the street lamps. “Sorry for prying, I’m just super new to this town. Trying to see if it’s worth it.”
“New as in . . . ?”
“Moved in yesterday!” She said with a laugh.
“Why Mystic Falls?”
“Well, I think my brother chose it because he wanted me to finish off my last year of high school quietly.”
“Your brother?” Damon gave her another questioning look, except this time she could see it. His eyebrows came together and his head tilted. His hands were in his pockets as they walked.
Angel sucked in through her teeth, “Yeah, our mom died right before the end of my junior year and we never knew our dad, so, Mystic Falls it was once I turned 18 and we got all the legal stuff figured out.”
Damon’s eyebrows shot up as he looked ahead, “Sorry for asking.”
“You’re fine, there was a lot of free therapy back in Baton Rouge. For some reason they gave out therapy appointments like people in other towns give out casseroles and stuff.” She laughed, taking the piece of hair out from behind her ear.
Damon let out a low whistle, “Louisiana? That’s a far way to come from.”
“We both agreed it was just time to kinda get as far away as possible without actually having to freeze our asses off. This is even kinda cold.”
“Yeah, it is pretty cold compared to what it normally is like around this time of year. What do you think you’ll miss most about Louisiana? The weather?” Damon asked as the two stopped at a bridge with a stream running under it.
Angel propped herself against the railing with her forearms, looking down at the river, “I’ll miss that, of course, but, and I know this is gonna sound weird, but I think I’ll miss the little stuff like the way we speak the most.”
“What do you mean?” Damon was leaning against the railing with his back, facing the opposite way Angel was, allowing him to she her whole face when he looked down.
Angel thought for a moment, “Like . . . when we put away dishes, we say ‘save the dishes’ or instead of ‘going grocery shopping’ we say ‘making groceries’. It’s just something I grew up with and didn’t know other people didn’t say the same things when I went on vacation to Colorado with my family one year and I asked the hotel desk worker where I could save the pens and he just stared at me and asked what the pens were in danger of.
“It seems weird, but I think it’s a comfort thing. My grandma’s first language was Cajun French, so it just makes me feel connected to her. And - sorry,” Angel let out another laugh, “I’m rambling.” She stood up straight and gave an eye smile to Damon, before letting out a shiver.
Damon’s gaze never left her face as she spoke, and when she smiled he felt something deep in his chest twitch, something telling him he had to protect this girl. So, when he saw her body shake from the breeze that passed against the pair, he didn’t hesitate to take his jacket off and hand it over to her. She gave him a thankful look before taking her booksack off and slipping it back on. He noticed that his jacket completely swallowed her, her hands no where to be seen and it went down to the middle of her thighs.
“Oh, it’s really warm. Thank you,” Angel smiled up at him once again.
The two fell into a comfortable silence as they continued walking, the sound of Damon’s boots hitting the sidewalk was an odd comfort for Angel and the sound of the different charms on her booksack’s zipper rings hitting each other was an odd comfort for Damon. They began to enter the city, obvious by the increase of cars going by them and the decrease in the noise of the cicadas. Damon was walking on the outside, near the road. “Can you tell how far you are, yet?”
“Uh, I’m pretty sure it’s the turn up there. If you want to turn back home, you can. I’m sorry for making you walk all this way with me.” She looked up to him, her hands in the pockets of his jacket; it smelled like bourbon and sophisticated men’s cologne.
“Came this far, might as well see you home.” Damon said, looking back and forth between houses, getting an uneasy feeling. Someone, or something, was there, and it was hungry.
As the two finally set foot on Angel’s porch, she unlocked the door and opened it, allowing Damon to see a sliver into the house that was filled with boxes. “Hey, why don’t you let me cook you dinner? As a thanks and as a I-don’t-really-know-anyone-else-in-this-town-and-would-like-a-friend thing . . .”
Damon agreed and soon he was sitting in her kitchen, the only room that he could see that seemed to be unpacked and moved in. “What are you in the mood for?”
Damon pretended to think for a second, “How about you teach me how to make something you would eat in Louisiana a lot?”
Angel smiled at the fact Damon was trying to get her more comfortable in Virginia. “How about breakfast for dinner? I didn’t really trust Virginia seafood; feels wrong morally.”
Damon nodded, and as she turned around to go back into her fridge he hit a realization. He neck was out, completely for the taking, yet he felt no desire to bite her. She was too sweet; he was more into random-teenagers-making-out-in-a-graveyard type. Something about her turned off his vampire, and he couldn’t deny that he sort of liked it.
When Damon came back to reality, he noticed the counter was now filled with half a loaf of bread, vanilla, sugar, eggs, butter, and some milk all next to a deep glass pan. He shot her a quizzical look, “What is this?”
“Pain perdu. It’s a childhood favorite. My grandma used to make it for me all the time,” she said with a reminiscent smile on her face, and pointing to Damon for the rest of her sentence, “It’s time you northerner figured out what good Cajun food is. Now, I’m gonna go change, and then I’ll be back!”
“What if your brother gets home and I just look like a creep who wants to steal you guys’ food?”
“He told me he isn’t getting back until around midnight. The only job he could score on such a short notice was graveyard at a convince store nearby.” Then, she disappeared up the stairs.
When she returned, she was dressed in a pair of Adidas shorts and a loose white tee shirt, with her hair pulled into one bun instead of two and her makeup wiped off. Damon felt his heart stop for a moment. “Ready?”
The two proceeded to make pain perdu, something Angel didn’t know made the house feel more like home. It felt like Louisiana, but yet Damon made the idea of Virginia a lot less scary. The two were laughing and having a good time with her speaker blaring Cage the Elephant and Paramore songs. By the time Damon left, it was nearing 10:30.
When Damon closed the front door to the boarding house, Stefan was at his side in a second and his voice sounded venomous, “Did you kill her?”
Damon rolled his eyes and went to take off his jacket, before realizing he didn’t have it. His shoulders fell in an attempt to hide it as he walked to the library, “No, calm down. Just, went inside for a bit.”
“Inside? Damon, you know if you even attempt to kill that girl, the whole town will be on alert again.”
He rolled his eyes again as he filled a glass with bourbon and downed it, “I’m not gonna kill her. Like I said, calm down.”
-
Over the next few weeks, Damon found himself outside of Angel’s bedroom window more nights than he’d like to admit. He’d toss a rock until she’d open it; he loved the way she leaned against the window on her forearms and peak her upper body out the window and how her freshly washed hair would fall in front of her shoulders and blow in the wind. Her smile when she would see him would go up to her eyes, and each time it caused the pang in his chest that he didn’t know what it was. He just knew that he wanted to be around her as often as he could and he wanted to protect her from everything that was out there.
He would always tell her to jump down and that he’d catch her, but she never believed him until one day where she decided that if someone was going to get hurt, it was going to be him, so what did she have to lose? And lo and behold, he caught her perfectly fine.
When she jumped down today, he didn’t immediately put her down like he usually does, but rather carried her to the edge of the woods behind her house where there was a group of benches next to a creek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay her head on his chest and he swore that his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. Everything she did made his heart do that.
When he placed her down on the bench, he wrapped her in his jacket that he had only just recently gotten back. She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her arms through the jacket in order to turn the jacket into a cocoon. Damon took the empty spot next to her and she scooted closer to him so that she could lean her head against his shoulder while he had his arm wrapped around her, rubbing her upper arm ever so slightly. She trusted Damon with her life, which was a weird thing to think about in the long run. After a while of the two enjoying each others presence, he pulled his arm back and reached into his pocket, making Angel get on her knees and sit on her heels as she waited to see what he’d pull out. She sent him a confused look as she saw him pull out a thin bracelet with a glass stone that had a purple plant pressed inside of it.
“I wanted you to have this,” he explained, taking her arm and pushing her jacket back to put it on her.
Her eyes had the same light in them that they did when she walked into his house the day they met, “Damon, it-it’s beautiful . . .”
She looked up at him and they made silent eye contact for a few second before she reached up and pulled him down to meet her lips. The two felt like they were in Disney and the fireworks were going off; it felt like they were water in a lightning storm. By the time they pulled apart, they had no clue what time it was or how long they had been kissing. Damon’s thumbs were in front of Angel’s ears and the rest of his hands behind them; he kept their foreheads connected after the kiss, her arms resting on her knees.
“Angel Robicheaux, will you be my girlfriend?” Damon whispered out, to which she responded with a kiss.
-
Most people were surprised to find out that it didn’t take a lot of pleading on Angel’s part to convince Damon to go to the Founder’s Party, but most people didn’t know how completely whipped he was for this girl he had met a mere month and a half ago.
“Please? I feel like it’s a way to get to know the people of the town.”
“Trust me, you do not want to get to know the people of this town,” he dismissed. Damon knew that he couldn’t say no to her if he made eye contact with her, so he didn’t. But he could feel them. He could feel her puppy dog eyes baring into the back of his soul. And the ever-strong Damon Salvatore gave in. “Fine, but don’t expect me to be happy about it.”
When he looked back he saw her eye smile, making him look away in order to stop himself absolutely melting to be wrapped around her finger more than he already was.
At the sound of her doorbell ringing through her house, Angel walked downstairs as she put her long earrings in. When she opened the door, Damon nearly passed out; something about her fiddling with her earrings with her tilted head and her glittery eyes that got covered when she smiled matched so well with the light blue dress she was wearing. She looked like she came out of an old magazine. He took a deep breath as he looked her over, “You look . . . beautiful.”
“You don’t look half bad yourself,” she opened the door more as a signal for him to come in as she walked away. He leaned against the door as he shut it, wondering how this girl from Louisiana managed to get him so crazy for her so easily. He would kill to protect this girl.
Angel immediately wrapped her arm around Damon after he went around the side of his convertible and let her out. Her heels added an extra five inches to her height, but the fact she stood at a measly 5′0″ meant she still didn’t even fully reach his shoulders. She leaned into his side, not seeing anyone she really knew yet. Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline promised to be there; the only problem was where they were hiding. Damon leaned down to her ear, “You know, if you ever get bored when we’re here, we can always leave and go have fun elsewhere.”
She gave him a small nudge and eye roll, no longer as close to his side as she had been. He pulled her closer to him again once they got to the  “Hello, Mrs. Lockwood.”
She gave Damon a smile and Angel a surprised look, “Come in, come in. Hello Mr. Salvatore. And you must be Miss Robicheaux, my son, Tyler, has talked about you quite a lot, by the way.”
Damon raised his eyebrows at her claim, unable to stop the anger beginning to rise in his chest, “Really? Has he?”
Angel smiled and thanked her, pulling Damon inside before anything could happen. She gave him a look, telling him to let it go before she got on her toes to give him a short kiss, “I only have eyes for you.” He was significantly more calm than he had been prior and her arm once more found itself wrapped around his as they walked through the party.
After a short while of walking through the party, Angel caught eyes with Elena who was standing with Damon’s brother and began leading Stefan in their direction, meeting up with the two at the same time as Caroline and Bonnie and their dates. As the three girls chatted, saying hi to Caroline and Bonnie’s dates, Angel didn’t even realize as she rested her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder. The four didn’t take notice of the unbreaking eye contact between the Salvatore brothers. In minutes, Angel found herself with Stefan, Elena with Damon, and Bonnie and Caroline switching dates.
“Drink?” Stefan offered up.
“I don’t understand how this happened,” Angel stated, taking a sip after letting out a small scoff.
“Caroline’s a sucker for a dance, I guess,” Stefan stated. It was awkward, the two had never really talked before; she wasn’t even sure if Stefan knew she was officially dating his brother. His next question confirmed that suspicion.
“Angel, how serious are you with Damon?”
“Pretty serious for someone I’ve only known for about a month and a half. He asked me out around two weeks ago.”
“He-he asked you out?”
She sent him a questioning look, “Is that surprising or something?”
“Yeah, well, uh, let’s just say Damon isn’t quite over his ex just yet. I’d ask Caroline; she seems to know him . . . well.” He raised his glass to hips lips as she searched for something to say, but was interrupted by Damon and Elena returning.
He wrapped his arm around Angel’s waist, staring Stefan down. Stefan was doing the same. Angel and Elena looked at each other, confused.
“Damon, do you by chance want to dance?” Angel asked, breaking the awkward tension of the group. When he looked down to see her gazing up at him, he gave his first real smile since he had gotten there. He couldn’t look away from her as they danced. Dance was a strong word, it was more of a sway, with her head on his chest and her arms around his neck and his arms wrapped around her. When the slow song ended, she looked up to see him already looking down at her. She had the world in her eyes and he wanted to tell her he loved her at that moment. She lifted her hand to bring his head down once more, but when their lips touched, he pulled back, wincing. A healthy amount of fear covered Angel’s face, and Damon felt bad for making her worry. But he knew that pain: vervain.
“Babe, did you drink something?” He asked.
“Um, yeah, I drank a little bit of champagne with Stefan when Caroline made us all split up for whatever reason. Why? Are you okay?” The two had stopped dancing, standing like stones in the middle of the moving bodies.
He pretended to wave it off, not wanting to ruin her night, “It’s fine, I’m just allergic to champagne, I think.” He smirked and his voice lowered as he raised his eyebrows and moved to kiss her neck. “Just because I can’t kiss you on the lips doesn’t mean I can’t kiss your elsewhere . . .”
She giggled and pushed him back, but almost screamed at the sight of her boyfriend with dark veins around his eyes and his eyes that held a murderous look. “Not here, Damo - oh my God what happened to your face?”
He glanced passed her and into the mirror, seeing his face. He was getting hungry, and his body didn’t like the fact he was so close to her neck and wasn’t biting. He looked down, rubbing his face as he began to push his way outside, “That champagne must’ve been really strong . . . need some air. Stay here.”
Just like that, she was alone on the dance floor. Her shoulders fell as she watched him leave, only to be intercepted by a seemingly-angry Elena for a few seconds before he walked off once again. Tyler Lockwood walked up to her, seeing the whole scene go down. He held out a drink for her, which she took, downing it quickly.
“He’s an asshole,” Tyler began, only to be stopped by Angel.
“Look, I get what you’re trying to do. I’m sure you’re a cool guy,” Angel whispered before walking off, “but please, don’t.”
She began walking by the edge of the river once her head began to hurt; she hoped fresh air would help her, and maybe she could find Damon. The sound the the water spout in the river helped her block the sounds of the party out and focus, trying to ignore the throbbing pain she felt behind her eyes. What could Stefan have meant? What did Caroline have to do with this? Then she saw it. Caroline being held from behind by a guy; a guy she knew all too well.
“Damon?” She couldn’t believe her eyes. “Caroline? What is going on?”
No response. The two looked at her like deer in headlights.
“Are one of you going to explain? Or are you just going to stare at me like I’m fucking stupid?” Damon had never heard her this angry before - hell, he had never even heard her angry before.
Elena’s voice saved Caroline, “Caroline, come see.”
The blonde girl took the escape option, Stefan sent his brother a warning glance before turning to take Elena and Caroline home. Then it was just the couple left.
Angel crossed her arms, her words beginning to slur because of her pounding headache, “When Stefan told me you weren’t over your ex, I assumed he was just giving me a warning or something, and when he told me to ask Caroline about it, I was just confused. But now I see, your ex must be Caroline and you must really not be over her. Damon, I thought we actually had something, but I guess I really was just fresh bait to rebound on.”
Damon moved to grab her shoulders, but Angel went to move away. As she tried to move her foot behind her, her whole body gave out. She fell like a bag of bricks, her eyes rolling back in her head. She would’ve hit the ground had it not been for Damon catching her. He tried waking her, calling her name, shaking her, but she was unresponsive. He picked her up bridal style and hoped that she would wake up, just not in the next few seconds that it took for him to get to the boarding house. When he lay her down on his bed and placed a cold washrag on her forehead, he wrapped her small hand in his large one, rubbing his thumb over it. Before he could whisper “please be okay,” she began to stir. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up, but Damon shushed her and made her lay back down. “Hey, hey, baby, be careful.”
“Damon?” She asked and when she received confirmation she groaned, “My head is killing me. I didn’t know vodka could do that to someone. Tyler must buy the pure stuff or something; I don’t even know why I accepted it.”
It couldn’t, but Damon kept that to himself. He would deal with that kid later. Right now all that mattered was her. “What do you remember?”
She groaned again, signaling him to turn off his lamp. “I remember us kissing for like half a second and then you left and then Tyler handed me the drink and then I saw you and Caroline, but I don’t even remember what was happening with that. I just remember I was so angry, something I’ve never really felt before, and then I woke up here. I’m sorry if I said something mean.”
Damon swore he was ready to marry her at that moment, “No, you’re fine. Caroline and I were just, looking for something she dropped.”
Angel nodded as he stood up from his spot next to her hip on his bed to close the windows and the curtains. “Babe, can you do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Can I borrow some clothes to change into? And another wash rag? I feel like if I stand up I’ll puke.”
He silently snorted, “I was hoping that I’d see you in my clothes under different circumstances, if you get what I’m putting down.”
“Damon Salvatore, you may be my boyfriend now, but that doesn’t guarantee you will be forever if you keep talking like that.”
His eyes widened and he turned back to his drawers, puling out an old tee shirt and shorts and handing them to her. When he returned with another washcloth, he saw the original one covered in makeup, sitting on top of her clothes. He also noticed that his shorts were still there, only the tee shirt on her. It’s like she loved to drive him crazy. When he went to pester her about it, he noticed she was asleep; he opted to place the new washcloth on the bedside table and placed a kiss to her forehead before going to track down his brother.
Stefan looked up when he heard his door nearly slam open; Damon was standing there, murder in his eyes. He moved to be in front of Stefan and once he was, his chest heaving from angry breaths, he raised his hand and gave him a firm right hook. Damon took a grip of his brother’s collar, bringing his mouth to his brother’s ear. “If I wanted to bite her, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now? If I wanted to kill her, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now? I’m not one to play with my food. If you even think about doing something like that to her again, I swear to God I will kill you myself. You better count your blessings that she was drunk.”
When Damon let him go, Stefan fell to the floor but quickly picked himself up. “You realize you’re going to have to tell her about everything eventually right? She saw the desire on your face, and you knew you were close to biting her. You only didn’t because of the vervain and the people.”
“You’re one to talk,” Damon scoffed, “Tell me how it goes when Elena figures out what you are. Also, the difference between desire and actions is large: actually doing it. The day I put my fangs in that girl is the day I put a stake through my own heart.”
Damon slammed the door behind him. When he went back into his room, he saw Angel was still asleep; he made a move to grab a blanket off of his bed so he could sleep on the couch in his room, Angel let out a sleepy mumble of “stay, please” and grabbed his wrist. When he got in bed next to her, she immediately moved to lay on his bare chest, and she fell asleep once more to him running his fingers through her hair.
He didn’t expect this to go this far. He didn’t expect himself to be head over heels in love with this girl after a month and a half of knowing each other and that ‘half’ was their only two weeks of actual dating.
-
Damon was lounging in his bed, watching TV as his girlfriend did homework at his desk. He was in need of attention. He rolled to look at her, “When will you be done?”
She sent him a raised eyebrow, looking back down to her calculus, “After however long it takes me to finish it.”
“Can’t you take a break? Or at least do it in bed?” He asked, wanting her to be closer to him than she was. She let out a playful sigh as she gathered her things and moved to sit to the left of his laying figure. She leaned on her right hand to look down into his eyes, and her words came out without her thinking about them.
“You’re lucky I love you, Damon Salvatore.” The second the words left her lips, her eyes widened in realization, as did his. “Sorry, I- uh-”
Damon had never moved so fast; his lips connected to hers to stop her apology. They once more found themselves forehead to forehead, “I love you, Angel.”
The smile he loved oh so much found its way to her face as her cheeks turned red and she slumped down to hide her face. Damon pulled them away and began peppering kisses across her, only stopped by the sound of her notebook hitting the floor, causing her to place her finger over his overactive lips. “Go shower, we’ll see what happens after.”
Angel didn’t think she had ever seen someone get in a shower so quickly. By the time she had reopened her notebook, the bathroom door was closed and the sound of water falling filled the room.
When Damon got out of the shower, he exited with only a towel around his waist, only to see his girlfriend halfway laying down, sound asleep with her homework open on her lap. He sighed lightly, half smiling at how peaceful she looked. He picked up her book and placed it in her booksack and got dressed. Once he had some amount of bottoms on, he took a large, soft gray blanket and threw it over the two of them since she was laying on top of the comforter. He wrapped his arms around her and she sleepily turned around and burrowed herself into his bare chest. He didn’t understand how he had gotten so lucky.
-
“Do you guys know if you’re doing anything for Halloween?” Elena asked Angel asked the group. Angel was sitting on her bed, painting her toenails with her foot propped up on her bedside table, Bonnie was sharing the large beanbag on the floor with Caroline. Elena was sitting at Angel’s desk, slyly looking at the pictures of Angel and Damon that were pinned to the cork board. She wanted to tell Angel what Damon really was so badly. Elena felt nothing good could come out of the relationship between Angel and Damon; he had to have an alternate motive. There was no way he just genuinely liked this girl; Damon wasn’t capable of that . . . right? Elena and Bonnie never brought up the night of the Founder’s Party, assuming that Damon had compelled her to not remember anything; as for Caroline, they convinced her that it wasn’t a game she wanted to play.
Angel shrugged as she continued painting her nails, “I was gonna see if there was like a haunted house or something around. I was gonna ask y’all actually. Don’t really know what the Halloween scene around here is like.”
Caroline got excited, “There’s a haunted house, we should all go. It’ll be fun.” Then she took a long look at the Elena and Angel, “No boys though. Ladies night!”
Angel laughed as she closed up the nail polish bottle, “Sure. But you can explain to my boyfriend that the reason he can’t see me dressed up as hot Cher from Clueless is because of ‘ladies night’.”
A nice silence fell over the group before Angel broke it, “Hey guys . . . do you think they’ll ever find Vicki? It’s scary to think about. Like, she just . . . vanished.”
Damon went to answer his phone, only to have it snatched out of his hands by Stefan. “Really, Damon? You want to talk to Angel while you have someone who you just turned into a vampire in the house? Not gonna let it happen.”
Stefan let the call go to voicemail, and played it for Damon to hear before placing the phone in his pocket, “Hey, babe, uh . . . I’m going to the school for the haunted house thing. I’ll swing by if I’m not too tired afterwards? Call me when you can, love you.”
On the other side of the call, however, was a dressed Angel. She placed her phone down and took a sad breath as she looked into her mirror; her hair was straightened, going down to just under her breasts, which were covered by a white tube top and a yellow and black plaid blazer. Her skirt matched her blazer and she had white knee high socks on that led to her white Keds. Bonnie came up to Angel when she exited the bathroom, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry.”
“No, no. This is ladies night. I am not going to let my dense boyfriend ruin it.” Angel tried to reason, but Bonnie knew there was something else, and Angel knew she couldn’t keep it a secret once the tears began to fall as she sat on the edge of her bed, looking up to her friend, “Damon, he - he hasn’t called me back since we slept together. And I keep remembering this stuff from the night of the Founder’s Party where Stefan told me he wasn’t over his ex and I only remember him mentioning Caroline, but I don’t know what he said about her. I can’t remember anything from that night besides vague details. Bonnie, am I just a rebound? Did I really let myself believe that he saw me as something other than a dumb high schooler?”
Bonnie sat next to Angel wrapped her in a hug, her witch costume not the most comforting material in the world, but Angel didn’t care. After only a few seconds of her comforting, the two were interrupted by Caroline bursting into the room, “Have either of you seen, or even heard from, Elena? Oh . . . oh Angel, what happened?”
When Caroline heard the story, she couldn’t help but glance over to the pictures Elena was inspecting just the other day. She knew she couldn’t tell Angel what was happening between her and Damon, both for Angel’s safety and for the sake of her heart. Caroline took a seat next to Angel and took a hold of her hand, “Listen to me, Angel. I don’t how, or what all happens in his head, but when he sees you, there’s like a button in Damon that changes. We had a . . . thing, but it’s over. There’s something about you; I don’t know what, but you turn him into a different person. Look at your cork board. I never saw a side of Damon like that, he never would’ve agreed to go into a photo booth with me, let alone kiss in one. I think you just need some time away, which is why you’re going to leave your phone here and we are going to have the night of out lives. Now, where’s your makeup bag? We need to touch up your mascara.”
Angel smiled as Caroline pulled her and Bonnie up, taking her to her vanity and sitting her down. Neither of the girls noticed when Angel took off her bracelet from Damon and didn’t put it back on.
As the three entered the school, they were met with Tyler Lockwood immediately, offering drinks. Caroline took one before Angel could protest, and Tyler tried to push one on the other two girls. “No, thanks,” Angel stated, not breaking eye contact, “I think we both know how it’ll turn out.”
“What happened there?” Caroline laughed as she took another sip of her drink before pouring it out into a nearby plant at Angel’s next words.
“I’m pretty sure he tried to roofie me at the Founder’s Party.”
As time passed, the girls began giving up hope that Elena would show. They were slowly descending into a drunken stupor, making sure to check that Tyler was no where near the drinks they got. “Hey, Matt, how’s the party?”
“Great, uh, just feel a little confused,” his voice lowered, “Vicki’s here, so could you guys keep an eye on her if you see her? It took all the power she had to convince me to let her come.”
The girls agreed, a wave of unspoken relief washed over the girl at the news Vicki was safe. They wandered into the haunted mansion, each taking bets on who could get out the fastest and proceeding to slip into different paths. When Angel was running through, trying to beat her friends, she felt a pull at he wrist, only to come face to face with Vicki. “Uh, hi Vicki, are - are you good?”
Angel had never really spoken to the girl alone before, but rather in a group. She didn’t really know how to start a conversation with her normally, let alone after she returned from a stint of being gone from home after she witnessed her friends being murdered. Vicki didn’t respond, but rather grabbed Angel by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes before muttering a “hope this works.”
“Go to the exit and wait for me and Jeremy. If Stefan or Damon comes, don’t let them touch me or him.”
Angel nodded and walked off to the exit, taking her outside, where she waited. She stood with an empty look in her eyes, waiting, waiting, waiting.
Damon was sitting at the Grill with Mrs. Lockwood; he didn’t expect his night to be this way. He more expected a Halloween party with his girlfriend, who was without a doubt, dressed hot as hell. Instead, he was holding out on those thoughts so that he could talk to this woman who was 8 martinis in and was revealing way too much about the Founder’s Council. His fingers played with the rim of his glass. “Didn’t you come to the party with a girlfriend? The high schooler?”
Damon mentally apologized to Angel for what he was about to say, “I was just entertaining her for the night. New in town, so what better way to meet the right people of Mystic Falls than to go to the Founder’s Party with a member of a founding family?”
Later, when he was at the school, he walked up to Bonnie, looking down into a cauldron filled with juice. She gave him a sour look, letting him know he wasn’t welcome.
“Why the harsh look? After all, I’m just here looking for my girlfriend,” he said while filling a cup, “And of course, to get that crystal that’s around your neck.”
Bonnie shook her head, narrowing her eyes up at the elder Salvatore, “Which girlfriend are you talking about? Because as far as I’m concerned, leaving a girl in the dark after sleeping with her isn’t the best way to show your affection. Nor is kissing her best friend and turning her into a snack. Angel will find out eventually, and at that point, it’ll be too late to apologize. But you know that, don’t you? Here’s a thought: why don’t you stay away from both of them? And you’re never getting this necklace back.”
Damon tried to grab the necklace off of her, causing it to burn his hand and give Bonnie the chance to run away. As he focused on the burning sensation of his hand, he heard a scream from far behind the school. However, the scream belonged to a voice he knew all to well: Angel.
As Angel kept watch for Vicki and Jeremy, she tried to ignore the sounds of them making out and Jeremy’s confusion as to why she bit his lip. Then she heard Jeremy’s exasperated huffs as Vicki began to become dangerous, yet her body wouldn’t allow her to run or even move. She saw Elena throw open the door to the gym followed by her running to find her brother amongst the school buses, only giving Angel a few seconds to explain why she wasn’t doing anything.
Angel’s response was quiet and calm, “Vicki told me to keep watch for Stefan and Damon.”
Elena knew she couldn’t do anything about the fact Angel was acting under compulsion, so she just had to hope that she would be able to run when given the chance again. Elena moved to pull Vicki off of Jeremy, throwing her into the open space between the buses and the gym; Elena’s hopes for Angel’s safety were immediately thrown out the window when Vicki realized that she hadn’t told Angel to stop Elena also. The next thing Elena and Jeremy saw was a flash of yellow plaid as Angel screamed and landed in a pile of glass. She struggled to stand when Stefan exited out the same door Elena had earlier; when Angel pulled herself up, she hobbled over to Stefan, glass still in her hands, legs, and side causing blood to pour from multiple areas on her body, staining her socks and blazer. She tried to push Stefan back, but he easily stopped her, but couldn’t override Vicki’s compulsion. He pushed Angel out of the way and made his way to Elena and Vicki; Angel went to follow after Stefan, but stopped when she saw Damon. Unaware that she was under compulsion, he moved closer to her, only for her to attempt to push him back, her blood getting on his shirt. “You can’t go, you can’t help Stefan. Vicki told me to stop you. I’m sorry.”
Damon grabbed her wrist and lifted it to his eyes, pulling her blazer sleeve down to see the bracelet he had gotten her was not on her wrist. Damon pulled Angel’s chin down to make eye contact with him, “Don’t listen to her. Listen to me: go find Bonnie, have her take you to the hospital, and forget what happened out here.”
Damon watched as Angel walked away, not looking back. When he looked down he saw that there was blood on his hands, no doubt from Angel’s wounds, he couldn’t stop himself from lifting his hand to his mouth. He was only stopped when he turned around to see a dead Vicki on the ground, Stefan leaving him to deal with her as he went to bring a mentally scattered Jeremy home.
Damon walked over to Elena, who was standing over Vicki. She began hurling her disbeliefs at him, asking him how he could do something like this, just for his own fun. Damon could handle her anger; it didn’t phase him, he truly meant it when he said nothing about Vicki mattered to him. It wasn’t until Elena brought up Angel that he snapped. “What about Angel? Does she really not matter at all to you? What about Caroline? I should’ve told Angel about you before she went off the deep end and fell in love with you. What happens when she find out about the fact you’re a vampire? What happens when you can’t control yourself around her anymore? I saw what you did after she left. Your lies are a web and they will catch you one day, and that day is soon. You’re only going to hurt her and you know it.”
He grabbed Elena by the neck, his eyes filled with fire. “Mention my girlfriend’s name again with the subtext that I won’t protect her and I won’t hesitate to make you regret knowing the Salvatore brothers’ secret. You need to leave.”
“Just stop hurting my friends.” Elena spit out before leaving.
-
“Hey, Angel, you should come to my party tonight! It’s at the Grill and your boy is gonna be there!” Caroline sung over the phone.
“I would, but I have a lot of college stuff to do. I’m sorry Caroline.” Angel responded, sighing.
“Oh come on, please? Just for an hour? I’ll take you home myself. when you’re ready to leave. You need to have some fun, all you’ve been doing recently is college stuff.” She pleaded.
“Fine, Caroline, just for you.”
Caroline giggled through the phone, “Sure, ‘just for me’.”
“See you later, Caroline,” Angel laughed, hanging up.
Angel once more found herself answering the door to see her boyfriend standing there, dressed in his usual white shirt, black pants, and leather jacket. His mouth nearly fell open when he saw her dressed in a pink cropped sweatshirt over another pure black crop top paired with jean shorts with suspenders attached and two different pairs of fishnets. “Whew, Virginia has changed you. You know every time I see you, you just get hotter, right?”
“That’s the goal.”
“Not gonna wear anything warmer?”
“That’s your job.” She winked at him, making him groan as she leaned over and tied herself into a pair of black Vans before exiting her house and locking the door behind her. “If you can see it from the front wait ‘till you see it from the back.”
He stopped her from walking down her porch stairs by grabbing her and wrapping his arms around her, her back to his chest. He leaned down to her ear, his voice low but still powerful enough to make a shiver run down Angel’s spine, “If you keep acting like this, I will not hesitate to bring you behind the party and make you forget every name but mine.”
She smirked, and something about her glossy lips shining in the little light from the moon drove him crazy as she whispered back, “Well, then don’t do anything to mess up your chance then.”
With that, she headed to his car, leaving Damon there to take a deep breath and look down to hide the desire on his face. He was glad she wasn’t looking at him; he couldn’t hide behind the excuse of champagne anymore. He didn’t look up until she called out for him, “Are you gonna come or will I have to drive myself?”
He shook his head, smiling to himself; she was so perfect. He wanted to live in this moment forever. Her smiling, sexy figure standing by his convertible, waiting for him in the cool autumn night.
When the two arrived to the party, nearly every male in the bar turned to look at Angel with crazy eyes; it was undeniable that she was extremely attractive, especially dressed to the definition of sex appeal. Damon wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing his lips to hers before the two separated.
Caroline’s jaw opened when she saw Angel walking up to her and Bonnie, causing Bonnie to turn around and do the same. “Oh my God. You look . . . hot.”
Angel looked confused for a second, “Thanks. I think?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s a compliment . . . it’s just you normally dress so . . . not dark.”
Angel laughed, taking the empty seat at the table the two were at. “Let’s just say I thought about what you said, Caroline, and you were right. I’m gonna have some fun.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes, “Oh no, don’t tell Caroline Forbes she’s right. She’ll never let you live it down.”
“Well, I’m gonna go get us some drinks. How’s that sound?” The two girls nodded and Angel found herself once again standing. As she was walking to meet Damon at the bar to con him into getting the group shots, she was stopped by a female voice, “He’s not the type you want to mess with.”
Angel turned to see a blonde girl with a round face standing at the the pool table, staring at her. When she gave her a questioning look, the girl motioned her over. When Angel stood next to her, Damon took a look behind him, scanning the crowds, looking to make sure she wasn’t being bothered by anyone. Then he saw her with the crazy, and tuned in.
“My name’s Lexi, by the way. I’m a friend of Stefan’s. The Salvatores and I go way back. I just wanted to warn you about Damon; I saw you walk in with him, please don’t expect more out of him than a night. I’ve seen a lot of girls do it.”
Angel had never been so confused. Why was everyone so cryptic about Damon? What was everyone not telling her? “You mean my boyfriend? Damon and I have been dating for a month.”
Lexi’s eyes widened, “D-Damon asked you out?”
“Yeah, uh, is that weird. Is there something you want to tell me besides that you don’t like my boyfriend? I don’t want to sound mean, but I just don’t understand what this is about.”
Lexi shook her head, looking down in confusion before looking back up and making eye contact with Angel. “Tell me, has Damon ever tried to hurt you?”
Angel squinted at Lexi, “No? Are your eyes okay? Your pupils are like, freaking out.”
“Sorry, just noticed your bracelet. Who got it for you?”
“Damon . . .”
Lexi cursed under her breath, “So you truly like Damon?”
“Yeah? I love him, he treats me like a queen, honestly. Can I go talk to him now?” Angel answered, leaving immediately after Lexi gave a small ‘sorry, yeah, of course’.
When Angel finally got to Damon, she noticed his grip on his glass of scotch was deathly and his jaw was locked so hard it seemed almost painful. When her hand touched his shoulder, his body relaxed. “Hey, baby, you okay?”
He turned on the stool to face her, grabbing her and bringing her closer, whispering in her ear. “Now that you’re here, of course I am. Gonna let me shoot my shot, yet?”
“Too early in the night. I promised Caroline I’d at least stay an hour. After than, we can have as much fun as you’d like. For now, why don’t you entertain my group and buy us some drinks?” She teased, her elbow resting on the bar and her head propped up on her fist.
He groaned, “You’re gonna make my pockets hurt.”
She sent him a wink before taking the drinks back over to the table, “That’s the point.” When she arrived to see a peeved Bonnie and no Caroline, she sighed and handed Bonnie the extra shot that was meant for Caroline.
“She tried to rip my necklace from my neck.” Bonnie explained, “She wanted it for Damon.”
This night was never ending confusion for Angel, “Why does Damon want some crystal necklace? Why didn’t he ask you himself?”
Bonnie gave Angel a smile, but there was pity in her eyes, “Angel, how much do you actually know about Damon? Have you seen him around others, like, truly, not just in passing? Have you seen him interact with Caroline, ever, not when you were drunk? He’s bad news; I don’t know what’s up with him around you, or if it’s even real. I don’t know how you fit into the bigger picture. But you need to be careful around him.”
Angel couldn’t respond before Bonnie got up and walked to meet Elena, who was taking her turn with Lexi, but her conversion seemed to be going a lot better. Angel took a deep breath and downed her shot, heading to the bathroom.
The bathroom door closed behind Angel, and she went to make the corner, but she saw Caroline talking to Damon at the end of the hallway. She stopped and moved out of sight, but luckily she was still in earshot. She heard everything, all the insults he hurled at her, but shallow was the one that hurt the most. He didn’t know Caroline like that. She seemed shallow on the surface, but she really just wanted the best for her friends. When she heard the sound of Damon’s boots beginning to walk away, she couldn’t help the anger inside of her that caused her to walk up to him and grab the back of his jacket, causing him to turn to see what idiot was doing that. His eyes widened when he saw that it was his girlfriend; he had never seen such fire in her eyes. Caroline used the altercation as her chance to get away, but not before she heard Angel defending her.
“Are you fucking crazy? Is that what people mean by how much of a dick you are? This is how you treat other people? Really? I can’t believe I was so fucking blind! You dare call Caroline shallow, but it’s you who’s shallow! You use me as a fuck buddy and tricked me into falling in love with you,” Angel grabbed his jacket and pulled him down to ensure that only he could hear her last sentence, “If you dare insult anyone else ever again, I swear you;ll hope you never see me again.”
Angel tried to walk off, but Damon grabbed her wrist, trying to get her to listen to him, but she shook him off, her bracelet coming off into his palm. Her words were venomous; he had never seen her like this before, “Let go of me or I will scream.”
Damon watched as she stormed out the Grill through the back exit. He heard Lexi behind him, warning him to not go out after her, “You don’t want to play that game right now.” It took everything in him to not kill her right then and there; that was for later tonight. He pushed passed her and took his seat back at the bar, ordering the strongest thing they had three times over.
Angel’s star gazing session behind the Grill was interrupted by the sound of a commotion happening up front. She walked up the side of the building, confused as to what was happening. When she heard a scream, she began running towards it. She couldn’t just stand there while someone could need help. She ran through the overgrown pathway, landing in front of a tunnel to the right of the Grill. She took a glance down to see Damon standing there, his teeth sunk into a sophomore, forcing his girlfriend to watch. She screamed, causing Damon to look up and blood to spill from his mouth onto his shirt. Damon dropped the boy and began to approach Angel, but she ran as fast as she could, but she wasn’t fast enough. He stopped her on the sidewalk, grabbing a hold of her from behind; he kept a hold of her as she began crying and begging him to let her go. “Please, Damon, let me go, please. I promise I won’t tell anyone what I saw. Please. I’m sorry for what I said earlier, please don’t kill me. Please let me go.”
He had never seen so much fear in anyone’s eyes. Her sobs hurt to hear and her struggling hurt to feel. It pained him to know she was like this because of him. “Shhh, shhh, I won’t hurt you.” He tried to move the hair out of her face, but it proved to be a bad choice on his part. She moved to cover her neck with her hands, fer face covered in tears.
When she realized he wasn’t letting her go, she seemed to accept death and began challenging him, thought she still thrashed in his grip. “You killed that boy. Did you kill Vicki? Did you kill those people in the graveyard? How many other people have you killed? Have you ever thought about how they felt, or how their families felt? Not knowing what happened? You’re a killer. A murderer.”
Damon grabbed her face and brought her eyes to meet his, his pupils moving; the fear was now mingling with anger and hatred. Those were the three things he hoped he’d never see in her eyes; he had promised himself at one point to kill whatever caused that pain, but right now, he had to accept that it was him and all his lies that caused her pain. “Listen to me. Stop thrashing.” Her body went limp, and he hated himself for it. He also promised himself that he would never compel her for his own gain. His heavy breathing didn’t let him feel as she reached her bracelet that was peeking out of his jacket pocket, thinking of Lexi’s comment about it earlier when her pupils did the same thing. “Go home. Forget this happened.”
He watched as she walked down the street, headed towards her house. He almost missed the small clink of something hitting the pavement next to her. Her bracelet.
She didn’t forget. She knew; she knew too much.
24 notes · View notes
multifics-canary · 4 years
Text
Random nanowrimo fic #2
A/n: honestly I dont know where I was going with this but please bare with me. I havent been able to write for nanowrimo and I'm upset about it. So I'm throwing random pitches before it ends. Also keep sending me your version of Ruby!! :D
Being transported to another dimension was crazy. Being stuck in a universe with no way back was even worse. One minute Ruby waiting for her cousin Kara to get home from work to start training. The next, a portal opens from under her and she's in another universe, in Paris.
Luckily she had taken French many times and had J'onn help her study. In her earth, this was just a comic. One of her favorite comics none the less. So if that was the case, all young Ruby had to find the guardian of the miraculous. She didn't even have time to freak out before she heard the sound of school bells. Her thoughts were interrupted and Ruby turned, eyes wide as she stared a very famous school from her comic.
As she watched Marinette Dupain-Cheng leave the school ground. The girl walked alone, humming to herself as she ignored her surroundings. Ruby felt guilt, she saw how Marinette was being treated unfairly by a liar. She stared for a few more seconds, before plastering a smile and ran to where Marinette was.
"Excuse me, but are you Marinette?" The blue eyed girl looked startled by the random person asking for her. Looking like an american none the less. Honestly, Ruby couldn't blame her. She was aware she was attracting unpleasant eyes on her, but kept her focus on the ladybug holder.
"I-- yes, that would be me. Can-can I help you?" She asked shyly, and Ruby's smile widened.
"Please! Can I get an autograph? Your designs are just splendid! And the Jagged Stone cover album you did was my absolute favorite." Ruby gushed and watches as Marinette turned red at the praise. Ruby grabbed her hand gently, ignoring how soft her hands were.
"Also, if you don't mind, there's a comission I would like to talk to you about." She continued, guilt eating her away. Ruby hated lies just as much as Marinette, but she had no choice. This is was the only way they could talk alone. Unless she did ask for a comission.
"U-um sure!"
"Marinette, who is this?" Ruby almost scowled when she saw the girl in front of her pale drastically. Turning, Marinette looked up at the steps and saw Lila and Alya stare at her. Ruby resisted the urge to step forward. She didn't know if her powers worked properly here, but she had enough practice in controlling them. So she didn't worry as much about using her super speed.
"Are you new here? I could show you around instead. I helped a very well known family like time in my travel to New York." Lila supplies happily, her eyes holding a dangerous glint as she glanced at Marinette. Ruby's face twitched a bit as she resisted to use her super strength on the liar. Letting out a soft breath, she smiled at Lila.
"No thanks. I'm just here to ask for an autograph and a comission from Marinette. Did you know she also designed Jagged's glasses and album?! I wouldn't be surprised if she had his number personally."
Alya eyes widened before looking guilty at Marinette. Before Lila could come up with a lie to frame Marinette, Alya spoke first. "Girl I'm so sorry. I forgot you knew Jagged like that. It completely slipped my mind."
"Wait w-what?" Lila stuttered out, turning to Alya. Marinette stared at Ruby in shock, as the girl glared at Lila. Sensing the growing tension, Marinette spoke up quickly.
"You said you wanted a comission, right? We can talk about it in the park. " Marinette said quickly, grabbing Ruby's hand and dragged her quickly away from the liar. Ruby heard footsteps trying to follow them and quickly walked forward, grabbing Marinette by the waist.
The girl squeaked and immediately tried to break free. "Marinette please. We need to go somewhere far to talk, and Lila is trying to follow us. I need you and Tikki to trust me." Marinette froze, staring fearfully at Ruby, and she hated it.
Pushing down her guilt, she dragged her towards an alley passed the park and slowly lifted off the ground. Marinette gasped and wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck. Just as they reached the rooftop, Ruby told her to stay quiet as she heard Lila walk to where they were. They heard Lila snarl when she didn't see anyone, and quickly changed her expression when Alya joined her. The girls left afterwards, so Ruby let go of Marinette, just as the girl pushed her off.
"How do you know about to tikki? Who are you?" She demanded, the red kwami flying out of her purse and stared at Ruby. Slowly the girl kneeled down with surrendered hands. She never saw Marinette being this intimidating without the suit and definitely didn't think she would see it in person.
"Please, I just want to home. I have no one else I could go to. In my earth, you guys are just comics. And I know I lied earlier, but I hate lying too and my whole life is basically one. And Lila is just terrible too and--"
"Slow down!" Marinette spoke up. Ruby stopped when she realized she was rambling and turned red, looking down embarrassed. She's adorable. What.
"I'm sorry. When I'm nervous, I speak really fast and only my cousin understands me. Let me start again. My name is Ruby Danvers and I'm from a different universe." She said, looking up at the kwami and chosen.
"Tikki?" Marinette turned to her kwami, ignoring how uncharacteristically fast her heart was beating at the familiarity of the girl.
The red kwami flew towards Ruby, who stared back nervously and excitedly. Smiling, tikki turned back to Marinette.
"She's telling the truth, Marinette. We can ask the guardian for help." The little god said, and Ruby sagged in relief.
"You have no idea how much that means to me. I can tell you anything I know." Ruby said, looking at Marinette happily. The girl felt her face heat up and looked away, missing her kwami's knowing look.
"You said earlier we were comics in your world. I'm assuming that its the same with you as well?" She asked Ruby, causing the girl to frown.
"I have honestly no idea. It's only been a few hours since I got here and I tried not to move too much. But I would assume so. Try looking up Supergirl on your phone." Ruby sat comfortably on the floor as Marinette took out her phone and looked it up. After a few seconds, she heard the girl squeal.
"Oh my god! You're from my favorite show! I'm still waiting on that new season! Are you really Supergirl's cousin for real?" Marinette exclaimed, having gotten close to Ruby in her excitement. The girl calmed down after a bit and saw how close they were to each other. Both of them blushed and Marinette moved back quickly, as Ruby shuffled a bit back.
"U-um yeah. My brother is technically a few minutes older, but being stuck in a place where no time passes with your cousin, makes him a bit older." Ruby states shrugging a bit.
"Well we need to get you a new identity for now. Ruby Danvers is famous character." Marinette said, after calming down a bit. Ruby looked behind Marinette and stared in shock as Chat Noir jumped on the same rooftop as them.
"Hey, bugaboo. Who's this?" He said, walking over. He seemed calmed enough, but Ruby knew from experience that he was on edge. Especially since tikki was out in the open to a random stranger.
"Relax kitty. This person needs our help getting back home. She's from a different earth. We need to help her create an identity in the mean time." Marinette explains, placing a hand on her partner's shoulder. He seems to relax a little, but Ruby didn't move. Not until they all said it was okay. She had learned that a long time ago.
"Ruby, you don't have to stay there. No one is going to harm you." Tikki flew to the girl on the floor, and only received a smile. Chat and Marinette stared at Ruby.
"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that all of you knew I wasn't a threat." She stared as Chat Noir's eyes widened and he turned to Marinette, who nodded at him. Sighing, Chat stopped forward to Ruby and held out a hand to her.
Ruby slowly took his hand as he called off his transformation and the young girl stood face to face with the Adrien Agreste.
"So, Ruby huh? What makes you special?" Adrien asked, and Ruby practically squealed at those words. Those words reminded her of when Kara told her when she first met the heroes of earth-1 for an invasion. She looked at Marinette for permission and got a nod. Smiling widely, she fixed her grip on the boy's hand, making sure to not hurt him.
"Let's go for a ride, kitty cat." And with that, Ruby lifted off the ground, laughing at Adrien's squeak of surprise as he gripped her arm. Plagg cackled, floating next to Ruby as they lifted at least 10 feet in the air.
"Oh I like her! Can we keep her, sugarcube?" Plagg said, once they floated down. Adrien scrambled behind Marinette, who was holding in her laughter.
"Ok ok. Let's think of something." Marinette said after finally calming down. Ruby floated slightly as Marinette and Adrien sat on the floor, the kwami's on their respective holder's head.
"Even though I have the hair and eyes similar, I can't be related to Marinette because I look far too American. I could say that I'm in a exchange program and old friends of yours." Ruby supplies, floating right above them. Adrien, having calmed down from his stupor, thinks it over.
"That could work. I could pull some strings to make sure it's real enough so no one questions it."
"Am I allowed to do anything about that lying snake?"
"No." Four voices said to Ruby at once. The girl frowned as she stared up. She could plan it later, maybe with Plagg's help. He can get her to Trixx in case.
"We still have to go to master about this."
"I could fly us there. But it would be a bit obvious since it's still day out. I can hear your classmates voices nearby." Ruby states, crossing her arms as she stopped floating, just staying above their heads.
"You have super speed, right? My house is right there. If you can get me a hoodie I have on the mannequin, some materials and some scissors, I could help disguise you. Make you look like a miraculous hero." Marinette looked up at Ruby, who had this look of wonder in her eyes as she stared down.
"You'd really do that?"
"Why wouldn't she? You could've used your powers to hurt us already. But you haven't, and considering you're from our favorite show, I don't think there's anything Marinette wouldn't do for her favorite character."
"Adrien!" Marinette turned red as the boy next to her laughs, easily escaping her clutches as Ruby stared at them both. Her cousin told her many things about the multiverse, and meeting one of her best friends from another earth was cool. But Ruby never thought she would never experience it herself.
She watches them bicker, the kwamis resting on her head and smiled. Even if did take a while to find a proper way home, Ruby honestly wouldn't change this for anything. Not even Lila Rossi or Hawkmoth would stop her from feeling this ecstatic.
Lila Rossi.
Now that was someone Ruby was going to enjoy destroying before she left. Watch out Paris, theres a new hero in town. And her name is Velocity.
Random tags: @natu123 @the-wlw-cafe @mcgrathandwives @baked-bean-bekah @beebeebombam @imagine-lcorp @ezio-demon @supergirlimagine @miraculous-of-salt
51 notes · View notes
lily-of-the-eyrie · 4 years
Text
🎓🔍 Scene Commentary: Colonel Edition ③
Notes for [SQ3-3] Circumstances [video here]. Come join me as we talk about more theories surrounding the Colonel’s manipulation skills, hints about his history before Shay met him, and Gist being charmingly sassy.
Highlights this time include:  ❗️The Colonel's Finances  ❗️Gist and the Colonel
Tumblr media
Without further ado, here we go:
[SQ3-3] Circumstances
― Part I: Heading to Albany ― Shay, having retrieved the Morrigan, follows Gist's advice to set sail for Albany, where the Colonel's waiting.
 The Colonel himself isn't present while Shay and Gist are on the way to Albany, but on the flipside, we got this great opportunity to see these two gossiping about the man.
 Gist opens the scene pondering out loud what the Colonel might want them to do next. Now this bit is mildly amusing because he said "I wonder what he has in mind for us to do next"―did Gist just...slip up? Shay naturally went wdym-"us"-👀 at him over here, because he's pretty sure he hasn't signed up to be part of their team...
 Still, Gist doesn't even trip over his words as he follows up with how he's really just all giddy about doing his part in making the Colonel's ideals a reality. Aside from the impressive save he pulls here, another highlight of this section is that Gist frames "the Colonel's ideals" in extremely concrete terms: "secure borders, prosperous farms, fair trade". These are very specific large-scale implementations of the Freedom From Want theme compared to what we heard from the Colonel himself two chapters back, which was more on the philosophical/ideological side.
 Next up, the Morrigan docks at Albany, where the Colonel's waiting. I just have to say that it's incredibly cute of the Colonel to address Shay as "Captain Cormac" following Gist's example after seeing the Morrigan.
Tumblr media
 The issue on the table for their meeting this time is the French forces' movements into British territory, which is likely to break out into a full fight between the two kingdoms' armies. Now watch how Shay wound up working with these two again despite the question of him agreeing to run for more of the Colonel's errands was left hanging at the beginning of this scene: the moment the Colonel mentions that "New York could burn" if they don't do anything about the French forces encroaching upon British territory, Shay throws his weight in with them.
 We've already established that Shay's the kind of person who cares about the little guy, so this isn't all that unnatural; especially now that he's a good friend of the Finnegans', not doing anything when New York's at risk is going to sound unreasonable to him.
 However, the audience isn't the only one who understands this―at this point, so does the Colonel. After what happened at the Greenwich gang HQ and Fort Arsenal, he knows for a fact that Shay isn't going to turn his back on a chance to save innocent people. Did he, then, strategically bait Shay by presenting the fact that New York is in terrible danger and joining him is the best way to save all those townspeople? Or was it just something he said because he's also the kind of guy who's concerned for the safety of New York etc., and by saying this he's also trying to communicate to Shay that their goals are aligned? The trick to this is that of course these two possibilities don't have to be mutually exclusive―I'd say the Colonel feels that he knows Shay well enough at this point that he'd want to both get Shay to help him out while also letting him pursue what seems to be his calling.
― Part II: Gathering Supplies ― Shay and Gist, having reunited with the Colonel, head to a nearby French outpost to gather supplies and thwart French expansion into the River Valley.
Tumblr media
 In order to dislodge the invading French forces, Gist then suggests that they raid a nearby French outpost for supplies. The trio covers a range of interesting topics during their time sailing to that outpost, chief among which is Shay's skepticism towards the Colonel's intentions behind all his seemingly charitable actions. This is an important bit for two reasons:
(1) Despite all they've done together so far, Shay doesn't stop questioning Monro. He's cooperative with the Colonel, sure, but just because he kinda sorta trusts that he's not a bad guy right now, that doesn't mean he's going to do whatever he says until he gets to the bottom of why he does it.
(2) The Colonel, again, calmly faces off against Shay's doubt by being straight with what he wants: that the colonies become "a place of safety, development, and purpose". Now this is something literally every one of us recognizes as a Templar Line™, even if Shay might not (did he? Hmmm). In any case, the most important takeaway here is that it strongly links the Colonel's concern for the common man with core Templar tenets, giving us a clear look into his personal take on how the Order's beliefs were meant to be applied to the world. He's not part-timing “being a Templar” half the time and “being a benevolent authority figure” in the other half, those two things are one and the same for him.
 On a random note: I’m just gonna mention here that Gist being cheeky as hell with the Colonel's noble "money is only a means to an end" talk in this bit is hands down my favourite part of this scene.
Tumblr media
❗️The Colonel's Finances
 On a more serious note, the Colonel's comment on how he's "not a rich man" did get me wondering about his financial situation... I mean, obviously he's not dirt poor, and while there's that idea that Templars tend to be loaded, he doesn't look like he's just rolling in gold, either.
 Realistically speaking, being a military officer in the early 18th century can be a rather pricey career―the pay's far from great, and with all the spending for supplies and equipments, it can be quite a while until even the officers could expect to turn a profit from their job (one exhaustive source about the economics of the 18th c. British Army I’ve read pegged it at around the time they get promoted to Captain). And while the Colonel did come from what you might call a respectable family, it’s more of a modest than aristocratic one.
 However, assuming he's a long-time player in the field of renovating cities, a.k.a. the sidequest that, in the long run, gives you way more money than you know what to do with in Rogue, I guess his finances are quite stable. Now the question is, how much of those renovating gains he put back into more renovating... 😂
― Part III: Taking Down the French Fort ― Having obtained their supplies, Shay & co. sail the upgraded Morrigan to the French fort and take it down.
Tumblr media
 With the party ready to take on the French fort, we see the Colonel show a pacifist streak as he reins in Gist, who was being a little too excited about the prospect of throwing fists with the French. Really, these two have such amusing interactions.
 Next, he shows a strategic side as he agrees with Shay's suggestion about taking out the fort's commander to force the French to surrender; he may not be against pitching a battle when necessary, but he also seems to be a big fan of minimizing the overall casualties.
 One really paltry but personally highly interesting thing I picked up in this scene is how the Colonel, commenting on how the French soldiers in the fort would put on an aggressive defense under pressure, said they'd just "dig in like a wounded bear", which does sound like an uncommon expression... I mean, "like a wounded animal" is something anyone can say, but him specifying "bear" over there just makes it sound like he'd gone up against one himself before. Considering he’d likely not have met a bear before he got to the colonies (bears had been extinct a long time in Britain and Ireland), if he did have a bear encounter, it must’ve been after 1750... Did you get chased around by this fuzzy creature in the frontier's wilderness at some point before you settled down in New York, Colonel? 😂
❗️Gist and the Colonel
Tumblr media
 Since the amount of interaction the Colonel has with Gist is second only to his interactions with Shay, analyzing how things are between these two can tell us quite a lot about the Colonel's personality.  
 First, it's obvious that these two are close friends―the kind of relaxed bantering they have on board the Morrigan sounds pretty much on par with what Shay's got going on with Liam, which isn't all that surprising considering Gist and the Colonel had known each other (and presumably worked together) for 6 years at this point.
 Still, while the Colonel may be the older and higher-ranking of the two (ie.-He is Gist’s senior in both the military sense and the Templar one), therefore putting a clear superior-subordinate dynamic at play here, you don't see the Colonel trying to roast his colleague for stepping out of line (which he clearly does all the time, judging by his behaviour in this chapter), and what he does when Gist gets a little too rowdy is to gently but firmly prod him back onto the proper path. Maybe it's just his brand of leadership, but he displays similar tendencies when dealing with Shay, who has his default setting set to "unruly" most of the time. He’s clearly skilled at handling people much more hot-blooded than himself, and has a good hang of how to be an authority figure while still standing on the ground with his subordinates instead of putting himself on some distant, overbearing pedestal—honestly, a pretty good way to end up with their respect and loyalty.
 Another highlight is Gist's adoration of the Colonel's ideals. Now I think we all know that the Colonel's utopian take on Templar ideals is one of his greatest charms, but what I'd want to bring up here is the fact that, if Shay followed the Colonel because he was inspired by the man's idea of making a better world, he wouldn't have been the first―Gist had been there before, citing how he used to wonder if he’s doing the right thing, but “not since [he] met the Colonel” . I'm not saying that the Colonel's deliberately going out there to steal people's hearts with his brand of Templar beliefs, but judging from his success at inspiring Gist (and presumably Finnegan Jr.) into joining his fight, his winning Shay over to his side isn't a one-off thing.
11 notes · View notes