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inkyvendingmachine · 3 months

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Mobs and Stalkers Season 4, Episode 3

💀 Call of Cthulhu: Haunted Hijinx Masterpost 💀 Call of Cthulhu Season Four Masterpost (Coming Soon)

Warning: This campaign is an edited version of a Call of Cthulhu scenario from the Tales of the Crescent City book. While a lot has been changed, there IS spoilers for it throughout these posts.

Who is this guy and why is he following us? Why are we following him?? Why are we interreacting with mobs again??? How does this keep happening to us?????

Art Credit: @inkdemonapologist : sketching + inking @inkyvendingmachine : concept + colouring

IT IS THE NEXT MORNING. EVERYONE WAKES UP AND NOBODY (who slept over at JDS) IS MISSING, OR DEAD.

THAT’S GREAT.

Bendy even slept on top of Jack during their slumber party, trying to give the same comfort as an Beans might give. It might’ve been weird otherwise, but after all the hectic nonsense going on and not being able to feel safe going home, in this case it was welcome.

Joey slept on his research notes.

But it is a work day (at least it’s friday,,,) so the cots are shuffled away before people start coming in and questioning the group about the spontaneous night in. And foreseeing this might be a future issue if stuff goes haywire and they have to hide out at JDS more, Joey takes the holiday opportunity to get everyone out of the office for a while. Enjoy New Years Eve off, go party! Also New Years, to recover from the party. And also… the day AFTER New Years, to do all the things you meant to do on New Years but you were recovering from the party!! Look how nice Joey Drew is, giving so many thoughtful days off. Nobody come back until Thursday or else.

While everyone else is getting some work done, Joey checks in on Norman who didn’t even call in. He seems fine, but he’s still adamant about staying at home. Okay you do you.

(Joey sends Susie to hang out with Norman, as his inside woman and also because the Norman vs. Susie perception of the world will be nice when more things just. C h a n g e.)

The team has two big leads for trying to find Alan Leroy: Chandler Kreel and Amanda Cornish. Both of them are apparently good friends with him, and with addresses in hand, they split up to try and track down the danged clarinetist that they probably need to get to.

Jack and Sammy drive downtown to a bunch of law offices with apartments above, searching for Amanda. They’re able to get to her door pretty easily, but Amanda isn’t the one who answers. Her sister does! Luckily Jack’s there to run introductions because otherwise Sam’s scowling face probably would have just been turned away at that point. Sitting in the waiting room, Amanda soon joins them and admits that the last time she saw Alan was at a christmas party they went to… but seems to be kind of standoffish about any other information.

After some more charming by Jack, it’s revealed that she thinks he might be in trouble with the mob, and uh, Sammy… looking the way he does……. Maybe made her think they were the mob?? But with confirmation that, no, they super aren’t the mob and in fact are trying to find Alan before he possibly gets in trouble with a mob or two, she’s a bit more relaxed. Something weird is happening, because Alan really doesn’t seem like the type to be in trouble with the mob. And the last weird thing she remembers happening with Alan was… well, he got freaked out over some book she gave him for the holidays!

What’s so scary about a book? It was a pretty interesting read, here she’ll go grab it for ya!!!

Sammy is looking away Sammy is looking away Sammy refuses to look in any direction near Amanda as she, indeed, brings out a little black book with the Yellow Sign on it.

Jack immediately feels it wiggle into his head. But at least he’s able to wrap up the conversation with her in a… semi-normal manner? While Sammy’s eyes, darting anywhere else, find a photo on the mantelpiece that features Alan Leroy and friends, hanging out at a party scrawled with the note: Skinner Place, May, 1934… and Sammy is CERTAIN he recognises the man.

Oddly, his clarinet in the photo is missing one of the extensions he'd expect for a professional player...…….

Joey and Henry take the brown Mercedes to check out Chandler Kreel, who luckily lives in a nice part of the city that feels like a Mercedes might be somewhat… less… easily noticeable.

He answers the door but seems extremely nervous, like Amanda was. Leroy is great! So good at clarinet you wouldn’t even know he was down a finger!! Also totally a swell guy who shouldn’t be in any trouble so why are you heeerree??

Through Joey’s uh, storytelling skills, and Henry's good calming daditude, they get the idea he’s a loyal friend who wants to make sure he’s helping his buddy and not handing over information to the mob or any other parties that might be after Alan… Which means, he probably has information on where Alan is. Since it’d be suspicious to just plain ask, Joey goes the heartfelt “please reach out to us we’re here to help,” direction and hands off contact information.

While returning to the car, Henry and Joey find someone oogling over it… and this time it’s not some girl trying to declare herself Henry’s lifelong love, but the pale-faced man in a black suit that’s been seen everywhere recently. Their conversation is short, as the man mentions looking for a “wandering player” that needs to be returned to his place, and he walks off after some vague threats about what happens if you are in his way. Or if you lie to him, don’t do that either.

His mask-like face doesn’t move while communicating any of this.

Henry tells Joey once they’re alone that he thinks that guy is Fowler. He has the same nervous fidget Fowler used to…

Jack and Sammy go to stop by Norman’s on the way back, and find that… his place is apparently a block down from where it used to be!!

GREAT!!!!

When he answers the door and is immediately and frantically questioned about this, he takes a look around and confirms, shrugging and simply stating “it seems like I’ve moved.”

He invites them in for a housewarming party.

Susie and Norman have been playing cards. There’s no updates on Avadon. Jack and Sammy update them about the few tidbits of information they’ve found, and Norman finds a piece of junk mail to hand off to Jack before they head out. Since… the address on there seems to have changed too, so if Norman ends up moving again, well… they’ll know where he is!

The four of them meet back up at JDS to exchange information about Alan Leroy, and also eject the yellow sign from Jack’s head asap. Sammy's still worked up about this clarinetist's missing E flat extension, but Joey dismisses this as old news -- obviously; he's missing a finger. Keep up, Sammy. Peter has kind of also met back up with them, leaving a message on Joey’s phone talking about sightings of the masked man going through some magic shops in the city. And the fact that despite all his digging, he really can’t find anything about where this Leroy guy came from…

Joey tries to call Peter back by memory and it doesn’t work. We’re not going to talk about the fact that Joey has Peter’s number memorized. Pulling out his phone book, indeed, Peter’s number on paper has changed and that one DOES work.

Before they get much of a conversation going at all, Joey hangs up on Peter to try something. Instead of dialing a number in, or looking one up… he just wills himself to dial a number in to call Alan Leroy.

It kiiiindaaa works.

Joey manages to call Alan Leroy’s phone, but the same servant picks up and insists that Alan hasn’t returned home. Joey hangs up on him.

Peter gets a call back. Okay so there’s those Magic Shops he wants to check out, and also he has a lead on the gangster guy who shot the gun during the charity event. To keep Peter from doing nonsense alone and probably being abducted to Carcosa, Jack and Joey decide to go with him to investigate magic shops, while Sammy and Henry uneasily go to the bar to find info on the gangster guy, once Sammy is reassured that this won’t be like last time and all he has to do is eavesdrop. This surely will only go well.

At the bar, Henry casually brings up the charity dinner shooting while trying to fish for information, and maybe he talks a little too much, because suddenly all eyes are on him. What! Sammy wasn’t doing any talking so Henry was just trying to… do….what Joey would do? Henry trying to do what Joey would do has never gone wrong before…

Sammy and Henry are in a mob car, only kind of against their will. They are escorted to a restaurant, where they meet the extremely average looking Italian mob boss, Johnny Nero, who wants to know what they know about this pale masked man. At first it seems like they’ve made another great terrible get-yourselves-kidnapped-by-a-mob mistake, but the boss seems surprisingly rattled, and after some grilling from Sammy, Nero admits that… he’s seen some stuff that shouldn’t be…

… and Sammy hits the nail on the head when he asks, have you seen the y͟el͜l͘ow sig̵n?

Henry steps in and decides to offer to help him… to get him on our side, and understand that we are not a threat to him, we’re simply trying to remove the same thing from the city. After some pressure, Nero is convinced, and goes through the extremely normal process of Henry writing eldritch symbols with his own blood to remove the sign from him. After the nightmare has been yeeted from his brain, Nero turns out to be a wee bit nicer: he gives us all the info he has, but insists that if we find whatever the pallid mask guy is looking for, to give it to him so he can use it to get the guy gone.

And then he kicks them out without even offering them a ride back to their car at the bar.

Wrow.

What an extremely average super not classy even mob boss.

That’s gonna get you a terrible review on yellowp my dude.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, it’s time for

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*SHOPPING✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*~~!!

The first store is called Cool Jewel Skull. It has cool jewels and skulls. Surely that’s exactly what it says in the book, because it’s extremely not a legit shop, and Jack spends the entire walk to the next shop dunking on it to keep Joey's spirits up. They did find out that not just the Phantom but Leroy had been through it though!

The next stop is an apothecary, and it does seem a lot more actually occult stuff. The guy recognizes a photo of Leroy and confirms he came through looking for protective charms, but when he went to buy one, he dropped it upon touching it and immediately left?? Then the Pallid Mask guy came through later… Not much info on him, except that he was creepy, but we already knew that. The interesting thing is though, the charm that Leroy dropped? It has the same symbol on it that Henry uses to expel the yellow sign from people’s heads. So… weird that he didn’t take it with him…. And seemed allergic to it as well.

The three leave and try to go to the last shop on the list… but the address is missing from the paper now. Like… completely gone. Joey gets the great idea to try his “I'm going to will myself there” trick and closes his eyes, imagining a route to this store he’d never been to before, and giving Jack directions to drive there. Suddenly Jack slams on the brakes and manages to keep from completely smashing into… a man in a suit… and a pale mask…. There’s definitely a dent in the bumper now though, because Jack wasn’t that quick, and apparently a moving car is not more solid than this thing is.

Joey immediately starts cursing him out, but he insists that Joey called him?? before going around to the side of the car and opening the back seat door… where Peter is sitting. Not having this AT ALL, Joey tries to beat him out of the car with his cane, only to be thrown back against the dashboard.

With Jack frozen in terror and Peter having an oddly difficult time moving to even the other side of the car away from this pale jerk, Joey immediately decides he cAN AND WILL RIP THIS ASSHOLE OUT OF EXISTENCE.

And… somehow, it works.

It sure tears something into him alright, and manages to boot him out of the car, giving enough time for Joey to demand Jack step on it. And Jack, panic stricken, somehow manages to follow the command and at least not run into anything else as they drive off into the night – But just as he’s hit the gas pedal, he does feel the cold of both glass shards and … something else, as he gets touched by a hand smashing through the window in the last second.

Luckily Jack bought the first car on the market in the US that had safety glass so he’s not going to be fucked up much from this in the physical department, except for his wallet maybe.

Mentally though? Memories flood in…

memories of a time he visited a dream with his eyes closed, and almost had his head removed.

After they’re at a safe distance, a shaken Peter manages to pull the door closed.

And thank them.

#call of cthulhu: haunted hijinx #sammy lawrence #joey drew #henry stein #jack fain #susie campbell #norman polk #peter sunstram

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mall-0-ry · 2 years

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Can you do dorm leader x male y/n who is Albedo from genshin impact

[ Here is your request! i was only able to do 4 dormheads, for i am quite busy! i’ll be continuing it next time! hope you liked it! ]

[ Requests are open ]

[ Separate One shot, Dorm Heads x Albedo m!reader. ]

RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS:

RIDDLE’S POV:

I sighed and walked my way to my class, tiredness visible on my face, it was 6:00am in the morning, i need to at least get to class earlier, rules are rules.

“ Riddle. “ i heard a familiar voice, i quickly knew who it was.

Y/N Kreideprinz. who’s trudging their way to me, i felt my cheeks flutter in warmth, as i smile at his face.

“ You seemed to be up early, what’s the matter? “ i asked, while looking at their tie, it was crooked, i glided my hands towards his tie and fixed it. “ Hmm, i was awoken by the faint sunlight, i couldn’t help but feel inspired, so i drew it. “ he answered, he stared at me with his enchanting Sea blue eyes, i couldn’t help but feel butterflies in my stomach.

i removed my hands from his tie and brought up one hand to my mouth and coughed.

“ Ahem, what shall we do to pass the time? “ i eagerly asked, as i await his answer with eyes full of hope, and having him by myself.

He hummed and answered. “ Hmm, then may i draw you?” he smirked as he pats my head.

I felt my face heat up as i backed away.

“ W-why would you even want to draw me? ” i asked curiously blocking my reddened face.

“I only Sketch the most beautiful things in Twisted Wonderland, may i draw you? he said, while asking for consent again.

I flushed furiously as i felt smoke coming out of my ears. He took my hand and led me to a place.

I wish that this would last forever.

“ I.. am completely smitten to you. “ i whispered as i followed him.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR:

Y/N’S POV:

I was listening to Trein talk about the history of the chandelier that Ace and Deuce broke, a few months ago, i sighed at the memory, that’s when a rock was being thrown from outside, i glanced to where it was, only to see the Savanaclaws Dorm-head smirking at me, i ignored him and continued to draw on my sketch pad.

LEONA’S POV:

That.. damned Chalk prince. who does he think he is to ignore me? when i was trying to get his attention. tch. unbelievable. i grumbled as i went back to the botanical garden, i silently grabbed a fruit and munched on it.

when will lunch even come? i’m starving. ruggie might come here late, i’ll probably won’t be able to eat anything. che’ i’ll just sleep it away.

Y/N POV:

I was fast walking towards the botanical garden, hugging a sandwich so it wouldn’t fall.

I couldn’t find the sleeping lion who disturbed my class earlier, by throwing rocks at the window.

I sighed, and called out for him. “ where may that lion.. slumbering at?..” i gave up and simply stood in silence until i felt a weight on my shoulder.

I glanced to see, that it was the lion i was looking for. i chuckled and rubbed his head gently.

“ You’re here. “ he grumbled softly as he brought his arms, and encased me in a hug.

“ I’m here.. “ i said softly as i feel him dig deeper on to my neck.

“ my apologies, Crewel sensei asked for my assistance for the First Years Potion making.” i explained to leona as he just huffed and removed himself from me.

seeing as to he wasn’t answering me.. i made a move. “as an alchemist, i would like to study you if you do not mind. i'm sure we'd have many opportunities to be alone in the future. “ i said while smirking and continued. “ You’re one interesting test subject. “ and left, after giving him the Deluxe Sandwich.

LEONA’S POV:

As i watch him walk away, i huffed as i kicked a pebble. that guy is seriously getting on my nerves.. “ I want more of his attention…“

AZUL ASHENGROTTO :

AZUL’S POV:

My costumers seems to be sky rocketing.. what may the cause be?

I sighed as i put down a quill, and went outside my office to check the if the staffs are doing their works.

Then i saw a tuff of Pale blonde hair, that’s sticking out from the Sea of people. i couldn’t help but glide my way to them.

there i saw, him checking out the menu, seemingly unaware that the crowd came here to see him.

I coughed which pointed his attention towards me.

“ Y/n what a surprise to see you here!… “ i trailed off and stared at the cat that’s staring at me, before continuing. “ and.. your pet. “ i Smiled as i took a seat in-front of him. “ ah. azul, greetings.. i hope you wouldn’t mind me dining in here. “ he says before going back to the menu book. i nodded and trailed my eyes to his School books, he seems to be writing an essay.

“ Oh? is that the essay that trein sensei gave us earlier? do you need help? “ i asked before Cunningly smirking.

He nodded and opened his mouth to say. “I’m doing an essay on the most beautiful things of life “ he stared at me dead in the eye, i chuckled before answering.

“ So that’s the topic you’re going to be using.. very well..then we—“ I said, before the blonde prince cut me off.

“ May i use you as an example? “ I stopped on my tracks, my brain’s cogs seeming to fail me. i stared at him as i feel heat rush through my face.

“ Wh- What?”

He chuckled and packed up his stuffs and left me, at the table.

I DIDN’T KNOW I FELL FOR YOU AT THAT TIME..

KALIM AL-ASIM:

Y/N’S POV:

Me and kalim are on a magic carpet ride, i was in awe of these scenery.. i couldn’t help but stick my nose to my sketch book and sketch them all.

I can feel Kalim taking glances at me and giggling, i couldn’t help but smile at his personality.

He’s one Cheerful guy, someone you could rely on.. well not always. he may not be the brightest. but he’s the brightest in terms of personality. i concurred in my head as i gazed at the setting sun.

I sighed at its finest beauty, which made Kalim worry that i was not enjoying myself, but truthfully i was.

“ N/n? you seemed to be stuck in that sketchbook of yours! may i see your works? “ I gazed at his smiling face before handing him my book.

He wow’ed in awe, as he flips through the pages.

before stopping at a certain page.

it was my sketch of him, smiling, i felt a sudden burst of warmth on my face as i shy’ed away from him.

“ Is that.. me? “ he asked while i nodded fidgeting on my hands.

“ You’re Talented, Y/n! “ he exclaimed while tackling me down.

“ Thank you for your kind words.. “ i bashfully replied while pinching the ends of his white hair.

“ It’s Ethereal for me! “

“ I loved the way you drew me.. “

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daddysfangirls-marvel · 8 months

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Goth Boss (7)

Warning: Angst, mentioned self-harm, mention of scars

summary: Tony stark x daughter goth reader. The avengers find out that Tony has a secret teenage daughter and make tony ask her to visit. But when they meet her the avengers find out why she was kept secret. ( could Bucky and Steve he terrified of how y/n looks since they are from a different time and seeing a goth girl for the first time scares them) (tony has a strained relationship with y/n as she grew up without him and he kept her secret)

As the day grew closer and closer, Lilly not only found herself cooking in large amounts in fits of stress, it was okay May helped her pack up and donate all the extras for those in need, but was constantly going through her medical kits and reviewing first aid techniques preparing for the worst. Preparing for another year to begin like the last, and the year before that, and before that. She was preparing to do it all over again and to ensure her daughter survived just as she did last time. She even got cleaning supplies in preparation for cleaning up the possible blood.

As Lilly prepared, she watched her daughter dove deeper into her art and volunteering. A dozen new sketches and drawings a day and a new canvas every other day. She didn't dare look at what her daughter's artistic heart created she was scared of what she would find. Her art often showed her heart and true feelings.

She'd stay on her toes and prepare for the worst.

Peter saw it, too. How she was avoiding him and all their friends and throwing herself into her art and volunteering, not a minute to spare. Although he was unaware of the full history of the day, he was aware of her distaste for the day and how it agitated her to the point of no mention of it. She grew displeased with those who did mention it, and they gained her ire.

Ned was currently on the receiving end of it. Her glare was enough for him to run tail tucked between his legs and avoid her like the plague. He loved her and her friendship, but... no.

MJ was much more careful keeping quiet and her distance when needed. Leaving (Y/n) to herself as she wished believing she'd come back when she wanted or was better.

"You need to slow down," so she began walking slower." That's not what I meant, and You know it. Your schedule is packed to the brim there isn't a second to spare. You're running from one thing to the next. You're running straight into the ground," Peter said, taking her hand to fully stop her. " I'm worried about you. I don't want you to get sick or hurt. I'm not asking you to stop I'm asking you to slow down and take a moment breath"

"I'm..." (y/n) sighed " I can't, I'm sorry I can't "Taking her hand back she continued on without him and without looking back. Not knowing what else to do Peter just went on patrol hoping later on tonight she would be more willing to talk. -

"You're back earlier than I thought you'd be," Peter said as he swung into her room, closing the window behind him.

"The director shared your sympathies and sent me home early." (Y/n) said as she continued to sketch at her desk.

"Will you talk to me, please? I want to help you, but I don't know how, and you aren't letting me," Peter said as he kneeled beside her.

Before (Y/n) could even turn to look at him her bedroom door flew open revealing her mother holding a large medical bag. She looked at Peter, who was kneeling next to her daughter, unmasked, still in her spider suit. She looked further around the room and found nothing.

Peter began to stand and stutter.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked, and he shook his head. With one that knowledge and one more look around the room, she nodded and left, closing the door- but stopped. " I know you're Spider-Man, I've known for a while she didn't tell me I found out that time you slept over, you left your suit on the floor out in the open. I won't tell anyone. If you're staying the night, let May and I know."

And not the door is closed.

And Peter collapsed onto her bed grabbing his chest " I...oh god "

"You shouldn't be surprised. She's a smart woman"

"Can we talk, please?"

"We are talking"

"(Y/n), what's going on? Is it your birthday?" she flinched hard, scratching her nearly finished sketch. " It is. I want to help you, but you need to tell me how"

She sighed, balling up her drawing and throwing it away. Running her hands down her face " I don't know. I really don't know"

"I... My birthdays have never been good." she says as she starts to cry " I'm afraid something bad will happen like last year and the year before. I'm trying to distract myself so nothing bad will happen"

"Something bad happened last year?"

"Yes," she whispered as she tugged at her sleeves. In their entire relationship, Peter had not seen (Y/n) without her sleeves at least that is what she believed While he was aware that there were times she was in deep sadness, he wasn't aware of how deep and scaring the sadness was.

"I saw"

"What"

Peter sighed. " The night you slept over after you rejected Tony. I saw your wrist. That's what happened last year, right?"

There was a moment of silence as (Y/n) slowly turned to look at him. Then she burst into tears, sobbing as she realized he knew she was broken. She was in pieces far beyond what he had thought and what she had told him, and... he still loved her. He still stayed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she sobbed. Crossing the room, he stood her up and brought her to the bed to lie down. And laid with her, holding her for the rest of the night.

"I'll make sure they get up early enough to pick up his stuff on the way to school tomorrow" Realizing that Peter was going to spend the night Lilly had called his aunt to let her know and make sure she didn't worry.

"Thank you," May said

"I should be thanking you. You and Peter have been so good to us."

"I... I've just been worried about you guys that's all. Listen, I notice (Y/n) has been struggling and I don't mean to overstep or anything but do you think maybe she should talk to someone"

"Yes," Lilly sighs, " but we can't"

"Why?"

"You know who her father is. If she slips up and says her name, then those people go around talking Next thing you know, I got every news channel in America knocking on my door wanting to see Iron Man's daughter. I considered it before, but with who he is now... it is too big of a risk"

"You don't trust them"

"Sorry, but no, I don't, at least not with my baby. She's all I got"

"What if I helped you find someone? Someone trusts worth?" May could see not only (Y/n) spiraling but Lilly as well. They needed more help beyond what she could provide.

"If you can manage to find someone," she laughs bitterly.

"I do my best. For you and your daughter"

"May"

"Lilly?"

She sniffled " Thank you,"

When the day finally arrived, it went on as any other. It wasn't until the sunset that the atmosphere grew tense. Peter and May came over with Pizza for dinner. No one had the mindset to cook. They separated Peter and (Y/n) went to her room while May and Lilly stayed in the living room.

Peter and (Y/n) lay under her window quietly holding each other hands as they watched the city lights reflected on the window, New York didn't have stars.

"What's that?" May asked as Lilly joined her in the living room again, dropping a large black bag on the table. She sat down and sighed.

"Just in case"

She put her phone on the table, the numbers 9 and 1 already dialed, waiting for the last.

They continued to sit in silence.

In an Alley next to the apartment building, right under the living room window, was a parked SUV. His phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, Hey, where are you?" Pepper asked

"Out"

"Obviously, when are you coming home?"

He sighed, looking up at the window. " I don't know. I...I'll be back tomorrow I got to handle some stuff."

"Tomorrow?! Tony! What are you doing that has-"

"Listen, I got to go. Don't wait up" he hung up putting his phone on silent and tossing it in the passenger seat. He continued to watch the window.

Just in case.

The day introduced itself with bright light and blaring horns from the morning rush. The light was particularly rude, shining directly into Peter's eyes. Finding the blanket, he tossed it over his head. Opening his eyes, he found that he had tossed the blanket over (y/n)'s head as well.

(Y/n)

His fingers brushed her cheek thumb grazing her lips. He leans forward having their forehead touched and then their noses.

"(Y/n)" he whispered She began to mumble and move as she woke up but he held her in place pulling her closer to his body. " (Y/n)"

"hmm"

"You're 17"

"What?"

"You're 17"

She slowly opened her to see Peter lying in front of her she gave him a gentle kiss. Then her mind caught up with her and she realized what he said. She bolted upright.

"I'm 17"

Suddenly, her bedroom door was open, and her mother and May stepped in. There was a moment of silence.

"Happy late Birthday. Now get ready for school you have that English test today" Lilly said ignoring her blurry vision.

"Yes, ma'am." (y/n) said as she stood up. " Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"I love you"

"I love you too"

As Lilly closed the door May pulled her into her arms and allowed her to silently cry into her shoulder. Rubbing her back, telling her to let it all out, she needed this.

Tony watched as those going about their day walked by the open alley he was looking for one person though. He watched with baited breath as more and more people walked by but not the person he was looking for.

Until he did.

She was smiling and laughing, walking hand in hand with Peter. She was the happiest he had ever seen her he's never seen her happy before . Lilly also Came out with May also smiling. The group separated May and Lilly, crossing the street while Peter and (y/n) continued down the street, all the while still grinning and laughing.

He finally felt relief as he listened to her laughter go down the street.

Starting up the car, he pulled out of the alley and drove in the opposite direction of (y/n). Stopping at the next light he pulled up right next to Lilly and May. May didn't see him but Lilly did but she didn't say anything as they locked eyes she simply gave him a nod and kept walking.

(Y/n) was 17.

#fanfiction #avengers #avengers fanfiction #spiderman #spiderman fanfiction #peter park fanfiction #peter parker x reader #peter parker #tony stark daughter #tony stark's daughter #tony stark fanfiction #peter parker x stark!daughter #goth boss

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queenpolyweek · 1 year

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QUEEN POLYWEEK 2023: COMING TO YOUR CITY!

Welcome to the annual event of poly!Queen featuring our favourite Brits as special guests. No entry fee, no small print. Just a celebration of your creative outpour!

WHEN AND WHERE?

From 5th through 8th May! (Fri-Mon)

Post your fanfic to our Ao3 collection Queen Poly!Week 2023 and @ us on tumblr on any of your creations so we can reblog and share! Additionally, you can use the tag #QueenPolyWeek2023.

WHO IS WELCOME?

Anyone! We applaud any form of artistic creation and will take a good look at all of the entries. Fanfic, art, mood boards, edits, playlists, you name it. You have an old sketch you’d like to include? Do! A fic idea miraculously fitting one of the prompts? Share! Write an epic or a haiku, we’ll love both! As long as it focuses around polyamorous Queen, it’s welcome here.

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WHAT IS POLY?

We want the event to be respectful towards all, which means being mindful of the nature of polyamorous relationships. That being said, any pairing that includes three or more partners is more than welcome. See more information and guidance, kindly provided by last year’s organisers.

Our rule: your work must circle around a minimum of one of the Queen boys.

OT4 is a classic. But it’s not a must. Feeling ambitious and you’re good at juggling multiple characters at the same time? Throw in the roadies and maybe even canon lovers and see where that wild road leads you. Or maybe you’re more of a OT3 person. If you want to write a Dom/Debbie/Roger, you totally can. Draw that Brian/Tim/Crystal you've been thinking about for ages now. It’s called niche for a reason.

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You bet. We have fashioned a few amazing categories into prompts for each day, there to inspire or give direction if you're lost for ideas. Follow them, don’t follow them, combine different days or all six at once — the world lies at your feet.

Day 1: Fri, 5th May

London/Trident Studios

When you’re young and you’re poor and you’re crazy

Style: Urban fantasy

Poly prompt: Last one to join

Hanahaki disease*¹ AU

Moving a piano

*¹ need a crash course in Hanahaki disease to refresh your memory?

Day 2: Sat, 6th May

Countryside/Ridge Farm Studio

Couldn’t sleep at night ‘til you were mine

Style: Magical realism

Poly prompt: Polyamory negotiations

Bakery AU

Getting sunburnt

Day 3: Sun, 7th May

Munich/Musicland Studios

We’ll give you grounds for divorce

Style: Cyberpunk

Poly prompt: Feeling left out

Zombie/(Post-)Apocalypse AU

Receiving flowers

Day 4: Mon, 8th May

Montreux/Mountain Studios

We went to Bali, saw God and Dali

Style: Noir/Mystery

Poly prompt: Confusing people with unorthodoxy

Art dealers AU

Feeling old

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Hosted by @carrrothead-vol2 and @of-streetlightfancy

#queen #queen band #queen fandom event #QueenPolyWeek2023 #john deacon #brian may #freddie mercury #roger taylor #queen rpf #queen fanart #queen fanfiction

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kerryweaverlesbian · 4 months

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2023, cawis created...

Last year I made a post (which I cannot find) delighted to have published 81,932 words to Ao3 over 20 fics. This year I beat that with 111,227! 25 fics new last year! and that's not including poetry or things I only posted to tumblr! How wonderful!! I'm gonna do a little commentary on each of them (and I will thoughtfully put it below the cut because as I said there are 25. There is a "horny" section with some explicit quotes so just scroll past to the next heading if you don't want to see that lol.

Comedies I like to go hehehe hahaha

Stakes Aren't Just For Vampires Cas and Dean get high and silly "You're repulsive," Dean says by rote, and he isn't sure if he meant it to but it comes out cloying and sweet, like an affectionate nickname.

The first one I posted last year! It took me until March :0 I wrote this one. For maybe a slightly mean reason haha. I saw a fic where Cas did a bet for money and I was like ?? why would CAS care about getting money?? So I tried to think of a situation where he would make a bet and this one materialized!

Did you notice! I used the old reliable Rule Of Three to make the ending of Dean not sure if he said "I love you" or just thought it more potent? He thinks and then immediately says what he's thinking twice before: Cas is perfect/"You're perfect" - Dean wants to kiss him/"I want to kiss you" - and then: "I love you Cas," he thinks he says. I chose "1000 dollars" from the CBBC comedy sketch show Stupid sketch where 2 old ladies ask how much something costs and it's a normal amount and they mishear as "A thousand pounds?! You can't expect me to buy a bun for a thousand pounds. Shame on you!! I am taking my business ELSEWHERE!". The comments won't all be this long lmao (<- edit: she's wrong)

I'll Drink To That Sam and Dean both come out as bisexual at the same time late in life and they're both flabbergasted "What, do you think about how every friend we have would be in bed?" Dean tips his head to the ceiling thoughtfully and Sam wants to melt into the floor. "You're horrible. I hate you. I hate spending time with you."

The SECOND one I posted last year!! I had to cut off a joke where it's suggested that Cas may have had sex with Jesus Christ (but it's very possible he's just messing with Dean) for the sake of flow. First fic I chatted with @homoangel about so I always think of him when I think of this fic <3

I'VE CRAWLED FURTHER INTO THE VCR Cas's dream of being vored by the VCR machine is finally realised Intricate, high effort collaboration, all for the relatively unimportant end of entertaining other humans for somewhere around an hour and a half. The entire enterprise amounts to making pleasing shapes and noises for each other. Fruitless. Pointless...To spend months, years even, producing something, the only purpose of which is to waste more time…the decadence was astounding. [horny]

Speaking of fics that make me think of my friends! Wrote this for dear @castielsprostate's 1k event. Get weird get wild!! He is THE teevee angel and I love him I love him I love him for it!!!!!!

Tragedies Auogh ouch ow ouchies. Hehe <3

The Aftermath Dean and Cas have sex. It was great. Dean can't let it happen again. "He wonders - and he shouldn't, but - he wonders if Cas will sit here again, later, feeling out the absences that Dean is going to leave behind."

The THIRD one I posted this year!!! I went directly from silly silly silly to "[Dean] is a practical man, always has been. If there's something behind you that would kill you to look at it, you just don't look at it.". I think this is one of my best (<- guy who is going to say this about most of her fics sajbfhsv. I wouldn't post them if I wasn't proud of them!!)

Time/Body Problem Cas and Dean make out in the car before Cas's date in Heaven Can't Wait. It doesn't change anything. he's all sensation now, mind-body-time melted together like carved figures on a wax candle.

I wrote this and Aftermath on the same day. I was THINKING about how Dean and Cas so so so often ALMOST have it. Dean, here, is enthralled by the idea that Cas is human now and could want him (although, Cas definitely also wants him as an angel lmao but this is what Dean thinks) but also put off by it. When they kiss, he sees Cas as angelic, with a streetlamp halo, able to melt time, but when Cas is walking away from him, he's just some human guy who, crucially, can't save Dean anymore. Cas had reliably been the guy who could blast into any dangerous situation and come out on top (hot) and while that's not the only thing Dean likes about him, it WAS such a relief for scaredboy dangerlife Dean to have a guy who makes things SAFE. And now he can't. So the risk of making their relationship deeper feels even greater. Perhaps it is a selfish thought for Dean to want Cas to be able to rescue him still, but they're both in such perilous positions. He's worried for Cas too.

Oh did yous get the title by the way? It's like the mind/body problem which is, 'is the mind separate from the body or are they completely inextricable'? 'If I think of something sad and start crying while I'm hormonal, is that feeling from by body or from my mind' is how I understand it, but I'm not a philosopher haha. So time/body problem is like, all three of: Does their relationship need human senses and physical touch in order to be meaningful? Does Castiel's new experience of linear time (aka not being an angel) change how he and Dean relate to each other? And also, the more straightforward, they don't have enough time. Not to say I thought all that when the phrase came into my head, it's just bc I knew the phrase mind/body problem and mind slant rhymes with time, but that's why I liked it enough to use as a title haha.

Smoke Breaks series Dean and Cas share cigarettes at different points in their lives. Cas trails off, taking another long pull. He's going to smoke the whole thing at this rate, rude and overindulgent. Dean doesn't begrudge him, neither the cigarette nor the silence. He knows what he means.

Someone told me in the comments that reading the first one fit exactly into their actual smoke break I was like WOAH :0!!! Smoking is, unfortunately, really sexy.......I keep trying to think of a way to add another fic to make this thing end on a positive note but the theme of smoking thwarts that haha. Inherently, it is about doing something you know is unhealthy and grey and makes you feel worse, like hunting, like endverse Cas's relationship with endverse Dean, like coming back to see the lover you hurt when you can't touch them or change anything, but it's always bitter sweet because you sometimes get that burst of relief. (That's not a commentary on smokers, just on the theme of smoking as used by this series!)

The last one I think drives that home most bluntly, "No amount of talking is going to change anything." but they still hold on to each other. Also in the last one, I just wanted them to be in kind of miserable surroundings and decided on a weird, dank, alice in wonderland themed motel room, which is a) something interesting to describe when I need space between dialogue and b) the ill-advised freaky looking murals of half-humanoid Wonderland characters is a reflection of how Castiel feels - not human enough, not Other enough, twisted out of shape and c) it 'reflects' (I'm about to do a pun) their relationship has gone 'through the looking glass' (teehee) from the understood 'brothers in arms' to a strange, uncertain place where the rules have changed.

Shaking Out The Nest John gets frustrated by Dean asking to visit Sam at college. "I talk a lot of shit, but [Sam]'s always gonna be family. He's..." the only reason I'm alive, same as you, John can't quite get to come out of his mouth, so instead he repeats, "He's good."

In the demon plane episode where it's revealed that John would rave about Sam getting a full scholarship to Stanford. I think about it SO MUCH. John loved his kids but that didn't make him a suitable parent. I wanted to explore those complicated emotions and the thought patterns that might lead him to what he does. Like I don't think it's deliberately thought out scheming malice that makes him say things that make Dean feel worthless. But he only sees him as a kid when he "fails" at being an "adult" (as in, when Dean disagrees with him) and he thinks it's his job as a parent to tell Dean to knock that off. He wouldn't see his reframing of Sam leaving to "He left both of us because of his pettiness" as playing them off against each other, even though he IS, he'd see it as telling the hard truth and trusting his son to be a grown up about it. John is very emotional and parenting just via your own emotions rather than being able to step back and go 'am I being fair? is this a reasonable response to what's actually happening?' leads to situations like John blaming Dean for the Schtriga incident or saying he should 'rot in jail' for stealing peanut butter.

Horny ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Close Zoom (too close) Dean and Cas make out for the first time while watching a movie. Cas gets overexcited. [Cas] replays the experience of holding Dean; the way his eyelids had fluttered shut with relief when their mouths first connected; the lean in by increments that ended with Dean on top of him....He wants to touch him. No, he amends the oft repeated thought, he wants to touch him again.

I also wrote this inspired by going huh??? from another fic where they watch a movie together on a date on a first date and DON'T make out like. What are we doing here gang. If they are "watching a movie" and enjoy making out, then they ARE making out before the credits roll lmao. (In MY humble opinion!!!) Obviously chose The Mummy bc Dean's bisexual and I KNOW that man is showing Cas all his Formative To My Sexuality movies as a move to try and suss out what Cas's preferences are. The Lost Boys, Mr & Mrs Smith, Van Helsing, Labyrinth, Indiana Jones, Charlie's Angels, the list goes on.... Also my first installment with Cas having a bit of a pain kink (excited by the thought of a shock collar lol which I havvve been thinking about doing something more with.)

I have. by the way. a second work in progress where Cas gets wayyy more worked up than he was expecting and Dean is similar to here, slowing him down so it's not overwhelming, so look forward to it!!!!

Thunderstruck Cas has them struck by lightening while Dean sucks him off. HELL YEAH. Emanating from Castiel are intermittent bursts of white electric light, shocking across the black sky, sketching outlines of six invisible spread wings. That same light forms thin circular halos behind Cas’s head, some small, some so massive Dean can only see them in pieces. His eyes too - completely obscured by brilliant white light. He is radiant in all senses of the word.

hehehehe. If your boyfriend can make it safe to be struck by lightening like you GOTTA do it just for the experience. I decided to have Dean not be like, blown away by it (but he is blown away by seeing a bit of trueform Cas) and instead find it just kind of weird but not bad to try and be true to life. sometimes you try something and don't love it or hate it and that's okay! Normal part of having sex. Sex is just another activity with lots of things you can do with it. That, and, it can't all be high points lol. That's why Cas is a little subdued when Dean says he only has 6 wings. peaks and valleys :)

The Feeling Is Enough Service top Dean :) "Cas - Cas, please...please can I come?" Cas doesn't say anything, just smiles up at him adoringly.

This one was bc @faithdeans lamented the lack of service top Dean destiel and I raced to his aid. Literally Dean would LOVE doing this.

Red Velvet Lines The Black Box Vampire!Dean sucking Cas's blood :) Cas is the only angel human enough to have workable blood.... And even if there were anyone else, Dean wouldn't want them. His is the only blood in Dean's veins.

This one was bc @domesticatedangel lamented the lack of vampire destiel smut and I raced to her aid. Castiel the rebel angel being horny over being given an order that he chooses to follow of his own volition? It's more likely than you think! The unmissable return of Castiel's pain kink lmao, even moreso in the second chapter. His penis! in peril!!!!!

The Girl Is Dead. Long Live The Woman. (Anna/Pamela*) Anna visits Pamela to find out what she wants and they have sex :) "I'm not used to - being part of things still. Being touchable. I didn't make the most of it, as a human. I didn't do enough. I was afraid. Embarrassed of my own feeling. I think I wasted my life." "Be fair. You were a kid for most of it. You didn't know who you were."

THIS one was because @honestlyhaunted lamented the lack of Pamela/Anna smut and I RACED to their aid. You may be noticing a theme. It's quite possible that if you sigh forlornly over a lack of erotica and I see it that something will be done about it. No promises though lol.

I tried to go for a more season 4 and 5 "everyone just fully states their unique moral philosophy out loud" vibe. And a "Pamela's disability actually affects her life in a practical way" vibe that the show itself elected to ignore. I DID get distracted a few times from my goal of "they have hot sex" because I got too invested in Anna's weird life. As I said in a comment response, Anna is the butterfly that wants to squash herself back into her cocoon. She went from being very emotionally present in her body as a human to having a very flat affect as an angel again (in part because she didn't feel the need to mask her autism anymore. Anna's autistic just like Cas and Hannah and people are not saying this!!!!). And, finally. I wanted a woman to have sex with a woman using a strap on because I hadn't done that yet LOL.

*If this ship was more prominent we could be calling it Pamelanna which is very fun to say.

The Dog, the Lamb and the Butcher Dean and Crowley are having sex during their summer of love and Cas is caught watching them >:3 Then again, fairness doesn't seem to be the watchword here. Dean's looking up at him with what could be adoration, but there's a wildness to him too, a sparkling mischief that undercuts any implied promise of loyalty. "You like me, don't you Cas? You like me. Uhhn -" A groan born out of Crowley picking up the pace again, making Dean rock into the mattress, "You like me. You like me all the time, no matter what I do. You even like me now."

Nobody asked for this I have no one to blame but myself. I love and adore the Dean who cannot speak his feelings no matter how much he wants to but there is always room in my heart for an overemotional Demon!Dean who says and does whatever he wants because he's lost the ability to care about the consequences. We could have had it alllllll.

Ask for it Cas caught casturbating by Dean. What happens next WON'T surprise you. His breathing is labored, and he's making quiet sounds of effort, which probably have something to do with the fact that his fingers are pushing in and out of the wet, open pussy between his legs. The pace doesn't slow at Dean's interruption, giving Dean ample time to absorb the image of Cas’s long fingers being swallowed to the last knuckle.

I am asking here now. I am the one sighing forlornly. I don't CARE that there are already 232 accidental voyeurism destiel fics. MAKE MORE. SHOW ME MORE. SHOW ME MORE. I WANT TO READ MORE. MORE SHAMELESSLY SELF-PLEASURING CASTIEL AND/OR DEAN AND THEY DON'T HAVE A SOCIAL SCRIPT FOR THIS SITUATION SO THEY'RE JUST GOING ON INSTINCT AND THEIR INSTINCT IS TO BE CRAZY HORNY ABOUT IT. SHOW ME MORE!!!!!

Ahem. Or don't teehee. This was my most self indulgent smut (and that's really saying something!!!!). I highly recommend just fuckin going for it because it means I get to reread something all the time that is exactly suited to my tastes!! Hell yeah!!

Fluff :3 this is uwu-hat uwu've aww been uwu-ating fow :3

Pretty Wife Closeted to even himself genderqueer Dean inadvertently insists that he's Cas's wife. Neither of them are opposed! "I think I understand," Cas says, nodding to himself with his 'I got it' smile, "Yes. We are playing roles. I will 'take out the trash' while you 'sit there and look pretty'."

My kingdom for genderqueer dean. He's literally butch. Helloooo!!

Okay that's all for fluff. LOL. SORRY. I post most of my fluff directly to tumblr!!

Carefully Plotted!!! These are the big ones!!!!!!!! All three of these are "One of my best".

A Light Above Descending Cas gives Dean his Grace to calm his Mark of Cain rages. He assumes Dean doesn't remember what he tells him when he's being fed, so he allows himself to be kind. He assumes Dean would prefer that he quietly sacrifice his life for him. He assumes that he hasn't got any family left who love him. He's wrong. A rat gets what a rat gets, is the phrase that repeats in his head, although he can’t speak them over the pounding of his heart, a rat gets what a rat gets.

I have talked about this one at great length in my #cawis commentary tag so I will not reiterate here. Other than that I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo so so so so proud of it and I love it so much.

The Voice In My Earpiece Thinks You're An Idiot (Jo/Bela) JoBela heist fic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“If anyone touches you again, I will cut off their fingers.” The fierce darkness of the promise plunges into Bela’s stomach, like a punch. Nobody has ever made her a promise like that before. Not one she believed, anyway. “Do you believe me?” “That would -” Bela clears her throat, finding her voice croaky - “That would blow our cover.” “I don’t care.” She means it. Bela remembers what Jo said when they properly introduced themselves - “I make a promise, I keep it.”. Stupid, it is, to throw away their plans over a few moments of discomfort. Ridiculous. Childish. “Do you believe me?” Jo repeats, and Bela nods, jerky, unpracticed. “Yes.” She takes a breath, then says again, “Yes.”

They get the biggest quote because theyyy mean so much to meeeee. I'll probably do another cawis commentary on this at some point bc there are too many things I did on purpose to say them all here. For now: when the woman who's learned to never trust anyone comes to trust the woman who's never felt trusted. And they banter and have hot lesbian sex. ROMANCE.

In Case of Emergency S1 Faith!Dean gets a new roommate at the hospital who's weird and intense and unexplainable things happen to him at night. I wonder who it could beeeee surely no one who's significant to Dean!!! (It's S5 Cas when he did the angel banishing sigil on his own chest) One of the machines on the other side starts going crazy with noise just as the curtain is cast back in a dramatic swish. The shadow of a man looms, sinister and ominously silent. He's watching Dean, but Dean can't do the same, his face impossible to make out. A red light flashes off kilter to his head from his monitors, and Dean gets the absurd thought that it looks like a knocked off halo.

You know it you love it it's In Case Of Emergency. I just think. They DON'T have a supernatural soulmate connection but they just get on as people. If they met at any time in each other's lives for the very first time (aside from Godstiel lol) they would end up getting along! They click! They LIKE each other!

I thought a lot about the Sam role in this fic. If you have 3 people and 2 of them want something (to hang out all the time) then the 3rd person SHOULD be getting in the way of that (closing the curtain) for a believable reason (Dean needs to rest and stop tiring himself out with this random stranger!!!). Sam comparing Dean's imminent demise to Mary's death and Dean eventually asking what he'd want Mary to say to him (with the subtext; what can I say to make it better that I'm dying) made me cry as I wrote it and every time I reread it. It's making me cry NOW lol. augh fuck im rereading i'm crying. turns out. when you write exactly what touches you emotionally. you feel touched. emotionally. to read it.

Also this fic now makes me think of darling @forestofsprites bc they've left such wonderfully kind tags every time they've reblogged it :') ily

Misc I dunno. These don't fit in the other categories lol.

6th Life's The Charm! Sarah Blake/Bela Meow!!!!! Sarah gets a mysterious commission to find a painting, and a strangely perceptive cat follows her home the same day. But those can't possibly be connected I'm sure. Smiling with her eyes closed, Sarah puts a hand on B's back and touches. Skin. She startles awake and jerks her hand away. By the embers of the fire, she can see the woman lying on top of her....The woman is watching her, smiling, and her pupils are strange. They creep a little too far into her irises. She's also the most beautiful woman Sarah has ever seen. Stunning, in both senses of the word. "No questions?" The woman asks eventually, as Sarah's silent stare ticks on. Her tone is a) British and b) faintly mocking, like she knows something Sarah doesn't.

Little turned into a kitty cat romcom!! I do fun little asides in footnote format! Middle aged yaoi ummmm but what about middle aged YURI??? Sarah references Sex in the City and is having a midlife crisis what more do you want from me!!! I did want to have a little moment of Sarah saying "sorry about the collar attempt" and Bela flirtily going "hmm, I think it'd look better on you" and Sarah spontaneously combusting but it didn't quite flow. Maybe in the horny sequel I kinda want to write...

MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello, Sun In My Face Cas realises he's in love with Dean. The natural thing to do is to tell him right away. "Don't," Dean pleads, and it's not clear whether he means don't love me or don't tell me. Either way, Cas is going to let him down. "I love you," Cas repeats, firmly, "I have loved you. I will love you. That's all."

Too angsty for the fluff section, too sweet for the tragedies. What are you. As may be clear from previous works, in MY world, Dean and Cas platonically sleep together every night and snuggle the whole time :3 even if it's a world where they're aromantic I firmly believe this would be the case. When I say platonic I am not saying it with a wink and a nudge, as a few scattered comments seem to suggest they think. But also in this one they are also romantically in love haha.

How Do You Go From Wanting To Having? When Cas stumbles back to life after escaping from the Empty, Dean can't speak the words in his heart. But he can write them. You can have it, and variations thereupon: You can have it, damn it; could have fucking taken me, asshole; what do you think is supposed to make me happy now, you arrogant, stupid son of a bitch?

I don't know if I made the most of this premise lol but I had fun building the evidence of grief into the Bunker. They pushed a heavy object in front of the door to the dungeon so they didn't have to see it, Dean filled his room with lights so he didn't have to be in the dark (a general post-canon headcanon of mine that both Dean and Cas have lamps on all night), Dean's stiff position during his nightmare. Little clues that Cas does NOT pick up on bless his heart.

This Is A Love That Lasts Forever It's about Claire giving Cas a haircut. It's about grief. It's about love. Cas remembers - though he shouldn't, ethically - sending Claire for a time out for saying the word 'damn' when she was 6, though she surely couldn't have known what it meant. Swinging her hand on the way to church on Sundays. Clapping for her awkward turn at playing Mary in the Christmas Nativity. Loving Claire had only deepened Jimmy's love of God, and this was the love that Castiel had taken advantage of. He doesn't deserve even a moment of Claire’s forgiveness.

Last one! I uploaded this on the 29th of December but it ISSSSSS absolutely 1000% one of my best. Cas and Claire's relationship in canon is so WEIRD. One doesn't typically accept grumpy cats from the guy wearing your dad's corpse as a skin suit??? Even if he's kind of nice to you?? So this is my way of figuring out how to make it make sense. She can't ditch Cas because that's where all her dad's love is stored and nobody else in her life knows her dad anymore. And they both have to try and make that work.

I had a different ending in mind for a little while - Claire completing the haircut and then going oh my god. now you don't look like my dad anymore. what have I done now I won't remember him I'm so stupid!!! put it back how it was!! and Cas is like um I can't do that though I'm low on Grace and Claire cries herself out about it and they talk about having to get used to new, unfamiliar circumstances. But I like what I went with more (obviously. because I wrote it lol).

Little headcanons that I carried across from other works: - Claire will allow Donna to be as cutesy and affectionate as she likes and Donna calls her "Claire-bear" and nobody can figure out why it's a shy little happy smile when Donna pats her cheek and beams at her and she would kill anyone else who tried it with her laser eyes. I do though, I know why. It's bc of Donna's easy open affection that genuinely isn't trying to hide anything. Claire knows Donna isn't faking it because Donna is kind to everything and everyone. She would have a harder time with Garth though even though Donna and Garth are very similar in this regard, just because. Well. The girl has been traumatized and betrayed by so many "nice" men. God how did I get onto this. Donna is the mom/aunty figure Claire has needed for a long time. I talk about this in Growing A New Half Soul - Angel's were never children I talk about in A Light Above Descending.

THE END.

If you've read this. Are you sure you didn't have anything better to do with your time avhsbv but thank you!!! Go follow all the friends I've @'d because then they might do follower events and I might write more things as a result!!!! Also go and write some dean walking in on cas masturbating fic and then send it to me.

My challenge for you is to think about women falling in love with other women. Wow, beautiful, right? And also to think of ONE thing you did that you are proud of this year. Even and in fact especially if it's something you're not "supposed" to be proud of. Did you find something new you liked. Were you kind to someone. Were you kind to yourself when you didn't have to be. All these and more are things to take pride in.

I, for one, am proud of having written 111,227 words of complete short fiction!!!!! So much so that I wrote another 4936 words talking about them here :)

#cawis commentary #fic recs #this post is actually really just for me to reflect on my own work and remember all the fun stuff I put in there #and this number also isn't including my many many many WIPs teehee #anyway. MWAH!!!!!

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autumn-grace · 9 months

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The Lingering Pain of Empty Hands 3/10

Chapters One, Two

Summery: In 1793 Benedict goes missing at a fair. Twenty years later Eloise keeps running into the same man while investigating the case of one famous Lady Whistledown.

A story exploring the complexities of loss.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, lyrics etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author Note: Edmund lives a little longer in this story. Well everything is a bit different, so. Yes. Have fun reading.

Chapter Three: Growing Pains Warnings: character death, mention of physical abuse towards children Rating: M Length: 5.9k

[@hopepaigeturner]

“Ben?”

“Mmm?” Her husband looked up only slowly from the sketches that he was working on. But when he did, had shifted the candle away from him, it was his full attention that she had. He turned himself in her direction.

She was sitting crossed legged on the armchair, with William in the makeshift cradle her dress over her legs created. She had read page 98 of the book she was reading three times now without processing any of what was written there.

“Something strange might have happened today.”

“Other than Charles declaring to marry Miss Eloise?”

“Yes, I think.” The boys had told him every single detail the very moment they heard him coming up the stairs. Had opened the front door which they were not allowed to, arguing that they knew exactly their Papa's footsteps from others.

“I was thinking. What if...” she interrupted herself, “I know you have decided to give it no further thought, but I was just wondering if this Eloise was the same one you met back in May.”

He frowned as he watched her. His eyes wandered away when he answered:“I am sure there exist a hundred women named Eloise in London alone. Have you asked for her last name?”

“I did not.”

Both of his brows flicked up and then he nodded, smiling softly.

“It did not come up. She did not ask for mine either.”

He shrugged and almost wanted to turn back to his work. “I am sure it was someone else.”

“She looked just like you described her. And well. It was hard not to see the resemblance.”

For too long he looked unseeingly at his work. Sophie never stopped regarding him, waiting for a response. “And what if?” She had him.

He stood up and sat down on the edge of the sofa, facing her. His chin landed on his fist. “If she was the same woman, what could it possibly mean?”

“I asked first,” she declared and lifted her chin somewhat. “The very same question, in fact.”

He sighed deeply and rubbed his hands over his face. “I know,” he mumbled into his palms.

“She was so nice and the boys had so much fun with her. Would it not mean something if she were your sister?”

“She might be a woman of the same name, or in fact of the same last name. She might be a distant cousin or stranger who looks a bit like me.” He tried to argue.

“Is this not a bit far-fetched?”

“Is this not all entirely far fetched?” A deep frown formed on his forehead and his mouth formed a line to suppress the emotion she knew were rising in his throat as his Adam's apple bobbed. “Recently, I cannot stop wondering if I might have had a sister, a baby still. But she was not named Eloise. It was something starting with a D.”

“D... Diana?” he shook his head. “Danielle? Dorothea?” He shook his head. She reached over to take his hand and in answer, he slid to his knees and came to land before her. His arms found rest on her knees and he leaned down to kiss William's head.

“Anthony, Benedict, Colin, D and Eloise. It would make sense.” She whispered as she began to drive her fingers through his short hair. When he looked up, she saw the hint of a tremble along his lower lip and she leaned over to kiss his forehead. And still she went a step further. “She told Charles she had three older siblings and three younger ones.”

“And what now?” He whispered and reached for her wrist, drew it from his hair to intertwine her fingers with his. “What if?” He asked very quietly.

“Don't you simply want to know?”

It took a while before he answered: “I am happy as it is. I don't want anything else.” As the words lingered between them they both watched their baby sleep.

She should leave it at that. She should take his words at their value. But it was hard, his expression had turned so sad. His eyes watched their son but what he saw was something entirely different. She wondered if his parents one night sat over Ben the way they sat over William right now, with their hearts so full of love for the tiny worm that they had made together.

There was an imaginary line she had to cross in order to imagine what it would be like to lose one of her children and on the other side of that line lay madness. Her heart ached for Ben’s mother.

Her dear husband began to blink rapidly and he lowered his head just so. He wanted to retreat, she felt him shift and the muscles in his hands tensed in order to let go of her hand. She swallowed.

“I need to finish my work. It is due tomorrow.” A soft whisper around a thick obstacle in his throat.

“Ben...” She asked, trying to keep him close by any means.

“Let us talk another time, I will think about it.”

And he would think about it and decide that he was happy. She was happy that he was happy. She was happy, too. They had a good life. But Ben's past plagued him and it did not show most days but it did most nights.

Mayfair, November 1814

“She sends letters there, she had the carriage bring her there. Colin, she had the poor errant boy go there twice through the pouring rain.” Anthony gesticulated with his hand as he walked up and down the length of his writing table. Colin watched him with a raised brow.

“For one, she had him take the carriage, and two, he is not so much a boy any more...”

“Not the point, Colin!” He landed with his hands on the table. “How did father do this? How could he remain so calm in the face of her... of her,” Anthony looked up to his father's portrait, and then down to his brother, who sat in his chair, “freedoms, as she calls them.”

“I gather he was too ill to care much… at the end at least” Colin argued, lifting the corner of his mouth a little, daring the new Viscount to voice an objection. He did not.

Anthony sight, truly frustrated. “True, I guess.”

He thought for a moment and then said: “What if she has an affair?”

“We are talking about Eloise!” Colin huffed, half delighted, half scandalised.

“You said yourself, she was seeing that boy in Bloomsbury...”

“Anthony...” Colin interrupted him. “No.” He shook his head and Anthony exhaled dramatically.

“Well, it seems, I have no other choice.” He nodded sharply, he pulled his coat from the hanger by the door and he stormed out. He would simply have to go there and see for himself. Colin stood up, and called his name twice before the door to the study closed behind Anthony.

“My Lord,” a voice called from the stairwell. He turned just before he slipped out of the front. There stood Mrs. Nathanson, his mother's lady's maid.

“Yes?” He asked, walked towards her as she ascended the last few steps down into the hall.

“It's your mother, I think you should come.”

“What is it?” The woman, around his mother’s age, turned as he reached her and they walked upstairs together. There was a rather sad expression in her eyes.

“She has one of her episodes.” He stopped. Mrs. Nathanson made it a few steps further before looking at him over her shoulder. Her shoulders sank a little as she watched him.

On the tip of his tongue burned a sentence. 'Then please find my father.' He swallowed it, needed to try more than once, and shook his head, before he took two steps at a time and caught up with her.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice thin, nerves beginning to prickle along his skin.

“I would like to say it's the usual. But this time she is much more there.”

“Were the doors to the attic not properly locked?”

“They were, My Lord. I cannot say with certainty how she got up there.”

As they walked down the corridor to the door that led into the attic he heard her. “Go and get your father!” She shouted, clearly talking to someone. Anthony looked at Mrs. Nathanson.

“Francesca found her.”

He rushed up the flight of stairs. Barely any daylight found into the long room with the low ceiling. It was cold up here and the air dusty and old. But he found them right away, over by the old armchairs. Francesca stood with her back to him, their mother sat on the floor, almost instantly taking notice of him.

“There you are!” She got up, supported herself on a chest that stood open in front of her. He stopped abruptly. Francesca tried to grab her wrist but Violet drew her arm out of her grasp. “Where have you been? I have been searching for you all day!”

For the fracture of a second he wondered what <em>much more there</em> was supposed to mean. But then she had reached him already.

“Mother,” he swallowed as she pushed her hand against his chest, then folded her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and his waistcoat.

“Mama!” Francesca called.

Violet retreated her hand instantly, she went a step back, then two. Then she shook her head and her hands flew to hold it. “No, no, no,” she muttered. “No.” A pitiful wail worked itself up through her throat and Francesca drew her against her the very same instant.

“Mama, it's okay!” She tried to soothe her.

“It's not,” she argued. “It's not!” She cried.

“How could he?” She sobbed and wound her arms around her daughter. “How could he leave us?”

Pain and pity to equal measures run hot and cold over Anthony's skin. He closed his eyes and an exhausted huff left his nostrils. How could he indeed.

“He was very sick...” Francesca whispered and rubbed her back. “He held on for as long as he could,” she continued. Violet shrieked and visibly tightened her grip on her daughter. “Mama,” she whispered, almost breathless in her attempt to speak up.

Anthony stepped towards them. “Come, sit down.” He took a firm hold of her shoulder in order to pull her away from his sister. Oh, how she did not deserve to witness such misery.

“I am sorry, Anthony.” Violet hiccuped as he directed her to sit down.

He produced a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “It's alright. Just breathe.” He squatted down in front of her and rubbed her arm. “Take a deep breath.”

Anthony had no idea what he was doing. Had no idea what his father had done in order to help their mother through her delusions. Edmund had always made sure to keep all the children, him included from their mother when she entered into one of these episodes. In retrospect it made him a little angry himself. That he had left them, had left him with no instructions whatsoever of what to do.

As Violet sobbed into her hands, Anthony simply watched her as if he could prevent her from falling apart further if he only did it with enough rigour.

“Whose are these?” His heartbeat plummeting, he turned to his sister and looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Was it not obvious? She had a face of curiosity on her face, as she in turn observed a pair of boy shoes in her hands.

Violet quieted as she regarded her daughter. Then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a second “These your father found, they were Benedict's,” Violet whispered “A man in the east end sold them to him”.

Anthony frowned at her and then at his sister. “It is all there was. Only his shoes.” She pulled a hand to her mouth and she inhaled in a sob, but then she tried to exhale more calmly. “It's why his search was ended. They told us he was most certainly no longer alive.”

“Mama,” Francesca whispered in shock. Violet nodded. “That's not fair.” She shook her head in agreement.

“Perhaps he simply grew out of them.” Anthony feared Francesca was going too far, but seemingly she was not.

“I believe so, too. It happens so fast sometimes.” She slowly found her voice.

“I think,” Francesca started with a soft smile on her face, “I think whoever took care of him made sure he had a pair which fit him and not hurt his feet, and then sold these.”

Violet almost nodded desperately. “Only the night before it happened, he could barely sleep because his legs hurt him so, he was right in a growth spurt.” She turned to him then and cupped the side of his face. “You had them badly as well when you were little, do you remember?” He needed to think, in all honesty he did not. “Well, I hope of course you don't.”

“I think I do not.”

She smiled now and rubbed her thumb over his cheek.“Oh, my son.” she held his gaze now, the ghost of a smile ran over her face but was soon replaced by sadness. “I wish we had taken better care of you through all of it.”

He was so stunned by her words that even while he wanted to look away, he could not.

“You were hurting, too. Benedict and you, you were so close. And we just... we were afraid to tell you what happened. It was as if we hoped you would just forget him.”

“I did not.” His voice was weak and he felt strangled by a heavy, pressing pain in his throat. “Never.” He had truly felt alone in a world he no longer understood, a world in which nobody was speaking to him about all that pain that lingered in the thin air, in everyone's face, in his heart.

She lowered her head to his and with closed eyes she kissed his forehead. “I am unspeakably sorry.”

Something cracked open in him and a tear slipped from his eye, Violet brushed it away as if she had sensed it.

Anthony marvelled at his sister. A little later when they had together gone down again and their mother had retreated to her rooms.

“How did you do that?”

“Don't you think everybody simply worked so hard at not talking with her about Benedict, and now father, that she simply went mad with needing to?”

He thought for a while. Got up and fetched himself a whiskey.

“I feel it is much more complicated than that.”

“Of course it is.” She paused, letting her words ripen in the air between them. “It <em>is</em> so much more complicated.”

Anthony postponed his investigation regarding Eloise’s ‘freedoms’ and thus stood in front of the door to the address on his slip of paper three days later.

Behind that door he heard children's voices, loud ones. He wondered if he was at the right door. But he had checked twice already. And the old man down in the hallways assured him the Atwoods lived all the way up, second door to the left.

He was all the way up, at the second door, to the left.

Oh well, he thought and knocked.

It was hard to imagine what Eloise was doing here. Colin was right, frankly, this was not an affair she was having. (He hoped dearly.) He should have brought Kate.

“Charles, what is the rule?”

“But Mama, you are right there!”

“And that is why I will open the door!” He listened intently and it should have been a warning but he did not take it as one, before he could step back, the door opened.

He straightened his shoulders. “Mrs. Atwood?”

“Yes. How may I help you?”

“That is indeed a good question.”

“Is it?” From behind the door peaked the head of a little boy. He assumed this was Charles. Mrs. Atwood pulled the door ajar behind her while she stepped forward a bit. Blocking his view into the flat. “My husband will not be home for another half hour if you wish to speak to him?”

“Mama! He did it again.” Another voice called from the inside. “Mama!” Again.

“Just a moment dear,” she called over her shoulder.

“If you give me your name, I can tell him you stopped by.” She pressed further and it was what Anthony needed to hear, in order to be reminded of his manners. But he was so confused.

“I apologise, Mrs. Atwood. I am not here for your husband, in particular. I am Viscount Bridgerton, it is nice to make your acquaintance.”

The woman's eyes grew as she fixed her view on his face. “My young sister seems to frequent this address on a more regular basis, and as she is my responsibility, I am here to ascertain myself this is all right and proper.”

“My Lord,” she found her words eventually. “I... I do not know what to say.”

“I assure you, you have to say nothing. It seems quite innocent, all of it. I must apologise for the interruption of your afternoon, Mrs. Atwood, I hope you can forgive me.” He took a step back and he wanted to turn, but the woman's eyes were no longer on him, she was watching the man who claimed the stairs.

It was clear instantly that this had to be the husband, for their gazes found each other and an exchange happened for which there were no words needed. Anthony stepped further back and to the side. Ready to introduce himself and explain why he was here.

“Good evening.”

“Good evening,” Anthony greeted back and stretched his hand out for the other man. There was just the shortest moment of hesitation, but then Mr. Atwood took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

And he wanted to introduce himself. And saw how Mrs. Atwood was also short of doing that for him. Also he should let go of that hand. But something else was happening at the same time, something shifted in him.

The two men had met eyes and they had both inhaled and they were both holding their breaths and they were both tightening their grip on each other instead of letting go.

Anthony felt light-headed. His mouth fell open. His heart pumped all the way in his throat.

As if they were hit by lightning the moment was over and they stepped away from one another.

“I must apologise. For the smallest moment I was certain I knew you.” Was the only thing he found to say. For a second everything had shifted. For a second he was eight years old, looking out of the carriage driving away from Bridgerton House with his cousins and Aunt Ginny. Benedict stood there between their parents and waved and he wanted nothing more than for Benedict to come with him. He did not want to go to Bath on his own. He had never been. He had never gone anywhere without Benedict.

Then. Then, “Anthony?”

His heart missed a beat.

“It cannot be...” he whispered. Mrs. Atwood reached over to her husband. Gave his arm a squeeze and then she retreated inside, closed the door with a soft click.

No. No. This was not... could not be... now that father was dead. Now. No. He took another step back and then, then he rushed forwards, crossed the space between them, the physical space but also the metaphysical one, the years and years in between and all the pain and all the desperate longing. They crashed together and Anthony could not imagine to ever let go once their arms clawed at each other. “Benedict,” he whispers, and again: “Benedict.”

He noticed not that he battled for composure before it became hard to breathe.

“Is it truly you?” He gasped.

“Anthony?” It was still the same question. But his brother's fingers now dug deep into his arms and he wondered if he knew himself what he was asking for.

“Where have you been?” He rasped.

But he did not answer. Nothing made sense. Did Eloise know? Was that why she came here? But why would she. She never met Benedict. He felt suddenly how their chests pressed so tight together that Anthony was uncertain if it was his own heart that he felt galloping, or his brothers.

“How dreary life was without you.” There was no reviewing the words spilling from his lips. “I missed you more than words know to express.” And it was only then that Benedict's breath caught and a desperate, painful-sounding sob broke through him

“Anthony?”

“I am here, brother. It's alright. It's all alright.”

But nothing was alright. Because their father was dead, eventually succumbing to a broken heart. And their mother still wore a black veil and barely spoke a word a day. Hyacinth spent all her days in her room. Gregory, fresh home from Wales, still pretended that their father's death left him undisturbed. There was a wedding, too, his own, postponed indefinitely.

It came the point that they should let go of one another. But the fear running through him was at once childish and more real than he knew to say. He could not let go of him again. What if the moment he did, he vanished in thin air, gone, forever this time.

What if this was but a dream?

“Brother.” He whispered. And perhaps this was a start. He took his face between his hands and stretched back to look at him. It was a naïve notion, but he felt that all that was out of tune for so long, had clicked back into place.

His hands shook.

And because he knew not what else to do and Benedict seemed so deeply disturbed by emotions he asked to meet his family and Benedict just nodded. He grabbed Benedict's shoulder as he took the lead and he did not let go of it before the door shut again behind him and confined them within the same room.

He was rattled by disbelief.

The door across opened and Benedict's wife pushed her head through. She turned back into the room. “You stay in there. Watch out for Will. Charles, I look at you!”

“Yes Mama,” came a small voice and then she drew Benedict close by the wrist. And even though she was shorter by quite a bit, she was able to cradle him effortlessly. It was for only a moment, and then his brother swallowed and stroked a shaking hand over the side of her head.

“Can I introduce you to my brother?” He asked and she smiled suddenly, lightening up her whole expression. “Sophie, this is Anthony? My brother.” She stretched her hand for him to take.

“Anthony, this is my wife, Sophie.” They shook hands and he lifted them afterwards in order to kiss her knuckles.

From where Benedict stood he could open the other door. “Let me...” he slipped away and Sophie's expression turned serious, she watched him intently. He knew she had things to say and no time to say them.

Because then the boy from before walked into the room first and reached his mother's side, looking at him with sharp interest written all over his expression. He smiled at him and instantly he smiled back. Anthony wanted to laugh with the joy it brought to his heart.

Benedict came to a stop beside his wife, too. There were arms hugging his right leg and a little body hiding behind it. He tried to wave in that very short second that they tilted to see around the leg. Oh, and there was a baby on his arm. In him something melted at the sight.

“I am Charles! I am five!” the oldest of the three announced then.

Anthony squatted down and stretched out his hand. “Hello Charles, I am Anthony.” Grinning, the boy took his hand. Anthony nodded and Charles imitated him. “Nice to meet you.”

The other child had since studied him with interested and curious eyes. Anthony tried not to push.

“And who might this be?” He asked and prompted Charles to look at his sibling.

“This is Alex, he is a bit shy.”

“I am not shy!” A small voice announced and courage, too, vibrated in the words and suddenly he stepped away from behind Benedict's leg. Benedict caressed his fingers through his hair.

“I am Alexander!” He exclaimed and reached for his father's hand simultaneously.

“I am very excited to make your acquaintance, Alexander!” He looked just like Benedict. All of him. It itched a scratch in his soul.

“And this is William,” Benedict explained, pride very imminent in his voice. He turned him a bit and the moment the baby made eye contact with him, or well, something akin to that, both their interests seemed to raise. “He is four months old.”

“Can I hold him?” He addressed that question to Sophie, who leaned over, kissed his little head and took him from her husband's hands only to transfer him into his arms.

“He is usually very relaxed.” She explained. And he was, he made big eyes and began to explore his cravat and when Anthony made a face, it took but three seconds before he giggled.

“I am still at a loss for words,” Anthony then admitted. “I feel as if I cannot leave here. I am afraid that if I close my eyes, then you are gone again...” They both nodded at that. “And I have so many questions.”

“I am not sure I can answer them.”

“Can I return here?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Everything else is secondary” He looked around. At Charles whispering to his mother who shook her head, making the boy pouted. Alex was playing with his father's fingers. And Benedict was, for a lack of a more appropriate word, still somehow lost. And of course the darling little boy in his arms.

Mayfair.

Anthony heard his siblings bellowing before he even stepped through the door. With a raised brow he met Ranson's gaze who showed not a single emotion except for a glint in his eyes the Viscount interpreted as amusement.

The voices came from the ballroom. In long strides he walked towards the doors which stood ajar, amplifying the sounds towards the outside.

“What is going on in here!” He called as a footman helped him with a dramatic entrance by pushing both doors open for him.

Screaming, laughing, tumbling, bodies hitting the floor, more shouting.

“What in heaven and hell...” he whispered to himself.

“Brother!” Hyacinth screamed.

“Join us!” Colin called and already came his way.

“Should you not all sit at dinner?”

Nobody was wearing shoes, there were two discarded mattresses laying by the windows. Eloise sat in the middle of the room, rubbing her elbow. All the girls (including Miss Featherington!) had their skirts tugged up over their knees and secured there.

“The oven is broken! Mrs. Ranson is having to make soup...” Gregory explained.

“A soup! In the fireplace,” Hyacinth added, nodding vigorously. “Can you imagine!”

“Excuse me, the oven is broken?” He turned over to their butler who had followed behind him, now standing in the open doors. “Ranson, is that true?”

“Most unfortunately, the young Master is quite right. The oven has broken down. A mechanic is already looking after it.”

“And what is this?” he gestured to one of the mattresses, intently watching Colin for an answer. In his eyes he tried to inquire whether Colin had regressed in age and lost all his good senses in the process.

“It's just a bit of fun, My Lord. You cannot mind that, can you?” Colin teased. “Back to the starting line!” He called and all his siblings jumped to the wall, getting ready to run. “THREE, TWO, ONE!”

And all of them ran a few yards to an actual line on the floor done hopefully in chalk, jumped and slid on their stocking covered feet. Francesca came to a stop right in front of him, clearly losing because Colin and Hyacinth both had ducked down and made it almost to the opposite wall.

“We tried it with the mattresses, but it worked so well, Gregory has a lump on his head now because he rode right into the wall,” she grinned.

“Yes, see!” Gregory was full of excitement, something so uncommon in the boy for a while now. He pulled his hair back and showed him an actual yellowish lump on his forehead. Instantly he replaced Gregory's hand with his own to take a closer look. “We will try at Aubrey Hall on Christmas. The Ballroom is much larger. What fun!” He explained while Anthony had drawn his head close and held it between his hands.

Eventually, Gregory clicked with his tongue and pulled his head away. “It's fine!”

“Well then,” he said and looked down to his feet. Then he looked up. Looked into the expecting faces of his siblings... all except for Daphne and, and...

He looked at his feet and he almost leaned down to open the buckles on his boots. Almost.

“Miss Featherington? May I ask you to wait in the dining hall for a moment?” Colin rolled his eyes and took a step towards him.

“Truely, Anthony, if you want to scream at someone, this is my responsibility. I made them...” Anthony waved the sentence away and Colin's expression turned confused.

“Greg, Hy, will you accompany her?” Irritated, Hyacinth stepped to Penelope who took her hand in hers and as they passed him by, she smiled. He nodded.

“But I don't want to! I want to hear what you have to say.”

“Gregory, I am asking you nicely. I will inform you personally in due time of what we are about to discuss.”

“But...”

“Gregory, please.” He rushed from the room at that and perhaps, Anthony considered, that was a mistake. “Ranson, can you close the door? From the outside?”

“But of course.”

And then they stood there, all a bit confused, waiting for him to say something. He looked from face to face. How was this real? It made no sense. The information would not set. It did not arrive where it needed to arrive. The idea of Benedict swirled through his head, somewhere towards the top, unruly, very much demanding loudly to be spoken. He took another look at Colin and Fran and wished Daph was here, suddenly he considered postponing this until she was.

“What is it!” El huffed and let her head fall back, looking at the ceiling.

“I have no idea how to say this...”

“Is Mother alright?” Fran came so close she could lay a hand on his arm. He closed his eyes shortly and nodded. “Kate?”

“Everyone is fine.”

Eloise rolled her eyes and that was when he fixed his gaze on her.

“Did you know?” He found a thread to follow.

“What exactly? I know a lot of things.” She grinned at her own words.

He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes for a breath. “Your trips to Bloomsbury. Did you know?” She grew at least an inch as she straightened up and her expression suddenly turned serious.

“What exactly would you want me to know?” She whispered.

“What interest do you have in visiting the Atwoods?”

“I... I. Anthony, I can explain. I met Mrs. Atwood at the market, months ago, and she did me a huge favour and and...” she gesticulated wildly with her arms and seemed not to notice that she inched towards him. “Then their little boy got ill, just some weeks ago and I tried to help as best as I could. I send broth and tea... I even told Mother about it!”

Anthony lifted his hand to his forehead and rubbed his thumb over his brow.

“Eloise Bridgerton, have you any idea what you have done?” He whispered. Her eyes grew wide.

“I did nothing... not on purpose... ”

“I am sure we can find a way to rectify...” Colin interrupted, lifting both his hands as if he expected they were about to jump each other's throats.

“There is nothing to rectify, Colin. She, she.... I cannot believe my own words...” He gave a pause, trying still to gather any understanding of the situation.

“Now say already, what is it?” Francesa urged.

And yet it took another moment until he found a way to say it. “Eloise. You have found Benedict.” Even though the words were so easy.

The silence in the room was louder than their shrieks from earlier.

“That is a strange joke to make,” Colin said, at some point, perhaps hours later, maybe minutes.

“It's not a joke.” He still would not break eye contact with Eloise.

“No.” Colin whispered then.

“I had a feeling... I... no, not even that, just, an inkling and I would not let myself explore it. Forced myself not to consider it. There were moments when I thought I looked at a little Hyacinth when I looked at Alex...”

He nodded listening to her words, understanding them well.

Francesca had started shaking her head in disbelief. Colin's emotions seemed to change by the second, flying through his eyes and tucking at his mouth and his brows.

“No.” he said again.

“I will call for Daphne in the morning and we need to think how we tell mother without driving her truly mad.”

“Should we not include Ben in this?” Eloise argued.

“Obviously we will include him,” Anthony said, nonplused.

“Then we cannot do it in the morning, or the afternoon. He works for a living.”

“No.” Colin.

“Colin!” Anthony turned to him. “Snap out of it!”

And then one of the emotions stuck and what was a chuckle at first, turned into a full-blown laughter. It turned all their eyes to him. It made them all grin at first but then it did not catch and they looked on in irritation.

“Father is dead!” He pressed forward eventually, inhaled in a stutter and laughed more. “He is dead now!”

It was truly cynical of God, so much was true.

And then his laughter stilled and with eyes full of tears he stared at them, it was impossible to say whether the tears came from laughter alone. And while Francesca had found Eloise's arms, Anthony opened his for Colin to land in.

“Father is dead.”

“I know.” He whispered.

“Nothing was as important to him as finding Benedict...”

“I know.”

#Bridgerton #Fanfiction #Sophie/Benedict #benophie #sophie beckett #benedict bridgerton #benedict x sophie #au #bridgerton fanfiction

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randomly-a-fan · 1 year

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Jason vs Pennywise (Valentines’ Day Story)

It’s only a day left until Valentines’ Day, which may be exciting to MJ and Aquarius, since their lovers usually gives them corny gifts; like flowers, chocolates, balloons... Well, Pennywise gives the balloons, since they only float for a day, it’s a waste of money, according to Jason. Since last year, Jason asked for a heart balloon from Pennywise in exchange for whatever he wants; which are MJ’s sketching of his wife. It was an awkward request, and it’d be harder to talk MJ into doing a portrait of Star. That trade was a big rip-off; once the day came, not only did the balloon popped, MJ suffered with a headache for working hard on the portrait.

Last year was awful, but this year, Jason is not going to screw this Valentines’ Day up. However, Jason was not the only one, Pennywise was also trying to make this years’ Valentines’ Day special for his wife. He tried to make a reservation at different restaurants that he can afford, but they’re all booked up. He’s also having a hard time finding a sitter for the kids, so they can’t go on an overnight date, so him and Aquarius will have to make the best of it, but he still wanted to find his wife a great gift to make up for last year. The sketch that he asked Jason to get MJ to do of his wife, it got ruined by Kandy getting a hold of it and shred it into pieces; It’s her way of learning to catch prey at an early age. Valentines’ Day wasn’t that special as he have hoped. So he has to make this year count.

***

At the Market, there was a last-minute sale on Valentine gifts for lovers, so Jason and Pennywise so happen to have come on the same day. Jason took a glance at the red roses, they’re extremely expensive, but for this occasion, they’re half price. As Jason was going to grab the bouquet, he saw another hand that was about to grab the bouquet. Pennywise was going to buy the same bouquet. “Oh, Jason hi... Looking for a gift for MJ are you?” Pennywise asked. Jason didn’t want to make a scene, so he gave Pennywise a reply. “Yeah... And I’m assuming that you were going to get roses for Star as well?” Jason asked. “Yeah... So uh, I’ll just take these roses and--” Pennywise was about to grab them until Jason stopped him. “I saw them first, so I get the roses.” Jason said. “Well I got to them first, so I get the roses!” Pennywise replied.

Jason and Pennywise were staring at each other angrily while not realizing that the roses that they both wanted to buy were gone. Jason noticed that the young man took the roses while he and Pennywise were distracted. “Damn it! These were the only good ones left!” Pennywise pouted. “There’s still a chance, we’ll depart ways so we don’t end up trying to get the same thing.” Jason said. Pennywise snorted. “Fine, just stay out of my way so I can give my Star the gift of her life!” Pennywise said before he stormed off.

As Jason and Pennywise parted ways, they continue on the search. Pennywise spotted something that he knew Star will love. Red Velvet assorted chocolates, he remembered he got Aquarius a heart-shaped box of human flesh on their first Valentines’ Day together. So getting a box of chocolates would be a surprising attempt for Aquarius. However, Jason got to it first. “Jason wait! I was going to buy those.” Pennywise shouted. “Sorry Pennywise, but my wife loves Red Velvet, so I’m buying her chocolates.” Jason said in his head. Pennywise couldn’t let Jason get the chocolates, so he came up with an excuse. “You know, my wife bought those same chocolates last year for MJ’s birthday, she then told me that she didn’t like them, so she ended up keeping the chocolates to herself. What do you suppose she’ll do with the chocolates that you’ve given her?” Pennywise asked. Jason had a pretty good feeling that Pennywise was making an excuse, but what if he’s not? MJ’s last birthday did happen, so it’s likely that Aquarius would give MJ something like this, but couldn’t accept it. So he decided to take the risk.

Jason put the chocolates back and went on the search for a different gift. Until he remembered something. Eric had the same chocolates, and he invited MJ and her family to join in, and she loved them. Jason started to boil. “YOU CLOWN JUNKER!” Jason went after Pennywise to fight over the box of chocolates. “You didn’t even want it; you put it back on display!” Pennywise said as he was fighting the urge to not let go.

Things got a little violent until security came to stop the fight. “That’s enough you two! I’ll take the box, while you two clowns--” “Hey, I’m the only clown!” Pennywise cut off. “Just get the hell out of the market and stay out!” The security guy snapped as he escorted them out. “If his fear wasn’t so vile, I would have eaten him.” Pennywise admits. Jason just snorted and turned away. “Oh come on, Jay! This wouldn’t have happened if you just let me accept the chocolates!” Pennywise said. Jason sharply turned towards Pennywise. “Well maybe things would have been better if you just let me get the flowers!” Jason yelled back from his mind. Jason didn’t want to make a scene again, so he decided to leave. Pennywise gave Jason the finger before he heads off.

***

Jason went over to a different store to pick up some flowers, the ones he spotted were not roses, but they’re pretty and were her favorite color [Pink]. Jason looked around quickly before taking the flowers. Then he grabbed the bouquet; mission accomplish. Just as Jason was waiting at the checkout, he noticed Pennywise with the bouquet of lavender flowers. Jason wished that he had those kinds of flowers, MJ loved the smell of natural lavender at night. But he’s not going to fight over the bouquet of flowers, so he’s sticking with what he’s got.

***

When Jason finally came home, he saw his two favorite girls decorating shortbread cookies for Malon’s class for Valentines’ Day. So Jason placed the flowers in the shed for the next day, and greet his two favorite girls... And maybe sneak a cookie or two.

Meanwhile, Pennywise came back home with the lavender and was greeted by Kandy crawling towards her daddy. “Hiya Gumdrop!” Pennywise quickly hid the lavender flowers so he can pick up his baby girl. “How’s my little monster, hmm, huh?” Pennywise cooed with a funny face. Kandy blew raspberries at her daddy, with him doing the same. After a while, he handed Kandy to Archie so he can hide the flowers more properly.

However, When Star finally came home, she was for some reason sneezing up a storm. “Whoa!” Archie said in shock. “Mom, are you sick?” Archie asked. “No, I feel fine... I think I’m having an allergy.” Aquarius believed before she sneezed again. That worried Pennywise a lot, if Aquarius was sneezing this much, then that means that she could be allergic to lavender. “Oh shit.” Pennywise said to himself. “Uh, honey... I think I have left something at Jason’s place, I’ll be back in a bit, okay?” Pennywise said. “Huh? Oh yeah, sure... I’ll get dinner started...” Aquarius said while rubbing her itchy eyes.

***

Back at Camp Crystal Lake, Jason was helping Malon decorate cookies for school; he made the icing, while Malon does the decorating. “I've read the recipe, measured the ingredients and mixed the batter, mommy didn’t even help me, [to MJ] did you mom?” Malon asked after she turned to face her mom, as she was doing the dishes. “Nope, Malon did it all on her own... With my help with the oven.” MJ replied and admits. “Yeah... She did, but everything else was done by me.” Malon said to her dad with pride. Jason chuckled before rubbing her head.

As the two are finishing up the cookies, there was a knock on the door. MJ walked over to answer it while her family starts cleaning up. “Oh, hello Pennywise.” MJ greeted. “Hiya MJ, may I please speak to Jason? it’s very urgent.” Pennywise requested. MJ nodded and called out to her husband. “Jay, Pennywise needs to talk to you, he said it’s urgent; I’ll help Malon clean up while you go outside and meet with him.” MJ said.

Jason groaned before he got out to hear what Pennywise has to say. “Listen, Jay. I’m truly am sorry for nearly getting you in trouble back at the market, but it turns out that my wife is highly allergic to lavender, so I was wondering if we can switch bouquets; I’ve overheard your thoughts on how you wished you could have the lavender bouquet. So... Wanna trade?” Pennywise asked with a hopeful smile.

Jason was still holding a grudge against Pennywise; especially from last year when his balloon did not float for very long and how he gave his wife a headache for doing a portrait for him. So he gave him an honest answer. “You’ve gave me a crappy balloon and gave my wife a headache last year, then you’ve lied to me about how my wife hated the red velvet chocolates that I was going to buy for her, so forget it!” Jason snapped. “Come on! I said I was sorry, what more could I possibly do?” Pennywise asked. Jason looked back at Pennywise before going back inside the house. “You want my advice? suck it up; and think before you act.” Jason advised before slamming the door in his face.

Malon was secretly watching from the Livingroom window and heard the whole conversation. Jason didn’t notice his daughter in the Livingroom, as he stormed off into his and his wife’s bedroom to think. Malon then saw Pennywise sitting while crying with depression. With Malon being so pure, she wanted to help him, since her dad was being too stubborn to do anything for his so-called friend.

Pennywise heard the door open and closed, he was hoping that it’d be Jason. But to his disappointment, it was only Malon. “Mr. Pennywise?” Malon said while walking towards him. “Just call me ‘Pennywise’, please.” Pennywise said while not looking at her in the eyes. “Pennywise, I’ve heard what you’ve been through; I’ve never seen my dad being this stubborn, especially to his friend... And I’ve never seen you feeling this depressed.” Malon assumed. “Why are you bringing this up? If you’re planning to help me, well you’re wasting your time; this was an adult situation, it doesn’t concern you.” Pennywise said in a harsh tone. “I may be a preteen, but I know a little about relationships. So, I thought maybe we can settle on a little arrangement; I love lavender as much as mom, so how about I help you make a huge bouquet of paper-flowers, in exchange for those lavender flowers?” Malon offered.

Pennywise turned his head in surprise. “Why do you want to help me? back then, I was going to eat you... I’ve kidnapped you...” Pennywise said sadly. “That’s the thing, it’s in the past; you’ve done some great deeds in the past too, and less on your crimes. Now, come inside; we’ll go into my room and work on making flowers for your Star.” Malon said as she held out her hand for Pennywise. Pennywise accepted the invitation and followed Malon to her room.

***

While Malon looks for her paper-flower making kit, Pennywise was looking at some pictures of Malon and her parents, then he caught a glimpse on a photo of just Malon and Jason together; when Malon fell asleep with her daddy, which was from when she had the chicken-pox. 'Who ever thought Jason could be this soft, yet so hard.' Pennywise thought to himself. “Found it!” Malon said, which startled Pennywise a little. “Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to scare you, not the other way around.” Pennywise joked. Malon giggled before she sat down on the floor. “I’ve got this set from my grandparents last Christmas, but I don’t seem to be doing this right; even my mom was stumped.” Malon admits. “No problem, I can help you with that, let me see the instructions.” Pennywise offered before taking the instructions from Malon’s hands.

Pennywise read the instructions closely before looking at the parts to use and how to make the formation. “I can see why it’s complicated to someone like you, and I’m assuming it’s hard for your mom because she’s autistic...” “Don’t say stuff like that! Mom was trying to NOT use her autism as an excuse. It’s easy for you because your head is so big.” Malon snapped. There was a few second pause until Pennywise said something. “Touché... Now then, it’s really quite simple, let me show you how it works...”

So for about twenty minutes, Pennywise has been teaching Malon how to make the flowers and in different styles, that way, Malon can make paper-flowers for her parents like she wanted to. “Now you’re getting it, they’re looking great.” Pennywise complimented. “Well, I have a pretty good teacher.” Malon said with a smile. “I’m loving your paper-flower bouquet, I know Star is going to love them, and she can’t be allergic to them because they’re made of tissue-paper.” Malon added. “Well, I have a pretty good friend.” Pennywise said with a wink.

As they were cleaning up the mess, they heard a door knock. ‘Oh God, I hope it’s not dad.’ Malon said in her head. “Malon, supper’s almost ready, it’s time for you to get washed up.” MJ ordered kindly. “I’ll be right out!” Malon answered back. “Good thing we’ve finished your bouquet on time. “Yeah, thanks again; and, as promised...” Pennywise hands Malon the bouquet of lavender before escaping through the window with the flower bouquet. Malon sighed in relief, before she walked out of her room to wash her hands then have her supper.

***

As Malon thought that her dad never knew, he secretly did. Not only did he see Pennywise leaving with the paper flowers, but he heard him and his daughter talking. Is he mad? sort of, but not at Malon, even though she was being sneaky; however, he’s still holding a grudge for Pennywise’s behavior, but at least he’s not holding a grudge from last year. So he decided to keep his frustrating day to himself and enjoy his family time with his family.

Even though Jason and his girls were having a nice time, he couldn’t help but think about his daughter’s personality. She’s so pure, just like her mother; which isn’t always the best thing, her pureness could put her into so much trouble if her behavior doesn’t resolve. However, like Jason committed to himself, he’s not going to ruin this, not even on the day when he give his wife a bouquet of flowers, and when his daughter comes home excitedly with a bunch of cards and goodies.

The End

#Friday the 13th #Jason Voorhees #Fandom #MJ #Malon #IT #IT Chapter 2 #Pennywise #Pennywise the Dancing Clown #Archie #Kandy #Aquarius #Aquarius the Singing Clown

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mariacallous · 1 year

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... “The Republican base is asking for very, very little,” he told me this week. “For all the stories we have about, like, the election deniers, from March of last year until now, their demands have basically been, like, ‘Please do something about the economy, please do something about immigration, please don’t let dudes participate in girls sports, and please do something about crime.’ ” When it came to independents, he went on, “It’s, like, ‘Please do something about inflation, please do something about crime, we’re pretty much with you on the girls-sports thing, just don’t be a dick about it.’ ”

He sounded a little gleeful. “It’s almost like we’ve fallen ass-backwards into the Contract with America,” he said, referring to the 1994 conservative agenda that fuelled the Republican takeover of Congress that year and elevated Newt Gingrich to House Speaker. “Certainly not because of any cunning or wit or foresight on our part. Let me assure you, it has not been because of the searing intellect of Republican leadership.”

Democrats were eager this week to point out how many seats the party in control of the White House typically loses in a midterm election—Barack Obama, the greatest politician the Party has produced in a generation, lost sixty-three seats in the House of Representatives in his first midterm. But many of the Republicans I spoke with saw this year as distinct. The pollster in Pennsylvania said that in 2010, “Obama got punished for overreach. That’s not this. This is incompetence.” When I asked the Republican consultant what the voters coming home to the G.O.P. in October wanted, he said, “Stop Biden. That’s it.”

Some elections are not complicated at all. As these Republican strategists saw it, their candidates did not get past unpopular positions on abortion with a tactical masterstroke, they simply absorbed the electoral hit and moved on. The economy is not good, and the President is both a Democrat and unpopular. If you looked only at those factors you might expect a result not unlike the Republican wave that these G.O.P. insiders have predicted. Maybe the race was simple enough that it could be sketched on a napkin.

On Wednesday afternoon, I spoke with a leading Republican political consultant about the Senate campaign in Georgia. That race is strategically significant for both parties, but it has a special symbolic importance for Democrats. The incumbent, Raphael Warnock, who for many years has occupied Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta, is seen as a potential national leader of the Democratic Party—and he may still lose to a scandal-ridden ex-football star, the Republican Herschel Walker. The Republican consultant told me that Warnock’s prospects were even bleaker than many recent public polls suggest. “There isn’t a single private poll in America that has Herschel Walker anything but ahead,” the Republican consultant told me. “Not one.”

The consensus among a number of G.O.P. pollsters and operatives I spoke to this week is that in the Senate races that are thought to be competitive, Republican candidates are heading for a clean sweep: Mehmet Oz will beat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, and not just by a point or two; Adam Laxalt looks pretty certain to defeat the incumbent Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada; even less regarded candidates such as Blake Masters in Arizona will be carried into office by a predicted wave. “He won’t deserve it, but I think at this point he falls into a Senate seat,” one Republican strategist told me. To these Republican insiders, certain high-profile races in which G.O.P. candidates were already favored now look like potential blowouts—Kari Lake’s campaign for governor in Arizona, J. D. Vance’s for Senate in Ohio. And some races that seemed out of reach, such as the Senate campaign, in New Hampshire, of the election denier Don Bolduc, now look like possible wins. The word that kept coming up in these conversations was “bloodbath.”

My interest in talking with Republican consultants and pollsters, those with their hands in many races around the country, was not only to collect predictions but to hear the G.O.P.’s story of the election. (I let them speak anonymously, and spoke with some of their Democratic peers, too, in order to provide a check on their accounts.) I wanted to know what they thought earlier polls had missed, and how a race that had seemed like a tossup for much of the year could turn into a Republican rout.

One thing was obvious in these conversations: many of these professionals had spent much of the summer working to manage the abortion issue, which became the election’s chaotic element after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, in June. It supplied a burst of Democratic support and fury, but also changed polling in interesting ways. “What happened post-Dobbs was that progressives started picking up the phone at nineteen-nineties rates,” the Republican strategist told me. “Answering a political poll itself became a kind of expression of political identity.”

This Republican said that he and a colleague had examined polls in which they had access to individual voter data and concluded that as much as sixty per cent of Democratic poll respondents this summer were so-called super voters, those who vote in every single election, even though such voters normally compose about a third of the general electorate in each party. (He found no such effect among Republicans.) “This created an informational doom loop, where Democratic candidates get told, You should talk about January 6th, democracy being on the ballot, trans rights,’ ” he said, “because their primary super voters are picking up the phone and telling them this is what they care about.”

Still, crafting a winning response to the abortion issue was a fixation among Republicans. A pollster working in many races across the country said, “I had candidates who wanted to know the same thing, week after week, ‘How do we answer this abortion thing? They’re beating me up on it.’ ” The pollster went on, “And what they figured out is, we don’t have a good answer. It is what it is.”

In the end, Republicans didn’t find a way through the political fact that many of the voters they wanted to win were against them on abortion so much as wait it out. As a Democratic strategist pointed out to me, a flood of funding after the Supreme Court decision allowed Democratic campaigns to put ads on television “much, much earlier” in swing states. This created a unique situation, he went on, in which Democrats were disproportionately tuned in to politics, the Democratic base was overrepresented in polls, and swing voters were overwhelmingly seeing Democratic ads. “I think that’s what creates that blue mirage during the summer,” he said.

At the same time, the polls were likely underrepresenting certain segments of the electorate. In recent years, more educated voters, especially white women, have moved to the Democrats, and less educated ones, of all races and especially men, toward the Republicans. When it comes to polling, these shifts have created an imbalance, in which one of the most visible groups in politics, and one especially energized by the Dobbs decision, had shifted toward Democrats, and one of the least visible had shifted toward Republicans. “The fastest-moving portion of the electorate is Hispanic men, and the second-fastest-moving portion of the electorate is Black men,” the Republican consultant told me. You want to get them on the phone? “Good fucking luck.”

A Democratic pollster told me, “Arizona is, I think, like ground zero for that trend. I think you’re seeing a lot of Hispanic drift toward Laxalt.” This Democrat also noted that Stacey Abrams, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, is underperforming among Black men, and thought that Abrams’s opponent, Republican Governor Brian Kemp, “is going to do a decent job winning Black voters compared to his 2018 performance.”

If Republicans couldn’t wait to get away from the major social issues, the Democrats continued to focus on them. Speaking about the defection of Hispanics to the G.O.P. in Nevada, the Republican strategist told me, “The reason that Democrats have fucked this up is that they won’t stop talking about abortion. And the reason that they screwed it up with Blacks is they won’t stop talking about abortion. . . . It’s like they’re a two-issue party. It’s this and Trump. They can’t stop. I don’t think they have anything else.”

The evolving Democratic coalition has made the party at once more prosperous and more progressive, a trick that long seemed difficult to pull off. But it has also exposed the party to certain vulnerabilities, especially among working-class voters. Across the country, Republicans have tended to emphasize a simple story about inflation—that the White House had been inattentive to its rise and its impact on ordinary Americans. As the Republican strategist put it to me, “Inflation is the big federal story, and a lot of blame belongs on the White House, because the White House just wished this would go away instead of saying, ‘We know it’s real, we know it’s a problem, it’s happening everywhere, we’re going to do everything to fix it but we can’t fix it immediately.’ ”

In certain politically competitive parts of the country, especially the booming Sun Belt states of Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Texas, Republican governors could also make some policy gestures to back up the way they spoke about inflation. In July, Kemp, the governor of Georgia, extended a statewide gas-tax holiday. In August, he committed to spend two billion dollars in state-budget surplus on property-tax and income-tax rebates if reëlected. The next week, he said that $1.2 billion in federal COVID aid would be converted to three-hundred-and-fifty-dollar checks for low-income Georgians. In the closing statement of his final debate against Abrams, Kemp celebrated what he called the lowest unemployment rate and the most people ever working in the history of Georgia.

The gubernatorial campaigns of Ron DeSantis, in Florida, Greg Abbott, in Texas, and Kari Lake, in Arizona, have similarly emphasized this contrast—between the sunny G.O.P.-managed economy at home and the darkening, inflation-related clouds emanating from Joe Biden’s Washington. If voters felt economically stressed, Kemp said during his final debate, “the problem is, [wages are] not going up fast enough to keep up with Joe Biden’s inflation.”

It probably isn’t an accident that the next generation of MAGA stars has come from growing Southern states. As the Democratic pollster put it to me ruefully, “Being a governor of a Sun Belt state is awesome, because your economy is growing so fast, because you don’t have to raise taxes, and tax revenue just goes up, and then you get to do popular economic stuff.”

Republicans also moved to capitalize on the flailing economy with declarations—at campaign stops, in television ads, on right-wing media—that the country was descending into chaos. As the Democratic consultant Stanley Greenberg wrote this week, Democratic candidates “faced a barrage of ads on crime starting in September and early October, a barrage aided by Fox News dramatically increasing its crime reporting.” This offensive seems to have worked: when Greenberg asked voters what they most feared about Democratic control of Congress, their top pick was “crime and homelessness out of control in cities and police coming under attack,” which ran thirteen points ahead of concerns about illegal immigration.

Even if Democrats had wanted to make their own pivot to economic issues, their window to do so, by the early fall, was closing. The inflation index in September was much worse than it had been during the preceding months, and quite quickly it was difficult for Democrats to find much to brag about economically. By October, the basic daily experience of the race, for the Republican consultants I spoke with, had changed. “Post-Dobbs, Republicans stopped taking polls,” a Republican pollster told me. “In October, my sampling guys came back and told me, ‘Republicans are taking polls again. Response rates are through the roof.’ ”

By then, according to the insiders, Democrats were too trapped in issues—abortion and the threat to democracy—that appealed to their most devoted and best-educated supporters, and had not done enough to reassure voters that they were addressing material concerns. The Republican pollster, who has been regularly surveying Pennsylvania, told me that, when it came to the Democratic focus on abortion, “there just doesn’t seem to be any specificity. You’d want to do it with high-education, high-income supporters. It’s, like, no, they’re running on abortion constantly in, like, Scranton.”

Back in the summer, I’d spoken with the Republican strategist, who then predicted that the Dobbs wave would be ephemeral. “The Republican base is asking for very, very little,” he told me this week. “For all the stories we have about, like, the election deniers, from March of last year until now, their demands have basically been, like, ‘Please do something about the economy, please do something about immigration, please don’t let dudes participate in girls sports, and please do something about crime.’ ” When it came to independents, he went on, “It’s, like, ‘Please do something about inflation, please do something about crime, we’re pretty much with you on the girls-sports thing, just don’t be a dick about it.’ ”

“I can show you the trajectory of all our races,” the Republican pollster told me. “We took a benchmark in July—O.K., this is going to be harder than we thought. And it looks like a ‘V.’ We went straight down. And then once we finally got to October, we have enough money, the electorate becomes more fully engaged, and then the other side of the ‘V’ is straight back up. I can show you the same story in probably twenty-five races.” ♦

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spacedykez · 1 year

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The Complete Story Of The Otterverse

[if you don't know what the otterverse is, go here or here for the basics]

okay. so. for those of you who know what the otterverse is; this post is not going to be what you probably imagine. i'm not going over what the otterverse is or what exactly happened. instead, i'm going to tell you the story that's been told through tumblr, dms, sketches, and discord roleplays. the one that nobody fully knows besides me and maybe a few other people. so. with that in mind. let's start.

it begins and ends with two souls.

it begins with a phoenix and an otter.

it begins with Paci and Felix.

Paci and Felix were an average couple- well, as average as you can be when you're a couple of definitely-not-mortals living in a world of mortals. They were in love, happy, and everything was great.

But that didn't last long.

Paci, the ever-distracted and impulsive creature that she was, met a man, whose name is unimportant. You may know him. You may not. We don't care about the details right now. What matters? Is that Paci ran away from Felix to be with him. And it ended in her death.

Felix grieved, confused and hurt, lying alone in a bed that was meant for two, staring at the untouched things of Paci's left lying around in star's death. The blanket Felix laid on was Paci's favorite color.

And then xe met Otter. So achingly familiar, and yet not quite right. Right? Wrong.

Because Otter was Paci. And Felix didn't see it until Paci was dying in xyr arms, again. Sacrificing her life for Felix.

Take three.

Echo. An echo of one person. Felix knew, this time, when xe saw the ears and tail, and those oh-too-familiar green and purple eyes. Xe tried, so hard, to save them this time. And xe failed. Echo was just that; an echo. And when they began to remember who they were, they couldn't handle the pain.

And just like that, Paci was gone again. And Felix was left to grive. Because if third time's the charm, what happens when the charm doesn't work?

But it wasn't over. Next was Leaf. A nature spirit. Paci always did like the forest. And Felix couldn't help but fall in love. They wandered the forest together, exploring the streams and trees. And Leaf loved Felix back. But when Fern leaned in to kiss Felix, the phoenix's flame burned her gentle being and set the forest ablaze, and Paci was lost again.

Then came Crow. A scientist. She worked in a lab.

Full of windows.

All the better for Felix to watch as the lab caught on fire and Crow Paci shoved xem out, only to burn alive with Felix watching, unable to save her.

And Felix wandered, lost, until xe met a bard who sang tales of adventure and sweet love ballads. But the sea called to her before they did, and they trying to reach a siren.

Felix would never know, but the bard's siren took the form of a phoenix.

And on, and on, and on, it went.

Loop after loop after loop.

So often their tale was immortalized in the stars. The Moth and the Light. The Light, a burning flame, and the Moth who tried but could never reach xem. Who always, always, searched for the Light, but whose life was always too fleeting to find xem.

And finally, there was Moth.

After wandering for years, Felix found a home on a ship called the Meowdy, and met a small creature called Moth. Moth didn't look anything like Paci, but still Felix fell in love.

Until Moth ran away. Rejected Felix. Told Felix it couldn't bear to hurt xem, and so it refused to love xem.

You see, Moth was scared. It had heard of the Moth and the Light, and feared becoming like the Moth. Because the Moth was known as the one who'd betrayed the Light. Who'd left the Light, and turned back too late, to see the Light dying.

But Felix came back. And just in time, Moth decided it refused to follow the stars, and confessed its love for Felix. Felix loved it back.

And so they embraced, and their lips met, but when they pulled apart, no one could have expected what happened next. Their eyes met in sudden recognition, and they whispered one anothers' names.

Felix? Paci?

They had done it.

The cycle, the loop, the neverending death- was broken. They did not need to suffer, apart from one another, for any longer.

They looked up at the sky, still clinging to one another, and they saw the stars had changed. Gone were the Moth and the Light, in their place an empty stretch of sky.

And the two began to glow with the light of the stars, and they vanished into stardust. And when the light softened again, there was a new constellation in the sky.

The Twin Flame. A bird and an otter, hopelessly entangled, bound by their love forever.

And the universe had granted them peace, and rest, for they had lost, and suffered, and grieved, and finally, through the power of their love, they were together once more.

#the otter splashes #the otter scribbles #<--screw u im tagging it that #the otterverse #the meowdy #HAHA IT WAS OTTERVERSE ALL ALONG <333

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saltyxtides · 2 years

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BAYDEN WARDEYN.

Bayden rolled his eyes. He was clearly a movie watcher. He didn’t read all the damn comics. That was a big not. Movies were free on the tv. Comics cost money he did not have to spend on the inside of the asylum. Such was his life. He was at a disadvantage there.

He laughed when she said he said more than her liking. “Yeah well, I never promised to stay in your comfort zone, did I? No I did not.”

And no, no Bayden did not try to annoy the nurse too much despite his own annoyance with the situation. He literally just got his privileges back. He wasn’t in the business right then for getting them taken again, not over shoe strings.

“String you down? Double A. You forget yourself and how dirty minded I am. You are not doing anything good for my visuals. You should stop whole you’re ahead.”

Her usual.

“Like I ever see you eat. I wouldn’t know what that is. OH! I may not be able to leave yet, but you know what we could do? I think can find my way back to my own house thanks. I got this. I don’t think either of us need a guide after all these years for fucks sake. These people dude.” He shook his head about the whole thing. He understood if they were new patients but come the fuck on. They’d been there for years. He guessed that’s why the nurse eventually came to her senses and just let them go.

This chick. All she ever annoyed him about the last time they argued was going out for the coffee he owed her but he lost his off property privileges. He was like hello community room free, gross, lukewarm, pot. In the middle of everything she just kept bringing it up. He couldn’t believe it kept popping out of her mouth. So, he was going to try and make some peace by fulfilling his promise somehow unless she was still going to hold out for privileges he may never get back again. He was a murderer who also had an escape on his record now. The likelihood of that was pretty damn nil. But, his mother had pulled off a lot in past. Pigs could fly and wouldn’t shock Bayden if someone said his mother made happen.

“You know I can’t take you out for that coffee but I am pretty sure there are places that deliver. Can’t promise it will get here hot but we do have microwaves. I know how to push the buttons and everything.”

The walk back to Asylum Acres behind Briarcliff Manor was actually a liberating feeling even if his heels kept slipping in the backs of his boots from lack of laces and even if they got a few stares on the way out due to Rowan’s lack of pants.

He looked over at her and grinned as they passed through the gates. He couldn’t help himself after all this time. Celestis of people had to know how much it sucked being in the hospital.

Then there they were, all the little pastel cottages, flowers, and picture perfect happiness, like a postcard. It used to be enough to make him want to puke. After having it stripped away and reminded life could be worse that puke-worthy cookie cutter image of perfect full of mental cases like him really was perfect to him. He looked at his house and then he looked at his neighbor’s house still there across the way. Rowan’s house. Now Celestis’s house. Inviting her in was a never done before, at least not really on purpose. But, now he already had.

So, up to his door he went, unlocked it, and there was his place completely empty like he never lived there. They’d cleaned it out. He saw his pile of sketch books were gone. His heart sunk. He never put a lot personality on the walls of the home to begin with. His sketch books were the only things around that made it looked like anyone lived there at all.

“Guess they really were just waiting to give this place to somebody else. Nobody thought I was coming back.”

He wondered which asshole staff did it because his mother built this place just for him. He knew it now. It twisted a knot in his stomach to consider her being the one to order the clean up. No. Some asshole did it. Right?

“More like hoping I wasn’t. Well, fuck ‘em, right?”

Guess he was starting over from scratch. He could do that. What more could they do to him? Fuck ‘em all. He was back. Bayden Warden was back.

TO be fair she didn’t read them either, as she was way to poor for that as well, but g o o g l e && fandom nerd pages have just enough info to build from to keep herself in the loop. However, that was the difference between the two of them. She was a lot more curious about things, && where they lead.

She looked almost annoyed at him. The usual way her lips pressed together tight, her facial features nearly void of most expression. “Apparently so.” Dropping it for now. Noticing a couple times the way Bayden looked or talked to her changed a little. Either that was a sign of growth between the two, or something she wasn’t quite sure.

Parts of her did feel it was her fault Bayden was there where he was in the first place. It would have been different if she took that night a lot more series. So she understood why, but still, it was so worth the bad-puns. Huffing a bit drastically “if I have to work on my p u n s, YOU have to work on that d i r t y m i n d of yours!”

Nearly humored by Bayden she couldn’t help but agree. “I wouldn’t even know what that is either if I’m being honest.” Not really sure herself anymore. It was by all means her fault putting Rowan’s body what she did, but what Celestis has learned was recovering from turning herself into an anorexic was hard. Hopefully, by the time she finds her body, she’ll return Rowan’s fully recovered but that’s only if she ever succeeds. As she didn’t want to get stuck in her own head about never returning to her own body.

She almost wanted to tease Bayden, if he ever got lost he could just use google maps. But sensing the heat from where she stood, she didn’t say it. “It’s just protocol Bayden. It’s just like she said before..” Understanding the issue both ways, but in the end there’s not much they could do about it. Shrugging it off as they got to walk without an escort back. Perhaps in some way, if Celestis wasn’t in the room lil-Miss Nutrix might have not even bothered with shoe-strings, && guides. It might have only been because she was with Bayden that she took it to that level.

The only other option was that his mother actually ordered it, or Janet did. If Janet wanted the upper hand in Bayden’s favoritism, all she would have to do is target the weaker Nurses. It get’s a bit muddy when someone had the upper hand on someone else. In theory anyway. Celestis didn’t really think Janet was actually going about finding faults && dirt on other Nurses just to target them when they happen to be assigned to Bayden making them push his buttons on purpose. Making her the crowned numero-uno. That would be CRAZY.

Forgetting how comfortable && cool it felt being bare-less along her legs as she walked side by side. It was always her being so cautious && careful that she forgot what it felt like. Giving those who stared at her the middle-finger along the way. That was really out of the blue. Wondering where all that came from all of a sudden. Looking up as the clouds looked even more greyer then they were the last time she was outside as she wondered if that triggered the coffee conversation.

“Eh. Don't FRET o v e r it anymore Bayden.” She seemed to vocally && express herself nonchalantly. “The truth’s already out between us anyway right?” It’s not like she could go back && change what had happened back then. She exhaled rather loudly “It was just me wanting to hang out with you && tell you the truth outside the Asylum properly.” It really never was about the COFFEE. She just became f l u s t e r e d for a while, more at herself then at Bayden. It was her fault for lowering her guard that night anyway && not preparing better incase of the truth came out accidently. It all happened to fast. “You deserved better.”

Shrugging a bit, it’s all done for as she wouldn’t have brought it up again. Not sure why he had. She had the time to think about it for a while, since they stopped talking briefly. Celestis honestly didn’t know any other way to explain it rather then that. It was all to messy, && she held onto her own anger && frustration. Projecting it. && she knew it, sort of, after really thinking about it.

Celestis felt a small tug of a smile, as Bayden looked over her && grinned. She can’t deny the sense of relief not having to live behind locked doors again. Depending on the program level if there were camera’s or no camera’s. Constantly using an intercom. Marched to a beat of there insane schedules, && there impossible many rules, along with neglect time to time. Being in a cookie cutter puke-worthy cottage meant she never had to live with her doors locked, && yea that’s dangerous, but she rather take that risk, then live constantly LOCKED i n like she had been since she’s been in Rowan’s body.

It was strange. They always invaded one or the other’s space, as she’s undone his lock, broken into his cottage multiple times, to do something she shouldn’t do, like vandalize his space with artwork since he didn’t really do it himself, while her door was just always unlocked making it easy to invade her space at anytime. However being invited? That was new.

Hopefully it doesn’t become a thing. It would just be down right awkward. Closing the door behind her softly, as she’d lean into the door. She found herself gazing into the newly covered painted walls, the echo of emptiness surrounding them. The same structure, as it’s old scars where covered.as she took it all in. Same old same old build just like the one she lived in as she ran her hand up the doorframe slowly. The little framework of art dedicated to Janus was gone around it’s frame.

“Maybe. RUMOR has it the neighbor's quite a m e g a - b i t c h. Who breaks into locked cottages, especially the one to the left. It would be hard to find someone who can tolerate that.” Celestis knew for a while that his place was cleaned out && gutted. She had witnessed it after coming back from a run. With them not talking. . .well she kept that info to herself it wouldn’t have helped either of them.

Unfortunately his MEGA-b i t c h of a neighbor couldn’t save everything of his either. Having help. Being lucky that Princeton was in a good mood, as Garrison only would budge if she owed him a favor. Between the three of them, she was able to at least recover what she could without it being too big of a deal. Inconspicuous as possible when they weren’t paying attention when they were cleaning && re-painting inside the house..

“Well isn’t that the usual Princess Trope, you’re highness?” His princess struggle was so very real as of right now. With the Evil Queen just up && sent her minions to do the dirty clean up, as it was up to a very MEGA-g r u m p y Huntsman? To gather up a band of idiots to help aid the distressed && upset Princess in question?

“Princess jokes aside, don’t be to upset, not everything was lost in the minion sweep up. That MEGA-b i t c h of a neighbor of yours is peculiar && even useful sometimes!” Hopefully lightening the mood just a little to ease the pain he must be going through. She knows it can’t fix or change how he was feeling right now. It was a lot to take in, but she hoped the hinting that there was something good to look forward to even if this all felt like a set back was still there. His stuff that she did save would all be on his porch by early morning tomorrow, since she won’t be making that morning run since she didn’t have any shoes.

#bayden wardeyn #━━ ✧ spilled ink. | interactions #montywonmom #━━ 🌊 saltyxtides. | ahv

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bluetoblackk · 2 years

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Nothing Else Matters, Chapter 1

Fandom: Downton Abbey, Hogwarts!au

Characters and Pairings: Cora Levinson/Robert Crawley, a lot of others

Rating: M (may go up later)

Summary: The First Wizarding War is going on in full, and the future is uncertain. Especially for Cora Levinson, a seventh-year student of Hogwarts. She doesn’t know what she will be doing after the N.E.W.T.s, but she does know that she loves two things: art and Robert Crawley.

Chapter 1

Robert hated Arithmancy with all the devotion which could ever be found in his heart. Numbers, numbers, numbers — they seemed to be playing tricks on him because he could not understand how else nearly every solution he had ever come to turned out to be wrong.

The only consolation for him would be that it was going to be his last year at Hogwarts. Robert preferred not to think what would come next. Mother had some ideas in mind, that’s for sure. Sometimes – pretty often, actually – doing what he had been told to do was the easiest way of things. Which was not the case with Arithmancy, obviously, since Robert had taken (and not dropped it!) because Mama had insisted the subject would prove useful in his future of the master of the estate.

"Robert, it’s very late, aren’t you going to bed?” came Eudora’s low and caring voice from behind. She stepped closer. “Arithmancy again? Your visit to the library didn’t help?"

Robert angrily shut the book and stood up. Yaxley was right, of course – it was nearly midnight.

"Why aren’t you sleeping?"

He finally looked up, piling books one onto another to carry them to the bedroom. Eudora yawned, politely covering the mouth with her hand.

"I was. Don’t know why I woke up. Well, I did, and I wanted to check on you."

"Thank you. Good night."

Robert made it to the boys' dormitory. At that hour even dim greenish light from the lanterns on the walls seemed too much for his tired eyes. Closing them while lying down on his cold, yet insanely comfortable bed, he fell asleep, all the thoughts about tomorrow classes gone.

***

"Cora, please! You know how things are these days."

Cora knew what Phyllis meant but kept walking, determined to get to the Quidditch pitch. Well, her friend wasn't wrong — things were tense and awful, but Cora did not understand why it should keep her away from watching the Slytherins practise.

Phyllis finally caught up with her, out of breath and visibly worried.

"Cora, what if—"

"I have every right to go there, it's not like they have occupied the place! Come with me, keep me company."

Phyllis sighed and accepted surrender. At least her friend wouldn’t be alone in trouble — and there was a pretty big chance for one.

Soaring up, Robert saw two figures approaching the field. They both were wearing scarves, and it took him little time to understand that those self-invited spectators were from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Whatever did they come for?

Eudora Yaxley was utterly disgusted. Moments ago, two Mudbloods had seated themselves onto the front row of a nearby stand, and she recognised them easily — Levinson and Baxter. What had they forgotten here? The Ravenclaw team had been scheduled to play against the Slytherins in February, which was months away, and that Baxter didn't even play Quidditch, for Merlin's sake!

Eudora took a deep breath, reminding herself that a real lady never loses her temper, even if the cause is justified. Watching Robert attack the hoops, she kept eyeing the girls when he was not holding or passing the Quaffle. The Levinson girl had something on her lap — some kind of a book, it seemed. She was sketching, Eudora realised, seeing her hand move above the surface. For some reason it made her even angrier.

"Robert, go! Yes!" she cried after Robert tricked the Keeper, and the Quaffle went right through the left hoop. He turned to her and smiled shyly. Cora felt her heart melt. That smile was not addressed to her, but did it really matter? She knew almost nothing about miss Yaxley except that lately she could often be could near Robert Crawley. That, and her family belonged to the Sacred Twenty-Eight, which made her unbearably haughty.

The training was over; Cora and Phyllis went down and were about to cross the lawns. Eudora stood there already, Robert landing eight feet away from them. She couldn’t resist the temptation.

"Hey, Baxter! Have you lost your idiot boyfriend?" she giggled and looked at Robert. He smiled feebly. Molesley was Levinson’s classmate and, well, a little bit an idiot. This awkward Muggle-born was famous for third year, when he had taken too many subjects and simply collapsed in the Great Hall near the end of the first semester.

The girls turned to Eudora. Before Phyllis had any chance to reply, Cora jumped in:

"No, why? Have you lost yours?" Eudora narrowed her eyes and did not answer. Ignoring her, Cora smiled to Robert. "You played very well today. Thanks to Morgana we still have time."

The truth was, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had seen better days. Robert failed to understand the logic behind their choice of players. But again, what should one expect from the House of geeks and know-it-alls? Take one of their Beaters, for instance — that pale boy with long dark hair looked as if he could pass out any minute. His mate was only slightly better. Levinson’s position of the Seeker was also questionable. She had the fastest, most expensive broomstick — which even some of the Slytherins secretly envied — and seemed to enjoy flying and speed, but almost every game she looked… distracted? As if not present in the moment, and one could hardly think of a worse characteristic for a Chaser. One thing she was good at, though: dodging. As far as Robert could recall, she had managed to catch the Snitch once or twice within the past two years.

But did she really come here today to see that the Slytherins are still going strong?

"Thank you. See you tomorrow."

And he made it to the changing room, annoyed Eudora following close behind.

They were walking back to the castle, and the winds were raging, making it hard to move in the needed direction. Gently guided by Phyllis, Cora didn't seem to notice, deep down in her thoughts. The idea that it was going to be her last year at Hogwarts pained her. Very much. One cause of pain was that after graduation she would have to find herself in the magical world, in the middle of a war. Hogwarts was safe and welcoming; the outer world was not. Especially not for a witch of her position. Every morning she almost dreaded scanning a fresh issue of the Daily Prophet. Deaths. Murders. Of Muggles and Muggle-borns mostly, but then there also were half-blood wizards and “blood traitors”. She was a “Mudblood”, as she had discovered several years ago. The word was not being used at Hogwarts, at least not patently – yet. Every time Cora caught herself thinking about it, she felt stupid about still worrying about N.E.W.T.s and her wish to attach herself to art. Her mother had one answer: America. And, as more time was passing by, Cora was becoming more and more convinced that perhaps America for her would be best.

The other cause of pain was Robert Crawley. Cora was sure that he had no such worries. He was a Pureblood, his family – ancient and wealthy, and his future was going to be as bright as possible. But Cora wasn’t unhappy because of that. She was unhappy because she knew that after graduation she wouldn’t be able to see him again even if she chose to stay in Britain. Wouldn’t be able to hear him laugh aloud, or watch him study in the library, or look right into his friendly eyes.

Only Phyllis knew that this particular energetic and smiley girl from Ravenclaw, who also happened to be her best friend, was in love with the young Crawley. She had been shocked when Cora had confessed it to her, but she had soon admitted that Crawley was not bad. A Slytherin, yes, but he and his family did not stick to all that pureblood supremacy ideas. Cora described him as attractive, smart and “different”. And she drew him. A lot. Phyllis decided to judge neither the given characteristics nor the drawings and only once asked her friend whether she was ever going to tell him how she felt. The definite answer was “no”.

It was going to be their last year at Hogwarts.

———————————————————————

I have got pretty big plans for this work! Also, I'm searching for a beta, as I'm not a native English speaker and obviously suck here and there lol. DM me if you're interested!

#downton abbey #hogwarts au #cora crawley #robert crawley #cobert #fanfiction

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desn512-shanaflett · 6 days

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Reflective writing

Research skills Key areas in research that help inspire and extend my designs are from other students around me and Pinterest. Looking at other students' work and talking to them, helps me to see other areas I could try to look into for my poster designs, and by talking to them, they can give me tips to create better designs. Going on Pinterest it helps me to see a variety of really cool designs and different techniques I could be using in my designs. I also would look up YouTube videos to learn how to use the different software. I could improve my research more by talking to my teachers more so they can give a more professional look into things.

Creative Process

I tried many different design ideas. I would start by figuring out the main idea that I wanted for the poster and then I would do a quick sketch on Procreate. Procreate helps me to visualise what the final poster might look like without spending hours on one design. This process is very quick so I can get out many ideas quickly. I on occasion printed out my favourite designs and saw what they looked like in person. I would then put my favourite/ most successful designs into InDesign and play around with all the different tools. Some of my strengths that come from my design process are getting out lots of different design ideas, but my weakness is self-doubt. Because although I may be putting a lot of designs out there, I am not happy with most of them.

Decision making

How I decided to choose the theme of my posters because I wanted to make something fun and not serious. The way I did this was by picking something from my childhood. What I chose was my childhood memories at Whiritoa. I chose this because my memories of that place are very positive and also because it connects to the brief of Whiritoa being a beach in Aotearoa. One thing I found hard was deciding what words to put on my poster. I went kind of generic but I think that is okay because children have simple minds. At some points, I was stuck to come up with better ideas so I had a look on Pinterest and picked some elements from other posters and experimented with them. Since my posters are based on my memories from my childhood of a beach, I chose the colours blue and orange.

Challenges

I had many challenges going into this assignment, one was learning InDesign. It is similar but very different to Illustrator so I had to adjust to using the software. I also struggled with coming up with ideas that looked cool but were readable and clear as to what the theme was. The last poster I made I like the best but I still think I can push myself to create a better design. One insight they suggest for me for the rest of my semester is to brainstorm better. A couple of skills I need to improve is InDesign and refining my creative process.

My name is Shana Flett, and I am an 18-year-old Christian designer born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. This year I have begun my tertiary education at Auckland University of Technology, studying a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Communication Design. I chose to start this degree because it will help me broaden my design knowledge and skills.

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haeroniel-doliet · 2 years

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a bonus thought post for the night!!

on that nostalgia raising feelings train but it derails so it got long so its under a readmore :*

scrolling my old art made me a bit sad and nostalgic (who doesnt get those feelings though doing the same) specifically i really have my heart going out to kid me who got basically no notes on anything. (im not saying i shouldve, art was definitely kid art and questionably tagged etc!) but some i put effort into and it made me so happy to get those 10 likes or whatever. it made me post post and post even what i was working on and unfinished bits (Sure, being me? many of those never got finished bc posting gave the hit of reward chemicals, no response meant no motivation to finish to get more yknow?)

its weird thinking ive now as an adult got a handful of posts with -hundreds- of notes. one over a thousand!! (sure, the really good and popular artists may have thousands but hey they deserve it!!) its weird that i sort of maybe now know what to do to get a reaction out of my prefered niche of the internet. that if i tried w some more consistently, who knows?

im proud of everything in my current art tag. (mostly. no. i am proud shut up brain) i feel slightly like posting more wips. bc i have a ton. surprisingly? ive been drawing way more in the past year than ive been posting (new for me). of course, there is no obligation to post it. why post stuff im not happy with? only to get anxious abt it? sure posting that one teaser when i was actively working on making it better was kinda fun. sure maybe posting some wips would make me go back and finish them bc some of them are good ideas?? but also some are just. theyd make sense to nobody but myself. and why should i share every crevice of my creativity like i used to as an attention craving kid?

my blog is my blog its me, its not a nice art blog its got all my vents and whatever i like to reblog on a given day on it all together. i could make a new tag that feels less like a portfolio to post wips i abandoned or doodles that never went further. it might be nice having them out here. but somehow i feel like id be too embarassed to post them, for my few followers to actually see them. what if i actually tagged them and ppl in tags saw my nonsense doodles? is it worth it? right now my art tag feels like its: dinluke and finished at that ONLY. things that people who come on my blog would like to see perhaps...

hahahhahahha i just crashed my Krita trying to with brash abandon look at all the unposted wips i have at once

turns out i have like. a handful of original works that never got past a rough doodle stage which is fair yknow they were just ideas that could be fleshed out but dont need to. some of them are very personal vent art

ive got a few sketch to tiny doodle to questionable attempt at painting etc bits of the star wars ladies. reminds me that i should branch out in my star wars posting and that drawing women is just way easier and more natural to me why dont i do it more?

ive got a good few fic inspired sketches that never got legs and tbf? theyre olddd now.

ive got like 12 frames of the inktober challenge from last year... in the style of posting 5 at a time, theyve all been sketched out and like half are i think finished. obviously october went long and at some point it just felt weird to post them even if i finished them. i sort of decided if i finish them up early autumn i could get away w posting them for beginning of october while i had a try at the new inktober? idk why i like a challenge to force me to draw more than i do in a year. and then it takes me a year lol. i have a set of 5 that are all inspired by fic, and like. i still like the idea of them. unfortunately? some of the references were old.. A YEAR AGO. sure theres like, the appreciation for vintage and telling ppl we like their work ages on. but i worry the authors no longer are in the fandom or want to be reminded of their work? etc etc. some of them are meh, some i like.

ngl i am especailly happy w my oct 31 post, which i really wish id finished on time for last year. heres to seeing if i post it this year? maybe i’ll finish what i want to finish of them (theres like. 2 im just really not inspired for and never was) and then have a wee collage of them to post, w the oct 31 prompt seperate, as a sort of. hey wip clear out! these are the stragglers from last year :))

maybe ill post original art one day when i get drawn enough to finish one.

ok ok hi welcome indepth to my thought process, bonus thoughts for every thought included. this doesnt need to be on the internet SURE but its a small time capsule for myself ok?

i dont think right now making a doodle tag to post wips is gonna bring me anything but anxiety and feelings of inadequacy i know too well from posting art as a teen. maybe at some point itll help break the barrier and ill just. post shit but it doesnt have to be on my ““portfolio tag”“

i could pick up an wip to finish now, ive got a good few candidates. but i think i should best just, shake off the cobwebs on smth new so i dont feel like im ruining it. it might be a rey or a leia or other star wars heroine portrait. it might be grogu bc hes an already ugly gremlin. it might be something else. i might be talking a high load of shit bc its 3 am again and i should go sleep rather than push myself in delirium. odds are tomorrow im exhausted again, feel like i should do things that actually benefit me in my life and address responsibilites, and shut down under the weight of the thought of it and not do anything until i go crazy at night again? time will tell but rn im stuck in that loop.

perhaps i should never have posted this bc its very long and personal but also? i kinda doubt anyone will read it and thats ok :)) if you are here, hi sorry that you know me better now! uhhh thoughts on the above?

#haeroniel talks #this ramble ran away from me!! it got long sorry #basically im wondering if posting wips as they are would be fun bc i used to do that but concluded itd probably give more anxiety than fun #had a look at said wips in the process and have some thoughts on them #kiss kiss goodnight i should try sleep but the brain is a fun little organ and i process thoughts best verbally (or over text #same thing)

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theyreonlynoodlesmike · 3 years

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Dreams of Sunlight (Poly!Lost Boys x Reader, Paul-Centric)

Warnings: mentions of gore/bloodlust, tooth rotting fluff, conflicted emotions, yearning, slight angst

Word Count: 1k

May turn this into a series, may not :)

Paul hadn't felt the sun in over eighty years. It was soft and warm, like the lap he had his head in. Your lap, to be precise. You were petting his hair, running your hands through his long locks. Scraping your nails gently against his scalp in the way he always liked. It made him hum, and he peaked open his eyes to gaze up at you.

Paul never thought he'd miss the sun. But the way your face looked in the light? How it practically made your skin glow? How beautiful he thought it made you look? Perhaps he had been missing something after all these years.

You smiled down at him, and a gush of warmth ran through his chest. He smiled back, letting his eyes drift closed as you stroked his face. He reached up, holding your hand to his cheek. Your skin was soft and warm, just like the sunlight casting down on his face. He turned his face to brush his nose against your wrist, trying to inhale the scent he'd memorized. It was only in these moments that he could place it. It was there, but it wasn't quite as strong. It was faint, barely there. He realized then that he couldn't hear the rush of your heartbeat, practically feel the drum under your skin.

He opened his eyes and looked up at you again. Glanced around for a moment. He was confused, but it only took him a second to realize what he should've realized immediately. He wasn't a vampire.

When Paul awoke, he let go of the pipe on instinct. He fell, but he caught himself. He hovered in the air, having stopped himself from face planting right onto the floor. He turned slowly, running a hand over his forehead and thinking about his dream.

He'd been having similar dreams for weeks. He didn't know who you were, and he always forgot exactly what your face looked like when he woke up. But he knew two things for sure.

He always dreamt that he was human, and he always dreamt that he was happy. It was a break from the things that usually plagued their dreams. Dreams of carnage and gore, of the blood-lust that would flare up the second they opened their eyes. The ever insistent need to satisfy their thirst, even if it only lasted as long as their meals did. These dreams were different, but they worried him far more than any of the others.

Paul wasn't surprised when he saw that Marko wasn't there. He was always up early, even before the dreams started. The second the sun fell behind the horizon, the curly haired blonde was awake. Paul left their little sub-cave, flying out to the main room and dropping to the ground.

It was quiet in the cave. There wasn't any music playing, and the only sounds were the flutter from the pigeons, the echoing of the waves hitting the beach, and the slow, steady breathing of the two half vampires. There were a few barrels lit, illuminating the cave bright enough for when Star and Laddie would awake, but Paul wasn't looking for them.

His eyes quickly found the other vampire. He saw him sitting on the couch, a notepad in hand. Marko only glanced up for a second, and Paul asked,

"The dreams?" Even if Paul already knew the answer. The blonde sat besides him, peering at the notepad in his hands. Marko had been trying to sketch you. Trying to remember your likeness. But it was difficult, especially when the dreams didn't allow them to remember much.

They never had the same dream. Paul watched as Marko drew a night sky, how the cliffs quickly came into view. He watched the scene unfold in front of him, even if Marko was grasping for straws when it came to the previously clear images from his dream. Paul stared at it, and Marko finally said,

"We were walking by the cliffs. I didn't wake up until I went to fly." He muttered, and Paul hummed, but he didn't press. He didn't want to. Paul was unusually quiet when it came to this. At first, the boys rarely discussed them. Rarely discussed what they assumed they all must've been experiencing, for fear that perhaps it wasn't universal. It wasn't until Paul had finally broke that they realized it was the same. In each of their dreams, they were human. And, for Paul, it was getting harder and harder to notice the difference between dreams and reality.

The cave was warm because of the summer heat, but the beach would cool fast. Paul reached up to touch his cheek. He hadn't even realized that he remembered what the sun felt like, and he felt stupid for not realizing the dream immediately.

"What happened in yours?" Marko asked, and Paul bit his lip. He was surprisingly reluctant to share. Markos eyes had left the page, moving to the taller blonde besides him. Paul glanced over at the other blonde, before brushing his hair out of his face.

"We were having a picnic, I think." Paul paused for a moment. If he closed his eyes, maybe he could remember the feeling of the sun on his face. Or the sun on your face. But, he didn't. He looked at the other blonde and said, "I woke up when I realized I couldn't hear their heartbeat." And Marko hummed back, returning his eyes to the notepad in front of him. He went back to his drawing, trying to capture the memories before they faded. Paul, on the other hand, let them slip away like wisps of smoke.

He wouldn't tell them about the time he spent in the sun, or how it was getting harder and harder for him to tell. He wouldn't tell them that the dreams didn't scare him anymore. That perhaps they were nice. Perhaps he preferred them. And he wouldn't tell them that perhaps he didn't mind being human. At least, in his dreams.

#the lost boys #the lost boys 1987 #the lost boys paul #paul the lost boys #the lost boys x reader #poly!lost boys

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wypapichulo · 3 years

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𝟕 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬.

pairing ; lee donghyuck x reader genre ; fluff, very very slight angst / high school au word count ; 5010 words warnings ; some explicit language? the use of the word 'shit' a few times? playlist ; dive into you – nct dream | walk you home – nct dream | best friend – rex orange county | anti-romantic – txt | can't take my eyes off you – frankie valli | backyard boy – claire rosinkranz author's note ; i hope the ending doesn't sound too rushed,, aah i just lost the vibe and wanted to get it done ;,, i hope it's alright🚶 dt ; @matchaeee <3

Making someone you don't know fall for you would have been easier. Making your best friend fall in love with you? A little bit more of a hassle But not unless they've been in love with you from the start.

“I can make her fall in love with me in 7 days”

Haechan had said this whilst he was sitting on the sidewalk in front of the small convenience store beside an exasperated looking Jeno. “Hyuck, I’m pretty sure you can’t.”, “No I’m confident!” He continued, sipping his carbonated drink and cutting Jeno off as he spoke, “Look– I know her inside and out, I’m sure I know just the right tricks to make her fall for me!”

Jeno sighed slightly, knowing it was no use to force Haechan to listen to him. “You shouldn’t play with feelings like this…” He started, taking a sip of his own soda, “Can’t you just tell her you like her like a normal person–“, “you’re seriously no fun.” Jeno deadpanned at the statement, hand ready to reach for the brunets to pull his fingers back, “I just wanna see if she really likes me back for real!” he said, hands fidgeting with the rim of the soda can, “I don’t know, what if she doesn’t like me and rejects me when I ask her!”

“So the only logical way to fix that is by ‘making her fall in love with you in seven days’?!” Jeno exclaimed, nearly in tears at his own friend’s stupidity. Haechan grinned, “well if she doesn’t like me yet, she’ll definitely like me by the end of this.”

“I’m going to forget about him in the next 7 days.”

Renjun looked up in surprise at the girl’s statement, never having thought of the day she’d finally say it.

“You won’t.” He stated simply, continuing to sketch the tree outside the window of her room. She whined slightly, turning her attention to the boy in her room, “and what makes you say that?”

“You said that two years ago.”, “I was younger then!”, “Sure you were.”

She groaned, falling back on her bed with a thud, “I need to try… this one-sided shit is getting to me…”

Turning to look at the heap of sadness on the bed, Renjun sighed quietly. “I definitely won’t question you if you tell me you’re still in love with him by the end of it.”

“I’m only trying right?”

DAY 1

“How you doin’ gorgeous~”

To say she was shocked was an understatement. What?

“What do you want Hyuck.” She asked with a deadpan, staring down at the blank page of her notebook. Her plan was to study but it seemed as if the man duped as her best friend had other ideas. “I don’t want anything! Can’t I say nice things about you?” He said, taking the seat across from her.

The library was quiet, save for the few students chattering mutedly by the computers. The whole day Haechan had been fine– normal, so to speak… He sat next to her as usual during lunch–as they barely shared any classes this school year–and joked around for a bit, he stole the milk that she had painstakingly waited behind a line of first years to buy, giving her a presumably empty promise that he’d buy her another one… but then he came in the library and said that?

“You’ve never called me that before,” she scoffed, “and if you have, I’d remember.”

Of course she would. Somehow every compliment he had given her always stuck in her mind, even the few ingenuine ones that came out as jokes. The time he called her quick witted when she replied to one of his jokes, the time he said she was pretty good at math’s when she had explained to him how to find an axis… And of course there was the time he had exclaimed how she was prettier than the girl she had been talking shit about… not one of her best feats but... it was something.

So to have him call her gorgeous, even if it was just as a passing nickname… it was something that made her cheeks burn when she remembered his exact wording of the sentence.

“Well that doesn’t matter does it?” he said, leaning over the table to read through the same passage as she had been going through for the last hour, trying to fit anything and everything in her head. “Are you having trouble with anything?”

“Nothing you can help me with.” She scoffed, turning a page. “Aw, come on, don’t say that!” he laughed aloud, earning him an abundance of shushes from the few students scattered around the area. “I’m sure I, with my great expertise, can help you in some way with–“ he looked down at the chapter’s name, “intercontinental… exchange… what the hell is this–“

She laughed lightly at his confusion, “It’s economics,” she smiled, making his heart race with anticipation for some unknown reason, “you won’t get it.”

“Well maybe if you taught me, I’d understand.” He chuckled softly, sitting properly once more and sighing as he stared at the soft curve of her lips. She blushed lightly, realizing the direction of his eyes and looking back down to her book.

Barely the first day and she was already smitten once more with him… she wondered if she’d ever manage to escape from the trap that was Lee Donghyuck.

DAY 2

Closing her locker up, she nearly went into cardiac arrest as she saw none other than Haechan leaning on the locker right beside hers.

“Donghyuck! You almost gave me a heart attack!” she exclaimed, heart pounding at a thousand beats per second… or not– maybe she was just exaggerating…

He smirked, an image that had always and forever will be engraved into the crevices of her mind. “I hope that’s a good thing?”

She merely rolled her eyes at him, shoving her textbook into her backpack. “no.” she stated with a deadpan, turning to walk away. “Wait uppp!” he whined, following along behind the exasperated girl. If Jeno was tired of him, then she was something else entirely. How she managed to keep up with the outgoing boy was a mystery even to herself.

“Are you busy this weekend?” he asked as he caught up with her and took long steps to follow along with her short quick paces, “I was thinking maybe we could go to that new café that just opened– you know, the library one?”

She kept on walking, but her pace slowed significantly. A small tell to her interest in the subject. He smiled.

“You don’t even like reading much.” She said with a chuckle, “why’d you wanna go there?” She asked softly glancing up at him. “Well… you like reading… so–“ he shrugged slightly “–I thought you’d enjoy it…”

See this was the thing about him. Whenever she had made a commitment to stop thinking about him–leave her feelings for him in the dust–he’d always come back strong, making her feel as if he never wanted her to stop liking him. But what could she do? It seemed as if he never had the slightest interest in being anything other than friends.

She smiled softly, sighing as she opened her mouth to give out a small, “alright.” As her answer to his invitation.

“Great! It’s a date!”

The four words stopped her in her tracks between the horde of students walking to and from to get to their classes.

He only grinned, turning to face her as he walked backwards. “I’ll see you after class!”

She was frozen in place it seemed. Blinking as she watched the retreating back of the boy who had… just asked her out?

Again, confusion had begun to settle in. Was this ‘date’ meant to be a romantic date? Or just– one where they hung out as friends and had coffee?

In her confusion, she had forgotten to ask him about the exact day of which their little ‘date’ was supposed to be on… but she was sure he’d text her everything she needed to know about it, right down to the dress code.

Retracing her thoughts, maybe she was wrong… this might have been the first time he’d ever shown any interest in being anything more than friends… And to be quite honest, it may or may not have scared her…

What would she do if it turned out he really had feelings for her…? DAY 3

“I thought you said you were going to stop liking him.”

She had found Renjun in the art room as per usual, painting away at whatever his heart had decided to explore. The golden particles drifted in from the late afternoon sun as she had just finished up her own after school activity. “I want to… But he’s making it so hard!” she exclaimed, sitting on a table to the side at the back of the room.

Renjun was somehow her only sane friend, and even so, he preferred to stay out of her messy love life with the undeniably annoying Haechan. Not to mention that he couldn’t even talk to Haechan without bursting a nerve. “I don’t understand how you don’t see how annoying the boy is.” He said nonchalantly as he continued to mix and match an array of greens to the trees he had started on. “Just thinking of that should be enough to stir you away from him.”

Sighing in aggravation to her situation, she sticked out her tongue at the back of his head. “I saw that.” He stated, barely even looking up from his canvas. “’course you did…” she grumbled lowly, pouting and looking out of the window.

“That’s just the thing…” she started, her tone soft and her eyes unfocused, “he’s not… annoying…”

Renjun scoffed aloud, nearly keeling over in laughter. “Are you sure about that?” He said in between his dying giggles, turning to finally look at the girl who was now looking at him with an unamused look. “Shut up– you know what I mean!” she cried out in annoyance. He made a face, turning back to his painting and continuing to work on the piece. “Really, when you get to know him– he’s more than that!” she tilted her head back to rest on the cool wall of the classroom.

“Today he actually got me the milk I wanted…” she muttered softly, “It’s not much of course… but…”

“You said the other day that you had to wait a long time to get the milk cause of those underclassmen, so– y’know– I got it for you.”

“But it’s enough for you to stay deeply in love with him isn’t it.” Renjun sighed, knowing that she would start yelling as soon as the thought sunk in her head.

To his surprise, she didn’t. She simply sat in thought in the back of the class, watching as Renjun shrugged and continued with his painting. She mulled it over, what he said, and came to the personal conclusion that he in fact was right. It was no use in fighting the feeling. She really did care for him… a little afraid to say love– but she cared for him immensely nonetheless.

She got off the table and walked towards where Renjun sat with his canvas and patted his shoulder lightly.

“Thanks Renjunnie.”

“I told you not to call me that… makes me sound like a child...” He murmured, rolling his eyes before continuing, “what are you even thanking me for anyways? I didn’t do anything. The feelings were there the whole time.”

Her lips turned up slightly, and she hummed softly before walking towards the door.

“You did more than you think.” She said, turning to look at him once more as she opened the door. He merely looked at her in puzzlement, not understanding just how he had helped her in her quest of love. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow!”

“Yeah… see you…” he muttered quietly, his eyebrows still furrowed in confusion, before shaking his head as the door fell shut.

“Why are all my friends so weird…”

DAY 4

The living room of her house was spacious.

Very much so that she wondered why it felt as if she couldn’t even get a distance away from the clingy boy.

Haechan had come over to help her with some of her class work she was struggling with, and truly, she couldn’t thank him enough for the help… but why did he have to sit so close to her?

He had been reading a passage out to her from the book, shoulders brushing ever so slightly against one another, causing her cheeks to flare with heat. Every single move he made seemed to make her tense up all the more.

She was never like this! Each time they had studied together, even as much as she liked him, it never caused her to blush or fidget as much as she was doing now.

Maybe it was the effect of realizing that he might like her after all… The last three days were such an improvement in that area of their relationship that it made her wonder if he actually had liked her all along and just decided to showcase it all now.

“And that’s why the tectonic pressure in this area is much larger than here.” He explained– arm stretching slightly over her to point at an image on the book. For some unknown reason, she had held her breath ever so slightly as to maybe become stone in the next few seconds. He turned to look at her– their faces not too far from one another, and it was like time had stopped right in that moment, just to make her realize how much trouble she was in by falling for this forsaken boy. She could feel her face redden to the deep color of the roses on the front porch of her house, and suddenly, all she wanted to do was melt into a puddle right there and then.

Oddly enough, he seemed to be reactionless. It was as if the proximity of their faces had absolutely no effect on his own heart, bringing up the question in her mind once more whether he actually held any feelings for her other than the simple platonic ones.

“You weren’t paying attention were you?”

Her eyebrows raised to her hairline, quite literally, at the accusing statement he had thrown upon her. “I– Hey! I was listening!”

Suddenly every single feeling of embarrassment left her body as she pushed him playfully, as a means to get away from him as well. He yelped aloud, his back hitting the couch. “You weren’t!” he called out, a smile beginning to grow on the edges of his lips, “I can tell when you’re listening and when you’re not! And here, you were clearly not!”

She laughed loudly, throwing her head back as she did so. It had been ages since she had laughed so freely, and Haechan soaked up every single moment of it. His smile softened as he watched she tips of her eyes crinkle up and turn into crescents– the sound of her laughter as melodious as his own favorite song. In the moment, he wished so dearly he could just reach over and kiss her face all over, his heard filling up with affection he wished to shower her with.

Her laughter died down and she simply turned to look at him with a look in her eyes that he couldn’t quite place. “I really haven’t laughed that much in a while…” she said softly, watching as he nodded in listening. “I can tell.”

She giggled lightly once more. “Should we go back to studying?” she asked, a teasing smile gracing her features, to which he merely scoffed and laughed at.

“Only if you’ll listen properly this time.”

Another 3 days to go. If he was able to successfully make her fall for him, he’d be able to do all he wanted and more. DAY 5

So maybe accepting a walk home from the person you’re trying to forget about isn’t the best strategy to go with… but– in defense, Haechan had been more the one to tag along home, rather than ask her if she wanted anyone to walk her.

She had gotten used to it… but with the antics of the past week and the upcoming date on the Sunday (Yes he had given her all the information the night before. Yes he sent her every available picture there was of the place. Yes he was very excited and honestly, so was she.), who wouldn’t?

As Saturday was a day where she and the rest of the ’00 liners’–as they all preferred to call themselves (though their whole school year was the ’00 line’ so honestly that nickname was rather stupid)–usually had a game night at either Jeno or Jaemin’s house, both she and Haechan had settled on going to the cute little library-esque café on the Sunday.

The whole way home, Haechan couldn’t help but stare softly as she recounted the events of the day. Again, being in different classes had its perks, as there was always something new to tell each other about.

Every step he took felt heavier. He knew they both were getting closer to her house– every time he saw a bench on the side of the street his instinct would tell him to sit down with her and just talk for longer, wanting to keep all her minutes for himself selfishly.

“So that’s why she was kicked out of the class today– I honestly can’t believe she had the nerve to pull that off!” laughing slightly, she turned to face Haechan, “I’m sure you’d do some stupid shit like that too.”

Haechan snapped out of his short daze if not to cry out words of denial, causing her to laugh even louder at his insistence that he would not blend and eat drink his homework just to get extra time on a project.

“After all, I’m not stupid– I don’t need extra project time since I’m just that smart!” He huffed, glancing to the girl beside him to see if he had gauged a reaction out of her. To his delight, she laughed once more, letting him relish in her melodic laughter. “you’re really full of yourself you know?”

This erupted another fit of laughter and denial to spurt from the two, pitter patting home for the day. “I’m not full of myself! I’m just confident!”, “same difference, Hyuck.” She said between breaths as her laughter finally died down.

He merely huffed and pouted– turning to the side and glancing at her a few times to gain her remorse for her mean words ; it clearly didn’t work as all she did was giggle softly and shook her head.

The brush of the back of their hands made his heart pound faster. He glanced down to look and there it was, the soft hand he wanted to hold in his so much. He looked back up in a panic– noticing that they were getting closer to her house.

Unknown to him, her heart was just as heavy at the thought of having to part with him for the day. Though she knew tomorrow would be another day that would definitely be spent with him, it made her sorrowful to think of the fact that they’d have to be apart for the night. Cheesy as it may seem.

As they stood in front of the pathway up to her front door, he debated internally on whether or not he should do what he wanted to do or not, his head spinning at the thought of her maybe thinking he was an idiot for what he was about to do. She smiled up at him, a silent goodbye being exchanged between them, before turning around to walk up the pavement to her house.

“(Y/N)!”

Her feet stopped, and in turn, so did her heart. In a good way, of course, but it stopped nonetheless. She stayed silent for a moment before turning to face the brunet once more. “Yeah?” she asked quietly, a soft smile present on her features.

His mouth dried up. He had nothing to say– stupid! Why did he stop her like that then?

“I– Uh…” he faltered in his words; eyes still stuck on her face. Lips, to be specific.

She tilted her head slightly in question, wondering what was going through that enigma of a mind everyone called Haechan. “Hyuck?”

He smiled and shook his head, opting to grin at her like the idiot in love he was. “Until we meet again tomorrow~” he said in a mock posh accent which made her giggle lightly behind her hand. She merely shook her head and turned once more, walking up to her front door and opening it slowly, turning to give him one last smile before she closed the door.

There he stood like a lovestruck fool in the middle of her driveway as he watched her back turn as she finally walked into the house.

“I wish I had the courage to give you that hug…” DAY 6

Jeno’s house was the choice of the week, Haechan and Jaemin having pestered him into agreement over where they’d all be bundling into for the afternoon.

“I really don’t see why it should have to be my house!” Jeno whined as he stepped into the living room with snacks in hand, “It was already my house last week! It should be nana’s this week…” he trailed off, grumbling as he stepped over the legs of a serious Haechan and sat between the sole girl in their group and Jaemin on the floor. Jaemin laughed aloud, “you have the comfiest sofa!” he hollered out, earning him a kick from Renjun, who’s legs he was sitting in between.

“You’re not even sitting on the sofa,” Renjun retaliated for Jeno, cutting him some slack, “you’re leaning on my legs.”

“Well they sure are comfy if that’s what you’re implying.” Jaemin said, pressing at the buttons erratically as he flurried to beat Haechan at what seemed to be a simple game of mario kart. Hey, anything to beat Haechan right?

“DAMN!” Haechan yelled, causing the girl seated beside him to jump slightly in her seat. Jaemin only laughed, leaning his head up to look at an unimpressed Renjun.

“Hyuck give me the controller, I’m gonna beat Jaemin.” Renjun said with some form of courage to beat the one and only Nana. “Sure you are,” he said, standing up and handing the controller over to Renjun. “Anymore soda anyone?” he asked, stepping to the side to head over to the kitchen. “I’ll have a soda!”, “alrighty! One soda coming right up!” Haechan called out, turning right out to the kitchen.

“I’m gonna run out of sodas at the rate you’re drinking them…” Jeno murmured to her softly, a giggle erupting out of her lips, “fine then– I’ll have a cup of tea instead, ‘s that better?” she asked softly, smiling at the black-haired boy beside her. Jeno smiled back, his eyes disappearing behind his perfect crescents, “I’ll go get you some then.” He said, standing up from his seat to get her some tea.

Walking into the kitchen, he tutted lightly as he found Haechan going through his fridge. “And what if my mom was the one who had walked in?” Jeno stated with a deadpan, rolling his eyes at the idiotic grin his friend gave him. “First off– she’s not home. Second off– your mom loves me!” Haechan exclaimed, closing the fridge behind him after finding nothing of his interest. He picked up the sodas on the counter– before Jeno stopped him. “She changed her mind on the sodas, said she’d have tea instead.” He explained, moving to the cabinets to take out some tea to brew for her, to which Haechan simply hummed in understanding before cracking one of the soda cans open and sipping it.

“So…” Jeno started, turning to face him as he leaned on the counter behind him, “how’s the love quest?” He queried, wondering about his best friends own pursuit of love. “Is she ‘in love’ with you yet?”

Haechan shrugged slightly, “I sure hope she is… if not then I’m not sure what I’m gonna do tomorrow…”

“Why… What’s tomorrow?” Jeno questioned again, tilting his head in confusion. In Haechan’s mind… he looked rather like a lost puppy…

“Date.” The only word that came out of Haechan’s mouth as he stared with a smirk on his face to the boy standing opposite him.

Jeno’s eyes widened significantly, “Date? You mean you asked her out successfully?”

Haechan grinned, “Of course I did!”, he boasted smugly, “only a fool wouldn’t be able to make her fall in love! Especially with the shitty dudes she’s liked before.”

Jeno looked up in glee, “then– after that– my days of hell are over! I won’t have to listen to your lamenting again!” He whined when Jeno exclaimed that, shaking his head, “I wasn’t lamenting, you were the one who complained about my topic of conversation–“ he paused, rolling his eyes at the grinning puppy-like boy.

“Alright fine maybe I was,” he agreed begrudgingly, “But hey! I managed to make her fall in love with me AND score a date in 7 days! My lamenting wasn’t for nothing after all!”

Their shared laughter was cut short by the sound of the slamming of the front door and the cries of both Renjun and Jaemin. Haechan looked up worriedly at Jeno, who in turn gestured him to the kitchen exit.

“what’s wrong?” Haechan asked once he reached by the front door beside the other two boys. “You!” Renjun seethed, turning to glare at the brunet, “She was already trying to forget about you and now you play with her feelings like this!”

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Haechan scoffed, “I never played her like shit! I was always honest!”, “Then tell me what this stupid 7 day bet is all about!” Renjun yelled in his face, angry for his best friend who had muffled out in tears the short reason she was leaving so early.

“Bet?” he questioned, truly confused as to the entirety of the situation, “what fucking bet?”

Renjun rolled his eyes, “Don’t play stupid Donghyuck. You were talking to Jeno about some 7 day bet to get her to like you or something–”, “wait, this is all wrong!” Jeno exclaimed, “We never made a bet! Hyuck wanted to confess to her at the end of the week, and that’s why the whole week he had been making proper advances to her…”

The room stilled as the clarity of the situation which was misunderstood settled into their heads.

“I need to talk to (Y/N).” DAY 7

Checking her phone, she grumbled slightly, rereading the message that Haechan had sent to her the evening prior, or rather, spammed her endlessly.

hyuck ♡ : please come tomorrow.

hyuck ♡ : i really really have to talk to you about this :((

hyuck ♡ : please please please

hyuck ♡ : I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t come :(((

hyuck ♡ : please? At least consider it?

Sighing quietly as she scrolled through the abundance of messages of theirs from previous sleepless nights, she jumped when she heard the call of the voice she had cried herself to sleep over the night before. Oh his treacherous voice, hurting her feelings like that with the words that came out of his wretched mouth yesterday.

“(Y/N)!” he said, jogging up to her with a grin spread on his face, almost as if yesterday had been a dream and she had simply hallucinated the entire event. But she knew better than to believe him that fast.

Giving him a curt nod, she spoke up before anything could leave his mouth– “Tell me, Donghyuck, what happened yesterday?” she started, face hard with the cut still deep in her heart. His smile faltered, realizing just how much his words had hurt her feelings the day before.

“Do you take my feelings as a joke?” she asked again, looking to her feet in fear of her eyes betraying her and leaving tear stains across her cheeks, “because if you do then i–“

“No!” he cut, knowing that if he let this go on for longer it would only hurt her more, “No, I’d never!”

She was quiet, listening to the sound of his ragged breathing, almost as if the quietness would let her hear the sound of his heartbeat.

“Then what… what…”

He sighed softly, “I was… scared.”

Looking up, she was met with the troubled face of the person she once thought to be the largest of mysteries. “I didn’t want to be faced with rejection, I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you, as a friend or as…” he cleared his throat slightly, turning to the side, “as something more.”

The tension was thick, the street around them continuing on its route of life whilst they both stood in their own quiet bubble. Her eyes softened at his statement, the pieces of the puzzle which was Haechan starting to become clearer by every word.

“And you thought the most logical way to go, was to ‘make me fall in love with you in seven days’? come on Hyuck we’re not in some stupid romance movie–“, Haechan’s whine cut her voice short, “You sound just like Jeno now!” he cried, making her laugh softly, before stepping forward to take his hand in hers.

He looked down at their intertwined hands and looked right back up at her questioningly. “what…”

“If you liked me, you really should have just said so…” she muttered softly, shaking her head with a slight giggle, “If you did, it definitely would have saved us 7 days.”

He grinned widely, “so this… makes us boyfriend and girlfriend now, right?” he asked, grin turning into a teasing smirk on his face, making the girl before him scoff and laugh.

“We’ll see in 7 days.”

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