#siobhan’s little heart went cold

[all-about-the-tea-parties]

Siobhan: this isn’t the season for crying, look elsewhere

Me, a girl with romantic prank related trauma, sucker punched by the way her smile fell when she found out that Oisín liking Adaine was a lie: w-what????

#excuse me miss Thompson???? #a guy pretending to like a girl as a way to get something he wants??? #isn’t tear worthy???? #YOU WERE DISAPPOINTED #I SAW IT #they filmed that promo stuff after the season #siobhan’s little heart went cold #dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #fantasy high #d20 fhjy #d20 #fhjy #dimension 20 fhjy #fhjy spoilers

[mrsbsmooth]

So I saw that @cycat-carisi did a short fic where we got the return of Ozzy the way the girlies deserved. And I know, I know, Lewie stayed single. But I kiiiindaaa wanted to do one for him anyway because I missed him so here you go: a random quick fuckabout of what Lewie should've done.

EVERY MINUTE

Lewie/MC - 1000+ words - Teen and Up

(Or read on Ao3)

Lewie breathed a sigh of relief as Bella walked in. 

Single. 

A quick speech, something about not feeling a spark, and Bella was at his side again, squeezing him gently around the middle as they took their seats next to Grace, Ozzy, Amelia, Marshall, Roberto and Flo. 

“Thanks for sticking,” he whispered.

“Not gonna watch my best mate in here go home,” she whispered back. “Especially–”

Her cheeks twitched in a smirk, and she rolled her lips together, silencing herself.

Especially what?

But he couldn’t get Bella’s attention. She glanced over at Flo and Ivy, furrowing her brow as she quickly went to greet them.

It was weird. Based on the ceremony so far, he was surprised that Amelia and Roberto hadn’t gone last. Ozzy having an identical twin, and Amelia bringing him back to the villa? Surely that was a bigger bombshell than Elliot bringing Ivy back. Even the Hamish explosion was bigger news than Elliot and Ivy. 

Ever since Siobhan had gone home, Elliot was single. He was free to crack on as much as he wanted, and he definitely hadn’t wasted that opportunity. Siobhan’s side of the bed hadn’t even been cold before he’d invited Ivy into it. 

Lewie’s heart sank as he thought about it, but he seemed to be the only one. Each of the girls had beamed when they walked in, looking thrilled and happy to be returning to their original guy, or hand in hand with someone new. It was a lovely atmosphere, actually, especially Elliot and Ivy, who seemed from the very first day to have just clicked. Kind of like how Lewie had with Siobhan. Everyone was looking for a connection in here, and Elliot seemed to have found it with Ivy.

Good for him, I guess.

Maya, the host, instructed Elliot to stand, and he did so, helping Ivy to her feet with care.

“Elliot, you decided to twist. Why is that?”

Elliot smiled warmly at her. “Ivy is an absolute worldie, of course. She checks a lot of my boxes, and luckily, she tells me I check quite a few of hers. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to meet her.”

He turned back to Maya, who smiled and nodded. Her eyes flickered to Lewie, before asking Elliot yet another question.

“And you don’t miss Siobhan?”

Elliot’s face fell, and he also glanced at Lewie, frowning as he responded.

“Of course I miss her, she was a real presence in the villa. I think everyone will miss her. I do… regret… that I might’ve gotten in the way of Lewie spending one last day with her, though. It seemed like they had something really special. And in hindsight, yeah… I feel bad that I got in the way of that.”

Lewie shot him a sad smile, nodding his acknowledgement of the half-apology.

“Lewie, how do you feel about that?” Maya asked. 

He shrugged. “I can’t really blame him for shooting his shot. Siobhan was… something else.”

“Do you regret not following her out?”

He breathed a heavy sigh. 

That question had plagued him for days. From about five minutes after she’d left the villa, he’d been wrestling with it. He would’ve left Bella at risk. He didn’t even know if that was what Siobhan would’ve wanted. It was a lot of pressure to put on a new relationship, and they never could’ve guaranteed it would work out. 

But he knew his answer. 

“Every minute of every fucking day.”

Bella’s eyes widened at hearing him swear, and the other girls giggled, glancing between themselves. He furrowed his brow at them, a little annoyed at the fact they seemed to find it funny. 

“Do you think she knows that?” Maya asked. 

“I hope so,” he responded. “I’m hoping she won’t be upset that I didn’t.”

“Well, why don’t you just ask her?”

The door of the villa swung open, and Lewie’s stomach flipped.

No way.

He was on his feet before he even saw her, his heart racing as he tried to get a better look. It couldn’t be, it had to be a prank. There was no way.

But suddenly, there she was. In a skin-tight black dress, her long hair loose around her shoulders. 

She was there. 

She was back. 

And suddenly, he was moving.

He vaguely recalled pushing Elliot out of his way, tripping over himself as he damn near vaulted the firepit. He was across the lawn before he could think, up the stairs before he took a breath, his arms around her, his lips on hers, falling back through the doorway before he could even figure out if she’d brought someone with her or not. 

She whimpered as she threw her arms around his neck, grasping handfuls of his hair as she pulled him closer. He did the same; one hand in her hair, one on her lower back, holding her against him. It still wasn’t close enough. Tongues, lips, desperate hands, grabbing and pulling at each other as he pushed her up against the wall. He was struggling to hold back, and he could feel she was too, pulling him against her with a chorus of tiny, frantic moans.

He could vaguely hear raucous laughter from the firepit outside, but he didn’t care; they could make fun of him as much as they liked. He knew what he wanted, and it was right here in his arms– where she fucking belonged.

He broke apart from her for only a moment, taking a deep breath.

“If you leave again, I’m going with you,” he gasped. “I need you to know that.”

“I know, babe, I know,” she said, her breath heavy. “And I’m not going anywhere without you either. I promise.”

He brought his lips back to hers, kissing her deeply, and he could feel her smiling into the kiss. He couldn’t help but smile back, stroking his thumb over her cheek, as he felt his body start to relax once more. He’d realised while she was away that his body was wound tighter when he was away from her. He slept rough, he felt worse, and the days didn’t seem as bright.

As he kissed her over and over, he ran his hands over the patches of her bare skin that always drove him wild.

He loved everything about her.

He loved how he felt with her.

He–

He paused for a second, smiling into the kiss once more.

Maybe he’d save that one for later. 

#litg lewie #litg fanfic #litg ff #litg s6 #litg fix it #litg dt #litg double trouble #litg season 6

[whatwouldvalerydo]

🔥Carnage Circus - part 16/? - Late night show

When Akira is faced with the loss of Talia, only one thing can happen: disaster.

Tag list: @hogwartsmysteryho @that-scouse-wizard @kc-and-co @lifeofkaze @samshogwarts @the-al-chemist @cursebreakerfarrier

TW: blood, Akira being his ruthless cold-hearted self.

Inside the main tent music played, lights illuminating the now abandoned terrain. Sitting on chairs in a perfect circle, Akira’s crew all looked at each other, unable to utter a word as darkness circled them, thick and threatening, edging closer if one dared to even take a deeper breath.

Relying on his cane, Akira stepped inside the arena “So glad you could all join me.” Several people stirred, the lights coming on brighter, them screwing their eyes shut “Tonight has been festive, filled will several events that I would so like to dissect with you.” Pushing with his free hand a cart, the clatter of several utensils made their stomachs churn.

Sitting in the middle of them, he took off the cloth concealing the torture devices, lights fading slightly. Taking a seat on the ground, he groaned, pain shooting up his leg “I have a theory and I need your help since we are all such a tight knit group.” Taking a scalpel and some pliers, Akira began digging inside his leg for the bullet left behind, eyes lifting to look at Siobhan.

She stirred in her chair, looking away “Oh no, why shy away? You are my second in command after all. Tell me, why did you tell Oliver he promised you something? Were you the one behind this entire charade?”

“I didn’t do anything you son of a bitch, I tried to stop whatever was happening.”

Akira chuckled, low, reverberating through his chest and the sound of his sick filled laughter felt like it was drumming against her ears “What did he promised you?”

Taking out a knife from his cart, he looked at her, eyes devoid of any emotions “To help free us all.”

“Right.” Akira clicked his tongue “As if I was not aware that was something I needed to do. In case you forgot, in order to break my curse and be free, I need to also free you all, YET” he shouted Siobhan flinching “you all decided to play this little game so we are now here, last curtain call.”

Turning to look at Reuben, Akira dug out the bullet throwing it at his feet “Now, tell me what did you think would happen? That you would be free and happy with your little puppet? I gave you power and I can just as easily take it away.” Getting up, he went and freed Leila’s hands, placing the medical devices in her palms “Come on dear, take it out.” He gestured to the bullet in his shoulder “You after all helped, tried to cause more pain, this should be easy for you.”

Her eyes widened, but the moment she tried to look at Reuben, Akira grabbed her face in a tight hold “Do it. Take it out. And if you look at him or squirm I will kill him right before your pretty fucking eyes.” Pushing her face away, Leila stared at him, a low hiss leaving her teeth, Akira glaring at her.

She did not hesitate, thrusting the pliers in his open wound, digging out the bullet, Akira gritting his teeth as he continued to watch her expression “Good girl.”

Getting up, he went to the cart, retrieving another set of items, releasing Selene and Ethel this time. He made Selene get up, offering her a threading needle and the same to Ethel “Do it, sew them up. And while you’re at it, we will talk. You never liked her to begin with.” He stared into Selene’s eyes “And hate can be a very powerful tool. But at the same time it wasn’t about her, oh no, you always hated being tied up to one place.” Looking at Ethel who was trying to sow his leg up, he smirked “Yet your friendship was the only good thing about this hell and you tried. You tried to keep it together.”

Going back in the middle of the circle, Akira looked at all of them “Have you fucking forgot we needed the key in order to escape? Have you all gone mad?” running a hand through his hair, the darkness crept up their bodies “But no matter, I actually don’t need any of you. You are all replaceable and then I can just rebuild. Start over.”

“You still need the key.”

Akira glanced over at Reuben, smirking “Yes, but also if I perish another will take over. And then it’s up to another mad man to go through a new curse, to try, to fail, to not be Oliver fucking Gerard. How did he after all that had been done manage to be free?”

“Because she loved him.” Selene uttered, pure defiance written on her face “Because he was good despite the curse. You made him lose it and you are the reason why you lost Talia.”

Throwing his head back Akira laughed and for their ears it was the most frightening thing they had ever heard. The air went cold, lights dying out inside the tent. An uplifting song started playing as a couple of clowns brought in Orion, Akira looking over at him as they threw him at his feet “Oh yes how could I forget about the most nonimportant piece yet the most crucial? You set the idea in her head, about rebellion, about beating the odds or whatever shit you spewed that night.”

Orion lifted his eyes, blood already painting his skin “You are trying so hard to go against fate, against what is already written. In that case go, go to her, stop being afraid. She cannot cause anymore harm. She’s free.”

Akira’s hand wrapped around Orion’s throat, pulling him to his height, breath against his ear as he whispered “Harm can always be caused when you love someone.” The fortune teller looked into Akira’s eyes, surprise setting over his features like a thick veil.

“Then try, bear your soul to her.”

Throwing him back to the ground Akira stepped away “What soul?” looking over at his minions he ordered “Take them to the Haunted House, I will deal with them later.”

Inside the hospital room, Talia opened her eyes, a shudder leaving her lips. Approaching her bed, detective Winger looked at her “You’re safe.”

“It hurts.” She managed to get out.

“I will call a nurse, the pain killers are probably wearing off.”

Taking hold of his hand, she stopped him “No. It feels like I lost a part of my soul.” Tears swelled up in her eyes, Talbott taking a seat next to her bed hushing her.

#carnage circus #circus au #horror mystery #akira crane #talia crane #reuben willows #leila hellebore #siobhan llewelyn #ethel hexley #selene fraser #orion amari

[dzmoot]

You know, there are some days when I wish I was in school believe it or not. Today was certainly one of them. Look, I like pizza as much as the next Tuun, but an entire planet made of it is enough to make someone lactose intolerant or perhaps develop celiac like my dad. Pizzaloron V had giant aluminum volcanoes that spit up sauce and cheesy mozzarella mountains that left grease on your hands after you touched them. It's a good thing Pizza Teddy didn't come with us, he'd want to bathe in the stuff!

Everyone started eating immediately upon arrival including myself. I really liked the rich tomato sauce that flowed down the river and washed up on the crusty shores, but when I went to try one of the mushrooms, it sprouted eyeballs and legs and croaked like a frog as it hobbled away. I wouldn't have been more shocked if you told me my halo had suddenly turned into a triangle.

Besides the mushrooms and some of the pepperonis, there weren't really any lifeforms on Pizzaloron, that was until we got a glimpse of a set of strings floating nearby on a wooden x. When we observed a little closer, we discovered a chef marionette who brandished a giant pizza slicer, the Great Brazzino.

He was sleeping upon our arrival and would have given us a tour had he not dozed off and his voice sounded like a toadstool stomping Italian plumber from Earth. I asked him why he was the only one on the planet and then he told us his sad backstory. Hundreds of years ago, Brazzino lived happily with his maker, a magical marionette maker named Pettogee who was also quite fond of cooking. One afternoon, Pettogee created a new dish, something like the universe had never seen before. He didn't know what to call it but he loved it so much, he had the entire planet covered in this new creation with a little help from the magical fairy that gave life to Brazzino. Pettogee and the fairy fell in love soon after and left the planet, leaving Brazzino behind. Some say, Pettogee and the fairy made their way to Earth, bringing their flatbread creation with them. When the Earth settlers at the time asked him what it was called, Pettogee called it "pizza" in honor of the planet from which it was created on. We all felt bad for Brazzino, but the creepy wooden dude wanted us to stay on Pizzaloron with him and eat pizza for the rest of time. Could you imagine what we'd all look like if he ate pizza forever?! Zappy got nauseous just thinking about it. Brazzino didn't have to worry about it considering he was made of wood!

When we told him we were on vacation and that we had plenty of other planets in the universe to explore with their own signature foods, he got ticked off and entangled us all in his strings. He said that if we didn't stay and eat pizza with him, he would cut our heads off and use them as pizza toppings! I said I wouldn't taste very good since my mother said I was spoiled. He didn't care, he chased us all over the place, past an array of anchovy bushes, pineapple pillars and ricotta boulders. I tried to turned his head into a coffee table, but only chipped his nose ever so slightly. Inside a stromboli cave, he cornered us. Then, with one swoop of his slicer, he cut all our heads off and baked them into his pizza. THE END!

Nah, that didn't happen. Siobhan gave him a peace offering, some of her chewing gum that levitates you off the ground when you blow a bubble. Having tasted nothing but pizza all his life, he was astonished by the taste of the gum. I would dare say, he was obsessed. He entered a trance like state and floated so high off the ground, we thought he would get cooked by the sun. Lesson for the day. There's nothing wrong with pizza once in a while but eating it every day of your life, you might end up like Brazzino, a stuff crusted obsessed mozzarella maniac with a heart as cold as the pepperoni he worships. Hopefully, there's no planet in the universe made of tacos with a sombrero wearing marionette!

[miss-kittys-magical-library]

The Ides of March

(A Darren Treacy x Jeanie Turner Mini-Series)

Chapter 1 - Come On Eileen

Word Count: 1125

Warnings: pure smut, language, alcohol use, canon divergent completely, **no spoilers**

A/N: On Saint Patrick's Day, Darren and Jeanie start receiving ominous, cryptic text messages claiming to be from the future. Play the game; save Darren. Jeanie's rules are simple enough: If Dazz can catch her out in Dublin, he can have her any way and anywhere he wants. So how did a night of wild sex and whiskey lead to murder?

Prolouge 

“We’ll play a game,” Jeanie had texted Darren.

“I know how this ends. I like both of my feet, and I've already lost a lung.”

“Funny! Come and find me out in Dublin. If you catch me, you can fuck me.”

“Like I won't be fucking ye already? Just enjoy the night, meet me at the pub. 3am”

Jeanie read Darren's last message. The card burned in her purse. Keep him away from Nidge, whatever you do.

“You can fuck me in public. Wherever. However.”

A few minutes later as Jeanie passed a joint to Ewan, her phone buzzed between her tits. “Up the arse?”

“Dazz”

“Red.” Then. “Thought I’d give it a go. Can I have a hint?”

(Talk everyone into the Temple club. Get Darren there, maybe with Tommy & Siobhan. I'll take care of the rest.)

“It's 3 Stories. Looks like a church. I'll be inside. Catch me if you can.”

Out in the narrow alley between The Temple and the adjacent alley, Jeanie scrolled through her phone for a number. She stepped outside with Ewan to get some air, four shots and a whiskey with Coke deep. Her finger found what she wanted.

“Hey! It's Jeanie. Chuck your old man, and come dancing with us! Or bring him, and let he and Dazz stare at their mobiles waiting for your uncle to call.”

“You mean the weasel? ;) Darren already left for The Temple. Ewan told him where. Tommy and I will meet you there in a bit.”

Jeanie's heart started to pound. Whatever it was these messages wanted, or wherever they were from, the game would work. If she had to use her pussy to keep Darren Treacy alive, it wouldn't be very hard. He was easily enticed by it.

Now Jeanie was lost in her own mobile. She heard a muffled greeting from Ewan’s deep Scottish brogue. Her back was towards him, but Darren (smelling of tequila himself) strong armed her and lifted her off the ground. Jeanie screamed in shock then delight before he set her down.

Jeanie made gestures towards Ewan to head back into the club. It took a few minutes, despite Darren's immediate desire to bite and kiss Jeanie, for the Scotsman to realize he was no longer wanted. He winked at Jeanie and made his way back inside.

“I t’ought t’is game would be harder.” Darren's hands roamed over Jeanie’s fishnet tights.

“You got Ewan to tell you where in the club we were, didn't you?” She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and closed her eyes. She got lost in his mouth on her neck. Her free hand urged him up her skirt.

Darren became a little more energetic. He tore at the fabric so Jeanie's tights were destroyed. His heavy breathing gave way to just the bare minimum of surprise when he realized she wasn't wearing panties under the fishnets.

“Naughty, bitch,” he growled in her ear as his fingers started to delve inside Jeanie. They pumped aggressively, his middle finger on her clit in swift circles.

Jeanie moaned, the whiskey coursed through her nerves. She didn't care that the streets of Dublin were crowded. That she was in a dirty, impossibly narrow alleyway with an Irish gang member. That she was sent divorce papers. That she was 29 today. Had she told anyone that she was 29 today? The American expat school teacher living in Scotland and Ireland getting finger fucked by a hitman on St. Paddy’s Day was almost 30.

“You left out dirty, Dazzler.”

Jeanie's hips moved on their own as she encouraged Darren to go deeper. Her nails sunk into the skin on his wrist, and they moved together. From one angle it just looked like a couple dirty dancing to the loud electric beat that poured out from the side entrance door. From the other, revellers would see a man with his hand completely lost inside a woman's skirt as her mouth hung open in ecstasy.

“Can't I ever look at ye when we fuck? I want t’see your face, darling.” His fingers went faster as he began to grind his erection into Jeanie's ass at the same time.

“No,” Jeanie had to fight around her moaning, “If we look at each other during this, it's not gonna be just fucking anymore.”

“I caught ye, and I was told I could fuck ye anyway and anywhere. Can't bend your own rules because you're afraid t’fall in love.” His hand no longer inside her.

Jeanie groaned. Why did he use logic?! It's not the falling in love, it's those eyes. Like all of Ireland was in them. They were impossible to describe because “hazel” wasn't enough.

“Finnnneeee,” she gave in. There was laughter in her voice. “Now please, fuck me before my chick boner dies!” She faced Darren but started to unbutton the dress shirt under her corset. “Wait wait. I don't want this to get ruined.”

“Where ye gonna put it?” Darren undid his belt and jeans. His hand gripped his cock, and he started to wank it.

“Fuck.. Ok I'll throw it away?” Jeanie tossed it.

“Good old Scots-Irish impulse,” Darren backed her into the wall. He lifted Jeanie's leg to plant her boot on the other building maybe three feet away.

The brick was cold against Jeanie's back as Darren plowed into her. She took a chance and lifted her other leg so that she was bent between the walls. Her hands clawed at the back of Darren's neck. His hands pushed and pulled her ass back on forth so their bodies crashed together. They fucked at breakneck speed.

Jeanie didn't look. Her eyes clenched shut as she relaxed and let Darren have his way. She could feel the ragged stone create a burn on her now bare shoulders as he slammed a few more times. His vice grip jerked her into his pelvis one last time as he came. His body shook with it.

Jeanie unfolded herself slowly. The adrenaline and alcohol did her head in. She fished her clutch out of the back of her skirt while Darren fixed his pants. He marveled at the hidden bag but only with a raise of his eyebrows. He didn't even notice, but licked his lips as she swiped a tissue inside herself and tucked it in his pocket.

“Parting gift,” she winked and blew a kiss. Then his phone buzzed.

Tommy and Siobhan came around the corner, and the younger one screamed in delight and broke in a run. As she drunkenly threw herself into Darren's arms, Jeanie slipped away unnoticed. He was busy trying to push Siobhan off into Tommy.

“Round 2, Dazzler. Catch me if you can. Next time make me cum too, selfish bastard.”

Tag: @robertsheehanownsmyass @firstpersonnarrator @bisexualnathanyoung @badsext @elliethesuperfruitlover @joz-stankovich @super-unpredictable98 @slutforrobbiebro @frogs--are--bitches @nightmonsters @rob-private

#robert sheehan #robert sheehan character fic #darren treacy #darren treacy x jeanie turner #love/hate fic

[almaperegrin]

“Should we do something?” Miss Gannet asked, peering into the dimly lit room in front of her and the woman curled up on the bed inside.

“I don’t know” Miss Treecreeper answered, looking as well. “We’d best let Esmerelda deal with her. I don’t fancy our chances of taking it away ourselves.” She said with a heavy sigh.

And so, Miss Avocet was fetched. She marched the room with the grim determination of a general leading her soldiers into battle, Miss Treecreeper and Miss Gannet trailing behind her.

“Edalyn” Miss Avocet said firmly to the figure on the bed. “It’s time to let her go”

Miss Kestrel looked up from the silent infant in her arms. “What do you mean, let her go?” She asked, her eyes sliding in and out of focus on Miss Avocet’s face. “No. I want to keep her, Esmerelda” she said softly.

“I told you I want to keep her” she told the elder ymbryne, her attention returning to the baby she held as she rocked her gently back and forth.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Miss Kestrel whispered, completely oblivious to the fact that the child was still and cold in her arms and tracing a delicate finger over the curve of the baby’s nose.

“She is” Miss Avocet agreed, her heart heavy as she spoke.

“But she’s gone, Edalyn. She’s an angel” she told Miss kestrel, her words soft and steady as she reached for the child Edalyn held.

Miss Kestrel pulled away.

“No!” She yelped. “No! Don’t touch her. She’s still too little. I don’t want her to get ill” she told Miss Avocet, slowly dragging herself further away from the mother bird.

“She won’t get ill, Edalyn” Miss Avocet said, changing tactics and speaking with patience she reserved only for very small children and Miss Kestrel.

“Won’t you let me hold her?” She asked.

Miss Kestrel hesitated. “You’ll be gentle, won’t you?” She asked gazing up at the elder ymbryne with wide innocent eyes, and Miss Avocet nodded. “I’ll be very gentle” she said. “I promise” she said as Miss Kestrel slowly and carefully handed the baby over.

“Her name is Pearl” she said softly, stroking the baby’s cheek as Miss Avocet took her into her arms.

“Isn’t she perfect?” She asked. “Look at her, Esmerelda...

Look at her little nose, and her ears... and those tiny, tiny fingers”

Miss Avocet nodded, forcing a smile.

“She’s gorgeous, Eda” she said softly, and she really meant it as she studied the downy blonde hair on the baby’s head, starting to slowly back away from Miss Kestrel as she did so.

“Where are you going?” Edalyn asked, her eyes going wide as she watched Miss Avocet Start to move towards the door. “Esmerelda? She said, starting to get out of bed.

“Esmerelda?!” Her voice was starting to rise in pitch as Miss Avocet reached the threshold of the door.

“Where are you taking her! Esmerelda, give me my baby!” She exclaimed, trying to get out of bed and ending up on the floor.

“Give me my baby!” She shrieked.

Miss Avocet remained perfectly calm, turning to Miss Gannet and Miss Treecreeper.

“Get her back to bed” she said. “I’ll deal with the child.”

The two ymbrynes nodded, slowly going to Miss Kestrel’s side, and reluctantly taking her arms and trying to pull her back to bed.

Miss Kestrel wriggled in their grasp, fighting to get loose so she could go after Miss Avocet.

“You said I could keep her!” She shrieked, the betrayal obvious in her voice. “I want my baby! Give me back my baby!”

“Come on, Edalyn” Miss Treecreeper said. “Let’s get you to bed.” She coaxed, trying to keep the wriggling woman upright.

“Let Me go!” Miss Kestrel Screamed, straining as hard as her exhausted body was able to to get away from her sisters

“She took my baby!” She shrieked. “She took my Pearl! I want her back!”

“I know you do. But you can’t have her!” Miss Gannet said, getting frustrated as Miss Kestrel continued to writhe in their grip.

“Why! Why!” Edalyn wailed, clutching at Miss Gannet’s shirt as a steady stream of hot tears ran down her face.

“Esmerelda said I could keep her! She’s mine! Why can’t I have her!”

“Because she’s dead!” Miss Gannet exploded, finally loosing her patience, Miss Kestrel froze, her sobs catching in her throat as she stared wide eyed at Miss Gannet.

“Siobhan!” Miss Treecreeper hissed.

“She’s dead, Edalyn!” Miss Gannet said again.

“There is no baby!”

The sound that came out of Miss Kestrel’s mouth hardly sounded human.

“No!” She howled, her knees giving out beneath her so that her sisters nearly had to carry her back to bed.

Once they’d managed to get her back on the mistress, Miss Gannet and Miss Treecreeper stood back, unsure what to do as Edalyn curled into herself, putting her hands over her ears and shaking terribly.

“Why did you do that?” Miss Treecreeper asked Siobhan icily as she draped a blanket over Miss Kestrel.

“She needs to know the truth” Miss Gannet shrugged, her mouth pressed into a thin determined line. “And it’s clear none of the rest of you can be trusted to tell it to her” she said, her tone equally cold as she watched Miss Treecreeper gently tuck the blanket around Edalyn’s shoulders.

“You didn’t have to tell her like that” Miss Treecreeper said. “Look what you’ve done, she’s hysterical!”

“She’s always hysterical” Miss Gannet retorted. “And it was going to sink in eventually. It’s better to just be blunt with her or she won’t understand, shes too dull to figure out half of what we say to her!” Miss Gannet said angrily.

“You know, I think Edalyn understands a lot more than either of you out give her credit for, don’t you dear?” said a third voice from the doorway.

The quarrelling ymbrynes looked up, catching sight of Miss Bunting standing in the threshold.

In the bed, Miss Kestrel’s gut wrenching sobs started to subside a bit as she heard Miss Bunting’s voice.

“Why don’t you two go someplace else” Miss bunting said cooly to Miss Gannet and Miss Treecreeper. “I think Edalyn and I will be just fine on our own, won’t we, dear?” She asked Miss Kestrel, who didn’t answer, but went quiet.

“Go on” she said. “Schoo!”

Miss Gannet and Miss Treecreeper looked at each other, and then decided not to argue, hurrying out of the room and shutting the door behind them.

“Come here, my sweet girl” Miss Bunting said, sitting down next to Miss Kestrel and putting her arms around her. “You’re hurting, aren’t you, love” she asked, and Miss Kestrel nodded a bit, clutching onto Miss bunting as if she was a little girl and burying her face against her chest.

Gently, Miss Bunting stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head and rocking her gently. “If you need to cry, you go right ahead” she told her, and soon enough the tears were cascading down Miss Kestrel’s cheeks.

“That’s it” Miss Bunting soothed. “There you go, my darling, let it all out” she said, ignoring the rapidly growing damp spot on her shirt.

“And don’t you listen to Florence and Siobhan. I think you’re very clever” She, kissing the ymbryne’s head again and realising she had fallen asleep.

@gemvictorfromtheponyverse

[thebluenebula]

Ashleigh Wayne AU Masterlist

Siobhan's First Visit (Part 1/2)

~1700 words

Kidnapped (Part 2/2)

Major Characters: Ashleigh(OC), Siobhan (OC), Cassie Sandsmark, Harper Row

Minor Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Carrie Kelley, Duke Thomas

Ashleigh's best friend from back Ireland is finally coming to visit, what could go wrong?

"Nervous?" Cassie asked, as the pair watched another plane land.

"A little," Ash admitted.

"Why?"

"It's been over a year, maybe she'll be different, or not like me any more."

Cassie took Ash's hand in hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "She's one of your best friends, time or distance won't change that."

Ash lay her head onto Cassie's shoulder. "Thank you for coming with me."

"I wouldn't miss the chance to meet Siobhan in person. So, what exactly should I be looking for?" She asked, gesturing to the crowd of people going in, and out of the terminal.

"Curly red hair, pale skin, freckles, green eyes."

"Irish, got it."

It wasn't long before Siobhan arrived. She immediately dashed over, and wrapped her arms around Ash. "It's so good to see you."

"You too, I've missed you."

"I'm sorry I took so long, I couldn't find my bag," she let go of Ash, and looked to Cassie, "At least you weren't waiting alone, Cassie Sandsmark, right?"

"Right," she shook her hand, "it's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," Siobhan glanced at Ash, "I was beginning to think she'd made you up."

"I'm as real as you," Cassie stated.

"Or are you?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe," Siobhan turned to Ash, "you're just paying her to show up, and pretend to your girlfriend."

"Yes, Siobhan, I have in fact paid Cassie copious amounts of money to pose as my girlfriend."

"Knew it."

Cassie giggled. "Should I expect a lot of this?"

"You never know what to expect with Siobhan."

"I don't know what to expect of you," Siobhan retaliated, prodding her, "we have a lot of catching up to do."

"We can catch up in the car, I don't want to be late for dinner, Jay's cooking."

The three headed to the car.

"So who drove you here," Siobhan asked, "or have you learned to drive yet?"

"Alfred," Ash replied, gesturing to the man waiting by the car, "and I am learning to drive."

"About time," Siobhan smiled at Alfred, "I've heard a lot about you too."

"Likewise, may I take your bags?"

Siobhan spent the car ride to the manor catching them up on what she had been up to in Ireland since Ash had left.

Soon they reached the manor, and Siobhan's jaw dropped as she stepped out of the car. "Holy shit."

Ash stood by her. "I showed you photos."

"None of them did it justice."

"I know."

"Think he'd adopt me?"

"Do not tempt him," Alfred warned as he walked past, carrying her bags.

"Let me help you," Ash said, attempting to take a suitcase.

Cassie smacked her hand away. "I'll help him, you go catch up with her. Why else did you bring me, if not for manual labour?"

"You know, that's not why I invited you."

"I know, Ash, it was a joke, I promise, but seriously go catch up with her, I've got these."

Ash reluctantly agreed, and went over to Sobhan, who had wandered away to admire one of the many sculpted bushes.

Siobhan glanced back at her as Ash approached. "Cassie's cute, Ash, the pictures didn't do her justice either. If she wasn't dating you, I'd definetly try my luck."

Ash glared at her. "Seriously?"

"You still haven't forgiven me, have you?"

"You broke his heart."

"He forgave me."

"I never will, not for that," Ash sighed, "look, I don't want this stay to get off to a bad start."

"A little late for that, don't you think?"

"You two coming?" Cassie shouted to them from the door.

"Can we just pretend this never happened?" Ash asked Siobhan.

"Course," she lightly punched Ash's shoulder, and took off up the steps, "last one in is sleeping on the floor."

Ash smiled, and quickly took off after her. "You know neither of us have to sleep on the floor."

"Whichever one of us is last does."

Siobhan beat Ash to the door by a second, due to Ash slipping halfway up the steps.

"I'll inform Master Bruce that you have arrived," Alfred told them, "if you head to the dining room, Miss Siobhan can get acquainted with the others before diner."

"Thanks Alfred."

The three headed to the dining room where most of the Wayne's were waiting for dinner.

As Ash expected, Siobhan immediately got along well with her siblings. Dinner soon arrived, along with the rest of the Wayne's. The dinner went well, typical questions, lots of banter, everyone had taken an immediate liking to Siobhan's outgoing personality.

Afterwards, the three decided to head to Ash's room, along with Harper, Carrie, and Duke.

"So, where's the famous Kate that I've heard so much about?" Siobhan asked as they left the dining room.

"Italy, hopefully enjoying herself."

"And I was so looking forward to meeting her."

"One of her friends planned a trip away, she didn't know even know till the night before."

Once in Ash's room, Siobhan plopped herself down on the bed. "So soft, though I still don't understood your insistence on having a single bed."

"It takes up less place."

"This room is at least three or four times bigger then your old one. How much more room could you need?"

"You never know."

"So, what now?"

Ash glanced to the others, they all shrugged. "I don't know, what do you want to do?"

Siobhan smirked. "I've got a couple of ideas."

The week came, and went, and soon came the final day of the visit. The group had managed to do everything Siobhan could think of, leaving her with only one idea left.

"I can't leave America without visiting at least one pub."

Harper looked to the others. "It has been a while."

Carrie excitedly jumped up from the couch. "I'm in, let's go."

"I'll grab the IDs," Duke said, as he left the room.

"Oh yeah," Siobhan muttered, "You have to be twenty one to drink here. Will that be a problem?"

"Not where we're going," Harper explained, "the IDs are just incase."

Carrie, and Siobhan left the room, excitedly chattering, leaving Ash, and Harper alone.

"Are you alright?" Harper asked.

"Fine."

"It's just... you've been quiet all night."

"I'm fine, Harper," Ash smiled at her, "let's catch up with the others."

"Alright, how about you call Cassie, see if she wants to meet us there?"

"I'll call her, yeah."

Cassie met them at the bar. Once inside, Siobhan insisted on ordering the drinks, so her, and Ash took a seat at the bar, while the others got a booth.

Once she order, Siobhan looked to Ash. "You're paying, right?"

"Course."

"Then I am going to enjoy tonight." She turned to the bartender. "One for me, one for her."

"Just for her. I'm not drinking tonight."

"Boring, two for me then. Trust you, Ashleigh, go to a bar, and don't get alcohol. I bet you haven't even drank yet, have you?"

"I have too."

"Is that right? What happened?"

"Nothing, I had a couple drinks with my siblings, that's it."

Harper leaned against Ash's back. "You seem to have left out the part where we got pissed drunk, and begged Kate to give us tattoos."

"You what?" A look of surprise was struck across Siobhan's face. "Maybe you're not the same girl that I knew back in Ireland."

"Maybe not."

"Did you get a tattoo?"

"No, I didn't."

The three headed to the booth with the drinks, and the group enjoyed the night

Almost an hour later Cassie stood up from the booth, and tugged Ash's arm. "Come on, let's get some fresh air."

Ash followed her out of the pub, a cold breeze went through the two, Cassie wrapped her arms around Ash, and cuddled into her. "You alright?"

"Course, are you?"

"Don't flip this around, Harper mentioned you seemed off."

"You know I get like that sometimes, you don't have to worry about it."

"This is different, the happier everyone in there gets," she gestured to the pub, "the more off you seem."

"It's nothing  Cassie."

"Ash, you can talk to me about anything, you know that."

"I know," she leaned into Cassie's shoulder, "and thank so much for that."

A cough caught their attention. Siobhan stood a few feet away, grinning. "Am I interrupting? I can leave."

They broke apart. "That's okay," Ash said, "what are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you, you just kinda disappeared."

"I just needed some air," Cassie lied, "that place smells like someone died in there."

"This being Gotham, someone probably has," Ash added.

"How about a walk?" Siobhan suggested, gesturing up the street.

The two agreed, and they headed up the street, chatting, and looking in the windows of the shops they passed.

Cassie stopped outside of a chipper. "I could die for a burger right now," she looked to the other two, "want anything?" The two shook their heads. "Alright, I'll just be a few minutes."

"Alright, we'll wait here." Ash said. When she turned around, Siobhan had wandered up the street. She ran after her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm just window shopping, we're only up the street," the two stopped outside of clothes shop, "I still can't believe you of all people got a girlfriend."

"Did you really think I would be alone forever?"

"I was starting to, I mean you could barely talk to a person you didn't like, never mind someone you really liked."

"Fair point, but Cassie's different, she's one of my best friend's, and takking to her is easy."

"I'm happy for you. I really am."

Before Ash could respond a car came to a sudden halt beside them. They barely had time to shout as three people jumped out. One swung a bat at Ash, she blocked the first swing, then struck the attacker, knocking them back, but a second bat struck her from behind, knocking her to the ground.

She looked up to see one of the attackers toss Siobhan into the back of the car. Another reached for Ash but was sent flying through the air.

Cassie took a defensive stance over her. "Get the hell away from her!"

The two remaining attackers pulled out a pair of pistols, Cassie dodged the shots with little effort, and slammed into one, sending them through a nearby store window. As she charged at the other, the driver of the car sped off.

After Cassie took down the last attacker, she rushed to Ash's side. "Are you okay?"

"The car! Get the car!"

Cassie quickly took to the sky as Ash fished out her phone, and quickly rang Babs.

So this idea has been in the works for quite a while, and surprisingly hasn't change as much as I would have expected from the original idea.

For once, I actually have the second half already finished, so that'll be posted tommorow about 7-ish GMT if your interested in it, and as always, I hope ye enjoyed - TBN :) 💙💜💙

#fanfic #batfam #batfamily #fanfiction #au #batfamily au #oc #carrie kelly #batgirl #harper row #bluebird #signal #duke thomas #alfred pennyworth #dc #dc fanfic #dc fanfiction #batfam fanfic #batfamily fanfic #batfam fanfiction #batfamily fanfiction #batfam au #dc au #cassie sandsmark #wonder girl #ashleigh wayne

[brydeswhale]

Fic Preview Time!

Bc I might as well tease you guys since I actually haven’t been writing that much lately.

1. Untamed death row exoneration fic

So, I was writing this one before the US government went on it’s little killing spree, but it started to be topical and real, so I put it on a backburner, but I'm getting back to it.

The house wasn’t huge. Wei Ying knew that, intellectually. Compared to the house he’d grown up in, it was modest. Compared to the entire lake that had been in his backyard as a kid, the small pond and five trees in the backyard were cute. 

But he couldn’t help it, as soon as A-Yuan left the house, just walking from room to room to room, in and out. He tried to be careful and close the screen door, but sometimes he’d forget and one or two rabbits would hop in and surprise Lan Zhan in his office.

Lan Zhan never scolded him for it. He’d just pick the rabbit up and put it in his lap. 

“You’ve got to go to therapy,” Jack came by with a bottle of wine the first day, patted A-Yuan on the head, and let his wife give Lan Zhan a salad with nuts and artichoke hearts. “I’m going to give you this right now, and that’s all the booze you get until you send me a picture of the appointment.”

“I can buy my own alcohol,” Wei Ying laughed at him. 

Jack just smiled indulgently at him.

“Trust me,” he said, gently. “You want to do this. For your kid.”

So he had an appointment on Friday, and until then he was walking the house the same way he’d paced his cell.

Wen Ning was in his room, working on something A-Yuan had asked him to do. Qing-jie was working on finding whatever job a woman who was snatched from the gentle grip of a first year med school could get.

Wei Ying tried to lie down at the edge of the pond. Several goldfish swirled around, looking at him expectantly, and he waved apologetically.

“Lan Zhan told me you guys are on a diet,” he pointed out. The fish, disgruntled, fluttered their fins, and drifted away.

The sun went behind a cloud. The lilies floated in the wind.

He slept. 

The sun shone off the wine bottle, still unopened, on the kitchen windowsill.

So it’s not really about the death penalty, per se, it’s more about exoneration and also humans and trauma and stuff. Really heavy and it makes me sad.

2. Unnamed Teen Wolf vampire fic

So this isn’t REALLY a Vampire The Masquerade crossover, but it kind of IS, because I played that LARP for ten years and I still don’t understand(because I’m stupid) so it incorporated a lot of their brokenness, lol. Basically, it’s Scott getting kidnapped by vampires, who then decide to keep him and won’t give him back based on him being their precious darling.

A hunter came up behind him, but Scott felt, smelled, heard him, and, with a twist, threw him into the lights. They smashed, and several of them died, much to the delight of the captive. Her grin, briefly delightful, suddenly terrifying as two delicate fangs appeared, brought a cry of terror from the hunter as she dragged him up, and Scott found himself stepping forward, hands outstretched helplessly.

“Don’t kill him!”

She paused, and her pout returned.

“But I’m hungry,” she complained. “And he’s not exactly a good guy, wolf, he steals kids.”

“Just,” Scott wanted to agree with her, wanted, suddenly, to just leave the bastard there. She was right. He was a kidnapper and probably a murderer. 

(“Some of us are human!”)

“Just, please,” he begged. “Just leave him. Help me save Siobhan.”

She looked him in the eyes, hesitating, then bent her head and sank her teeth into the hunter’s neck.

Scott felt himself drop a little. That was that. He didn’t know why he’d expected to persuade her otherwise.

“Fine,” she stood up, letting the hunter fall into the broken glass of the lights, blood dripping down her face. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You could turn a cat from a mouse with those eyes. He’ll live, he just needs some juice.”

...

Maybe it wasn’t the shadows that had taken his breath from him. She’d thought the blood was someone else’s, but she could see it seeping out from under his fingers.

“Are you okay, wolf?”

“Scott,” he reached for a shirt, and pulled it on with jerking, shaking fingers. 

“My name’s Scott McCall,” he clarified for her raised eyebrows, then collapsed in a heap beside a pile of laundry.

She let a note behind. It was what you did, right?

She wrote it out on thin, lined paper, and pinned it to the fridge under a cute, pig shaped magnet. Then she picked him up, and stepped into the darkness.

...

“You’re awake!” The girl walked in carelessly. She wore draping scarves over a loose, not very long dress, and long, flashy necklaces. Her curls didn’t quite seem to match. “Took you long enough.”

“I can’t- I can’t stay here,” he was trying to get up, and he realized that someone had taken off his jeans and replaced them with loose, soft pyjamas. He was wearing a matching shirt. 

“You took my pants?” He held himself up with one hand, and noted, as if from far away, that it was shaking.

“Don’t worry about your maidenly modesty,” she pulled out her phone and used the camera to reapply lipstick in a bruised purple. “Seamus wanted you to be more comfortable. That’s all.”

“I have to go,” he shook his head. “I have to- How long have I been here?”

“Almost four days now,” she said, pushing him back into bed. “Stop that. You nearly died about five times.”

“My friends,” he tried to move, but she was stronger than she looked. Her hands were cold, and she smelled strange. Dull, and still. 

“I left a note,” she seemed utterly unconcerned. “I put it on your fridge. Cute magnets, by the way.”

“I’m Jewel,” she told him, clambering up to sit cross legged on the bed beside him. “Jewel Cleary.”

“Scott-“ she interrupted him carelessly. 

“I know, Scott McCall, you told it to me while you were dying.”

That explained it. They didn’t know he was an alpha.

“I wasn’t dying,” he tried to explain. “I’m an alpha. I would have been fine, you didn’t have to bring me here.”

“You nearly died three times in this very bed, boyo,” a huge, decaying mountain of a man, whose bulk spoke of power beginning to fade, and who had laugh lines at every corner of his face, came in with a steaming tray. “And now you’ll stay in it and eat your dinner and rest until you look a bit less of a corpse.”

“I’m Seamus,” the man handed the food to Jewel, then helped him sit up. “Tho most call me Shea, on the belief that my true name will call all manner of calamities down upon us. You’re Scott McCall, who saved our Jewel, and it’s a pleasure, indeed it is, Mr. McCall.”

He was saved from replying by Jewel putting the tray under his nose and both of them beaming expectantly over a bowl of stew and a cup of something dark and hot. 

It was… very good. And he fell asleep again as soon as he finished.

3. Another Chapter In Mysterious Fathoms Below

So this fic is actually stalled because I’m writing Uma giving a Ted Talk style speech on what it was actually like growing up in a concentration camp run by a totalitarian dictatorship and I’m stumped on it, also the mystical stuff that's coming in. But I'm back on track soon, so hopefully this will come out soon.

“Davy Jones’ Locker!”

“Don’t curse, dear,” Merryweather had scolded absently, trying to clear up supper dishes. 

“Don’t-What? Merryweather, look at the bloody stars!”

Harry grabbed her arm, pushing her to look up at the sky. It was just past dusk, soft and velvety blue, with early stars cheerfully popping into place. She followed Harry’s finger.

There should have been two stars there. One was newer, and that one had taken its place, although it’s bright shimmer was somewhat reduced.

Where the other should have been, there was black emptiness. Somehow, the sky looked cold and empty without it, and its mate seemed to shiver in the blackness.

“The second star,” she whispered. “Oh, Harry, what’s going on?”

…

“I was born in a prison, and on that day, from the moment I came screaming and bloody into this world, I was sentenced to life without parole. Like everyone born on the Isle Of The Lost, all my friends and my enemies, I was born to starve, suffer, and die, for the crime of being born to the losing side.”

“My first memory is of vomit. I was sick, because the food that came to the Isle came off garbage skows. Now, I don’t mean that the ships that transported the food were garbage skows, repurposed for bringing food to our prison, I mean it was garbage. The leftovers, the trash, rags and rot. Every bite we took was Russian roulette, and that day, I guess I lost.”

She smiled, and turned slightly again. She had never managed to stay still, even when she slept, she kicked and pushed out against the world. She had crawled early and walked early, she had swum from the moment of her birth.

“I don’t mean for you to think this was some kind of unusual event. I had food poisoning several times a year. The alternative was to not eat. There were no gardens, no farms. The ground was rocky and hard, and even if we’d managed to till it, the earth was leeched of life, to keep the barrier going. It was fed from the very island.”

From something more than the island. From something that had been since long before the Beast and his doll had been even thought of, something that had reigned before princes and queens.

Ursula drank her daughter’s face in. Sweet and pretty, crowned and gowned, just as she should have been. She traced the curve of her cheek, and pretended that this was something else, something from another world, where Uma was all that she appeared, and pure, and soft. 

…

They were making their way through grey fog, as fast as pixy dust could swing them. The Pan stood at the bow, staring into the mist. When Harry approached, he turned, eyes glowing with a terrible fire.

“It’s begun, impossible child,” he said, cheerfully.

Harry swore at him, savagely, and sat on the rail, listening for the sounds of planes and guns.

…

“Look how she lights up the sky,” she could hear Naveen singing, singing somewhere far away.

She stumbled out of bed. He must have been singing to Jimmy, and Jimmy was probably missing her.

But when she got to the nursery doorway, it was gone. 

The air was rich and humid, sweet with flower and sour with decay. Dragonflies hummed, their jewel-like bodies gleaming in the last of the sunlight as they danced over the glimmering water. She took one step, and another, the ground not giving way, but welcoming her in, wrapping water and earth around each foot. The trees swayed overhead, moss waving in the wind.

A place of death. A place of life.

3. The next chapter in Five Wolves Sansa Never Had

So this was a fic that stemmed from my irritation that Sansa lost her puppy. This chapter is called “Ned, you fucked up big time” and its about Ned trying to replace Lady with a sickly puppy who actually IS a dire wolf. Knowing what I know about dire wolves now, this is HILARIOUS.

He almost bought a doll, but Jory had shaken his head furiously, and he’d stepped past the toy shop, to a man selling what he called “exotic beasts, fit for the King’s own menagerie”.

Of course, the quiet little pup certainly wasn’t the dire wolf the man advertised him to be, but something in his golden eyes and quiet nature had reminded him of Lady, and he’d paid far too much for the little creature. 

Far, far too much, it seemed now.

Sansa hadn’t been grateful. She’d sullenly put it in her lap, and told him he couldn’t replace Lady, and needn’t have tried. Then she’d gone to her chambers, ignoring Arya, who wanted to play with the little creature.

At first he’d thought it was simply a quiet pup, like Lady had been. It had had little appetite, and messed in Sansa’s chambers, but she had been used to that from Lady’s infancy and hadn’t complained. He’d heard it when he accidentally eavesdropped on Jeyne’s complaints to another maid.

But after some days it had become clear that the little beast was dying. Food and water ran through it, ending in messes on the floor, it slept for hours, and when it woke, it cried weakly. It couldn’t walk, and Sansa would carry it out to the gardens, lay it on a blanket, and sit and embroider, only getting up to change the linens under the poor thing, or to persuade it to take a sip of water or a bite of food.

Ned tried to broach the facts of the matter with Sansa, but she had only glared stoney-faced at him, until he found himself faltering and retreating. He’d thought of sneaking in at night and smothering the creature, but it felt too much like murder, and he finally gave up, leaving the little creature alone to die in peace.

The one good thing about the matter, which was the rift between Sansa and Joffrey. The Prince found the puppy disgusting and wasn’t quiet about it, and Sansa found his rudeness distasteful, and tactfully avoided the boy. By the time he was able to put them on a ship, sickly pup and all, she was distant enough from Joffrey that her protests were only quiet, pointed remarks about how he had made her fit to be a princess, and now didn’t find the price she brought him high enough.

It reminded him, chillingly, of how Lyanna had argued with his father, and he found himself unable to embrace her when she left.

…

Stark had sent one of his daughters with a Braavosi swords master and the other with a sickly puppy, as if he thought that Stannis hadn’t enough to do, and would appreciate some further inconveniences. 

The younger daughter had no idea how to behave, and put the entire castle into uproar after uproar. But if he had hoped that the eldest daughter, who had lived up to her reputation as far as being a pretty child, who curtsied precisely the right depth, would balance the little urchin by behaving and staying in her place, he was, well, mildly disappointed.

“The dog will be placed in the kennels,” he told them on the arrival.

The girl shook her head. 

“No, my lord.”

He had paused, and the entire parade of noblewomen, septas and servants had stumbled in its tracks.

“No, Lady Sansa?”

She met his eyes, and he was reminded, uncomfortably, of her father.

“No, my lord,” she reiterated. “He shall not go to the kennels. He is the symbol of my house and he will remain with me.”

“It’ll probably die soon, anyhow,” the younger girl told him. “It’s been dying since father bought it, it’s an ugly little thing.”

For a moment, Lady Sansa was unable to school her expression to proper demureness, and a cold rage turned her eyes from sky on sea blue to springtime ice as she glanced at her sister. It only lasted for a heartbeat, then she was back to cold courtesy.

Stannis ignored their silent squabble, and looked more closely at the creature. It lay limply in her arms, eyes unfocused, and breaths shallow. 

“At the very least,” he allowed. “We ought not to bring whatever sickness that is amongst the dogs.”

Later, he found the girl seated by her hearth, trying to feed the little creature a soup of broth and bones, while her ancient septa slept in the window seat. The pup ate but little, and the girl rubbed a hand over her eyes before she saw him and stood to curtsey again.

“Forgive me, my lord, I did not see you.”

“I brought this,” he held up a small pot. “I purchased it for a sick hound, once, and it brought the creature strength enough to heal.” 

She thanked him very prettily, and he mixed a spoonful with the broth she was trying to feed the pup, showing her the portions carefully and appreciating her careful attention. Between them, they got the poor thing to finish the broth and eat a little meat, before it fell asleep in a rabbit fur lined basket.

“Thank you, my lord.” 

He took a closer look at the child. He’d never thought much about the girl who would marry his goodsister’s bastard, but he could see now that she had bright, intelligent eyes, despite her clear exhaustion, and that she carried herself very well.

“It must have been a shock,” he said, abrupt in his discomfort. “When your father told you why he had to break your betrothal.”

She hesitated.

“My father,” her voice was very soft, and uncertain. “My father has not-“

He stared at her, irritable and disbelieving. 

“Did your father not tell you why you were being sent here?”

He knew he sounded skeptical, but the idea that Eddard Stark would not have told his eldest child why her very excellent marriage pact was being broken seemed truly ludicrous. Stark wasn’t stupid, and he was a man of honour. It would only serve him well to keep his eldest daughter in his confidence.

The girl blushed in embarrassment. 

“He-He told Arya,” she said, slowly. “That is, I believe he told her. She hasn’t said anything. To me. But he speaks to her. He likes her.”

Stannis frowned. 

There had been another father, once upon a time, that father had made sure there was a space in his mews for a crippled bird, and as much fresh and good food for her as any flighted creature, all because his son had hoped she might fly again. Even if that son was not as handsome, or charming, or bright as his brother.

“Your father has been foolish,” he told her, coldly. He had not the talent to speak to children, but she seemed to understand that he meant no harm to her. “He may as well have sent you riding an aurochs blindfolded.”

“No matter,” he continued, and sat down in a chair by the hearth, motioning her to the opposite seat. “Listen to me. It’s a very long story.”

…

“…His Grace, the King, has explained all to me, my Lord Father. 

I am very glad to hear that you have escaped your confinement. Perhaps we shall see each other again soon.

Your Obedient Daughter,

Sansa Stark, lately of Dragonstone”

There was something cold about the letter, Ned thought, running a hand through his hair, for all that it was prettily written, with no ink blotches or crossed words, but he couldn’t quite tell what made him think so. He set it aside, with a group of others he planned to answer later, including word from White Harbour and the Wall.

Stannis had overstepped, he thought. Sansa was too young to know the truth of her betrothal, that her former betrothed was a bastard born of incest, that Jon Arryn had been murdered. But Stannis had never been known for tact.

His son had become a king. The Riverlands and the North called him so. So did some among the Vale. Word had come to the Stormlands, just as he managed to convince Renly to wait for the proper order of succession.

He put it aside for now. Robb was a boy, he could be persuaded to see sense.

“Sansa has chainjed her hair again. She just brayds it and pins it back under a hood like the new Queen does except she hardly spends any time with the queen. She and Stannis are always together with the Prinsess. All they do is play kivuss, and talk over maps and books. 

“I found a secret passij in the cellar of the kassle. It goes to the dungeon.

“Are you alright, Father? I herd one of the men say you lost your leg. I miss you very much.”

He smiled fondly over the mis-spelled words, imagining Arya roaming a new castle, learning all the new haunts and secrets.

“My Dearest Arya,

“I have not lost my leg, but it was very badly infected. I hope you are well, and you are behaving for your hosts…” 

…

The black wolf didn’t die, to everyone’s surprise. To their further astonishment, he thrived, with an ever-growing appetite and a newfound strength to match. He began to grow, and developed a certain cool dignity, to match his mistress’ adolescent gentility. She named him “Prince” and embroidered a collar in silver-grey thread and white shell beads.

Stannis wasn’t, precisely, surprised to find that the elder of his new wards was quick and clever, or that she knew already the names and banners of nearly every house in the Seven Kingdoms, and the relevant histories of said houses. His wife was pleased with her sewing and manners, and engaged a musician to teach her and Shireen the high harp and the lute. The girl’s septa kindly took Shireen under her wing, along with the younger Stark girl(when she wasn’t playing at swords with her water dancing master or dragging Shireen and Patchface into trouble) and their maid. She couldn’t really do much more than teach them etiquette and sewing, but she meant well, and she was too old to do anything else, so Stannis allowed it.

Sansa and Melisandre had begun a polite war. Word had been that the girl prayed as much in the sept as her father’s godswood, but she was little interested in opening her faiths any further, and clearly disliked the Red God’s followers for their fanatic disavowal of the older faiths. The small folk had been afraid that she was a witch, with her black wolf as a familiar, but when she proved kind and generous, they apparently decided that she was a good lady, whose wolf was a sign of favour by either the old gods, or the new.

#disney descendants fic #disney descendants #teen wolf #teen wolf fic #a game of thrones #a game of thrones fic #asoiaf #asoiaf fic

[mpxkrystal]

muse intros~!

Hey guys, it’s Nyx~ Under the cut are some quick little intros to my 8 muses so that I’m not bombarding all of the new muns dms with my brats. Feel free to hmu on discord at Nyx#2757 for plots :3

First up is the OG, Krystal Jung.

I used to describe her as my poor sad doctor however, over the past year she’s really grown into a wonderfully beautiful, strong woman. All it took was some TLC and sometime to face her demons. Krystal is 27 years old, daughter of Airmid (healing powers), she’s an ER Resident at Asclepius working towards her fellowship. She grew up in Seattle with an extremely abusive father. He passed when she was 17, so she moved in with her grandmother in Seoul where she finished school and went to university. She has severe PTSD and insomnia among other issues due to the abuse but, she has a lot of love to give and appreciates her found family immensely. Krystal is a workaholic type but also your resident mom friend~!

Next up is Valentina Ruiz-Kim.

Valentina is a flirty, super sweet, 27-year-old from San Diego. She grew up very spoiled with 3 older half-sisters. Her stepdad didn’t know she wasn’t his biologically until she was 17, following that admission he sent her and her mom to Seoul to live away from the family. As a daughter of Tohil, she wields fire and just generally runs at a feverish temperature all year round. She’s a dancer at Minx and teaches at Loco Motion, on top of that she is also a well-known cosplayer and twitch streamer. Her social media following is huge but her ego does not match it. She is confident and loves all of her friends like family but, she will throw hands if she has to.

Here we have Lucas Walker.

Lucas is 30 years old, a son of Nuwa and a single dad of a 4-year-old daughter named Jasmine. He grew up in Australia, raised by a single mom. He was a wild child addicted to a good adrenaline rush. Before becoming a dad he ran a successful YouTube channel as a travel blogger. He worked as a travel photographer for a few years after finishing high school and he’s spent at least a day in almost every country. Now he works as a Paramedic/Firefighter for the MPFD and on loan as a paramedic for the hospital. Being a dad to his baby girl comes first but he is still a true lads lad. Luke very rarely bothers with his demigod powers and loves to hang out with the boys.

Then we have Siobhan Jeon-Evans!

Siobhan is 24 years old and is from Eglwysbach/Colwyn Bay in North Wales. She is a daughter of Emma-O and chooses not to use her powers, though her intuition is out of her control. Sio grew up in an isolated village where everyone knew everyone. She’s always been obsessed with death and figuring out how and why people and animals die. Which is what lead her to be ostricized from her town and into the life of working as an intern medical examiner. Siobhan dresses in all black all the time, if her aesthetic were to be called anything it would be grunge goth meets e-girl. She tends to be very icy and cold on the outside to protect herself from people who may find her weird but once she trusts you, you becomes a real sweet heart.

My final demigod is Melody Park ~ 

Melody was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and ended moving to Quantico, Virginia as an adult. She’s 34 years old, a daughter of Horus, and works freelance as a private investigator, as well as, a professor of criminology at the university. Melody has an IQ of 186 and can read 25,000 words per minute. After graduating high school early and university early with two PHDs in Criminology and Psychology she was recruited by the FBI where she worked until a few months before moving to the island. She’s currently in hiding from a psycho ex-girlfriend turned unsub and is a very new muse for me so let’s learn about her together!

Onto the gods I play - First up is Zico (Ah Puch/Cizin)

Zico aka Ah Puch or Cizin is the Mayan god of death. He’s 2 meters tall and as terrifying to look at as you would think. He is a purely evil character that relishes in people's misery and pain. Currently, he owns Sombra Muerte, an oddities shop deep in the hidden alleyways of the red light district. The shop is a front for his very successful drug empire. He has been playing the role of a creepy shopkeeper for years in order to keep his main business on the down-low. It is rare for him to show any type of emotion and he thrives that way. He is a businessman first and foremost and the head of one of the most prolific mafia’s in the world he takes that role very seriously. If you cross him or his business he is unafraid to show you who is really in control... even if he has to torture you.

Next up is Poseidon~

Poseidon is a goofball but we love him. He is the Fire Chief for MPFD and his job is really the only thing he takes seriously. Poseidon used to be on the city council but was kicked from his seat by his dear sister Hera who believed she would do a better job. He is known to be the fun uncle who wears socks with sandals, Hawaiian shirts, and board shorts as his go-to summer look. He spent some quality time as a pirate/sailor back in the day. Sei will talk to anyone and everyone about ocean conservation and loves to teach people how to swim or surf!

Finally to finish off my muses is - Hera!

This is my second attempt at writing the Queen of Olympians. Hera is not in the best place right now but, she’s got some good friends helping her out since her breakdown after Zeus left. She owns For the Fairest and is seated on the city council after booting Poseidon from what was her seat originally her last time here. Most of her time has been spent in Paris and other major cities running her many designer dress boutiques. She is a world-renowned wedding gown designer and works very hard. Hera has come a long way from how she was in the past, she’s grown and changed into a more warm and loving goddess. She is known to take in demigods whose parents are not on the island or that she believes need a little TLC.

#{ ;mun; } #;; muse intros #[ this took ages but I figured I would try to make it a little easier for new muns ] #[ updated 12/14/20 ]

[comfy-whumpee]

Birthday

[I’m a terrible parent to my OCs and forgot it was Ellis’s birthday yesterday, the 19th. CN: grief.]

Fresh plea for information on birthday of missing man

Alistair read all the news articles about his pet. It was good to get a picture of the investigation and the actions of his old loved ones. So when he woke up, one day five months in, he was surprised to see multiple new alerts.

Ellis Reece, who would have turned 23 today, disappeared from his home in early July this year. There was no sign of forced entry or struggle. His family have released a new statement asking for anyone with information to come forward.

He skimmed the rest of the article, but there was no new information. It wasn’t important, anyway. It was his pet’s birthday.

Ellis woke up in his Master’s arms, in his Master’s bed. He was tucked under the covers, with Master carefully arranging him in his lap. He lifted his head up and smiled, sleepy adoration and wonder in his eyes.

Master smiled back. He pulled the blankets up around his pet’s shoulders, and stroked his hair to guide the head back onto his shoulder. When he spoke, his voice rumbled in his chest against Ellis’s ear. “Good morning, sweetness.”

Ellis was lax under the touch, tilting his head back slightly into the stroking hand that traced his hair down his back. It was easy to stay in the safe, quiet place in his head, where he was simply happy and happily simple.

“Do you know what day it is today?”

He shook his head. Of course he didn’t know. He tried his very hardest not to know anything but what he was told.

“It’s your birthday, silly thing. You’re twenty-three today!”

He tried to look up again, surprised, but the hand stroking his hair kept it down, and he settled again quickly.

“We’re going to spend all day together, my darling, won’t that be nice? You’re going to stay right here in bed, and just for today, I’ll make you your own dinner, and you can have some cake, too.”

His own dinner! He nuzzled gratefully, and was rewarded by a fond sigh.

“Now, I’ll go make us breakfast. I won’t be long.”

He was lifted away from Master and settled back against the pillows, and he watched Master put on his dressing gown and go downstairs. He felt so lucky today, to be getting so many treats. Cuddles for the whole day, to ease the – feeling of emptiness inside him, that only Master could smother away.

-

“Ellis was a gentle, kind boy, who never h-hurt anyone. We ask that, please, anyone who might know what happened to him, let us know. Tell the police. Even if y-you think it’s small, think it’s n-nothing. Help us find our s-son.”

Siobhan turned away from the cameras, and was helped off the stage. Someone else took the microphone, she didn’t know who. She didn’t care.

Joe held her as they travelled home. She’d woken up that morning and baked a cake. Salted caramel sponge, his favourite, and as soon as the fresh smell had drifted from the oven she had burst into tears.

The tears hadn’t stopped. She was still crying now. Joe pressed a water bottle into her shaking hands, barely restraining sobs himself, his jaw tight and eyes glossy.

“They have to find him,” she choked out, once they were home on their sofa, blanket around them, and Joe was letting himself cry. “They have to.”

Grief was a deep pit in her chest, where her heart had been.

-

While Master was making breakfast, Ellis slipped out of bed to get his glass of water from where he had tucked it out of the way under the bed overnight. He padded on bare feet over the floorboards and stooped to pick it up.

Are you out of bed?

He froze, hand around the cool glass, and it took him a long moment to find his body, and his voice, and reply. “Yes, Master.”

I told you to stay.

“I’m sorry, Master, I was getting—”

Are you questioning me?

The words stuck in his throat. He shouldn’t give excuses. “No, Master, sorry.”

Back in the bed.

The disappointment chilled him, and he let go of the water, leaving it on the floor. He climbed back into the bed that wasn’t his, trying to put himself back how he was left. Why did he try to do that, disobey the stay he was so clearly given, to get something for himself? He couldn’t do things for himself anymore.

Master returned with a plate of toast and a bowl. His bowl of porridge. He put both on his bedside table and took something else from his dressing gown pocket.

“You need help even today, don’t you?” he asked, and it wasn’t a real question, so he didn’t reply. He was unresisting as Master took his ankle and cuffed it to the bedpost on a short chain. “If you can’t stay by yourself, we’ll have to make you.”

“Thank you, Master,” he murmured, relieved beyond measure that he wasn’t kicked off the bed altogether. Even when he was bad, disobeying and – not asking for permission, of course, he needed to ask before he could have water – Master was letting him stay. For his birthday. Kindness he didn’t deserve, because Master was wonderful.

Master didn’t pull him close again, though, so Ellis stayed still, staring at the bowl of porridge he was given, ashamed. It was several long minutes before Master gave him permission to eat, and it was almost cold.

“I’m giving you one more chance, because it’s your birthday. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master.” He was grateful, he really was. The bed was special, a treat. A gift. “Thank you, Master.”

Yes, no, sorry, thank you, please. For a moment, he heard how repetitive he was, and it brought a cringing blush to his face. He tried to focus on the food, but it tasted awful, congealing and powdery and bland. Last year on his birthday he ate pizza for breakfast, cold leftovers from the party the night before. Three friends had slept over and they’d sat in their pyjamas in the living room playing video games and eating junk food.

God, he missed video games. He missed fun.

“Stay there and relax,” Master said, when he had finished his food, and he knew he should be glad, but he was...bored. So, so bored.

Master went again. So much for spending the day together. Ellis must have forfeited that by breaking a rule. He hadn’t been burnt and he was glad for that, truly. But this was meant to be better, and it wasn’t.

-

Nic had eight unread messages, four missed calls, and two voicemails.

They were curled in their usual spot, duvet bunched around them, face pressed into his pillow. Some things they hadn’t touched, small shrines to his absence. His toothbrush in the pot. His shoes by the door. The jumper he’d left draped over the banister.

Other things, they held on to. His pillow was the main thing. For a while, the lingering smell of his conditioner had brought stinging tears to their eyes, but it had faded now.

They scrolled through his Facebook.

I hope you’re safe, wherever you are.

Miss you today, Ellis. Love to your family as always.

We’ll never forget you.

It was easier to read these than the messages for Nic. They’d glimpsed some. Please let us know if you need anything. Drop me a message anytime.

It wasn’t true. It wasn’t real. Nobody could do anything but reassure them with sweet lies. Ellis had been gone for five months, and people gone for that long rarely came back. His parents denied the possibility, but Nic didn’t know what else anyone could do. As far as the police had been able to tell, he’d gotten dressed and simply walked out.

And Siobhan and Joe thought that, maybe, he’d walked out on Nic.

Eight unread messages, four missed calls, two voicemails, and they felt so alone.

-

His legs ached from being still. He wanted to get up and move around. He wanted to find a book. God, he wanted to open a window or go outside, feel grass and rain and earth, even though it would be cold.

He wanted – something else. He wouldn’t let his thoughts focus on what.

I am Master’s pet and I need to be kept, he reminded himself, aware that his train of thought was getting dangerous. He had to stay. It wasn’t his choice. A little boredom was the least of what he deserved.

The bed was so soft he was sinking into it. Like porridge.

By the time Master comes back, he’s so desperate for stimulation that he winds himself around his Master and nuzzles eagerly into him, thin arms wrapped around his middle. Master laughs softly, patting his back, and they settle down together with Ellis curled up against his leg, head resting on his thigh.

He’s had food. Company. Comfort. Attention. It doesn’t make the uneasy, hollow feeling go away, but – but he couldn’t want for anything else.

#angst #captivity #grief #forced comfort #guilt #creepy caregiver #chained #isolation #loneliness #ellis #nic #alistair

[rational-mastermind]

It Doesn’t Hurt

Ch 1/5

Hurt/Comfort. A Trilbhan (Trilby x Siobhan) fanfic taking place after Trilby’s Notes. Warnings of suicidal thoughts and depression (in later chapters) and blood. But I mean.. If you’re into this series you’re sure as fuck not squeamish.

--

 It's been a few months since the Clanbronwyn Hotel incident. The events that took place there still haunts me to this day and my reputation around the Ministry of Occultism hadn't gotten any better, now that I'm responsible for the permanent decommissioning of two agents, Andrew Jarvis and Lenkmann. Granted, most forgave the latter, as he not only threatened my life but was a part of an insane cult named The Blessed Agonies. But AJ…

 Ever since my first day I was referred to as "the one who killed AJ". As if it wasn't bad enough bearing the responsibility of killing the man to begin with. As well as bearing the responsibility of three other deaths, Philip Harty, Simone Taylor, and Abed Chahal.

 A week or two after the Hotel Incident, I attended Dr. Chahal's funeral. At a distance, mind you. Somehow knowing why they couldn't find his body and making it a closed casket ceremony made me feel worse, but at least I could properly, discreetly, pay my respects to the man.

 However, seeing his family come to the casket to say their good-byes, forced me to leave. I suppose that's what people call guilt. I was walking out of the building when a familiar voice called out.

 "Terry Railby?"

 I couldn't tell if my initial feeling was one of surprise for being recognized or dread as I, in turn, recognized who it was. I turned around only to find Siobhan O’Malley standing by the doors, looking a little shocked herself. I should've figured she was here, being the late professor's assistant. Still, I was foolish to hope I wouldn't run into someone who would recognize me, let alone know me by the more common alias, Trilby.

 "Siobhan..." I started, unable to mask my surprise.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, rightfully perplexed.

 "Just came to pay my last respect." I said giving a nod to the funeral house behind us. "The least I could do."

 She nodded sadly and folded her arms around her.

 "Same. But… Well I mean.. ", she started to say before smiling back at me. "It's good to see you again."

 "And you as well." I smiled back politely.

 "I was kinda hoping you would show up." She stepped a little closer. "I don't think I thanked ya properly for rescuing me."

 I gave a modest shrug.

 "All in a day's work." I stated, cringing inwardly from how cheesy that sounded.

 "No really." She insisted. "If it weren't for you, it'd be my family in there. At least lemme buy you a drink, as a proper thanks."

 I nodded back to the funeral.

 "Wouldn't you rather say your proper good-bye with everyone else?"

 "Nah. I actually hate funerals. It's like church, but more depressing." Siobhan explained, looking at the ground in thought. "I paid my respects and don't get me wrong, I do miss him but… Well. I know he's not in there. Saying goodbye to an empty casket isn't gonna do me much good is it?"

 She looked back at me sadly. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. We had both seen what really happened to Abed.

 "So come on. Lemme thank ya for saving me from a worse fate, and we'll say a real good-bye instead."

 I don't know what possessed me to agree, but in about 15 minutes, I found myself sitting in a corner booth of a small cafe with Siobhan and a couple of drinks.

 "Here's to a good man." Siobhan tucked away the small flask she used to "fix" her drink, and raised the cup in a small cheers.

 I returned the gesture and we drank.

 "I didn't know you drank." I mentioned.

 "Terry, I am Irish. Of course I do." she chuckled before adding. "Only on occasions."

 I nodded and dropped it. We sat in silence for a while before I decided I should ask the obvious question.

 "So… do you want to talk about Abed?"

 Siobhan sighed a little and shrugged.

 "What can I say?" She asked and looked absent mindedly at her drink. "He was nice. A good professor. Passionate about his work. A nice man overall. I mean.. don't get me wrong, it always hurts to know someone's dead. But well… it's life, isn't it?"

 “That's a very mature way of looking at it." I agreed.

 "Well.. Thanks." She smiled a little, albeit sadly. "Personally I don't think anyone should mourn the dead for too long. It's bound to happen, and it makes life a little brighter to know they were a part of yours. I did. Back at the hotel. But then that was it. Time to move on."

 "Hmm. And where are you moving on to?"

 "Well I finished college last year. I'm planning on opening up an antique shop here in about a month." Siobhan perked up a bit.

 “Well that’s nice to hear.” I smiled more comfortably. “So soon?”

 “Well I've been planning this for a while now." She explained. "It's just now been coming together. And I've already got a decent amount of stock set in storage to get started on."

 "Very smart. Sounds like you have a good head for business."

 She grinned a little.

 "About the only thing I'd be concerned about is if any cat burglars broke in overnight."

 "Hmm. And why would they?" I asked, playing along. "I'd assume anything worthwhile would've already walked out the door."

 Siobhan laughed a little, blushing, and finally dropped the charade.

 "If you mean me, I'm actually going to live in the building. Right above the shop actually."

 "Ah I see." I nodded with understanding, but couldn't resist teasing further. "So there WOULD be a reason for some, tall, dark, handsome, mysterious-"

 "Oh crap Terry!", Siobhan laughed.

 "-sophisticated and impressively dressed gentleman thief to break in"

 Siobhan was trying hard to keep her laughter quiet but it was obviously a strain. Her face started to flush as tears swelled. The reaction caused me to laugh along, equally quiet and strained. It was nice. This frivolous moment of peace. I couldn't remember the last time I laughed like this. It felt good. It felt like such a relief to laugh. I supposed this is what Claire meant by getting a "good vibe" from someone.

 And that was when it dawned on me.

 Oh no.

 Claire.

 Work.

 SHIT.

 I quickly checked my watch and mentally cursed.

 "What's wrong?", Siobhan asked, noticing the sudden shift in behavior.

 "I have somewhere I need to be." I stood up and left a bill for the drinks. "Sorry for leaving so suddenly. It was nice seeing you again."

 "Oh! Um, yeah. It's great to see you!" She said giving a small wave good-bye.

 I hurried out the door. I had just caught myself in time and barely made it back before someone missed me.

 I came into the office and sat down at my desk with a sigh. Just in time. I clocked back in from my computer. Claire, sitting right across from me as usual, looked up from her desk with a smile.

 "So…? Where were you? Missed you at lunch."

 "Had something to attend to."

 "Personal? Or is it a girl?"

 "Wouldn't a girl be personal?" I frowned, quizzically and glanced back at her.

 "You'd be surprised how casual people really are about their love life Trilbs." She rolled her eyes, though still smiled. "It's called socializing."

 "Well I'm not entirely one for doing such, to start with, and secondly, don't call me Trilbs. A nickname of a nickname is ridiculous."

 "Oh fine. You're no fun today." She shook her head and went back to work.

 Any thoughts I did want to have about Siobhan went right out the window. The last thing I needed was office-stereotype-like Claire gossiping my thoughts to the entire department.

 The rest of the day was as normal as it could be and I hadn’t seen Siobhan again for the rest of the month. August passed with almost nothing noteworthy, aside from the occasional ghosts I had to banish and demon slayers I’ve met while working. Then one day, I came into the break room.

 I had been dealing with a woman on the phone who claimed to have seen her dead mother come back to nag her and she wasn’t willing to listen to reasoning. I wasn’t really needing the coffee, though I poured myself a cup regardless. Just needed an excuse more than anything to get away from the griping.

 “Hey Trilby.” one of my co-workers, I believe his name was Darren, came up to me.

 “Good afternoon.”, I greeted, not turning to face him until after I made my cup.

 “Kill anyone lately?”

 My heart stuttered and I looked back to find Lenkmann staring me down, inches from my face. A sudden sharp pain welled up in my abdomen. I screamed in pain and looked down to find blood dripping off my hands.

 It hurts

 Everything was growing dark. There was a scream and I looked up only to find a dead Philip Harty, sprawled out on the dining room table. Simone and Jim were running away into the house.

 It hurts

 I had to chase them down. I had to kill them. I wanted them to suffer. Just like I did.

 It hurts

 I looked down at the floor to find Abed. His porcelain face looked back at me, trying to mouth words but I could only barely understand.

 It hurts

 Pain coursed through every vein of my body and I knew the name of the King.

 IT HURTS

 I was running through the hotel, trying to escape. Sharp, hot, agonizing pain scorched my nerves. The smell of death and blood was everywhere. The darkness around me was growing. I tried to reach out. Siobhan caught my hand. I grabbed her throat and snapped it.

 IT HURTS

 I ran until I tripped on something and fell. Into nothing.

 Into darkness.

                                       Eternity.

                                                                                 On the floor.

 With a gasp of fresh cold air, I woke up on the floor of my apartment, just off my bed. My head hurt with a sharp pain. I likely fell on it first. I quickly checked my body only to find no blood. Just the scar from where I had been stabbed. I sighed. There was a phantom pain there, but it was fading. Why was I? Oh.. Right. The nightmare.

 A pit in my stomach grew. Having a stressful nightmare wasn’t unheard of. You don’t just accept murdering two people under possession and nearly dying. But the last time I had such a vivid dream like that was when…

 “Oh no…” I felt like everything in me suddenly grew cold. “Oh God no. PLEASE NO.”

 I scrambled to look around my apartment for something.

 It wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere.

 I hurried to get dressed and ran out the door. Praying I was mistaken.

 I got to the office and came rushing to my desk

 “Trilby? You okay?” Claire asked as I ravaged my drawers, searching frantically.

 “Where is it? Oh crap, WHERE IS IT?!”

 “Trilby, calm down! What are you looking for??”

 “Where the hell is that letter?!”

 “What letter??”

 I slammed my hand on the desk, too flustered and frustrated to listen to her.

 “THE DAMN LETTER FROM NASA, CLAIRE. DID THEY SEND THAT ABOMINATION OUT OR NOT??”

 “That idol? From Defoe?? Yeah, they- Oh, Trilby, calm down they did!”

 She came over and laid a hand on my shoulder. My frantic paranoia was wavering, swaying as she tried to calm me down.

 “Trilby, Trilby, they sent it out.”

 I looked back, still scared.

 “They did?”

 “Yeah, it launched a couple of weeks ago. You got a letter.”

 I started to calm down. I could feel waves of nostalgia and serenity from Claire as she tried to help.

 “They did.. Okay.. O.. okay..” I placed my head in my hands, rubbing away the bags under my eyes. “Holy.. Alright. It was just stress…”

 “Doing better?”

 “Y...yes? No?”

 “Right now?”

 “....Yes. Yes, I’ll be okay.” I sighed. My paranoia and stress melting away. Being replaced with a settled, calm, hollow feeling. Like the still peacefulness of the dark. “I’m… better. I’m sorry.”

 “It’s okay. We all have those days.” Claire reassured me. “So, what happened?”

 “Just another nightmare… I thought.. I was worried that…”, I couldn’t find the words.

 Blurry images of the nightmare flashed through my mind. Growing more distant.

 “You thought you killed someone again?”

 “Y...yeah.” I sighed. “I thought.. The idol…”

 “It was shipped out.. It can’t hurt anyone.”

 “And you’re sure the box wasn’t opened?” “I doubt they would’ve opened it.”

 I sighed with relief.

 “Okay.. Alright.”

 Claire sat down at her desk. I noticed a piece of paper sitting under my monitor and pulled it out, only to find it was, indeed, the letter from NASA. The idol was shipped out. No one had opened the box. I started to ease up. It was okay. Siobhan wasn’t going to be killed. Everything’s alright.

 “Trilby.” one of my higher ups, a short, stocky man with thick round glasses, came and sat a folder down at my desk. I believe his name was Richard. “I’ve got a case for you. Mysterious deaths happening at the same locale. The only person people could have in suspicion, doesn’t add up. Especially cause she phoned in the deaths herself in hysterics, and no one’s that great an actor.”

 “Alright. I’ll uh, take a look at that.” I said, starting up my computer. “Thank you.”

 “We want you to take someone with you. It looks dangerous.”

 “Very well.”

 He left and I looked over the folder. Mysterious deaths happening at an antique store named Rusty Pot o’ Gold. I looked up at Claire. I usually like to go with Chris Quinn, but something told me I was going to need her help in this. Someone who would be a bit more… serious than Chris.

 “Would you like to come, Claire?”

 She looked back, a little surprised, but smiled sincerely.

 “Yeah. Why not?”

 A small drive later, and we arrived at the antique store. The first thing I noticed about it was how new it seemed. I was reminded of Siobhan for a moment.

 For a moment… I was reminded of that nightmare.

 I shook my head, trying to clear it. Nothing like that was going to happen. There are about a dozen antique shops, this side of town. What was one more? No one said this had to be Siobhan’s.

 We walked in, past the police tape and glanced about us. There were dozens of shelves, display cases, and boxes of worn antiques. Everything from hats to farming equipment was found here. Everything was full, cramped, and kind of messy. Admittedly, the owner made it feel homey. The various chandeliers, lamps, and torches, all lit and warming the place while the rugs and strange antiquated china dolls and figurines made it feel almost lived in. I was reminded, for a moment, of visiting my own grandmother’s for the holiday. I would say the shop felt cozy, if it weren’t for the obvious, damp, chill that hung in the air. A first sign of possible specters.

 We started to look around, hoping to find something unusual, or out of place. Something the magenta in our pockets would react to, though they carried a generalized warmth and a healthy glow regardless. But we didn’t get far before my previous concerns came true and Siobhan’s voice called from the back of the store.

 “Are you with the police? Be right with you!”

 “Oh no…”, I grimaced.

 “What?” Claire looked at me curiously.

 “I know her.” I said in a low voice.

 “Ex?”

 “What? No!” I rolled my eyes. “It’s Siobhan O’Malley. From the Clan Bronwyn Hotel.”

 “Oh! Ohhh.” Claire grimaced as well. “Oooh..”

 “I’ve got this.”

 “Aw, man. I came up with names and everything!”

 “Well I’ll still introduce you as your alias.”

 Claire beamed and handed me the slip of paper. I took a glance at it, frowned in disgust and handed it back.

 “And you lost your alias privileges.”

 “Aww! Why?”

 “That’s far too crass for me to say.”

 “Gosh you’re boring.”

 I shook my head and came up to the counter.

 “Siobhan?” I called out. “It’s me, Trilby.”

 “Trilby?! Come in! What are you doing here??”

 I walked in, past the counter to find a hallway leading to a small office space. Siobhan greeted me at the doorway with a smile.

 “Hello, Siobhan.” I smiled back.

 “I certainly didn’t expect this! What…” suddenly her face fell as the pieces began to connect. “Oh.. Wait.. What are you doing here?? Unless...”

 “Yes, I’m here about the deaths.” I said, growing serious. “I’ve reason to believe it’s paranormal.”

 “Into the ghost hunting business now, are we?” she looked at me with reasonable disbelief.

 “Well.. actually, more or less.” I shook my head. “Believe me, not by intention. Just something I’ve… fallen into.”

 “Oh, really?”

 “Ludicrous, but it’s a living.”

 “Hey, Trilby?” Claire called from the other room. “There’s something going on out here!”

 We head back out into the shop. Claire stood up from where she was, piece of magenta in hand.

 “So.. Who’s your friend?” Siobhan asked.

 “She’s my co-worker, Claire.” I explained.

 “Hi! You must be Siobhan.” Claire beamed and shook her hand. Always the friendly extrovert.

 “Nice to meet you.” Siobhan smiled, though it seemed out of sheer politeness.

 “So what’s wrong?” I asked.

 “Look at this.”

 Claire held up the magenta to the ceiling as high as she can. It began to grow dim. She then brought it low to the floor and it burned brighter.

 “Hm. Siobhan, there wouldn’t happen to be a basement, would there?”

 “Um. Yeah, actually.” She headed to a door in the back of the store.

 “Any extra information on this place, while you’re at it?” we followed her down the stairs.

 “Well there used to be a prison here.” Siobhan began to explain.

 I immediately grimaced. Prisons are just one of those things I’ll never fully appreciate, given my life choices. I felt uneasy standing in the old grounds of one.

 “Ooh. That makes sense!” Claire chimed in. “A lot of things could’ve happened in one of those.”

 “Actually the history is kinda scarce, but interesting.” Siobhan began, immediately falling into a sense of careful study and quiet enthusiasm. She almost sounded like a tour guide, if the subject were anything else. “The jailhouse was originally erected in 1602. The plot of land for it was actually a lot larger than the current store, starting from the sidewalk from one end of the block to another, but it was bulldozed down and divided by 1718. What we’ll find down here is some of the original brick foundation and layout of the previous jailhouse.”

 “That’s um.. Comforting.” I commented.

 We came out into a large, brick and cobblestone basement. Some old cells were polished up and filled with various cardboard boxes and crates.

 “Well it kinda gets worse.” Siobhan continued. “Apparently this basement was specifically used for… well.. Death Row.”

 An icy chill went down my spine and it wasn’t just because we were literally in the coldest room. Looking around at the iron bars, I could only imagine what it must’ve been like. Convicts simply waiting here in the musty, damp, dark, wondering when their time was going to be up. Likely a few wrongly accused. The pit in my stomach grew worse.

 “Of course it was…” I muttered, recognizing that I could now see my breath, but only barely.

 “Hm. That could be a good lead.” Claire noted.

 “Possibly.” Siobhan shrugged. “There was a few rumors surrounding the place about police brutality. A few convicts were found dead before their due date. The prison was shut down after that.”

 “So we’re looking at the possibility that several upset ghosts are still haunting, after being killed prematurely in their previous life?” I questioned, looking back at Claire and Siobhan.

 “But if it’s just a mindless ghost… Then why hasn’t it killed Siobhan? Or….us?” Claire asked.

 “Good question.” I pondered and turned to Siobhan. “Any similarities to the previous deaths?”

 “Aside that they all broke in, looking to steal stuff? Um.. No. Old, young, short, tall, man, woman.” Siobhan sighed a little. “They were all different.”

 There was a moment to think before Claire spoke up again.

 “...Maybe the ghosts have something against thieves?”

 “Wouldn’t that be kind of against the phrase, ‘thick as thieves’?” Siobhan grinned a little.

 Siobhan and Claire both looked at me curiously. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help a small smile.

 “I find that to be somewhat of an offensive phrase.” I clarified. “I preferred to work alone.”

 “Hm.. Alone, you say?” Siobhan nodded towards Claire.

 Claire laughed a little.

 “I tagged along. Otherwise, yeah, he would’ve probably worked alone.”

 I shrugged modestly and returned to the task at hand.

 “There’s no guarantee that it’s multiples, either. We’d just need at least one to stay and become a ghost.”

 “Would it be alright if I poked around, Siobhan?” Claire asked. “Maybe I can find some piece of the corpse or an artifact he’s attached to.”

 “Oh, yeah, help yourself.” Siobhan offered politely.

 “Actually, while you’re doing that, I might as well try to find more information myself.” I sighed. “Do you have a computer I can borrow?”

 “Yeah, in the office.” Siobhan nodded to the stairs and smiled. “I’ll show you.”

 We headed back up into the office. Siobhan sat at the desk and began to start the dial-up internet.

 “So, be honest. What does one have to do to become a Ghost-buster?” she asked, with a playful grin.

 I rolled my eyes. That reference has been made around the office several times, and even though I’ve yet to see the actual movie myself, I still know so much of it, picking it up in passing conversation.

 “Well you don’t have to wear a ridiculous jumpsuit.” I started to explain, earning a giggle from the other. “Secondly, I don’t think you’d want me for a reference on the job interview. It um.. Wasn’t exactly the best.”

 “Oh.. Really? Is it all that bad?”

 “Mine was at least. I hear it’s different for everyone. Besides, it’s a boring desk job most of the time.” I shrugged. “Half the time chasing down the paranormal isn’t even as thrilling as movies make it out to be.”

 “Oh, it can’t be all that terrible.” Siobhan grinned, obviously still trying to hold onto some silly romantic idea she had of the whole thing. “I’m sure it must be a lot of fun at times. Or at least a few good stories to share.”

 I decided to spare her the retelling of one obnoxious, love-sick, school boy.

 “Well.. Perhaps I’m just unlucky.” I simply told her. “Claire would know better than I.”

 “Hm. Maybe I’ll ask her opinion.” Siobhan chuckled. “She’s nice, by the way.”

 “She’s the nicer of the people in the office, at least.” I agree. “A little absent minded.”

 “Hm, sounds like someone else we know.”

 I chuckle.

 “Okay. Not that bad.”

 “So… What’s her.. thing?”

 “‘Her thing?’” I looked at Siobhan, perplexed.

 “Well I mean, I doubt any normal person could be right for the job.”

 “Ah. Well, she’s a um.. Clairvoyant.”

 “Claire the clairvoyant?” Siobhan grinned, though incredulous.

 I shook my head and chuckled.

 “As silly as it sounds, she’s actually really good at what she does.” I replied.

 “She reads minds?”

 “Somewhat. She’s said it’s a little more complicated than that. But basically it’s about what you’d expect. Read minds. Telepathy. Senses ghosts. Um.. Feels…. vibrations or something?” I shrugged. I never really understood it myself, though I had tried to read up on it.

 “Hmm. Well, the internet’s up now. Here you go.”

 We traded places. I sat down and began to search. Siobhan made herself comfortable on the desk. I checked reports on the previous deaths. No leads there. The victims were all just as varied as Siobhan explained. Mostly hooligans. Nothing similar.

 ‘Rookies, the lot of them.’ I thought to myself, reading through their reports. ‘No wonder they got caught.’

 I tried looking for information on the jailhouse. The deaths that occurred were equally varied. The only thing any of them had in common was that they all appeared to have been horribly beaten to death. Everything from cracked ribs to broken bones. One was even killed with his skull bashed in. To be fair, my stomach was somewhat weak to read in more detail what all had happened. The chief of police at the time, a man by the name of Brutus J. Ustyss, was held in suspicion for the deaths, but never brought to court.

 Suddenly the website I was searching turned blank and then the screen flickered and went black.

 “Wha-?” I sighed in frustration and Siobhan did as well.

 “I’m sorry, Trilby. The computer blinks out, sometimes.”

 “Well..” I checked my watch. It was late into the afternoon. Soon enough I would have to stop. “I suppose I should go check on Claire. After that, we’ll try to gather more information elsewhere. I’ve been meaning to pay the library a visit, anyway.”

 We headed back out of the office.

 “You know, I’m still curious how someone as infamous as you landed a job as a paranormal investigator.” Siobhan started as we walked into the main room of the shop. “I mean, did you always want to be one? Or did you want something more?”

 “Honestly? I wouldn’t have ever wished for something as ridiculous as this.” I sighed. “I yearn for the days before the Defoe Manor. Back when things were simpler. I’ll always be a thief at heart.”

 The shop suddenly began to shiver and quake. Miscellaneous merchandise began to fall off the shelves around us. I felt an icy cold hand grab my shoulder and before I realized I’m being turned around, I’m met with a brick wall of immense pain and darkness.

#Chzo Mythos #Trilby Somerset #Siobhan O'Malley #Trilbhan #my writing #Chzo Trilby #ghosts #whooo boy how quickly did I write this?? #holy shit I'm actually posting a fanfic again ^//^ #I just didn't feel right posting until I've had the whole story finished so #updates will be regular! #Holy crap I'm super excited! #and open for critiques! #rational writing

[shaken-veil]

Aim to Misbehave #13 - Wash it all away

3 more parts to go, if everything goes as planned. I’m posting this directly after finishing. No promises. 

The Drifter x Female Guardian / Canon Divergent / Non-Explicit Smut / Soft!Drifter warning / The games of the Nine

AO3

With your life on the line Ready to die for something When you're at the divide And you're down to nothing Look into my eyes

I Prevail - Hurricane

~~~

The Derelict - Earth’s Orbit / 9 Years Post-Forsaken

~~~

Fireteam Siren had taken her away from Old Chicago after her fight with Shin Malphur. Chia had done her best to heal the wounds left behind by the Last Word. Just a few more scars to be added to her collection. Another tattoo required covering them up. After talking to her last remaining friends, they brought Nevia to the Iron Temple. Lady Aine Mac Cleirich was an old Warlock and wife of Lord Saladin. She was a doctor, nurse, scholar and scientist at the same time and Siobhan, as well as Anna, demanded for her to go see her and to check her injuries. 

The elder woman shortly after a concerning look at her approved of her being good to go. Not like Nevia expected anything else. And she fled the Iron Temple as soon as her friend’s consciousness was calmed down. 

Nevia took the Queen of Hearts away from Old Russia and took a moment in Orbit to center herself. She just had to fight Shin Malphur one on one and survived to tell the tale, which she probably never would if she was completely honest. He wasn’t as scary, if one caught him off guard. But there was another thing, that was even more startling than the simple fact of facing down the legendary ‘Man with the Golden Gun’. Her Arc Light had fought it’s way back from exile, breaking down the barriers the foreign Solar light had put up and remanifistated itself in the moment she needed it the most. 

Why that was and why it hadn’t shown itself sooner, she couldn’t tell. She was no Warlock with a million of theories on this, just basically accepted it as a fact that she wasn’t bound to Solar anymore, but got her familiar Arc back. She felt a little more like herself again.

But now she had to face the consequences of her doing. She had lied to Drifter, again, otherwise he would have never let her go by herself. She needed him out of danger.. On the other hand. He had put a damn bug on her, had listened to everything that went on between her and Shin. The worst was that Chia knew and didn’t say a thing. Extremely frustrated by her Ghost’s actions, Nevia kicked her ship back into gears and flew off high above earth’s surface, until the Last City came into view. 

She kept her distance, only watching the giant wall wrapping around what was left of humanity. In her eyes, all she saw was a prison. Once it had been different but she would never see the Tower and Vanguard with the same eyes ever again. 

Returning to the Derelict gave her a strong push in anxiety. She was mad and scared at the same time. Chia had transmatted her from the Queen of Hearts onto the big hall with the portal leading towards the Haul. She would go and see Yre soon. She needed the comforting presence of the Ahamkara and maybe some advice. 

She looked up onto her small hideout on the upper catwalk. With a deep breath Nevia moved on through the back, past the sleeping container and the workshop, where Drifter wasn’t to be found. Normal, since he usually ran his Gambit matches at this time of day. She placed her hand on the cold metal of the door connecting to the large cockpit. The moment she stepped into the large room, Drifter was leaning over a screen next to the console with the flight controls. Hearing him casually comment on a match in the way, he always did, pushed her fear and anxiety to the side and let anger dominate the situation. 

Not even bothering to be quiet, she stomped towards him and put her hands on her hips, glaring form her bright, piercing eyes. He didn’t turn around, though she knew he very well heard her approaching. “You put a bug on me!”, she declared, loud enough to be noticed on the comms, he was just speaking into. She could see his shoulders tense and he pushed the button to mute the microphone. 

Daisuke appeared next to him and looked back and forth between his Guardian and the huntress, visibly confused. “Ghost, take over for a moment, will ya?”, Drifter asked him and to her surprise, Daisuke had lines recorded from Drifter probably for when he was busy for a moment during an ongoing match. Or longer.. 

“So?”, she crossed her arms above her chest. Her armor was still marked by her fight against Malphur. Bullet Holes had ruined some of the soft leather. 

“So, what? I bugged ya for your own safety. You were lying to me. Ya thinkin’ I’m stupid?” He spoke rapidly with a raised voice. Drifter never raised his voice. No matter how angry he was, his voice always stayed calm. Nevia couldn’t stop the flinch when she heard him becoming loud. “Ya wanna die? Going out there having a nice chit chat with Malphur?!”

“I wanted to free us of a problem. Don’t tell me you’re not scared shitless to be gunned down by this psycho.”, she snapped back, instantly being defensive about her decision. “I lived, I beat him and that’s about it.”

And then something happened, she had never seen before. She was aware that Drifter was given the power of Solar Light, though he never used it. Maybe only to light up his coins for dramatic effects or warm up food. But now? Now the Solar powers was covering his right hand, while it was clenched into a fist, shaking ever so slightly with tension and distress. That moment she realised, it was not anger what made him raise his voice. 

“You didn’t even get rid of him. Let him go. You had the chance, Nevia.” 

No more nicknames. So this was really serious. “To become pathetic like the Shadows? Like those he kills? Never. I won’t give him that satisfaction and proof him right. He is beatable, Drifter. I almost killed him.” 

“But’cha didn’t and it almost got you killed. Don’t think I didn’t hear it.” He pointed at her with his hand engulfed in fire. “Would have really pissed me off, hearin’ you die on the other end.” 

“I’m not dying, Drifter.” Her voice had turned a lot softer than before. She knew his history and even without him saying it, Nevia believed to know what was going on in his head at this very moment, which didn’t happen very often but his own emotions were clear as day on his face. She wasn’t even sure if he actually realised that. 

“Ya might as well could have.” He struggled with his words and the fire around his fingers seemed to calm down as well over the next moments. Drifter looked almost defeated and it was more than unusual for him to be this open. It was more worth than any words they could ever exchange. 

In the background, she could hear Daisuke playing still Drifter’s voicelines to keep Gambit busy. A couple of times he failed and announced the wrong locations for enemy spawn and it made her almost smile, if this situation wouldn’t be so serious. 

She wouldn’t say she was sorry, because she wasn’t. Shin had to be dealt with, but she didn’t like hurting him or causing distress, especially with how things went with former people in his life. And she totally didn’t think about that floating freak that came visiting occasionally. “Drifter..” Nevia reached out and despite everything she cupped his cheek into her hand, thumb brushing through his beard. “I’m not Orin. I’m not just gonna leave you.” The ‘You don’t have to be afraid.’ stayed unsaid. 

His formerly bitter expression softened and he closed his eyes for a short second, before returning his attention to her. “I know..” 

They both knew it had to be done and they were also aware that maybe, just maybe, they could breathe freely again without watching their back over every single step they did. Their argument seemed to be settled the moment, Nevia slipped her arms around his neck and even with their armor in the way, she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and pressed her body against his in a tight embrace. 

Her fingers found their way into his hair, gently brushing through the black coloured mess. Slowly she felt him relax into her arms and Nevia pressed her lips to his scarred cheek, nuzzling his beard. And Drifter? He just held onto her for as long as she would let him. She wanted to tell him, that everything would be alright, but the words refused to come out. 

The soft and quiet moment was only interrupted by Daisuke hovering by Drifter’s side, just looking at him and waiting patiently. He was instantly annoyed by the Ghost’s presence, but gave him his attention anyway. A silent conversation seemed to be going on between them and eventually Drifter pulled an annoyed face, just for a second though, since he then leaned down and kissed Nevia on the lips. “Gambit’s waiting for no one. Not even me. Don’t run too far.” 

It was his sign to leave and she smiled at his words. He said them before after one of the first nights she had spent on the Derelict. She let him go and stepped aside, following behind him as he made his way to the back of the ship and stepping onto his little platform. Nevia climbed up in her hideout and watched the Guardians get ready to storm the field. She didn’t miss the short look Drifter shot into her direction and she returned it with a smile. 

~~~

Eventually Nevia had left her spot and went back into the living space of the Derelict, making herself a cup of coffee after a change of clothes into something more comfortable. Top and sweatpants, staying on her bare feet. She was watching the surroundings around them, while the Derelict was hovering over the Emerald Coast. She had good memories here. Aside from being her favorite location for Gambit matches, there also had been some more private moments, that made her smile. Thinking about how Drifter hit his head on the back shooting back up from the ground, while they were having sex. 

While lost in her thoughts and memories, quietly sipping her coffee, she didn’t hear the door on the other side of the room, nor the footsteps approaching her. Only when two all too familiar arms wrapped around her middle, she got pulled back to the real world. “Would you like to dance?” Drifter’s voice sent a shiver down her spine, but his usual pickup line made her laugh quietly. But she decided to indulge him.

“What?”, Nevia asked, played innocent. 

“Hmm? What do you think I just said?” There was almost a chuckle in his voice, knowing full well that she was just playing along.

“Would you like to dance?”

“Oh, I’d love to.” 

He took the coffee mug out of her hands and placed it on the console in front of them. She turned around and looked at him, finding him examining her with a slight frown on his forehead, the smirk gone. Nevia slipped her arms around his neck, giving him a questioning look, wondering what was going on in his mind. 

“You smell differently.”, was all he said and it caused her to let out a surprised snort. 

“I do what now?” 

“I dunno.. Like a storm? Did you change your body gel?” 

But instead of answering, Nevia lifted her left hand and held it out a bit away from them. She carefully summoned her light, which somehow now felt a lot more natural. Instead of the warming flames of Solar, lightning sparked around her fingertips. Drifter observed in silence, though as she expected he didn’t question it. He knew she was an Arcstrider before taking upon the Solar powers unwillingly. 

Nevia pressed her finger to his collarbone in a playful manner, zapping him lightly against his shirt. A low rumble came from his throat. Did he like that? A smirk full of mischief built on her lips. She used the hold her other arm had on his neck and jumped into his arms. The surprise made him stumble backwards with a laugh and even though he caught his balance, he moved further back until his knees reached the armrest of the old couch. He dropped backwards, holding onto Nevia as they crashed down onto it. “So, what was that about dancing?”

“Heh, wait and see.” 

They undressed each other in a hurry, their touches almost desperate. Electricity always dancing around her edges, while she tried to get her reestablished Arc powers back under control from excitement. More than once she zapped Drifter on his bare skin, causing them both to laugh, before returning to their former activity. Nevia’s fingernails drew red, angry lines over his chest, followed by him sitting up and marking her neck and shoulders with bite marks. 

He held her close in his arms, while they moved together. The sun was already setting, when they both found their release only a few moments apart from each other. Still resting on the old couch afterwards, Drifter absentmindedly drew circles on Nevia’s bare skin, while she was dozing directly on top of him. She felt absolutely content right now, safe and a little bit more like herself every moment. It made her thoughts wander slightly..

“I’m going to abandon Thorn.. I think.”, she mumbled against his chest, eyes still closed. Drifter made a questioning noise and opens one eye, looking down at her. 

“You wanna?” 

“Yeah.. I think.. I don’t know. Maybe it’s time.” 

“Would be the first one that is able to abandon that blasted gun, little Dredgen.. Whatever works for you.” When he didn’t got an answer from her, he noticed she was already asleep, softling breathing against his skin and Drifter decided to follow suit, though still worries on his mind. 

In her dreams, Nevia found herself in the same empty room, she had been to before. The floor, the area around her was nothing but the deep blue nothingness and countless of stars. She looked around but failed to find the giant freak waiting for her this time. An uneasy feeling invaded her heart like an invisible presence looming over her. Her gaze fell to the right and she made a surprising discovery. 

Drifter was standing next to her, looking as concerned and confused. When their eyes met, his went wide for a second. They didn’t get the chance to question things, because out of thin air the Emissary presented herself, hovering a bit away from them. Face emotionless and blank. He instantly got defensive, hands clenched to fists. 

“What do you want from us, Psycho?! Don’tcha have anythin’ better to do?”, he snapped at her. Nevia for once decided to stay silent, always stunned when being forced into this weird realm. 

“You’ve seen the end, Dredgen. We’re here to bid our farewell. We taught you and the huntress all that was to be learned to step into action. Our attention is required elsewhere.” As always her mouth was unmoving and her eyes just stared ahead without moving.

“Great. Means we’re free of ya? That’s good news.” 

Nevia slowly moved to his side and put a hand on his arm, wanting him to calm down. Neither of them was alone in this right now. She was grateful for it. “Why bother and drag us here? Why not go and bother someone else?” 

“We have one last thing to show you.” 

Before she could say anything, an image exploded in front of her eyes. The whole City was on fire, much like during the Red War, screams echoed over the whole area and on the sky? There hovered pitch black, triangle like forms. Phantoms hunted through the streets, consuming the civilians. 

The picture shifted to Nessus, where the constructs of the Vex were collapsing and causing giant cave ins on the planet, destabilizing it. The Leviathan in the background was breaking apart. The angry ocean on Titan consumed the remaining marks of human civilization. On Io the Pyramidion was turned into rubble. The destruction spread through all of the system and nothing was left standing. But as soon as the vision started it ended and she found herself back in the endless nothing, right next to Drifter. 

He was just glaring at the Emissary. 

This probably was what they made him see over all this time. So far Nevia’s visions always surrounded her personal life, failures and grief. Only now she realised what kind of burden Drifter had been carrying all this time. 

“Farewell.” The Emissary spoke her final word and vanished from view, though they still were stuck in this empty hell. A soft noise above their heads made them look up and her eyes saw something falling down and apparently so did Drifter. He held out his right hand and caught it with ease. Opening his fist, worried lines showed up on his forehead and Nevia felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

The small object was one of Drifter’s famous jade coins, but none of those he actually owned. The engraving showed one of the triangle ships, they had just seen in their vision. This was bad. Really, really bad. He turned his gaze towards her. None of them fancied seeing the system burn and watch everyone they know die. Nevia reached for his left hand and they intertwined their fingers.

It was time to leave. 

#the drifter x female guardian #the drifter #nevia #hunter guardian #destiny #destiny 2 #destiny fanfiction #my writing

[fantasyandromancelover]

The Tale of Tales Chapter 24

"Hurry up Juvia we're going to be late!" Gajeel called from the cottage door

"I'm coming!" Juvia said as she finished up brushing her hair.

"Where are you going?" Gray asked her.

"We're going to perform at the Magnolia village."

"Perform?"

"Yes Gajeel found a way for us to make money a little quicker. The dwarfs are musicians and I sing a little so we decided that once a week we'll go into the village and perform for money."

"And you're sure that will work?"

"It's worth a shot. Wanna come? It's been a week so I'm sure you can walk without your ankle hurting as much as it used to."

"No thank you I'm not the music type."

"But you'd have a wonderful time I'm sure."

"I said that I'm not interested so leave me alone!" He snapped.

"Oh...I'm sorry." She said looking sad before going outside to leave with the dwarfs.

Juvia didn't mean to upset Gray she just thought that seeing a musical performance would make him feel better. He was always so bitter and cold, she wondered what made him like that.

"Hey Juvia quit staring off into space and help us get ready!" Gajeel said.

"Oh sorry."

They chose to perform in the village square where they laid out a small bowl for people to put their money in and set up their instruments. Gajeel played the fiddle, Elfman played the bodhran, and Romeo played the tin whistle. When the exciting and playful music started to play Juvia began to sing.

"Ta na caorighagithe an gheamhair

Ta an gamhnaag ol an bhainne

Prataisios gan diolachan

'S duine gan mheabhair

Na raghtaabhaile

Is deas an bhean i Siobhan og

Gunanuauirthianios on siopa

Breathnaimar mo ghinioir

'S i a' rincear an mbord

Leis an phocarbuile

Nil 'na la, ta na la

Nil 'na la, na armaidin

Nil 'na la, ta 'na la

Is bean a ra, is i arfhaga."

Her voice and the music soon caught the attention of passing villagers. They were amazed by how talented Gajeel, Elfman, and Romeo were with their instruments but what impressed them the most was Juvia's beauty and voice.

"Don't send me out into the dark

The night is cold and I'll be perished

Stay inside with me a while

Is bim ag ol anseo go maidin

Nil 'na la, ta na la

Nil 'na la, na armaidin

Nil 'na la, ta 'na la

Is bean a ra, is i arfhaga."

The village children started to dance in the square while the adults clapped along with the music. Juvia soon found herself dancing with the children while earning a few proud smiles from Gaeel.

"Buailimsuas, buailimsios

Buailimcleamhanarbhean a leanna

Cuirimginioirar an mbord

Is bim ag ol anseo go maidin

Nil 'na la, ta na la

Nil 'na la, na armaidin

Nil 'na la, ta 'na la

Is bean a ra, is i arfhaga

Ta mo bhroga i dtigh an oil

Ta mo stocai i dtigh a' leanna

Ta na coiligh go leiragglaoch

'S b'eigeandomsa 'dhulabhaile

Nil 'na la, ta na la

Nil 'na la, na armaidin

Nil 'na la, ta 'na la

Is bean a ra, is i arfhaga

Nil 'na la, ta na la

Nil 'na la, na armaidin

Nil 'na la, ta 'na la

Is bean a ra, is i arfhaga

Nil 'na la, ta na la

Nil 'na la, na armaidin

Nil 'na la, ta 'na la

Is bean a ra, is i arfhaga."

When the song finished the crowd appluaded them enthusiastically while tossing a fair amount of coins into their bowl. They did a few encore performances which earned them plenty of more money and once all was said and done they began to divide the money up amongst each other.

"I gotta tell ya Juvia that's an impressive set of pipes you've got there." Gajeel said.

"Yeah we never made this much money in entire lives." Romeo said.

"Looks like this weekly performance thing is going to work out after all." Elfman said.

After all the money was counted and divided up they decided to go back home but Juvia wanted to stay behind to do something quick.

"Juvia I don't know if you should be out here alone at night." Gajeel told her.

"I'll be fine don't worry." She told him before hurrying off. "I won't be long I promise!"

"Where on Earth is she going at this hour?"

"Maybe she wanted to buy something?" Elfman suggested.

"Anyone else notice that basket she had with her?" Romeo asked.

"Yeah I wonder what she has in there." Elfman said.

Juvia had gone to the poorest part of the village where homeless, starving people living in poverty were and in her basket were blankets she had sewn by hand using her needlework and buns that she had baked. Recently along with keeping the house clean, cooking meals, and tending to Gray's wounds she had also been sewing warm blankets and baking fresh buns to give to the needy. She handed out each blanket and bun she had brought with her to the people who were cold and hungry, and she gave all her money to those who were sick and couldn't afford medicine.

"I hope this will be enough." Juvia said handing the last of her money to an ailing widow who was also a mother of three.

"This is more than enough." The woman coughed. "God bless you child. Please I don't need all this, I only need enough to afford a doctor."

"Keep it all please. You and your children need it much more than I do."

"You're an angel from heaven my dear. I pray for nothing but good fortune in your life."

She only smiled and walked back home. She wished that she could do more. If only she could find someway to overthrow her stepmother then she would be queen and she can see to it that these people had everything that they needed.

"Well, well, looks like a little mouse has lost her way."

She looked to see a man staring at her. He was older and bigger than she was. He was also very dirty with greasy unkept hair and grime on both his hands and in his finger nails. He flashed her a nasty grin which startled her because his teeth were crooked, pointy and a mix of black and yellow. She quickly tried to leave only for the man to step in front of her and pin her to the wall. His stentch was unbearable and it made her want to gag.

"Are you lost girly?" He asked.

"No I'm not lost. In fact I was going home right now."

"Nah you're much too pretty to live around this gubby dirt hole. I bet you're from some rich family who would pay a fortune to have you back home safe."

"Leave me alone!"

He took hold of her hair and sniffed it.

"You smell nice and I bet you taste nice too."

Then shoved her to the ground before climbing on top of her and pinning her arms down. His grip was so tight that it made her feel like her wrists were in shakles.

"Get off me!" Juvia demanded while struggling.

"I will once I take a little something."

"Stop! You're hurting me!

He only gave her another one of his twisted grins and started to tear her dress while lowering his face toward her. But just before his filthy mouth could touch her pale neck someone grabbed him roughly by his hair, pressed a dagger to his throat, and jerked him off of her. Juvia expected her savior to be Gajeel but it wasn't, to her surprise it was Gray.

"I do believe that the lady told you to leave her alone now did you suddenly become deaf?" Gray asked the man.

"I...I was just...I was just messing around that's all. I wasn't going to hurt her honest...I...Please let me go! I can't breathe!"

"Hmmm...Maybe I should let you die from suffocation instead of putting dagger in your neck."

"No don't!" Juvia said. "Please! Don't kill him!"

"Why not? He was ready to violate you!"

"He's drunk! It wouldn't be fair!"

Gray wanted nothing more than to kill him but she had a point. Even he didn't think it was right to kill a man who was intoxicated.

"Alright I'll let you live you piece of crap but if you lay so much as one finger on this woman again I'll slit your throat so fast you won't even have time to scream!"

Then he punched the man across his face knocking him out cold. He turned to Juvia who was trembling.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes but how did you find me?"

"I got bored waiting for you all to come back so I went to see what was taking so long. I saw your little performance, cute but not my style and when you decided to wander off on your own I knew there would be trouble so I followed you. Word of advice Princess don't go off alone at night because that's when the freaks come out."

Juvia only nodded.

"Well let's go home now before Gajeel gets the idea to put a pick axe through my brain when he finds us both gone."

He helped her on to her feet and they went back to the cottage. She felt her gently take his hand, he looked back and saw her blushing.

"Thank you for saving me." Juvia said.

Gray felt his heart skip a beat and quickly looked away from her to hide his growing blush.

"You're welcome." He said gruffly.

"I believe that you have a much warmer side." She said. "I understand if you want to hide that from the world but is it okay if I see it if I promise to keep it a secret?"

He didn't answer and they just kept walking.

#fairy tail #fairy tail au #fairy tales #brothers grimm #juvia loxar #gray fullbuster #gray x juvia #gruvia fairy tail #snow white #gruvia #fanfiction #fanfic

[jq37]

I'll be the one that bites the bullet. Fantasy High episode 11--thoughts?

**spoilers for cool kids, cold case**

Hoo boy. 

That could be my entire write up honestly because, geez ya'll. 

Let's break it down. 

Sidenote, I just got mildly into Overwatch so every time I say that and I say it a fair amount, I hear Lucio in my head. 

Anyway, like I said in an earlier post, I'm now pretty sure that the bloodrush fight didn't go the way Brennan expected. Like either he didn't expect them to win or that they would win but not kill Daybreak because there was so much exposition and change and repositioning in this episode. It was a lot like the first session with all the setup. It's like he needed to get them on a new trajectory so he took an episode to time jump and change the status quo before--BAM. But we're getting to that.

In another show or even another episode of this show, the opening convo with Ragh might have been the wildest part of the ep. There’s just so much to unpack there.

Fig making him kowtow to Gorgug and everyone being like dude, stop making it weird. 

Before she did that, Emily paused and you could just see every other person looking like “What insane thing is gonna come out of her mouth now?”

Kristen getting the scoop on his super gay dreams. 

Adaine trying to get him to got to therapy (and also to realize that he's gay). 

The group whole ass making him cry for possibly the first time?

Fabian trying to shut everything down.

“You’re cumming from your eyes.”

 Kristen, please stop. I’m begging you. 

As I suspected, the group reached the point of yeah, we NEED to call Riz's mom this ep. Like, they *had* to call her. You can only realistically take shenanigans so far before it becomes straight unrealistic to not just call a responsible adult. 

And, speaking of, yay! We got to see a little of everyone’s parents just like I wanted/predicted. 

We actually got a lot of stuff from my wishlist. There’s so much time jumping and stuff in this episode I don’t even know where to start. 

This is probably the wrong place to start but I remember wondering what their Christmas equivalent was because they can’t have Christmas because of the Christ thing so when they were like Solstice I was like, oh duh. It’s literally right there. How could I miss it.

OK I guess 

Christmas Solstice party at Gorgug’s house! I knew his house would end up being the hang house.  

Sklonda handled the situation pretty close to how I thought she would. I really think Brennan was forced into a, “This adult is too responsible to not wipe out my next ten plot points over the course of a week,” corner and that’s why he had to pivot. More on that later.

Fabian just refusing to eat any of the fast food she got them.

I totally forgot Adaine has diplomatic immunity. Which actually means she’s the ideal Bad Kid to do anything shady they need done, even though that’s not really her style.

Unlike, other people

We’re getting there

I’m glad Brennan drew the line at Kristen’s parents actively being in a cult. He was like, OK no. They’re willfully ignorant but they’re not PART OF THE CULT.

I also think it’s interesting that they didn’t actually kick her out? Like they sorta kinda did but not really because it seems like she’s couch surfing of her own volition a little and staying home sometimes too? I wonder how her brothers are doing.

Both of Fig’s dads just work at her school now. I wonder is they commiserate about her w/ Goldenhoard.

I can’t believe Brennan is letting her just ruin the life of this random, full-adult dwarf doctor. Like, imagine if any adult in her life found out about that.

Brennan says bud a lot. Almost as much as he says rad.

Gorgug choosing playing the drums as his proficiency, but not well. Just, like, a simple drum beat. Bro. Why.

Adaine’s makeover!

I knew we were gonna get to see that. Or at least I really hoped we would.

And it was in boutique setting similar to what I imagined. A little surprised that she went straight for the jeans and t-shirt thing but dope. I want fan-art. 

Also, if I hadn’t already been convinced, that scene would have convinced me that Fabian got everyone the gifts (before it was confirmed later).

“You’d look nice as a sailor.” Is that like a pirate thing, bro?

Real talk, does Fabian for-real, for-real have a crush on Adaine low key?He’s complimented her looks more than once, which he hasn’t done with the other girls. They’re at a similar social class which might be a factor. And he clearly has a thing for blond elves.

WE’LL GET TO IT. 

I am Concerned about Adaine’s jean jacket, regardless of how dope it is.

Someone needs to talk to Fig about the rat thing. Possibly also Emily. 

42069 LANE (or whatever it was). I hate that I love Brennan for that.

“The worst thing about you is that you’re rich.”

But aww, Fabian. I’m glad it ended up being him (and shoutout to the anon who pointed that out to me). This is exactly the character growth I wanted from him.

When Gorthalax said that tryouts had already happened, I was legit upset for Fabian for a sec. Also, how did I know Gorgug was gonna somehow end up on the bloodrush team?

Guys I feel like there’s still a million more things to talk about.

Adaine finding out about Riz’s dad. God I hope there’s a heart to heart soon but she won’t just drop that info unless she has a really good reason.

GILEAR. I can’t believe that was him on a NAT 20. God, he has zero game. Also, imagine Fig and Riz as siblings. Lord.

The return of Tracker. I was concerned that she was in college but she’s like a Sophomore so Kristen is good to go as soon as she stops being a total disaster so actually that’s probably a moot point. 

Sidenote, kinda surprised that she’s a cleric. I thought she was off religion totally but I guess she just switched. But I feel like it’s hard to be totally non-religious in a world where gods 100% for sure exist?

Adaine going, “Mrs. Gukgak. Actually Captain Gukgak,” to her racist-ass dad gave me life. 

OK so re: the whole conversation about perditional contradoxy and treaties and war and such. How much of that was in the plan and how much of that was last minute retooling by Brennan? Because, I’m going to be honest. If it wasn’t for that comment by Siobhan, I would never have guessed that we were off the rails. But, with that in mind, this feels like the work of a GM who needs to keep the game going because things ended up moving too quickly.

It does answer the question of where the story is going now that the Harvestmen seem to be taken care of. I was a little surprised when Brennan was like, “Yeah Riz’s mom gets them all arrested,” because I’d assumed that the bad guy was going to be just the higher guy on the totem pole. 

OK, I’m sure I’m missing some things because this was a JAM PACKED ep so, if I missed something you wanted my thoughts on, please tell me and I’ll be super happy to write more words but let’s get into that scene. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OK OK OK

Before we start, I’m so pumped about all of this development but I hate how often I’m going to have to type the word Eolwyn because my fingers refuse to accept that that’s how that’s spelled.

ANYWAY

Dude, the pacing, switching between Adaine and home and the rest of the gang at the party. Like, I knew what the reveal had to be as soon as she walked in but I was still like, “Oh my God. Oh my GOD.”

Sidenote: It was very convenient for Brennan that Adaine never actually read those books because it was an easy and non-cheating way to dole out exposition now, later in the game.

What were the mechanics of Adaine not being invited to that party? Did Eolwyn specifically get her not invited? Did she actually get invited but couldn’t go because of the dinner at home? Did all her friends still decide to go, knowing she wasn’t invited? Was she OK with that? How exactly did that go down?

EOLWYN

BUSTING into that party

Magicking up a bunch of LOVE SLAVE PUPPETS

SNORTING magic coke

Playing Spin the Bottle DEATH ROULETTE 

MAKING OUT WITH FABIAN

CUT TO: I’M GOING TO KILL MY SISTER

DAMN BRENNAN, I did NOT Expect you to go THAT hard.

AND THEN IT KEPT GOING

Assuming they all live, I can’t WAIT for the, “YOU KISSED MY SISTER????” conversation. 

Which means they’ve either never met Eolwyn or only in passing and not enough to remember her. 

Shoutout to Riz for being the only person to give Adaine a heads up. 

Her eyes glow blue when she does certain types of magic so I’m just picturing her walking into that room, eyes blazing blue, ready to F up her sister (even BEFORE she finds out what’s going on).

I don’t remember if she called Eolwyn a c**t in this ep or the promo for next but I was like, “Oh damn.” Like you got her to escalate her cursing that much that quickly? Damn.

Also, I love that when she’s really upset, Adaine skips the magic and just starts hitting people. 

OK, so remember in the first ep when Eolwyn tried to have Adaine steal that book? The book that I’m pretty sure is the one they mentioned as having wards on it to keep monster stuff from happening at school? So, here’s what I want to know. Has Eolwyn always been a part of this? Because, clearly, it looks like she is right now. But it’s possible the original intent was that she wanted to get Adaine to do it as a prank, not knowing it was important and then, Brennan checked his notes while salvaging the plot and decided to work it in.  

Also, unlikely, but imagine if Eolwyn somehow induced Adaine’s panic attack during her entrance exam to Hudol specifically so she would fail, have to go to Augefort, and steal the book for her. Wouldn’t that be wild?

Idek what else to say about that last ten minutes or so that isn’t just incoherent, Ally-esque screeching.

I have to say, battle eps are never my faves but I’m looking forward to this one more than any other one so far. 

Man, I can’t believe I thought Eolwyn asking for that textbook might turn into a sister bonding moment. Lol @ past me.

Anyway, kick her ass Adaine!

#fantasy high #asks #anon #idk which anon #y'all can always ask me more questions if you have them #on or off anon #anonymous

[walkerbooksya]

Summer Reads Competition!

We’re giving away a selection of our favourite summer reads (plus swag!), and to be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is follow @WalkerBooksYA on Twitter and retweet the competition post.

The competition is UK and Ireland only, and closes at midday GMT on 23 August 2017.

Find out more about each of these great reads below:

Girl Out of Water by Nat Luurtsema

A thoroughly British teen comedy starring a hilariously flawed heroine with a quip for every occasion – perfect for fans of Holly Smale, Holly Bourne, Caitlin Moran and Sophie Kinsella. Lou Brown’s life is going down the pan. Best friend Hannah sailed through the Olympic time trials and is off to her fancy-pants new swim training school, while Lou’s own failure to qualify leaves her without a hobby – or a friend. As Lou tries to navigate her post-swim world, a chance encounter with three boys with stars in their eyes takes her life in a surprising new direction. One that leads to a crazy world of underwater somersaults, talent show auditions, bitchy girls and one great big load of awkward boy chat.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

Sadie is in love – with her best friend, Garrett Delaney. But Garrett has been oblivious to Sadie's feelings for him ever since he sauntered into her life and wowed her with his passion for Proust, not to mention his deep blue eyes. For two long, painful years, Sadie has been Garrett's constant companion, sharing his taste in everything from tragic Russian literature to art films to '80s indie rock. When Garrett leaves for a summer literary retreat, Sadie is sure that the absence will make his heart grow fonder – until he calls to say that he's fallen in love with another girl! Heartbroken, Sadie realizes she's finally had enough and that it's time for a total Garrett detox. Aided by a barista job, an eclectic crew of new friends (including hunky chef Josh) and a customized self-help guide, Sadie embarks on a summer of personal reinvention full of laughter, meltdowns ... and a double shot of love.

Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet

A brilliant coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Cold War and events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Clem Ackroyd lives with his parents and grandmother in a claustrophobic home too small to accommodate their larger-than-life characters in the bleak Norlfolk countryside. Clem's life changes irrevocably when he meets Frankie, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, and experiences first love, in all its pain and glory. The story is told in flashback by Clem when he is living and working in New York City as a designer, and moves from the past of his parents and grandmother to his own teenage years. Not only the threat of explosions, but actual ones as well, feature throughout in this latest novel from one of the finest writers working today.

The Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham

An inspirational, heart-warming book about four girls trying to find their place in the world. Siobhan Curham celebrates very different but like-minded friends in this captivating novel. Amber craves excitement and adventure. Instead, she’s being bullied at school for having two dads, and life at home isn’t much better. Inspired by Oscar Wilde, Amber realizes that among the millions of people in London, there must be others who feel the same as she does; other dreamers – moonlight dreamers. After chance encounters with Maali, Sky and Rose, Amber soon recruits the three girls to the Moonlight Dreamers. It’s high time they started pursuing their dreams, and how better than with the support of friends?

Subway Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Two souls destined to love ... divided by time. A brilliant novel for fans of The Time Traveller's Wife and Sliding Doors. If her parents had never divorced, Laura wouldn’t have to live in the shadow of Bruce, her mom’s unpredictable boyfriend. Her mom wouldn’t say things like "Be groovy" and Laura wouldn’t panic every weekend on the way to Dad’s Manhattan apartment. But when Laura spots a boy on a facing platform, lifting a camera to his face, looking right at her, Laura feels anything but afraid, and she can’t forget him. Jonas, meanwhile, thinks nonstop about the pretty hippie girl he glimpsed on the platform – trying to comprehend how she vanished, but mostly wondering whether he will see her again in a city of millions – and whether if he searches, he would have any chance of finding her. In a lyrical meditation on love, Nora Raleigh Baskin explores the soul’s ability to connect, and heal, outside the bounds of time and reason.

The Messengers by Edward Hogan

Fifteen-year-old Frances has been sent down to the coast for a little break. Her brother, Johnny, is out on bail after punching an off-duty policeman, and some shady characters have thrown a brick through the window of their flat. Frances's mum went off to stay with her boyfriend and Frances is sent to Helmstown, to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin Max. Frances befriends Peter Kennedy, a somewhat tramp-like character who lives in a beach hut along the Helmstown seafront. As soon as they meet, Peter recognizes that Frances is a messenger, just like him. As messengers, Frances and Peter experience black-outs. Afterwards, when they come round, they have the ability to draw, in minute detail, the scene of an accident. Peter lives with the burden of telling the people in his drawings about the circumstances of their death. He believes that if he doesn't, something bad will happen to his family. While Frances lives in dread of anything happening to her brother Johnny, she begins to think more positively: although she can't change the past, she can change the future, at least for a chosen few. Another compelling and thrilling novel for teenagers by the young author of the highly acclaimed Daylight Saving.    

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

A romance set in space from the beloved author of The Next Together series. Can you fall in love with someone you've never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away? Romy  Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a  new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity. Alone  in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears  about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger  on board. A boy called J. Their only communication is via email  – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to  transmit. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love. But what  does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which  have started arriving from Earth really mean? Sometimes, there's  something worse than being alone...

Plus there’s bookish swag from titles like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Wing Jones by Katherine Webber, Release by Patrick Ness and The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman!

#booklr #bookworm #bookish #book competition #booknerds #booknerdigans #bibliophile #the loneliest girl #the loneliest girl in the universe #lauren james #the hate u give #angie thomas #wing jones #katherine webber #release #patrick ness #the dark days club #Alison Goodman #girl out of water #nat luurtsema #the moonlight dreamers #siobhan curham #getting over garrett delaney #The Messengers #subway love #life an exploded diagram #mal peet #competition #Summer Reads

[marauders70s]

Could you write some cute Wolfstar? Thank you! (547)

I love wolfstar. For @anxova

1977 - Sixth Year

“I wouldn’t go up there,” Peter said, only halfheartedly trying to stop James. 

“I need my Transfiguration book,” James said cheerfully, ruffling Peter’s hair. “Remus and Sirius won’t mind.”

“No really,” Peter tried again, but with even less effort. James’ face would be so funny. 

“Need anything while I’m up there?”

“Pictures,” Peter muttered sarcastically.

“What?”

“Just…just a new quill.”

“Right.” James bounded across the commons and halfway up the spiral staircase before he slowed to a walk. At the very top was their door, the brass nameplate turned silver with their permanent dormitory, due to James’ stubbornness at living in the little attic turret. He pushed open the door, his hand covering the cold metal reading SIRIUS BLACK | REMUS LUPIN | PETER PETTIGREW | JAMES POTTER. He took the little ladder-like narrow wooden stairs to the the very top where their bedroom was, the beds arranged in a long row under a sloping roof. In Remus’ bed, second to the left from the far wall, the hangings were drawn. James frowned. They never closed their hangings, unless something was really wrong.

“Remus?” he asked hesitantly. Then a little louder: “Remus? You okay?”

There was no answer, and James guessed Remus must have put up muffliato, muffling sounds going in or out of the shut ring of red velvet curtains. It must be bad if he had tried to keep his crying or something quiet.

He moved forward, stepping carefully and with long practice around the trunks at the end of his and Sirius’ beds and approached the hangings with a hand out, hesitating. He didn’t want to intrude, but Remus was really scaring him. “Remus?” he asked quietly, gently drawing aside the curtain.

The muffliato spell was shattered at the breaking of the circle. James screamed. Remus screamed. And strangely enough Sirius screamed. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” yelped Remus.

“WHY ARE YOU NAKED!” James cried, yanking his glasses off for some sense of blindness. 

“WHY DID YOU OPEN THE HANGINGS?” Sirius bellowed.

“WHY ARE YOU NAKED!” James screamed back, blindly backing up until his knees hit Sirius’ bed and he collapsed onto it, cradling his poor, blind eyes. 

There was a moment while he heard a sheepish Remus and a nettled Sirius rearrange the covers and sit up also.

“Well I think that should be obvious,” Sirius said coolly, but his tone was still sparking.

“When…how…when…” James sputtered futilely. Then he let out a strangled yell. “I JUST WANTED MY TRANSFIGURATION BOOK.”

“It’s on the dresser,” Remus said patiently. “I put it there this morning so you wouldn’t forget it.”

“Well I forgot it,” James said helplessly. 

“Put your glasses back on you dumb deer,” snapped Sirius mulishly. “Good griffins, we’re not going to jump you or anything.”

Gingerly, James slid his glasses back up his nose, but he choked again when he got a look at them, side by side. They were both covered in sweat, and Sirius’ hair was sticking up all over the place. Remus had a very suspicious bruise blooming at the base of his throat. 

“How…how…” he managed.

“Not long,” Remus jumped in hurriedly. “Just…just after Valentine’s.”

“When I broke up with Siobhan,” added Sirius. 

“And…and I’ve been trying to get you a girlfriend!” James gulped. “Well now I feel jolly stupid.”

Sirius and Remus exchanged a look and burst into laughter, which Remus interrupted with:

“So you’re not…angry?”

“Angry?” James was baffled. “Why would I be angry?”

“Because…because…” Remus floundered.

“Because we’re woofters,” Sirius said flatly. 

“You are not,” James argued. “You’ve shagged tons of girls.”

Remus went a brilliant white, looking down at his fingernails. 

“Remus can be a proper woofter,” James went on, winking at Remus.

“Can not,” Sirius argued. “I’m a dog. I get to be a woofter too.”

“He’s a wolf,” argued James. “He’s a super woofter.”

“WE’RE BOTH WOOFTERS,” Remus shouted suddenly. When the two best friends turned to look at him, he tinted faintly pink. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I just…” he took a deep breath. “Look. So you’re not freaked out?”

“Freaked out?” James looked bewildered again. “What for?”

“Because we’re shagging each other,” Sirius said, exasperatedly. 

“Well I didn’t need to see it,” James stressed.

“You’re the one who opened the hangings. You never open the hangings. That’s the dorm rule.” Sirius was speaking from a very embarrassing experience with Peter in their third year.

“It was Remus,” gestured James. “He’s not like that. He waits for all of us to fall asleep proper-like.”

Remus was choking, and Sirius only hit him on the back sharply a few times. “Yeah, he does,” he beamed fondly. “The polite bastard.”

“You…you…” Remus couldn’t finish, and he slumped onto the discarded pillows, his whole back going red with mortification, the scars lighting up whitely against the surface.

“Is that what that’s from?” James asked suspiciously, pointing at the round bite mark under one of Remus’ arms. “From you?”

Sirius grinned unrepentantly. “Yeah. But we weren’t doing it as dogs or anything.”

“Doggy style,” Remus mumbled into the pillows, and both Sirius and James roared with laughter until Remus managed to pull himself back up, with help of one of Sirius’ arms. He flushed when Sirius left it lying over his shoulders.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Sirius asked again.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” asked James, confused. “You two are my best mates. Saves me the trouble of meeting anyone new and pretending to care about their chatter.”

“James,” scolded Remus, but without heart.

Sirius only gave him a high-five.

“Well put a sign out next time!” James managed.

“THE HANGINGS WERE SHUT,” roared Sirius. “Don’t open the hangings! You can come in and get your stuff and you won’t hear us and we won’t hear you!”

“Okay, okay, sorry!”

“Let me get your transfiguration book,” Remus said quickly, rolling over the other side of the bed and taking the covers with him. 

Sirius squeaked, and immediately folded over.

The resultant roar from James and the distant shattering of glass could be heard floors down in the common room, where Peter was snickering into his sleeve. 

“What’s going on up there?” asked Lily, looking suspiciously. “Should I go up and have a word?”

“Oh no,” Peter said in horror. “I just tried to stop James from going up there.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“Nothing’s happened,” Peter grinned. “Nothing most people with eyes don’t know, anyhow.”

Lily’s grin broke out. “He didn’t,” she laughed. “Not even Potter is that stupid.”

“GET OUT! GET OUT!” everyone could hear Sirius roaring, and the clattering of things being chucked down the stairs, one of them the Gryffindor seeker.

James arrived in the commons bright red, breathless, and glasses askew on his very disheveled hair. He came straight over to the table, ignoring Lily, and slammed his Transfiguration textbook down. “Sorry Wormtail,” he said heaving a huge gust as he slung himself in a chair. “I couldn’t get your quill.”

#drabbles