#man really hope we get to see Rose or know about her in the future of RE. i don't know anything outside of RE8 but I liked that one | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sepublic · 1 year

Text

Post-Hoot with Dana Terrace!

Dana’s put over 200 hours into games she’s missed since the finale; Octopath Traveler, Little Nightmares, etc. Sarah Nicole-Robles cried harder than she ever did when she said I learned a language I’ll never forget, a whole chapter of my life is over, during the King-ceanera. She said the line once and was suddenly sobbing because of how meta it was.

Rebecca has a ‘sona during the bit with Barcus in the epilogue sequence. Cissy also cried when watching with her family, her kids asked her about it; Sarah was really excited as she watched the finale.

No sequel happening, but we can always hope; Dana would like to do more, but Disney owns the IP and needs to give them permission. Dana knew the prequel line in the finale was ham-fisted as hell but still went with it because she was pissed (she said Fuck to express her rage). Rebecca went back to the Anger phase of grief after watching the finale after realizing what they missed, but Sarah was also in Acceptance because it was hard to regret something that ended so well.

Dana doesn’t cry that much, but TJ’s remix in the soundtrack made her cry. Dana brought back everyone for BBBYYYEEEEEEE, noting this was every character’s last line, and wished Hooty had more lines. Alex improvised a cut line after the Bye with Hooty expressing appreciation for the finale and readiness for his spin-off.

Dana won’t say much in hopes she’ll get to do more for TOH in the future; A Youtube reviewer (shoutout to all, Zachary Ax, Man of a Thousand Thoughts, Rebecca herself), the Third Bill got it right on Hooty, and Dana won’t be more specific about that.

They found out about the shortening during S2; They had an ending in mind that Dana had in mind since development, but it needed too much setup and so they couldn’t pull it off. All of Season 2A was written before knowing the cancellation; Follies at the Coven Day Parade was the first episode fully written knowing the show was shortened, hence the tonal change. The Galdorstones was an arc Dana planned more on, as well as the Coven Heads; Bat Queen; It was a hard situation choosing what to leave out.

There weren’t whole episodes written that had to be trashed; Just one-sentence ideas on a whiteboard never fully outlined or scripted. But Dana is still happy with what came out, because it was pretty damn cool.

Rebecca Rose once saw someone with a King sweatshirt like hers at Disneyland and said hi, but they just side-eyed her and didn’t respond; Despite this, Rebecca hopes they had a happy day and believes they were just having a bad time. Sarah joked about not being so forgiving.

String Bean’s inspiration: Owlbert is in the title of the show, String Bean indeed was there the whole time! The S wasn’t completely intentional at first, but Dana flipped the logo around and figured it out. When making the first episode, the logo wasn’t finalized. They always liked the idea of Luz being connected to snakes, it’s what she brought to school and they liked her reclaiming something she terrorized her classmates with. The Snake-Shifter idea specifically; Zach Marcus just said “Snake-Shifter” as they brainstormed ideas and Dana, being a sucker for lame puns, was sold.

That was indeed Dana being represented as a student in the epilogue! She was Beastkeeping and Oracle; Dana can see the future of the show, and really likes animals. Raine’s palisman was indeed hidden within the violin’s design; Hunter and Dell worked to fix the palismen after Raine broke it trying to stop Belos. The violin is more akin to the staff, anyhow. Dana considered responding to a question about general Caleb, Evelyn, and Flapjack lore, but Sarah insisted she stay silent in case they get to answer it as an actual story later.

Dana liked to think while writing Thanks to Them; No, Evelyn’s spirit isn’t in Flapjack. But to Philip, he saw Flapjack as the culmination of the corruption in his brother Caleb; He saw Flapjack, if it weren’t for YOU. You can see a hint of it in Masha’s story, Evelyn entices Caleb with Flapjack, who was Caleb’s introduction to magic. Evelyn was probably disguised as a human, and trusted Caleb for seeming reasonable and less violent. Perhaps like Dog owners passing each other by and suddenly becoming friends over this.

Evelyn and Caleb’s relationship was sweet, from platonic curiosity to romantic. Eda doesn’t know she’s descended from them, nor does Hunter; And Dana has more to say, but will keep it hidden. Luz will stay the majority of her stay in the isles as she goes to college. Camila bought the shack leading to the human world, which allowed Luz to visit during holidays, weekends, etc.

They never got to explore it, but it could’ve originally been the home of Philip and Caleb, long abandoned; Eda emerges after discovering the portal. In the next thirty years, she fixes up the shack as she builds the Owl House. Dana also advised fans to google Death of the Author, since she’s technically no longer working on the show, and thus gives permission for fans to write their own answers.

Eda became the Owl Lady before Owlbert, due to the curse; They planned to do an episode where Eda learned palismen carving with Dell, and how Eda reclaimed the Owl identity to carve Owlbert. Dana stills has the outline of that episode in her head…

According to Rebecca, Caleb and Philip’s graves were in the basement of the shack, based on this church in New Haven Dana passed by every day on her way to school (Gravesfield is based on some places in Connecticut). However, Dana realized the graves didn’t fit into the story. They also had an ‘original’ Belos design for him taking over animals. Marina Gardner did some amazing Belos designs, and Thanks to Them alluded to it.

The Portal’s eye comes from the Titan’s missing eye!!! Hunter is bisexual, Willow is pansexual, this is how Dana always wrote and imagined them in her mind, but it’s not explicitly stated so technically it’s more headcanon. Dana noted how some people just picked it up. Dana likes to think Amity and Lilith rekindled their student-mentor relationship. Having worked in the library, Amity was interested in Lilith’s knowledge of history. Dana suggested to Zarya(?) from the design team to add notes to Lilith’s museum blueprints. A helicopter passed over and they joked it was Disney trying to stop spoilers.

Cissy only got her lines and didn’t know any other details about the finale, to Dana’s surprise; Dana explained that people not getting a full script is due to the pandemic. Before quarantine, actors would get the full script. They have to rely on Eden Riegel and Dana for context a lot. Bosook Coburn spoiled Luz’s death to Rebecca Rose during the celebration party. They came up with a lot of designs for dying Luz, trying to figure out how they can hollow out her head how much. Dana mentions it’s up to the showrunner to show how much they want to the actors.

Thanks to Sarah, they kept in Luz saying her own SFX during her fight with Eda in O Titan, Where Art Thou; She heard someone do it as part of the mock script and wanted it. When Dana voiced Eda and Luz at the end, Dana was crying. There’s a recording of Season 2B and Season 3 of Dana doing a voice-over of the script to get approved by executives.

Dana clarified everyone would’ve had more of a chance to talk with each other, such as Hunter and Amity; Hunter would’ve talked to Vee, as well as more human realm kids, literally everyone would’ve had a little more time with each other. Dana loves Luz and Hunter’s sibling dynamic. Dana was sorry they couldn’t have Luz and Raine hang out, but they had the Hexsquad storyline. Luz finished high school in the human world, with the renewed motivation that she’ll go back to the isles. Knowing she has a safe space outside of high school made it more bearable, as was the case for Dana growing up.

Cissy brought up Gus’ hair in the epilogue, which she loved; Emmy Cicierga did the design for Gus and Raine. Harpy Lilith was by Emmy; Dana did Emira, Eberwolf, and Skara’s timeskip designs. The name of the Titan is unpronounceable for humans.

Dana can’t say much about the Archivists; The Collector never had a flash-forward design, as they age much more slowly than everyone else. Maybe the Collector got just a tiny bit taller. The idea of the Collector came from creepy dolls, as well as a nightmare; John Bailey Owen had a google folder filled with cool references of creepy dolls with a starry aesthetic, liminal minimalist nightmare-scape. They knew who the Collector was gonna be, what role they’d play, but the vibe still needed to be decided.

Dana confirmed the Collector was always a part of the show before the shortening, and they solidified their placement after the announcement. The Collector has indeed stayed connected with the others, visits occasionally. Dana has seen fan comics on this and teared up.

Hooty doesn’t have to be vacated from the Owl House if he doesn’t want to; When the door isn’t active, Hooty could be present. The new portal can probably fold up, and Hooty is busy as a curator for Hooty’s new museum.

Dana said Raine and Eda’s business is their business; Not all love stories end in marriage. It’s their thing and it doesn’t diminish any love, but they do live in the Owl House together (Raine moved in).

Mattholomule getting a palisman is something Zach Marcus can answer, since he made the character and Dana respects the lore he made. It’s hard to say for Dana if Vee and Masha are dating, since Masha didn’t show up in the finale, but Vee definitely has a crush on them. Again, Dana encourages the Death of the Author approach, if the headcanon makes you happy.

Alador and Odalia got officially divorced after the finale, and the kids happily lived away from her. They might visit her if they have the energy, but also recognize she’s a toxic influence they can cut off at any point. Dana gave a shoutout to Rachel McFarlane’s voice acting, praising her performance for Odalia.

In regards to the tower King was born in, Dana has an answer; It was related to a character we all know, who now may have amnesia.

There was a plan to explore Gus and Willow’s glowing eyes, and do it for other characters; Amity wasn’t going to have that, strong emotions are indeed connected to magic. It was mostly a worldbuilding magic rule they could’ve expanded on, that Dana wishes she did early in the story.

In the boards, Dawn Han(?) did Clouds on the Horizon, and did the scene of Amity and the twins hiding in the factory as their parents talk about the Abomatons, Alador is worried since it seems like a tad much. Alador had T-rex arms in the storyboard, and it reminded Dana of Remy from Ratatouille, so when they got to the scene of them looking into Alador’s lab, Ratador was drawn in his place as a joke. Dana laughed so hard she decided to keep it in, with Dana handwaving it as Alador’s palisman.

According to Dana, a show should be appreciated for as it is; But the other way to enjoy it, under the context it was made, is also important to her; Both ways are valid. It was easier for Sarah to voice depressed Luz since she was also depressed. The writers preferred to put their feelings into the show, VS a more happy-go-lucky approach as others did; It was kind of dark for a bit, especially during quarantine. Sarah felt her own experience validated with Luz’s depression, but she and Dana appreciated the balance of having a happy ending too.

What made the crew hopeful was knowing the characters would always have a happy ending; Luz could continue her studies in full-force, a new family. They KNEW it would end happy. Dana acknowledged how the fandom misinterpreted “I hate the term happy endings,” and Sarah knew about the quincenera when asked during previous Post-Hoots, but couldn’t answer.

Rebecca commissioned 3D-printed Funko Pops of S2A Lilith and S1 Luz, and gave them to the others as gifts; Rebecca didn’t know about Avi’s appearance until two days before the Post-Hoot, otherwise she would’ve had a Funko of Raine made. Dana’s stand for Luz had to be made with painter’s tape (she appreciated it) due to Rebecca running out of the other kind, and planned to place it beside her Peabody award. Elizabeth Grullon, Camila’s VA, had to call her mom in the middle of a session to translate her line about maduros into English.

Cissy clarified this wasn’t intended to be the final Post-Hoot! And the video was ended with a BBBBYYYEEEEE!!!!!

#the owl house #dana terrace #caleb wittebane #evelyn clawthorne #boiling isles titan #edalyn clawthorne #eda clawthrone #raine whispers #raeda #palismen #the owl house hunter #willow park #bisexual #pansexual #post Hoot

2K notes · View notes

creedslove · 8 months

Text

WHO KNEW? 💍💔

No outbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader

"You took my hand, you showed me how

You promised me you'd be around (...)

I took your words and I believed in everything you said to me (...)

If someone said three years from now, you'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them out, 'cause they're all wrong

I know better, 'cause you said forever, and ever, who knew?"

Summary: You and Joel had been married for a few months when he broke things up with you because he'd fallen in love with someone else, Sarah's mom. You parted ways but more than a decade later you end up meeting Sarah and that leads you to face your ex-husband one more time

• Inspired by this amazing HEADCANON request ❤️

Warnings: angst, broken hearts, asshole!Joel, divorce, infidelity, pregnancy, fluff (a little, maybe?) age gap (Joel is four to five years older than reader and the time skip is 12 to 14 years (Sarah's age) but feel free to imagine whatever you want)

A/N: Hi guys!!! I got obsessed with this story ever since I received that ask and turned into a headcanon but it wasn't enough, I had to write a longer, fuller version of this story! I think it's so appealing because we are all used to Joel being our knight in shining armor, always the perfect husband/boyfriend and well, here we can see another part of him. It's not a crime to fall in love with someone else, but the way he broke reader's heart was very mean. Also, I didn't specify reader's profession, just keep in mind she studied A LOT and now she makes good money, but feel free to idealize her job the way you want. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story, besties ❤️

10.6k words

You never really understood why some people told you getting married so young would be a mistake. It didn't make sense to you, at all. You and your soon-to-be husband Joel, were young, yes, but you loved each other deeply. You figured it didn't take much more than that to make a happy marriage.

You were fresh from highschool, always had good grades and it didn't take long for you to be accepted in many different institutions, and yet, you decided it would be a good idea to take a sabbatical year in order to get yourself sorted out, maybe get a job and save up some money and enjoy your marriage a little. Joel was very supportive of you, even if he knew you would eventually leave for college and you would both have to make it work long distance.

Joel was just a couple of years older, he'd just left the military and he also needed to know what to do in life, in order to support his wife, he didn't have the book smarts his girl did, but he was kind-hearted and hard-working. He also hadn't planned on getting married that young, but before he could even try to make any sense out of it, he was deeply in love with you.

So Joel proposed, you said yes, his dad helped him get a small, but cute house and the two of you started your new wed life.

For the first few months, everything was a bed of roses; you were so in love, that man was simply intoxicating. His touches, his kisses, his body, his smell, everything about him was addictive to you and you couldn't be without it.

You had found yourself a part time job as a sales clerk at a baby clothes store at the mall, just as Joel was working as an apprentice in the construction business, it was a very hard job, and just in a matter of a couple of months, you saw your boyfriend becoming bigger and more muscular. He worked hard for you, for your relationship, your marriage and the future family you would build in a couple of years. Even if your friends had told you it was madness getting married so young and your family had asked you not to do it, everything was just fine, what could go wrong?

Every single day, Joel would come back home, tired from work, and he would be welcomed by you in your fullest housewife version. Dinner all ready, house spotless clean and a loving wife dying to be in his arms. He would not disappoint you, taking you into his arms, lifting you up, pressing you against the wall, his kisses were so urgent, so needy of you, his hands roamed all over your body as you felt his cock throbbing. Every night next to your handsome husband Joel was a delight, it was your personal piece of heaven, nothing could stop the two of you when you were together, but eventually, it happened.

You didn't know exactly how it started, or when for that matter, it was all a thick fog in your mind, being unable to say precisely when your marriage began falling apart. Perhaps it happened sooner than you thought but you were just too naive or too blind to see; first thing you noticed, were the kisses; they were gone. No kissing before going to work in the morning but you shrugged it off, thinking that maybe Joel was just in a rush to get to work. Though you really missed them, your skin seemed to burn and ache for his touch, you didn't want to seem like a clingy wife, or nag him with unimportant things. Whenever he came back from work, he was still all yours; that's why it took you long enough to notice it.

Every evening, he came back with the same hunger he felt, only this time, he didn't seem to have felt that hunger for you per se, more like a desire within that needed to have you to help him relieve it.

He took you every single night, he gave you pleasure, simple, raw, indifferent pleasure. You didn't actually remember the last time you actually made love, because everytime Joel touched you, he always had you on your hands and knees for him, always fucking you on your back. At the time you thought it was just some kink or something like that, but now it was pretty clear to you it was just the easiest way for Joel to close his eyes and pretend you were someone else.

It was just simply fucking, a means to get to an end.

Then, he began getting home later and later, sometimes he would be too late for dinner, or he would just skip it entirely. Never explaining exactly what he was doing or why he was spending less and less time at home.

"Sorry babe, just had a sandwich with the guys"

That's what he would say before shrugging and going straight to the bedroom; not taking his time to actually see you'd cooked his favorite or that you were starving because you'd waited for him until that hour. The weekends weren't different at all, at first, right after you two got married, you'd spend the entire day in bed, just enjoying each other's company, each other's bodies and love; caresses full of affection carried with lust, turned into nothing more than just a memory some months later. Every weekend Joel simply got up, had breakfast and told you he was heading for work; and he would spend the entire day there, no phone calls to let you know he wouldn't be back for lunch nor calls to tell you he would grab a few drinks with the guys.

Always the guys, and as much as you tried to convince yourself it was indeed just one drink, or a burger, or a soccer match with the guys, your heart was sending you signals, trying to warn you there was something seriously wrong. Yet, you chose not to believe it, you told yourself it was actually kind of cruel of you to have such thoughts about your poor hard-working husband. What kind of wife would you be if you became paranoid while Joel was just working hard to provide you a good life?!

Joel was so busy with his work he barely even noticed when you asked for a double shift on Saturdays. Not that you liked working at the mall, but if you were going to stay alone all the time, you figured you would at least earn some money. Maybe Joel was just stressed about having to put up with the bills all by himself, you reminded yourself. Perhaps things would be back at what they were in the beginning, you were now marking six months of marriage and you knew this wasn't supposed to be happening. Your husband wasn't supposed to be that uninterested in you, he wasn't supposed to be indifferent towards your presence or so ungrateful, and yet you decided to fight for his love, after all, you loved him more than anything, more than anyone, it was an overwhelming feeling but you simply couldn't move on from it.

You waited for Joel another night, you'd made dinner, but of course he said he wasn't very hungry because he had grabbed a bite to eat with the guys.

Your heart clenched, he didn't kiss you, nor held you, it was like you were two different people sharing the same house; not lovers, not husband and wife, perhaps not even friends anymore. It felt each time more and more empty next to Joel, but you tried. You sat down and had dinner on your own, as he glued himself to the TV, watching whatever it was on. You knew him enough to know his mind was drifting away, thinking of something or someone, you weren't sure, the only thing you were a hundred percent sure was that he did everything at his willpower so he wouldn't have to spend time with you. It hurt, like a knife piercing through your chest, it was humiliating and you still didn't know why you were insisting. You swallowed after dinner and walked to the couch, he was nearly asleep and you ran your hands through his hair, feeling how soft his curls were; you had missed dearly times like that, it had been only a few months prior and yet, it felt like an eternity. The way your Joel would come to you, crave your touch, and just overall pay attention to you, unlike the haunting reality that you had to face, in which your husband simply began to ignore you, as if you weren't much more than a shadow, or an invisible and yet quite annoying presence. You looked down at his sleepy and peaceful form, he always looked so young and innocent when he slept it always warmed your heart.

The tip of your fingers ran through his scalp once more, he had always loved that particular display of affection. Minutes passed while you stroked his hair, you could feel Joel shifting softly under your touch, satisfied groans coming out like purrs as he began to slowly open his eyes

"Angela.." he murmured under his breath, but it was loud enough for you to catch it.

At that moment you felt as if you'd lost all balance, gripping the couch and staring at him in disbelief

"Who's Angela?" Your voice suddenly loud and serious, making Joel snap away from the sleeping haze he was in and stare into your eyes. He was carefully not to give it away immediately

"What are you talking about?" He got up from the couch, determined to turn his back to you

"You said a name. Angela, who's she?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Y/N, stop being crazy"

Your blood boiled at the accusation.

For months all you did was try to be the perfect housewife, you cooked, cleaned, worked and brought home the little money you made in order to win back your husband's attention, not only that, you didn't want to have to give away to everyone who told you you would be making a mistake by marrying so young. It had been so difficult to actually admit to yourself your marriage was at a risk, and now you just had enough proof. After months of indifference, your husband was now mumbling another woman's name; as if it wasn't bad enough, he was trying to make the tables turn by accusing you of being crazy. That was so typical of men, but not of your Joel, you thought he would never do that, you were so sure he was honest, honorable, a decent human being, he wouldn't hurt you on purpose in order to prove his point. Or so you thought.

"Don't you fucking dare call me crazy, Joel Miller, for the past couple of months you haven't given a shit about me, you're never home, you never spend time with me, you don't hug me, don't kiss me, you don't even fuck me anymore, and now you are mumbling someone else's name? Who's she? Is she your mistress? How long have you been with her?"

Again, you tried being strong, you really did, but your voice cracked, and the tears threatening to escape now ran freely down your cheeks, he'd walked away from you, but you managed to corner him in the kitchen, you were tired of being blinded by your own feelings, at the same time you were tired of being played by Joel, he had no right to act that way.

"Answer me, Joel!!! Who's the fucking whore?!" You yelled at him, the impatience and anxiety creating an explosive combination inside of you. You were so close to solving the mystery that haunted you at the same time you didn't wanna hear any further word. You just wished you could close your eyes and make all that away, you wish you could just wake up and see the last couple of months were nothing but a nightmare and that you still had the same good old loving Joel Miller as the best husband in the world; instead, he simply groaned, rubbing his face and looked down, not having the courage of look at you in the eyes.

"She's not a whore, don't call her that. I-We.. we're in love. I met her at work, she's the receptionist there and we hit it off… she's gorgeous, funny and I fell for her" he swallowed not sure where the strength to be honest with you about his feelings was coming from, but it was enough to make eye contact "I've never cheated on you, Y/N, I haven't slept with her yet, I haven't even kissed her, but I think she's the one, I wanna be with her, I'm not gonna lie to you anymore"

"You don't love me anymore?" That was all you could ask, out of all the cruel and raw information he suddenly threw on you, the only thing you could register was the lack of feelings from the man who swore to love you forever one day.

"Jesus, Y/N, let's not do this now" he groaned, wanting to shift all that anger towards you, somehow blaming you for what happened so he wouldn't be consumed by his own guilt. He wasn't blind, he knew you loved him, he knew you waited at the door for him every single day, with dinner ready a pie in the oven and giving you those sad, heart eyes in hopes of receiving his affection once more. You reminded him of a puppy, as bad as it sounded, all it took you to be happy was a crumble of his love. What angered Joel was that you weren't satisfied with just crumbles, you wanted more and more from him, and he was unavailable; he simply couldn't give it to you, because his heart belonged to someone else. He hadn't planned on that happening, if it were up to him, he would've honored the vows he took on his wedding day, but Angela walked into his life without a warning and swept him off his feet. He couldn't stay with you out of pity, you deserved to be happy and so did you, but you weren't meant to be together.

"Do you love me or not, Joel?! Did you even love me?" Another grunt from his lips, you were so frustrated you didn't know how to rationalize, how to wrap your head around the fact he proposed to you, he had promised you the world and yet now he was treating you as if you had never mattered to him. His cowardice made you sick, he wasn't even man enough to look you in the eyes, you felt so angry a part of you was glad his body blocked your access to the silverware set because if you got your hands into it you knew at that moment you were willing to make a mistake. You gripped his shirt, slapping his chest and scratching him in a sloppy way, demanding answers from him. He could stop you at any moment, Joel was bigger and stronger than you, but he let you have your moment of hurting him out of pity, before calming gripping your arms and pushing you away

"I guess it's obvious I don't love you anymore, I love Angela, it's not my fault, it just happened, but I'm sure I want to be with her, you and I can't keep lying to ourselves, you can't keep lying to yourself, we're over, just as the love I felt from you, it's over…"

•••

You didn't remember much more after that. Some flashes of the following days, where the initial shock was still going strong, the waves of sadness mixed with anger, how Joel gathered some of his clothes and left the house that same night - probably to go to Angela's, how you refused to eat for the couple of days, you didn't talk to anyone, just spent your time alternating between crying yourself to sleep and actually sleeping, were just moments of blur. At some point you remember Tommy - Joel's brother checking up on you just to make sure you were alright. Tommy was the youngest of the Miller brothers, he was said to be the inconsequential one, but he would never do what his older brother had done.

Only after a few days Joel stopped by the house you once had shared, he had heard from his brother the pitiful mess you'd become because of him, and though a part of him didn't have the courage to ever face you again, another part - a more honorable one - insisted on it because he had to give you some kind of explanation. So after work, he didn't drive to Angela's like he'd been doing for the last few days, becoming his sweet routine and bringing so much joy now that he was free to love her just as much as she wanted to love him. Instead of going to his happy place, Joel drove back to the house that used to be his home for a while, a place where he'd been happy but it hadn't been enough for him. It was funny how he expected things to be drastically different, because his life had taken a dramatic turn just as yours had, and yet, things were just the same, or they appeared to be at least. He got off his truck, seeing that not a lot had changed, but this time there wasn't music coming from the house, it didn't smell like fresh cooked dinner, simply the living room with the lights on were the only thing that showed there was still someone in the house.

When he walked in, he expected to see you crying, depressed and begging him to get back, but much to his surprise, all your bags were already nearly packed and though it was visible you'd had some rough time by dark circles under your eyes and how pale your skin was, you welcomed him with a emotionless expression on your face, pointing at the couch, so he would take a seat and you could talk things through. After all the crying and suffering, you felt as if something had clicked and suddenly you went from heartbroken to numb. You knew the swirl of feelings would come and go, but taking advantage of your numbness, you put your head into place as best as you could and packed all your things, you didn't want to stay at that place surrounded by Joel memories, knowing he'd left the place you once called home and you were both so happy and also so unhappy in a short span of time. You wanted to put yourself back together, heal from him, forget he ever existed, go back to studying and focus on yourself only. But for that to happen, you wanted closure, not only wanting, you needed closure.

His low apologies combined with the rambling that came out of Joel's mouth was getting on your nerves, why couldn't he man up and actually tell you what he needed to in order to finally close that chapter in your lives.

"If you're not getting straight to the point, I will, Joel… I packed my bags, I am leaving this house, it's yours, your family managed to help you with it and I wouldn't feel comfortable living here. I'll go to college as soon as the next semester starts and I'll be waiting for the divorce papers, sign it as soon as possible, and pretend this never happened"

"Wait… what?! You want to divorce?!" Joel was quite shocked, not that he didn't want to divorce, because he did, so he could finally be officially with Angela, but he didn't think it would be that easy for you to agree, let alone be the one suggesting it.

You laughed. It was a dry, ironic laughter, because honestly, you didn't think Joel was that much of a dick, it was fascinating how he broke your heart and he still found a way to have his ego bruised by the fact you wouldn't accept being in a submission position, that you wouldn't cry and beg for him.

"What did you expect Joel?! That I would stay here, legally married to you, cooking and washing your dirty underwear while you go out of the door and keep cheating on me with that whore? Seriously? That's how low you think of me?"

"I already told you she isn't a whore and I have never cheated on you, that's why I want to divorce, us getting married was clearly a mistake and it's not my fault if I don't love you anymore.."

"So whose fault is it? Mine?! Do you really think what you did isn't cheating, Joel? Just because you hadn't fucked her while we were still together, but you had spent time with her, emotionally connected with her, fuck, just the fact you let her get closer to you even though you were married, that's cheating! You say it isn't because you don't want to feel guilty, but deep down inside you just know it is! I agree with you on one thing, though: our marriage was a stupid mistake, because of you I delayed a whole year of my life, I almost sacrificed my future because I really took your words and believed them, that we would be together, I never thought out of all the people in the world, you would be the one to hurt me! I trusted you, do you even know how many times I cried and sulked because I blamed myself for your behavior? The amount of times I felt guilty for even remotely considering the possibility of you having someone else? Because in my mind you'd always been the perfect husband and yet, you were backstabbing me day after day, with that slut!"

"Don't you fucking call her a slut! She's not a slut, she's not a whore! It's not her fault if you are a petty envious woman!"

"She is a slut Joel, I'm sure of it, because if she had any decency she wouldn't have come closer to a married man, my husband! She is probably excited about the thrill, but I'm certain that once the reality hits and she sees herself locked inside having to carry out chores everyday, take care of the house, the husband and even the kids if you two ever come to it, it's not gonna be as fun, and then you'll meet her for real. I don't wish you anything bad, but god help you if you ever have to face a disappointment as big as mine"

You dried your tears and began removing your wedding ring, it was quite pricey taking into account how complicated your financial situation was. You intended to return it to him, but the mere thought of maybe Joel taking the ring and handing it to his former mistress and soon-to-be official girlfriend, was enough to make you nauseated. You gave up removing it and left the ring right there.

"I'm leaving this place tomorrow, you can send the divorce papers over to my parents' and I hope I'll never see you again, Joel"

•••

You wished you could say that was the last time you ever saw Joel Miller in your life, but unfortunately, things weren't too easy for you. Only two months before you could finally enter college and forget about the disastrous year you had, you were working double shifts at the mall, in hopes of saving a decent amount of money for yourself. It was supposed to be another lazy evening, in which you would have to kill time until you could go home, you had just had your break and as you walked back into the store, you couldn't help but pay attention to your left hand. The wedding ring still there. It brought you shame and embarrassment, the mere fact you left it there. You often lied to people and to yourself by saying it was a way of keeping disrespectful customers away, but the truth was, you just didn't know why it was so hard to do it. It felt like a weight you couldn't get rid of, a part of your life that seemed like nothing but delusion.

You were scared of removing that ring, it was a sign that Joel wouldn't be much more than a memory to you, and even if you knew that was exactly what you needed, your heart still yearned for him. It wasn't fair, to still love the person who had hurt you the most, burying deep those feelings but also knowing they were there was nerve wracking.

You were ready to get back to work, just about to enter the store you were so used to spending your whole day when you felt paralyzed.

"What do you think of this one, darling? Do you think our baby will like it?"

It was Joel's voice.

His voice.

Darling.

Our baby.

You stopped yourself right there, too far away from their distracted eyes, taking in all the colorful and beautiful options they had before them, but also close enough so you could actually hear the conversation. Joel Miller was going to be a dad, it was a fact, you weren't having a nightmare that you were about to wake up in cold sweat at any minute, instead, he was there, with her, the woman he dumped you for, the woman who was now carrying his child. Under the shelves you'd been hiding, you could only catch a glimpse of her baby bump, and the way Joel's hand rested over it in a protective way. It was enough to make your stomach upset, your eyes burning with the tears that once more insisted on appearing. He had moved on from you, much faster than you had moved on from him; their happiness could be beautiful to anyone, but to you it was disgusting, infuriating, they had no right to come to your place of work and be so glad about life itself.

You couldn't actually see Angela's face, all you were able to watch from where you stood was Joel's hand on her womb, his right one, but the moment he rested his left one on her waist, you gasped softly. The wedding ring was gone.

Joel wasn't feeling that comfortable about being at that particular store, though it was the only decent baby clothing store at the mall, he knew you worked there or at least used to; but Angela wanted new baby stuff and he was going to be a dad, so it was his duty to take her and help her sort things out. He thought of you, not having seen you or listened to your voice in months he sort of missed you? He couldn't lie to himself, he was glad to be divorced, he was happy in a relationship with a baby on the way, but you'd been important to him too, he wished things didn't have to end the way they did, he has gotten used to living with you, seeing you, kissing you, touching you, it was natural that he missed the dynamics you two had established. A part of him sort of wanted to run into you at the store, he wanted to see how you were doing, if you were taking good care of yourself, but it was a relief to everyone you weren't there. It would be just awkward and embarrassing to be baby clothes shopping in front of you. And of course, he never wanted to hurt you more than he had already done it, but you would have probably interpreted it as provocation.

He scratched down his head while Angela picked all her favorites, Joel tried hard not to pay attention to the price tags, money was still a delicate matter for the two of them, but he had managed to get some by selling his wedding ring. Of course the pair would've been worth a lot more, but he couldn't go after you to ask for your ring, so he just negotiated his own and took the money. It wasn't the ideal situation, but in a few months they'd welcome the tiny little person that would become the most important thing in Joel's life.

You were too hurt to continue watching their display of happiness, you turned your back to the place you were hiding and you returned to the small break room. That was indeed the last time you'd seen Joel Miller; that was it until you also met someone who brought chaos but also colors into your life.

•••

"Aren't you too old to sell cookies door to door for school?" Joel asked while chewing his scrambled eggs and slurped his coffee, watching as his daughter rolled her eyes at him

"Aren't you too old not to eat your vegetables?" She snapped back at him in their usual morning routine.

Sarah was a teenager, much to Joel's sadness, as he still had serious attachments to when she was younger. He knew it was part of life, and watching her blossoming into a beautiful young girl made him proud and hopeful about the future, he knew his sweet Sarah would go far. But that also made him scared, because no matter how irrational it was, Sarah always reminded him of you; and he knew that if any guy ever dared to do to his baby girl, what he did to you, he would be really to kill him in no time. Joel Miller would like to think he had improved a lot as a human being, after all, he wasn't a young man anymore, he was a full grown adult, who had to get himself together and mature after he was abandoned by his girlfriend with a newborn baby. Life was full of irony and he was one to witness it, being left by the woman he loved and trusted a little more than a year after he was the one who walked away from someone who loved and trusted him. It was what everyone said: karma is really a bitch.

Through the years, Joel really felt an urge to call you, perhaps ask you to meet him, so you could catch up and he could finally apologize to you, but he had lost all contact with you. In fact he had no idea what you were up to through the decades, the few times your parents ran into him on the street or at the grocery store and made sure to ignore his presence and pretend they'd never met. He just couldn't approach them and ask for your phone number. Besides, what would he even tell you?

"Hey, I just wanted to tell you the woman I left you for also left me, so now I'm a lonely single dad and I realized I took you for granted and maybe if you ain't busy, we could go for a cup of coffee or something?!"

It would be just straight up stupid, not to mention he was sure you would've found someone nice, someone worthy of you, probably you'd be married by then, perhaps you'd have a kid or two, and he was sure you'd be an amazing mother, because he just knew you were an amazing wife, and he was the only one to blame for not treating you the way you deserved it.

So Joel decided it was best if he pretended nothing ever happened just like you did with him, of course destiny had other plans.

He gave Sarah a ride to school and went to work. It would be another busy day, like all of his days, in which he would work hard in order to save as much money as he could, wanting to assure his daughter the future she deserved. For Sarah, it meant another day of classes and selling cookies. She didn't like the activity, but she didn't hate it either. In fact, on that particular day she felt kind of excited as she was about to head towards the 'good' part of the neighborhood, where most houses were big and seemed expensive. Getting her backpack and her stash of goodies to sell, she left home and went on with her day.

You, on the other hand, hadn't planned on coming back to Austin so soon, as the years turned into a decade, and then a little bit more than that, you had dedicated yourself fully to your academic and professional life, focusing on yourself only, managing to bury deep your memories of Joel and never paying attention to anything remotely close to a love life.

Yes, you'd had relationships, affairs, and you'd been with a few guys: one of them was Javier, he was a handsome but very slutty cop who you had a no-string relationship with; it was good for a while, he was handsome, sexy and he fucked like no other, but he had a taste for women that unabled himself to keep it inside of his pants. You liked the freedom, but that was too much.

You also dated a guy named Dave for a brief period, he was nice, also painfully handsome, a tiny bit mysterious about his high profile government job, but he wanted a family, not just another relationship. He wanted marriage and kids, and you were just out of it in no time. The last straw was when you were traveling back home and during one stop for dinner at a small, cozy bar, a guy dressed entirely in cowboy attire came onto you. It was the undeniable proof you weren't made for relationships at all; it was like Joel Miller had casted a spell, or worse, a curse on you: it had become impossible for you to be in a relationship. Still, that wasn't your main concern, not more than why you had to move back to Austin after all those years shifting from New York to Boston, Texas and even a brief period in Spain which led you into an affair with another guy named Javier, but well, that was definitely another story. You'd simply got a phone call from your parents talking about a family emergency and once you had asked for a leave, your boss had mentioned the opportunity of you working for the Austin branch, it was a promising one, with a lot of chances of career growth and becoming the head of the office would actually come in handy, so you had no other option than say yes and pack your stuff. When you got back to Texas, despite the suffocating heat, you were also welcomed with suffocating news of your grandmother's passing, and a couple of weeks later, the news she'd left you a house in the suburbs, a real good area with many families, easy traffic and a lot of space. Having become an apartment person over the years, you first thought it was so odd to live in a house, especially by yourself. Everything seemed so big but now you didn't have to worry about having to clean it all, being able to afford someone to do so, you found your way by decorating everything exactly the way you liked it, using the spare rooms to build your home office, your closet space and a guest room, you slowly turned grandma's house into your own. However, the exterior still bothered you: there was a great space in the backyard, but the swimming pool was empty and dirty, and you could definitely have a barbecue area built so you could welcome your friends and family on weekends. As it wasn't your priority, you didn't bother so much about it, turning your attention to settling into your new office first.

•••

"Oh, hi ma'am, I'm selling cookies to help our school fund, would you be interested?" Sarah displayed a wide grin, hoping that would soften up the very annoyed looking old woman who opened the door. She noticed how the old lady looked at her up and down and just groaned a 'no' before practically slamming the door shut. Sarah sighed and shook her head, and there she was thinking the people who lived in the wealthier part of the neighborhood were more generous, but apparently they were just a bunch of snobbish cunts. Her stomach growled in hunger as she walked some more, she knew she should've eaten before going to sell the cookies, but she didn't have time at that moment. She insisted some more, knocking on another door, having no clue she was actually knocking on her father's ex-wife's door.

Sighing tiredly as you closed your laptop, you looked around and focused on what you would do next. You knew you needed to go grocery shopping soon, but you just didn't feel like driving to the store and pick up vegetables, so instead, you left your study and went to the living room, getting comfortable on the couch and groaning slightly the moment the doorbell rang. You were just so comfortable on the couch, you considered ignoring whoever was on the other side of the door, but for some reason, a slight wave of guilt made its presence and you obliged to answer whoever was disturbing you.

"Hello! My name's Sarah Miller and we're selling cookies for the school fund, would you be interested?" The smiley girl repeated her memorized speech the moment you open the door, she discreetly watched you, seeing you didn't seem so closed like the woman from the previous house, but still she wasn't sure if you were friendly, not when you stared at her with a seemingly shocked look.

Miller.

Her name was Miller.

Your heart raced and lost track of what she was saying, knowing you desperately needed to get your shit back together; Miller wasn't an uncommon name at all, quite the opposite, you had met a few people who also coincidentally had the same last name as your ex-husband, so your reaction to the girl's name was just absurd. Maybe it was because you were back in Austin, where everything happened, but then again, you reminded yourself Joel wasn't the only person named Miller in Texas.

"I-I'm sorry… I got distracted but yeah, I'll take two boxes" you smiled at the girl, she was a teenager, a very pretty one, she was pretty good at expressing herself though she looked exhausted and sweaty.

"Would you like to drink some water?" You offered her, feeling sorry for her at the realization she had probably been walking under the sunlight for quite some time. Sarah didn't think twice before nodding eagerly as she stepped inside, dragging her school bag and her cookie cart along. You let her in, finding sweet how she looked all over the place, taking in the different details from your home and enjoying that environment.

You guided her to the kitchen, getting her a tall glass of iced water, frowning at the fact she wasn't following you anymore. Instead, she stood in front of your bookshelf, looking at it up and down, trying to take in as many titles as she could. Sarah would love to have her own bookshelf like that, she loved reading ever since she was a little girl and though she used the school's library a lot, she thought the idea of having her own things was appealing, but she understood her dad couldn't simply splurge on books for her whenever she wanted to.

"Do you like books?" You asked her, walking closer and handing her the glass of water, which she killed with only a few gulps.

"Have you read all of them?!" Her surprised voice made you chuckle, she was such a sweet girl, you had no idea why you instantly liked her, but you did.

"Well, not all of them… I've just bought some of them and I haven't had the time yet, why? Did any of them interest you?"

"Well…" she said shyly and hesitantly ran her fingers through them, only pulling one out to read the description at your encouraging nod. "This one seems nice…"

"It is nice… do you want it? You can take it!" You smiled at how she blinked a little confused but nodded, so thankful for your kindness. Even if she didn't know you, Sarah already liked you. She smiled at the book and placed the glass down.

"Have you had lunch?" She shook her head shyly and you smiled "come on, I'll make you a sandwich…"

For the next hour, you and Sarah talked about several things: she told you about her school, her interests and how much she loved reading. She had assured you she would return you the book as soon as she finished it and you assured her she could borrow as many as she would like. She also briefly talked about her family, mentioning she lived with her dad on the other side of the neighborhood and you told her a little bit more about yourself.

She widened her eyes the moment she saw what time it really was, and quickly grabbed her backpack and the book you'd lent her, thank you several times as she walked towards the door "go before your mom gets worried about you" you told her without much thinking, but she shrugged "mom's not around… I live with my dad only, but it was really nice meeting you, Y/N"

•••

And for the next month, at least once a week you'd get a visit from Sarah. It had become a habit of hers to just stop by, spend a couple of hours with you, return you the book she'd borrowed the week before and get a new one. She didn't talk much about her family, it was mostly about school, friends and boy crushes and books. You were kind of suspicious she was missing a feminine figure, since she briefly told you her mom left a couple of months after she was born without looking back, you picked up the hint she wasn't open to talk about it yet, and you respected it. You were glad you unexpectedly got a new friend, a very young friend, and at first you thought it was kind of odd, until you realized she sort of resembled a daughter figure to you. After all, if you had had children with Joel, your child would be around Sarah's age.

Joel also thought it was kind of weird his daughter made an adult friend, he was well aware of how dangerous things were in the world, especially for young, innocent girls like Sarah, but when she told him her new friend was a woman, single, childless woman, who was nice, definitely had some money but also seemed quite lonely, he assumed she was one of those old cat lady kind of women; in his mind, his daughter's mysterious friend was probably a widow, who didn't have any kids and now had to approach random people for attention so she wouldn't be alone all the time. If only he knew how wrong he was, he would've asked your name, but he didn't. And he also knew he should've done it, perhaps even asked for your phone number so he could call you in case of god forbid, an emergency. But he worked so hard, not only that, he was going through a very stressful period too, so he didn't pay as much attention as he should have towards several things.

Sarah had become acquainted with several aspects of your life, from the time you spent together in your weird version of a book club. Mostly the conversations were about her and the struggles she often faced as a teenager, but sometimes you let out information, plans or complaints here and there. It wasn't different the day you were very displeased with how your backyard was looking; it had potential to be a beautiful place but it needed fixing and remodeling. Perhaps it'd been the stress at work, but for whatever reason the way that place looked was bothering you and making you cranky, if any other given day you wouldn't give a crap about it, but at that moment you did, and not only that, you mentioned it to Sarah, who tried to be useful and told you she could ask her dad to take a look at it, after all, he was in the business and could help you with it. You said yes and told her you'd be expecting the two of them on Saturday morning. Only when the girl had left happily carrying another book in hands, was that you realized that maybe, and just maybe, you should've asked her father's name.

•••

"So, you're really sure this friend of yours wants to get some stuff remodeled? And that she can afford it?" Joel glanced at Sarah before focusing again on the street as he drove to her new friend's house. He wasn't truly convinced you would actually want to hire his services, it just seemed too good to be true. He held back a smile at the way Sarah rolled her eyes at him, she'd told him hundreds of times that yes, you needed someone to repair and remodel the backyard, if anything, he could at least indicate you someone who could provide the service you were looking for.

"Fine, let's help the old lady then" he grunted at the same time his daughter turned to him "what old lady?!"

"Your friend… isn't she old? I mean, she's lonely and she lets you hang out… I thought she'd be like our neighbor an-"

"Dad, she's younger than you, I think! And she's pretty too…"

At that information Joel was more curious about you. Why was a pretty young woman all alone and willing to be friends with a girl who could roughly be her kid's age?! Were you really pretty? And did you really want your backyard remodeled or was Sarah playing matchmaker? He really hoped she wasn't, otherwise he would be very angry. Joel didn't need a new relationship, he didn't want to, having failed the two major ones he had in his life, the first one being so immature and cruel to his sweet young wife and the second one he didn't exactly where he screwed up, perhaps he had just been naive and thought the woman who wanted nothing more than just some fun was actually willing to build a life with, or maybe he wanted her to take over your place, after all, you'd set the bar pretty high for Angela when it came on being a dedicated housewife. The raw fact was that Joel was alone all those years later, his first wife was hopefully living her best years with someone who truly deserved her and Angela was God knows where but he didn't give a single fuck. She'd been dead to him from the moment she walked out of his door, denying her own baby, and all that passion he felt turned into hurt and anger. Unlike the feelings he had for you: as the years passed and he grew older, he thought of several times he could've treated you better than he did, he thought of how he would have tried not hurting you as much as he did, even if the situation the two of you were was tricky, he often fantasized about a version of your marriage where he hadn't ruined everything, where he had been honest without being cruel, without playing with your feelings, he didn't know if it was just his conscious weighing heavily on him or what, but he always thought of you with affection and love. At that time he was sure he didn't love you anymore, the passion he felt for the other woman was too intense, too much, it blinded and deafened him from everything around, everything that mattered the most to him at the time. But all those years later, Joel was sure the love for you was still there, perhaps it was just hidden away, or it got stuck under all that shit that went on, still, he didn't know who you had become, what you looked like or where you were at that moment, so it was a fairly assumption he was still in love with a memory and nothing more than that.

"Fine, so what's her name after all?" He questioned his daughter after some moment of silence but before she could answer, Joel parked his truck in front of your home.

You heard the engine and you went to the window, checking the unknown car parked in front of your place and though you couldn't actually see them inside, you knew it was Sarah and her dad. Just as you went to the door, he exited the car, his back to the entrance as you walked to them and greeted Sarah, at the sound of your voice he immediately turned around and the two of you froze in time as you watched each other there.

Joel.

You felt as if you were trapped in a weird dream, the ones you know you are just dreaming and yet you can't move or speak, just taking the role of the audience of a bizarre picture that formed before your eyes. Joel on the other hand, stared at you in complete silence, you couldn't really read him, it was impossible to know what was going on in his mind, in his heart, you could just feel his eyes roaming over your body, taking all the image of you as if he was trying to make sure you were actually what he saw in front of him. He couldn't believe it, after all those years, after everything he did to you, you were there, beautiful as you'd always been, even more so, the fancy lifestyle really suited you, he could tell by your clothes, your nails perfectly done, your hair looking gorgeous and styled nicely, you had succeeded, you had had a life he knew he could never provide you, and for that he felt kind of relieved, at least one good thing came out of your divorce: the chance of you having the success you deserved it, you weren't that housewife who needed to still work part time at the mall, you were above that now, and Joel was so damn proud of you for it.

"I-I.. yo-"

"Nice to meet you, you must be Sarah's dad" you interrupted him before he could say your name and extended your hand to him, pretending you'd just met. He was confused but you tilted your head very discreetly towards his daughter, being sure she didn't know anything that had happened between the both of you. He immediately picked up the hint and introduced himself, as if you were meeting for the first time. His hand engulfed yours like it always did, Joel Miller had always had big and strong hands, surely they got calloused through the years, but you knew damn well what they were capable of doing to you. He was older, looking more handsome than you thought he would, he aged like a fine wine, streaks of silver here and there but the majority of his hair still dark and soft like always, he was bigger too, he was stronger, broad and grew several muscles, all of it a result of years of hard-working. No matter if he had broken your heart, there was no denying he was an extremely attractive man.

He appreciated how heartfelt you were towards his daughter and gladly followed you inside once you invited him into the backyard to discuss what could be done. Sarah was right behind the two of you, but you turned to her, smiling big

"I went to the bookstore yesterday and I think you might enjoy what I bought, wanna take a look at it? They're all in the living room" you suggested to her who nodded and happily went after the books.

Once you and Joel got into the backyard, he stuttered some apologies but you immediately cut him off.

"I don't want apologies Joel, I didn't know Sarah was your daughter and I probably wouldn't have let her in if I knew who she was, but now I got attached to her and I hope our situation isn't going to prevent us from being friends" you told him honestly and watched as he nodded

"You know, her mom, Angela, she left us and I'm very sorry I left you for her.. "

"I don't wanna hear it, Joel. As I said, I don't wanna hear it about her mom or the apologies or anything at all, I mean, Sarah told me what happened and it's enough, you and I aren't together anymore, we're better off without each other, so let's just overcome this part and focus on the job I need you to do…"

"You know, I can indicate you another contractor to do it for you, so it won't be weird…"

"No, you can do it, unless you are feeling uncomfortable but other than that, I'd rather you do it, besides, Sarah would find it awkward"

And like that, Joel got into his professional mood and the two of you discussed the project you had in mind, hiring his services, he told you he could start the next Monday and he would take care of it himself, to make sure things would go according to your wishes. He noticed you didn't wear any commitment rings, nor there were pictures of you and any guy indicating a relationship and in his heart, the hope of perhaps taking you out for a coffee and getting to know you, the woman you'd become after those years, after growing mature and changing your life completely, growing in his heart. It was a fair assumption Joel had an immediate crush on you, the feelings he held within, were now blossoming more, at how beautiful, intelligent and attractive you were and suddenly, the roles were reversed: if more than ten years ago you had it bad for him, now he was the one who felt like a sick love puppy towards you.

The first week of working wasn't so bad at all, Joel would arrive at yours earlier than you expected and would start working. You didn't stay around much, letting him do his job while you were probably working in the living room or any other part of the house whenever you didn't have to go to work per se. He tried making small talk during some of his breaks and since you didn't see any harm in it, you chatted briefly, that was how he'd learned what you did for a living, where you'd been after you left Austin, and stuff like that. He told you some things about his life, mostly about how it'd been the experience of raising a child on his own, but whenever he got near bringing up your past or trying to apologize, you'd cut up any kind of interaction with him. At the end of the day you and him had nothing but a professional relationship. He understood your reasons, and yet, he hoped you would find at least a small breach in your heart to let him in, he really hoped he could show you he was a better man now, that he could be suitable for you, and yet, you kept yourself all the way distant and protecting yourself from him.

So it became a very common scene to always escape from Joel, moving seats or rooms whenever he was around, you didn't know how else to act, what he expected from you. It wasn't like you were old buddies catching up after years in a long-distance relationship. And he always got displeased.

It was about the third week of working at your house, he asked if he could use your kitchen to have lunch, heating up the food he'd eat, you smiled at yourself as you were taken back by the memories of times where you would prepare him lunches and send it in his lunchbox, how you would worry about him being hungry so you would always make sure there was something fresh out of the oven for him to nibble on as soon as he got home from work and chuckled softly, shaking your head and excusing yourself. He'd thought you would at least have lunch next to him, but you weren't willing to do that at all, and that both pained and pissed him off.

"Would it kill you to spend time with me? Look at me? Or act like a human being instead of being all stiff like a robot whenever I'm around?" He asked, breaking the silence, you could see he was frustrated and that puzzled you to no end.

"What are you talking about, Joel?!"

"You don't talk to me, Y/N, I try making small talk, you don't answer me, you don't even look at me, suddenly I'm not worth your time? You're too good to even acknowledge I am next to you?"

"Do you really want to talk about not being worth someone's time? Really Joel? I thought you had grown up during all these years but I can see you are just the same shallow fuckboy who gets pissed off when you see I'm not crawling towards you…"

"Stop being unfair to me! All I'm trying to do is to show you I've changed, I am a better man, a better person, I'm not that same immature Joel you met so many years ago, I'm trying to make you see I'm a new man…" he went from angry to desperate, you took a step closer and looked into his eyes, not breaking the eye contact for one second.

"I know Joel, I know you've changed… you've grown into this hardworking man, this amazing father, I can see it, I hear it every time Sarah comes over, but you don't have to try too hard, it's not gonna change anything… You and I are two different people, we have nothing to do with each other anymore"

"You can't say that, I want you to see we could try it again, I still love you, Y/N!"

"Joel, we'll never try it again, the marks of your betrayal still linger here, all over me, forgetting you was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I don't want to ever feel it again. You don't love me, Joel. You love the idea of me, of picking up the shattered parts of your broken life and making it right, you love the thought of building up a family, of giving your daughter the mom she deserves, and it's all because it didn't work out with that woman. We both know it… if she hadn't left you wouldn't even be thinking of me" you looked down, trying to hold back a tear that insisted on falling, but failing at that matter. "I wasn't good enough to be by your side, to build a family with you, you can't just expect me to throw myself into your arms as if nothing had happened, what exactly do you think would happen between us in the first place? I'd be waiting for you every single night with dinner ready? Those days were over, Joel…" you sniffed and he sighed, placing his hand on his waist.

"Give me a chance, go on a date with me, please… before you say no, just think about it, of what we could have together… please! You don't have to answer me now, think about it and when I finish the job, you can tell me your answer"

•••

The following weeks were as normal as they could be; you hadn't told Joel yes but you hadn't told him no either and even if it pained you to admit it, you sometimes thought of his proposition. Sarah was still coming over, your bond was now stronger, you really liked each other and despite everything that happened, you were thankful Joel wasn't against your friendship. You two had agreed on not telling her anything about your shared past at the moment, but in case you two decided she needed to know it for whatever reason, Joel would be the one to tell her, it would only make sense. You also thought about his words and you decided to be nicer to him, actually stopping to talk to him, or having lunch next to him instead of rushing away as fast as you could and in retribution, he stopped with the feelings talk. The deadline was coming to an end, as your backyard remodeling was getting prettier and prettier each passing day. It was odd and awkward and you wanted to get things over with as soon as possible at the same time a strange fascination with watching Joel caught you. It was hard to explain, but when the final day came, when Joel and his assistant showed you the word ready and done, and after you paid them the large wage you owed them for the services, your ex-husband asked to talk to you. He had hope in his eyes, he was wearing his flannel, and he'd combed his hair a little, which made him look painfully handsome, your heart clenched. Even before he could say anything, you already had your answer. He stood in front of you, baffled at the fact you threw your arms around his body, pulling him for a hug. His hands locked around your waist, strong grip not wanting to let go, while you sank into his warmth. He was your old Joel, the one you'd loved so deeply and broke your heart, but nonetheless your Joel.

Taking your hand to his face, you stroked it gently, feeling his beard scratching your palm a little and you smiled "I forgive you, Joel… I don't know if you wanted my forgiveness or not, but I forgive you anyway, I don't resent you anymore, what's gone, it's gone and now we can only focus on our future. I know that if I tried looking for a space in my heart, I would find it a part that still keeps all the love I felt for you, but we've changed, for the best and that teaches us we should never make the same mistakes from the past, so you do understand why we can't go on this date, right? We can't be together, I'm sorry Joel, but you know it's true… I just need one last thing from you…"

You told him, leaning towards him and pecking his lips. After all that time, it still felt like your favorite place in the world, your heart raced the moment he groaned into your mouth and his hands tightened his dominating grip on you. It was quite pathetic how he still had the same effect over you and if he hadn't hurt you as much as he did and condemned you two to a relationship based on lack of trust, perhaps you could even consider trying again. Forgiving and forgetting were different things, whereas you didn't resent him anymore, you hadn't forgotten about how broken he left your heart. You would never be able to trust him again, always worrying he had found someone better like he did once, you couldn't do that to yourself, you loved yourself too much to go back to Joel Miller. That last kiss you cherished, you would keep it in your memories, but it wouldn't go further than that. You and Joel were done for years and nothing would convince you otherwise.

____

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it 😭💔

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x y/n #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal imagine #joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller imagine #joel miller tlou #tlou show #tlou fanfiction

809 notes · View notes

trevuorzegras · 2 months

Text

━╋ NEW RELEASES

⏜ˑ 🐇 actress au part four 𓋜 ⋆ ࣪

౨ৎ . . all works for this series will be under the #his greatest mistake au tag. for any random thoughts, or asks it will be under the #cassidy morgan au tag!

fem actress!reader x quinn hughes.

mentions of fem actress!reader x jacob elordi

faceclaim: beabadoobee

find the series masterlist, here!

cas_morgan

cas_morgan: so so so excited to finally let you guys in on what i’ve been working on! ‘spinning out’ is now streaming on netflix! everyone go show your support, and love please 🫶🏼.

words cannot describe how incredibly honored, and grateful i am to have had this opportunity. i loved being able to bring this character to life. this experience is something i’ll forever cherish, thank you everyone!

tagged: netflix, spinningoutnetflix, evanroderick

liked by trevorzegras, jackhughes, and other

user1: OH MY GOD

user2: on my way to watch it right now

trevorzegras: superstar at it AGAIN

↳ cas_morgan: my #1 supporter 🩷

user3: since when do you know how to skate?

↳ user4: she’s been skating since she was a kid

↳ user3: really? user4

↳ user5: yes! she has a video all about it on her youtube channel (: user3

user6: i need a season two asap

user7: who got you those roses?? 🤔🤔

↳ cas_morgan: 🤫

↳ markestapa: it was me don’t let her fool you

↳ cas_morgan: you are DISGUSTING markestapa

user8: whyd evan and cas be cute irl tho…

↳ cas_morgan: guys this man is 28 PLEASE

↳ user9: age ain’t nothin but a numba… cas_morgan

↳ evanroderick: Absolutely not! user9

evanroderick: Been such a wonderful experience working with you, Cassidy! Thank you for teaching me the ways of skating even if i fell on my ass most of the time. I’ll forever cherish the memories that were made, and i hope to keep a close friendship!

↳ cas_morgan: very like wise! i love working with you, ev! you did a great job, regardless of how many times you busted your ass. i hope to stay close as well, keep in touch, don’t be a stranger! 🫶🏼

user10: i felt so bad for kat throughout the series ):

↳ user11: no literally, my baby deserved better 😭

spinningoutnetflix: our very own kat baker and justin davis! we loved having you bring our kat to life!

jackhughes: the amount of SEXY SCENES I NEED BLEACH 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

↳ cas_morgan: there’s like one get a GRIP ROWDY

lhughes_06: watched it like 82672 times

↳ cas_morgan: it came out two days ago, luke.

↳ lhughes_06: don’t underestimate me cas_morgan

user12: i love cassidy’s friendship w jack and luke so much omg ☹️

↳ user13: it’s so cute, they’re like her annoying brothers 😭

user14: anastasia allen core

↳ user15: now she just needs her hockey bf

rutgermcgroarty: would’ve been better with a hockey boy as the love interest 🤷

↳ cas_morgan: not everything is about hockey rut

↳ rutgermcgroarty: could be! cas_morgan

user17: okay but rut’s onto something, would’ve been cute with a hockey player

↳ user18: it’s a basic trope. hockey player x figure skater is BASIC say!! it!! with!! me!!

liked by cas_morgan

user19: oh no she liked the comment about figure skater and hockey trope being basic there goes our chance of getting her with a hockey player

↳ user20: she’s an actress not a figure skater, there’s still a chance trust

liked by cas_morgan

user21: she is NOT slick

↳ user22: she’s so real 😭😭

_quinnhughes: congratulations, cassidy!

↳ cas_morgan: thank you quinn!

edwards.75: you did good 🗣️🗣️

↳ cas_morgan: thanks eth 🔥

user23: she’s so pretty fuck

user24: can’t wait to see more future projects!

user25: you are so talented cassidy

trevorzegras

trevorzegras: don’t let cas fool you, she’s having an absolute blast w the hockey boys 🗣️💯🔥

tagged: cas_morgan, lhughes_06, jackhughes, jamie.drysdale, _alexturcotte, edwards.75, markestapa, rutgermcgroarty, luca.fantilli

liked by _quinnhughes, nhl, and others

cas_morgan: don’t lie to them, i hate you, and everyone here (besides luke, jamie, and mark)

↳ trevorzegras: what the hell Cassidy.

↳ lhughes_06: YUP 🗣️

↳ markestapa: it’s an honor 😭😭😭😭😭

↳ edwards.75: ??

↳ jackhughes: do i just not exist?..

↳ cas_morgan: no you do and that’s the problem rowdy jackhughes

↳ jamie.drysdale: awe cas loves me

↳ cas_morgan: always 🫶🏼 jamie.drysdale

user26: LMFAOO THAT WHOLE THREAD IS SO FUNNY

user27: are you guys excited for hockey season again

↳ trevorzegras: yes i get to drag cas to more games!

↳ cas_morgan: yeah that’s absolutely not fucking happening, good try tho! trevorzegras

user28: so glad cas has people who care about her surrounding her 🫶🏼

↳ user29: real, im glad she’s happier!

user30: Cassidy only has followers cause of the hockey players she sleeps around with

↳ markestapa: cassidy has more followers than all of us 😭 she acts, and we play hockey, let’s not.

user31: mark #1 cassidy defender

↳ user32: that’s dom’s roll, mark can get #2

↳ user33: who’s dom? user32

↳ user32: dominic fike! user33

rutgermcgroarty: don’t let cas fool you, she reads most of the time, and barely talks to us

↳ cas_morgan: don’t be a hater rut

jamie.drysdale: im cassidy’s favorite by the way

↳ markestapa: no its definitely me but okay

↳ trevorzegras: ACTUALLY 🤓 markestapa

lhughes_06: funny you guys are fighting over favorite when it’s literally me 🤣🤣🤣

↳ jackhughes: you’re real funny luke. ever tried being a comedian i’m laughing so hard 😐

user34: none of y’all are the favorite btw

liked by cas_morgan

sorry about slow updates, trying my best! just please be patient, and i promise to try and upload as much as i possibly can! 🫶🏼

taglist | @wnderify @bunbunbl0gs @alwaysclassyeagle @bunting58 @callsignwidow @crazycat-ladys-blog

127 notes · View notes

thewertsearch · 5 days

Text

GG: i think you are projecting your own attitude on to others […] GG: rose just sent me a code for a crystal ball, shes my friend and is basically the best! […] CA: its probably a trap i wwouldnt trust her CA: she is a cunnin and treacherous sort trust me i knoww her type GG: wait do you have a thing for her too??? GG: did she reject you or something?

Annihilate him, Jade. This would be a good time to unleash that rage you've been cultivating.

CA: all of her FRAUDULENT MAGICS cannot come close to posin threat to my mastery ovver the TRUEST SCIENCES CA: an wwith my empiricists wwand i servve as the righteous hope that wwill incinerate delusion and the deluded alike

This dude's on some Methods of Rationality type shit.

I'm not sure why Eridan is on a crusade against magic. He's been insisting it was fake since his original introduction page, and it's pretty clear he has some sort of complex about it. Is there some unseen history here that we're not yet privy to?

GG: wow what are you talking about CA: so really you should be honored to inherit my old callin CA: both my armaments and my feud

To be fair to Eridan, he is accomplishing something useful here, even if it's by accident. Jade needs to get that rifle in her pen-pal's hands in order to fulfil the Endgame Bunny's time loop.

Recalling Eridan’s introduction reminds me that this is one of the most powerful riflekind weapons in existence. This should imply that top-tier weapons cost tens of millions of grist...

...but we just saw a weapon that costs much, much more.

Maybe the Proton Cannon has the same damage as the Crosshairs, but it also has an incredibly broken non-combat use.

GG: i have seen this before […] GG: i am very sure its the same rifle included with johns present […] CA: probably a cheap imitation of the original […] GG: i did not provide the weapons! GG: my penpal did […] GG: we worked on it together but he supplied the bunnys weapons GG: im pretty sure hes from the future! CA: wwhy GG: because he said hes my grandson

Really?

I suppose being raised by a Sburb veteran would explain why he uses terms like 'boonbuck' in casual speech - but almost nothing else makes sense when viewed through this lens.

If Pen-Pal is Jade's grandson, then he should be from decades in the future - presumably long after the game has ended. This doesn't sound like a problem, until you remember some of the references he made.

As much as it pains me to admit it, the Earth is probably gone for good - which means that any descendants of our Players will be raised somewhere else. Why would someone presumably raised in a completely different universe be so familiar with Earth's culture?

You could argue that he picked up his love of Earth movies from one of the surviving Earthlings, such as adult John - although that raises its own issues, because PP talks to John like he's never met him before. Maybe he died young, and passed his love of movies to PP posthumously - but as you can see, we're really having to stretch things to make this make sense.

Plus, there's an even bigger problem - namely, his 1920s 'accent'. None of the surviving Earthlings have it, and it's not like he just developed it spontaneously. If he was raised by Jade or her child, why does he talk like her grandfather would?

See, I'm still sure that PP is connected directly to Grandpa, and may well be the man himself - which means either PP is lying, or there's something more complicated going on here.

We don't know anything about Grandpa's life after he fled the Crocker household. If he was somehow raised by an adult, post-Sburb Jade, then he could consider her his grandmother, while still talking and acting like the Grandpa Harley we know. Plus, it would explain why he acts like he's from the past, but knows about the future. He already has a history of time travelling - maybe he's been doing it since he was a kid.

Similar to my old theory about Spades Slick, this one is a little too convoluted to be 100% true - but still I think there's something to this idea. Being raised by Jade would neatly explain where he got the bunny's weapons...

Ugh, I don't know! This Pen-Pal really is the biggest curveball this comic has thrown at me. I need to think it over some more.

#homestuck liveblog #full liveblog #act 5.2 #s106 #3175 #theories

139 notes · View notes

lulublack90 · 3 months

Text

Prompt 30 - Uneven

@jegulus-microfic January 30 Word count 995

Previous part First part

“James?...James?” Regulus’s voice was small.

“Do you really mean that?” James was trying very hard to stomp down the feelings that were slowly beginning to bloom through him.

“Yes. James, I want to come home.”

“Then come home, Reg.” He knew the words had more meaning behind them, but he couldn’t examine that right now.

“Okay,” Regulus said, the hope clear in his voice. “I’ll call you when I have a date.”

“Okay, Reg.”

They’d stayed on the line, not saying anything until James had said goodnight, and they both hung up. James stroked Leo.

“What am I going to do, boy?”

———————————————————————————

“Is it because of me?” Barty asked seriously when Regulus went to him on Monday morning to ask about breaking his contract. Regulus shook his head.

“Not in the way you think. You made me realise that what I really want is back home.” He waited for Barty to ask about it, but he didn’t.

“I really don’t want to lose you as an employee.” Barty had recovered quickly, moving on to the next task. “Let’s spitball some ideas and see if we can figure this out.” Regulus hadn’t even thought of that as an option.

They spent most of the morning agreeing on a compromise.

He and Barty had discussed him working remotely back in England and flying to New York every three months for a few weeks. It was a good plan. But at the end of the day, it was his father, Bartemius Crouch Sr, who had the final say.

He was called into Crouch’s office that same afternoon. He was nervous. This man was the one in control of his future. He knocked on the door and waited to be called in.

———————————————————————————

Sirius had told him the date that Regulus was returning two weeks ago, and Regulus had messaged him the night before to say he’d landed and asked if he’d come over for dinner this evening. He’d agreed instantly, only remembering about Lily when she got out of the shower and joined him in bed.

He fretted over what he was going to say all night. He tossed and turned, eventually leaving the bed, worried he would wake her.

The sun rose, and he hadn’t slept a wink. He heard movement upstairs as Lily woke. He put down the whisky he’d been nursing when he heard her coming down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and went straight to the kettle for a cup of tea.

“Erm—Lily—We need to talk.” He needed to get this over with. He’d been putting it off. Not quite believing that Regulus would come back. But now it was real. He was back in Grimmauld Place, and James had run out of time. He didn’t know what would happen between him and Regulus tonight, and he didn’t want to lie to Lily. She deserved better.

He cleared his throat and continued. “Regulus is back.” She barely reacted. She just nodded slowly as she stirred the teabag around her mug.

“For good?” She asked. Something flashed in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly James couldn’t tell what it was.

“Yes.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Lily nodded again.

“Are you getting back together?” Her lips were pursed, and her shoulders had squared. James felt very small and found he couldn’t meet her eyes.

“He wants me to go over tonight for dinner. So we can talk.” He still couldn’t look her in the eyes. She folded her arms across her chest, holding herself tightly.

“I don’t want to upset you, Lily. But Reg he—” Lily cut him off.

“James, I need to tell you something.”

———————————————————————————

Regulus looked at the table he’d just set. Something was off. He walked around it, scrutinising his place settings. His eyes narrowed in on the culprit. The knife and spoon on James's side were uneven.

“Well, we can’t have that, can we? It has to be perfect.” He told the offending cutlery as he carefully rearranged them. He smiled down at the now beautiful table.

‘Knock, knock.’ His eyes flashed in horror as he looked at the clock and realised he’d lost track of the time and James was here.

He hurriedly removed the apron and smoothed down his shirt. The door sounded again as he jogged up the steps out of the kitchen and towards the front door. He paused for a moment to check his reflection in the hallway mirror. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his eyes were too wide, but he doubted James would care.

He took a steadying breath and opened the door.

James stood there illuminated by the porch light and looked just as mouthwatering as he always had. Regulus had to concentrate to not jump into his arms and start kissing him.

“Hi,” He breathed.

“Hi,” James replied just as breathy.

They stood and stared at each other until Regulus realised they were still in the doorway and he hadn’t invited James in.

“Come in. Dinner’s nearly ready. I made chicken Kievs. Hope that’s alright?” He babbled as he led James down into the kitchen.

It was warm and cosy in there. Regulus busied himself with opening a bottle of wine while James shuffled from foot to food behind him.

“Reg. Somethings happened.” He froze, hand hovering over the wine bottle. He looked up at the devastated expression on James’s face.

“What is it, James?” His voice came out quiet and cracked. He could have sworn the temperature of the room had dropped.

James swallowed repeatedly, wringing his hands together. All manner of scenarios played in Regulus’s mind. “James, I need you to talk. My imagination is going wild here.” His heart was thundering in his chest. He could feel it in his ears.

James finally looked him in the eye and took one last shuddering breath before he answered.

“Lily’s pregnant.” Regulus felt the blood drain from his face. “I’m the father.”

Next part

#January 30 #james potter #regulus black #james fleamont potter #regulus arcturus black #regulus and james #james x regulus #regulus x james #jegulus #jegulus microfic #lily evans #sirius black #uneven

95 notes · View notes

petitelepus · 9 months

Text

FOX’S WEDDING, PART 1

KITSUNE!RENGUKO KYOJURO X FEM!READER

Summary: Things happen and you end up living in a manga cafe when you are offered a new home and an exciting new housemate. You end up making a contract with the interspecies program and that changes your life forever. Good or bad? Let’s find out.

Warnings: None

A/N: Female Reader, Kitsune Kyojuro, Kitsune Senjuro, Kitsune Rengoku, Monster Musume!AU

PART 1 II PART 2 II PART 3 II PART 4 II PART 5 II PART 6 II PART 7 II PART 8 II PART 9 II PART 10 II PART 11 II PART 12 II PART 13 II PART 14 II PART 15 II PART 16 II PART 17 II PART 18 II PART 19

"You can't stay here anymore."

You blinked as the words settled in. Your roommate and her boyfriend, or rather fiance had asked you to come out of your own room and have a chat with them. You were all sitting on the kitchen table, you on one side and they on the other side.

"W-what?" You stuttered, not believing what you were hearing. Weren't you the one that invited her to live with you in the apartment that the two of you shared until her boyfriend moved in also? "W-why!?"

"We have been talking..." The man looked at your roommate and then you, "That this place isn't big enough for four."

"Are you taking someone in? Without asking from me?" You asked and they nodded. You admit that you got mad, but you calmed down the second you saw your roommate hold her stomach and her fiance set a hand on top of hers.

"Are you guys...?" You swallowed, "Are you having a baby?"

"We wanted to make things work, but there is just no room for all of us." The fiance explained and he sounded sincere as was the frown on his face.

"We assure you, we didn't plan any of this!" Your roommate cried out, but then she looked at her stomach and a kind gentle smile rose to her lips, "But this baby is a blessing and we want to have it."

"Ah..." You blinked before nodding, "I understand... You do what you have to do..."

You really did understand. Babies took a lot of space and time. You couldn't be mad at them for planning their and their baby's future together. There just wasn't any room for you in those plans.

"I'm sorry, but we need space for the baby." Your roommate looked genuinely sorry and her fiance frowned, "Can't you go live with your parents until you find a new place?"

You shook your head. That wasn't possible, you had sworn that you would never return there. Not that you had a bad relationship with your parents, but when you had moved out and made it your goal to live as an independent adult, your father said he was proud of you. Just what kind of a disappointment you would be if you returned home with your tail between your leg? No, you couldn't risk it.

"We will rent a space for your stuff until you find a place to live."

"It's the least we can do."

"I see..." You nodded, "Thank you, I'll try to find a new place to live quickly. When do you need me out?"

The two of them glanced at each other and you frowned. That wasn't a good look. Your friend looked back at you, "I'm sorry, but my parents are coming tomorrow to the city and we would hate to put them in some hotel when they want to get to know their future son-in-law."

So they wanted you out today or tomorrow tops. Your disappointment must have shown because the boyfriend quickly added, "We, no, I will help you with your stuff starting now! I don't want the future mother of my child to worry or exhaust herself."

"Oh babe, you're so sweet." The two of them smiled lovingly at each other before they pecked each other on the lips. You nodded but you weren't feeling as hopeful and positive about the future as they were...

~~~~~

You quickly found out that finding a new place to live proved to be a lot harder when you were seeking one alone. You went to see many apartments but you soon found out that even if the place appeared to be perfect, the rent certainly wasn't for your small and empty wallet.

You couldn't even afford a place to stay at, or not at least one with a decent bed. No, you had to resort to staying in a manga cafe when the day would come to an end and night came. It wasn't the comfiest place, but the reclining chair was your bed now and the tiny cube room where you stayed was your temporary home.

It wasn't that expensive, but your savings were running low, eating pre-heated meals weren't exactly healthy and the worst was that no one wanted to hire a homeless person.

You slurped your cup noodles and sighed as you went through some pages on the computer. You had multiple tabs open, some being about open job offers and others about possible apartments. So far you hadn't gotten even one invite to a job interview...

"Fuck my life..." You groaned as you went to close a website, but then a new ad popped up. Thinking that it was probably spam or some commercial, you moved to close it but then it caught your attention.

'NEED A JOB OR A PLACE TO STAY? WANT TO MEET NEW PEOPLE? CLICK THE LINK IN BIO!'

That sounded almost too good to be true. You were about to close the site when suddenly there was a knock on the door behind you.

"Yes?" You called and the voice replied, "Your coffee miss?"

"Ah, yes, come on in." You said and the door opened and a young waitress came from behind the door with your coffee.

"Here you go- Oh, what's this?" She took a look at the computer screen and you panicked, fearing that she would think that you were using their computers to download something bad or worst, illegal.

"Shit, I didn't click it so there shouldn't be any viruses-!"

"No, I don't mean anything bad. I was just taken aback since my friend's cousin got that same invite. Apparently, it's about this new government's Interspecies Exchange Bill. You know, the people who, excuse my language, are related to fantasy creatures?" She said with a light smile, "They clicked the link and apparently it changed their life for the better!"

You blinked. You had heard of them.

In the past governments used to hide these humanoid species from the world but now for one reason or another, they were now starting to live among you humans. You had seen a few during the last year and while you admit, they were cool, you were never brave enough to befriend one.

You glanced at the ad and then at the young waitress. "Honestly, it sounds too good to be true." You said a little sadly because you knew that luck never favored you.

"You never know if you don't try." She smiled as she handed you your coffee and closed the door behind her. You sipped your bean juice as you took a look at the ad.

You never know if you don't try, huh? Fine, you took the bait.

You clicked the ad and a brand new website popped up, welcoming you for a new beginning, asking for your current information, and backgrounds alongside a recent picture of yourself. Talk about suspicious, this could have been a scam or worse... But on closer inspection, they didn't ask anything that could be actually used against you.

"Fine, I'll bite the bait." You nodded as you started to fill in your information and chose the most recent and decent picture of yourself from your phone. Once you had filled out the whole application you hit SENT and smiled by yourself.

"As if this helps..." You muttered as you took a sip of your lukewarm coffee and that is when you heard a bing from your phone, signaling that you had gotten a e-mail. Okay, now you were confused. You used the computer to log onto your e-mail and saw a new message there dedicated to you. Confused, you clicked the message and saw that you had been selected for an interview!

"Already!?" You gasped. You looked at the message and it appeared to be legit and not just some scam. You looked at the message and there was a phone number you were expected to call if you chose to proceed with the selection progress.

You quickly reached for your phone that was resting on a charger by the computer, and input the number but before you called you took a deep breath. You could do this. If you failed then at least you tried. So you hit the call button and put the phone by your ear.

"Hello?"

~~~~~

You swallowed nervously as you looked at your phone. 10 minutes time. You were on your way to the cafe where the man you had talked with on the phone had instructed you to go if you wanted to learn more about the job or possible home you were looking for.

You had put on your best shirt and pants, a classic combo, and some makeup, but you left the perfume out because the man on the phone had asked you to come without any. You felt beautiful and you didn't look homeless so you were winning so far!

Your phone's GPS peeped, letting you know that you had arrived at your destination. You looked up and blinked.

This was a cat cafe. You looked at the info the man had given and you were right, it was this cat cafe. It was certainly different to have an interview in such a quirky place. Shrugging, you stepped inside and you were greeted by dozens of curious little meows. You couldn't help but smile at the sight of cute kitties that came to greet you.

"Good day, ma'am!" Came a peppy voice and you turned to look and you felt your eyes widen. A real cat girl came to greet you, with a human body but with cat ears and a tail. It was the first time you had seen a demi- or pseudohuman up so close.

"Table for one?" She asked happily, and you actually panicked lightly, "Uh, actually, I'm meeting someone!"

"Oh, you're the new girl?"

New girl? Oh God, please don't let this be some sort of trick to turn you into a prostitute! The panic must have been clear on your face because the cat girl giggled, "Please do not worry. Just leave your shoes here and follow me."

You nodded and did as she told you to, following her into deeper parts of the cafe. You took quick notice that everyone working there were demihumans, but no one seemed to mind. No, they all loved it, asking for pictures with the waiters and waitresses.

"Ah, there you are." Came a man's voice and you turned to look and saw a young wearing a suit and sunglasses even inside the cafe. He must have been the man you had spoken on the phone with. He motioned you to sit down and you did as he asked you to.

"We talked over the phone. My name is Smith and you were...?"

You told him your name and the man smiled as he nodded, "Yes, just as was written in your info."

Just like magic, the man pulled a little stack of papers from thin air and looked at them over, "According to these papers you filled out, you're currently jobless and homeless. Is that correct?"

Ouch, he went right to the sore spots. You nodded, "Yes, sir, but I'm young and eager to work for my salary or home."

"I can see that, you're only 20 and already so mature." He smiled as he put the papers down on the table. "We did a little backup check just in case. A daughter, youngest out of three siblings, graduated and moved on your own with the little savings you had? That must haven't been easy."

You were stunned that they had managed to get so much information with very little you offered to them, but despite your info, the man smiled, "But my, you're clean as a whistle. No drugs or any other suspicious substance, not a single note from the police, not even a traffic ticket. I must say, I'm impressed."

"Thank you, sir."

"In fact, I think we are done here."

Huh? Done so soon? But you barely even talked with each other, didn't he have any questions or anything he wanted to ask from you?

You were so stunned that you nearly missed the paper and pencil he slid to you. You blinked and looked at the paper and then the man, "What is this?"

"This my dear is a contract that you dedicate yourself to the interspecies program. I assure you, we take good care of you as you work for the company. We will provide you with a place to live in, money for food, and everyday life necessities, taken that you will be sharing the house with a member of the non-human liminal species or as called, extra-species."

"Extra-species?" You blinked, "Like the people who work here?"

"Yes," The man in the suit nodded, "This is just one of our many agencies that employes extra-species."

"I see..." You nodded. You had nothing against living with someone else, heck, you lived with your ex-roommate for a year and a half before her boyfriend came into the picture. You bet you could live with someone who was a little different as long as they were kind to you!

You smiled, determination filling you as you grabbed the pencil and wrote your name down, sealing your fate. You looked at the man and smiled, "When can I start?"

"Marvelous, I admire your enthusiasm," He nodded as he took the paper and got up on his feet, you copying him, and he offered his hand to you. "Allow me to be the first one to welcome you aboard the program."

You were honestly so happy, you shook his hand and gave him the most excited smile you could muster, "Thank you for this chance sir, I won't let you down!"

"I trust in that." He nodded and once the two of you pulled your hands back, he reached for his jacket's pocket and pulled out a card that he handed to you. "Meet me at this place tomorrow at 1 pm. You will be housed immediately with your matching new roommate."

"Ah, my stuff, it's all in-!"

"Do not worry, the moving men will fetch your belongings from the storage unit." Mister Smith said and you blinked in surprise, "How did you-?"

"We have our ways to make your and your new housemate's life easier." He smiled as he lowered his sunglasses enough to wink at you playfully. You nodded, a little unsure, but mostly you were ecstatic. You got a new place to live and you would possibly get a new friend out of your soon-to-be housemate! Oh, you wished she was a kind one.

~~~~~

That night you barely caught any sleep in your reclining chair at the manga cafe. You were so excited yet nervous also. So when the time came for you to pick up everything you had in person and time to leave the cafe for good came, you were feeling enthusiastic.

The staff that you had grown familiar with wished you good luck out there and that if you ever needed, they would have little room ready for you instantly. You almost felt a little sad, but your happiness was stronger than your sadness. You put the address on the card that mister Smith had given to you into your phone and followed your GPS to your new home.

The walk was a little longer than you had anticipated but when you turned around the corner you saw a moving truck and people. Curious, you walked over there and took a look at the house. It was a gorgeous two-story house that was surrounded by thick walls, a gate being the only way in, a dark red roof, and big windows.

"I take you like what you see?"

You let out a short scream as you whipped around and saw mister Smith suddenly standing there behind you. The man chuckled and you gasped, "You scared me!"

"My apologies. I can be light on my feet." He nodded, "You seem to like this house."

"Oh, I was on my way to-!" You were saying when your phone peeped and you quickly glanced at it. It was the GPS, letting you know that you had arrived at your destination. You blinked, slightly confused as you turned to look at the man before you.

"Is this...?" You looked and saw familiar moving boxes being carried inside. Your boxes, from your storage unit, filled with your stuff, such as books and stuff you had collected during the years.

"No way...!" You gasped, "Is this...! My new home?"

"That would be correct." Mister Smith nodded before pulling his jacket's sleeve back so he could take a look at the wristwatch he had there. "It's about 1 pm."

"Yes?" You nodded and he grinned, "Meaning that your new housemate should be here any minute now."

Just as he said that a car pulled by the road, but not just any car but a limousine! Mister Smith smiled, "Aah, just in time."

You watched the limousine driver get out and move to open the passenger's door and you watched eyes wide how the most beautiful- No, the most handsome creature stepped out of the vehicle.

A man. He was wearing an expensive and high-ranking men's kimono and Japanese sandals and he had long bright yellow hair with red streaks akin to flames, but what caught your attention were two large pointed fox ears on the top of his head and 5 fluffiest looking thick fox tails behind him.

As you gawked, the man stepped aside and a boy that looked identical to this man stepped out. Only this boy had only 1 tail.

Finally, mister Smith gently put his hand on your shoulder and stepped ahead towards the two males, taking you to greet them with him. As you came closer, the fox men turned to look at you and smiled.

"Mister Smith!" The 5 tailed man shouted and bowed lightly, "It is an honor to meet you again."

"Pleasure is all mine, my lord," Smith said back as he bowed also and then looked at you. "Allow me to introduce you to lord Rengoku Kyojuro and his younger brother Rengoku Senjuro. They are Kitsunes or as you may know them Nine-Tailed Foxes."

You blinked, stunned to silence by the foxes' eyes as they looked at you. Golden eyes with red pupils, they were magical, no, magnificent.

Mister Smith continued, "Their family has ruled Japan's extra-species, or as they are called, Yokai, over centuries. Now, as we humans all around the world are welcoming extra-species to our everyday life, they are here on behalf of Japan's department."

Aah, you understood. They were here to strengthen the bond between countries and learn more from each other, both humans and extra-species alike.

"It is an honor finally meeting you, my dearest Hime." The older Kitsune bowed to you and you blinked as you registered what he had just called you. A Princess? You blushed as you bowed back and introduced yourself.

The Kitsune, Kyojuro smiled widely and you felt your heart skip a beat as you saw that bright smile of his and his intense stare.

"I must say, my bride really is a gorgeous human!" He suddenly shouted and you stared at him as his words slowly sank in. You blinked before blushing furiously, "W- wait, a bride!?"

"Yes, I chose you as my future wife!" Kyojuro nodded, "To strengthen our bond, we are to be married!"

"Wait, hold on, marriage!? Me!? Shouldn't we get to know each other first or-!?" You turned to look at mister Smith who just smiled at you, "Yes, that is why you will be living together, getting to know each other, and teaching each other about your different worlds."

"W- why?" You asked, "Why like this?"

"Lord Kyojuro and young Senjuro come from a very traditional Japanese mansion in the middle of the forest so all this modern life and western architectural is new for them." Mister Smith explained and you blinked as you turned to look at the Japanese men, no, foxes.

"Allow us to thank you for teaching us the modern ways." The blond man said as he and his little brother bowed to you. You panicked slightly, not used to such gestures and suddenly everything you knew about Japan and its culture came to your aid.

"Ah, the honor is mine, dear lord!" You tried your hardest not to stutter and you made sure to show respect to them by bowing back to them. You were nearly startled out of your skin when the older fox laughed, "Truly, my bride is the cutest!"

While you were stunned, mister Smith laughed and pulled out a debit card, and handed it to you. "Please use this card to pay and provide food, clothes, or anything that our royal guests or you might need. Buy something nice also."

"I..." You swallowed nervously, "Thank you?"

"You're welcome," Smith nodded and turned to look at the Kitsunes standing there and looking at the two of you. "Now, let's get you guys settled, how does that sound? The house is already furnished, all you need are your belongings and maybe go out shopping together?"

"Hm, sounds good to me!" Kyojuro turned to look at his younger brother, Senjuro, "What do you say Senjuro? Would you like to go out with out lovely hostess?"

"Yes, but, uh..."

"Yes, what is it, young lord?" Mister Smith asked kindly.

"I would like to see my new room?" The young boy admitted shyly, "This house is so big and modern, I can't help but wonder how it looks from the inside."

"Please, step inside and get to know the place." Mister Smith said with a smile, "I'll make sure everything is handled properly."

"Hm, shall we go?" Kyojuro looked at his brother who nodded little and then at you with those amazing eyes of his. "Are you ready, my Hime?"

"Y- yes!" You flinched but he didn't say anything about it. He only smiled as the three of you walked past the fence and into the house.

The lobby was huge as you stepped inside and filled with moving boxes. Your boxes, you recognized them. You noticed that the foxes took their sandals off and you copied them, taking your shoes off and pushing them aside.

"My, how many boxes!" Kyojuro exclaimed as he looked around and you blushed, "I'm sorry, they are all mine."

"Do not worry for I don't mind!"

You still felt a little awful. You tried to switch the topic, "Let's look around the downstairs, how does that sound?"

"Good idea!"

So the three of you took in the house, the kitchen, and the huge living room you could see from the kitchen. You had always admired such a design since you liked the open space and the chance of being able to see what happened in the living room.

"This place is huge...!" Senjuro awed and you felt yourself smile as you looked at the awestruck look on the boy's face.

Then there was a toilet and bathroom, utility room, alongside some extra rooms, you thought were for storing or extra bedrooms if needed. The three of you made your way upstairs and looked around, stepping into a magnificent room with a balcony connected to it. The room was spacious but otherwise empty, save for a big bed and some basic furniture.

"Oh, wow...!" Young Senjuro gasped and you smiled as you glanced at him, "Would you like to have this room for yourself?"

"C- can I really have a room this big for myself?" He asked as he looked at you uncertainly and you smiled as you glanced at the older fox, "If it is okay with your brother?"

"Hm!" Kyojuro smiled widely, "Yes, this room is perfect for my little brother!"

"Oh, wow...!" Senjuro gasped as he looked around, running up to a huge bed with snow-white bedsheets, "Is this my bed?"

"If you want it to be?" You tilted your head in slight confusion, "What kind of beds did you have back in Japan?"

"We slept on a futon that was rolled out for the night and off for the day," Kyojuro replied and you nodded, feeling a little stupid. Of course, they came from a traditional Japanese home where futons were normal.

"If you want, you can decorate the room any way you want." You added and for the first time you saw Senjuro smile like a sun, "I would love that! Thank you so much!"

"No worries!" You smiled and you turned to look at the older brother, "Shall we keep looking?"

"Yes!" Kyojuro nodded and the two of you stepped outside, letting Senjuro explore his new room by himself. There was another toilet combined with a bathroom and two other rooms that you and the older fox turned to look at. The two rooms were almost identical, only the other one was directly next to Senjuro's room.

You were looking at the one furthest from the young fox's room and you hummed as you looked around.

"This is a nice room." You thought by yourself, but Kyojuro's fox ears twitched as he heard you murmur quietly.

"Then you should take this room!" The Kitsune shouted and you blinked as you turned to look at him, "Wait, don't you want it?"

"My bride's comfort is my number one priority!" Kyojuro smiled and you blushed at that as you averted your gaze from his bashfully, "Are you certain?"

"Yes! This way I can sleep next to my dear brother's room!" He nodded and you glanced at him, admiring his passion and how he cared for his brother.

"You're a good brother, lord Kyojuro." You smiled and he absolutely beamed in happiness, "Please! Call me Kyojuro! As my bride, you are equal to me!"

Again, with that bride thing! Your blush just grew stronger and you couldn't look at him directly.

"Big brother!" Came Senjuro's voice and you and Kyojuro turned around to see Senjuro run up to you two. "Can we go look around the city?"

"What a splendid idea Senjuro!" The older fox beamed happily as he turned to look at you. "What would my bride suggest we do first?"

"M- me?" You stuttered as you thought about what you guys would need. You took a look at the two foxes and an idea popped up. "Well, we could go and look for more comfortable clothes for you two? Also, I bet the fridge is empty so we could buy something to eat."

"Of course! Clothes and food sound like a good idea!" Kyojuro exclaimed happily, "Just as expected from my brilliant bride!"

"I do have a name." You hummed quietly and he nodded, "And what a beautiful name that is!"

This damn Kitsune didn't know what he was doing to you with his constant flattery, but you didn't sense any ill will. He was truly and genuinely kind to you. Something that you weren't used to. The least you could do was to return his kindness.

"Okay, let's head out. I'll let the moving men know where to put my boxes." You said and both foxes smiled as they followed you downstairs while you were letting the human men know where to put your things, the brothers put their sandals on and waited for you by the door.

"Ready, my bride?" Kyojuro asked as you joined them and slipped your shoes on. "Ready as one can be."

And with that, you left your past life and stepped into a new one.

154 notes · View notes

the0racl30fd3lphi · 1 year

Text

percy jackson x reader

word count: 506

warnings: fluff, mild nudity (nothing specific really) fem!reader, not beta read and no proof read we die like men

summary: percy enjoys waking up before his partner in the mornings, admiring her before she wakes up

a/n: this is my first post please be gentle 🫶🏻

•••••••••••

the sun began to peak through the blinds he had forgotten to fully close last night. the golden beams of warmth slipped through and made everything it touched glow. though how she could get even more lovely, he didn’t know, he was awestruck. her face was pushed into the pillow with her hair sprawled out across her back. gently and carefully, so not to startle her, he pushed her hair away from her face and neck, knowing how much it would irritate the girl.

her back exposed to the greedy hands of the sun gave her such a celestial brilliance that captivated him. tearing his eyes from her face and onto her bare back, he traced the freckles on her skin ever-so-lightly. connecting the dots of the constellation of birth marks on her back, he could only recognize what it formed from her endless inspiring drab led about the stars. andromeda. fitting, it always made him smile. a beauty forever immortalized in the sky lay soundly asleep in his bed. he thanked the stars that they gave him their most prized possession.

he genuinely couldn’t believe how lucky he has gotten with her. watching the darling sun rays illuminate her features as her back rose up and down in a soft, slow, peaceful manner identical to the most pleasant of dreams, made him swoon. how could one being, so perfect and divine, settle for such a cursed man as him? all the prophecies, all the quests, all the monsters, everything that followed percy and all that undoubtedly waited for him in the future, why would she condemn herself to this?

he would never be able to comprehend why but he knew he was glad she did, because soon did he realize, she would be the only thing he needed. his hope. his love. his peace. his joy. his determination. his fire. his will. his mind, body, and soul.

“mm, you’re staring,” she mused, peaking out from the pillow her face was tucked in.

“can’t i admire fine art when i see it?” he sank further in the bed to bring his face closer to hers.

“you are, so, cheesy.” she pretended to groan but couldn’t help the smile creeping up her face.

“hm,” he shrugged it off. “go back to bed, my love.”

“we’ll have to wake up eventually,” she couldn’t fight the hand that started aimlessly crawling around her back. painting warm goosebumps that faded as quick as they came.

“we’ll wake when the time comes, let’s just enjoy staying in bed right now.” with her still laying face down, percy pressed his face into her neck. stamping a ghost of a kiss on her shoulder and laying his forehead against it.

“look at that. you’ve convinced me,” she giggled and nestled further into bed. his arm crept along her back and wrapped softly around her waist.

he knew now, that she was his love. his savior. and damnation. because gods, he would do anything for this girl. he would do everything for this girl.

#percy jackson x reader #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #drabble #firstever #fem!reader

359 notes · View notes

daliasmay · 5 months

Text

Honestly, Im so tired of how E // riels calls everyone who don't like E // riel as women haters. Especially I see a lot of charges to Eluciens. Does anyone in that fandom really understand the definitions of the words "hate" and «misogyny»?

Today it’s getting more and more absurd. I think there is a handprint on my face already because of the facepalms.

I mean, ACOTAR is full of clearly unambiguous forms of misogyny... but can someone show me that in Elucien please? 🕵️‍♀️

I wouldn't lie, there are a lot of Lucien lovers on that board, but blame people in misogyny because theoretically most of them love Lucien, is beyond of my comprehension. Don't they prefer Azriel more than Elain too? Sorry, but I don't believe that people, who draw Elain as a warrior who is surrounded by atmosphere of violence or with the rose necklace that she returned and that was re-gifted really love Elain and her character. Or at least understand her.

It is easy and comfortable to prefer to ignore the second part of Azriel's bonus chapter, but yep, it is still a canon text and we can't read it selectively.

They says that Eluciens hate Elain and that they are a women-haters in general, but yes, its absolutely ok for so called pro-Elains to ship Elain with the man who only in the one tiny chapter:

♦ Called her in private conversation with his brother from another mother only like «she» and «the third sister». Was it difficult to call her by her name? No, but it possibly showed her place in his picture of the world.

♦ Called their kiss a «mistake»

♦ And RE-GIFTED her necklace that she returned to him to another woman and thought not about Elain feelings because of his mistake, about how she was after his words about their private moment, but about the feelings and smile of that one, who will receive his gift in the morning.

Really?

Wouldn’t it be more polite if he returned that necklace to the shop or burned it or threw away or keep it for the future? They were so many ways, you know? Sarah wrote what she wrote and she said that it was obvious and it is. The problem of this mass misunderstanding in someone's headcanons only. Sorry, but wouldn't it be better not to give Gwyn the gift at the end if he really loved Elain? How someone can fix this act of disrespectful behaviour? With enough respect to Elain? or maybe to Gwyn? I think and hope that Sarah will come back to that moment with Azriel and Elain and will fix it as a silly joke between two friends, but not between lovers.

By the way I think that being pro-Elain isn't about giving her a sword, dressing up her in black and making a warrior or a spy out of her. Elain isn't like Feyre or Nesta. Elain's power in her smile, Elain's power in her peacefulness, she loves sun and people, she loved her father and she doesn't like violence. Elain isn't about roses and bakery only. It seems that she loves tulips more, she wanted to travel and she was full of joy on the parties. Elain is a warrior but her butterfield is the society, the people, the balls. Elain isn't an introvert. But she is fighting with herself now, with her traumas and with her new life while no one in her family and IC can see her. Even her sisters. And especially they.

And I definitely don't think that it is polite enough to ship her with the man who even didn't think about her feelings in the end of the evening and call yourself as pro-Elain at the same time. It is something illogical and maybe a little bit strange.

#anti elriel #anti e/riel #antielriel #my thoughts

38 notes · View notes

imagines-all-day-everyday · 2 years

Text

The Rake & the Spinster

Summary:

With the Bridgerton's and the Dappleton's having always lived side by side, *yn* Dappleton is the unofficial ninth Bridgerton sibling, and Benedict Bridgerton has been her friend for as long as she can remember. However, when *yn* officially makes her debut into society with every intent of finding a husband, Benedict begins to realise that perhaps it is more than a friendship that he seeks.

Warnings: none, this is pure fluff <3

Notes: This might be one of my favourite fics I have ever written. Big call I know but eeeee!

-------------------------

"Miss Dappleton, Lord Dappleton has requested your presence."

*yn*'s brow furrowed, peering over the top of her book at the servant that stood expectantly at the doorway.

"What ever for?"

"He did not specify, miss. He is in his study waiting for you."

*yn* sighed begrudgingly and placed the book on the couch beside her. "Honestly, that man can never do anything on his own." She grumbled under her breath as she rose from her seat.

She made her way through the various hallways and rooms that made up her home before coming to a stop outside the study door.

"Come in." A muffled voice spoke from within in response to her knock. She edged open the door, peaking inside to see Lord Dappleton seated at his desk, his head buried in a mountain of paperwork.

"Ah *yn*, come come." He beckoned her, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her hovering in the doorway.

"Is everything alright father? Do you need assistance with the ledgers again?" *yn* implored as she came to stand in front of his desk.

"The what - oh no no no." He fussed, shaking his head and chuckling as he pushed the papers away from him.

"It's about you. I've made an appointment at Madame Delacroix's for tomorrow at 10 am."

"Madame Delacroix's?" *yn* echoed, her nose crinkling in confusion. "What ever for? I have enough dresses to last me till the end of the season."

"Well you're going to need new dresses if you are to formally make your debut into society."

"My what?" She exclaimed. "But father we agreed-"

"-I know what we agreed. That you would debut when you were ready. But you are one and twenty now *yn*-"

"But-"

"No buts." He cut her off once more. "You know I have always championed your independence, but Lady Bridgerton and I have both agreed that-"

"Lady Bridgerton? Oh so you two have been scheming behind my back to decide my future?" *yn* scoffed, folding her arms in front of chest.

"Now *yn* you know that woman loves you like one of her own." Lord Dappleton scolded. "We both have agreed that this is what is best for you and if you want to have any hopes of finding a decent husband then you must debut this season. Now, Lady Bridgerton has offered to escort you to your appointment tomorrow. You do not have to accept her invitation of course. But, she will be coming over tomorrow afternoon to discuss the details of your debut with you."

"I really do not get a say in this do I?" She murmured as he turned his attention back to the papers before him, signalling that she was dismissed.

"No my dear, I am afraid you do not."

There was a pause as *yn* studied her father for a few moments. Her first instinct was to argue, but there was an edge to her father's voice, one that she had only heard a handful of times in her life. And every single time she had heard that tone, he had always gotten his way.

"She can come to the appointment I suppose." *yn* grumbled.

Her words made a smile twitch up onto her father's lips as he looked at her over his spectacles.

"Excellent, I will advise her."

------------------

"Well it's official. I'm coming out."

"Come again?"

*yn* brought the cigarette to her lips, inhaling deeply before tilting her head back and letting the smoke waft up towards the moon.

"I am making my debut into society."

"You're having a laugh."

"I'm afraid I am not dearest Benedict, I am to formally debut myself this weekend." *yn* twisted on the swing turning to look at the second eldest Bridgerton.

"At the Cowper's ball of all places no less." Her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"If this is your idea of a practical joke, you've done much better." Benedict smirked, exhaling a puff of smoke as he pushed his feet off the ground to move the swing.

"I wish I was joking." *yn* deadpanned. "Father spoke to me this morning, apparently him and your mother have decided that if I have any chance of finding a decent husband I must debut this season."

*yn*'s body jerked forward as Benedict planted his feet on the ground, the swing coming to a sudden stop.

"You're being serious." He stated, causing her to roll her eyes.

"That is what I have been saying." *yn* huffed as she rose to her feet. "I am to go to the dressmaker's tomorrow morning with your mother."

Benedict studied her for a few moments before he tilted his head back and let out a howl of laughter. "This is bloody brilliant."

"You're going to have to have one of those silly dance cards and everything. And you'll have gentlemen callers, oh you will love that." He cackled, clutching at his sides as he laughed.

"I am so glad you find my predicament so amusing Bridgerton." She huffed, placing her hands on her hips, a smile still on her lips despite her best efforts to look irritated.

"Oh I do, I really do."

"What are you two guffawing about?"

*yn* and Benedict glanced up to see Eloise Bridgerton making her way towards them.

"*yn*'s just informed me that she is making her debut this season." Benedict grinned.

"Oh no, not you too. I thought at least one of us would be spared the torture." Eloise despaired as she came to take a seat beside her brother.

"Unfortunately not dear Eloise. Apparently I am on the verge of becoming a spinster at the ripe old age of one and twenty." *yn* proclaimed causing both the Bridgerton siblings to burst into laughter.

"What about you and Benedict's plan to indefinitely galavant around and terrorise the ton with your rake and spinster ways?" Eloise asked as she glanced between them.

"Unfortunately only one of us has the pleasure of choosing when and if they will marry." *yn* answered, shooting Benedict a pointed look as she came back to join the siblings.

Despite her jokes and sarcasm, the thought of the impending season was making her feel quite ill. It was finally beginning to sink in that by the end of the season, she would more than likely have a husband. One who she might not even love.

"Do not fret sister, I will be enough of a rake for the both of us. Is that not right *yn*?" Benedict winked at *yn* as he pulled out a fresh cigarette.

*yn* ignored the pang in her stomach at his words, "that is right." She answered, forcing a smile onto her lips as she sat down on the grass in front of them.

"I cannot believe our society still demands this of us." Eloise complained as she lit a cigarette of her own.

"Do not despair El, with you, me and Anthony out this season it will at least not be a boring one." *yn* comforted her.

"I suppose you are right." Eloise sighed. "Plus Lady Whistledown has returned, that will make for some titivating drama as always."

"Well let us all pray that a scandal so big happens that Lady Whistledown forgets all about your family this season." *yn* remarked as she rose to her feet.

"You are leaving? So soon?" Benedict asked, straightening up on his swing as he studied her intently.

"Yes I should, I must be up bright and early in preparation for what I am sure will be a thrilling expedition to Madame Delacroix's." She sighed as she smoothed her dress out.

"But we had not even begun to discuss my dear brother's courtship and the sister sent to torture him." He complained.

"Come now Benny do not sulk." *yn* teased as she touched his shoulder comfortingly. "You can tell me all about this sister birthed from hell itself at the Cowper ball, goodness knows I will need something to pass the time." She sighed, shivering at the mere thought.

"El, I will see you at the ball too?"

"Sadly, yes." Eloise grimaced.

"Excellent, well with that I will bid you goodnight Bridgertons." She jokingly curtseyed.

"Goodnight *yn*!" The pair chorused back. *yn* grinned at them, giving them one last wave before she picked up her dress and made her way to the small hole in the hedge that divided their homes.

*yn* and her father had lived beside the Bridgertons in the ton for her entire life. Her mother had been taken by a fever before *yn* could even walk and with her father refusing to remarry, it had always been just her and her father.

Violet Bridgerton and Arthur Dappleton had always been close, and when *yn*'s mother died they grew even closer, with Violet helping a very hopeless single father with raising a daughter. *yn* had grown up with the eight siblings, closest to Eloise and Daphne given the age proximity. But as she aged, she found herself growing closer to the older brothers, particularly with Benedict. Now she would consider him one of her closest friends.

The fact that she had been in love with him for as long as she could remember did ever so slightly complicate things. But overtime she had learnt to suppress it, telling herself that nothing would ever come of it. It was easier that way.

"I cannot believe *yn*'s left me alone with you." Benedict complained once *yn* had disappeared through the hedge. He chuckled as Eloise shoved him playfully in response.

"You know." Eloise began as silence fell over the garden, the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance. "I always thought you two would end up together."

Her words made Benedict jerk upright, so suddenly that he very nearly slipped off his seat. Eloise stifled a laugh as her brother's hand shot up to grip the rope of the swing to steady himself as he turned to look at her.

"Who? Me and *yn*?" Benedict inquired incredulously.

"Do not be absurd Eloise." He shook his head when Eloise nodded. "She is like a fifth sister, to think of her that way-" He cut himself as he felt his cheeks growing flush under Eloise's stare.

"That might be one of the daftest things you have ever uttered and that is the last I will say on the matter." He muttered, taking a deep inhale of his cigarette.

"Whatever you say brother." Eloise mused, a knowing look on her features as she glanced back over at the Dappleton estate.

----------------------------

"How long are we expected to be here mama?"

"I too would like to know the answer to that question."

"Hush you two, Eloise you have not even had one dance yet." Violet dismissed her children. Eloise and Benedict both simultaneously rolled their eyes, shooting each other looks of displeasure before following begrudgingly after their mother.

"I have not caught sight of *yn* yet, she better be here." Eloise grumbled to Benedict as they weaved through the throng of people.

Both of them nearly collided into the back of their mother who had come to a sudden halt beside Lady Danbury.

"Oh Lady Bridgerton you have outdone yourself." They heard Lady Danbury say to their mother.

"Why thank you Lady Danbury."

Benedict and Eloise shot each other puzzled looks before hurrying to get around their mother.

"Woah." Eloise breathed out.

Benedict froze when his eyes fell on the source of Eloise's amazement.

He felt like his feet had been knocked out from beneath him as he studied her. She was in a beautiful violet gown with pale purple gloves to match. Her hair had been done in an intricate up style with diamonds adorning her neck, ears and were even woven into her hair. Her arm was hooked through her father's as she made her way through the crowd.

She was the most beautiful woman Benedict had ever laid eyes on. *yn* Dappleton, her best friend. Hushed whispers that circled him made him think that there were many others who thought the same thing.

"Benedict, let's go fetch a drink and then we can say hello." Eloise murmured, her wide eyes never leaving *yn*'s figure as she spoke.

"Benedict." She repeated when she got no response. She finally turned to see him completely mesmerised by *yn*, so much so that he had not heard a word she had said.

"Brother." She spoke, shaking his arm. This finally broke him out of his trance, wide eyed as he glanced down at his sister.

"What?"

Eloise tried to suppress her amused smirk, "I said, let's go fetch a drink."

"Oh yes." Benedict nodded as he adjusted the collar of his vest which had suddenly grown very restrictive. He cleared his throat, "let's do that."

----------------

"Lady Dappleton, would you do me the honour of another dance?"

"Why thank you Lord Dixon, the honour would be all mine." *yn* curtseyed back, "I am just feeling a bit faint, I think some fresh air will serve me well before we dance."

"Of course Lady Dappleton, I will be waiting for your return." Lord Dixon bowed.

The second her back was turned *yn*'s smile dropped and she rolled her eyes as she made a beeline for the balcony.

She let out a sigh of relief as she stepped outside and into the warm night air. Her feet were aching and she could barely breath in the corset that had been tied ridiculously tight. All she wanted to do was to go home. Or be sitting in the Bridgerton's backyard, on the swing with Benedict, talking about something entirely trivial.

"Psst- Dappleton!" *yn*'s brow furrowed, glancing around for the source of the noise. "Down here!"

Upon that instruction she peered over the balcony. "Benedict." She breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of the second eldest Bridgerton.

"Where have you been? I have been looking for you everywhere!" She hissed.

"Well I went to go fetch a drink and just happened to spy an open window right beside the punch bowl, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up." Benedict responded, shooting her a cheeky grin.

"Come on, let's go." He continued, waving her down.

"Benedict I cannot go with you. I am unchaperoned. If anyone saw us-"

"No one will see us, come on." He beckoned her frantically. "Unless you want to go back in there that is."

*yn* bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder at the party. She winced at the sight of Lord Dixon glancing around, clearly looking for her. She glanced down at Benedict who was looking up expectantly, that heart stopping grin still plastered on his features as they locked eyes.

"Come on, we can have a party of our own." He urged, shaking the flask in his hand at her temptingly.

She withheld a sigh as she felt her resolve crumbling, shaking her head in defeat.

"I better not regret this Bridgerton." She grumbled before swinging her legs over the balcony railing.

----------------------

"I just cannot believe Dixon thought he actually had a chance with you." Benedict remarked.

"Oh come on, he is not that bad." *yn* mused as she pressed the flask to her lips, wincing as the liquor burned her throat.

"*yn* dearest, the man perpetually smells like off milk." Benedict's smile widened as he practically felt *yn*'s mouth drop as she turned to face him.

"How on earth did you know-"

"He was called The Milkman at university, why do you think my brothers and I always avoid talking with him for too long at these things? The stench seeps into your clothes. Impossible to get it out of them."

"And you did not think to forewarn me about this?" *yn* gaped. Benedict shrugged his shoulders and locked eyes with her, the pair eyed each other for a few moments before bursting into fits of laughter.

*yn* clutched her sides, feeling her eyes growing wet from how hard she was laughing.

"Oh we are horrible." She giggled, inhaling deeply as she tried to catch her breath.

"Maybe, but at least we are not dreadfully boring." He chuckled.

*yn* hummed in agreement as she leant her head back against the trunk of the tree. Her veins were singing with warmth from the liquid provided by the flask. Her body and mind were relaxing more and more as the minutes ticked by as the alcohol seeped into her.

The warm summer nights breeze was a beautiful reprieve from the Cowper's overcrowded and stuffy room. Her and Benedict were sitting side by side underneath an oak tree, so close together that their arms were nearly touching.

"I must get back soon, before anyone notices my absence." *yn* sighed after a few moments of peaceful silence.

"A full dance card?" Benedict queried, unable to help himself as he peered over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the men who had requested a dance with her.

"Surprisingly, yes." She answered as she flicked her fingers through the pages of the dance card hanging from her wrist.

"Really?" Benedict spoke as he studied her, "I do not think it is the least bit surprising." He remarked, unable to hide the edge in his voice as he took a deep swig of liquor.

"And why is that?" *yn* mused, fully preparing for some sort of sarcastic jab as she looked up at him expectantly.

"Because you look absolutely breathtaking tonight."

*yn* felt like the wind had been knocked out of her at his words. They were so matter-of-fact that for a brief moment she thought that she had been hearing things. Her lips parted slightly as she studied him, trying to rack her brain for something to say.

"At least that is what I heard Lord Dixon and a few of his friends say anyway." Benedict added quickly as he looked down at his feet.

And just like that, the moment passed.

"Oh right." *yn* nodded, swallowing thickly as she tried to hide her disappointment. "And here I was thinking that Benedict Bridgerton was actually going to give me a compliment." She forced a teasing tone to her words.

"A compliment? Please you know me better than that Miss Dappleton." His words made a soft chuckle emit from *yn*'s lips as she fixed her eyes on her dance card, flicking through the pages absentmindedly.

Benedict silently cursed himself for saying those words out loud. They were meant to be his thoughts and his thoughts only. To remain in his head. Most definitely not thoughts for *yn* to hear. But when she had looked at him with that breathtaking smile on her lips, the words had spilled out of him before he could restrain himself.

"Lord Dappleton, I found them!"

The voice made the two spring up onto their feet, panic flooding both of them. They both exhaled when they saw Violet Bridgerton marching towards them.

That relief was short lived when they saw the furious expression on her features, one which was unfortunately mirrored in Arthur Dappleton's face who was hot on her heels.

"We have been looking for you everywhere, do you know how long you have been gone?" Violet demanded.

"Mother I am sorry we just-"

"-Benedict I do not want to hear it." She snapped, holding a hand up to stop him. "We were worried sick. And to find you both here, and unchaperoned of all things." She shook her head as disappointment radiated from her.

"I thought we taught you both better than this."

*yn* folded her arms in front of her guiltily as she glanced at her father who was yet to say a word. She did not recall the last time she had seen him look so disappointed.

"Come *yn*, we are leaving." He finally said after a few moments of tense silence passed.

*yn* nodded, knowing better than to argue. She shot Benedict a glance before following after her father who had already begun to make his way to their carriage.

"Honestly Benedict, do you know what would have happened if someone else had caught you two out here like this, unchaperoned?" Violet snapped as Benedict watched *yn*'s retreating figure.

Benedict knew the answer. He knew that it meant that the two would have had to marry with haste. Just like Daphne and Simon.

His worst nightmare of course, I mean marriage? No. Absolutely not.

Although, there was a small voice in his head that was telling him that being married to *yn* might not be so terrible.

In fact, it would not be so terrible at all.

-------------------

The ride to the Dappleton estate was done so in complete silence.

Neither *yn* nor her father uttered a single word in the carriage, nor did either of them say a word as they traipsed up the stairs and into the living room.

"Sit." That was the first word uttered by Arthur as he pointed to the couch.

*yn* complied. She watched as her father locked his hands behind his back and began to pace the length of the room.

"Do you have any idea what would have happened if Lady Bridgerton had not been the one to discover you?" He began. "It would have ruined you."

*yn* sat in guilty silence.

"I know it has always been just you and me in this house. And perhaps it was my fault that I have let you run around, doing what you please. Maybe I erred in not remarrying and finding a wife suitable to help raise you. To try and provide you with a brother to help care for you." He muttered, more to himself than to *yn* as he continued to pace.

"I did not need a step-mother. I have you. I have Lady Bridgerton."

Her soft words made him come to a stand still in front of her. "And I did not need another wife, you are all I need *yn*." He clarified as he studied his daughter.

"But I will not always be here for you. One day, when I am gone, this-" He gestured around the room. "- will go to my closest male relative. He will become Lord of this house. Not you. And you will need someone to provide for you, to give you a roof over your head, safety, company."

"But I do not want to have someone provide for me." *yn* spoke, her voice shaking with frustration.

"I know, but this is how our society works." Her father answered her firmly. "And I will not see my daughter left in destitute, I will not." He spoke forcefully, his voice increasingly growing louder as his anger also grew.

"And I will not let you throw your future away over that Bridgerton boy-

"It was not his fault he-"

"-Benedict has always done as he pleases, whenever he pleases *yn*, and he will continue to do so, with little consequence. You cannot pine for this boy any longer *yn*. He has made his thoughts on marriage very clear-"

"I am not pining for Benedict!" *yn* exclaimed, her cheeks growing red in embarrassment. "He is my friend."

Arthur's expression softened at her words, sympathy splashed across his features. "*yn*." He spoke gently. "You do not have to pretend with me."

She swallowed as she felt tears pricking at her cheeks. She stared down into her lap as the couch dipped beside her as her father sat down next to her.

"I love him." Her voice quivered as she spoke.

"I know." Arthur answered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"But it is time to stop waiting around for him." He continued softly. "It is time for you to find your happiness."

There was a pause as *yn* fiddled with her fingers, blinking back tears as she did so. "Do you think I will find a love match? Like you and mother?" Her voice was so small that Arthur had trouble catching her words.

"Of course I do." He smiled sadly as he wrapped his arms around her and brought her into a tight embrace.

"But you must actually make an effort with these suitors. Promise me *yn* that you will." He murmured as she melted into her father's embrace.

She sniffed as she clung to him, trying to push thoughts of Benedict from her mind.

"I promise."

------------------

"Sorry I am late, what have I missed sister?"

Daphne glanced up at Benedict before turning her attention back to the dance floor. "Well, Anthony and Miss Edwina have been dancing all night, much to her sister's distaste." Daphne mused.

Benedict plucked a glass of wine from the tray of a passing waiter, his eyes searching the Featherington's ballroom for a particular figure.

"If you are looking for *yn*, she is dancing with Lord Mayfair."

"I was not looking for-" Benedict began before pausing as Daphne's words sunk in. "Lord Mayfair?" Benedict he exclaimed incredulously.

"Indeed, this is their third dance of the evening." Daphne remarked as Benedict's eyes finally found *yn*, indeed dancing with Lord Mayfair, a radiant smile plastered on her features.

"I think they look quite good together, do you not agree?" She continued, studying her brother's facial features intently.

"I suppose." He bit back as he tilted his head back and downed the entirety of his glass.

"He is quite the catch you know. He comes from an exceptional family." Daphne continued, an amused smirk on her features as she watched her brother glare at the pair.

Benedict merely grunted in response as he grabbed another glass just as the song ended. He watched as *yn* curtseyed to Lord Mayfair after finishing up their dance, laughing at something he had said.

"I will see you later sister." He spoke, not even giving her a glance as he watched Lord Mayfair head towards the drinks table, leaving *yn* unattended.

"I am sure you will brother." Daphne mused, shaking her head as she watched him go.

"There you are Dappleton."

*yn* turned around to find herself face to face with Benedict. Her stomach dropped at the sight of him, her father's words echoing in her ear.

"I have barely seen you this past week."

"I know I am sorry, I have been busy." She lied.

Benedict's brow creased, immediately picking up on her uneasy nature. "Never mind that, come on let's go."

"Go where?" *yn* queried, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I spotted an easy escape route from one of the parlour rooms." Benedict answered, opening his jacket up to reveal the flask stashed in his pocket. "Come on, before Lord Mayfair comes back." He grinned.

"Benedict, do you not remember what happened at the Cowper ball?" *yn* blinked in disbelief, "That could have been a disaster."

"Ah but it was not." He winked. "Come on do not tell me you would rather spend the evening in here for heavens sake."

"I promised my father I would take this seriously." She shot back causing him to raise a brow. "Fine, dance with me then. That way you are technically not shirking your responsibilities." He grinned, extending a hand in jest.

"I said seriously, Benedict." *yn* snapped back, feeling herself growing irritated at his laissez-fair attitude. "I know it is all well and good for you to make a mockery of these events but I do not have that luxury. I cannot afford to when I intend on finding a husband by the end of the season."

Benedict's hand dropped to his side, all traces of humour vanishing from his face as he studied her.

"You are being serious." He stated in disbelief. He glanced over his shoulder to ensure Lord Mayfair was not in sight before turning back to her.

"With Lord Mayfair of all people?" His voice lowered as he leant in closer to her. "I mean come on Dappleton."

"Yes Lord Mayfair of all people." *yn* shot back, her voice nothing more than a hushed whisper as her cheeks grew red. She glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before turning back to him.

"He is kind, well respected and has an excellent sense of duty towards his responsibilities as a future viscount, in particular the importance of finding a wife." She could feel herself growing increasingly angry the longer she spoke.

"I know that may be a foreign concept to you, but it is important to me. Which is why I cannot afford to galavant around with you at these events any longer" She hissed.

Benedict blinked, his mouth slack in disbelief as he stared at her.

"Now, if you will excuse me I must go find Lord Mayfair, I expect he is looking for me."

With that, *yn* stepped past him and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Benedict standing speechless and utterly shocked.

--------------

"Why is Benedict sulking?"

"Hmm?" Daphne queried, tearing her eyes from the dance floor to glance at her sister.

"He has been attached to that pillar for the past hour, the only thing that has changed is the amount of wine in his glass." Eloise remarked.

Daphne followed her gaze to see her brother stood leaning against one of the pillars in the corner. His eyes were glassy from drink, unwavering in their fixation on something, or someone, on the dance floor.

"Ah." Daphne murmured in realisation. "*yn* and Lord Mayfair."

"Ahhh." Eloise realised, nodding her head.

"Well I must say he is in quite a state. I saw him nearly trip over his own feet a few moments ago."

"Maybe it would be best if he retired for the night." Daphne remarked, her brow creasing in concern as she watched her bother pick up another glass of wine.

Daphne had only had her head turned for a few moments to see if she could spot her mother when Eloise tugged on her arm.

"Daphne, I think we have a problem."

Daphne turned just in time to see that Benedict had pushed himself off the pole and was making a beeline for the dance floor. Towards *yn*, who was mid-dance with Lord Mayfair.

"Oh no." Daphne breathed out and with that the two sisters rushed to intervene.

"Lord Mayfair." A slurred voice remarked. Lord Mayfair turned at the feeling of a tap on his shoulder to see Benedict Bridgerton swaying in front of him. *yn* felt her stomach plummet to the ground.

"I would like to steal the lovely *yn* for a dance."

"Miss Dappleton and I are in the middle of one, but you are more than welcome to ask her once we are finished." Lord Mayfair answered calmly.

"But I want to dance with her now." Benedict frowned.

"I am sure you can wait a few minutes." Lord Mayfair answered, this time irritation evident in his tone.

"She is going to say no. Because I am not 'serious' enough." Benedict mocked, hiccuping as he swayed dangerously close to them.

*yn*'s eyes darted around to see that people were beginning to stare at the spectacle that was unfolding.

"Benedict, I will talk to you about this later. Let me finish my dance. Please." She pleaded desperately.

"Brother, there you are!" Much to *yn*'s relief Daphne and Eloise appeared from behind Benedict, both looping an arm through his.

"I am so sorry Lord Mayfair, our brother is quite unwell. It has been making him act a bit out of turn." Daphne apologised, curtseying politely. "We were just escorting him home now."

"It is quite alright Duchess." Lord Mayfair bowed back.

"Unwell? I am not-" Benedict hiccuped. "Unwell, I am fine... see!" Benedict pulled out of Eloise and Daphne's grip, seemingly to demonstrate his sobriety. However, instead he tripped over his own feet, sending the contents of his nearly full champagne glass flying into the air.

Gasps echoed throughout the room as gravity pulled the liquid down and hit their mark.

All over *yn* Dappleton.

*yn* let out a gasp of her own as the cold liquid drenched her entire front, instantly seeping through the fabric and right into her bones. Her hair was sopping wet too, plastered to her skin as she felt her makeup begin to run.

"Oh my Lady Dappleton, are you alright?" She heard Lord Mayfair ask her, his voice faint in the background as her head pounded.

She glanced around to see people whispering and pointing, Cressida Cowper and her cronies giggling in one corner as they studied her.

"I- I-" She cut herself off as she glared at Benedict, who was staring at her wide eyed in shock.

"I have to go." She heard herself say. She could hear people calling out her name as she picked up her dress and hurried off, trying not to collide with anyone as she weaved through the crowd.

"*yn* wait!" Daphne called out but to no avail as *yn* disappeared into the throng of onlookers. She sighed, her hand falling to her side as she glared at Benedict.

"Well, I hope you're happy brother."

-------------------

"What in heavens is wrong with you?!" Violet demanded.

Benedict swallowed as his eyes darted around the room. He was met with disappointed and angry looks from all of his siblings, not a single sympathetic look in sight.

"First you take *yn* out into the garden unchaperoned, and now you publicly humiliate her in front of everyone in the ton. Including Lord Mayfair who has been vying for her attention since her debut and has every intention of courting her! Honestly Benedict, what would your father say about this?"

"I am sorry, I do not know what came over me." He answered guiltily, avoiding his mother's disappointed gaze.

"What has gotten into you Benedict? I thought you cared for *yn*."

"I do care for her!" He shot back, "of course I care for her."

"I think that is precisely the problem." Daphne remarked, earning a glare from Benedict.

"What ever do you mean Daphne?"

"Honestly mama, is it not obvious?" Daphne laughed as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Benedict is in love with *yn*."

"I am not in love with *yn*." Benedict scoffed.

"Oh please brother enough, even a blindman could see it." Anthony cut in.

"Anthony is right." Colin agreed.

"I have known it for quite some time too." Eloise nodded, "we all have, even mama I suspect."

Benedict glanced around at his siblings to see them all nodding in agreement, even young Hyacinth and Gregory were moving their heads.

Finally he turned back to his mother who was studying him intently. There was something in her expression, a softening of her features as she looked at him. One of sympathy. Of understanding.

"This is preposterous I do not love her, she is a close friend, nothing more." Benedict defended himself, although even as he was saying it, he knew it sounded unconvincing.

His words caused that sympathetic expression vanish from his mother's features, instead replaced by a hardened one as she glared at her son.

"Then you should have no problem in leaving her be for the rest of the season and letting Lord Mayfair court her." Lady Bridgerton answered him matter-of-factly.

"Because that girl is like a daughter to me and I will not let you ruin her future because you are too selfish to let her be happy with someone else. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a pause as Benedict studied his mother before once more glancing around the room, searching for any sign of help. When he received nothing but more disappointed looks he let out a sigh and nodded.

"Understood."

--------------------------

*yn* felt her stomach do flips as she stepped into Lady Danburry's ball.

It had been two weeks since the incident at the Featherington ball and she had not seen Benedict since.

Daphne, Eloise and Penelope had all paid her visits to make sure she was alright. With both Eloise and Pen assuring her that surely something much more scandalous would happen before Lady Whistledown's next issue was to be penned, enough so that the incident would be entirely forgotten.

By some good fortune, they had been correct. When the next edition of Lady Whistledown arrived, *yn* was relieved to see that her scandal had not even been mentioned by the gossip writer.

She had been both relieved and hurt that Benedict had not paid her a visit. Every night since she had stepped out onto her balcony that overlooked the Bridgerton's backyard. And every night she would see Benedict sitting on the swing, alone.

She wondered if he was waiting for her.

Even though every bone in her body was desperate to join him, the memory of the humiliation that he had caused her sprang to the forefront of her mind. No, if he did not even have the decency to apologise then she most certainly was not going to make the first step towards reconcilliation.

To make matters worse, Lord Mayfair had stopped calling in the past week. It was safe to say that the last thing *yn* wished to do was spend an evening at yet another ball with the rest of the scandal hungry ton.

"See? I told you the ton had an impressively short memory." Her father murmured to her as they made their way through the crowd. Indeed, the socialites barely even glanced in the Dappleton's direction, all too caught up in their own gossip and stories.

"You are always right father." *yn* mused.

After an hour of making small talk with a few acquaintances, *yn* was yet to spy Benedict or any other Bridgerton for that matter. She was beginning to wonder if that was intentional. A body colliding with hers made her break out of her thoughts.

"Oh my apologies Miss-" *yn* looked up to see Lord Mayfair standing sheepishly in front of her. "Oh Miss Dappleton, hello." He greeted, bowing politely.

"Lord Mayfair." She greeted, curtseying in reply. "Are you well?"

"I am indeed Miss Dappleton."

"That is a relief to hear, I thought you might have taken ill."

"Why would you think that?" He puzzled.

"Oh well, you have not called in the past week so I thought..." She trailed off, her cheeks growing pink in embarassment.

"My apologies Miss Dappleton but I am afraid I am vexed." Lord Mayfair spoke, his brow furrowing.

"I was under the impression that you were being courted by another gentleman." He continued when he noted the confused expression on her features.

"Another..." *yn* trailed off in surprise, "who ever told you that?"

"Oh it was..." Lord Mayfair trailed off as his eyes landed on something just behind her left shoulder. *yn* swung around, following his gaze.

She felt rage bubble within her as her eyes landed on none other than Benedict Bridgerton who was leaning against a pillar, staring at the couple. His eyes widened when he realised that he had been spotted.

The pair studied each other intently for a few moments before Benedict darted around the pillar, making a break for the patio.

"If you will excuse me Lord Mayfair." *yn* gritted her teeth, manoeuvring past the Lord to follow Benedict.

She faintly made out Lord Mayfair say something in reply but it was lost in the crowd as she hurried after him as quickly as she could without attracting attention to herself. She thought that she had lost him when she caught him sneaking out of a window and into the garden.

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that no one was paying attention to her before she followed him into the garden. Goosebumps instantly rose on her skin as the crisp night air hit her with force. He was still quite a distance away as she picked up her dress and hurried after him.

"Benedict!" She called out. Thankfully his pace had slowed, allowing her to come within earshot.

"Do not dare walk away from me Benedict Bridgerton!" She shouted just as he reached the trunk of a giant oak tree.

He came to a stop at her words, causing *yn* to slow down as she approached him.

"Apparently Lord Mayfair is under the impression that I was being courted by another gentleman." *yn* spoke, her voice wavering with anger.

Benedict did not utter a word, his back still turned to her.

"Do you have any idea how he may have come to such a conclusion?"

The silence that she received in return gave her the answer she already knew to be correct. She let out a scoff, shaking her head as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

"I thought we were friends." Her words finally forced Benedict to turn to face her.

Benedict felt guilt flow through him as he saw the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"We are friends, of course we are friends." He spoke quietly.

"Really? Clearly you and I have a very different definition of what it means to be friends. Because last time I checked, friends do not publicly humiliate each other and try to ruin their futures."

Benedict bit the inside of his cheek, glancing down at the ground to avoid her piercing gaze. His silence only fuelled her anger, her fists clenched at her sides as she took further steps towards him.

He had to clench his fists at his side as the smell of her jasmine scented soap consumed his senses. It was the first time he had been this close to her in what felt like an eternity, so achingly close to her that he could just reach out and-

"What have I done wrong? Was it something I said? Something untoward?" She pestered him, causing him to snap back into reality.

"What?" A perplexed look flashing across his features. "Of course you have done nothing wrong."

"Really? I must have done something for you to despise me so. Because as far as I can tell, the only logical reason for your behaviour towards me is that I have offended you in some horrific way."

"You have not-" Benedict cut himself as he inhaled sharply. "I could never despise you *yn*." He muttered as he began to pace back and forth in front of her.

"Then tell me what is wrong!" She demanded, her voice wavering as she felt angry tears threaten to spill down her cheeks. "Tell me why you have been acting this way."

She watched as Benedict took another deep breath and stressfully forced a hand through his thick hair. "I cannot paint." He murmured, so softly *yn* almost missed it.

"What?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you-"

"I cannot paint, no matter how hard I try to find inspiration. I cannot draw, I cannot eat, I cannot sleep." He continued, "because all I can think about is you."

His words made *yn* scoff and throw her hands up dramatically. "Well that is just splendid. You are telling me that I have done something so abhorrent, so reprehensible, so deplorable that you cannot even do what you love the most. Excellent, really, thank you Benedict."

"Good god *yn*." Benedict hissed in frustration, placing his hands behind his head as he looked up to heaven for some sort of solution. "For the last time you have not-"

"Just tell me what I have done that has aggrieved you so badly Benedict, please I-"

"I am in love with you, *yn*!" Benedict bellowed, his eyes wild with desperation as he finally stopped pacing and stood in front of her.

"Are you happy now?" His shoulders slumped in defeat, his breath ragged. "There is your answer."

*yn* grew completely still, a breath lodged in her throat as she stared at him. She thought that her heart might burst out of her chest and her feet give out beneath her.

"I am supposed to not care for marriage or commitment, I am supposed to go to art school and write poetry and cause Anthony and mother grief." He shook his head, letting out a bark of laughter as he began to pace once more.

"And then I saw how terrified you were of not finding a husband and I asked myself, how do you not realising that you are the most breathtaking woman that has graced the ton?" Benedict was on a roll now, talking so feverishly that *yn* barely had time to process his words before he was opening his mouth once more.

"Because I am not the only one who thinks this *yn*. No, no, I see how the rest of our society looks at you. You are the envy of every lady and the object of every lord's desires."

"Ben-" *yn* took another step toward him.

"And then I look at myself, an artist who cannot even get into art school - without his brother bribing them might I add, who no one takes seriously or even gives a second glance, and I know that I am not good enough for you." He muttered bitterly, shaking his head as he came to a stand still once more, finally turning to lock eyes with her.

"I know that someone like Lord Mayfair is worthy of you. But when I see you two together, it feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest and every fibre of my being is screaming at me to stop it." He continued as he watched *yn* close the gap between them, standing so close to him now that her gloves were nearly brushing his.

"I know it is selfish, I know how I have acted is childish and petulant." He spoke weakly, his voice growing hushed as he talked. "And for that I am truly sorry, please believe me when I say that."

They were both crying now, their breaths visible in the chilly night air as they exhaled shakily.

"Of course I believe you." *yn* managed to croak out as she brought a hand up to cradle his face, brushing a stray tear from his cheek with her gloved thumb.

"I will leave you two alone now." *yn* shook her head at Benedict's words, signalling for him to stop but he could not control his frantic rambling. "I will explain everything to him, I will tell him that he should propose and-"

*yn* did not know what came over her. She knew it was completely unacceptable, scandalous, totally un-ladylike, the sort of action that would utterly disgrace the Dappleton name. But in that moment, all she could think about, all she craved, was Benedict's lips on hers.

So she leant up on her toes and pulled his head down by the base of his neck, pressing her lips clumsily to his. Benedict did not even have time to process what was happening before she had pulled away.

"I-" *yn* cut herself off as she looked up at him with wide eyes, taken aback by her own actions.

"I love you Benedict." She heard herself say as she tried to control her breathing, "it has always been you."

Benedict studied her for a brief moment, letting out a shaky breath before a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"You have bewitched me, body and soul, *yn* Dappleton." He whispered against her lips, as he brought a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

His words made her knees weak and her heart pound. Benedict Bridgerton, the starving artist, had always had a way with words, with romance. But this was the first time that they had been directed at her, and it was enough to make her head spin.

This time, when *yn* tilted her head up and their lips met, Benedict was ready.

*yn* felt like she was seeing stars as their lips collided. Benedict's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. *yn*'s head was spinning as the kiss deepened, one of her hands automatically burying itself into his hair. Benedict let out what could only be described as a sort of whimper at the contact. His hands dug into her hips as he tried to remember to breathe, to get some sort of oxygen to his brain, as he grew dizzy from being completely and utterly consumed by her.

The sound of a twig snapping made the pair spring apart. Relief washed over them when they saw that the cause of the sound was merely a bird poking around in the grass.

"We best get back to the ball." *yn* murmured, disappointment washing through her at the realisation that they could not stay out here like this for an eternity.

"Yes." Benedict nodded as he ran a hand through his hair, "Although I would probably give my right arm to stay here with you, we should."

"I will go back first, to avoid suspicion." *yn* spoke, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as Benedict smirked down at her, his hand brushing against her lower back.

"If I ask you to dance in there, will my request be taken seriously this time Miss Dappleton?"

"You, Benedict Bridgerton, want to dance?" She queried, raising a brow in disbelief.

"I am capable of doing more than causing you grief, you know." He remarked causing a small giggle to escape her lips.

"Yes Benedict, your request will be taken seriously." Her answer made him grin as he shook his head in amusement.

"I was supposed to be a life long rake." A wry smile on his features as his eyes shone with happiness.

"And I a spinster."

---------------------

"I am sorry, do my eyes deceive me or is that our dear Benedict willingly on the dance floor at a ball?"

"No, your eyes do not deceive you brother." Daphne shook her head, her eyes brimming with amusement.

"Well I'll be." Anthony shook his head in amazement.

"It really is a sight to behold." Colin remarked.

"Is that- oh my." Violet gasped as her and Arthur Dappleton joined the Bridgerton siblings to view the spectacle unfolding before them.

"They finally did it... the spinster and the rake." Eloise remarked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What was that dear?" Violet asked, glancing down at her daughter.

"Oh nothing mama." Eloise spoke hastily, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles as her and Daphne exchanged smirks.

"Well, well, well." Lady Danbury spoke as she came to stand beside Lady Bridgerton and Lord Dappleton.

"Your match-making skills continue to amaze me Lady Bridgerton." Lady Danbury remarked.

"Please I cannot take all the credit, it was mainly Lord Dappleton's idea." Violet answered her.

"Is that so?" Lady Danbury asked, raising a brow as she studied the Lord.

"You are too modest, Lady Bridgerton. Everything I learnt, I learnt from you." Arthur's praise made a small blush appear on Violet's cheeks.

"Who would have thought all it would take for them to admit their feelings would be to get *yn* to debut." Lady Danbury mused.

The three of them joined the other onlookers as they watched *yn* and Benedict twirl around the ballroom floor. They both had grins that stretched from ear to ear, their eyes shining with adoration as they spun. Their hands mirrored each other, never touching but tantalisingly close as they circled each other. They were in their own little world, oblivious to their surroundings as they stared into each other's eyes.

Not even a fool could mistake them for what they were, there was no doubt.

A love match.

------------------

I LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH <3 I'm so proud of it, I think I was born to write period pieces lol. As always, feedback would be super super appreciated and you can give it back HERE!

#bridgerton imagine #bridgerton imagines #bridgerton oneshot #benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton imagine #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton oneshot #benedict bridgerton x reader #reader x benedict bridgerton #benedict x reader #reader x benedict #benedict x you #benedict x y/n #anthony bridgerton #anthony bridgerton imagine #anthony bridgerton fanfiction

522 notes · View notes

melandrops · 6 months

Note

Hi Melan!! :D I wanted to know if you could make a little goldenpunk drabble about Hobie and Pav about to go on a date and that hobie instead of showing up with his usual clothes shows up with a dress or skirt, it can be styled however you see fit. It's okay if you don't have time to do it, but thanks if you get to read the idea <3

Geat!! Of course :) This one kinda strayed from the prompt but it still features Hobie in a dress so I hope that is enough for you.

“Do you think we’re boring?”

The question comes out of nowhere. Hobie lounges on the bed while Pavitr sits at his desk, reviewing some paperwork he’d had to take home with him. Hobie plucks idly at his guitar, and Pavitr has long since grown used to the sound of it as background noise.

“Probably,” Pavitr replies absentmindedly, shifting his attention to a different set of forms.

Hobie grunts, and it doesn’t sound happy. Pavitr turns his attention to his boyfriend, who scowls into the bedsheets. The sight is enough to make him smile. “Why? Are you missing the glory days? When we would swing nonstop through the city and get in constant near death scrapes?”

Hobie makes a face that doesn’t entirely refute Pavitr’s assumptions. “I guess? Just seems a bit weird that I’m officially boring, now.”

“Well, we aren’t seventeen anymore. No need to be rushing off after the slightest taste of danger.”

30 hadn’t been a year either of them had really seen coming. But the new year had prompted conversations in the half dark, confessing to the desire for a future. The ensuing plans for what they wanted their lives to look like, keeping in mind that actually growing old together was a possibility that stopped seeming like a pipe dream.

“Yeah, but I mean, we could have fun without being idiots.”

Pavitr shrugs. “Did you have something in mind?”

At this, Hobie’s eyes light up. “I bet I could work something out. We could go on a date. A proper date.”

“A proper date, huh?”

“Yeah. I’ll get it all arranged. Don’t worry about it.”

Anticipation starts to make its way into Pavitr’s pulse, something he hasn’t felt in a good while. He grins and returns to his paperwork.

***

Where Hobie’s plans are concerned, Gwen and Miles often end up being dragged into it. Such is the way of life. Some things never change. So Gwen is the one to blindfold him and lead him through the city, insisting that he’s going to like the surprise. Miles is apparently helping Hobie set it up, which could be either incredibly romantic or the most disastrous thing Pavitr has seen since the Noodle Incident of five years ago. Who’s to say?

“You ready?” Gwen asks, her hand clasped in his. Pavitr nods, trepidation and eagerness alike sparking through his veins.

She whisks the blindfold off and the sight is enough to have Pavitr floored.

A picnic laid out on the rooftop. Gingham blankets and nice cheeses and a single red rose in a vase. It’s picturesque.

The view pales in comparison to the sight of Hobie. He wears a beautiful green dress, offsetting his skin tone in a way that feels nothing short of remarkable. The dress hugs his hips and waist but flares out at the base. All of a sudden Pavitr is 27 again, watching Hobie come out of the changing rooms in that dress shop a few weeks before Miles and Gwen’s wedding.

“Like it?” Hobie asks with a grin as he saunters over. The way the dress flutters around his thighs is enough to make any man weak in the knees.

“God,” Pavitr sighs, leaning in to kiss Hobie. He lets the kiss deepen, flicking his tongue out against his boyfriend’s. “You’re perfect.”

“I’ll take that as a yes?” Hobie replies with a raised eyebrow, and that teasing confidence has never changed in all their years. Pavitr kisses Hobie again.

“I love you,” he whispers.

Hobie chuckles. “Love you too, flower.”

#spiderverse #across the spiderverse #astv #spiderman: across the spiderverse #chaipunk #goldenpunk #pavitr prabhakar #hobie brown #fic requests

24 notes · View notes

pinkomcranger · 2 months

Note

I saw your post about Saga and I 100% agree. I love her character so much and was so happy they avoided stereotypes AND gave her agency. She wasn't there just to save Alan (the horrid magical black person troupe was avoided) she was there for people who meant something to her and they just so happen to work together by the end. Remedy truly wrote a fascinating character and got a great actress to portray her. I'm glad the hate died out from the reactionaries but the apathy from the fandom is just as bad sometimes. I love her personality and I honestly love AnderCase as a ship and incorporating Saga into ships (AndercasexWake is a thing for me lol). I also like them as friends, their dynamic is so damn good I want to see them in future games. However, I gave up writing Andercase because people just ignore it most of the time. The fandom in general kind of feels isolating if you don't like the standard ships/characters. It's discouraging and sad and makes it hard to want to post. I tried again and of course the fic did poorly so I don't bother, reminds me how little people want anything to do with Saga. Even general fics would be awesome if people are squicked by het or don't like Saga and Casey as a ship. The fan space for her and ships/dynamics with her is so small...Drawing her is scary too given someone was attacked over it, so that worries me too and I kind of backed away. There's barely anything of Saga in any fanworks and when women are involved they gravitate to Rose and in some cases Estevez (the Yakuza mod just broke my heart they did not think to add Saga before Rose who has less time and at a point people shipped Casey with Estevex BEFORE Saga like WHAT). I know that struggle you're feeling. Saga and anything with her is a footnote and I know it's not malicious but it sucks. Fandom favoritism does not help, even in the smallness of Saga fandom content only a handful are seen and the rest ignored. I've been there and seen it, it pushes newcomers away. I hope this gets better in the future but not holding my breath. Love Remedyverse/Remedy but the fandom space depresses me which sucks because everyone seems nice to me, just...sorry for the rambling. Just saw a post that resonated with my frustrations.

Do you know the thing that gets me the most about Saga? She was created by a white man. And he, along with the other writers, made SURE to avoid the stereotypes we usually get in black women protags, especially in video games. She has a power, yes, but she's not using it solely to save one person. She doesn't even know she HAS a power until halfway through the game!

She wants to save her daughter first and foremost and then Casey, she tells Alan this point-blank, save my daughter and Casey, non-negotiable, she's NOT helping him otherwise. And you can see that as selfish, but it's not, if it had JUST been herself thrown into the story? She would've been FINE with it, you see her getting more and more excited about the case. She's intrigued EVERY step of the way. It only becomes personal when Alan has the audacity to use Logan and Casey, that's her line in the sand.

Melanie puts so much into making Saga come alive, because as amazing as the writing is, she could've still fallen into the sassy black woman trope, and Melanie doesn't let that happen. I think the ONLY criticism you can give her is that her accent slips, but I really never noticed it. I agree that I'm glad the hate from the dumbass gamer bros, but like you said, the apathy can be just as bad, it's a choice to not say the quiet part outloud.

I genuinely wish they'd just say, she's a black woman, therefore, I'm not interested in her. I only care about the white men. At least be HONEST about it, instead of raving about how fun it was to play as Saga and she's so badass but not backing it up with actions.

I love Andercase with every fiber of my being. I loved them from their first scene, despite knowing she was married to somebody else. Casey is Saga's support, you see her loving to crack her puns to Casey, she even thinks of one and saves it to memory solely to tell it to Casey. Not Logan, not David, but Casey.

They mirror each other, again from their first scene, drinking coffee at the same time. A trait they keep, even as the horror story creeps closer. Casey wouldn't be even a little bit interesting to me if he wasn't paired with Saga. He's the moon and she's the sun.

I'm so sorry you were discouraged to write and post about Andercase, even just as besties. Because their dynamic IS gold, and it echoes even when they're separated. The second Kiran shows up and kicks Saga off the case, she gets over it, fine, she'll deal, but help her find her partner, damnit! I've enjoyed fics where they are just besties, the ones that ACTUALLY focus on them and, you know, doesn't make Saga the driving force for CaseyWake and nothing else.

I think that's one of the reasons it's hard for me to ship Saga and FBI Casey with anyone else, because they're each other's closest interactions for so much of the game. It's hard for me to ship Alan with them because I see him and Saga as the true platonic soulmates of the AW2 cast and Casey HATES Alan. All the way up the ending of the final draft. You can see it in his expression and body language, if he hadn't just been through the wringer and so happy to see Saga, he definitely would've punched Alan for all he shit he's put them through.

Writing a pairing you love, feeling so proud and happy about the work you've done, just to see it brushed aside is one of the most painful feelings as a creator. Fandom is supposed to be for EVERYONE, it's not supposed to be high school cliques that can't interact with each other. I don't ship Alan with Saga's Casey (it's just the only way I see him, heh), but I've seen some AMAZING fan art for them that's made me smile. But you rarely see Saga involved, which makes no sense in regards to her Casey. If it was fictional Casey, that would make sense, he doesn't exist outside of Alan's head, while Saga's Casey is a living, breathing person who spends most of his time with Saga or talking about her.

Yet she's relegated to the bro when her Casey and Alan only have her in common. I can't buy Casey being soft and domestic with Alan to save my life. I see it with Saga, I can see Saga being soft with Alan because she does show that side to him. That's who she is, if you've earned her trust and respect. You can tell Saga is always the "good cop" while Casey is the "bad cop." The only time you see him sympathetic towards Alan is when he first washes up to shore. He's mocking him but holding his tongue because Saga's not going to take that nonsense from him.

You only see Casey show the full force of his anger towards Alan when Saga isn't there to stop him. To say "Yes, THAT'S the actual love story here" is a...choice, one that actively ignores the on-screen narrative. Again, fictional Casey and Alan are a completely different topic and not something I care enough to write about.

NOBODY should be attacked for liking a pairing because what does that do? What does it accomplish except make yourself feel better and superior? Again, it's been a choice to ignore the two main women in the series, which are Alice and Saga. But I've seen quite a few fics where Alice gets to be paired with CaseyWake, while you'll be hard-pressed to find a fic where Saga gets to interact with them. That tells me something that makes me uncomfortable. And that's covert racism.

You can't even make the excuse that there's nothing left to learn about Saga, because that's simply untrue. We know the bare minimum about her family on the Anderson side, and absolutely nothing concerning her father (who is Warlin Door and I will die on that hill). We don't know much about her created family, certainly nothing about David, outside of the fact he likes Bright Springs, and boardgames and doesn't take his daughter to get checked out after she hits her head in the shower. The fact her entire identity ISN'T just Logan's mother and David's wife means so much to me.

You can't tell me it's because she's married either, because how can you say that in one breath and then ship Alan with anyone but Alice in the same breath? It genuinely leads me to think it's simply that she's a BLACK woman. And as you said, seeing people create ships for Rose and to pair Estevez with CASEY, when she's an out-and-out lesbian that Casey only meets near the end of the game speaks volumes.

I genuinely think if you swapped her race, she would be less ignored, and that's extremely fucked up. Saga was created with so much love, care, and respect. A black woman protag that we could get behind and feel represented by. A smart, strong, caring badass, who still retains her femininity, but who has an identity outside of "mother" even though saving her daughter is her driving force, it's not her only one. She cares about her newly found grandfather and great-uncle. She cares about Rose, despite the woman irritating her in the beginning. She worries for the residents of the nursing home. She has mixed feelings towards the CULT. And of course, her secondary concern is Casey. And once she sees how hard Alan is trying, she comes to care for him as well. Why else tell him he's a hero when she has every right to hate him more than anyone else in the game?

She cares about these people she's met, and she knows they deserve to be saved. And Alan is the first to admit he can't do ANY of it without Saga. If the main character of the series acknowledged Saga, why can't the fandom?

I truly hope that you can find the courage to try again with Andercase, or just Saga in general. Because I'm seeing that there are people that love her, and maybe they're not content creators but consumers, and that's now one of my motivations. To feed their hunger because they're part of the fandom too, and they shouldn't be ignored. I promise you, you'll have a fan in me. And sometimes, just one person knowing they love what you create and how they look forward to it is enough. I'm not interested in a popularity contest. You'll never see me in ship wars. I'm here for FBI Special Agent Saga Anderson. This is her story too, to make her the footnote in fanworks is terribly egregious and goes against the very thing Remedy wanted.

If you ever want to ramble, my inbox is always open. If you ever have ideas you want to see in regards to fanfic for Andercase or Saga, I'm right here. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read about your feelings for Saga and her partner. It means the world to me.

#alan wake 2 #saga anderson #alex casey #alan wake #saga anderson x alex casey #andercase #sagacasey #alan wake 2 spoilers #my thoughts #meta #strong black woman #covert racism #ignoring an amazing black woman protag is a crime #sam lake and the remedy team worked too hard on Saga for her to be erased #the men in this series wouldn't be able to do a damn thing without the women #and Saga proves that time and again #anti CaseyWake #not actually anti but using the tag just in case

15 notes · View notes

sage-nebula · 9 days

Text

I always think it's really funny whenever anyone considers Macro Cosmos to be a villainous organization because like, I do get it, it's the company that Rose is CEO of, and he was the main antagonist of Sword/Shield, and Oleana did sic some of the employees on you when you were trying to stop Rose from unleashing the Darkest Day, etc etc. But at the same time, it's a massive corporation and you know that the vast majority of the employees within that corporation had absolutely no clue about anything Rose and Oleana were up to. Even the employees that Oleana sicced on the player probably had very little idea of why they were being told to attack; in fact I think one of them even says they're just doing it because it's their job, or to keep their insurance or something? It's been a long time so I can't fully remember the dialogue, but something like that.

But just imagine being a Macro Cosmos employee and some reporter comes up to you after the events of the main plot and is like, "Do you have anything to say regarding Chairman Rose's attempts to summon Eternatus and the Darkest Day?"

And you just work in like, IT. And not even a high level of IT. You do low-level IT work. But this reporter is shoving a mic and camera in your face and so you have to be like, "I don't know, I just work here."

And then that gets broadcasted on the news as an official quote by an employee of Macro Cosmos, villain grunt. You see it on the news after heating up a TV dinner because you can't really afford fresh ingredients on your employee salary. And then your parents call you and they're all upset about what this means about your future career and how no one else will ever hire you now that you've become a villain, and they raised you better than that.

"I'm not a villain, I just do IT!" you tell them.

"Macro Cosmos is a villain organization, it's all over the news!" they say.

"Mom, Macro Cosmos employs 300,000 people. We supply power for all of Galar and then some. What Chairman Rose was doing was his own personal project, most of us had no--"

"He was going to destroy the entire region and you're just making excuses!"

"I've never even seen the man in person! I just work there! In IT! I barely make enough to pay rent! What do you want from me?!"

And then for the next month your friend roast you about "hey is that your evil boss calling you to do crimes" and "hey do you have to blow up the world for your evil boss" and "hey if you're going to blow up the world for your evil boss can you give me a few days notice first" and so on. They think it's so funny. And through it all you hear on the news that Rose has turned himself into jail, and Oleana is doing community service, and you barely know who is running the company (it's the CFO, you think, whoever that is), and you never once see Oleana in person and you think that's probably for the best --

And then you get laid off four months later because, despite supplying everything in Galar, Macro Cosmos stock has dropped and the CFO thinks that employee layoffs are the best way to make up for the loss in profit and, as a meager IT employee, you are dispensable.

"Your crime spree is finally over," your friends say.

"I only hope your criminal record doesn't stop someone hiring you," your mom says even though you were never charged with anything because, as you've told her a thousand times, you just worked there.

Really, the fact that everyone labels the whole company as a villainous organization . . . is really very funny.

#pokemon #pokemon sword #pokemon shield #pokemon swsh #macro cosmos

10 notes · View notes

wordsarelife · 11 months

Text

ILLICIT AFFAIRS (part three)

pairing: Anthony Lockwood x reader

warning: angst

note: at the end of this part, you will be able to choose your own ending!! and I'm so sorry this took me so long to finish

summary: it's too late, Anthony has made his decision and you're ready to accept your destiny

part one, part two

taglist: @cat-lockwood @theamuz @archiveoftara

not long after your conversation, Penelope had come to your room to help you get ready. she had dried your tears and helped you to slip into another uncomfortable dress, that was so tight, it would hopefully hold you together, at least for tonight.

she had took you into her arms, to show her love and her sympathy, you watched her as she tidied the table and packed away the make-up she had brought, she was the future you had ahead of you.

she had married James years ago, and you loved him like he was your real brother. you knew that Penelope loved him now too. maybe you could love Henry one day.

"ready?" your sister asked softly, studying your form. before you could answer, there was a knock at the door, you rose to your feet as your face lightened up and Penelope watched your expression change, when it was only James in front of the door.

she swore her heart broke a little for you.

she watched as James hugged you and you seemed to find a little bit of peace in the arms of a man you had looked up to for so long, even if it wasn't the one you had been wishing for.

you walked into your bathroom to get your purse as Penelope and James talked quietly in the other room

"how is she?" Penelope had told her husband what had happened about an hour before

"one moment she seems like she is fine, and then I watch her face get hopeful at the mere thought that he might change his mind"

"he won't, will he?"

Penelope shrugged "I don't know him. she showed me a few photos and talked about him highly, but does he really love her if he lets her suffer like that?"

"I don't know" James showed her a high lipped smile "maybe he thinks that's best for her, I mean I didn't always knew it, but I know that you're best for me, maybe she will experience the same with Henry some day"

"hopefully" Penelope nodded

you walked back into the room and send them both a big smile, that was even faker then londons claim to solve the problem until next year. "can we?" you asked and James and Penelope send each other a look, that you missed because you had already walked to the door, waiting on them to follow you downstairs.

"where's Matthew?" you asked as you three walked down the hallway. normally your brother would be joined by his wife, Sarah. but she was heavily pregnant, so he would be attending alone this year

"probably already downstairs, he wanted to see your earlier, but I thought you had enough on your plate then"

"thank you" you send her a tight lipped smile, which she couldn't quiet tell was real.

"oh my beautiful daughters, evening James" your father greeted upon your arrival in one of the private family rooms.

you smiled at your family, no one really noticed that you tried your best to hold back tears.

“y/n! hello” your brother stepped forward and engulfed you in a hug. you broke it as fast as possible nearly breaking down in the comforting arms.

your brother looked at you weird, but before he could say something else, your mother had replaced him, inspecting your dress. “an old one of Penelope? beautiful my dear” she nodded approvingly and you turned to look at your sister, who smiled in relief.

“sha’ll we?” your father outstretched his arm, so your mother could take it. James and Penelope did the same and Matthew stepped next to your side.

“if it’s alright if i’m bringing you out tonight?”

you smiled, gladly taking his offer, you felt like you needed somebody next to you tonight.

your family walked down the hallway and down the stairs. “i know something’s bothering you, y/n”

despite you having a rather big age difference to your siblings - 7 years to Penelope and 9 years to Matthew - you three had always been close. and each one of you could tell when something was wrong with one of your siblings.

“yeah, actually” you smiled bitterly, trying to bite back the tears “i’m supposed to get engaged tonight”

“what?” exclaimed Matthew loudly, stopping in the middle of the way. to your luck, your family didn’t notice that.

“it’s alright”

Matthew shook his head “no it’s not! you’re way too young and by the time it would be your turn i would’ve been able to convince dad that you wouldn’t have to go through with it”

you smiled at him, sadly. “oh, matty” you gulped “you would do that for me? even if it would be totally unfair to you and Penelope? you had to go through with it, why shouldn’t i?”

“because i don’t want this for you, n/n. i hope that you’ll be able to make your own decisions once the time comes, and surely not when you’re barely seventeen.”

“it’s not that bad, Matthew. it’s gonna be Henry Rottwell, i know him”

“yeah, but do you love him?”

you and Matthew had begun to walk again, quickly catching up to your family

“no, not him”

“not him?”

“it doesn’t matter, it’s over and too late anyway”

"you know, you can tell me anything, right?"

you just nodded and Matthew sighed, accepting the fact that you wouldn't lose another word about what or better, who was bothering you.

"good evening" your father said loudly as your family entered the big ball room. the guests cheered upon your arrival and you looked around the room, trying to find Anthony, you weren't able though.

the party had been going on for a few hours, you mostly had spent it in your siblings company, not keen on talking to any strange people tonight.

it was then, that your father wanted to talk to you in another room. Henry Rottwell was there when you entered and you knew what was about to happen.

"hey" Henry smiled upon your arrival. you returned the sentiment and sat down beside him in front of your fathers desk.

"I presume I don't have to tell you, why you're here, y/n"

"no" you shook your head and your father smiled

"alright" he nodded in Henry's direction. "you can proceed, mr Rotwell"

you knew how these things took place, your siblings had told you enough already, it was always the male part of the relationship, who would ask for the hand in marriage in front of both the daughter and father of the other family.

"thank you, mr Fittes" Henry turned to look at you "you already know why I'm here, y/n. our families decided that we would make a great match. we will have beautiful children and unite two of the most important families in England. what do you say, will you marry me?"

you turned your head and looked at your father "we've already talked about the details, you will get married in august, we will start preparing right after you've finished school"

"so soon?"

"don't be afraid" Henry smiled friendly "I promise I will be a good husband"

"I don't doubt that" you shook your head "I had just hoped, to finish college before we-"

"college?" your father laughed at you and never in your life had you felt smaller

Henry send you a look and you could tell from his eyes how much he was dreading this, he seemed to have a lot of sympathy for your situation, born into such a powerful family and being a woman.

"that's ridiculous, y/n" your father finally spoke "what do you need a degree for? you both could live a comfortable life from the marriage portion alone and some day Henry will take over his fathers agency"

"and what about me?" you asked, already feeling the tears coming, Henry grabbed your hand and even if you wanted to do anything else in the world, you were happy to have him at your side

"you will bear and raise your children of course, now please, that's enough. do you accept his proposal?"

you knew that there was no sense in saying no, so you turned to look at Henry, who send you such a boyish smile, that you nearly forgot all the worries in the world

"I accept your proposal"

"terrific!" your father cheered. he got up from his chair and hugged you and shook Henry's hand. "follow me, children, we will announce the news immediately.

you followed him down the hall. Henry squeezed your hands three times, which made you look up at him. "everything's gonna be alright, I promise"

you nodded, just wishing this night to be over, so you could spend it crying yourself to sleep.

"dear guests!" your father said loudly, gathering the attention of everyone in the huge ballroom "I'm happy to announce my youngest daughters engagement to Henry Rotwell" the people cheered and you smiled uncomfortably

you nearly collapsed when you found his eyes for the first time this evening. he looked so deeply saddened at the news and you gulped. it wasn't like you had broken up with him. he could've had you, if only he wanted it.

so you forced yourself to look away and smile through the pain, just hoping that it would go away some day.

CHOOSE YOUR ENDING:

X CLOSURE

"yes, I got your letter, yes, I'm doing better. I know that it's over, I don't need your closure"

X AFTERGLOW

"It's all me, just don't go, meet me in the afterglow"

#lockwood and co #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george karim #anthony lockwood x reader #ruby stokes #cameron chapman #netflix #ali hadji heshmati #ghost hunting #lockwoodandco #anthony lockwood imagine #illicit affairs #illicitaffairspart2 #taylor swift #illicitaffairsseries

39 notes · View notes

ill-skillsgard · 10 months

Note

Definitely would love more Faust and faith!

A/N: I have been really loving this FxF renaissance and I thank everyone who sent in prompts for more Faust stuff. It's made me so happy to write them again and I hope you continue enjoying and letting me know your thoughts. Reblog and stuff if you'd like to read more!

Warning: 18+ Smut (unprotected sex/oral), alcohol consumption, mature language, one use of the r-word and some brief mentions of non-consent, violence, angst, and Faust crying.

Summary: Faust discovers something about Faith that drives him back to the brink of uncontrollable aggression. Can he continue burying his demons to stay with her, or will they overtake him once more?

- Not based on Lords of Chaos. I use Faust!Valter’s likeness only as inspiration.