#The Case of the Reckless Romeo

[frommybookbook]

They were so dang cute in this one! They're just becoming so much more openly affectionate as the movies go on and I love it. I'm nearly finished and it's going to break my heart when I'm truly done with this world.

#perry mason #della street #perry mason/della street #the case of the reckless romeo #i think i only have 3 or 4 left #but i'm never going to be over these characters

[heartss4val]

𝐞𝐝𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐜'𝐬

summary. headcanons of your relationship with edmund pevensie before dating. (fem reader)

— straight up fluff, nothing else. PART 2/2 [ link to part 1 here ]

— Reciting Shakespearean quotes to each other. You two can have a whole conversation with just quotes from Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, or even A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But the quotes just keep getting more and more suggestive until you're both just absentmindedly flirting with each other without even realizing it because it just seems so natural.

— Both of you staring at each other's lips while talking. Like his eyes dart from your eyes, to your lips, to your eyes, and back to your lips AGAIN because he just finds your lips looking so kissable. — (Expanding on the above ^) Close proximity between the two of you whenever he has the sudden urge to kiss you, (though that urge doesn't get full-filled for a while..) and INTENSE eye contact paired with soft murmurs. — BONUS: If you speak another language, use that to your absolute advantage. Just imagine.. (using French because that happens to be the language I speak, but just imagine it as whatever other language you speak.) Y/N: Je crois que je suis amoureux de toi. (I think I'm in love with you.) Edmund: What? Y/N: What?

— Brushing hands!! All the time!! Him grabbing your hand to lead you through a crowded hallway so you "don't get lost", but really it's just an excuse to be in contact with your skin. ^ (adding onto this) Making excuses along the lines of, "Your hands are cold.. let me warm them up for you." despite it being SUMMER and no where near cold.

— Tending his wounds after battle. At first he tries to hide his injuries from you, but he ends up failing miserably. You do end up scolding him for his reckless behavior while cleaning a cut right above his eye, but he doesn't even take in any of the words you're saying to him, for he's far too busy admiring how stunning you look when you're concentrated.

— Reading together all the time!! You've both read all the Narnian classics, of course. He always takes out two copies of the same book, in case you want to read the same book with him as well, so he can talk about it with you later. He loves when you read to each other as well, usually under a tree or shade of some sort, his head on your lap while you're gently running your fingers through the his hair. Your voice is the most beautiful thing he's ever heard, I swear, he could fall asleep to it. He also loves how your face contorts into different expressions as you're processing the plot, and how you bring the characters to life through changing your tone or pitch. He just thinks it's the greatest thing ever.

— Continuously denies whoever makes the assumption that he fancies you, despite him following you around like a love-sick puppy. I mean, seriously, a blind man could tell that he likes you. Peter is so sick of it.

— He gets so happy when he successfully makes you laugh out loud, because your laughter is like music to his ears. He immediately looks at you after making a joke in hopes to see your smile or hear your laugh. It's adorable, honestly.

— Awkwardly laughing to try not to malfunction when you give him a compliment. — Slow dancing in the dark when neither of you can fall asleep. The curtains are just slightly ajar, and everything around you is dead quiet, no words exchanged. He twirls you around just to hear your quiet laughter that is quickly muffled by your hand, not wanting to risk waking up anybody and getting caught. Your bodies are in absolute sync, and he's just praying that you can't hear his quickening heartbeat since the space between the two of you is almost nonexistent. — Dancing in the rain as well, laughing and clutching onto each other as the rain pours down, splashing in puddles as he twirls you around, both of you laughing like little kids. He couldn't care less if he wakes up with a cold the next day, (which he probably will considering the fact that his blouse is absolutely SOAKED in the rain.) because this is the happiest he's ever been in a while. — Sword fighting!!!! And once he finds out about your expertise with swords, well, that's just another thing to add on to his never-ending list of why he likes you. But his favorite part is when he eventually knocks your sword out of your hand, pinning you to the ground in the process. — And the first kiss... was something else. It all started with just one small kiss, pulling away instantly. But then it escalated VERY quickly. His hands cupped your face, but slowly moved down to your waist while one of your hands were tangled in his ebony locks, the other resting on his neck, his lips flush against your own. You slowly pulled away, but only when you absolutely needed air. Both of you were unable to open your eyes for a few seconds after the kiss, but you couldn't hold back the words that tumbled out of your mouth. ∙ "You kiss by th’ book" You spoke quietly, your voice still hoarse and breathless from the actions before. He rolls his eyes playfully, running his thumb over your bottom lip. ∙ "Now is not the time for Shakespeare, Y/N." He whispers, smiling down at you before leaning in once again. ∙ yoo pt 2 is out! ok so if u noticed, the 1st paragraph (the shakespeare one) kinda foreshadows the kiss so if u noticed that ur cool. ∙ wanted to get this 1 out quick bc finals are coming up on friday and ill be too busy studying.

∙ ok byebye! drink water.

valerie x.

#edmund pevensie x reader #edmund pevensie fluff #edmund pevensie fanfiction #edmund pevensie imagine #edmund x reader #narnia #edmund pevensie headcanon #narnia x reader #edmund pevensie x you

[grandtyphoonpoetry]

THE FIRST SEASON OF OUTER BANKS IS JUST ROMEO AND JULIET

Sarah and John B's love draws people in because people love the idea of star-crossed lovers in any form of media. Because we're fascinated by love and tragedy intertwined, and even more fascinated by people trying to overcome all odds to find happiness, even when it's not in the stars for them. Which is exactly why so many people are drawn to the story of Romeo and Juliet. (or maybe its just leonardo dicaprio) And at first star-crossed love is all they have in common. But if the Kooks are Capulets, and the Pogues are Montagues then all the characters start to fall into place.

The Kooks/Capulets:

Sarah = Juliet The leading woman. Both are young and beautiful and naive on their ideas of what love is and what it should be, both get drawn into a whole different world when they meet their lover, and both are willing to risk everything, including their family to stay with them.

Rafe = Tybalt The violent relative. In Rafe's case it's a brother, and in Tybalts case its a cousin, but in both cases they'll do anything for their family honor and their own honor, including hurting and killing people who aren't even involved with their fight just because they can.

Topper = Paris The jealous ex-lover. The person who was to be with The Leading Woman from the start, and despite a bad attitude about their scorned(or lost) love doesn't grow violent till it all starts coming to an end and they get defensive of the woman they loved, and even then they're still able to make amends.

Weezie = The Nurse The nosy close friend of The Leading Woman. They are more different from each other than many of the other characters. But both are the closest female friend The Leading Woman has, are incredibly nosy, and don't particularly care who she ends up with as long as there is a little drama.

Ward = Capulet The Kook/Capulet patriarch. They're both an enemy of The Leading Man's family, both family oriented towards their own family but in an unhealthy way. Successful and commanding of respect, but liable to fly into a rage when things don't go their way.

Rose = Lady Capulet The ineffective mother. Neither of these characters are well connected to their families despite any efforts they put forward. Both are young and inexperienced.

The Pogues/Montagues:

John B = Romeo The leading man. Impulsive and immature but also, idealistic and passionate, aware of the fight going on, but not at all interested in it. Both affectionate and devoted to their friends. Both are absolutely captivated by their new love and do everything they can for them to stay together.

Pope = Benvolio The peaceful friend. They spend a lot of their time throughout the story trying to keep the peace between their friends and other violent characters. Level headed and thoughtful, they try to diffuse a lot of violence especially in public places.

Kiara = Benvolio/Mercutio The friend with a foot in both worlds. As Mercutio is a relative of the duke and doesn't even have a reason to be involved in the rivalry, Kiara is technically a Kook and doesn't need to be involved in the rivalry either. She's sarcastic and salty like Mercutio, but also pragmatic, sensitive and an advocate for peace like Benvolio. (She could also be translated as Rosaline, Romeo's love at the beginning of the play, but I feel like Kiara is too important to be brought down to just that character.)

JJ = Mercutio The reckless friend. Hotheaded and chaotic, they spend a good amount of time getting into fights or encouraging others to do so. They're both imaginative with a strange sense of humor, and wildly loyal. They're both implied to be more sexually active than their friends and flirt with anything that moves.

Both Montague and Lady Montague are far less involved in the story line than the heads of the Capulet family which could be translated as John B's parents being out of the picture.

Other Characters:

Peterkin/the police department = Prince Escalus Law enforcement. They want to help and attempt to maintain the peace at all costs, but are too uninvolved and oblivious of what is actually going on to actually play an important part in the situation.

Nobody = Friar Laurence Everything the friar does for the story comes from somebody else in Outer Banks. Escape plans, support, soothing words, and even legally marrying two people, all come from separate characters.

The details of how the story goes down are obviously changed up, but key elements are the same. Romeo and Juliet fall in love, and in an unrealistically fast amount of time are willing to do anything for each other. Romeo's friends notice a difference in his behavior. Mercutio takes a hypothetical bullet for a friend and takes their place in a fight that isn't his. (JJ saying it was him, and not Pope that sunk the boat.) Because of this Tybalt is ultimately a huge part of Mercutios downfall (emotionally and physically or fatally)( and Benvolio is there for Mercutio in those moments when Romeo isn't!!!!) Romeo is accused of a death that wasn't (entirely) his fault and has to go on the run from the law. Juliet dies. (disappears) Paris and Romeo fight. Paris and Romeo are tolerably respectful of each other in their very last moments with each other. A plot is hatched for Romeo and Juliet so that they can still be together. (In John B and Sarah's case they plan it together) The plan goes wrong. They decide they would rather die than be without each other. (Sarah literally says the words, "I would rather die than be without you") They hold each other as they die. (Or are presumed dead)

By the end of the season it's made clear that a social divide is never going to come to anything good. It's about young people who are torn apart by their families or cultures or things that were decided far before they were born or far before they could have any say in it and how they're stronger after realized that what they are fighting is not each other. Despite being a cliche, love overcomes all things and kids are smarter than they seem. The only major differences are that in Romeo and Juliet, the death is permanent and far more tragic, and the reaction that is had by their family and their people is that of overcoming their differences. They overcome their differences for their children and because they realize that it was their fault Romeo and Juliet were driven to this. Love prevails. Whereas in Outer Banks, they eventually come back (yay) and a lot of the people who drove them away were corrupt and didn't care, or change. I like to think that was a plot choice, for the sake of an ongoing story and that love prevails eventually.

Anyways, if you got this far thanks for entertaining my rants, sometimes i like to hyper-analyse every single thing, there were a lot more things that i did not add because it is obscenely long now

#outer banks #romeo and juliet #star crossed lovers #parallels #john b routledge #kiara carrera #pope heyward #jj maybank #sarah cameron #rafe cameron #topper #ward cameron #romeo montague #benvolio montague #mercutio #tybalt capulet #paris #jarah obx #night speaks with al

[mattodore]

The BOLD THE FACTS tag with Imani

tagged for my choice of oc by @pralinesims and @raiiny-bay <3

The Rules are simple! Tag people and name a character you want to know more about! If you want to let the person you tagged decide who to showcase, then don’t name a character and they can pick somebody. Easy! The person who is tagged will then bold the remarks below which apply to their character and, if they want to, include a picture with their reply!

[ PERSONAL ]

$ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty / other ✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable ✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other ✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no (despite his attempts matthias has never successfully roped her into any of his mess lmao) / has committed crimes, but hasn’t been caught / yes, but charges were dismissed

[ FAMILY ]

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children ◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling (but it's complicated... imani has real love for her baby brother but she's also aware of the difference in how her parents treat the two of them and it's definitely impacted their relationship) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased ◔ Affiliation: orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parents / not applicable / other

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between ♦ disorganized / organized / in between ♦ close minded / open-minded / in between ♦ calm / anxious / in between ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between ♦ cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between (she's more outspoken when she's just with romeo or matthias, but when she's around her parents she gets quiet) ♦ leader / follower / in between ♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦ traditional / modern / in between ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ BELIEFS ]

★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no /don’t know / don’t care ✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical: yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual ❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naïve and clueless / other ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naïve and clueless / romance suspicious ❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naïve / inexperienced (she's had sex before but her experiences have been few and far in between) / curious ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate (she's taken a self-defense class before and matthias has taught her a couple nasty tricks in case she ever needs them) / poor / none ≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good (she sketches while she's waiting around; she's often drawing her own designs, fairies, flowers, snakes, pointy scribbles, or spirals) / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic ☁ Smoking: tried it (disliked the taste and the smell) / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker ✿ Recreational Drugs: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict ✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication (used to take meds for an old ballet related injury but she's good now) / some medication needed / frequently / to excess ☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater $ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic ♣ Gambling: never (she's too disciplined for that)  / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler

tagging @cowboycid for val, @helltrait for chris, and @tau1tvec for isa! and let me just rapid fire some of you who i think might have fun with this tag game!! @birdietrait, @wildmelon, @diwns, @fangs-trait, @deehya, @bunmou, and @spurgees

#@ed twenty ppl all together so hopefully if any of you wanted to join in then you got an @ :3c #river dipping #imani haut #echthroi #oc extras #ts4 #this took me so much longer than i thought it would thanks to ea wanting me dead and me having too much fun in cas but anywayyyyyyy #MISS MODELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL #MOST GORGEOUS WOMAN EVERRRRRRRRR #imani is probably the third most important character in the echthroi universe #sehyuk is kinda tied with her but that's really only bc he's how matthias and theo meet. shrugs. #like sehyuk is plot important in that way but imani is close with matthias and she gets close to theo later on <3 #theo's friends aren't rlly like that bc they mostly all dislike or in some cases hate matthias......... jdkfhnkhdnfjkhgjkdfgndkfkhndfhj #which like tbf............. would YOU trust your friend to MATTHIAS of all people? i rest my case #anyway i rlly wanna get into the backgrounds of all the echthroi side characters on here more but that would #require me to stop thinking exclusively abt mattodore for a few hours...... but. like. how could i do that. how. #but yeah...... i think imani sehyuk jordan and dutchie have the most fleshed out backstories out of all of the side characters #ummmmm anyway <3 this took a lot longer than i thought like where did the time go……. but okay. #i'm going to go back to my activity feed now bc i actually hadn't finished reading the posts i was tagged in in the first place 🧍 #i swear the last two days i’ve been like okay time to log in and catch up and see how everyone’s been doing lately 🧎 #only to then end up doing something like this for 4+ straight hours #i’m actually normally asleep by now but here i am…. i need to at least get thru my activity feed before sleeping like i need to do this 🔫

[esotl]

Performance - Act 8 (Part 21)

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring

Characters: Wataru

Translation Directory

"At the very least, I want her to have a normal person's happiness... That's what God, the "author" of this story was aiming for with their writing, wasn't it?"

Time: During Act 12 of the Performance

Location: Concert Hall (Theatre)

Wataru: "Oh God, I repent. No, please let this miserable lamb give just a word of complaint to you."

"Oh Lord, are you sneering at me for being a foolish little girl?"

"Ever since that day, ever since I caught a glimpse of Romeo-sama beneath the moonlight... Ever since I heard a strange story from something like a mysterious fairy..."

"No, ever since I fell in love-"

"I've made a great effort. Because I ended up loving someone I never should have..."

"Because I've come to understand that I can never be with her in this fleeting world."

"That person is our bitter enemy! She is the heiress of the Montague family - furthermore, due to being the same gender as I, our union isn't permitted by God!"

"No-one will bless us, no-one... We can't swear our eternal love before God, we won't be forgiven."

"Even so. I resisted at least a little bit. Originally, I would've surely pushed forward with this unwanted love held close."

"Because I'm a reckless, thoughtless girl."

"I would have put in every effort to court her for marriage. But doing such a thing would have been inconvenient for her."

"The Capulets and the Montagues are inherent enemies... Even if I meet with her in secret, even on the chance that she loves me-"

"Those around us won't approve of it. Not even God. It is a sin to carry out an unapproved marriage."

"Blamed and punished, her honour would be damaged."

"If that would be the case, I decided... I'd rather try to hide this love of mine."

"I took many efforts to get her to hate me."

"Every time she appears I curse her, behave rudely to the point of vulgarity, and close my ears to the words of love she weaves."

"I tried to convince her, "I'll never love you in my entire life.""

"Maybe then, Romeo-sama will give up, forget me, and marry someone more suitable..."

"Maybe then... hey, God, we won't reach a tragic ending, will we?"

"Both her and I will go through an approved marriage, have children normally, and finally die of old age!"

"Perhaps that's its own kind of happiness..."

"After all, mother and father... everyone... God... they all declare that to be an ideal, wonderful way of living, don't they?"

"That's what I aimed for. Hurling profanity I can't bear to hear at the most lovely person in the world..."

"Saying I hate her, repeating things I don't really mean."

"I tried to hate her, because I must not love her."

"However. Romeo-sama is stubborn, and doesn't give up at all. Each and every day, she comes to be verbally abused by me."

"Even if she's spat on, whipped, or looked at like dirt... I am sure she loves me enough to be able to delight in it."

"There is no-one in this world like that... No-one other than her."

"Yet fate dictates that I cannot be with such a person."

"If I say just one word of love to that person... Everything will fall apart and come tumbling down."

"We'll head straight for a tragic ending... That's the one thing I want to avoid."

"Because she's important. At the very least, I want her to have a normal person's happiness... That's what God, the "author" of this story was aiming for with their writing, wasn't it?"

Lady Capulet: "Juliet! Are you praying to that useless God again?"

Wataru: "Mother? Watch what you say, God is always listening."

Lady Capulet: "Yes, yes, let it be heard! That senseless despot!"

"Aah Juliet, that Romeo has spilled the blood of an important relative!"

Wataru: "Romeo-sama did...?"

Lady Capulet: "Indeed, that repulsive scoundrel is in a frightful temper these days. After just a trivial dispute, a brawl broke out in town."

Wataru: "That gentle person got into a brawl? Is Romeo-sama safe?"

Lady Capulet: "Yes, much as it displeases me, she got off without a scratch."

"That bitch of the Montague's must have hidden behind the shadows of the men serving her anyhow."

Wataru: "No. Mother, Romeo-sama may be a woman, but she's dauntlessly brave... I don't doubt she beat down her enemies one after another with her own hands."

"Aah, how I wish I could have seen her efforts with my own eyes."

Lady Capulet: "What an incomprehensible child, aren't you always speaking ill of that Romeo?"

Wataru: "Ah... Yes, it truly is disappointing that Romeo-sama is safe! Ufufu♪"

Lady Capulet: "Rejoice, Juliet. She won't be getting away with it."

"It's quite different from the hundres of skirmishes we've had between servants until now."

"The whole town got caught up in a large fight... And precious blood was spilled. My dear nephew, your cousin, passed away."

"Even the governor-general had to get serious and intervene in the dispute between our families..."

"Tonight, they will be holding a trial for Romeo, who was at the heart of the mayhem."

"If she's lucky, she'll be exiled. At worst, her head will be gibbeted. It seems she's the culprit of my nephews murder, so..."

"Hey, doesn't it feel great! You should be pleased too, Juliet!"

"With this, we can finally sleep without fear!"

"Spilled blood will never return, but after this, such a tragedy shouldn't occur agai... oh?"

"Juliet? Are you listening?"

Wataru: "...It's my fault. If she's in a temper, it's surely due to me being hard on her."

"Aah, I- I must give her at least a word of apology."

"Mother! Prepare the carriage! I must be off!"

Lady Capulet: "Wait, what? Where are you going? The sun is about to set, you know?"

[Chapter 11 • Directory • Act 9]

#enstars translation #ensemble stars #wataru hibiki #enstars #ensemble stars translation #performance! the tragicomedy of romeo and juliet

[sweatforged]

this is not QUITE a self-para but a speech i ... felt silas would've held after the round of questions and ..stands by whole-heartedly, but we didn't wanna hold ppl hostage lmao

after  everything  silas  had  nothing  left  to  ask,  no  more  questions  they  could've  possibly  answered,  other  than  WHY?  but  he  knew  that  there  was  no  answer  to  that  question,  it  was  the  same  as  many  other  questions  they'd  been  facing  ever  since  they  came  here  -  or  even  before  that.  why  me?  why  him?  why  this,  why  what.  it...  didn't  matter  anymore  now.  what  was  done...  was  done. 

  he  just  …  he  wanted  things  to  change  after  this,  but  hearing  defenses  &  justification  for  why  people  jumped  into  this..  made  him  realize  they  weren’t  ready  for  that.  nobody  saw  themselves  at  fault  &  maybe  it  was  nobody's  fault  per  se,  but  mistakes  were  made  -  they  could  ...or  should  all  agree  to  that.

  that  included  gabriel,  in  a  way,  but  at  the  same  time  ...  it  hadn't  been  fair.  silas  knew  that  he  didn't  know  gabriel  as  well  as  others  did,  but  what  he  knew  was  that  many  didn't  realize  that  not  ALL  of  them  were  lucky.  not  ALL  of  them  could  take  these  risks  &  come  out  on  top.

  but  someone  as  gentle  &  good  as  gabriel,  who  pushed  himself  too  far  to  help  on  a  daily  basis…  he  was  no  match  for  an  offer  like  that.  it  was  in  his  dna  to  jump  into  this,  but  others  ...should've  known  better.  they  should've  known  to  wait.  to  wait  for  answers,  to  wait  for  the  one  who'd  done  this  before.  nobody  jumped  into  the  deep  sea  before  knowing  how  to  swim,  right?

“i  don’t  got  no  questions  left,  i  think.  i  just…  wonder  if  those  who  jumped  into  this  could  stop  defending  their  stance  for  five  minutes  an'  think  about  the  fact  they  were  fuckin'  reckless."  they  all  sold  it  as  a  heroic  act,  which  it  was,  but  it  was  also  something  else  entirely. selfish. 

  "i  know  it  was  for  a  good  cause  an'  i  know  y'all  meant  well...  i  do,  i  might've  done  the  same  before....  before  i  realized  how  easy  it  is  to  die  in  this  new  life  we  chose."  fuck,  he  didn't  like  this  whole  truth  thing  going  on.

  "but  jus'  think  for  a  moment  an'  realize  that...  we..  are  here  to  fight  for  the  same  thing.  we  fight  to  save  the  world,  or  ...or  whatever.  we're  a  team.  some  of  us  are  more  than  that  an'  we  sometimes  forget  to  act  like  a  team  or  family,  whatever  -  it's  the  same  thing  in  our  case.  we  forget  that  we  ain't  alone.  i'm  ...  part  of  that  problem,  i'm  sure.  i'm  used  to  handlin'  things  on  my  own,  but  i'm  tryin'  not  t'forget  there's  people  here  i  can  rely  on  an'  in  return  i  know  they  rely  on  me.  that's  the  whole  point  of  us  all  bein'  here,  innit?  if  they  only  needed  one  great  hero,  many  of  us  wouldn't  be  here.  the  enemy  don't  come  alone.  strength  in  numbers.  all  this  self  sacrificial  shit  needs  to  stop.  this  ain't camp  of  one,  this  is  ...fuck,  i  dunno  what  it's  called,  but  it's  a  camp  for  godlings.  sssss.  plural.  all  of  us  are  needed.

  we  jump  into  shit  like  that  ...  thinkin'  we  got  it,  but  we  ain't  even  know  half  of  it.  we're  all  new  to  this,  we  know  shit  all  in  this  world  an'  if  we  wanna  make  it  through  this...  we  gotta  work  t'gether. 

  y'all  had  romeo's  ass  for  hidin'  the  box  an'  tryin'  to  deal  with  it  alone,  but  all  those  who  did  their  little  thing  last  night  did  so  without  askin'  the  camp  either.  y'all  coulda  waited  for  the  next  mornin',  y'all  coulda  waited  for  xanthe  t'fill  in  the  many  blanks  chiron  left  b'hind,  but  no  ..  we're  all  so  ready  to  sacrifice  ourselves  for  the  greater  good  we  forget  that  we're  worth  so  much  more  alive."  they  forgot  those  who  got  left  behind  in  the  aftermath,  those  who  cared. like  him,  like  all  the  others,  which  brought  him  back  to  ...selfish. 

  "an'  yeah  -  i  know  i  know.  not  all  of  y'all  were  alone.  yeah,  some  had  their  loved  ones  with  them,  some  had  their  closest  group  with  them,  but  we're  supposed  to  have  each  other's  backs.  all  of  us.  not  just  two  or  three,  not  just  a  group  here  'n  there.  we're  s'pposed  to  be  more  than  jus'  ..allies  helpin'  each  other  out  sometimes,  right?  cause  if  not,  why  are  we  bothering  gettin'  to  know  anybody  in  the  first  place?  none  of  what  we  do  now  is  gonna  bring  gabriel  back,  i  know  that,  but  if  we  don't  learn  from  our  actions  an'  the  consequences,  this  is  gonna  keep  happenin'  till  we're  all  dead  an'  we  won't  get  far. 

  i  know  i  ain't  the  greatest  help  when  it  comes  to  all  that  stuff,  but  i  try  an'  in  return  y'all  can  rely  on  me  when  we  fight.  we  play  our  strengths  an'  weaknesses.  we  figure  this  shit  out  together.  one  more  night  when  the  wards  have  been  weakened..  we  coulda  defended  home.  we  coulda  stayed  up  an'  kept  the  perimeter  safe  or  ...fuck  i  dunno.  we  always  have  options.  we  always  have  a  choice  an'  i  know  it  was  your  choice  to  do  it,  but  ...i  wish  you'd  chosen  us.  i  wish  y'all  had  put  your  trust  in  the  others,  in  our  ability  to  fight  for  home  an'  defend  it  an'  figure  out  what  needs  figurin'  out.

  runnin'  off  alone  may  grant  you  a  hero's  death,  but  ...  i'd  rather  we  all  stay  alive  as  godlings  to  fight  t'gether  for  whatever's  comin'."  he  just  ...  didn't  think  he  could  bear  the  pain  of  losing  more  people  he  cared  about.  not  after  this,  but  he  knew  it  was  inevitable  if  they  didn't  start  thinking  prior  to  jumping  into  every  single  dangerous  situation  besowed  upon  them.  "i  buried  enough  friends  in  my  life.  i'd  rather  i  don't  gotta  bury  any  more  family  too." they were weaker now for the loss of a great boy man even if camp was now safer than ever before.

#not me needing a self para tag #* . ⊹ ᴛʜᴇ sɪsᴛᴇʀs ᴏғ ғᴀᴛᴇ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ. › ❨ isms. ❩ #*crawls back into cave*

[sparkywrites25]

Fortune's Wheel

Summary: In another life, things worked out quite differently for the star-crossed lovers. This is that life.

Chapter Summary: A reality check at the mail office inspires Father Laurence to revise his plan for the star crossed lovers.

Pairing: Romeo Montague x Juliet Capulet

Notes: In this story, I've bumped up Juliet's age to 17. Romeo is 18 here.

If you like my work and want to see more then please join my taglist. Form is pinned on my blog.

The priest scanned the delivery options and speeds with a critical eye. His attention wandered to the clock now and again, conscious of every second that passed. With that acknowledgment of time came reminders of Juliet’s desperate face and the terrible image of her holding the gun up to her head. The knowledge of what she might do if this scheme didn’t come through as it needed to haunted him. Even if he were not invested in the reunion and happiness of these two lovebirds, he needed to save the girl from such a terrible fate. Lord knew what Romeo would do if he were to find out what had happened. They were both so wrapped up in matters of their hearts and loving each other too passionately. It was like watching a wildfire beginning, knowing how much damage it could do if it continued to rage with that temperament. These children needed to cool themselves before they burned everything around them with their love.

Around him, the mailing center was busy and bustling more than usual; it didn’t fill the holy man with much hope about the safety of the letter and the speed in which it was to get to Romeo. Even the options available had their risks. The time frame for this plan to go off properly was so short and plenty of accidents and mishaps happened in the mail room.  He sighed and wandered towards the queue. He could at least ask them which was the best service to opt for. Standing here indecisively was only going to delay everything.

Once more he glanced at the clock. In a few hours, Juliet would be taking the potion. The letter needed to be sent immediately if it was going to have its best chance of reaching Romeo in time for him to rescue Juliet from her fake death. As Laurence stepped into the queue, a grumble sounded from his left. 

“So yet again, they’ve lost my letter,” a dark-skinned man was saying, gritting his teeth as he walked away from the customer service desk with his wife. “Why do we still use them?” he added, shoving one hand in his pocket. His wife spoke softly into his ear, hanging onto his arm and stroking his bicep soothingly. 

“I’m sorry, sir!” The man behind the counter called after the stranger but received no reply. 

The priest stared down at his own letter in severe contemplation. Perhaps the situation that he’d just overheard was just a freak incident and not the norm. Maybe his letter would arrive to Romeo without trouble and everything would run smoothly. It was certainly possible but could he really afford to gamble this whole scenario on the chance that the mail would arrive in time? What if this wasn’t the only case today? What if there was a problem with the mail? Would it not be reckless to take that chance with this letter?

He approached the counter himself. Fortunately, there was only one customer ahead of himself and they concluded their business within a minute. As soon as they’d moved away, the holy man bowed his head in a respectful nod as he approached the desk. “Good afternoon,” he said with the thinnest smile. “Is there a service that can guarantee this letter’s arrival by tomorrow morning at the latest?” 

The customer agent eyed Laurence and then the letter he carried. “At the moment we’re extremely busy so, while we can guarantee the letter arriving tomorrow, I couldn’t say if it would get there by morning.”

Laurence wet his lips thoughtfully and this eyes widened in hope. “Perhaps the afternoon then?”

“Again, I couldn’t guarantee. We do evening deliveries as well so it might not make it there until then.”

Evening is too late for Juliet. Laurence thought irritably. “Thank you for your help,” he told the young man politely. “I’ll deliver it myself, I think. I can spare the time.” 

With that, he left the desk and strode towards the exit. The letter would have to be delivered in person, that much was painfully obvious. Romeo needed to be in the church by ten o’clock tomorrow night. It would be too late to wait for him to receive the letter then. 

Despite what the priest had just declared, he didn’t have the time to drive to Mantua and fetch Romeo. But maybe someone else could. He might have just the person in mind. 

— — — — — 

It made the most sense, the priest thought, to only involve someone who knew about the secret marriage. Juliet’s nurse was out of the question. It would look strange for him to suddenly call on her so late at night and it would definitely be too strange to ask her to travel to Mantua to deliver a message to Romeo. It would raise too much suspicion and questions, and, at any rate, she was needed by Juliet’s side. So then that left Romeo’s cousin Balthasar who had also witnessed the ceremony. Balthasar was a far better candidate for such a task since he was generally overlooked by people and didn’t draw a great deal of attention to himself. As the closest person to Romeo and an assistant in smuggling him out of the city, Balthasar was the ideal envoy, upon consideration. 

Finding the boy was the biggest obstacle to this stage of the plan and it would involve more deception which, in all honesty, the priest was not so happy about. But, in this case, the deception could save two lives if not more and bring about the possibility of an end to this feud between the two families. When you looked at it from that bigger picture, as God must surely do, then surely this was a needs must situation? 

Laurence drove over to the Montague estate at once. The sandstone of the manor shone golden under the warmth of the sunlight. Laurence walked under tall archways into a spacious courtyard. In the heart of the courtyard, a fountain rose up depicting four men back to back, swords extended in different directions; the four Montague brothers who had started the family business over 500 years ago. The rim of the fountain was engraved with some of the most famous of descendants since then. Three quarters of the rim had been filled in with these names. As the priest looked down at them, he wondered if there was any possibility that Romeo could have his name down there one day. Perhaps the Montague who healed the rivalry with the Capulet. If that wasn’t something to be recognized for then this world was a sadder place than the holy man imagined. 

He continued past the fountain and ascended the stairway towards the main entryway into the house. Once invited inside, he inquired about Balthasar and whether he was free to assist with some manual work at the church for some coins. As the youth was often being denied an extension to his allowance by his family, the offer was welcomed immediately by the young man himself as well as his relatives. There were no arguments as the priest led the young man away from the house. 

“Is everything okay? Is it Romeo?” Balthasar asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the building. “Have you any news?”

“Not about Romeo,” Laurence explained, taking the boy’s elbow. “But we have a new situation to contend with.” 

Balthasar whitened and gestured to the park across the road from where they stood. “This is a quiet place to talk, Father,” he murmured. 

They walked into the park and settled themselves on a secluded bench behind a cluster of trees. There were few people around and no one paid much attention to the holy man and the young man sat in secretive talk beneath the shadows of said trees. 

“What’s the matter?” Balthasar questioned, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Although he was shorter than Romeo and had a little more of a feeble look about him when it came to his build, priest Laurence could see the same eagerness and brightness in his eyes that his older cousin showed of late especially when it came to Juliet and their marriage. Like Romeo, Balthasar had been very much untouched by the majority of the rivalry between the two families. Unlike Romeo, however, Balthasar still flew under the radar, behind the more enthusiastic players in this blood feud. 

Laurence glanced around them one more time to ensure there were no eavesdroppers and then he began to tell Balthasar the situation. “The Capulets want Juliet to marry Paris tomorrow morning. The girl has gotten herself quite agitated and upset over it.” 

“As she should,” Balthasar’s brows knitted so tightly that his face seemed to age with the wrinkles in his forehead, “after all, she already has a husband who is very much alive.”

“Yes but of course the Capulets do not know that,” Laurence reminded him. “God only knows what they would say if they knew that their daughter had married their enemy.”

“They’re going to have to find out now, aren’t they? If she marries again, she’ll be committing bigamy,” Balthasar spoke in hushed tones. 

“While that’s true, that’s not the most concerning part of all this. Juliet is refusing to marry Paris, without giving her reasons why and now her family are furious. They are threatening to disown her if she does not obey. If she refuses to marry Paris on Thursday then they will kick her out of the home and the family.” 

“Oh Jesus,” Balthasar ran his hands over his face. “Curse this feud. Curse our families. This has already gone too far. They cannot see the line they have crossed anymore. It’s too far from them now,” he lamented. 

Laurence placed a hand on the young man’s shoulders. “We can lament the families’ pride and ignorance later. We must help Juliet now. If her parents kick her out, where can she go? I have a spare room but that will not stop the Capulets coming after her and badgering the girl into submission, despite their claims of disinheriting her.” 

“She cannot come and stay with us. That’s like throwing her into a nest of snakes that are just as deadly as her own family. Benvolio would be a gentleman, I am sure, but the rest would not care to give her shelter,” Balthasar mused. 

“Exactly. Her options are limited although she and I have begun a plan. Though it is as desperate as it is dangerous.” priest Laurence answered. 

Balthasar fixed him with a confused look. “What plan is this?”

The priest bowed his head. “Juliet came to speak to me about the plan to marry her to Paris. She was extremely distressed and panicking. She brought a gun with her to church.”

“A gun?!” Balthasar exclaimed. “Where the devil did she get…?” He instantly began to cringe. “I expect she got it from Tybalt’s quarters or such like. The Capulets have their means, after all.” He shook his head. “What did she intend to do with it? Shoot Paris? Is she so desperate?”

“Paris was not the intended target for her,” Laurence whispered. “She threatened to kill herself before anyone could make her marry Paris.”

Balthasar covered his mouth with one hand and turned away. “God, how have we ended up in this situation where that could even be considered? How have things got like this?”

“Calm yourself, Balthasar,” the priest urged him. “Her desperation gave way to a better idea, from my mind.” As the young man returned his attention to him, Laurence continued. “There is an extract from one of the plants I work with. It can mimic death for 24 hours and in 24 hours, things can change for the better.”

“How does her faking her death make this any better?”

“Because it frees her from the Capulets’ plot to marry her off and it can resolve her separation from Romeo at the same time.”

Laurence watched the realization dawn over Balthasar’s face. A smile began to grow like a sunflower stretching up towards light and hope gleamed in the same promising eyes as his cousin. The young man straightened up and gave an understanding nod. “Romeo can come back and take her away with him to Mantua.”

“Yes,” Laurence confirmed. “They can wait it out there until we can resolve things with Captain Prince. As for the Capulets, well they will either come round to the marriage once it goes public or they will leave her for good. They cannot undo what has been done before God. If we can pull this off tonight, Balthasar, those lovebirds will be free and there may be hope to end this bloody feud at some point too.”

“I hope so,” Balthasar leaned back on the bench and ran his fingers over his mouth. “It’s uneasy to live in a city where you feel like you might get picked off by your enemy at any moment. Yet it seems too good to be true to imagine it all ending.”

“We can make it become more of a possibility,” the priest assured him. “But first you must go to Romeo and explain the situation. Juliet is going to take the concoction before bed tonight. You must get Romeo back here by tomorrow night. Ring me once you’re there and I will have an update.”

Balthasar gave it some thought. “I’ll leave this afternoon and spend the night there.”

“Make sure that you have a strong alibi,” the priest remarked. “I’m sure the Prince’s forces are expecting Romeo to smuggle himself back into the city. We must be prepared for that and to make a plan around that if we have to.”

Balthasar frowned. “That could throw a mighty spanner in what we’re trying to do, Father.”

“I know, my boy.” Laurence patted the boy’s shoulder. “We’re going to have to be very careful and stay in contact as much as we can. We have to be ready to smuggle both Romeo and Juliet out of the city tomorrow night too.”

“Perhaps we can get Benvolio involved,” Balthasar suggested. “He loves Romeo. I’m sure he’d do anything to help him.”

“Hang fire on that for now,” Laurence advised, “at least until the plan is underway. If he doesn’t help then we need to give him as little time as possible to cause any trouble he may do so. We need to be able to proceed with the plan.”

Once again, Balthasar nodded although he was still frowning. “We’re not going to have much time to try and get him on board, are we?”

“No,” Laurence agreed. “But he’s not a vital part of the plan. As soon as Romeo has retrieved Juliet then we may need to lay low a while. In which case, you can appeal to Benvolio for assistance. Until we get those two ready to go, it doesn’t matter if Benvolio will help us or not.”

“Good point.”

Laurence stood up. “Take this letter,” he said and held out the paper which Balthasar took as he rose to his own feet. “Make up a believable story for your family to explain your absence. No!” He suddenly held up a finger. “Tell them that I have you running an errand to collect some artifacts for the church. It’ll be a long trip so you won’t be back for at least a day or so. You can stay with me until the time is acceptable for you to return.”

“Okay, got it,” Balthasar agreed, the relief evident on his face that he wouldn’t need to conjure the lie himself. And really, part of it wasn’t a lie. He was helping the priest with an errand, after all. It just wasn’t an artifact that he was going to retrieve. 

He tucked the letter safely away in his jacket pocket and so he and Laurence began their journey out of the park, rejoining the main pathway as they did. 

“Good luck,” the priest told him once they had left the park. “Do what you can to keep Romeo calm until tomorrow night.”

He was met with a grim smile as Balthasar contemplated the emotional state his cousin would be in once he learned what was happening and what Juliet was going to do. 

— — — — — 

The drive out to Mantua gave Balthasar plenty of thinking time. He thought about this long feud between the Montagues and the Capulets and how many people of both families had met their end in the bloody battles and the dirty tricks both families had pulled in each other’s business dealings. He thought about how the fates had aligned to make a child of both families fall in love with each other. His thoughts turned to the dead and innocent Mercutio and the bloodthirsty Tybalt who would have nothing but vengeance. Blood was running through the streets of Verona and there was only so much the civilians could take regarding this feud. Captain Prince and everybody else was heartily sick of the situation. 

I can’t blame them, Balthasar reflected as he drove past the boundary line of the city of Mantua. He found himself breathing easier as he did. He was in safe territory now. Away from the vengeful, bloodthirsty eyes of the Capulets and away from the domineering drive of the Montagues. Here, he was just Balthasar and he was on his way to visit his cousin. There was nothing complicated or fearful about that. This was a place where Romeo could start again, and Juliet too. 

The lodgings that had been provided for Romeo was a small caravan on the edge of the city. As Balthasar left the cool shade of the city shadows behind him, he felt the sunlight roasting him through his windscreen, blinding him with its light. He grabbed for his sunglasses and pushed them over his face. Instantly his view improved and he began to glimpse the caravans dotted around the open space. 

He turned the car towards Romeo’s caravan and smiled when he spotted the young man sitting in the doorway. Pulling up outside the caravan, he watched his cousin look up. 

Romeo tossed a cigarette to the ground, a smile breaking out when he recognized his cousin getting out of the car. He hurried forward to wrap Balthasar in a warm embrace. 

“Am I glad to see you, cousin!” he exclaimed into the hug. “Have you got news already?” he asked, pulling back at once to look into Balthasar’s face. 

Balthasar fixed his most calming smile onto his face. “Nothing about your punishment yet.” He told his cousin and stepped into the shade offered by the small awning hanging off the caravan. The cooling shadows soothed the burning feeling on his cheeks. 

Romeo stepped into them with him. “But something is going on?”

Balthasar nodded his head, maintaining his smile. He had expected Romeo’s impatience given that his cousin was separated from his true love. Though how his cousin could be so certain of that love after knowing his wife less than a week, Balthasar did not know. He expected that the certainty came with the feelings themselves. Perhaps he would know it if it happened to him. Although hopefully his own love life would not be nearly so complicated. 

“Laurence has explained it all in this letter to you. He’s much more eloquent and I am still digesting it all myself,” Balthasar admitted as he took out the letter and handed it to Romeo. He stepped closer to his cousin and stared down at the words written by the priest. 

Dear Romeo,

I hope that you are settled in a safe place for the time being. I write to you because a need has arisen to reunite you with Juliet sooner rather than later. The Capulets are pressuring her to marry Paris, the Governor’s son. She has refused and has enraged her father who is threatening to disown her. Despite his threats, she and I both share the belief that her family will not let her go so easily and will bully her into this marriage. The distress that your wife has endured is immense, on top of everything else that has happened recently. She came to me and begged for my assistance otherwise she would take her own life. 

“Juliet, take her own life?!” Romeo’s head snapped around to look at Balthasar. One of his hands grabbed onto the smaller man’s shirt roughly. “She needs to be stopped. She needs to be watched!” Grief and horror battled their way across Romeo’s features and his eyes flashed wildly. “There must be another solution. I cannot lose her to death!” he began to lower the paper as his eyes immediately focused on Balthasar’s car. “We need to stop her.”

He began to make for the car but Balthasar, instinct kicking in, instantly stepped in the way and pushed his cousin back with a strength he didn’t expect himself to have. Romeo stumbled back, gritting his teeth and shooting Balthasar a death glare. 

“You’ll try and stop me? Really?!” he scoffed, charging towards him. 

Balthasar grabbed hold of his shirt but this time Romeo grabbed his wrists and resisted him, pushing back against his cousin so that Balthasar stumbled back. 

“For the love of god, finish the letter!” Balthasar yelled as Romeo pushed past him and went to the car. “Juliet’s not going to kill herself anymore!” 

Romeo stopped by the car door, with one hand, his chest heaving with the weight of his passion. Balthasar strode over to him and took his arm only for Romeo to throw his hand off and open the door. “You think I can stay still after reading this?!” he snarled at his cousin.

Balthasar huffed, his usually mild-temper rising up in the face of this difficulty. “What’s one more minute to spare to read a letter and learn that Juliet is not going to leave you?!” As he spoke, he pointed to the fallen letter and then leaned down and snatched it up. “Father Laurence wants you to know all of the truth. Not just half the letter. Read the full truth.” 

Romeo frowned at him, suspicion deep in his eyes, as he glared over the open car door. Balthasar stepped closer to him, trying to cool his own annoyance in his face. 

“Just spare a minute, cousin. Please.”

He held out the letter and Romeo took it at last, returning his gaze to the letters on the sheet. 

I have offered a solution which may bring about happier times for you both and will prevent the young lady from taking such an irreversible path. You know of my work with plants. There is a special liquid produced from one which creates the illusion of death but simply puts the drinker into a deep sleep. Juliet will take this draught and sleep for the next 24 hours. During which time her family will believe she has died. When they inevitably call me to their home, I will arrange for her to be laid in church in state. Tomorrow night, when the potion’s work is up, you need to have returned to Verona ready to take Juliet with you. No one will chase Juliet if they believe she is dead and you can live in safety outside the city. 

I will keep doing what I can with Captain Prince but it may be safer for you to stay away forever if the Capulets discover your marriage, Juliet’s survival and do not come to reason. You are led by hot, potent emotions but for a plan such as this, you need to temper them with common sense and follow my instructions. Otherwise you will be captured and executed and then, I fear, nothing will stop your wife from following you into death. 

Keep Balthasar with you tonight. Tomorrow I will confirm when Juliet is in my care and when it will be safe to retrieve her. 

Yours sincerely,

Laurence

Romeo stepped backwards away from the car, breathless from the strange read and his previous exertion. “This is dangerous work. What is Juliet doing? Why did she not just run away?” His attention snapped to Balthasar. “You could have brought her here tonight!” 

“I know!” His cousin agreed. “But then the Capulets would have been chasing her.”

Romeo ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “What if the potion goes wrong? What if she dies for real? This isn’t like being given medicine by a doctor. This is… this taking drugs!” he exclaimed. “She’s gambling with her life.”

“And you’ve never gambled like that. You’ve never taken drugs.” Balthasar countered. He sighed and walked towards his cousin, taking his biceps in his hands. This time he tightened his grip to make it difficult if Romeo tried to shrug him off again. “The pair of you have been gambling this whole time. Marrying a Capulet and in secret? Going after Tybalt and killing him? You’re lucky not to be murdered or executed right now.”

“I know I’m a fool. Everything I’ve done lately has been foolish…” Romeo argued, “except marrying Juliet. She is the only sense in everything I’ve been doing.”

“All the more reason to keep your head now,” Balthasar reminded him. “If done right, you could have your wife with you tomorrow night and both of you can escape.”

“I hear you!” Romeo snapped back. He pushed at Balthasar’s hands and sighed. “Unhand me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Balthasar hesitated before withdrawing his hands. Romeo walked around him, back toward the doorway of the caravan and so Balthasar followed him and leaned against the caravan while his cousin sank back onto his previous perch. For a minute or two, neither of them spoke. The world blazed cold with afternoon sunlight and Balthasar’s thoughts turned towards the approach of night when Juliet would take the potion and prepare for her strange sleep. 

“I don’t like any of this.” Romeo declared. “I hate that Juliet is putting herself in danger to be with me.”

“Didn’t you put yourself in danger to be with her?” Balthasar remarked. “Staying over at her place hours after you were banished?”

Romeo bowed his head but the corner of his lips tugged up. “Is that your job today? To point out my hypocrisy?”

“I’m just saying you have no room to talk,” Balthasar smiled and crouched down so that he was looking up at his cousin. “Try not to focus on the risks, cousin. Do you really think that Laurence would have recommended this if it was that dangerous to do?” 

Romeo seemed to slump even more. “Even the wisest people can make mistakes, Bal,” he murmured, directing the sadness from his eyes into Balthasar’s own. 

Balthasar slumped a little himself under the weight of his cousin’s anxious and sad gaze. “That’s true. But he was talking Juliet down from killing herself. If this concoction is that unpredictable and he was still willing to use it then he may as well have let her pull the trigger. There must be some safety to it if he’s this adamant about the plan.”

“I want to believe that,” Romeo lamented. “I do. It’s just that he could still be wrong.”

“But if he hadn’t offered anything then Juliet would be dead right now.”

Romeo dropped his head into his hands and growled like a wounded animal. “God dammit, Juliet! I would never want her harmed especially not by her own hand. This is too fucking risky.” His fingers tangled in his blond locks, twisting the fine hairs in growing agitation. “I should have just taken her with me. I should have just fucking taken her then.”

“It was too dangerous. You knew that. You couldn’t predict what her parents would do. You couldn’t have seen any of this.” Balthasar placed a hand on Romeo’s arm. “You did what you knew was right at the time. Things just… they just turned so quickly.”

“What if they catch me, Bal? What if they catch you smuggling me back into the city? Where will that leave Juliet then? They’ll just force her to marry Paris then. Or worse, she’ll kill herself. What if I lose her anyway?”

Balthasar’s hand on his cousin’s arm quickly turned into a light shake. “Don’t go there. We’re not going to let any of that happen. We’re gonna follow the plan. We’re not gonna lose our heads, okay?” He spoke with a voice firmer than he felt but right now his cousin needed to hear it. “We’re gonna wait for Laurence to confirm that he has Juliet and then we’re gonna go and get her okay?”

Romeo tensed under his grip and Balthasar feared that he was about to throw him off again. His hands fisted and Balthasar half-expected that a punch may be thrown. Instead Romeo’s shoulders hunched and his eyes squeezed shut as he inhaled harshly once and then twice. The restraint that locked his body was becoming more and more evident. Balthasar searched his mind for anything that might distract his cousin or at least focus his inclination to rebel on something else. Maybe something that could be productive or useful even. 

“We need to plan your return carefully,” he told Romeo thoughtfully. “You’re right in that they could catch us sneaking you in. Maybe there’s a way we could go undetected. I could steal another car if they know mine well enough.”

Romeo lifted his head only a fraction. “That would just buy us trouble later. If it gets reported early enough, they could catch us while we’re on our way in or out. We can’t draw attention to ourselves.” He lowered his hands from his face. 

“Should I have asked Benvolio for help?” Balthasar wondered, remembering his earlier suggestion to Laurence. 

His cousin shook his head. “No. Benvolio is too well-known in the recent street fights. He’d be just as suspected as you.”

“There’s no one else we can ask?” 

“Laurence is the only one who I can trust with this,” Romeo answered solemnly, “and he is flying under the radar at the moment. He is already involved in this.”

Both young men fell silent again and as they did, Balthasar felt the spark of an idea ignite within him. Small and maybe a dangerous spark. A spark that could cause a fire for more than just the Montague boys. A danger that could light up the priest’s life as well. But if it worked. If the theory proved to work well in reality then it could buy them time, enough time to pull this off. 

“Romeo…” Balthasar muttered after a moment or two, “I might just have an idea about that. But we’d be playing a crazy game.”

Romeo lifted his eyebrows and a huff of sarcastic laughter burst from him. “We’re already playing a crazy game, Bal. What exactly did you have in mind now?”

#my fics #fic: fortune's wheel #romeo and juliet #romeo and juliet fanfiction #romeo montague #romeo montague fanfiction #romeo montague smut #juliet capulet #juliet capulet fanfiction #juliet capulet smut #romeo montague x juliet capulet #romeo montague x juliet capulet fanfiction #romeo montague x juliet capulet smut

[secondsineternity]

Ace Attorney Masterlist

Series

All In The Game (co-writen with lizziehearts229) - One last wild weekend. One more fling. One more reckless bad boy. This was Apollo Justice’s last chance for a little fun. After this trip, he’s going to settle down and get serious. No last names. No strings. Just one last night with some roadie he met backstage at the Gavinners concert. [Rockstar!Klavier Gavin/Apollo Justice, Rockstar AU]

The Avengers Go To Court - You, the daughter of a famous defense attorney and chief prosecutor, decide to take Loki’s case as you’ve been growing closer since he’s been back on Earth. With tensions rising, friendships forming and breaking, and surprise co-counseling guests, who will win the trial of a lifetime? [Loki Laufeyson/Reader, Ace Attorney Crossover]

Grasping For Air - When Franziska von Karma is shot and rushed to the Hotti Clinic, she meets a nurse that she can’t stop thinking- or dreaming about. You’re a nurse at the Hotti Clinic, and you’re unexplainably drawn to your new patient, a German prosecutor. [Franziska von Karma/Nurse!Reader]

Justice - My life had always been a series of blurs. I’m a runner. One of my fathers had told me to hit the ground running and never stop for anyone or anything, because if I did there would be too much of a risk that I would never run again. So that’s what I’m doing now. Running. In truth, I’m running for reasons I don’t know yet.What I do know is who I am. My name is Kellarie Justice, and I will never stop running. [Simon Blackquill/SHIELD Agent!Reader, Marvel Crossover]

Lethal Secrecy - A prosecutor and a defense attorney engaging in romantic affairs is not unheard off, but is looked down upon. That’s why Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth must keep their relationship secret. When it all becomes too much, when their hidden affair is on the verge of being exposed, a note left behind will change everything. [Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth, Romeo & Juliet AU, 18+]

Little Songbird - Kristoph Gavin was planning to hang himself in the early morning, after the songbirds wake and before the guards bring his breakfast. If it wasn’t for the erratic girl next door whose only moments not screaming were spent singing, he would’ve gone through with his plan. [Kristoph Gavin/Reader, 16+]

My Kingdom Come Undone - Life changes swiftly for Princess Maya Fey of the kingdom of Kurain when she tells Crown Princess Mia that she volunteers to take the throne, freeing her sister of her unwanted royal duties to elope. Meanwhile in the kingdom of Angeles, Princess Franziska von Karma heads off to Kurain alongside her brother to the pre-engagement ball. Discovering a secret or two that her brother has kept from her, she comes to a realization… She has to become a prince and marry the princess. [Franziska von Karma/Maya Fey, Royalty AU]

Rhysand Knight: Ace Attorney - Rookie defense attorney Rhysand Knight strives to protect his clients in various murder trials, including the death of his mentor, Nesta Archeron. Rhysand’s greatest- and only- ally is Nesta’s youngest sister Feyre, a spirit medium whose body can be possessed by Nesta to communicate with him from beyond the grave. [Rhysand/Feyre Archeron, A Court of Thorns and Roses Crossover]

The Single-Dads-In-Law-Enforcement Club - The Single-Dads-In-Law-Enforcement Club sounded like a bad idea to begin with for Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, father of one Kay Faraday, but when Detective Dick Gumshoe convinces him to come to one meeting he unexpectedly rekindles an old flame with an old friend. As they grow closer, one of their fellow club members grows more distant- and dangerous, causing a rupture in the club’s families that will change their lives forever. [Father!Phoenix Wright/Father!Miles Edgeworth]

Skye: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. - When Lana Skye receives a not guilty verdict for forging evidence of the SL-9 case, she knows that there is more to it than what it seems. She leaves the country to find that reason with Ema in tow, and it starts a whole new life for the both of them- as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. [Marvel Crossover]

Speak - Miles Edgeworth, a famed demon prosecutor, decides to take a case when he meets last-living victim, a young, newly-mute girl named Elena. As their friendship grows, Elena’s bravery blooms and she prepares to testify in court- against her own mother. [General, 16+]

Turnabout Café - Seven years ago, Phoenix Wright opened a café with the hope of being able to support his daughter and giving her a steady future. Nowadays, the Turnabout Café is booming with business and is unarguably one of the most popular tourist attractions in Los Angeles, California. When three investors want to buy the café (which is absolutely not for sale) from Phoenix, his family and employees must fight to keep their café- their home- out of dangerous hands. [Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth]

Whisper - Being a spirit medium brings unwanted guests tagging along wherever you go. What happens when a spirit helps you forge a new friendship- or something more? [Loki Laufeyson/Fey!Reader, Marvel Crossover]

You, Me, and the Concept of Relative Time - A story in ten parts, the story of Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth over the course of their lives, told through a series of slightly or largely connected oneshots. [Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth]

Oneshots

The Right Way To Eat Oreos - After Trucy finds her dad hiding from her papa and eating a pack of Double Stuff Oreos, Phoenix teaches her the “Wright” way to eat the family’s favorite cookie (which, apparently, is not to stuff them all in your mouth at once). [Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth]

Ficlets

Clean - After taking a shower together, Klavier Gavin and Apollo Justice keep distracting each other from talking about their wedding plans. [Apollo Justice/Klavier Gavin]

Comfort - Phoenix Wright comforts Miles Edgeworth after he has another nightmare about DL-6. [Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth]

Insomnia - Apollo Justice gets a phone call in the middle of the night from a restless Klavier Gavin. [Apollo Justice/Klavier Gavin]

Sing - Mia Fey finds her girlfriend Lana Skye singing to herself as she makes them both homemade hot chocolate. [Mia Fey/Lana Skye]

Stargazing - Kay Faraday takes a very reluctant Ema Skye to a stargazing event. [Kay Faraday/Ema Skye]

Thermometer - Klavier Gavin is sick, and Apollo Justice is tired of playing games with his boyfriend. [Apollo Justice/Klavier Gavin]

All works listed above © secondsineternity/glassandroses.

#masterlist #fanfiction #fanfiction masterlist #ace attorney masterlist #ace attorney #ace attorney fanfiction

[xfireforged]

Flirting With Danger

The Heartsong Part 2

Oh, this was stupid. Stupid and reckless. He could already hear Simon yelling at him for even attempting this, but after the news that there were dragons wanting to kill them... Well, Matai wasn't sure if the wards would be able to handle a full-grown dragon trying to breach their barrier. A group of Norse godlings was one thing, but a fire-breathing monster was another. And Matai wanted to make sure that Gabriel's death wasn't in vain.

Sending his dogs outside to go and hang out with Pytir, he wrote a note - just in case - and left it atop his dresser before he headed to the forge. Getting the fire started, Matai grabbed a piece of metal and began to heat it up, watching the silver of the metal become a bright orange. Once it was hot enough, he brought it to his anvil, grabbed his hammer, and began to strike.

With each strike, he thought about everyone in the camp - Sethan, Simon, Virgil, Everett, Davon, Romeo, Silas, Alejandro - and allowed them to be his main focus as he tried to tap into the heartsong one more time. "Father, grant me the strength that runs in my veins. Make our wards as strong as steel, as unshakeable as the mountains... Help protect us from the creatures out there that would rather see our downfall than see us prosper!"

Embers began to fly from the metal as he struck, honing his magic and his emotion into his forging. Completely giving himself into the heartsong like he did before in the hopes that he could connect to the heartsong again and strengthen the wards around camp.

#para: heartsong part 2

[pollyssecretlibrary]

“Appointment in Bath”, by Mimi Matthews

This book was kindly provided by Mimi Matthews through her assistant Rel Mollett. I send my most sincere gratitude to them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

“Appointment in Bath” is the fourth book in the “Somerset Stories” series by Mimi Matthews and although I recommend again, to read “The Work of Art” and “Gentleman Jim” first, this one and “Return to Satterthwaite Court” can be read out of order because the two of them are set in the same time lapse. The next book won’t be like that since it will happen later in time.

The Beresfords and the Burton-Smythes have been enemies since “Gentleman Jim”. Fred Burton-Smythe was the villain in that book, and years later just to spite John Beresford, he’s named his daughter Meg. John and Margaret had several children, the second of the boys being Ivo. Ivo is a young man who doesn’t really care about the family feud like his father or his older brother James do. So when he spots Meg on the side of the road he gets down of his horse and offers his help. This is how they meet and how they become fast friends in secret.

Their personalities are completely different. Ivo is outgoing, openminded, straightforward and happy. Meg is shy, she stammers, she feels invisible at home but she has an iron will and strong determination. Both of them look to the future, but while Meg thinks of the consequences before taking actions, Ivo never had to worry about anything in his life so he’s more reckless and a little blind sometimes, to other people’s feelings. Only Meg can show him how misguided he is, and the only way to do so is by breaking his heart a little. Ivo will have to know what it means to really risk everything to be happy and fight for what he wants by realizing what Meg wants. And convince everyone around them that they are made for each other.

I have loved every book in this series, and although my favorite so far is “Return to Satterthwaite Court” I find in “Appointment in Bath” a love letter to romance and by having the youngest characters in the series so far, the result is the sweetest most innocent book too. Of course, it is based slightly in “Romeo in Juliet” the reckless lovers from Verona. But with differences, and the main one is that in this case, the secret meetings between Meg and Ivo aren’t as reckless and impetuous as the Shakespearean couple, nor are they so dramatic. “Appointment in Bath” is a slow burn, everything happens between the curtains so to speak, instead of in plain sight. First they become very good friends and confidantes, love comes later, when they’ve already lost. Ivo is the very image of his father when he was young, sweet, charming and kind. He’s a cinnamon roll really, compared to the usual dark, broody hero. There’s some innocence to him that makes the reader realize how young he is and it’s not, like in the case of Meg, for lack of experience, but for lack of malice. The man doesn’t have a bad bone in his body.

For her part, Meg needs to be seen before leaving her family. She needs to reassure her place in her family and make her father see her and acknowledge her for herself. Only then she will be confident enough to start a life of her own, with or without Ivo. If only their families left the past in the past…

#Historical romance #victorian romance #closed doors romance #mimi matthews #somerset stories #friends to lovers #feuding families #romeo and juliet

[mageiia]

@nectaric asked: what are some of magissa's biggest goals in life? what is she working towards, how does she intend to get there, and how far is she willing to go to achieve them? what are the motivations for them, as well!

for  the  longest  time  ,  maggie's  supreme  objective  was  to  survive  .  she  did  not  have  any  other  lofty  aspirations  -  it  was  survive  her  mother  ,  survive  the  island  ,  survive  the  travel  ,  survive  the  new  world  ,  and  not  get  caught  .  to  be  discovered  would  have  been  a  death  sentence  —  in  her  mind  ,  either  she  would  have  been  brought  to  olympus  due  to  her  paternal  heritage  ,  or  she  would  have  been  given  her  mother's  sentence  by  virtue  of  her  maternal  heritage  ,  in  which  case  she  probably  would  have  called  on  thanatos  for  help  ,  if  you  know  what  i  mean  .

now  that  she's  found  her  father  ,  and  he's  not  nearly  as  bad  as  she  had  feared  and  her  mother  had  made  him  out  to  be  ,  she's  slowly  starting  to  allow  herself  to  unclench  her  white  knuckled  grip  on  the  continued  fear  of  being  discovered  .

she  never  really  went  to  school  ,  but  has  plenty  of  street  smarts  .  with  that  being  said  ,  she's  very  strong  willed  (  one  could  also  say  hard  headed)  when  it  comes  to  achieving  something  she  has  her  heart  set  on  .

at  any  given  time  ,  she  is  working  towards  perfecting  her  craft  ,  getting  her  brother  (  pan  ,  specifically  ,  she  has  many  brothers  but  only  cares  about  pan  )  to  like  her  ,  and  keeping  her  little  family  unit  (  her  ,  romeo  ,  and  hermes  )  contained  and  safe  .  she's  scared  of  loftier  goals  —  society  has  ,  historically  ,  not  been  kind  to  women  who  look  like  her  and  could  do  what  she  could  do  —  and  she  hates  personal  failure  .

with  that  being  said  ,  like  ,  she  does  die  .  and  when  she  comes  back  ,  she's  a  queen  .  not  just  like  ,  slay  ,  but  like  ,  she's  the  queen  to  hypnos'  king  .  so  that  jettisons  her  towards  having  loftier  goals  ,  maintaining  her  own  realm  ,  setting  protocols  and  boundaries  for  herself  and  her  staff  and  her  worshipers  ,  and  understanding  her  place  among  the  gods  and  her  powers  and  all  of  that  .

now  i  love  your  question  about  how  far  is  she  willing  to  go  ,  because  the  answer  really  is  as  far  as  it  takes  ( like a certain uncle of hers ) .  that  is  something  that  becomes  more  apparent  in  her  trial  when  she's  petitioning  to  become  a  goddess  as  opposed  to  being  restored  to  life  (  this  thread  lives  in  discord  otherwise  i'd  be  linking  to  it  )  ,  the  promises  she's  willing  to  make  .  much  of  her  counsel  has  to  be  convincing  her  to  temper  herself  .  that's  not  to  say  she's  blindly  reckless  ,  but  she  won't  play  the  politics  game  if  she  doesn't  deign  to  .  in  that  way  ,  she  is  her  mother's  daughter  .  just  ,  like  ,  don't  tell  her  that  lol  .  

her  motivations  are  always  survival  ,  love  ,  and  self-preservation  .  she  would  do  anything  to  survive  another  day  ,  and  she  would  do  anything  for  those  she  loves  .  this  could  easily  be  used  against  her  ,  but  she  spent  so  long  starved  of  love  ,  now  she  can't  stop  .  

#nectaric #*̳ iii. inbox ᵃⁿˢʷᵉʳᵉᵈ ) — ᴄʟᴏsɪɴɢ the c̳i̳r̳c̳l̳e̳ 🔮 #*̳ iv. character ˢᵗᵘᵈʸ ) — r̳a̳w̳ ᵇᵉᵗʷᵉᵉⁿ the 𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑠 ���� #another novel i cannot keep my mouth shut about my ocs :> #she's got big feelings and an anger streak and so much love to give (sound familiar)

[crazybigredlove]

4th July 2013 

Dear Pete, 

My therapist (I feel so tragically hipster saying that. Give me a second, I want to change into my skinny jeans, grab some over-sized, black-rimmed glasses, and practice my best apathetic look so I can really appreciate the moment), Harry, insists that I do this every day to show my dedication to our friendship. Ha! Like you did by taking off without me? I feel it should be noted that he also thought the salmon short-sleeve shirt with cargo pants was a good idea. He is fifty and morbidly obese. Not that it matters, other than to say that salmon should be reserved for the six men in the world who can pull it off. Assume if you are male and don't hold a Calvin Klein modelling contract, you are probably not one of those six men. 

Ignore me. I'm just angry with him because he supports your idea and he smells like cheese. 

Harry seems to think this will benefit me and that perhaps there is a risk that I will begin to fill the slight gap in my life since you left with reckless behaviour. Honestly, you're best friends with someone since you're four and when overnight they disappear from your apartment claiming that they need to go out into the world and find who they really are (translation: get very drunk and sleep with lots of random women) and they leave no details of their adventures or a stand-in to fill the spare time while they're away, all of a sudden everyone thinks you're lonely and not coping. I will admit that taking the money we put aside for a new dishwasher and spending it on a German Shepherd puppy was not a good idea given the size of the apartment and just how much I hate doing dishes (I called him Buffy in case you were wondering), but I do not for a moment think it's because the person I've shared apartments with since I was eighteen just cleared out on me overnight because some dumb trollop with awful regrowth cheated on him and made the poor decision to not throw that information his way till after she and her father had slow-walked down the aisle to 'Here Comes The Bride'. 

She says "Hi!" by the way. Troll. 

Also, exactly how much did you tell my therapist BEFORE I EVEN MET HIM given that he just magically knew I was at risk of "reckless behaviour"? 

Anyway, enough about your failures as a friend; this can't turn into another episode of 'The Liv Show'. I will be happy you're away chasing your goals and I will promote a positive attitude regarding our friendship to the man in the salmon-coloured shirt. 

This dating site business you insisted on... Interesting. Mostly in that 'please don't find out where I live and kill me in my sleep' way. Over one hundred men contacted me in twenty-four hours. One hundred! Thirty actually paid to send me emails, which suggests to me that it must be even rougher out there for men than for women. The future is bleak. So far nothing that makes me jump up and down or gives the sense that my risk of carpal tunnel will reduce anytime soon. Will hang in there though as surely Romeo is just an email away. Where would true love start if not via the Internet? 

I'm kidding. I've already closed the account. Twenty-four hours was long enough to ascertain that most of them are insane. Sent three my phone number, so that's three whole chances to be killed by a psychotic killer. Keeping things lively as always. 

Told you that frivolity would ensue. 

Liv x 

#love #relationships #friendships #dating #lost #emails i sent #memories

[fyperrymason]

“The affection between the two performers was obvious. Raymond told me over lunch one day that he planned to end the series of movies with one in which Mason and Della finally got married. The films began to include genuine expressions of love between the characters, even a kiss or two (the original series had been much more coy about what was an obvious long ongoing relationship between boss and secretary).” - Max Allan Collins 

#Perry Mason #Raymond Burr #Barbara Hale #Max Allan Collins #Della Street #gif #cue Whitney Houston's 'Didn't We Almost Have It All' #Perry Mason Returns #The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host #The Case of the Reckless Romeo #The Case of the Maligned Mobster #The Case of the Murdered Madam

[thelastairsimblr]

Family Pack #1

I’m happy to share some sims with you all today! In this post, you’ll find 10 households (40 sims total), each with their own stories and biographies. All of these sims have additional Everyday outfits, skills, bonus traits, Likes and Dislikes, sexual orientations, pronouns, family dynamics, and Lifestyles. You can find them all on the gallery under my Origin ID: TheLastAirSimmer or in the tray files linked under the cut! As always, feel free to tag me if you end up using them.

Kyle

Andrea was just a small investigative reporter looking for her big break when she met Ramon. She was able to sit him down for an interview on a case they were both interested in and the natural chemistry they had was just too hard to ignore. Andrea worked up the courage to say yes after his many advances and they eventually fell in love, got married, and had a baby girl. Even though she’ll always be daddy’s little girl, Teresa wants to be a rebel and escape the eye of her watchdog of a father.

Dorval

The Dorvals have made names for themselves beyond the limits of their small town. Redick is a master of the fantasy genre, able to bring to life his readers wildest dreams with unmatched skill; young Jill is his biggest fan. Maisie admires her fathers’ talent and hopes to become a prodigy in her own right in the world of theatre. Rosalie made her family values integral to her political campaign and keeps everyone in line while Lucien, the eldest, takes nothing seriously aside from his music.

Browne-Morris

Howard met Romeo while married to Jackie and knew that things with her wouldn’t last. He still had a son with her and Jackie vowed to make sure Kendrick would always know love. Years later, the men have their own family and now that Kendrick is a teen, Jackie wants to follow her dreams and become a massage therapist. Howard hopes his firstborn will be a great big brother to Erick, though Kendrick is still uncomfortable being around them. Meanwhile, Romeo wants to be his husbands’ first priority.

Gallagher

Products of two powerful families, the union of Wallace and Morgana was never in doubt. Though the guidance counselor grew to love her husband over time, she can’t help but feel him pulling away. Bridgette, the eldest child, chose the humble path of a drama teacher, hoping to move out of her parents’ soon. Though she’s saving money on rent, she doesn’t know how much longer she can stand her siblings (perky Madeline and antisocial Kit) whilst also witnessing her parents’ crumbling marriage.

Jordan-Salazar

Malcolm and Gianna are fully aware of the perceptions surrounding their relationship. A wealthy businessman worth millions ending up with a reality TV star? People are bound to talk, but the couple couldn't care less! The twins Chloe and Connor, still reeling from their parents’ divorce, are having a hard time accepting this new mother-in-law. And with a new addition to the family, Chloe is afraid of no longer being her fathers' favorite while Connor is worried about his inheritance.

Coleman

Dhalia is a defense attorney who fell deeply in love with a client. Lance has been working hard to mend his troubled past ever since. However, with a criminal record and no high school degree, he was only able to get low wage work. He hopes to one day feel worthy of his loving wife and pull his own weight in their marriage by using the skills he learned in prison to become a crafter. Their daughter Shauna has inherited her mother's intelligence and grit, but also her father's love for danger.

Waldorf

Free from a confining marriage, wealthy playboy Myles Waldorf was thriving after his divorce. Extravagant parties and a string of nameless lovers were his norm. He never assumed that in keeping everything from the settlement, he would soon become the primary caregiver for his teenage daughter Charlotte. She shares her fathers’ sense of self-importance, but bemoans his reckless behavior and wants to make a name for herself, unattached to Myles’ (of course, she’ll gladly take his money to do so)!

Castillo

As a creative person, Ruben is quick to recognize and appreciate artistic value in others. So, when the lovely Camilla won him over with her baked goods, he knew he knew he had to have her! Being a pastry chef, socialite, and a mother of two are all facets of her personality that she is deeply proud of. However, Marisol and Esteban don't seem to appreciate passion or hard work! The superficial cheerleader is incredibly materialistic and her younger brother isn't much better.

Hildebrandt

The Hildebrandt’s have quite the reputation as an upstanding family. A surgeon and a dean, Richard and Claire are professionals in their fields. Claire set high expectations for Monique; the girl tries her best to reach them even as they overwhelm her. Richard didn’t hesitate to take in his nephew Trevor after his sister died, but the rest of the family seems unsure about this roguish new houseguest. With the exception of Thaddeus of course, who’s just excited to have someone to play with.

Gaston

These aging lovers are ready to enjoy their golden years. Lynette recently retired from her job as a schoolteacher and now spends her days focusing on her pastimes, fabricating new creations for her loved ones. Jodie was eager to leave the police force and join her wife in times of leisure; that is until Lynette’s niece moved in to be close to school. Having missed the chance to have her own children, Lynette loves having Violet around. But Violets’ flaky habits are causing problems with Jodie.

#the sims 4 #sims 4 #ts4 #cc free #sims dump #sim dump #sims 4 vanilla #family dump

[alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer]

romeo must die

this one-shot is based on the song Romeo Must Die by Gabrielle Aplin, I highly recommend listening to it! shout out to @eugeniaslongsword for introducing me to it :) i even borrowed some lyrics from it haha. it is also inspired by the entire playlist I made, "being treated badly by someone doesn't make you love them more"

content warnings: past toxic/unhealthy relationship, the uncomfy 6-year age gap between Alastair and Charles

Masterlist | Read on AO3

"Alastair, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Alastair looked up from what he was working on. He was in the library of the Institute, along with Cordelia, Thomas, James, Matthew, and Christopher. They were searching for any clue as to how Lucie had done what she’d done or what Tatiana and Belial were planning. Alastair wasn't entirely sure how he got roped into the ordeal, but it seemed as though Thomas suggested him as an extra set of eyes, and Cordelia latched onto the idea.

"No," he said curtly, returning to his reading.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. I'm quite busy at the moment." Alastair spoke under his breath, not wanting to draw the others' attention. How many times had Charles barked the same words at him, swatting him away, hacking away at paperwork or planning his next step in his career? The words sat bittersweet in his chest.

"Surely you could spare a few moments."

"I certainly could. But I do not wish to." Charles had a way of getting into his head and twisting his words and his feelings. It was not an experience he wished to revisit. It was better here, with an audience. It had also been easier in the infirmary, knowing that he held all of the power. His father had made him feel the same way, he thought bitterly. He understood now that what he'd done at school was not only to protect himself from the bullies. He wanted to reclaim the power stolen from him by his father; he wanted for once in his life to hold power himself. He hadn't yet come to the realization that holding that kind of power did nothing but harm. It was of no use, anyways, because it didn't matter how much he perfected his tongue and his wit on the other students at the Academy, he was never able to use it when it counted. Not with Elias, and not with Charles.

"It's fine if you need to take a few minutes, Alastair,” Cordelia said gently. All of the eyes in the room had come to rest on the two of them. Now he wished he’d spoken louder.

“It’s alright, Charles was just leaving.”

He had hoped that Charles would give up and leave knowing that everyone was watching him, but he was determined. He grabbed Alastair’s arm. “It’ll just be-”

Alastair stood, but pulled his arm away. “Don’t touch me.”

In a flicker, Alastair saw it: the anxiety began to set in. Charles began to realize that he would not be able to play his usual tricks. “Why are you acting like this?”

“I believe I was quite clear when I told you I don’t wish to speak with you. You’re the one who can’t let this go.”

“Must you act so childish?”

He rolled his eyes. “Must you always call me childish for thinking for myself instead of catering to your every whim?”

“I don’t understand. You said we were fine.”

Alastair sighed. Perhaps for a moment, he thought that was true. For just a second, he thought there was a world where he and Charles could be friends. But Alastair had decided that he would no longer call people who hurt him his friends. “Yes, well, I lied. I wanted to let you down gently, but it’s clear to me now that it must be spelled out for you. How shall I put this? You and I are past our dancing days, Charles.”

“But-” He stammered, searching for words. “What happened with Grace Blackthorn wasn’t my fault.”

“Maybe not. But what of Miss Bridgestock? Am I to pretend that what happened with Miss Blackthorn was not the same as what happened two years earlier?”

“You told me many times that you took no issue with that, that you understood.”

“I understood what you told me, which we both know was never the full truth. I was a sixteen year old desperate for your affections, and the fact that you truly believe I never had any issue with your arrangement is proof that you never genuinely cared about me or listened to my thoughts. I told you in the infirmary that this wasn’t your fault because I thought it’d ease the pain, but I lied. And I don’t have time to sit here and watch you cry over it.”

Alastair wished that watching Charles become flustered would have been more enjoyable. Instead, all he wanted was for this to end. “You- you’re different than when we met. You’ve changed. You’re cruel and callous, I don’t understand how I could not see how heartless you were until now. You are everything that everyone claims you to be. How am I to even know what the truth is when it comes from your lips?”

There was a time when those words would have cut deeply into him, eating at his every insecurity, but Charles mistakenly assumed that Alastair was the same person he was last July, with the same insecurities. “When we met, I was fourteen years old. I’ve grown up, and it is time for you to do the same. It’s been six months, Charles. You need to stop writing me. If that makes me heartless, I don’t care. And if you wish to know the truth, the truth is that the moment you leave here, if I never see your face again, it still will not be long enough.”

Charles stared at him for a long while, unable to find a proper retort. In the end, it was Matthew who stepped in. “Charles, I believe it’s time for you to go.”

He obliged, finally turning to leave the library. As he began to walk away, however, Alastair knew that he was not finished. His heart beat a little bit faster at the thought of such a confession, and faster again when he realized who would hear it, but there was no piece of parting with Charles that he wished to regret.

“Wait,” he said. Charles froze and turned to look at him. “I know it’s unlikely that you have it in the cold depths of your soul to care, but let the record show that I would have given you everything. I would have given you my life, all of the love and trust that I had to give, and then I would have given more. And you gave me nothing. So the next time you’re pondering my heartlessness, you ought to wonder what that means for you.”

Finally satisfied, Alastair did not wait for Charles to turn and leave again to return to his seat and pick his reading back up. He waited for a moment, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of everyone’s eyes on him. He stood once more, opening his mouth to speak, but the words were caught in his throat. Instead, he walked out of the library in silence.

Finding the nearest balcony, he attempted to steady his breath.

“Are you alright?” He heard from behind him. Thomas. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

He shook his head. “I just needed some air.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Alastair sighed. He backed up against the window and slid down to the floor of the balcony. “I know- I know that everyone sort of knew already, but… by the Angel, I feel so pathetic.”

“You’re not pathetic,” Thomas told him, sitting down beside him.

“You were right, of course you were. I was so… taken with him, back in Paris. I couldn’t see him for what he was. I was so naive, so foolish. I just- After everything I’ve seen, everything I’ve been through, how did I not realize-”

Thomas put his hand on Alastair’s knee. “You wanted to see the best in him. After everything you’d seen and been through, you wanted to believe that there were still good and honest people in the world. And there are. I’m sorry that he was not one of them, but that does not make you foolish or pathetic. It makes you… kind.”

“I bet you’d never imagined describing me as such before.”

“It seems you’re full of surprises,” Thomas teased. “But that’s not true. I always saw the kindness in you, even back at school, when you did everything to keep it hidden.”

“As you can see, my ‘kindness’ has never gotten me very far.”

“You were out of practice. Following me on my reckless nighttime patrols, that was kind. More than kind. I don’t think I ever thanked you for that, for risking your life to protect mine.”

“I didn’t do it for gratitude.”

“And yet I owe you mine nonetheless.”

“I can’t go back in there, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can tolerate you and your friends hating me just fine. But if any of your friends give me even an ounce of pity- well, we’ll see just where the limits of my kindness lie, won’t we?”

Thomas stood up, offering Alastair his hand. “Pity comes from those who cannot even begin to understand what you’ve experienced. For what it’s worth, I don’t think my friends will pity you. But if they do, you can ignore them. For Lucie.”

Alastair sighed and allowed Thomas to pull him to his feet. “Fine. Let’s get back to reading.”

“Speaking of reading, do you have the entirety of Shakespeare’s canon memorized, or only the lines you believe may pop up in conversation?”

“Excuse me?”

“‘For you and I are past our dancing days,’ it’s Romeo and Juliet, isn’t it? It’s the only one of his works that I got through.”

Alastair froze. “You haven’t read Hamlet?”

“I tried.”

“Othello? King Lear? Macbeth? Midsummer Night’s Dream?”

He shook his head.

“That’s impossible. And James is friends with you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Wait until my sister finds out you haven’t read Hamlet,” he warned, starting towards the library with urgency in his step.

“Wait, don’t- I just don’t like Shakespeare! What’s so wrong with that?” Thomas’ attempts at reasoning were futile, however, a welcome distraction from all of their recent sorrows finally taking hold.

Thanks for reading!! This was self indulgent af lol. I'm not to sure whether some people only wanted to be tagged in my social media AU, so if that's the case I'm sorry & please tell me!: @stxr-thxif @chaos-and-starlight @lifewouldbebetteronmars @littlx-songbxrd @dianasarrow @eugeniaslongsword @bookswitchcraftandcats @jamesherondaleofficial @thomas-gaypanic-lightwood @livingformyself @anarmorofwords @foxglove-airmid @writeforjordelia @sapphic-in @thecodexsays @fortheloveofthecarstairs @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @shadowrunner2000 @thewarthatsavedmylife @fair-childd @icouldnotask @shadowhunting-hooligans @melanielocke @clarys-heosphoros @kiwichaeng @lightwoodsimp @thecrimsonsorceresss @theenchanteddreamer @adams-left-hand @yozinha-z @ipromiseiwillwrite @skirtsandsweaters @goodoldfashionednerd

#alastair carstairs #charles fairchild #if you're a charles apologist just block me #thomas lightwood #thomastair #tlh #the last hours #cw toxic relationship #coi spoilers #fanfiction #fanfic

[1-lightofjustice]

Dad Rating of Old Scepter 4 (and Current Scepter 4)

It started with me noticing that 60% discovered members of old Scepter 4 are dad and daddy materials, then made this post for self-enjoyment. Grammar? Coherent thought? What is that?

1. Shiotsu : The legend, the holy, the Daddiest of all. Dad (control) to Habari and Zenjou, then to Minato twins (Friendly reminder that the age difference between Shiotsu and Zenjou is 10 years). Both pairings are definitely not the easiest children in the town. He’s the 5% impulse control that Habari and Zenjou had left. Actually responsible for clan matters while the King and the Knight were busy playing dog-chain BDSM. Participated in children of subordinate’s birthday when he coincidentally had free time, and brought them gift (almost give him minus for giving a pair of 12 years old catalog book but turns out he calculated the twins’ adoration for Habari and gave them gifts related to Habari Jin, so another plus point for him) Tried his best to handle bundle of angst headless chickens that is old Scepter 4 post Habari’s death (with varying degree of success but we know that he did his best). Bend backward and pleaded to (somewhat)rival clan to cover Minato twins’ asses. Approved Minato twins decision to find their own identity. Get along with Kusanagi and somehow managed to ‘dad’ him (That’s a HUGE achievement). He will be god-tier if he smiles a bit more since positive expression is important for kid’s growth but to be fair for him with Habari, Zenjou, and Minato twins as your children it will be hard to not scowl. 

2. Domyouji's dad : from all canon crumbles that I’ve compiled on this meta about him, he's legit great dad. Protective? Check. Lenient with a good purpose? Check. Respect his son’s choice? Check. Has high opinion of his son? Check. Our precious Andy deserves no less.

3. Minato Hayatoshi : Good dad as far as I know, tried to adjust his scedule for his sons birthday and gave his sons nice fountain pens. Minus point for wanting to die with his wife although he has minors on his responsibility, but not his fault that old Scepter 4 are apparently infected with Romeo syndrome (case in point : Habari and Zenjou on Kagutsu incident. LET’S DIE TOGETHER FOR ROMANTIC ANGST AND DON’T GIVE A SHIT FOR THOSE WHO WAS LEFT BEHIND). Shiotsu detested the syndrome.

4. Kamo : Hard to judge him because we mostly know about his inability to meet his daughter properly (something about losing at child support struggle with his wife) than actual caring he had done to his daughter. But he managed to handle Domyouji (somewhat) fine, know basic of childcare and actually care for Fushimi’s diet so he’s a good dad I guess.

5. Zenjou : The dumb rambunctious reckless baby of the group (before Minato twins entered) but he's a good dad to Takeru, EFGH, and maybe Yayoi. Drink his Respect Woman Juice.

6. Munakata : Quite drastic downgrade on standard from above but Munakata actually care and quite know what he was doing about handling minors. Fushimi is the prime example, think positive on children, and he efficiently handled the power problem on baby in Days of Blue. Care for his niece and nephew dearly. Minus point for giving 6 years old “Pinnacle Code for Dummies” book, leaving baby alone in the hand of his ‘probably mostly virgin’ subordinates, and playing mind games with 16 years old traumatized Fushimi.

7. Seri-chan and Alphabet boys : Days of Blue chapter 2, enough said. Bunch of bishounen idiots who don't know how to handle a baby before it destroyed their whole room and knocked them in the head. Granted the said baby is superpowered but they're literally a trained squad to handle superpowered beings. A trained squad turned into fumbling mess while facing barely one year old baby. Using swords while babysitting, the said baby is superpowered but seriously? C+ for efforts.

8.  Habari : As we know he has a very questionable taste at picking clansmen to collect but from Yukari's novel at least we know that his desire to adopt random dangerous lost children is as powerful as Munakata. Still, his handling on Yukari is definitely not a good dad behavior and he made a pair of 12 years old orphan clansmen in the upcoming big battle with Purgatory (maybe will change my opinion after we know the complete situation on Ground Zero novel). Blue King and their absurd taste of entertainment probably better stay away from kids (I don't make the rules, Kokujoji made them. And Ichigen).

Bonus :

Dunno where I should put Fushimi in the rank since based on his personality, he should not be capable at handling children (pessimist attitude, has no filter in his mouth, openly express that he dislikes children, etc) but somehow kids are latched on him for NO CLEAR REASON. But at least he was aware when a baby is hungry, let a kid sat on his lap and drool on his foot so I’ll maybe put him above alphabet boys.

#k project #SCEPTER 4 #old scepter 4 #shiotsu gen #domyouji's dad #minato hayatoshi #kamo ryuho #zenjou gouki #Munakata Reisi #Awashima Seri #scepter 4 alphabet squad #habari jin #fushimi saruhiko #this post definitely has no purpose #but I enjoyed it #Zenjou is bestie with Akio #somewhat respectful with Seri-chan #also Yayoi #Munakata is a good dad if all things considered #the problem is his impulse interest is as bad as Habari #regarding potential lost children #Shiotsu is the best and sexiest daddy