#but they'll have a proper wedding later | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

slaymitchabernathy · 1 month

Text

Follow My Lead

She looks perfect walking down the aisle.

His bride.

Coriolanus hadn't seen her until now, met her until now but none of that matters now. An arranged marriage isn't the most modern concept but it's one that's continually practiced by the Capitol's elite families.

Boys grow up learning to be strong, independent, providers.

Girls grow up learning to be kind, supportive, nurturing.

He'd worried for a moment that he might get a horrible match. You truly never know until those doors open and you see for yourself what type of girl you've been saddled with. His wedding is one of the last ones within his friend group, and he's been a witness to quite a few tragic pairings.

It's always strange to see two of your classmates getting married, coming to terms with knowing that they'll be tied to each other forever.

All you get is a simple confirmation that you've been given a proper match and that's that. No name, no details. Your future bride could be your best friend or your sworn enemy.

Coriolanus thanks his lucky stars right now that he wasn't paired with Livia Cardew. He would've been absolutely miserable.

If anything he's won a great prize. Soarynn Nightingale looks elegant as she holds onto her father's arm, the two of them walking towards Coriolanus and the ordained minister. He's gotten very lucky with this marriage.

He'd been worried that his financial status might hinder him from securing a fit match for him, that he might get stuck with some girl who was equally as poor as him. Or worse, someone who pitied him.

He knows very little about the Nightingale's status and how they've survived after the war but he immediately notices that the row where her family would be sitting is empty.

So is his.

He'll have to ask her about that later.

He can't see her face under the veil cast over it but he already knows she's beautiful. He can tell from the way people gasped when the doors opened, revealing his bride-to-be. He nervously shifts on his feet, is she excited or disappointed? He knows how he feels, how relieved he feels but is she upset or underwhelmed? He knows he's not much, not right now at least, but he'll get there.

He's a Snow. And Snow lands on top.

By the time she reaches him, Coriolanus is nearly shaking with excitement. Her father gives him a small smile, and he returns it as he reaches out his hand for the man’s daughter to take. Soarynn’s hand leaves her father’s arm after giving it one last squeeze and she takes the hand of her future husband.

Coriolanus can’t help but notice how perfectly her small hand fits into his large one. How soft her hands are, how dainty. Her nails are well-manicured for today’s event, every single part of her has been perfectly prepared for the most important day of her life.

He brings them up to the altar where the ordained minister nods at the young couple along with all the guests in attendance who take their seats.

Now holding both of Soarynn’s hands Coriolanus listens to the prewritten speech that he’s heard at every wedding. It’s funny how these words have meant nothing to him until now, haven’t held any meaning until he’s been the one agreeing to them.

He worries throughout the whole thing though, is he holding her hands too tight, too loosely? He steals a few glances at her but can’t see much under that veil. Finally, the minister gets to the important part.

The vows.

He turns to Soarynn first, clearing his throat before asking her to pledge herself to her future husband.

“Do you, Soarynn Nightingale, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold him throughout all your days, in sickness and in health? Do you vow to stand by him for richer or for poorer, to be a pillar of support? Do you vow to obey him and bear the children he shall gift upon you?”

This is where his nerves skyrocket because she could say no. Leave him at the altar. He is basically a stranger, and he’s certainly not a rich one at that.

Soarynn gently squeezes his hands, “I do.”

He nearly lets out a breath of relief but withholds it when the minister turns to him, asking him to pledge himself to his future wife.

“Do you, Coriolanus Snow, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold her throughout all your days, in sickness and in health? Do you vow to stand by her for richer or for poorer, to be a pillar of authority? Do you vow to protect her and provide for the children you shall gift to her?”

Coriolanus swallows because it’s a lot of pressure when you put it like that. He won’t just be providing for himself but now Soarynn and hopefully, their children someday.

He nods, giving her hands a squeeze as well, “I do.”

The minister smiles and motions to the ring bearer who brings out the rings Coriolanus had chosen. It was a no-brainer really, with so little to his name he couldn’t afford to be picky.

And his mother and father’s wedding rings look beautiful.

“Vintage,” is what he’ll call them if anyone asks about it. He’s bringing back the old Panem from before the war. Before he lost everything.

But isn’t his everything standing in front of him right now?

Both of them take the rings and he ever so carefully slips his mother's ring onto her finger, remembering how often he'd admire it on his mother's finger. She'd read him a bedtime story and her left hand would caress his golden curls while he rested against her. Smelling like roses.

Soarynn slips his ring on next, this ring he remembers for different reasons. It's a thick gold band, with the initials ' C.X.S. ' engraved on the inside. Crassus Xanthos Snow, a beacon of Capitol citizenship. Stern, always commanding the room. And rich. Coriolanus only hopes to live up to his father's unsaid expectations.

He takes a deep breath because this is it, they've done it. All that's left is the kiss.

The ordained minister smiles proudly, another successful marriage under his belt no doubt, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Snow. You may now kiss your bride."

Coriolanus goes to lift up the veil, his fingers shaking as he handles the intricately laced fabric. Not because he's scared of tearing it, but because he's scared of what lies under. He lifts it up and over her head and the first thing he sees are her eyes.

Blue and gray.

They're so startling, so piercing yet gentle and sweet. Her lips curl up into a small smile and he takes the rest of her face in. She's got tan skin, but then again anyone is tan compared to him and his porcelain complexion. There are freckles all over her face, lightly covered by makeup. Her dark eyebrows are a stark comparison to her blonde hair. Her blonde hair. Any child of theirs will look just like him, a Snow.

Pure as Snow.

Coriolanus smiles as he cups her face and leans down, pressing his lips against hers in a gentle kiss to which she eagerly responds. The kiss is short lived once people start cheering, a few whistles can even be heard. They certainly make for a rather attractive couple compared to some of the others.

When he pulls away he's slightly breathless but wastes no time in taking her hand in his and leading the two of them down the aisle. They wave to their friends, Soarynn waves to her father and finally, they reach the two large oak doors.

As tradition states, the newlyweds are allotted five minutes to get properly introduced before attending the reception dinner.

She's not a complete stranger though, he knows Soarynn, but only through her writing. After enough failed marriages, the elders realized that the young adolescents they were marrying off needed to know something about one another.

That's how the letters started.

Every week leading up to the wedding you were to write your future wife or husband a letter, detailing things such as your hobbies, favorite colors, and so on. Obviously, things like names, addresses, and friends could not be mentioned so as to not ruin the secrecy. But Coriolanus felt he had learned a great deal about Soarynn Nightingale through her letters.

He remembered her most recent one the clearest since it was the last letter he'd received.

To my dearest husband, I must admit, I am quite nervous about the ceremony. I know I will have you with me and that has helped soothe my nerves but I can't help but wonder if those above us have made a wonderful or fateful decision. I trust my father's judgment but he's often blinded by his want for me to be taken care of no matter the cost. He's assured me that you'll be able to take care of me but I don't long to be taken care of. I don't want riches or gifts. I simply wish to be loved and I hope you can give me that. I know my love for you will deepen every day we are together. I can't wait to meet you.

Now that he was truly alone with her it felt so surreal. They both let out a breath once the doors closed behind them, secluding the couple in a room for the next five minutes. "Hello," he finally says, scratching the back of his neck as he looks down at her. She's significantly shorter than him and he likes that already.

She brushes her hair behind her ears, "Hello Coriolanus, it's wonderful to finally meet you."

He nods, "Likewise. I...I want to tell you how beautiful you look. I must admit I was a bit nervous about who I'd be married to, I'm sure you can relate."

Soarynn laughs as she nods, "Yes, I most certainly can. Arranged marriages seem to work a bit easier when you're married to someone as handsome as you are."

He blushes at her compliment. He knows he's handsome, but to hear it come from her lips is something else entirely. "I suppose we'll have to go back out there soon," he says, slightly disappointed. He knows how these reception dinners go, everyone gushing over how you've been given the perfect match and all that. You barely get any time with your wife. Until you go home that is. He pales at the thought of bringing her home to his penthouse which is a fraction of what he wants it to be.

Soarynn takes notice of his now sickly appearance immediately and reaches up to cup his face, her fingers so gentle against his cheek, "Are you alright?" Coriolanus nods and reaches to grab her wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze, "I just...I'm a bit nervous for when we go home," he admits.

Her eyes widen and she takes his other hand in hers, "Then I must assure you that I've remained endlessly faithful to you, even before we were arranged to be married, I've never been with another man."

A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips because he wasn't even thinking about that. But she clearly was which means she's probably nervous about it. He'd barely even thought about them having sex to consummate the marriage. Not when he's certainly not a virgin. But high society girls like Soarynn have it drilled into their heads they that must stay pure for their future husbands.

Of course, not all girls listen to this rule but Soarynn seems like a rule follower. He knows that he's supposed to report to the marriage counsel in a week's time about whether or not she's been true to her word, whether or not there was some blood on the sheets. He shudders at the thought. Another bridge they'll cross when they get to it. He just wants to get through dinner first.

"It's not your faithfulness I'm worried about darling," he starts, noticing how she blushes at the new pet name, "my family home isn't quite what it used to be since the war." Soarynn furrows her brows, "Well I'm sure we can fix it up. Don't worry about it Coriolanus, we have plenty of time to get settled."

Their time is up and they can't afford to be late so he simply nods and presses a kiss to her cheek before leading them out into the banquet hall where everyone has already gathered around the long table.

Dinner is as tedious as he expected. He sits at the head of the table, Soarynn to his left, her father to his right. He of course made sure to pull out her chair for her and ensure she was comfortable, and he was diligent about making sure her plate was filled before his and that her champagne glass was never half-full.

Many older women complimented him on it, how caring he was, what a gentleman he was being. Soarynn was an attentive wife as well, holding his hand, praising him whenever possible, and well she just looked beautiful. Her dress was gorgeous. The sleeves were lace and it continued all the way up to her neckline, showing off some of her chest. The bodice cinched at her waist and flowed down to the ground.

They were a perfect high society couple.

They ate and talked for a while longer before he was pulled into a rather serious conversation with her father. Soarynn was chatting with her friends and Mr. Nightingale leaned over and grabbed Coriolanus's arm, "I'd like to thank you for agreeing to marry my daughter." Coriolanus swallows his champagne while trying to hide his nerves, "The honor is all mind sir. She's a beautiful girl, very sweet and caring." He'd only known her for an hour but still. Mr. Nightingale nods, his eyes linger on Soarynn for only a moment, "Promise me you'll take care of her, no matter what the cost." The pressure resting on his shoulders seemed to feel even heavier after hearing those words but Coriolanus nods, "I'll protect her with my life sir."

That seems to satisfy the man because he gives Coriolanus a firm handshake and then the music starts. Many people hop out of their seats and make their way to the dance floor and Coriolanus turns to ask Soarynn if she'd like to dance when he sees how petrified she looks. He squeezes her hand, "Is everything alright? Do you need to drink some water?" Soarynn waves him off and grabs her champagne glass, drinking the whole thing in one go. Coriolanus is both impressed and concerned and he quickly grabs the glass from her hand, "Soarynn tell me what's wrong," he pleads, suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to make her happy no matter what the cost. He did promise her father that he'd do that after all.

Soarynn lets out a shuddered breath and glances over her shoulder at the dance floor, at all the other couples dancing. "I can't dance," she whispers, her tone nearly desperate as she leans in towards him, "I never learned and I'm afraid I've been born with two left feet."

Coriolanus slowly nods, putting the pieces she's laid out for him together. It's not a rule that they have to dance, but it is custom and it's terribly fun to dance with a girl you like. He straightens up, "I'll show you, I promise it'll be fun. If you don't like it then we'll never dance for the rest of our lives," he says with a bit of teasing, hoping to ease her nerves. His words have the effect he hopes for and she visibly relaxes, her shoulders slouching, "Alright," she whispers.

He stands up, helping her out of her seat and leading them to the dance floor. People clear the way for the newlywed couple and all eyes are on them. Coriolanus wraps one hand around her small waist and holds her other hand. He leans down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

"Follow my lead."

He leads them through their first dance exceptionally well. Even if he didn't have a grand fortune to his name, Coriolanus Snow was an excellent dancer. His wife was too in his opinion. Soarynn didn't seem as confident as him as they danced, not so sure of herself but she followed him through the whole thing, letting him take charge.

She trusted him.

They took their bows when the song ended and were called over to cut the cake. It was almost funny how this cake looked nearly identical to the cake Festus Creed and Lysistrata Vickers had at their wedding two months ago. So much for individuality.

After the cake, everything was a blur. Photos were taken of course and blessings were given and before he knew it he was leading Soarynn up twelve flights of stairs to the penthouse. He felt a bit embarrassed that the elevator in his apartment building still wasn't fixed. Especially when Soarynn told him that she lived in a townhouse during the drive home, which meant she didn't have elevator troubles and that she was much better off financially compared to him.

But Soarynn didn't say anything as they trekked up all the stairs. Coriolanus figured he might as well lay on that Snow charm and he scooped her up bridal style when they reached the last flight, smiling when she giggled, burying her face in his neck. "How romantic," she teases, kicking her feet.

He chuckles, reaching into his pocket for the keys to his home, "As your husband I plan to romance you as if we've never met before." Once finding the keys he unlocked the front doors and held his breath as Soarynn finally laid eyes on the Snow's penthouse.

It was old, dusty, and in slight disrepair. It was a grand space that was poorly filled and taken care of. He'd been so busy trying to make a name for himself that the state of the penthouse had dwindled and dwindled.

Coriolanus carefully set her down on the floor before shoving his hands into his pockets, "I know it's not much, I'm afraid I haven't had much time to fix it up the way I wanted to. But I have an upcoming internship with Dr. Gaul and once I get promoted then I can sta-"

"Coriolanus it's lovely," Soarynn says, cutting him and his tangent off, "and don't worry about the repairs, I can clean up since I'll be home most days."

He felt slightly lightheaded when Soarynn so casually already called this place her home despite its cracked edges. And she was right of course, she didn't have a job so she'd spend a good majority of her day at home, making this place shine as it used to back in its glory days.

"My father knows some excellent contractors who worked on the President's Mansion once the war ended, they should be able to help," she tells him, giving him a small smile.

Another thing about this marriage he'd forgotten about until recently. What was her's was now his, and that included her money. Soarynn Nightingale was an only child and a girl at that. Had she been born a boy, her father would've passed down the company to her once he deemed fit. But she wasn't a boy so the company would remain in her father's name until he died, and then the company and his fortune would all go to her. Until then Mr. Nightingale's fortune was still made available for Soarynn to use if he allowed her to do so.

Soarynn makes it sound so simple that he believed her, they'd paint the walls, buy some new furniture, mop the floors.

He'd follow her lead.

He glances down the hall towards his bedroom, he supposes it's time to consummate the marriage. He takes her hand and guides her along with him, showing her to his bedroom. Their bedroom now.

He can tell she's nervous from the way her hands are shaking. Soarynn was a beautiful girl so he found it hard to believe she hadn't ever kissed anyone before. He wouldn't even hold it against her, if he were in her class then he'd want to kiss her too.

"Don't be nervous," he tells her, "I've got you."

Soarynn nods and follows him to the bed where she goes to untie her dress but he stops her, "Allow me." The corset can be a real pain in the ass to undo but he can't imagine it's any more comfortable than it looks. Soarynn lets out a sigh of relief once it's been loosened, "I've been wanting to get out of that thing all day," she says with a sigh. He chuckles and his fingers run along her back for a moment, feeling how soft her skin is. "Beauty is pain," he murmurs, slowly pulling the dress off her shoulders. He stops midway because shouldn't he be kissing her?

Coriolanus turns her around and she immediately looks up at him, her blue-gray eyes wide in both slight worry and curiosity. He gently cups her face with his hand and leans down to kiss her. It's more hungry this time, less formal, and more primal. She's just as eager as he is it seems, leaning into his hold, her hand grabbing his upper arm.

He sighs into the kiss, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla that seems to linger around wherever she goes, "You've really never done any of this before?" He asks against her lips, they're so soft and small. Soarynn hums and gently tugs at his lower lip with her teeth, "Never."

Well, he has a lot to do then. If this is her first time then she must have expectations, things she's heard about from her married friends. And Coriolanus can't be known as the husband who can't please his wife. He wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her into him as he sits down on the edge of the bed, tugging her into his lap. Soarynn shifts in his hold, making herself comfortable as she deepens the kiss, her hands running through his golden curls.

He reaches his hand down the back of the dress, feeling her warm skin until he can feel the fabric of her lace panties and she whimpers. He pulls away slightly, looking into her beautiful eyes, "You don't have to be scared," he whispers, "just follow my lead."

꧁ ꧂

Lying down next to his wife is something Coriolanus never dreamed of experiencing. She's so beautiful when she sleeps. Angelic even.

He hopes he did good, took good care of her. She fell asleep right after they finished after he took her virginity and made her feel so good. He glances down at the sheets where there's a red stain, her blood. She certainly hadn't been lying about that. But he knew that from the way she kissed him, the way she gasped when he sucked on her neck or slipped a finger under the waistband of her panties.

She was so beautiful under him, trusting him, watching him. The sounds she made were beautiful too. Coriolanus would make love to her every day if she'd let him. He'd been so scared he might break her. Soarynn was so small, so fragile. But she was also funny, making him laugh in their most intimate moment, and she was kind, kissing his nose when he got nervous to thrust into her for the first time.

They'd have a good marriage, a good future. He could see it now, the penthouse restored and beautiful again. Soarynn dressed in the finest clothes money could buy, beautiful as always. Their children running around, happy and loved. And him, Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem.

Yes, he'd take care of his family, take them into a prosperous future with Soarynn by his side.

She'd follow his lead.

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

37 notes · View notes

yallemagne · 9 months

Text

In this entry, we see how Lucy and Mina parallel each other.

Both she and Lucy are anxious to reunite with their respective fiancés, however, Lucy does not have the means of expressing herself like Mina does, and instead of being able to turn to shorthand, she unconsciously turns to sleepwalking. It's likely that she doesn't even know! Mina only mentions speaking to Lucy's mother about it, and we'll find later that this is a common occurrence between the two of them.

Mina awaits Jonathan, she's restless to start their life together as they had planned to the moment he returned -- they might not even be able to afford a proper wedding, but they'll make do, it will have been worth it -- but all she gets is suspicious confirmation that he's only just started home! It is his ill father-figure who reveals this, the cause of Jonathan having to leave in the first place! But she should keep quiet about this, keep it contained to the pages of her journal at least for now. Her best friend is distracted with her own worries, and it is her responsibility -- dictated by the girl's mother -- to make sure no more worries are added onto that. She must lock the door and lose sleep so she can catch her and lead her back to bed. As if she were not Lucy's friend, but instead her attendant. At least she can express herself to her journal.

Lucy awaits Arthur, she's restless but has not expressed such to anyone. Mina can tell: half her own intuition and half Lucy not being able to hide when she's upset and what's upset her. She's quite sensitive, she can't even tell when she's doing it. Even when Arthur visits -- he is also called away by duty due to his father's illness -- they still will not yet be united, they have to wait for the autumn. Oh, and it will be such a big occasion, and she shall have to plan it all! There are so many expectations that come with being his wife, but she knows it will have been worth it. Mina seems distant since she read a letter from Mr. Hawkins. She hasn't brought it up yet. She's always writing illegibly in that journal of hers. Maybe Lucy should return to her calligraphy...? No, no! There is so much to do! The dresses, the invitations-- oh, no, not so fast, she doesn't even know the date yet... She and Arthur will work that out once he finally visits. But why is she always tired when she wakes from her sleep?

#dracula #dracula daily #re: dracula #mina murray #lucy westenra #July 26

64 notes · View notes

gooeyyeehaw · 6 months

Text

ofmd s2 spoilers !!

so two things i wanted to talk about that basically everyone is talking about, now that ive properly processed everything and need to officially get out of my system

i really really really wish the season had better, slower pacing. so much would happen before anyone could process anything and it took a loooot of thinking to truly understand some shit. i really really hope there's a season 3 with the proper amount of episodes as intended.

izzy's death - it truly felt so rushed. to be honest, i didn't even see him get shot at first, my eyes were on something else at the time, i think, but that's my fault. nevertheless, it felt so rushed, and i'm not mad, nor do i disagree with his death, but i wish it was executed better than it was. it felt brushed over, rushed, and he was too great a character to receive a death like that. it had me saying "what the fuck??" because his death was over in about two minutes. i'm not mad about how and when it took place, because it's just like real life, you don't get to choose when you get to live or die, especially in their business.

i did warm up to him and felt sad that he could finally recognize and declare his understanding of family and what it meant to be a part of the crew and never got to experience the warmth and joy of life; however, i think its okay that he died. con is a fantastic actor and his performance was astounding every scene. i think he deserved a better sending off and lucius and pete's wedding could have waited til season three, cuz that felt brushed over too.

stede and ed's inn - i used to not love this idea, more for a personal reason, the desire to have adventure in life. to not settle down and have fun all the time, to not conform to the normality and monotony of life. i get the emphasis about the brutality and harsh reality of the violence and mentality that comes with piracy, but it felt bittersweet especially with izzy's speech about what it meant to be a pirate and zys' offer to team up. it sounded fun. fun to be at sea with your found family, (on top of stede's long term love for the sea) and they were leaving that behind and it would just be then.

i later realized that them living together wouldnt necessarily mean theyre completely abandoning their old lifestyles. theyre just taking a break from the rough and tough shit they had just gone through, and they need it to work out their relationship and find themselves. to have some time alone. they might rejoin the crew and have fun sailing and shit, who knows. but it doesn't have to be that end forever. plus i like all the fun/funny ideas the fandom has come up with for the inn.

and ive seen the theories that if buttons can turn into a seagull, he'll turn izzy into a seagull OR izzy will come back as a ghost and haunt their inn OR they'll bring him back to life with magic.

just saying, the fandom was wrong about lucius living within the secret passages of the ship, please let them be wrong about that one.

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd season two spoilers #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #ofmd spoilers #stede bonnet #pirates #ed teach #blackbeard #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #edward teach

22 notes · View notes

betweenthings2 · 21 days

Note

13 for the one word prompts!

Thank you for the ask!! The list is here if anyone else wants to see it =)

One word prompts- Dancing

Matty stops, shaking his head and laughing, and says, "Dancing involves not tripping over each other, ya'know."

George frowns, his hands on Matty's waist feeling far less sure. "Maybe you should lead," he suggests.

Matty shakes his head. He could lead, he supposes, but he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to worry about being in control of everything for once. He wants to follow. "You'll get it," he promises. "There's a learning curve."

"You should lead," George repeats. "You know what you're doing."

It suddenly dawns on Matty how nervous George really is. He doesn't see George nervous very often--he's usually very level-headed and even, a realist. "Are you nervous?" Matty asks, taking his hand from around George's neck and cupping his jaw, thumb running over his cheekbone.

George isn't the problem, Matty knows. Sure, Matty is the one with any kind of dance training between them, but slow dancing really isn't all that hard. The problem is more that they haven't come to an agreement on what they'll actually end up dancing to and the fact that they're both a little bit tipsy and trying to dance in the kitchen in their socks.

"A little bit," George admits. "I don't wanna get it wrong. Not something that matters to you."

"Aw, love, you're not gonna get it wrong. I promise you that," Matty murmurs. "'s just dancing."

"I know," George agrees, "but it matters to you."

Matty stands on his tiptoes and leans in for a short kiss, then says, "You matter to me. I could take or leave dancing. It's just what people do. We don't have to do what everyone does. I mean, tradition isn't really that important and nothing about us is traditional."

"It is tradition," George echoes.

"That doesn't mean we have to. You know how I feel about tradition. We could stand there and make out and I'd be happy. We could sneak out for a smoke and I'd be happy," Matty counters. "It's our wedding. Do you even want to do a first dance?"

"Do you?" George counters.

"Only if you do. Like I said, we could leave after dinner and I'd be happy. We could leave after the ceremony and I'd be happy. I mean, you should let me know if you wanna leave after the ceremony sooner rather than later 'cause I'd change the wine pairings and you'd have to buy me dinner eventually, but I'm happy as long as I'm with you."

"You'd doom our friends and family to subpar wine?" George teases, hands a little more firm on Matty's hips now.

Matty nods, shameless. "I'm not paying for it if I don't get to drink it."

"God, I love you," George murmurs. "I can't wait to marry you."

"I love you, too," Matty responds. "We're gonna be a horrible old married couple."

"I can't wait," George repeats. He resettles his hands on Matty's hips and says, "Let's try again."

Matty drapes his arms back over George's shoulders, and agrees, "'k."

He lets George take the lead again, murmuring quiet instructions and suggests as the need crops up. "Am I gonna distract you if I tell you how much I like this?" he asks quietly.

"Maybe," George answers. "Tell me anyway?"

"Ok. I really like this," Matty says. "It feels," he pauses, "intimate, like there's no one but us. I like just being close. I like loving you. Loving you is the best thing I've ever done. If I did nothing else with my life, I think it'd still be a life well lived."

George stills, quiet, then tugs Matty close, into a proper hug.

"Was that the wrong thing to say?" Matty asks after a few moments of quiet

"No," George murmurs. "I love you. I love our life and I'm really glad you said yes."

Matty smiles and moves so that he can kiss George. "Did you think I'd say no?" he asks.

"No," George admits. "I'm just glad you said yes."

"Me too," Matty agrees. "Me too."

#my fic #matty healy #george daniel #matty x george #sun to me m+g is that you

11 notes · View notes

professortennant · 1 year

Note

14! Sounds very fun and cute

14. when one of them has never had a proper birthday party for whatever reason, and their lover makes it their mission to give them the best day ever, followed by “you didn’t have to do all this for me. just being with you is enough.” “i know. but i thought you deserved ?’’ and their lover smiles, a kiss is shared

i tweaked the prompt a smidge, it’s more ~inspired by

He knows she's got some hang ups about celebrations. On a teltak headed for Netu all those years ago, he'd slid down the wall to sit beside her while she worked to calm shaking hands, thoughts trapped in the past.

"Cookies," she tells him, voice quavering. "I was baking cookies for my mom's birthday that weekend when my dad told me she was gone."

"Ah." He doesn't know what to say--it doesn't feel like the right moment to share his own hangups about water pistols and grilling hamburgers some days because those are what preceded the loss of Charlie. Instead, he lets his knees fall apart just a little, just enough that it could be an accident, and rest against hers.

She presses back and he knows she understands it's all he can do right now. She rubs a hand over her face, scrubs at it like she can erase the thoughts in her head, before turning to face him. "I haven't really been able to do birthdays after that, not mine or Mark's or anyone's. Not that dad was ever--"

Sam sighs, stopping herself. "It doesn't matter now."

Jack nods, lips pursed, caught between the knowledge of what it is to be a father hurting for your own losses, your own child and his affection for the woman in front of him and the scars of childhood pain.

"I make a pretty mean chocolate cake," he says suddenly, not quite looking at her. He hasn't quite figured out how to get a hold on his changing feelings for his second-in-command and he doesn't want her to get the wrong--or right--idea. She sits up a little, eyes clearer, knee pressing back into his slightly.

"Yeah?"

He nods. "Yeah."

"Maybe birthdays wouldn't be so bad if I didn't do the baking."

This time he can and does face her because teasing Samantha Carter about her cooking is low-hanging fruit. She's burned water off-world and he hadn't even known that was possible. "Well, I think a lot of occasions would be better if we just left you out of the kitchen, Carter."

The half-smile she hides behind a ducked head is enough to let him know she's okay, that they'll be okay. They just need to get through this mission, rescue dad, and make cake.

Easy.

They don't make cake after Netu, though. Sam disappears to Alaska with her father for a week and he disappears to his cabin and tells himself it's pointless to do so, but he stocks his cabinets with flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking staples. Just in case.

They don't make cake after Edora (even though he really, really wants to bring her some cake after he realizes what she's done for him--gratitude cake, he'd call it). They don't make cake after they spend a week on an alien planet sleeping beside each other and staring at the stars, letting lines and boundaries fade gently away (it's for the best, he tells himself, neither of them is ready to...eat cake...together). He tosses the candles he'd bought for her after the zatarc tests. No point in those now. Cake and candles and everything else left inside a room in the SGC.

He can't even bring himself to ask her about wedding cake when he sees the engagement ring on her finger years later.

They continue to not make cake or go fishing or all of the other things they once told each other they'd do. It's all starting to feel like a metaphor, which in his book are only a step above a cliché.

And then--

And then she comes to his cabin with a bare ring finger and slings her duffel down onto the porch and stuffs her hands in her pockets like she doesn’t know what to say or where to go from here. He thinks about handing her a fishing pole and having her sit on the dock beside him, but changes his mind. He knows exactly what he wants to do.

Her birthday is three months away but he can’t wait that long. He hands her a beer, picks up her duffel bag over his shoulder, and tells her to follow.

She does (and the sight of her duffel thrown atop his beside the couch sends tiny tendrils of warmth down his spine).

“Jack--” He likes that he doesn’t have to tell her to call him that, that she knows where this is going just as much as he does. It’s never that they’ve been bad at communicating, per se. It’s just restrictions limiting how and what they communicate about that always got a little dicey.

But her questions stop when he pulls out a bowl and a whisk and baking ingredients that may or may not be out of date. It’s not the point, though. He’ll make her a spectacular, show-stopping cake in three months if that’s what she wants. This is more than birthdays; a different celebration all together.

“We are making a cake, Carter.” Then, “Well, I’ll make the cake. You’re on ingredient retrieval.”

“Cake?”

He nods sagely. “Cake.”

She tilts her head, searches his face and likes what she finds there: resolve, excitement, trepidation, meaning.

“Okay then,” she agrees softly. “Cake.”

It’s a dance after that, one they’re surprisingly good at. His kitchen isn’t small, but she makes it smaller by filling in all the empty places where he’s always imagined her to be. Where she could walk around the island, she steps in closer to him instead, her shoulder brushing his. Her fingers linger on the back of his hand when she passes him the bottle of vegetable oil she’d dug out of the pantry. She leans on the counter to watch him carefully measure and level off flour and rising agent and sugar, eyes straying to the flex of his wrist and the tendons in his forearm in a way she would have stopped herself before. She wrinkles her nose at the explosion of cocoa powder and espresso granules on the counter.

It’s a type of foreplay, he supposes--a gentle entrance into intimacy. He’s pretty sure she wouldn’t mind jumping from nothing to everything based on the way she scoops up a fingerful of batter and sucks on it thoughtfully, eyes never leave his. “It’s chalky.”

He scoffs. “It’s not cooked yet. Trust the process.”

She looks skeptical, but when he turns back around to face her after putting the cake pan into the oven, she licks the remnants of batter off her finger anyway.

They’ve got 20 minutes and he’s got nine years to catch up on. He snags her wrist in his fingers, pulls her closer and settles their joined hands against his chest, his free hand at her hip.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” she whispers, voice thick with the things unexplained and unsaid. The big things, though, the big things he knows. He brushes her hair back from her face, fingertips drifting over her jawline and against her temple.

He rests his forehead against hers, breathes her in: sun and coconut and the faint aroma of cocoa powder from earlier.

“We waited a long time for this cake,” she says, pressing her forehead back against his in a playful nudge before pulling away. “It better be good.”

“I told you it would be the best,” he reminds her, hand drifting down her back. He can’t stop touching her, never ever wants to stop touching her.

“You did,” she says thoughtfully, eyes sparkling with unshed tears, voice tinged with a little sadness, a little wistfulness. “I’m sorry I doubted.”

“No, no, hey.” He crowds against her, gathers her into a hug and tucks his head into the crook of her shoulder, his lips pressing just so against her neck. She shakes in his arms and he holds her tighter, lifting his mouth to her ear: “We got here in the end. That’s all the matters.”

She nods, nuzzles her cheek against his and wraps her arms around him tighter, swaying slightly from side to side, breathing him and his assurances in.

(Later, they spend the weekend eating through the cake. He feeds it to her in bite-sized pieces while they’re tangled on the couch watching bad action movies from the 80s. She wraps her tongue around his fingers and sucks each crumb and oh god, he’s going to have a fetish by the end of their cabin stay. She brings the plate out to him one evening on the dock, barefoot and wearing one of his old, threadbare academy sweatshirts. They eat cake and watch the stars and listen to the ripple of water lapping against the shore. He draws the line at cake in bed. “No way, Sam, no crumbs in the bed.” She’s certain she’s changed his mind when she scoops a bit of frosting off the top of the cake and drags it in a line down his neck, her mouth working diligently at licking every last bit up.

Turns out, she’s pretty fond of some celebrations after all.)

#sam x jack #sg1 #jack o'neill #samantha carter #stargate sg1 #it was my birthday yesterday so this felt appropriate to write!#the cake is a METAPHOR GANG #bc they get to have their cake and eat it too #idk

29 notes · View notes

dark-frosted-heart · 2 years

Text

Clavis proposal event summary

One night, MC asks Clavis why he hasn't made love to her yet. Well, he's waiting until they're engaged since her first time's important. At the mention of marriage, MC comes to the realization that she will, in fact, marry Clavis one day. Aside from feeling happy, there was also an indescribable feeling. Clavis asks why she suddenly went quiet and MC immediately responds that she'd never considered marriage until now. They'll get married one day, huh. Clavis is never going to let her go. Her heart races, but for some reason, she can't find it in herself to be completely happy.

Welp, guess they get engaged the next day when, at a wedding between two of his citizens that Clavis is officiating, where everyone is drowned by petals thanks to Clavis, the bouquet lands in MC's hands (The bride had been eyeing MC earlier. Turns out, before the ceremony, Clavis had asked her to throw it toward MC). Time to get started on some preparations, meaning choosing rings, outfits, etc. Except MC's having none of it. This happened too quickly and too easily so she needs a moment to herself in the middle of picking rings. Though he ends up following her later on anyway, knowing that something's been bothering her (revealed in his POV that he's been aware of this since the night before when MC brought up them eventually getting married. He just needed some way to give her a push to talk about it. He's fine with whatever it is. As long as she's with him.). She tells him about how she's worried about the thought of them actually getting married. Since, even though Lelouch Kingdom's more lax about status, he's still a king. So she's not confident about her ability to support him. She's been studying a lot lately and attending social events, but doesn't think it's enough yet. But she wants to protect Lelouch Kingdom with him. So marriage may be too soon. At least wait until she's fit to stand by his side...

Clavis smiles and hugs MC since her concerns reveal just how much she loves him. However...the preparations weren't wedding preparations. He's not the type of guy that'd let something like marriage be taken lightly, and handled in such a quick way. Nope, to him, it'll take at least a year to prepare. Today was just preparations for an engagement ceremony, an official tradition among royalty. MC's embarrassed now, probably thinking about what comes after the ceremony. She quickly changes the subject back to the ring she was supposed to be picking out for the engagement ceremony. Their rings will have gems in each other's colors (MC with Clavis' color and Clavis with MC's color. Whatever her color is...). As they head back, he whispers that he's looking forward to their engagement night.

For an engagement ceremony, you need rings, the proper outifts, engagement vows...and a witness of royal blood. His first thought was Jin, but it'd be more appropriate to ask the Rhodolite king...who is Chevalier...So he has some trouble with who to write his letter to. Chevalier probably won't come so Jin is the best option. The problem is, is that only Chevalier can read Clavis' handwriting. On the morning of the engagement ceremony, it looks like "that shitty older brother of his" ignored the letter after all. Oh, never mind. Chevalier did show up after all. Chevalier just happened to be passing by on his way back from inspecting a stronghold. He saw no reason to announce himself when he entered Lelouch Kingdom. Well regardless of why Chevalier's actually here, the engagement ceremony can now proceed. They're having it in the drawing room where Chevalier's reading and drinking tea.

They start their vows. Clavis tells MC that he loves her and that she's his accomplice for life. But she should remember that just because she's the king's accomplice, it does not mean that she's not allowed to make mistakes. She doesn't need to be perfect. After all, look at him. Clavis is just some average guy who's made a lot of mistakes in his life and ended up becoming king. MC just needs to have faith. He has a flashback to the time when MC tells Clavis that he's allowed to be vulnerable around her. Those words had helped him so much. He thinks about how he wants to be that person for MC too. He slips the ring onto MC's finger. Now it's MC's turn to say her vows. She tells Clavis that she cherishes him the most. She starts to get shy as she struggles to continue. She eventually yells out that she wants to love him. That he's the most special… (she doesn't actually finish so I'm ??? on what she actually says). Clavis laughs at how cute she is and MC clumsily slips the ring onto his finger. AnYwAy, onto signing the pledge. From this day onward, they're now engaged. MC grabs him by the lapels and kisses him. Now they're engaged. Clavis wants to take her out and show her off. He tells Chevalier that he can go home now. Oh and tell Rhodolite the news. MC apologizes for dragging him into this but also thanks him for being a witness. Chevalier finally looks up. He tells Clavis that what he expects for compensation will be left in his office. Clavis agrees to take care of it later.

Clavis and MC head into town. Clavis takes his leave. Cyril looks at the pledges with a wry smile and says that the brothers really are troublesome.

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikepri jp #ikepri summary

102 notes · View notes

electrasev5nwrites · 9 months

Text

Ninja Daily: AIC 3

"Think there are more mist nin around?" Aiko broached. Immediately, she thought of Mei. That hadn't been what she'd meant. She wrapped the over-long sleeves of the borrowed robe around her waist and shivered. Funny. It was broad daylight, but she was getting chills.

"I do not know." Utakata's steps were steady and untroubled, disguising the pain he had to be in. She'd broken his ribs with her chains, hadn't she? "I never worked with the hunter-nin. Perhaps they would not have taken the chance of losing the entire team."

Aiko hummed through gritted teeth. She pressed on, ignoring the throbbing in her arm. It felt like it was swelling up around the band keeping it from bleeding all over.

They had walked two miles before Utakata spoke up again, prompted by the outlines of building on the horizon.

"Uzumaki-san. It might benefit us both to travel together for a time."

She lifted her gaze to the small of his back. What was he playing at? He hardly seemed the social type. Was he thinking about stabbing her in the back later, so that no one could report on his activities?

"It might," Aiko agreed neutrally. "Kiri would like to see us both dead." Her shoulder ached in agreement.

He didn't react to her suspicion or dry tone. "Any Kiri-nin who held back would be unaware that their comrades found the opportunity to push their targets against each other."

Oh.

"They'll be looking for you, not a young man and woman traveling together."

Aiko felt her tired lips pull into a smile. She could get something out of this. "I see. Well, as long as you're the considerate type of boyfriend." She went to move her aching shoulder for emphasis, then thought better of it.

Utakata pushed his hair back. His pale, long-fingered hand was a sharp contrast against his dark locks. She kept looking even after his hand had moved back down to his hips. "In such a small town? It would be scandalous for anyone short of wedded to travel together."

Aiko snorted, shaking off the strange moment. "Is that a proposal?"

He sounded a little amused. "More of a proposition."

She rolled her neck. The left side was beginning to strain and twinge, stiff from the abuse that twinged up her muscles from her injured shoulder. "Sousuke, it's shameful to let your wife walk alone when she is tired."

Utakata stopped to let her catch up, standing at her right side. He snaked an arm around her waist. His grip was surprisingly firm. She leaned into it, using his arm for support.

"You would feel better if you hadn't stayed up so late with your sister," he scolded, but she could hear the smile in his voice.

Aiko went along with the conversation, establishing characters and history through conversation. "Aa, but you know Satoko. She has so much energy, even for a teenager."

"You're not nineteen anymore," Utakata teased solemnly. "You should act your age." Aiko scowled up at him, but took the opportunity to slip on a henge that made her look a little older. The trees were thinning out and town would be visible soon. It would be foolish to be spotted as herself if they were intending to elude suspicion.

Utakata snorted quietly when she covered the red in her hair with a powder blue shade. The guise she chose was inspired by a Kumo-nin she had seen once. Aiko concealed her injury, turning Utakata's loose robe to a coat gallantly placed over her shoulders. Underneath, her already civilian outfit lost wrinkles and rips. She didn't bother to change more.

The muscles in his forearm moved against her back when he made the handsigns for his own henge. He probably felt her shiver.

Aiko stared forward at the road, just fascinated with the point where the street began. She didn't turn to look at the disguise he had chosen. It didn't matter.

The town was busy, full of people who appeared to be rice farmers. They smiled and waved as soon as the shinobi walked into town. It was too small to have a proper inn. She stared at the handwritten sign outside the traveler's restaurant, willing it to change through sheer force of will.

'There has to be a real hotel somewhere. A spa. An onsen.'

"Rooms for rent." Utakata jostled her side. "Isn't that wonderful, Ami-chan?"

"Yes," Aiko agreed grimly. She squeezed his arm until the skin turned white under her grip. "You should get us a room." He winced under her grip and implication. She relaxed her hand, but didn't let go. "Wouldn't a rest be wonderful, love?"

"Of course." Utakata led her in. An older lady walked to them almost immediately, round face stretched in a wrinkled smile.

"Welcome to Setoumachi! Please, may I get you lunch?"

'Oh kami, it's not even three,' Aiko remembered. She was way too drained for it to be this early.

"Actually, we were hoping to rent your room." Utakata sounded sheepish, friendliness softening the voice that was usually sharpened with genteel superiority. "Ano, it is so early I do not wish to trouble you, but…" his voice trailed off and he looked down at Aiko. She noted that his hair was now brown, and much less glossy than his usual shade. He looked closer to 25 than 17. "My wife is three months pregnant and finds travel more difficult than we expected."

'What a turd.'

It was a good story, though.

The proprietress melted immediately, giving a not-quite-subtle glance down at Aiko's midsection, looking for a baby bump. Of course there wasn't one. Aiko managed a tight smile and held Utakata's robe shut.

"Of course!" The lady bowed quickly, all smiles and sharp movements. "Poor girl. You must be exhausted, Miss. Please, follow me. Your husband can pay later."

'Pregnant. Ridiculous. I don't look pregnant at all,' Aiko thought sullenly.

Outwardly, she smiled and offered a bow of her own. "You are very kind. Ano, I have a question. Is there a shop nearby?" When the woman nodded, Aiko turned doe eyes to Utakata. She didn't even have a chance to get a question out.

"Hai, hai." He patted her hand. "I will go as soon as you are lying down."

She didn't know what kind of story he'd come up with to explain why he needed so many bandages, but that wasn't her problem.

When they were inside their room and the door had closed, Aiko raised an eyebrow in challenge at her companion. She was already peeling off Utakata's ripped, bloody robe to have a better look at her arm. It was swollen. Oh, hell, that band needed to come off. She worked the elastic down to fall on the floor.

Utakata shook out his hair, shedding the affable act. "She did ask less questions," he pointed out.

Aiko had to concede that. She balled up Utakata's robe and tossed it at him.

When he caught the fabric, there was an audible crunch of dried blood moving under his fingers. That elicited a reaction. His face was caught between disgust and disbelief.

'Hope I don't have any bloodborn pathogens.'

"You wouldn't make a pregnant woman do your laundry," Aiko said, blinking soulfully.

He let the robe hit the floor. "I'll get a new one."

He had almost made it to the door when Aiko felt a little guilty. "I'll replace it." She pushed open the bathroom door, intent on washing up. "I have funds."

Funds that were intended to sit safely out of circulation in case of emergency, but, you know. She could make more money. It wasn't like she was giving a village a cut of her profits. She made bank nowadays.

Utakata didn't say anything else before the door slid shut behind him. Aiko grimaced her way through a bath, working soap into her scrapes and the one ugly, dirty gash. At least the soap was gentle. Smelled like hyssop, though. Interesting choice. Her body was a mash of bruises- the worst of it was on her torso directly between her ribs, where a black and purple mottle showed what had to be the outline of Mei's knee. But she also had purple spotted with red scrapes and bits of upraised flesh along her arms, right shoulder, and hip where she must have rolled along rock at some point. Oh, no, that was that coral outcropping, wasn't it?

It was not the most pleasant bath she had ever experienced, even after she had finished emptying buckets over her head.

Utakata returned before she was done washing up. Aiko walked into the bedroom to see him laying out a futon. She stood back and watched, hair coiled up in a towel and clad in a spare set of civilian clothes.

He glanced up at her, and didn't speak for a moment. He finished setting up the bedding.

'He's moving really well for someone whose ribs I broke this morning.'

Her arm throbbed. "If you treat my injuries, I'll look at yours," Aiko offered.

At that, he gave her a wry, sideways smile. "I think you know better than that, Uzumaki-san." He straightened. "I will bandage your arm."

She nodded and pretended she knew what he was talking about.

'Oh wait, I think I do. He's a jinchuuriki. It probably already healed.'

Would a jinchuuriki have much reason to pick up first aid?

Must have. He did a thoroughly decent job at patching her up. He didn't even stick his finger inside the gash once. When he was done, Aiko rolled her arm to check the range of movement. "Thank you. I need to sleep. Will you take first watch?"

Utakata shrugged, listless. "And the second watch. I do not require much sleep." He was staring at her, dark eyes narrowed. She didn't know what he was getting at. She turned away.

"All right."

Aiko crawled under the covers and almost immediately went to sleep. She woke, once, when she tried to shift on her side in her sleep. But she winced and rolled to her back again. When she woke again, she kept her eyes shut. Maybe if she was very still and quiet, she could fall back to sleep.

"It's been seven hours." Utakata sounded bored.

Aiko sighed and peeled off the covers. It was dark outside- probably not quite midnight. She leaned against the window. "It would probably be least conspicuous to wait until morning to head on."

Unspoken was that she would prefer to put some distance between her and any possible Mist-nin nearby.

Utakata took a few moments to gather his thoughts. "Do you believe we should travel together?" He seemed completely uninterested, but he wouldn't have raised the topic if that were true.

Aiko bit her lower lip. Yes. No. She was lonely. They'd never got on well. He could watch her back. He could stab her in it.

"Am I not what you expected?" Utakata tilted his head to the side, eyelashes covering most of his gaze. "I admit trepidation upon realizing that you forced my bijuu to recede. It seems convenient. However, I cannot ignore the potential value of such a skill."

Oh. That's why he cared.

Relief washed over her as soon as she understood that Utakata had an angle. That made sense. She smiled at him, eyes crinkling. He wasn't friends with his bijuu yet, or at least had to acknowledge that Saiken could be used against him. He thought he could use Aiko's abilities to counteract that weakness.

Utakata sniffed and turned away, preoccupied with fixing the futon so that he could get in. But when they left in the morning, they left together.

"Utakata-san. How do you feel about onsen?"

For the first time, he looked remotely approving. "I believe we could be at one by this time tomorrow."

Aiko hefted her little pink bag full of storage seals and stolen clothes, thinking about a long soak in mineral water. "I think we deserve that."

"After that, we deserve a spa."

"And then beef for dinner," Aiko agreed fervently. She'd even pay for that. Maybe.

"Mochi for dessert and then breakfast."

She and Utakata shared a look.

"This partnership might work better than I had anticipated," Utakata said thoughtfully.

Team Onsen took two weeks off for well-deserved pampering, and then another week for some gratuitous spoiling in a wealthy coastal town. They didn't see another hunter-nin, but they spent more than either of them was truly comfortable with. Living the high life necessitated a lot of cold, hard, cash.

"I feel funny about not paying the massage therapists," Aiko explained guiltily. "Sleeping in empty hotel rooms and sneaking into onsen doesn't hurt anyone or take up too much of their time. But when it's something else-"

"I understand," agreed Utakata, who took the route of actually paying whenever he was the one taking charge. "Even your amorality has to have limits."

"Does it?" Aiko asked wistfully. She closed her (stolen) wallet. "I guess I know where I could procure some funds."

It only took a few days to find a supplier. Utakata took one look at the place, gave her an expression that implied, 'No', and said he'd wait at the hotel.

"Okay, hime," Aiko muttered at his back. He stiffened, but kept walking. It was fine. At least she knew he was going to be queasy about those kinds of things. When Aiko returned without any visible baggage, Utakata seemed somewhere between confused and warily proud.

She did not tell him that the goods were in storage seals, since it seemed a shame to disturb whatever growing faith he might have in her moral character.

"May I suggest an alternate methodology for improving our fiscal state?"

She stood back and let Utakata pick a nice, boring businessman. He helped him come to the conclusion that losing a rival would be worth paying a nice lump sum.

"Because that was soooo much better than what I picked?" Aiko asked doubtfully.

Her temporary partner gave her a dirty look. "Your selection catered to vice."

'What a crotchety old person.'

"Catered to vice?" Aiko shook her head in disbelief. "We just killed a guy. Your priorities are weird."

Utakata made a show of counting out his money. "Hmm."

She rolled her eyes and did not tell him that she had actually passed on product while he was sweet-talking their client. Her methodologies worked too.

Their next client was acquired through an information broker. Utakata scowled, but Aiko felt a sort of stubborn pride.

"Doing business this way has always worked for me," she said under her breath while the paperwork was being retrieved.

Utakata gave her a dry look. "When was that, grandmother? I assure you that things have changed since your heyday."

'Grandmother?'

Aiko couldn't respond.

Okay, so he was seventeen in this timeline and she was actually a little older than he was. But grandmother?

A scratchy, erping sound crawled up her throat.

"In all seriousness, I am curious. What are you, thirty five?" Utakata asked, sounding polite as anything.

At that, she lost her cool. Aiko whirled around and jammed her finger into his chest. "You've got to be kidding-"

"Should I come back?" The broker leaned over the counter, twirling her ponytail around her fingers. She seemed distinctly unimpressed. The brilliant orange and scarlet tattoos up her arms rippled with the fidgeting motion.

Aiko put her hand down. "No. We're good, sorry."

When they left, Utakata picked up their original conversation. "These people are risky to deal with," he reminded. "They will choose the route that will be most financially beneficial. Without the protection of a state government, we are disposable."

She gritted her teeth.

He wasn't wrong. But real missing nin did this kind of thing all the time, and got by. Well. Most of them died doing it, but state shinobi died on official missions too. She didn't need somebody else to arrange things for her all the time. He wasn't her babysitter.

"It's not a bad mission," Aiko said, after a very long pause. "We're just retrieving an item."

"We're crossing an international border." Utakata sounded strangely nervous about that.

She shot him a look, a bit baffled by that. "What? It's just Fire Country-"

Aiko fell silent. Right. She wasn't a Fire Country citizen anymore. That would be a problem if they were apprehended.

Utakata was watching her face, she realized. But she didn't know what was so interesting. She cleared her expression. He looked away.

"Is it strange that we are required to return to the broker to collect payment?" Utakata asked, uncomfortable. "I would think that the client-" he stopped when she shook her head.

"No, that's normal." Aiko laced her fingers behind her back. "When the subject is particularly sensitive, you often don't meet the client or their representative directly. It provides more protection and deniability."

The open, thoughtful expression Utakata gave her made him look young and inexperienced. Aiko scowled, looking away to the path ahead.

'Thirty five. Honestly.'

They managed to let the topic drop. It didn't come back up for the next couple of days, when the looming border crossing had their nerves stretched tight.

Her companion tilted his head up towards the sky, letting leaf-dappled light move over his features. Despite his running commentary, he seemed at peace out in the middle of nowhere. "I fear that this is a foolish mission. The possibility of gaining outside attention is too high."

Aiko rolled her eyes. "You said the last one I tried to pick was below your abilities," she pointed out tiredly. "And… what the other thing?"

"Dignity." He paused. "And it was below both for me," Utakata acknowledged calmly. "I cannot speak for you." His eyes weren't even open. "But any mission that involves unnecessary and unidentified parties is nonsense. We should forget this mission."

Her eye twitched.

"Sleeping in nice hotels is not nonsense," Aiko rejected. "Just because you want to commune with nature-" here she fluttered her hands mockingly "-doesn't mean that I should suffer."

"You think I enjoy living rough any more than you do?"

When he was angry, he spoke differently, Aiko noted. How funny.

"Are you even listening?"

"No," Aiko said honestly.

Utakata glowered in silence for most of the tragically nature-marred walk to the edge of Fire Country's borders. They slipped over the border undisturbed.

Some level of Aiko was annoyed by that. Come on, what the hell was going on with border security? Two reasonably powerful and unaffiliated nin just walked into the country without so much as a, 'Can I see your papers aaggh stop killing me I'm just doing my job?'

'The country is too big for entire border to be properly patrolled,' Aiko reminded herself. 'It's not like the perimeter outside of Konoha.'

That still wasn't quite an excuse for the shoddy job that the Sandaime was doing of information dealing. The fact that team seven went out with no intelligence on Wave's climate could only be the result of gross incompetency or blind negligence.

'At least it's not a big deal. Zabuza and Haku really aren't a match for Kakashi. Most missing nin aren't.'

She did not look at Utakata. She didn't want to consider that matchup in too much detail.

In a pinch, she'd prefer to turn on Utakata. But really, it would be nice if he survived. Utakata was a jinchuuriki. Now that she was on team 'Anyone But Obito, That Jerk,' it made sense to protect all the jinchuuriki she could. Right?

'Ew, I'm not getting soft. Am I?'

"I can't figure it out." Utakata's voice was soft, but frustration tainted his words. "You know that I am a Kirigakure defector. Where are you from?"

Aiko blinked, caught off-kilter by the topic change. "I'm not a missing nin." She regretted that honesty when Utakata gave her a shocked look. She shrugged, breaking eye contact.

He was clearly chewing over what he'd learned. But he didn't ask.

They completed the mission with surprisingly little trouble. They got in and out, moving back over the border four days later with their gains. They took a hard pace on that first day, but slowed to a relaxing stroll once they were out of sight.

"You are strangely familiar with that household's architecture," Utakata insinuated.

Aiko sighed, wishing she knew a little less about Fire Country's nobility. They were constantly engaged in petty fuckery. "If you've seen one Fire Country mansion, you've seen them all. They're in competition to see who can have the stiffest, most old fashioned place. It's some kind of status thing, antiquity." She irritably waved away the thought. "Anyway,-"

A tree cracked.

"Missing nin!"

She hit the ground on reflex. She had to get up, because ANBU Tortoise was going to-

Wait. What?

"Dynamic entry!" Lee crowed, bouncing on his heels. Neji and Tenten were at his side, expressions somewhere between belligerent and embarrassed to be there.

Gai set his hands on his hips and beamed, a thumb up. "Dishonorable renegades! I am here to bring you to justice!"

"What," Utakata said faintly. It wasn't a question, because there was no question that should have Gai as an answer. Tenten looked away in what had to be sympathy.

Aiko patted the air in his general direction, as she got to her feet again. "It's alright."

"Alright?" This time, the bewildered expression he leveled was at her.

Light pinged off paper-white teeth. "Foul miscreants! You will return the stolen property and face trial for your misdeeds!"

"What," Utakata repeated, voice small and bewildered.

"Shhh," Aiko soothed. She took a step over to pat his hand. "I have this under control." She passed over the little pink bag that held their ill-gotten gains and general supplies. Utakata took it numbly.

Then she struck her own pose, arms akimbo. "Shinobi of Konoha!" Aiko bellowed, a stupid grin pulling at her face. She faintly heard Tenten say, 'Oh god'. "I reject your assessment of my moral character. You, sir, are the scoundrel!"

'I've always wanted to do this.'

She had never actually seen Gai look so happy. Lee's eyes were wide.

"I challenge you to a competition, to prove who is in the right!" Aiko pointed at Gai with her whole hand, making a chopping motion. He was frozen, all but quivering with excitement.

"We will prove the righteousness of our cause through strength of arms!" Gai bellowed. Something sparkled.

"No, a race!" Aiko countered. She could feel the instant that Utakata caught on.

'Finally. He's been traveling with me long enough that he should know I don't do things I can't win.'

"A-ha!" Gai fist-pumped. Lee mimicked the motion off to the side. "An unwise proposal, my fiendish friend. So you think you are fast? I have a most excellent speed-training regimen." He flexed. "I never boast, but I run one thousand laps of Konoha in the morning, and 5oo at night. I carry lumber on my back in the morning, and pull sleds full of children up hill in the winter!"

That was actually impressive.

Then he pointed at her. "And you, missing-nin-san?"

"Oh, me?" Aiko pointed at her chest and blinked, lips pouting innocently. "What do I do? How do I practice my speed?"

Gai and Lee leaned into the theatricality of it all. Seemingly unconscious of her own attention, Tenten held her breath. Neji was glaring at the ground, with strangely pink cheeks.

"I run from Mist hunter-nin." Aiko fanned her face with her hand.

Team nine collapsed in disappointment.

"You run from Mist hunter-nin?" Lee repeated, sounding doubtful.

Aiko nodded agreement. "Yeah." She scowled, the emotion genuine this time, because hunter-nin were annoyingly persistent. She did expect to be seeing them again soon. "They just show up all the time: I impersonate Mist nobility, there's Mist hunter nin. I find myself in cahoots with a Mist missing nin, there's Mist hunter-nin." She made a fist for emphasis, smacking it against her palm. "I take three hours to select candy from the machine- there's Mist hunter nin."

"Okay," Gai said uncertainly. He exchanged a look with Lee. "Why?"

She shrugged. "The stupid Mizukage may be under the stupid impression that I attempted to assassinate him." At that news, Utakata made a choked sound behind her. That did sound kind of bad. Aiko hastened to explain, "I didn't, of course, I didn't know the guy. I don't care if he pissed or went

fishing."

Well. That wasn't true anymore.

Aiko corrected herself. "Well. I didn't care then, but now he can go fuck a whole-"

"I of course believe the lady. Back to our race, missing-nin-san!" Gai suggested, smile a bit cracked.

"You cheated," Utakata accused sullenly.

"Ninja," Aiko reminded, sing-song. "Besides, I didn't cheat. Not technically anyway. Neither of us said it was solely a footrace. If he didn't want me to use ninjutsu, he should have said so."

"You are a bad woman."

'Aww, he was just starting to think I wasn't irredeemable. How cute.'

She grinned over at the sulking teenager and threw an arm over his shoulder. "I went back for you, didn't I?"

There was a long silence.

"So, you attempted to assassinate the Mizukage?" Utakata sounded very tired, and perhaps a bit depressed.

"Not really," Aiko stalled. She rubbed at the back of her neck. "I was experimenting with a fuinjutsu piece, and one thing led to another, and then I realized I had accidentally pierced past all the feeble security that the incompetents-"

Utakata cleared his throat.

"highly competent professionals that Mist produces presented, through my great capability and not their lack thereof," Aiko completed seamlessly. "And stumbled into the Mizukage." She frowned. "Neither of us came out of that looking good. Maybe he's embarrassed."

Her companion groaned.

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #clarity #AIC #Aiko in Canon

5 notes · View notes

icharchivist · 1 month

Note

You know, poor Siete didn't get to have a proper wedding

Like, he got a ring and a spouse and everything, but they should still totally have a big party about it and not just because he'd be the most annoying, cloyingly sweet perpetrator of PDA you have ever seen

But we can plan the Elga wedding first, that's fine

You know what, that's true

Maybe next they'll have a vow renewal party that will be a proper wedding

In fact i could see Siete go for 7 renewals, for consistancy

But yeah the wedding with Elga first.

We'll celebrate more later ;)

#ichareply #anonymous #ichafantalks gbf

0 notes

eatingdxves · 2 months

Text

muse and plot details: nehemia 'nem' silverwood. around seventeen (still working out the math). queen of the kingdom of carseron. married to her own father because we love the chaos. has been blessed by a fertility goddess and only has multiple sons at once to appease the king's need for sons to secure his line which was previously in danger since his now dead wife could not get pregnant. idk I just want freaky kinky fantasy stuff sue me. her fc is anna popplewell.

'won't be long now. master wheton says another fortnight. I think they'll come sooner. a few more days at most.' the young queen hums, running her hands over the surface of her largely swollen belly, trying to sooth the rowdy little princes she carried inside her. a prior three pregnancies had prepared nem for this. she knew her boys well, 'they've grown rowdier this last few nights.' between the babes that filled her to the point of bursting and the ever present desires of her husband that led to hours of vigorous love making, nem should have been exhausted. but she had been blessed. the goddess of fertility had blessed her so greatly with large broods. her first two pregnancies had both been twins. each one a strong, healthy boy. the very spitting image of their father, the king. nem's father too. he was many things to her. father, lover, husband, king. her mother had been the king's sister as was customary in their culture. it was best for the bloodline. mother had only ever given him one child though. only nem was born to them. as nem aged and her mother's health worsened, attentions turned and by her fourteenth year, nem was round and heavy with her father's twin sons. her mother succumbed to fever and nem was wed to her father one week later. it was just a day after that she birthed the twin heirs. the first proper heirs to the throne.

a second set of twins had followed. then triplets after that. strong, healthy, princes. ones that would secure her father, her king's dynasty for years to come, 'can you feel them, your grace?' she hums as his hands rest on either side of her belly. it was amazing how large she was despite such a small stature. each boy she carried had certainly inherited their father's intimidating stature, 'your little princes are eager. they want to come out. see the world. meet their king.' she rested her head back against the pillow, 'and their mother would not mind a reprieve from their antics.'

#starter plots

1 note · View note

strangeflamingo · 2 years

Text

Finally, we reach the start of the first proper round, starting as always in Pleasantview. Not too much happened in the pre-round here other than the scripted events. We still have all the original sims, with no new births or deaths. Let's see how the first round will change that!

I'm playing the first round in 2 parts: Mon/Tues - Wed/Thurs (depending on the household), then through to Sat 6am. This is so that sims like Dustin and Dirk have a chance to meet the teens from other sub-hoods that won't be played until later in the round. Otherwise they'll be sat in the student bin for the the time it takes for me to play 20 households.

With all that said, let's go!

#sims 2 #strange flamingo's megahood #sims 2 pleasantview #sfm: round 1 #sfm: pleasantview round 1

0 notes

tehohaews · 3 years

Text

#Thinking about how the right thing to do would've been to air the s2g finale #Then have the 2g concert #Film the st special while win still had his black hair (more on this later)#Announce fruity4 at the oishi event as they are gonna drop the trailer on dec 3 anyway #And then they could've announced the 2g special at a later time or a proper s2 after fruity4 #They'll be like yeah we filmed this a long time ago you didn’t know lol #Now about win's hair #As this was rushed and not planned so they're gonna have to change some bits of tine's character to match win's appearance #Less(or none) of wat babying tine for sure #Like I'm all for character development but if they make them act ooc :/#Also praying that they won't have the house we saw in the ig pics of bright and win #Cause that doesnt have the homely vibes their apartment in s2g had #Plus they just graduated and looking for a job where would they get THAT much money for such a fancy place #And yes I'd like to see them grow up graduating and working but i don't like how this is kind of coming to an end #Cause where do you go from here #Except wedding #Which is not that easy in th #(Let's see how tharntype handles it and if they show a real wedding)#Like if you're gonna do one ep you could've done one where like they are in their 3rd or 4th year and all of them go camping or smth #Both the clubs :D and then both of the clubs plan a prank on eo but like they don’t know that the other is pulling a prank too #So there's a lot of drama and shenanigans and fluff obviously #Jdndnsjsn this would've been fun #And then a proper s2 or a 5 ep special(i dont care if they call it special again at this rate)#With the graduation and working plot #Perhaps talks on marriage too #And by talks I MEAN PROPOSAL SCENE #Sarawat plans to propose to Tine but Tine beats him to it sjjsjsjd and like we wouldn’t know that Tine was also planning a proposal all alo #And so tine will explain it to him and we'll get a montage of tine's part of the story like kind of when we did of wat's story at ep11 #also yes the double proposal thing is from may's fic MAY IF U SEE THIS send your fic to gmm #sarawatine comeback

4 notes · View notes

redhairedwolfwitch · 3 years

Text

Baby Shepherd - Part 6 - Jo Wilson x Shepherd!Sister!Reader

Summary: All that wedding planning is done and the bachelorette parties are over and done with... now it's time for the wedding of Y/n Shepherd and Jo Wilson...

"Hey... you awake?" you whispered, tentatively reaching out into the darkness to find your sleeping fiancee.

"Uhhh yeah... what's up?" Jo grumbled slightly, shuffling closer to pull you into her embrace. Well she wasn't asleep now.

"It's our wedding tomorrow." You whispered, kissing Jo's shoulder as you shuffled in her hold, "I get to call you my wife..." You hummed, your nose brushing Jo's ear.

A muffled yelp left your throat as Jo moved quickly, hovering over you as her breath hit your lips. A smirk covered Jo's lips as a soft smile covered yours, but the mischief in your eyes was obvious.

"God, I love you." Jo whispered, leaving you to laugh.

"Oh, honey. I'm far from God-" you were cut off as Jo's fingers hooked under your chin, pulling you into a searing kiss.

///

"You have a key to her place, right?" Addison enquired as Amelia followed her up to the place that you and Jo shared.

"I wouldn't just walk in-" Amelia began but Addison sighed.

"If they take any longer, they'll miss their own wedding, and it's hard to have a wedding without the brides." Addison pointed out, holding her hand out for Amelia to give her the key.

"I still wouldn't just walk in. Well, at least they're not naked on the couch this time..." Amelia muttered to herself, tentatively following Addison into the place, grimacing as Addison made a beeline for the bedroom, then the bathroom.

Two shrieks and a gasp had Addison backing away, standing outside the door.

"So, they're in the shower, together... can you two hurry up? You're not even supposed to see each other today!" Addison pointed out, raising her voice to be heard over the sound of the shower. A sigh left her lips as she muttered about not needing to see what she saw.

"Told you." Amelia nervously chuckled, much to Addison's reluctance.

"Bit late for that! Kinda saw all of each other..." You interjected as you stepped out of the shower, pulling the towel around you before passing Jo her towel.

"Multi-" Jo was silenced by your hand, staring at her with wide-eyes to not say what she was going to say.

"Jo, Link's coming over to get you in a bit, and we are stealing Baby Shep before Nancy and Kathleen get into town. Liz is meeting us later, okay little one?" Amelia explained, passing you the t-shirt you gestured for her to pass you.

A sad whine left Jo's lips at the idea of being left on her own, her face only breaking into a smile when you leaned over and kissed her forehead, pulling the shirt over your head before Jo could lean in for a proper kiss.

"Hey, we don't have time for you two to have round two!" Addison interrupted, leaving Jo to chuckle something under her breath about it not being round two, whilst you cleared your throat, taking the jeans that Amelia was holding.

///

"How do you feel? You excited?" Amelia turned around in the passenger seat to look at you in the back.

"Excited, and nervous. It's one massive family gathering..." You chuckled, smiling slightly to yourself.

"You just want to marry Jo and run, don't you?" Addison commented, glancing at you in the rear-view mirror for a moment before she focused on the road.

"It's that obvious?" Your question was rhetorical as Amelia turned around to match your smirk, whilst Addison rolled her eyes playfully.

///

"Well, apparently Link lost Jo-" Amelia read out her texts, pausing as she looked up to see Addison diving at the door, blocking Jo who had just snuck in.

A whine left Jo's lips as Addison covered Jo's eyes, leaving you to try not to laugh as you were told not to turn around.

"Wow, well I suppose this is better than Baby Shep sneaking out the window, like you did when you were younger." Liz's voice had everyone looking at who was behind Jo, as Jo squirmed out of Addison's hold, slipping onto the couch to sit and grin to herself as she spotted you.

"Wait, you'd sneak out the window?" Amelia realised, leaving you to laugh to yourself.

"Liz's window was the easiest to climb out of... Nancy's was the easiest to smash a football through." You shrugged, looking at Jo from the corner of your eye.

"How'd you get away from Link, Arizona and Mer?" You enquired, feeling your face burn as Jo winked at you.

"It was easy actually." Jo chuckled before she spotted Amelia texting Link.

"Nooo, I don't wanna go back yet!" Jo whined, running into your arms as you reached out for her.

You were quick to kiss Jo, hearing her whine as the two of you broke apart.

"As much as we keep breaking traditions, I do think you turning up to walk down the aisle dressed is necessary." You cut Jo off as she smirked, gesturing to how the two of you were in a room of your sisters.

Jo pouted slightly, mumbling a 'fine' under her breath as you playfully rolled your eyes.

"You should have seen them at Y/n's bachelorette party..." Amelia muttered, remembering how you and Jo acted like you'd been separated for a lot longer than a few hours.

///

"How do you feel?" You enquired as you and Amelia were waiting to walk the aisle.

"Like the proudest big sister ever. I'm just sorry Derek isn't here to see this."

"He's watching. He understands too, if anyone else bar him was walking me down the aisle, it was going to be you. I don't want anyone else, but you to do it." You explained, chuckling as Amelia began to tear up.

"Hey, no sad tears, please. Or I'm going to start crying too and that's not a good look right now." You begged, pausing as Amelia wrapped her arm around yours.

"Let's go get you hitched." She grinned, realising it was time to walk.

///

"Y/n Shepherd, do you take Jo Wilson to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." You smiled, all your focus on Jo as the two of you exchanged grins.

"Jo Wilson, do you take Y/n Shepherd to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Jo grinned, turning to look at you as the two of you knew what was next.

"I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss!"

Everyone began to clap and cheer but you and Jo were so wrapped up in each other in that moment, kissing as biodegradable confetti made from flower petals was thrown in the air.

///

"Hey, any idea where the newly-married couple ran off to?" Maggie enquired, approaching Amelia at the buffet table.

"Knowing my sister and my sister-in-law? Somewhere private, where they can be alone and kick off their marriage... god, I never thought I'd be jealous of my baby sister." Amelia admitted, sighing to herself as Maggie put the dots together, her nose crinkling up.

"You think they snuck off to..." Maggie trailed off as Amelia nodded, letting out another sigh.

"After Addison interrupted them this morning? I wouldn't put it past them..." Amelia shivered, pausing as Liz chuckled.

"Those two can't keep their hands off each other. I also think they wanted to get away from mom, plus Kate and Nancy... the look on their faces when they saw neither of them were in heels? Priceless." Liz explained, leaving Amelia to snort.

"White combat boots and converse. Classics." Amelia chuckled, pausing as she spotted you and Jo sneaking back in, having swapped clothes for attire the two of you were going to wear for the plane journey to your honeymoon destination.

///

Jo let out a quiet cheer as the seatbelt sign for the plane turned off, allowing her to push the arm-rest up and out of reach. A smirk crossed her lips as she fake-yawned, reaching over to wrap her arm around you.

"Sap." You chuckled, leaning into her warmth as you glanced out of the window, smiling as Jo pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"I love you." You whispered, playing with the rings on your necklace as Jo's face lit up.

"And I love you." She replied, glancing down at your necklace before grasping hers with her free-hand.

///

Tags: @nnightskiess @emskisworld @afuckingshituniverse

#jo wilson x reader #jo wilson imagine #grey's anatomy x reader #amelia shepherd x sister!reader #grey's anatomy imagine #amelia shepherd imagine #amelia shepherd x reader #jo wilson #amelia shepherd #grey's anatomy #addison montgomery #liz shepherd #maggie pierce

160 notes · View notes

south-park-meta · 2 years

Note

lksdhgls I sent that ask before I could finish it but um yeah stan and crying (I agree he won't cry that much, or not as much as the fandom thinks?) and also his hang ups with marriage!

Hahaha mostly I just think fandom as a whole takes Stan as crying more often and more readily than I think he actually does because he is one of the kids where crying is more often a plot point. But I do think that despite Stan's crying being a plot device more often, that it also seems to be stressed that it takes a lot for him to get to the point of crying. This is particularly true in the later seasons. The episodes where he does cry lately have had a gradual buildup of him being emotionally detached from his friends for multiple seasons.

Stan has a pretty long fuse when it comes to outbursts where it comes to expressing he needs more emotional support, and when he does have these outbursts he tends to also immediately flip a switch to get over it or pushes people away when they might actually help.

The GOT arc with him feeling separated from Kyle, and like Kyle has been picking Cartman over him, has been a gradual build since way back in YGO. He doesn't CRY here, but he does scream that they're losing the last thread of friendship they have left. Kyle is blindsided by this and seems willing to have a conversation-- and Stan immediately makes him leave because he doesn't want to have a conversation about his emotional needs. So they patch things up superficially.

He breaks down with the Pandemic Special after specifically denying support from his mom because he's 'strong' compared to the other kids. And even when he does have a mental breakdown in front of the other kids, he doesn't...really get a lot of acknowledgement for that, which isn't a criticism of how the other kids treat him because I think he's long set up a precedent of being calm, being calm, being calm as things build, having a sudden extreme reaction, then being like 'lol no guys I'm chill!'. He cries in Band in China. But only after an extended period of time of trying to make himself feel more connected to his peers by being able to move closer to them to receive some level of emotional support. And when he cries it lasts, honestly, like two seconds without further acknowledgment before he hops up because Kyle's back, and immediately shoves the negative feelings back down in favor of being strong.

I think people tend to make Stan more willing to cry in fandom because we've seen it relatively often/it tends to factor into the plot a bit/he's probably the most emotionally mature of the main boys. Those things are often true, but his crying also comes after loooots of buildup and he tends to immediately stop and rebound to an 'I'M TOTALLY FINE!' before he can have an actual conversation. Imo he's actually less willing to cry than a lot of people and has a less healthy relationship with it than a lot of characters, because he's so scared of seeming weak in their eyes. Because he's built a lot of his 'brand' on doing things for people, going out on these big adventures to 'fix' things, he's scared he'll lose what everyone finds worthwhile about him by actually seeming emotional.

As far as marriage goes I think he'd want to get married but he'll have also seen his parents' marriage fail A LOT. He'll have gone through multiple divorces. I think he'll gather quite a few more step parents before he gets to the age he can marry even though I think Sharon and Randy will be together in the end. So I feel like Stan will have this anxiety of 'if we get married this will be the beginning of the end' and be scared of ruining a good thing.

That said if it turns into a BIG fight with Kyle, I think Stan will be the one to be like 'Dude I will literally marry you THIS SECOND' and they'll go to the court house in a huff. Then Kyle will start freaking out because his mom would DEFINITELY be mad she wasn't invited, so they'll wind up getting it annulled so they can do a proper wedding that's not basically an 'I'll show YOU' marriage.

10 notes · View notes

korgbelmont · 2 years

Text

Choices Insiders December 2021

Here we are, the final month of 2021, and the final Insiders of the year.

RAMBLE ALERT!!

I selected that I don't read on my phone, when it comes to reading it will either be on the computer because of the bigger screen or a proper book in hand.

It's a bittersweet ending to a beloved series. Last month, we said farewell to The Royal Romance series with a Choices livestream. If you missed out, don’t fret! We’ve got the recorded video for you. Haven't played? Find your happily ever after in The Royal Romance, The Royal Heir, and The Royal Finale, available for all!

Although I stopped with The Royal Heir 2, it does feel a little bit weird now that this long series is done.

There's a whole new world of passion to explore. Push your boundaries with our newest VIP Early Access book, Surrender! Available now for all VIP players.

So from what I've seen from people's post, Surrender really isn't great and has a very negative representation of BDSM. So I think I will give this one a miss when it becomes public.

Behind the Scenes

As we move closer to the release of Crimes of Passion 📷, we asked our writers if they have any advice for our players who will be venturing into our newest mystery book: “Advice? Pay attention. You never know when a small detail might be relevant later, even if it seems irrelevant at the time.” Get those notepads ready, because it sounds like this book will keep us on our toes! Stay tuned to our social media pages for more on Crimes of Passion.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this is the one that annoys me the most about the new release method because it is the book that is at the top of my list that isn't a sequel.

It looks like that similar to Veil of Secrets and The Unexpected Heiress, this may have the magnifying glass mechanic to signal clues.

This is all looking rather high tech and I think that one of the leads will be in law enforcement.

Top FAQ

1. When are The Nanny Affair 2 and Laws of Attraction 2 releasing? Both sequels are early in production and do not have a release timeline as of yet. We will be sure to update the Community when we have more info to share. 3. When is Wake the Dead releasing for all players? This month! Stay tuned for the finalized release date.

I am selecting these two questions in particular as I will be going into detail about the second one in a bit.

I'm not sure if Laws 2 and The Nanny Affair 3 were planned from the get go, but by the sounds of this, it doesn't seem like it. I don't know what to expect from either except that Laws 2 will probably be about getting rid of Martin after the revelation at the end of BK1. And for The Nanny Affair 3, more than likely, part of it will centre around the wedding and then the other part around the Addison revelation (they'll need a hell of an explanation as to how she is alive).

So there is quite a bit to talk about here.

I'm actually going to leave Crimes because I want to do a post about that on it's own. I was planning to yesterday, but then decided not to as I remembered the Insiders was today. But I do like the font of the title.

It looks like January will not have a VIP release, guessing they want to have some things ready for the rest of the year and may be taking January to get themselves sorted.

Untamable - I have no idea what to expect from this. If I had to make a guess, I would say maybe it's something to do with animals. But I couldn't say more than that.

Princess Swap - Certainly an interesting title, again, no clue what to expect. And I couldn't even take a guess at a premise.

Cursed Heart - Going by the choice of background, this looks like it could be a fantasy setting possibly. I am guessing that magic is involved with it in some way, but how it is, no clue.

With Wake the Dead coming this month, it's certainly a different type of story for a December release haha. I'm not sure who I will choose between Shannon and Angel, I'll need to play to make my mind up.

Ms. Match is coming in the new year, so it'll be time to choose a version of Jaqueline soon. From what I've seen, people have enjoyed this book. I'll give it a go, more often than not, I'll give a book a go with at least two to three chapters before coming to a decision.

Noticing Slow Burn isn't there this month, maybe they've pushed it back, not sure.

While we wait in anticipation to reveal more details about our 2022 books, we’d like to announce some updates: Ms. Match will be available for all players in January 2022. As for Blades of Light and Shadow, we've seen your comments and understand your concerns, so we want to reassure you that Blades will be receiving a sequel. If you've played Blades, you know how elaborate the art, music, writing, playstyle, everything is. As a result, it requires a lot of attention to detail to make. Our teams want to make sure that we deliver this epic story with the highest quality as we know Blades 2 is a highly anticipated Choices book sequel. As a result, Blades will need more time in production and will not be released in 2022 as previously stated. Thank you for waiting as we work to make this story the best that it can be!

As I have mentioned, it's highly doubtful that they would cancel Blades with how well it did. BK1 took ages to make, so it's not a surprise that it's the same for BK2, even if it was planned from the beginning. There was a lot that had to be done from scratch such as the assets, backgrounds, and soundtracks. Plus all the art scenes.

That's it for this month, it's definitely been an interesting year. Hope for the best in 2022.

My best to you all and keep safe!

#playchoices #choices stories you play #choices insiders #thoughts and theories

7 notes · View notes