#eve likes mary. oh no. that is not good probably.

[worldlxvlys]

i NEED a wedding day typa thing with matt where hes just stressing and his vows are cuter than anything and he admires u while ur walking down the aisle that typa shit

long enough

matt sturniolo x reader

warnings: noneeeee

a/n: hope you likeee <33

don’t cry. don’t cry, don’t cry.

i took a deep breath as i stared at the doors, waiting for her to come through them.

i’ve waited for this day for so long, and now that it was actually happening it felt surreal.

“please stand”

as i watched everyone collectively stand up i felt a rush of nerves take over me.

this was really happening.

i wasn’t in my 9th grade science class, watching her expertly mix chemicals together, day dreaming about marrying her.

we weren’t studying for our math test together, her explaining how to solve the problem while i zoned out, imagining how amazing she would be at planning our wedding.

i wasn’t watching her walk down the stairs on prom night, finally seeing which dress she chose, thinking about what it’d be like to see her in her wedding dress for the first time.

now, i was living it.

every minute i spent longing for her, all of the pain i went through waiting for her, it all led up to this exact moment.

chris, most likely picking up on my nerves, patted my shoulder lightly from his spot beside me.

i momentarily glanced over to him, and he gave me a slight nod.

nick, who was on the other side of him, gave me a quick thumbs up.

i took another deep breath, attempting to relax, as i watched the doors in anticipation.

the moment they opened up, i lost it.

i let out a quick breath, tears welling in my eyes when i saw her standing there.

i held my breath for a second while i took in her dress. it was perfect for her.

the white seemed to make her glow, only adding to her natural beauty.

the top of the dress was lined with intricate designs, with a touch of lace to top it off.

the straps were thin, but not too thin, a detail of the dress she was adamant about being perfect.

the bottom of the dress was long, but not long enough where she had to worry about it dragging behind her too much.

the dress had a small slit going up her leg. it wasn’t anything too crazy, just long enough for me to see the lace garter decorating her thigh, peeking through when she walked.

it was unlikely that anyone else even saw it, however, i was purposefully looking for it.

the dress just screamed her. it was simple, yet so unique. the extravagance wasn’t in the dress itself, but in the details.

it was clear that she put an abundance of time and thought into picking out the dress, and it paid off.

“oh my god” i whispered under my breath, attempting to blink back my tears.

READER’S POV

“take a breath” mary lou spoke as she rubbed my back gently.

i was currently staring at the doors in anticipation, my hands shaking lightly.

i did as she said, inhaling through my nose and out of my mouth.

“i’ll be next you the whole time, sweetheart” she smiled at me.

my parents and i were on less than optimal terms, as they liked to call it.

at least, that’s what they said when people asked about it.

they were never there for me, but mary lou and jimmy were. i never even had to ask her to be the one to walk me down the aisle, we both always knew it would be her.

“i’m so grateful for you” i told her, my voice wavering slightly.

she pulled me into a hug, giving me a slight squeeze.

“good, cause you’re stuck with me” she chuckled.

after waiting a few more minutes, the doors finally opened.

everyone’s head turned to me, and my eyes widened slightly under the pressure of so many people’s gaze.

“you’re ok” she whispered to me, knowing how i would react.

my eyes found matt’s across the aisle, and my focus on everyone else completely faded away.

tears were streaming down his face as he stared at me in awe.

i took in his appearance, and almost melted right there.

he looked so good.

his suit was crisp, no doubt the result of him making sure it was hanging at all times. knowing him, he probably never even took it out of the protective bag, wanting it to stay wrinkle-free.

his tie was tied perfectly, the result of him watching youtube videos repeatedly, needing to master the skill. (mary lou ended up having to teach him how to do it over facetime.)

every piece of his tuxedo matched perfectly, his meticulous planning shining through.

the tux fit him better than i ever could have imagined.

he wore a few rings, knowing how much i loved them on his hands. i was excited for one ring in particular, though.

as mary lou guided me down the aisle, i noticed matt’s gaze run up and down my body, stopping at the garter that i let him pick out.

i smiled lightly at that, watching as he met my eyes again.

once we got to the end of the aisle, we stopped directly in front of matt.

“hi baby” i whispered to him, watching as he began to laugh lightly.

his smile grew even wider as mary lou, handed him a few tissues for his tears.

we both laughed lightly at this, “where did you get that?” i asked. everyone around us laughed at that.

“no, i’m serious. where did that come from?” i asked, confused.

we were met with more laughter, my question left unanswered.

she gave us both a kiss to the cheek, before placing my hand in his.

i felt tears of my own start to fall at the gesture.

“you may now be seated” everyone sat down at the request.

“family and friends, thank you all for coming today to share in this wonderful occasion. today we are here together to unite matt and y/n in marriage”

“and now for the vows” the officiator spoke. matt decided he wanted to go first.

“ok, hi” he breathed out, a large grin spreading on his face. “y/n, i have spent such a long time dreaming about this day. for so long, i would tell chris and nick that i was gonna marry you one day. but then you started chasing after other guys and you seemed so unattainable all of a sudden. but we’re finally here, we’re getting married” he whispered excitedly, as though he couldn’t believe it, “and there’s no one else that i’d rather be with. i love how deeply you care about the things that are important to you, like this. i’m pretty sure i’ve seen everything in this room on your pinterest board at some point” the room filled with chuckles, “ you’ve put so much love and time into this and i’m so grateful to have found someone who cares about this, who cares about me so much. and seeing you walk down that aisle with my mom, i-” his voice broke as his lip began to quiver slightly.

i sniffled softly, blinking rapidly as more tears fell from my eyes.

“you mean everything to me, and i can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you” he finished.

when the officiator gestured to me, i began my vows.

“ geez, that was really good” i breathed out, making everyone laugh.

“ok” i spoke as i took a deep breath, “matt, i have loved you for so long. i can’t even pinpoint when, we were so young. but, i always thought that i was just gonna be in the crowd, watching you do this with someone else. i never imagined, for a second, that you felt the same. and growing up, your mom would always tell me that when we got married, she’d be the one to hand me off to you. and i never believed that i would actually get to experience that”

“i love you more than words can describe, and i’m so happy to be able to call you my husband. i’m so grateful to be marrying my best friend, because i couldn’t imagine life without you, and now i never have to. thank you for accepting me, thank you for loving me. just- thank you” i finished.

“do you matthew sturniolo, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

“of course i do” he spoke, staring at me.

“and do you y/n , take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?

“i do”

we were then given our rings to exchange.

as i slid the ring on matt’s finger, i spoke “with this ring, i thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever”

matt did the same with my ring, “with this ring, i thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever”

“by the authority vested in me by the state of massachusetts , i now pronounce you husband and wife!”

“you may now-” he didn’t even finish the sentence before matt wrapped his arms around my waist, placing his lips against mine in a passionate kiss.

the room was filled with cheers and applause as our lips moved against each others for a few seconds, before pulling away.

he pulled me into a hug, kissing my forehead. “you could’ve let the man finish first” i spoke, teasingly.

“i’ve waited long enough”

🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

masterlist

tag list: @lustfulslxt @flowerxbunnie @sturnssx @mattslolita @its-jennarose @sophssturn @bernardsleftbootycheek @queen161718 @cupidsword @imwetforyourmom @nickmillersn1gf @mattsneezing @chrisstankyleg @sturniolobltch @charlotteblogs777 @bethsturn @bernardenjoyer @mbbsgf @rac00ns-are-c00l4 @ssturniolo @blueeyedbesson @mxqdii @sturniolowhore @readerakayourname @defnotayonna @urmom2bitch @rootbeerworshiper @starsturniolo @hearts4chriss @theyluv-meee @carolinalikesthings @itzdarling @chrisstopherfilmed @judespoision @sstvrnioloo @littlebookworm803 @nicksdrpepper @chrisloyalgf @robins-scoop @fandomhopped @chr1sgirl4life @bbglmfao @55sturn @sturniolololover @meg-sturniolo @leah-loves-lilies @vanteguccir @ineedchriscock @junnniiieee07

#sturniolo triplets #chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo x reader #sturniolo fanfic #matt sturniolo x reader #matthew sturniolo #matt #matt sturniolo fic #matthew sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo x you #matt sturniolo imagine #matt sturniolo fluff #matt sturniolo fanfic #matthew sturniolo imagine #sturniolos #sturniolo fic #sturniolo fluff

[doukeshi-kun]

What happens on days where Nikolai and his family go to the beach to have fun and his wife is wearing a swimsuit (not extremely revealing since their kids are there but just enough for Nikolai to go awooga)

𝙙𝙖𝙙!𝙣𝙞𝙠𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙞 + 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙩

replies ⨳ i love this sm I LOVE

contents ⨳ fem!reader, babymama!reader, oc kids (yuri, mari, karol), fluff, suggestive

“Karol.”

Karol coos sadly as Nikolai ties the lace of the boy's beach shorts. Yuri is standing by his side, already wearing his blue swimsuit. Karol wants to mimic his dad, so he insists on just wearing a pair of shorts.

“You already put on your sunscreen, Yurochka?” Nikolai asks before he stands up, looking at himself in the mirror. His loose white shirt is unbuttoned fully and his sunglasses are resting on his head. He adjusts his grey swim trunks before he gives the sunscreen on the sink to Karol.

“Here you go, Karol. Your turn.”

Karol grins as he takes the sunscreen. Nikolai then grabs the bag that holds the rest of his and his kids' belongings before leading them out of the men's restroom. He holds Yuri's hand as Karol is trailing closely by Yuri's side.

“Where's mom? And Mari?” Yuri asks when they are already at the beach, with Nikolai laying a mat on the sand, under the shadow of a tree. Nikolai smiles at Yuri — always looking out for people he cherishes. He pats Yuri's head, messing with the boy's hair.

“Mama and Mari are probably still in the restroom, Yurochka. They know where to find us. And Karol! Why are you white?”

Karol looks at Nikolai, confused — his face is completely covered with sunscreen, an excessive amount of it too. Yuri scrunches his face, seeing Karol's proud face as the little gremlin makes an 'X' gesture with his arms, aimed at the sun.

“Extra protection! Sun is ev— waaa!”

He whines when Nikolai starts to rub his face, making sure the sunscreen is applied evenly to his face and neck. Karol tries to fight Nikolai's hands but his effort is clearly futile against his own dad.

“Hey.”

Karol stops resisting immediately. He pouts but he lets Nikolai do what he wants. Yuri is already sitting, looking around to look for his sister and mother, sometimes watching his dad apply some sunscreen on Karol's back.

As soon he turns to his right, he sees you and Mari walking towards him. Mari gets excited quickly and runs towards them, immediately lunging herself on Nikolai who still does not notice you are coming.

“Papa!”

“Oh!” Nikolai turns around quickly and his smile gets broader once he sees his little princess, adorable in a pink and yellow swimsuit. She also has a small beach hat on her head.

“You look cute, malyshka.” Nikolai smiles, pinching Mari's cheek lightly. Mari happily twirls and shows her twin braids.

“Mom did it for me!”

“Is that so?” Nikolai chuckles. “Seems like your braiding skill has...” his words falter when he turns his head towards you. His eyes widen as they travel your whole body, up and down multiple times.

“Mari! Let's build our sand empire!” Karol is quick to drag Mari to leave the shade and to the beach. Yuri stands on his feet quickly and follows his two little siblings, warning them to not go far. You only watch the kids leave you and your husband in the shadow as they are now having fun at the beach.

“My goodness, Karol is just too excited, isn't he?” you comment as you finally sit beside your husband. You turn to Nikolai and realize that he is very much staring at you — from head to toe.

“Kolya?”

“Mm...”

“Do I look too pretty?” you ask, clutching the long tropical robe you wore over your white one-piece swimsuit. Nikolai's eyes twitch at your assumption before he shakes his head, smiling slyly.

“You look sexy, gorgeous.”

“Oh, you...” you shyly nudge his face to the side. Nikolai chuckles at your touch as he turns his face to you again. “Not going to lie though... It feels a bit too tight right here,” you mumble as you fix the fabric beneath your breasts and of course your husband would shamelessly stare. Your breasts do get bigger after three pregnancies after all and Nikolai loves that.

“Yeah? Like this? Want me to fix it?” Nikolai grins as his hand reaches that part, purposely nudging your breasts so they shake a bit. You slap his hand away lightly, only making him laugh.

“You're such a pervy,” you mumble, slapping his thigh, which makes Nikolai groan lowly, covering his mouth in frustration. He feels extremely bothered and giddy — who wouldn't feel so when your sexy wife is by your side?

“You're driving me crazy, love.”

Nikolai could not keep his hand to himself as he holds your thigh, squeezing it lightly. “You're so pretty, love. I just can't,” he says, leaning closer. But you are quick to halt his advance by placing a hand on his bare toned chest.

“Baby, please, just a kiss.” he pouts.

You laugh softly, only making Nikolai smile more. Your hand that is on his chest trails up to his chin. You pull him closer, pecking his lips shortly.

“There. Now go check on the kids. Mari and Yuri are burying Karol in the sand now.”

Nikolai grins. “Yes, ma'am.”

He stands and wears his sunglasses back. Before he walks to his kids, he immediately seizes your jaw, bringing your face upward only to plant a kiss on your lips, a bit longer than before. Your giggle muffled by the kiss only makes him smirk against your lips.

“Just you wait tonight, love.”

©doukeshi-kun 2023 — do not copy, plagiarize and repost my works to any platform, more @cherikolya

if you like my works, consider buy me a ko-fi!

#道化師-jest❃ུ۪ #bsd x reader #nikolai x reader #nikolai gogol x reader #bsd imagines #nikolai imagines #bsd fluff #nikolai fluff #bsd nikolai x reader #bsd nikolai gogol #bungou stray dogs x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader

[bloodynereid]

Tinsel, Gold and Dragons

(modern au!)

pairings: rhaenyra targaryen x fem! reader, past rhaenyra x alicent

tw: kissing, alicent bashing, alcohol consumption, talk about hooking up, hatred of the holiday season??

description: You were wondering how the hell this family had so many attractive people. Rhaenyra’s brain was currently not computing, she was pretty sure this was called bisexual panic but it had never really happened to her in real life before.

a/n: hiii hope you enjoy this little fic i randomly wrote last night. i've been kind of missing just writing stuff that isn't requests so hopefully this is still ok haha. ALSO i'm 100% an alicent defender, she's the loml so just remember that a lot of this is from rhaenyra's pov and not my own thoughts about her character. anyways hope you enjoy this and happy holidays <3 (might write a part 2 at some point but who knows?)

Rhaenyra Targaryen never liked the holiday season. After her mother died things just got worse and the boring parties she was always subjected to only got more boring. The welcome reprieve of baking gingerbread in the kitchen with her mom was gone in seconds and now holidays just reminded her of everything she had lost.

This year’s party was going to be the worst one by a long shot. Rhaenyra had to deal with Alicent fucking Hightower - oh sorry Targaryen now… that was something she still hadn’t accepted. I mean how do you even cope when your best friend suddenly starts fucking your dad in secret, gets pregnant, marries him and then proceeds to act like she’s Virgin fucking Mary?

The answer is with a lot of scotch, stupid hookups and long hours studying. She was desperate to get her law degree so she could finally do something and it also meant she could start working at her uncle’s law firm.

Currently though she was stuck in her father’s house whilst her new toddler half-brother threw temper tantrums and broke anything in his vicinity.

It was Christmas Eve and Viserys had nearly decided to cancel the annual Christmas party, in favor of “family bonding” but Alicent had somehow convinced him to keep it on. Rhaenyra did not want to think about what she had done to convince him. She nearly gagged at the mere idea of it.

Smoothing out the material of the dark red dress with a slightly higher slit than what would be considered appropriate, Rhaenyra let out an audible sound of satisfaction. She looked fucking hot. Plus Alicent would freak when she saw it, perfect.

Once upon a time Alicent Hightower had been her best friend, and probably something more but now… all that Rhaenyra could muster up for her is a cold chill of utter hate and rage.

Rhaenyra was thrown out of her thoughts when her phone called out the familiar ringtone that belonged to her uncle.

“Daemon… you do know that people can text now don’t you?”

“Haha, you can call me old all you want but you might regret it when I don’t tell you how I’m about to save you tonight.”

“Please tell me you found a way to make them all die fiery deaths.”

“Nothing as dramatic as that but I assure you it’s still the perfect escape.”

“Are you going to leave me in suspense while I endure this torture or…”

“Fine, you spoiled princess. We’re having a little party at the firm and since you’re coming to work here soon…”

“You didn’t.”

“But I did.”

“Fuck off. You mean I can actually leave this party.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t already.”

“You’re my savior.”

“Knight in shining armor and all that. Just remember to get me a good present this year.”

“When do I ever disappoint you?”

“There is also another surprise waiting for you when you get here.”

“Daemon… what have you done?”

“Nothing. There’s just someone I think you should meet.”

“Oh God, maybe I won’t go.”

“You know you’re too desperate not to, plus she’s your age so you won’t have to deal with boring old men like me.”

“She’s a she?” 

Rhaenyra perked up, she hadn’t had a date in a while and ever since Alicent she hadn’t even tried to step her foot back into that pool. A string of meaningless hookups with men had done nothing to quell the heartbreak side of the whole situation. This would probably be good for her. 

“Yes. So I guess that means you’re coming?”

“Obviously.”

“Should I send a car over?”

“Don’t bother, I’ll just drive Syrax.” Syrax was a birthday present from Daemon, a beautiful and subtly gold car that drove like a dream.

“Ok, see you soon Nyra.”

“Bye, Uncle.”

Rhaenyra sped through the streets of King’s Landing in the comfortable leather seat of her car. The bright Christmas lights that adorned the shops made a bright smile appear on her face. She may hate the holidays but at least the lights and food were incredible.

She arrived at the tall building that held Caraxes, Daemon’s law firm and named after his first dog but no one needed to know that. She gave her name to the security guard before parking the car in one of the empty spaces.

Her red dress fluttered in the cold breeze as she waited for the elevator to open. The firm was located on the 60th floor, the penthouse. Rhaenyra always loved being up high so the height was never a problem. What was annoying was how long it took her to actually get up there.

When the elevator doors finally opened at the correct floor, loud Christmas music echoed through the floor and she could clearly hear cheers coming from the area close to Daemon’s office.

Since the secretary was nowhere to be seen, Rhaenyra walked the now familiar route towards her uncle’s office. Weaving through a variety of cubicles she found a large Christmas tree and a small bar had been set up outside her uncle’s office.

“NYRA!” A loud voice that corresponded to her uncle slurred out and his tall frame ambled towards her. Within moments she was suddenly caught in a warm embrace and she returned the hug with her smaller arms wrapping around his torso.

“When did you have time to get this drunk, uncle?” Rhaenyra asked when they finally parted.

“Oh you think this is drunk, darling. Don’t you remember me at that New Year’s-”

“Andddd I’m going to stop you right there. I still get trauma flashbacks.”

“I must say, you look absolutely stunning Nyra. I’m sure our dear Alicent flipped when she saw you.”

“You should have seen her face when I told her I was going to unfortunately not attend her party.” Rhaenyra and Daemon shared a laugh before Daemon spotted someone in the crowd and a smirk appeared on his face.

“Y/N! I have someone you should meet.” 

Rhaenyra followed Daemon’s line of sight and found the most beautiful woman she had probably ever seen. You were wearing a dark blue floor length dress which was held up with spaghetti straps. A pashmina scarf looped around your elbows and you had a smile on your face as you approached the two of them.

“You summoned me?” You asked when you finished weaving through the sea of people.

“Well yes, I wanted you to meet my niece. Rhaenyra this is Y/N, our newest and most promising associate.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” You said as you offered a hand to the stunning silver haired woman. You were wondering how the hell this family had so many attractive people. Rhaenyra’s brain was currently not computing, she was pretty sure this was called bisexual panic but it had never really happened to her in real life before.

“I-uh, nice to meet you too.” Rhaenyra stuttered out as she took Y/N’s hand and shook it.

“Well I’ll leave you two to it.” Daemon said with a conspiring tone in his voice before he disappeared into the crowd.

“So… Daemon’s been singing your merits all over the office for a while now so I think I have an unfair advantage here.”

“Oh God, what has he been saying?” Rhaenyra groaned out as she dramatically swept a hand over her hair.

“Nothing bad, I promise. You’re getting your law degree at The Citadel, right?”

“Yup.”

“How’s that? I was debating going there for a while but ended up going to Oxford instead.”

“It's hell but worth it, I hope.”

“I totally get that, Oxford was like medieval torture but I’m happy it landed me in this place.” You said as you swept a hand in the direction of the office space.

“Wait, how old are you?” Rhaenyra suddenly asked before her face contorted in embarrassment. “Shit, that was rude, sorry.”

“Ha don’t worry, I get that all the time. I’m 25.”

“24.” Rhaenyra offered back in solidarity.

“We’re basically the same age then.” You said with a wink before you took a sip of the amber liquid in the glass tumbler.

“Probably why Daemon shoved us in this little corner together.”

“I’m for one glad to be stuck in this little corner with you.” You said as you smirked in Rhaenyra’s direction. A light blush started to dust Rhaenyra’s cheeks.

“I’m glad too, but I’m desperate for a drink. This week has been hell.”

“You don’t like the holidays either?”

“Hate them.”

“We have something else in common after all.”

You spent the rest of the party sitting next to Rhaenyra in Daemon’s office. You drank sparingly, not wanting to be drunk since Rhaenyra needed to drive back and you didn’t want to act like a fool in front of her.

Rhaenyra felt like this was the first time in years that she felt truly happy. It was nice just to talk and gossip and be free to actually be herself. With Alicent it felt like she was walking on eggshells before the incident and now it was near impossible to be in the same room alone with her. But with Y/N…

At first, Rhaenyra went into this wanting just to have a quick hookup but those hours spent talking or maybe it was the alcohol that got to her head but she decided she deserved something better. She deserved someone better.

“Do you need a ride home?” Rhaenyra asked when people started to mill out of the party. Y/N turned to her in surprise before a gentle smile lit up her face.

“It wouldn’t be any trouble?”

“Not at all, but don’t think this is some kind of selfless act - maybe I just want to spend more time with you.”

“Well, we just have to indulge in your selfish desires don’t we?” You said with a twinkle in your eyes and a laugh on your tongue.

“You have no idea the scope of my selfish desires.”

“I would like to find out…”

Rhaenyra basically dragged you down to her car after that little remark. As she drove through the streets of King’s Landing, you took a leap of blind faith (or maybe love) by gripping the hand that lay between the two of you. Rhaenyra instantly threaded her fingers through yours and you spied a small smile making its way to her face.

Once she pulled up in front of your apartment building Rhaenyra bit her lip and turned to look at you - still completely in awe of how pretty you are.

“We arrived.”

“That we did.”

“Well…”

“Well… do you uh-”

“Do I what?” Rhaenyra said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Rhae… I- do you want to come up?”

“Only if we can have a date tomorrow.”

“It’s Christmas Day.”

“I’ll think of something.”

“Hmm… deal.” You said as a giddy smile graced your lips. Suddenly the feeling of soft lips meeting against yours startled you out of your reverie and you jumped to thread your fingers through her silky hair.

“You are so beautiful.” Rhaenyra mumbled against your lips before slipping her tongue to delicately stroke yours. It seemed impossible that your smile could widen even more but it did.

“Mmm, says you. You fucking goddess.” You said when you both finally pulled away. Panting and grinning like idiots.

“This is certainly turning out to be a very merry Christmas.”

“Ho ho ho.”

rhaenyra is an bisexual icon just like her uncle and we love her for it !!

#rhaenyra targaryen #rhaenyra #rhaenyra x reader #rhaenyra is a bisexual icon. #rhaenyra targaryen x reader #rhaenyra x fem!reader #alicent hightower #daemon targaryen #hotd #house of the dragon #game of thrones #hotd x reader #hotd modern au #modern au #house of the dragon x reader #got #syrax #caraxes #viserys targaryen

[siriuslygay1981]

Marauders during New years/new years eve

James- chomping down his grapes, told everyone to leave him alone till he was done cuz he had to concentrate. Took shots with padfoot at around 8-9 pm. Has been sipping on some alcohol beverage while socializing. Is the one hosting. Wearing red underwear. Cleaned the whole house, has cash in random places.

Padfoot- Took a shower at 7, got ready, took shots with James, has been taking shots with the girls and sipping on a drink while getting ready. Is ready at 8:30-9. Is forced by James to do the grapes, acts like it's ridiculous, all his wishes are very thought out, takes longer than all of them though.

Remus- smoked a joint with Peter, Evan, barty and Pandora. Took shots with Pete , Mary and lily. Ate when they got there and watched pads get ready. Talked with the girls with pads in his lap. Eats grapes, only says a few wishes with his grapes, mostly just eats them. Hated on the music a bit, took a handful of songs out and added some when lily looked away.

Peter- brought some alcohol, brought funny lil hats. Nibbled on food while socializing. Wore green underwear. Has done the grape thing since he went to a new Year's party at James. Flirts with some girl he meets, one of Mary's friends.

Lily- is wearing a headband thing with happy new year! On it. She is helping padfoot get ready and gossiping with the girls. She helps make some food and takes care of the playlist. She ends up getting Pandora's glasses.

Pandora and reg are on the couch passing the left over joint, reg was forced to wear a party hat by Pandora. Pandora is wearing those silly glasses that says the new year. Pandora is in this silver dress that looks like tinsels. Reg Helped James and Sirius set the party up. Oh uh reg secretly does wish for a bunch of stuff with his grapes but acts like he didn't. Pandora just wishes for all her friends to be happy.

Mary- gossiping with lily, pads and marlene. Helped make jello shots. Helps fix makeup on anyone who needs it. Brought her boyfriend to kiss at 12. Has added a few songs to the playlist when lily got distracted. Doesn't like grapes!??

Marlene- brought jello shots with Mary. Chilling with Sirius, mostly quiet but compliments everyone's outfit. Eats the grapes, forgets to make wishes until the last two. She dances with Sirius most the night. Comes out to the living room and chills on the couch with everyone. Definitely argued about the music with lily and Remus.

Dorcas- brought some dessert from the store. Takes a few shots for the fun but mostly stays sober. Hangs with reg and Pandora for a bit before hanging out with marlene outside. The first time she does the grape thing, isn't sure what to wish for exactly. Also questions if the wishes happen in order. Overthinks it a bit.

Evan and barty don't leave each other's side. Literally go to the bathroom together. Probably took something BFR the party. Drink a bit and eat a bit while dancing and socializing. Brought some substances if anyone wanted any. Chomped on the grapes under the table together. Barty ate any fallen grapes while Evan wrinkled his nose in disgust.

The prewett twins brought alcohol and invited a lot of people. (After midnight!)

These are all the characters I could think of at the moment, if u have another character lemme know who and I'll do them as well!! :)

Also quick explanation! Wearing certain colored underwear is this new Year's Eve/new year thing. Ex; if you wear red underwear you are trying to bring love into your life. And the grape thing, you get twelve grapes, twelve wishes. You eat them as soon as it turns twelve and try to finish it BFR 12:01. Oh and cleaning the house and stashing money everywhere is supposed to bring you wealth and good things or whatever.

#marauders era #marauders fandom #dead gay wizards from the 70s #harry potter marauders #hp marauders #marauders #james potter #regulus black #sirius black #the marauders #marauder era #the marauders era #incorrect marauders era #marauders headcanon #mary mcdonald #dorcas and marlene #marlene and sirius #marlene mckinnon #sirius black x remus lupin #remus x sirius #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #barty crouch junior #evan rosier #pandora rosier #regulus and pandora #fabian prewett #gideon prewett #lily evans #jamespotter

[returnsandreturns]

mattfoggy christmas morning sleepy sex??? maybe???

i made it a baby mary fic oops

---

“When she’s able to grasp the context of Santa, we’ll be up at 5:00am opening presents,” Matt says, nuzzling into Foggy’s neck before resting his head on his chest again, smiling when Foggy pulls him even closer and kisses him on the top of his head. “I can already tell that she’s one of those kids—I bet you were, too.”

“Oh, yeah,” Foggy says, laughing. “I was tearing up that wrapping paper with my teeth as soon as my parents stopped threatening me with death for trying to wake up them up every 15 minutes. I bet you waited for the sun to rise like a respectable young man.”

“My dad would threaten to cancel Christmas if I woke him up before 7:00am,” Matt says. “He said we’d just go to church and give my presents away to orphans.”

“Little did he know,” Foggy says, rubbing his back when Matt snort laughs.

“We’ll be suckers,” he says, sitting up to smile sleepily down at him.

“Oh, sure,” Foggy says. “We’ll let her open them on Christmas Eve.”

“December 1st,” Matt says.

“Just hand over a credit card and let her loose in the nearest toy store as soon as it starts getting chilly,” Foggy says, leaning up to kiss him, making a pleased noise when Matt sinks into it. They try to get in a little time for themselves when Mary defies expectations and sleeps past the dawn and it seems like a perfectly good way to celebrate Christmas at this point in their lives. They were too tired to buy each other gifts. This probably counts.

“I want to make a joke about unwrapping a package before you do,” he says, pulling off Foggy’s t-shirt, “but I can’t think of one.”

“Cruel of you to steal that moment from me, Murdock,” Foggy says, slowly pulling down Matt’s sweatpants. “You know me too well.”

“Curse of marrying your best friend,” Matt says, laughing breathlessly when their bodies press together, their hands roaming with no specific intent.

There's no sound from Mary's room but her heartbeat and soft breathing. The apartment smells like cookies. Foggy kisses him like there's nothing to worry about in the world.

Matt's never been so in love with his entire life before.

#my fic #daredevil #mattfoggy #mary murdock light of my life #nelson murdock baby tag

[chaifootsteps]

Okay, so jumping here. I've been thinking and imo the 'Lilith' is Eve in disguise and Rosie is Lilith theory still holds true. This is brought to you by me going "We know Viv is a shitty writer, so from the writing already available, where would she lead the plot NOW?" and by my tinfoil hat.

We know Lilith is somewhere in Heaven (maybe even in Eden itself). Unless she pulls the weirdest explanation out of her hat for why she took a small vacay for 7 YEARS abandoning her daughter (with whom we know she had a good relationship with, IF that part of the pilot is still true. She never stopped to explain what parts of the pilot are still true, ffs.), Lilith would never. I don't even think she:

1) Would be allowed in Heaven, even by making a deal with Adam.

2) Adam's pride is too big for him to simply accept such a deal and Lilith's pride would be equally big imo. This interaction would never work.

So that has to be Eve. And Adam *has* to know that that's Eve. Or he doesn't, idc. Point is, it's far more likely by normal logic for that to be Eve. By Viv logic...? Not so much.

Which brings me to my second point! Rosie and her character. I did kind of feel the Mary Poppins vibes a bit, ngl. Horrible redesign, but oh well... The way she reacted to Charlie, her going "yeah, singing totes works here, in the *cannibal* colony!" and her giving that love advice + "we all did things we aren't proud of" + the fact that she's a "hellborn"? She has to be Lilith, sorry. Also also I feel like cannibalism isn't even such a big deal??? In the show I mean. It's literally so cartoonish it simply becomes a hellish quirk for some inhabitants. Sure Alastor, you're a cannibal, boo-hoo. I don't feel threatened by any of them, is what I mean. And even irl, I feel like yeah, it's gross and most likely getting yourself sick, but what makes cannibalism truly bad is the act of *killing* that person, ye know? In Viv's Hell that can't even happen, they'll just respawn, no problem.

And my final reason issss: Viv just ran so fast past 4 seasons worth of plot that imo she backed herself info a corner. The only things keeping the plot going are...Alastor's deal and who he made it with. It's probably Roo or Eve (or Lilith if Rosie is just Rosie), but I have a feeling like it can't be so simple with her, she has to pull a super complicated sayan explanation to make it seem like she just had us all guessing the wrong things, she's suuuuch a literary genius. And she loves musicals a bit too much (Adam is literally just Beetlejuice minus everything interesting about him), so pulling a Sweeney Todd sounds very in-character for her.

Now, speaking of Alastor....I haaaate how she destroyed his character with all the swearing and the petty edgelord-ness. She's not smart enough to write a smart chaotic presence/maybe potential villain. There, I said it. She should open a psychology book or some shit (she should've hired psychologists to coach her about writing about topics such as SA, addiction, sadistic/criminal personalities and so on, but we know she never put such thought into her work). Or at least a sensibility reader for her plot, smh. The overall tone of the show is jumping around faster than a bunny on electrolytes.

And as always, Alastor and Rosie have more chemistry than Charlie and Vaggie literally the "main" couple. They seem like a 30s married couple, tbh.

Also also super confused about Alastor's microphone and how she can hand it over to Charlie??? Why would he do that??? Are we supposed to understand he now cares about her? Handling his (presumably from the Adam fight) source of power to her just like that?? TWICE?!?

I understand his final lyrics are supposed to be "holy shit, I almost died for these people, what is wrong with me???" in a nutshell (+ that part about the contract), but we were never SHOWN how he became more attached to them??? We just have to believe him based on the talks with Rosie and Niffty respectively. What a joke. (Niffty got partially restored in my brain, at least).

-idk, Broadcast🎭 anon- (I know I DMed u, but yea)

Honestly? Even if this leak never comes true the way Viv planned it back then, I for one am having a great time speculating.

#Anonymous #Broadcast Anon #viv stuff #actual blog post

[akystaracer22]

The Exception to the Rule

Synopsis: How far do you bend your morals for someone you love?

Notes:

This is definitely a turning point to the story and is a little jump ahead of everything so far.

From here on out, there will be two different types of oneshot, flashback oneshots which happen either in Heaven or in Eden, and present day oneshots which are primarily in Hell.

This also adds a new epithet to Adams repertoire! Technically.

There are OC’s in this one, I can’t avoid it.

Heaven politics! Theres a lot going on in heaven I can’t talk about because nobody in hell knows about it, but I can finally start talking!

I listened to More than Anything, Connor’s Main Theme, and Gladiator while writing this.

In exchange for starting the extermination early, the one after would take 18 months as opposed to 12.

I have named over 60 exorcists. If you see a reference no you don’t.

Vaggie wasn’t the first angel to show mercy to a sinner.

I drop so much fucking lore in this jesus fuck.

This one shot was supposed to come so much later.

Shit

SO, MICHAEL’S INVOLVED NOW!

Hey uh, you know how I said I can’t write stupid characters? Yeah… Adam can act and think like a damn general now ig.

Adams over 6,000 years old he knows how to move quickly.

... I really like my BAMF characters huh.

Word Count: 1862

Fic under cut!

“Adam?”

“Over here Luci,” The first man replied easily, looking towards where the angel had entered the wastelands.

Well… wastelands was a bit of a stretch now.

Once he was able to improve the soil, grass was able to finally start growing and…

The oak tree Adam was taking a break under was a testament to his labour. It was still growing and would probably take another year or so with the help of Lucifer’s magic before it’d resemble the mighty trees most people knew.

It didn’t make Adam any less proud of it.

The fallen angel got up and stretched his wings as Lucifer rounded a crag and came into view.

One of Adams wings hiked up before he could shove the instinct down, it was just Lucifer.

“Charlie wanted to know if you wanted to come up for lunch or if you’re fine down here,” The devil started, “She and Maggie are making pastries from the pear’s you dropped off yesterday.”

“Vaggies baking? Better hope your daughters good then, Vaggie’s got a tendency to burn whatever she touches.”

Regardless, Adam started making his way towards the hotel, completely disregarding the unspoken offer to just teleport there.

Lucifer just laughed and unfurled his wings as Adam began the trek up the stairs, flying up beside the man.

“I doubt you have room to talk about when it comes to cooking.”

“I helped Eve cook you know,” Adam scoffed, “I had a few specialties of my own.”

“And yet Maggie can’t cook.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, plenty of my daughters can cook! Lux is extremely good at dessert foods and Needle can make some great fucking lunches.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes really! It’s Mari you have to look out for. The presentation of her food? Stunning, beautiful, gourmet even. The taste? I thought I was going to die a second time over the toilet.”

Lucifer cackled and a light chuckle escaped Adams lips as the angel almost fell out of the sky at the mental image.

“Shut up! I’m serious I thought I caught some sort of illness! They don’t even have illnesses in heaven!”

“I would pay to see that!”

“I bet you would be you sick fuck.”

“Hey! I-”

Lucifer went dead silent, and Adam almost asked what was wrong before he heard it too.

Shouting.

He didn’t even glance at his friend as they were both caught in Lucifer’s magic, bringing them both to the hotel lobby.

“I’ll stop the fight.”

“I’ll grab my fucking axe,” Adam headed down the hallways until he found the gym, carefully taking his axe off the wall and slinging it over his back before booking it to the hotel exit.

“If you’d just give me a minute-!”

“Your majesty-”

“Alastor.”

“Mom!”

“Oh for fucks sake!”

Adam slammed open the doors and jumped the stairs, “What the fuck is going on-!”

Adams brain short circuited immediately after taking in the situation.

Lucifer was frozen stiff with his wings spread wide, his head whipping around to stare open mouthed at Adam. Alastor and Lilith’s glaring contest was broken as they also stared at the first man. The princess and Vaggie were holding hands and Charlies demonic traits receded at Adams arrival.

The other residents were also still at the first mans arrival, nervousness and surprise evident in everyone expressions, even Nifty stopped moving. Under normal circumstances Adam’s gut would have twisted from all the attention.

That usual knee jerk response was completely crushed under the weight of the other three present.

Adam was barely aware of the fact that he’d dropped his axe as he took in the maskless faces of three of his exorcists.

Echo almost dropped her scimitars; her hair was undone from it’s usual bun to brush against her shoulders. She almost stepped back from him before a wing from her sisters steadied her.

Delta was much more graceful, sheathing her rapier and swallowing thickly; Adam understood how she felt. She’d recently had a haircut, her undercut looking crisper than the last time he saw her.

Nina’s war pick clattered to the ground as she brought her hands to her mouth, tears cropping up in the corners of her eyes as she took in his ruined form. In contrast to Delta, her hair had grown out; the normal buzz cut fading.

Adam stood in the silence, wings slowly folding in from where he had mantled them prior. He didn’t know what to do. These were his girls, and they were here and fuck, they were outnumbered. But… shit they were here to kill him weren’t they.

“…Sir?”

Fuck it.

The first man sprinted forward; wings spread wide as he reached out for the three of them. Weapons hit the ground as he pulled his kids into a hug.

If he was going to die, he’d like to die hugging his girls.

Adam didn’t expect the three of them to hug back. His shoulder grew wet as Nina’s tears started to fall; Echo made a soft noise as she buried her head in the feathers of his good wing. Delta’s wings were touching the tips of his own as she all but collapsed into the huddle.

Huh, seems like they were all mad here.

Adam didn’t give a fuck; he was hugging his exorcists and that was enough for him at the moment.

“So… we’re good?”

Moment over.

Adam pulled away to glare at Lucifer, “Do you fucking mind?”

“Sorry sorry! I’ll shut up now!”

“No, you’ve ruined it. Moments gone and done thanks to you,” Adam huffed, regretfully stepping away from his girls even as he kept his good wing extended to the three exorcists, guiding them by the wing towards the hotel.

“Come on, I have a feeling you three aren’t here just for show.”

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Adam blew lightly on his tea before sipping it, leaning forward to pour the exorcists some tea as he worked to calm his still slightly frayed nerves.

He’d managed to move the girls into a private room before unceremoniously kicking everyone else out, if anything happened Lucifer would break into the room in a flash, so it wasn’t like he was in any real danger.

Besides, they were his girls, it’d be fine.

“So,” Adam swallowed, before  “What brings you three to this side of the pentagram? The hunts not on for another eight months.”

Echo swallowed thickly and Nina bowed her head, it was Delta who answered.

“I- Netto discovered that heaven knew you were alive, sir. Lute wanted to come down immediately but the rest of us were able to convince her otherwise.”

“She’s too far in the eyes of the high seraphim, if she disappeared they’d know.”

“So, we decided to go instead,” Nina finished for her sisters.

Adam stared at the three of them, horrified, “What?”

“What Nina’s saying is… we’re staying here.”

“Why the fuck would you three do that!” Adam hissed, feathers bristling at the implications, “You all have so much to lose-”

“We don’t,” Delta asserted, scowling at the window, “You know damn well what hells denizens took from us.”

Adam froze as the image flashed into the forefront of his mind.

Charlie. Echo and Delta’s missing piece to their trio. They were best friends even beyond the bonds of sisterhood. Where one was the other two were close by. Charlie was the sunshine to their storm, always taking time out of her own day to brighten up the other exorcists. She preferred to use a crossbow to keep away from sinners, something Adam was always grateful for.

Charlie’s body was missing several ribs and most of her organs, looking every part like it had been ravaged by monsters. It took effort Adam didn’t have every day to not go to cannibal town and raze it to the ground. For Charlie, for Zirco, for Steel, for Feather and Annie and every exorcist he failed.

Even-

A scream, a plea as Adam struggled against divine magic nononono please stOP PLEASE-

Wasp

Adam whole body tensed up. Fuck, Wasp. He hadn’t- shit he’d almost managed to convince himself that that had never-

Fuck.

The girls were looking at him now, Nina reaching out a hand to him.

“And you?”

The hand pulled away, “What?”

“Nina, why did you decide to come down here,” Adam rasped, “You- fuck you were planning on proposing to your girlfriend why-”

“Because your our leader,” Nina answered quietly, like she wasn’t taking Adams breath away with a single sentence, “And Regina understood, she agreed with me.”

Nina held up her phone with a sad smile, “Besides, at least this way it’s easier for me to watch out for her dad.”

Adam wanted to send the three of them back to heaven immediately, this was no place for angels. Vaggie was lucky she found Charlie immediately.

But Delta and Echo had backbones of steel, and once Nina set her mind to something there was no stopping her.

Shit, Netto and Lute were smart to send them.

Wait-

“What did you mean when you said heaven knew I fell Delta,” Adam whispered, “I should have fucking died. How did Netto find out I fell.”

Delta sighed and gazed tiredly at him, “Same way she always finds things out, she got it straight from Michaels lips.”

Adams blood froze before his mind caught up with him. Michael was involved with this. Fuck of course he was it was Michael, and if he was involved… then it stands to reason the rest of the ancient archangels had something to do with all of this too.

The first man stood up before pausing, if his gut was right, this wasn’t just about his fall. For the ancient archangels to be aware of his fall and do nothing for ten months… there was something he was missing.

He’d need to wait, maybe even bring Lucifer and the others in on this. But first…

“I’m in room 2101, Lucifer’s wing. 2100 is taken by the king of hell himself and his wife but the rest of the floor is empty,” the three exorcists perked up at Adams commanding tone, “Get set up and get settled in. Echo, send a message to the others and tell them I’m okay.”

“Already done.”

“Love that, Delta how is training looking?”

“Lute’s leading the effort sir, we’ve been working hard to fix our holes.”

“Great, get back in contact with Lute. I have a few techniques that can help. And for fucks sake tell her to use whatever prosthetic she has to her advantage; I fucking know she’s not.”

“Yes sir!”

“Nina, keep an ear out. Both for anything Netto has for us and for anything in hell. Carmilla Carmine, and the Vees are important. Especially Carmine, she’s the one with the angelic steel. Do not engage.”

“Go it sir.”

“Good, I’ll get you three for dinner. Remember, stay sharp, stay armed, and whatever you do. Don’t fucking trust the Radio Demon. He’ll kill everyone in this hotel the moment he’s off his fucking leash.”

The leader of the exorcists watched the three of them head down the hallway towards the front desk before turning and heading for the stairwell.

He had a lot to think about, and from the looks of things he still had an extermination to plan.

#hazbin hotel #adam hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel adam #worldbuilding #writing #angst #fluff #hazbin hotel lucifer #lucifer hazbin hotel #adamsapple #edenpoly #lilith hazbin hotel #lilith morningstar #hazbin hotel charlie #charlie morningstar #ashes to ashes dust to dust #hazbin hotel exorcists #hazbin exorcists #papa adam #bamf adam #oc character #original character #out of necessity

[ratsfication]

Why I don't think Copia is dying and why he's not the antichrist:

It's well known that TF likes to follow certain themes for his albums concepts.

We had "Prequelle" about the black plague and now we are experiencing "Impera".

Impera is about fallen empires, our cyclic history of conquer and rule. I think ghost is staying with this concept till the next album and this why i don't think he's bringing the antichrist concept so soon.

Ghost is telling us a history and we need the apocalypse in order to have the antichrist and imperia isn't about the apocalypse.

Meliora, Prequelle and Impera are the first steps to create the apocalypse, after all the chaos, we are having the apocalypse and the Antichrist.

That being said, i really think Tobias is going to release an album about the Apocalypse and the end of the world.

"Oh but we already have Infestissumam and Opus Eponymous"

Opus Eponymous is more of an collection of prayers and a few stories about satan and satanic figures.

Infestissumam is more focused on the antichrist, but it's providing us prophecys and prayers for idolatry.

Meliora is about the world without a god, the early stages before the apocalypse.

What the nameless ghoul said about it:

Some Christians Scholars said the antichrist is the first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, he's going to be the world leader after the rapture and the chaos.

He's going to bring the apocalypse, he's charming and confident.

I don't think this description fits Copia.

Resume:

Meliora, Prequelle and Impera where all the early stages before the apocalypse.

I don't think Ghost is bringing the antichrist so soon because we need one album solemnly about the Apocalypse, to actually have a story for the antichrist and this guy is not Copia

"what about the vitral where Copia is naked and have a enigmatic chest tattoo?"

In my opinion, that picture is actually a representation about Adam and Eve, but it's not literal. Copia is the one holding the apple instead of the woman, this is a metaphor that says he's the one making us sin, he's the one offering the apple of sin.

About Copia's death:

i don't think he's dying, he will probably be deposed and after that, we have papa V. Tobias is not a big fan of being predicable, so honestly, he's not killing papa iv so soon.

I have a theory about Copia too:

Bonus:

Even tho Mary Goore is not an part of the Ghost lore, they're actually a good candidate to being the antichrist.

In the song "under the spell", Mary is actually singing like they're the antichrist itself:

When TF said this:

We need to remember that angels are creatures without genders, so maybe, Mary is actually an fallen angel and a good candidate of being the antichrist.

Another thing: since the antichrist is the exactly opposite of jesus, his mother needs to be a "morally wrong woman". So maybe, the antichrist is the son of one of the papas with an sister of sin.

Overall, this is what i wanted to share! I hope it makes sense.

#ghost #ghost band #copia #ghost copia #ghost terzo #papa emeritus iv #cardinal copia #ghost lore #ghost theory #mary goore #i cant wait omggg

[rangerelik]

Christmas present - T.S. x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1373

Summary: Y/N and Tommy spend their Christmas with their family.

Warnings: nothing

Requested: No, it’s made for @runnning-outof-time’s BINGO challenge.

A/N: I started writing and it kinda developed in double bingo.

So I went with: fluff-a family tradition-modern AU-must include: a proposal and with domestic-must include: a secret-modern AU-Christmas Eve. 

Oh and I don’t exactly know how Christmas is celebrated in the UK, I know what we learned at school, so don’t please come for me if I have written something wrong.

I am so sorry it was really my first proposal scene I’ve ever written, so please forgive me.

Thanks to @cillmequick for beta reading.

Although it was nearly Christmas time, you couldn’t get into your normal Christmas spirit. You needed to go Christmas shopping for Tommy and your little five year old daughter Samantha, but she now occupied all of your free time you wanted to spend preparing the house for the holidays. Unfortunately, you couldn’t do that as the maids had their orders to prepare the tree and all those ornaments you always loved to display by yourself. Tommy gave his orders and you didn’t have any choice in this matter.

At least you could be in your room and read your little one some books. She liked everything fairy tale-like, every princess, prince or dragon captured her eyes and refused to leave her imagination. Tommy sometimes played with her, he was her rescuer, her prince and she was always the princess that needed her prince.

The time went by and you were becoming a bit anxious. This was the first Christmas, you weren't able to have the presents prepared. So, deciding it was time to go shopping you rang the bell and Mary, your maid, appeared in the door of your room.

„Yes, ma’am?“ she said.

„Could you take Sam for a while, I need to do my shopping.“ you told her as you gave her your little one.

Mary just nodded her head as she started talking to Samantha. You changed out of your home clothes into something more presentable and went to do your shopping.

Christmas Eve came and all the Shelbys came to your house to celebrate the holidays with your little family. Tommy had a big house in the country, so it was natural, you would be the host for those holidays. There were enough bedrooms for all of your family, so they didn't need to go home after all the evening festivities ended late at night.

As you were preparing in your dressing room, you put on your best festive dress with some delicate Christmas ornaments. Everyone was already inside, sitting in the drawing room, probably already drinking, as you knew Arthur. Well everyone except Ada. It bugged you because you liked her the most. As you made your way down the stairs the bell rang and maids opened the door, Ada made her way into your parlour.

„Ada! I am so glad you came! How are you? Oh, hello Karl, dear!“ you said as you hurriedly embraced her and her little boy. You were glad she accepted your invite. You felt a lot more happy and at ease when she really came. Even Sam would be happy, she liked playing with her cousin.

„Y/N! It’s nice to see you! I am good, thank you.“

After some more lively talk you both made your way to the drawing room, where everyone was. The dinner time came and everyone set on to go find their seat at your large table in the dining room.

You took your seat next to your boyfriend and daughter. The dinner went on great, nobody did anything stupid, which was already a little miracle for you, and everyone had a great time. 

When late evening came, Ada and you went on to set the children to sleep. There the first problem came. Samantha kept asking about Father Christmas, she wanted to stay awake to see him.

„You need to go to bed, my dear. He won’t come if you stay awake and you won’t get any presents this year.“ She scoffed and her mouth curled into a pout, already starting to throw a fit.

„But mama,-“ she started with a weepy voice but she didn't have the opportunity to say more as you interrupted her. „Off to bed with you.“ You told her as you took her into your arms and took her to her bedroom. There came the usual tantrum about not wanting to go to sleep. After some bargain she settled for some fairytales. When she finally drifted off to sleep, which took almost two fairy tales about princess Fiona and Rapunzel, you came back down and found out that everyone moved back to the drawing room where the adults had been drinking again. Thomas poured you a drink and kissed you. You embraced him from the side and looked around the room. Everyone was here and everyone was happy.

„It’s time,“ you told everyone. As they knew what was going to happen, they got up and helped Tom and you prepare gifts under the tree. You also poured some flour over Arthur’s boots to mask Father Christmas’s footsteps to the fireplace. Poll drank the milk and John ate half of the carrot and the biscuits Samatha left there before the dinner for Father Christmas to freshen up.

„I am so glad you all are helping me. She loves this little tradition, it always makes her smile.“ You told everyone when you finished setting up the perfect scenario for the kids. „Hope Karl will like it too,“ you said, sending a smile in Ada’s direction. 

After committing all those crimes the kids shouldnt know of, everyone, already tired from all the preparation it took, went to bed.

„Mummy, daddy! Father Christmas was here! And he had eaten what we prepared for him!“ Both of you were abruptly woken by your daughter jumping up and down on your masterbed. You were still tired and hoped she won't continue in waking you up, but you were mistaken. When neither of you answered, she proceeded to pinching and tickling you both, so you had no choice but to wake up.

„Good morning, Sam. That’s awesome. Did he leave some presents for you under the tree?“ Tommy asked with his raspy morning voice, you always loved. His words worked like magic, because Samantha jumped from the bed and ran downstairs to observe the presents you bought her.

„Morning, love,“ you told your boyfriend and pecked him on his lips. 

„Mornin’,“ he answered. You got the chance to stay a while in his embrace, when the distant shouts of Sam and Karl made you get out of your shared bed. You put on your Christmas pyjamas and made your way down.

„What do we have here?“ you asked the children when you found them beneath the Christmas tree.

„A lot of presents, ma! Even Karl got some! Could we go and wake up everyone else?“ she exclaimed while jumping up and down excitedly.

„Of course, love. But be gentle with everyone. Uncle Arthur doesn't like jumping on his bed and aunt Pol must be woken up gently, so careful.“ Both children nodded their heads and set off on their quest of waking everybody up.

After some time, when everyone was gathered, the children took the presents and brought them to the person it was for. They were so happy because they brought smiles to all of the „boring“ adults. When there were any more presents under the tree, Tom stood up and came to the middle of the room.

„I have one more present which I kept secret,“ he started his speech, „This christmas was the most wonderful one I had since the time my daughter was born.“ Everyone looked at him, eager to know what his present would be. „To the love of my life. Y/N, you gave me a beautiful daughter, you make me the happiest man under the sun. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?“ With those words he made his way towards you and came down onto one knee and opened the little box with the most beautiful ring you ever saw.

With tears in your eyes you nodded your head and simply replied, „Yes, I will.“ Everyone clapped and cheered as Tommy put the ring onto your finger. You fell into his arms where you wept happy tears for a while. After composing yourself a bit you gave him a long kiss.

„Bleh, ma! Why would you do that?“ little Sam shouted over the claps of others. Frances, who had been discreetly waiting in the wings, knowing he was going to ask, quickly ushered in maids bearing trays of champagne as well as orange juice for the children, so the whole family could celebrate their happy news together.

Tags: @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @zablife @gypsy-girl-08 @dandelionprints @shelbydelrey

Dividers are from @firefly-graphics

#k’s 2.5k holiday bingo challenge #peaky blinders #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby fanfic #tommy shelby x reader #writing #rangerelik writing #please reblog

[archduchessofnowhere]

Love your posts, they are amazing. How was the relationship between emperor franz joseph and his youngest daughter archduchess marie valerie? There were rumors about valerie being count andrassay's child though people later stopped the slader do you think it made franz treat valerie differently from his other 2 children. Did he neglect her due to this rumors. I would like to hear your personal opinion as well along with the facts

Thank you so much! Despite the rumors Franz Josef and Valerie had a good and loving relationship, though they weren't as close as they could've been. Elisabeth was very possessive towards Valerie when she was a child, always terrified about her health (probably because of the trauma of loosing her first daughter to an illness), openly telling her that she was the only person she loved and her sole reason to continue to live. Since she was her mother's companion for most of her childhood and teenhood she couldn't have a particularly close relationship with her father - but she adored him and would've much preferred to stay in Vienna with him than to travel with her mother. After an argument between her parents regarding her well-being she wrote in her diary:

What I most wanted to do was fall at his [Franz Josef's] feet and kiss his paternal imperial hands, even as I felt — God forgive me — a momentary anger at Mama since her unbridled love and exaggerated, groundless concern place me in such an embarrassing and false position.

That she wanted a close relationship with her father can also be seen in another entry from 1884:

For more than an hour I sat next to him, quiet as a mouse, while he worked and smoked. It must have been important, for he looked up only once, and that was to remark, "But you must be terribly bored," to which, of course, I answered impetuously, "Oh, no, Papa, it is good to be sitting here…." "A pretty pleasure," he said and continued working. The poor man! As I saw him sitting so patiently before this pile of papers, without a word of complaint… how every man in the state always pushes the cares and sorrows away, always higher and higher, until finally everything comes to the Emperor-and he, who cannot send it higher, accepts everything and works everything through patiently, personally caring for the welfare of each and every one. How wonderful it is to have such a father.

Franz Josef doesn't seem to have treated Valerie with less affection than the rest of his children, and if anything, he seem to have been more affectionate towards her than his son:

How different, how courteous but selfconscious Papa is with them [Rudolf and Stephanie] as compared with [his behavior to] me! Surely that is the reason for Rudolf’s jealousy.

(Not that it's that surprising giving how much his relationship with Rudolf had deteriorated, but still).

After Valerie married Archduke Franz Salvator and formed her own family, her father visited her often. Unlike Elisabeth, who never was truly confortable in the role of grandmother, he was a loving grandfather who loved to play with his grandchildren. The emperor spent the Christmas of 1894 with his daughter and son-in-law (Elisabeth was in Madeira), of which Valerie wrote:

Papa arrived at noon … It was a very nice Christmas Eve, even though Papa's presence did not make it quite so informal, but again we were especially happy with the feeling that he, the poor thing, was really enjoying this family celebration. [The next day] When he's [Franz Josef's] not working, he spends almost the whole day with the children and does everything Ella [Elisabeth, Valerie's two-years-old daughter] wants when she gets him something: grandpa this, grandpa that.

But the relationship between father and daughter wasn't without its strain. After Rudolf's death Elisabeth was practically never at court, and the emperor fell into a sad a lonely life. Valerie describes his visits as sometimes awkward; simply put, Franz Josef doesn't seem to have felt truly confortable with Valerie's family, and neither did she:

not to know whether one should talk about our misfortune or about distracting things, to try in vain to find subjects of conversation of the latter kind, to wish the children to act natural... and yet tremble that their shouting might irritate Papa — to see him now sink into dull unhappiness, now being nervous... How well I understand now that being in Papa’s company almost crushed Mama. Yes, it is difficult to be with Papa, since he has never known a real exchange of views. I know how deep his feelings go and how deeply he suffers and stand powerless before all this woe, with no other weapon than the traditional routines.

The one person that could really cheer up the emperor in the absence of his wife was the actress Katharina Schratt, but Valerie didn't approve of her father's friendship with her and had been very much horrified both by her father's apparent indifference to the rumors surrounding them as well as her mother encouraging the relationship in the first place. A month after Elisabeth's death Valerie wrote in her diary:

Every morning Papa takes his walk with Schratt, whom I was also repeatedly forced to see and embrace — not with my heart — and yet I think her in herself — that is, aside from the people who cling to her — a harmless, loyal soul. — With fear I think of Mama’s wish, expressed to me so often, "when I die Papa should marry Schratt". In any case, I wish to remain passive, cannot act coldly to her in view of Papa’s true friendship with her, would find it unjust and cruel to sour this comfort for Papa — but do not consider it my duty to abet him.

He probably didn't marry Schratt, but did consider her his only friend, and only after he and Katharina had a fell out that lead him to become deeply depressed did Valerie understood how important the actress was in her father's life.

But even with their differences Valerie always remained loyal to her father, and was in his deathbed when he died in 1916, aged 86-years-old.

Now on my personal opinion, first of all I've always thought that Valerie was the child that resembled him the most, specially if you compare her with the portraits of his father when he was a teenager:

So without even considering how it's literally impossible that Andrássy was Valerie's father (in all the years they knew each other he and Elisabeth were alone only once in a short carriage ride), I think there's no doubt that she was the emperor's daughter. I would say that the person that was affected by the rumors the most was Valerie herself, since she always held a deep dislikeness not only towards Hungary but also towards Andrássy himself. And if Franz Josef wasn't closer to her wasn't out of neglect, but simply because Elisabeth monopolized Valerie, whom despite being raised to be her mother's daughter, always longed to be her father's daughter.

SOURCES:

Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (1998). Das Tagebuch der Lieblingstochter von Kaiserin Elisabeth von Österreich (1878-1899)

Hamann, Brigitte (1986). The Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (translation by Ruth Hein)

#archduchess marie valerie of austria #franz josef i of austria #empress elisabeth of austria #katharina schratt #asks

[spicyhamsamson]

Finished Bayonetta 3 and I might as well give a review of it

I’m giving it a tag but if you’re seeing this anyway and still don’t want to be spoiled, this will contain spoilers for Bayonetta 3.

First off, how’s that gameplay? Is it fun?

…I mean, it’s a fucking Platinum game, of course the gameplay’s fun. The combat’s the same as ever: Really fucking good. The new weapons are super unique and all have a really good, distinct feel. I’m a huge fan of the new traversal abilities with each weapon, especially the yo-yo.(oh, what a surprise, the Spider-Man fan likes the weapon that lets you web-swing and wall crawl). I will say I miss being able to combine weapons, but if that trade off is required, I’d say it’s worth it. The new demon slave mechanic took a bit to get used to, but once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it.

Jeanne’s side missions are alright. Really not too much to say about them, they’re really just mini games.

Viola’s gameplay is pretty fun, and I liked the feel of both her sword and hand to hand combat. Wish the parrying worked more like Metal Gear Rising, it being on the same button as the rush down is…awkward, especially when I’m so used to the trigger dodge being my main “button that makes me not get hurt”, so the muscle memory makes it even more awkward.

And on the other hand, the story.

Okay, here’s the part that’s been… not as positively received across the board. This story is mixed, imo. There are moments in this story where I definitely thought “oh this is fucking awesome, I love this”. But there were also a lot of moments that left me confused or even outright disappointed.

The alternate Bayonettas fucking rocked. I loved each one of them doing stupid bullshit, and I loved how unique they all seemed, even though they’re literally all the same person.

I was mixed on Viola as a character, tbh. I liked her personality(characters who swear casually are cool), and her design rocks. But on the other hand, I saw her twist coming from a mile away, and I’m…not exactly sure what they were going for with her, tonally. In one scene, I’m supposed to take her completely seriously, but in another, she does a looney toons “looking down and realizing they’re about to fall” gag(not making that up, that genuinely happens). I’m not saying you can’t have a character be in both funny scenes and serious scenes, but I feel like this is literally going to the extremes with both, and it’s a bit much. Cheshire fucking rocks, though. Love that guy. What a freak.

Luka’s new werewolf thing was interesting, but fuck, it is not fleshed out enough. It just comes outta nowhere. There’s a bit of stuff involving alternate Lukas being involved, but we only see one alternate version of him across the whole story. If you wanna make Luka more important, fuckin’ commit to it, don’t half ass it like this.

And…I guess we should address the elephant in the room. A lot of people have talked about the ending, specifically with how Luka’s involved. So I might as well give my thoughts on it. To start off, I don’t think it’s necessarily a problem that Bayonetta ends up with a guy, or even that that guy is Luka. Like…sure, it’s disappointing for everyone who wanted Bayo and Jeanne to get together, but Bayonetta basically outright says she wants to fuck Luka during the first game, and it’s not like Luka’s flirting was always one-sided around her. She teases him back too, this isn’t completely out of left field. For me, at least, the bigger issue is that it’s weird to see Bayonetta get into a serious relationship with any one character. I think of Bayonetta as a character who flirts around a lot, but never really commits to one person, so to go from that to “Bayonetta is destined to be with Luka and they are literally compared to Adam and Eve” out of nowhere is jarring and unnatural imo.

The best character I could use as a comparison is probably Mary Jane Watson(woah, SpicyHamSamson talking about Spider-Man stuff? No wayyyy). MJ, when she first shows up, is a total party girl who flirts with pretty much everyone, but never commits to any specific person for long. Now you may be thinking “Well, hang on a sec, Spicy. Mary Jane ended up falling in love with Peter Parker. That’s committing to a specific person.” And you’re right! But that’s because there’s a specific event that causes Mary Jane to change as a person. And that’s the death of Gwen Stacy, someone both she and Peter cared about very much. Gwen’s death forces MJ to mature, and rather than run away from issues, she makes the decision to stay by Peter’s side and comfort him, as a friend. The tragedy of losing someone they care about brings them closer, and ultimately that leads to them falling in love. And it’s extremely powerful.

Bayonetta doesn’t do that, she just goes from flirting around to “destined to be with Luka forever”. And that just doesn’t work, because it comes out of nowhere. There’s no build up to it, it just happens. And that’s not good storytelling. Hell, Bayonetta and Luka barely interact during this game until the last few levels. If you’re gonna push a romance with some characters, at least show that development. Still, could’ve been worse.

And on a larger scale, the ending of this game just…clashes with the rest of the series tonally. Like, I get it, it’s meant to be bittersweet. But that just doesn’t feel right here. If this has to be Cereza’s swan song, sure. It should be a little bittersweet. But this is Bayonetta we’re talking about. This woman should be going out with a BANG. An encore of her most spectacular display of stupid badass bullshit that’ll blow you out of your seats and into a wall. One of the first things we as an audience saw this character do was suplex 15 angels at the same time. In the second game, her first action scene had her ripping her dress when she KICKS A JET INTO THE SKY. Bayo’s last stand here was really disappointing, especially because they had some really cool shit with the Bayonettas from the other two games showing up and then fucking FUSING with main Bayonetta? Like, that shit was BADASS.

And then they barely do anything with it.

Come ON, you guys, I know you can do better than that! Have all three Bayonettas summon their own Madama Butterfly’s and have them play fuckin’ basketball with the final boss! Let me see Madama Butterfly DUNK a motherfucker.

This is Bayonetta’s farewell tour, and frankly, her final performance just doesn’t seem to hit the way it should. Which is disappointing, because they’re not really gonna get a chance to redo that.

With all that said, I’d say the story is still enjoyable. It’s not great, but with a few exceptions, you won’t be miserable sitting through it.

That being said, if you’re getting this game, it’s probably for the gameplay, and if you’re interested in that, I’d definitely recommend it.

#bayonetta #Bayonetta 3 #Luka #Bayonetta 3 spoilers #bayonetta spoilers #Jeanne #viola #review #platinum games

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

OFMD 2.04 - "Fun and Games" Thoughts

Under the cut! Spoilers aplenty within!

2.04 - Fun and Games

Oh my Godddd, I loved Anne and Mary so much, they were so hilarious, glorious, unhinged, terrifying, spectacular. They’re, like, what I think Eve and Villanelle would’ve really liked being able to picture themselves like as an established couple, when really they would’ve just been Stede and Ed. The madness! The stabbing, the poisoning, the burning your house down; all in a dinner party’s work! I was also obsessed with the set dressing of their house; in my second watch, I was just drinking in all the clutter and the detail in the background. Sometimes, you turn your pirate booty into an antique store in the middle of nowhere that nobody comes to. That’s just life! SUCH a fun and deranged adventure that I cherished utterly. Smacks of the Dinner Party episode of The Office in the best way. (And apparently Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which both of these are harkening back to, but I haven’t gotten to that one yet! I should probably look into it though, knowing my taste in TV episodes about deranged dinner parties.)

I am a big nerd about looking at connections between corresponding episode numbers in each season, and I really liked how this episode, like 1.04, was about marriage and about getting burned out on marriage. In season one, we had Ed/Stede contrasted with Mary/Stede and Izzy/Ed, and here we’ve got Ed and Stede looking at their relationship in contrast to Mary and Anne’s. I like how this dinner party from hell really confronts them, especially Ed, with the reality of what it’s like to stay in that Toxic Drama Pirate Run from me, darling, run, my good wife Headspace forever (they’re all just in various stages of fucking each other over!), and gives him the perspective that it’s not worth it if it means that becoming his relationship with Stede. Really solidified at the end by Buttons’ miracle transformation after he imparted the wisdom about needing to change for love! And Ed being a doubter who became a believer because the proof was right in front of his beautiful face!

I really love that this episode highlighted Ed and Stede’s irrepressible fondness and liking for each other, which is the thing that made them fall for each other so fast and so totally back in 1.04. You just can’t keep a force like that down! Ed being like “I’m not gonna melt back into your arms!” and then proceeding to melt at Stede’s earnest love for him, especially in the wake of his “I’m unlovable” profession in the gravy boat, was just so much. And Stede being so sincere and so romantic!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you! I love everything about you! Breathing the same air!! I don’t even know what to say about that!!!!! They haven’t invented words yet!!!!!!!!! It felt very good to witness with my mere human eyes and ears!!!!!!

Ed saying he was all in!!!!! Twice!!!!!!!! Because Luke/Lorelai never leaves me!!!!!!!!!

Their fighting and their tense moments were wonderful too; so satisfying to be reminded of how much Ed doesn’t know and how much communicating they totally haven’t done, and to finally get to see them starting to wrestle with this stuff onscreen! Also, Ed hiding himself under a blanket on the sofa was so valid. Iconic. The best.

I have felt that line about being insecure about the beard shaving coming since 1.10 aired – I think I worked a version of it into a few fanfics, only one of which got posted – and so getting to actually see it happen onscreen was thrilling. STEDE LOVES HIS CHIN!!!!!! Also, that little compliment about him liking the beard length and Ed being like, “................. Thank you.” I’m a wreck!

Mary’s monologue about them being 14 year old boys who don’t know about relationships was absolutely incredible and incredibly delivered. I don’t know if I, er, agree with her (and hey, she got a surprise from her boo right after that! 🔥 Maybe it’s not all just waiting to see which one of you will die first after all!), but the delivery was just glorious and it tickled me in the context of D. Jenks’ various remarks in interviews about Ed/Stede being, emotionally, a teenage romance at this stage.

I must give some individual props to Anne’s absolutely unhinged energy and the apparently accepted-among-pirates truth that she’s a total psycho while Mary has sort of descended into violent madness over the years. The face-stealing romantic yarn, lolol! I want Anne and Mary to come back at least once. I need them.

Stede absolutely sprinting back to the ship (or trying to) after his and Ed’s Very Casual conversation about Ed staying one more night, ahahaha. And the way Ed watched him go! His lil’ schmoopy face! Who knew a few mere years ago that Taika Waititi would be one of TV’s top contenders for incomparable heart eyes??? And then Buttons, there to make it weird yet also so wise and helpful! (I really hope Buttons isn’t a bird forevermore. I NEED HIM. First The Swede and now Buttons? My heart can’t take it! I know the only constant in life is change, and yet. No.)

Ed’s reunions with Mary and Anne both made me really happy. He needs HUGS!

Bunny. Or, I guess: wolfy. RIP. 😢 (Maybe another little life lesson/warning for Ed. If you stay in this deranged pirate mentality, you ARE going to have to keep eating your friends! Either metaphorically or literally!)

In other storyline news: I also loved everything about the crew’s adventure on the ship! The scene where they were all appraising each other on the deck trying to decide if things were going to escalate to violence was so heart-wrenching and so funny all at once. Ugh, poor traumatized bbs! And poor Izzy! And I love that what brought the crew back together again was a) caring about one of their own who’s having the worst and loneliest time of it (and that’s saying something!), and b) arts and crafts. Arts! And! Muthaflippin’ CRAFTS!

(I’m very sad that they couldn’t enjoy Roach’s cake. I hope that the cake trauma passes. That’s no way to live.)

Izzy allowing himself one small smile when he was alone staring forward at the sea was so much. 🥺

I also loved Wee John’s sweater and the fact that he was knitting the whole time. VIBES. 🧶

I’m so thrilled that Rachel House was here (PAULA HALL: CHILD WELFARE, CINEMA’S MOST MAGNIFICENT VILLAIN ALWAYS!!!!!) and that they ended this episode with the same song as Hunt for the Wilderpeople in what felt certainly like a deliberate homage! (Esp. with Ed and Stede walking off into the wilderness together while having a fun chat.) Hunt for the Wilderpeople ALWAYS. 💚💚💚💚💚 Weird Reverend/Psycho Sam ALWAYS.

#dollsome's deep thoughts #our flag means death #ofmd spoilers #ofmd reaction post

[jaxteller87]

Thankful 2

Jax's POV

Amber and I found ourselves at her parents' old house. She never sold the place after they passed away years ago. Her heart couldn't bear to part with it, which, as it turns out, was a blessing in disguise for us. In times when the club was on lockdown, it served as a safe haven for her. In recent years, it also became a great hiding spot for the kids' Christmas or birthday gifts. We sat in the middle of the living room, examining two large boxes – one was Mary's dollhouse, and the other was Thomas' little orange motorcycle that resembled the old orange Harleys. I know what you must be thinking: it must be nice being a badass biker; surely you have connections to get your kids the best stuff, or you probably stole it, but truth be told, both were purchased during a fantastic Black Friday sale.

"You know, I was going to wrap these boxes," she said, gazing at the gifts and then at me. "But you know they won't have the patience on Christmas morning to wait for us to put everything together..."

"So, put them together and slap on a huge bow," I suggested with a shrug.

"Yup," Amber laughed.

"This reminds me of the time I learned the truth about Santa," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was just six years old, and my excitement was through the roof. On Christmas Eve, I had a master plan to catch Santa in the act of delivering presents, but little did I know, I'd catch somethin' else."

"Your dad?" Amber asked.

"He was still around, but that night, he was with the club. I had this feeling that something interesting was happening when I heard my mom, Gemma, whispering on the phone with someone in the living room. My curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to investigate. I tiptoed down the stairs, determined to uncover the secret. And there she was, my mom, surrounded by wrapping paper, ribbons, tape, toys, and, of course, half a bottle of booze and half a pack of smokes. She was a mess.

"On Christmas Eve? She hadn't done any of the wrapping yet?" Amber pried.

"Nope. My guess was my old man was supposed to help but got called in to deal with club business. I crept down to get a better look, hiding out behind the couch."

"I can't believe I waited until the last minute to wrap these presents," Gemma sighed, taking a swig from the wine bottle.

I couldn't resist revealing myself at this point. I jumped out from behind the couch and exclaimed, "Merry Christmas!"

Mom nearly jumped out of her skin and swung the bottle at my head, not knowing it was me. Luckily, she missed, or we woulda been spendin' Chrismats at St. Thomas Hospital. She turned around, and her eyes went wide when she saw me standing there in my Transformers PJs.

"Well, you caught me, you little shit. I am Santa's little helper tonight; turns out he got tied up somewhere over Mexico."

"I remember asking her if that's who she was on the phone with, trying to keep the magic alive, but I pretty much had it figured out then. So, we spent the next few hours wrapping presents together.

"Wow. That's crazy," Amber said with wide eyes, pushing aside some old junk that had accumulated over the years. "Oh! Here's another reason I like coming to wrap the kids' gifts every year. This, after all these years, is still one of the best gifts you got me." Amber smiled, looking at the clay paw prints of her dogs, Alice and Spike.

She handed it to me, and I ran my finger over the clay piece. "I still wonder how you got Alice and Spike to cooperate," Amber said, smiling at me.

"Getting them to cooperate wasn't the problem; making sure you were out of the house so I could come over was," I laughed, reminiscing.

"Wait a minute, is that why, at the time, Donna was so adamant about us getting our nails done after shopping, so you had enough time?"

"You got it," I laughed, looking at my wife.

Years Ago:

"Okay, you can come over; Donna just left," Kim informed me over the phone.

"Okay, good. I'll be right over. Thanks, Kim, for letting me come over to do this," I replied.

As I hung up the phone, a sense of anticipation surged within me. It was a special project that Amber and I had been secretly planning for a while. With a heart full of excitement, I hurried to Amber's place, my loyal canine companions, Alice and Spike, trailing behind me, their tails wagging in delight.

Upon arriving, I found Amber waiting with an enthusiastic smile. "Jax, she's going to love it; this was a great idea," she exclaimed. We gathered the necessary supplies, including a lump of damp clay, and went outside, where both dogs happily joined us.

With great care, I began working with the clay. I started by pressing Alice's paw into the damp substance, and she responded with an obedient wag of her tail. "Good girl, Alice," I laughed, rewarding her with a treat for her cooperation.

Spike was next, and he was equally well-behaved. "Good boy, buddy," I smiled, giving him a treat as well. Afterward, I meticulously wrote their names beside the imprints, ensuring the keepsake would be complete.

Amber looked at the affectionate interaction between us and laughed softly. "I can't believe you still have this," she said, taking notice of a worn, stuffed dog with a missing eye and a dirty appearance.

Amber reminisced, smiling at old memories that played out in her head. "Oh, if my mom had her way, I would have," she chuckled, referring to the very first gift I ever gave her back in middle school.

I gently teased her, saying, "Amber, honey, it's time. It only has one eye, it's dirty, and you can't even tell it's a dog, honey..."

But Amber's response was unwavering. "No, Mom, it was the first Christmas gift Teller ever gave me. I'll never get rid of it," she declared, hugging the old stuffed dog to her chest, a radiant smile on her face.

Her mother chuckled and tried to persuade her. "Amber, honey..."

But Amber cut her off. "No, Mom, I'm not doing it."

Tears welled up in her eyes as the memories and emotions overwhelmed her. I comforted her, reaching over to wipe her tears away gently. "Amber, sweetheart, it's okay," I reassured her.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled, reluctantly placing the old stuffed dog back in its box.

I moved closer to her, putting my arm around her. "Hey, you never have to say sorry about missing your parents," I whispered. She rested her head on my shoulder, finding solace in my presence.

"I miss them, Teller, a lot… like I always say, since the kids were born, they're missing so much."

"I know," I whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Amber's POV:

As the late evening descended, with the kids all snug in their beds, Jax and I wound up on the patio, savoring a moment of togetherness.

As we passed a joint between us, I began to open up. "You know," I started, handing the joint back to my husband, "I haven't had any of those dreams yet... you know, where all of this is just a dream, and I'm actually in New York, still alone."

He nodded, taking a hit and exhaling slowly. "I don't think I ever told you this part," I continued, a playful giggle escaping my lips. "That the one you were married to…"

A mischievous spark danced in his eyes as he teased, "No, don't tell me I was married to Ima," taking another drag from the joint.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You sure were."

Jax couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of that idea. "That's a nightmare, not a bad dream," he remarked, snuffing out the joint before discreetly placing it under a potted plant to hide it.

With a smirk, he gently teased me, "Come on, darlin', let's get you to bed," and playfully rolled me back into the house, leaving the memories of those dreams behind for the night.

#jax teller x oc #jax teller x disabled reader #jax teller fanfiction #jax teller fluff

[coraliix]

North Wind | Lloyd x OC

Chapter 7: Collision pt.1

13.2k words (split in two posts)

Summary: Mari and Lloyd spend the day together. Tension snaps and confrontation occurs.

A/N: Jeez louise y'all. I did not expect this chapter to take so long nor the sheer size of it, but here we are.

Fun fact: chapters of this length cannot physically fit on a post (at least how I'm posting), hence why it's split in two.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

——————————

“Checking your phone every five seconds won’t make them get here faster, Mari.”

I looked up from my screen, where I had indeed been checking for any new messages from Lloyd. “I know that,” I scoffed at Skylor’s words. “I’m just making sure they get here alright.”

Skylor’s lips curled up in an amused grin as she continued closing the restaurant and got ready to head out. “They’ve come here a lot, you know. They’ll be okay.”

“I know that too,” I replied, an exasperated but affectionate smile gracing my features. Taking a seat at a table, I waited for Lloyd and his friends to arrive, leg bouncing rapidly.

She took note of that; I could tell. “You seem nervous to meet with them,” Skylor remarked, amusement filling her voice. “Or are these nerves directed more to a specific person?” she asked. Her eyebrows waggled suggestively, and I snorted at the sight — and at what she was implying.

“Definitely not in the way you're insinuating,” I quipped, feeling a slightly embarrassed flush rise on my face.

That did not help with deterring Skylor from thinking what she currently was, but that was fine. I didn’t care too much about explaining.

Truthfully, there was some merit to her idea, but it was simply that I found Lloyd attractive. I wasn’t necessarily attracted to him. Underneath the affection I held for Lloyd was a sense of understanding for his situation. It felt more like I related to him and empathized with him than held particularly romantic feelings.

(At least, that was what I told myself. To be completely honest, there was some attraction, but definitely not enough for me to act on and risk jeopardizing our friendship.)

There would be time later to reflect on those feelings. Probably.

Silence filled the restaurant’s calm atmosphere as I dwelled on these thoughts. Skylor didn't say anything to break it, and I thought back to a few days ago, when she had started asking me about the ninja. Her words about being honest and opening up echoed in my head.

“Oh, here they come,” Skylor said after a minute. We walked to the doors, stepping out and locking them behind us. “Hey guys,” she greeted, tucking her keys into the pocket of her coat.

They greeted the rest of us as well. Lloyd, sporting a ball cap under his green hood and a face mask, sidled up next to me and leant in to whisper, “Hi.”

My eyes dropped to his incognito attire, sadness flickering in them as I realized what their purpose was. “Hey,” I whispered back, unsure why we were being quiet but following his lead. Tracking Lloyd’s eyes back to Kai and Skylor, I soon understood why.

“Hello, handsome,” she said as she stepped closer to Kai and laced their hands together.

“Hey, beautiful,” he replied, eyes softening in a strange sight. Strange to me, at least. I’d only been around Kai once — certainly not enough for me to judge his character — but this soft side of him was starkly different from the sharp, defensive side of him I’d seen weeks ago that it gave me whiplash.

Everyone else rolled their eyes at the sweet exchange, but it was all in good humor.

“Ready to go?” Kai asked her, shivering slightly when a chilly gust of air swept through the streets.

“Mhm,” was Skylor’s answer. She turned to me, fixing me with a look that communicated the instructions she’d given me before we left. Behave. Be back home by midnight. Have someone drop you off. “Have fun,” was what she said out loud.

I gave her a smile and a nod in reply.

Satisfied, she hooked her arm through Kai’s, starting to turn away. “Have fun, you guys,” she repeated to everyone else. With that, Skylor and Kai headed off to who knows where for their date.

Everyone else turned away to quickly discuss the plan, but my eyes remained on the couple’s backs as they walked away.

Learning that Skylor had been dating Kai could have easily been one of my top ten most shocking moments — I’d almost thought she was joking when she’d casually mentioned it to me. But seeing their interactions made me realize that they really did fit well together.

“Everybody ready to go?” Jay rubbed his hands in excitement, clearly eager to head to the arcade the group had picked as the activity today.

Beside Jay, Cole shuffled closer to nudge him with an elbow. He gave Jay a pointed look.

“Oh!” Jay exclaimed, eyes widening in realization. He turned to me. “I forgot— I never really introduced myself. I’m Jay,” he said, offering me a wide smile.

I chuckled softly. “I figured. Nice to meet you, Jay,” I replied, returning his smile. “I guess I don’t have to introduce myself.” I sent Lloyd a grin, and he looked away with a bashful smile, scratching the back of his neck.

Jay laughed, glancing over at Lloyd with a smile full of mirth. “Nope. Lloyd’s definitely been talking about you enough to— Hey, ow!” His teasing was cut off by another elbow to his side; the offense came from Nya this time.

The action had me sending her a surprised look, eyebrows raising. No qualms about teasing Lloyd herself but stopping Jay from doing so?

Nya glanced at me, meeting my curious stare and seeming to read my thoughts. “It’s different when I do it,” she explained to me, to the confusion of everyone else.

A snort escaped me at the words, but I nodded. Part of the sibling experience — teasing them relentlessly but stepping in when others did it too.

It reminded me of Hideo and how sometimes I’d tease him about him having crushes or other unimportant things. The corners of my lips pulled down in a small frown.

Somehow Lloyd noticed this, and he lightly bumped his shoulder against mine. “You okay?” he asked in a hushed tone, brow knit with concern — though it was barely visible from under his cap. “Is being around all of us too overwhelming? I know you said you weren’t used to large groups. Do you want to go somewhere else?”

I glanced up at Lloyd. His concern warmed me. A small smile made its way onto my lips, and I shook my head. “No, it’s not that,” I reassured him. “Just remembering someone.”

He frowned at my vague answer, confusion seeping into his eyes. “Alright.”

“Are you guys ready to go?” Nya called over to us, linking her hand with Jay’s and stepping closer to him.

I blinked at the sight. “Uh, yeah,” I said. “I’m ready.” They nodded and led the way down the sidewalk to the arcade nearby. Turning back to Lloyd, who now walked beside me, I leaned in closer, lowering my voice. “Are Nya and Jay dating?”

Lloyd glanced at me when I leaned in closer, and he chuckled at my question before nodding. “Yep. For around two and a half years now,” he told me, matching my low volume.

“Aw, that’s nice. They look good together.” I glanced at them as they walked ahead of us, smiling at their joined hands. Lloyd nodded in agreement.

“So, have you been to this arcade before?” he asked after a minute of silence — between us, that is. The rest of the group chattered about anything and everything, though I hadn’t really been paying attention.

I shook my head. “Haven’t really explored the city at all, to be honest,” I admitted.

Lloyd gave a small gasp in faux indignation. “We can’t have that,” he said, putting on an affronted expression and placing a hand on his heart. “This must be remedied.”

I snorted at the posh tone he put on. “And how do you propose I do that?”

He shrugged casually. “By hanging out with me.”

His answer made me blink. My lips curved into a wide, amused smile. “Oh, really? You know all the good spots in Ninjago City?”

“The best spots,” he nodded solemnly.

Laughter bubbled from my lips at the sudden serious expression he put on. “Alright, I think I can clear my schedule for that,” I said. He smiled, looking at me through the corner of his eye.

——————————

Crossing the street, I saw the arcade just ahead of us. We entered the building and the dim lighting immediately washed us in electric blues and greens. There were a variety of games to play: driving simulators, shooting games, air hockey, wheels of fortune — you name it.

“Meet back up in an hour?” Zane suggested.

Everyone agreed, and soon we all went our separate ways. Lloyd stayed with me, which I was grateful for. We made our way to the counter to pay for card passes before strolling around the edge of the arcade, exploring the options.

“Any preference?” Lloyd asked beside me once we each got our own passes.

I surveyed the games available, spotting a flashy electronic dart board on one of the back walls. “I think I’ll take a crack at these,” I mused with a grin, striding over to confidently pick up a couple darts, weighing them in my hands.

“Darts.” Lloyd raised an eyebrow in question.

My grin turned roguish as my fingers felt around the small projectiles. Of course, they weren’t actually sharp — this was an arcade, after all, and there were kids around — but they felt hefty enough to be properly thrown.

“Just an old hobby of mine,” I replied. Another vague answer.

Maybe Lloyd would think I was weird by being so cryptic, but I couldn’t tell him the real reason why I wanted to start my game off strong by choosing darts. Maybe it was unfair to be playing a game I had an advantage in from illegal practices. Maybe.

Positioning myself just shy of the line, I steadied my stance and lifted my hand. The dart flew from my fingers as I whipped my arm down in a fluid arc.

It found its target. “Bullseye,” I declared with a grin, grabbing another dart. Sure enough, my next two throws were solid as well, soaring through the air and hitting the board with a thunk. A strip of tickets came out of the machine. I leaned down to pluck them out, proudly waving my reward to Lloyd.

His green eyes lit with amusement and slight surprise. “Impressive,” he remarked. “But you’re gonna have to do more than throw a few darts to beat me.”

I laughed. “I wasn’t aware this was a competition. But don’t worry about me,” I assured. “I’ve got more than one trick up my sleeve.”

“Hm,” Lloyd hummed, not looking worried.

We walked over to a racing game and swiped our passes over the machine, sliding into the seats.

“Interesting choice,” I commented casually.

Lloyd shrugged. “I like driving. Speaking of,” he said as the game started up. “I heard from Nya that you’ve driven a motorcycle before. What’s that about?”

“I could ask you the same,” I pointed out, setting my hands on the wheel and starting to steer my simulated racer down the track while I pressed a foot down on the pedal.

He laughed, shaking his head. “That’s fair. I learned when I was around 16, I think,” he told me, glimpsing at me through the side of his eye before returning his gaze back to the screen. “It was easier to get a motorcycle than a car.”

I gave him a perplexed look at that. Although that was the same as in my case, it was still unusual to hear about someone getting a motorcycle before a car. “I learned when I was 15,” I replied. “But I didn’t really start driving out in public until I was 16, too. License and all that,” I explained, turning the wheel sharply to the left.

Lloyd hummed in acknowledgement, making the turn with ease. “I guess we both grew up a bit different than most,” he said. “Teenagers don’t typically— dude, what!” he suddenly interjected. “How did you get ahead of me?”

A laugh burst from my lips and I peeked at him through the corner of my eye. “Guess you’re not— wait, how—” I cut myself off, gaping at the game.

The screens displayed a checkerboard finish line, reading ‘Winner! Player 1.’ On my screen, I was shown as placing second. Lloyd had somehow pulled ahead of me at the last second.

“What was that you were about to say?” Lloyd asked coyly, eyes gleaming with victory. If his mask wasn’t on, I would definitely see the smug grin he wore.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Good game,” I said with a huff.

He chuckled to himself, grabbing the tickets that appeared on his side of the ticket machine. One lone ticket came out of the machine on my side.

“Wow,” I laughed, head tilting back as giggles slipped from my lips. “One ticket! That is actually so hilarious.” I couldn’t stop laughing at the sight, the singular ticket compared to the 20 Lloyd received filling me with such bizarre amusement.

“A pity ticket,” Lloyd agreed solemnly with a nod. “What a shame.”

His serious expression did not help my laughter calm down. My stomach hurt from how hard I was laughing — it was strange. It wasn’t even that funny, yet I felt myself loosening up and relaxing.

Lloyd joined in my laughter after a second, eyes sparkling entertainingly. “Come on, second place,” he said after another minute, earning another chuckle from me, and rose from his seat. “Your pick this time.”

The laughter died down on my lips as I stood up. Deciding to just leave the ticket, I joined Lloyd at his side, scanning over other games we could play.

After another three rounds of me choosing a game followed by one of Lloyd’s picks — somehow, we were almost neck and neck with our amount of tickets, but Lloyd had slightly more — we spotted Cole and Zane at a boxing game and decided to join them.

“I hardly count this as fair,” Zane was saying to Cole as we got closer.

Cole shook his head, grabbing his tickets from the machine. “No way, man. I’m not even using my full strength right now. This thing would break if I did,” he teased, patting Zane — who didn't look pleased but conceded — on the back.

He looked like he was about to say more, but stopped when he saw us approaching. “Hey guys,” he said instead, smiling. “Having fun? Not beating Lloyd too hard at the games, are you?” he joked, aiming that last part at me.

“Ha-ha,” Lloyd deadpanned. “I’m actually in the lead with tickets right now.”

“Right now,” I repeated, sending him a side-eye glance. “We’re having fun, though.” Lloyd met my eye then, and smiled.

Cole nodded. “I’m totally beating Zane, too.”

“By a slim margin,” Zane corrected, raising his eyebrow. “And only because you’ve picked games that play into your skillset.”

Cole’s head tilted. “Isn’t that the whole point of this?”

A soft laugh left me at the exchange. “He’s not wrong. I’m doing the same,” I agreed with Cole. “Yet somehow, Lloyd is still beating me,” I huffed in faux annoyance.

“I’m just using the same strategy,” Lloyd shrugged, amusement playing on his features.

A round of laughs went around the group.

Taking a look at the clock on the wall, Cole nodded to the boxing game. “You guys gonna take a shot? Our passes are almost up, so you better hurry,” he said, stepping aside to make room if either of us wanted to play.

Lloyd glanced at me. I tapped a finger on my chin in thought. “I’ll have a go,” I replied, handing Lloyd the loops of tickets I’d amassed.

Scanning the pass on the machine, I waited for it to light up before taking a stance. A part of me was hesitant to take a punch. I didn't want to reveal my strength and raise any questions, but…

Oh, screw it. If I was being honest, I wanted to show off. Years of intense conditioning and training hadn’t made me weak, and if playing meant I’d beat that smug boy wearing green, I’d do it.

My fist cracked into the small speed bag. The screen displayed a number, which increased as I threw a few more blows onto the punching bag. The score racked up until the timer ran out, and I stepped back.

Although I didn't beat the previous high score — I imagined that one was Cole’s; it was too high for a buff guy like him to not have gotten it — I was pleased with my score. My lips curved into a small, proud smile.

“Not bad, kid,” Cole appraised the score. “You work out?”

“Something like that,” I answered, reaching over to get the tickets I earned. Another vague answer. I had to stop doing that.

Lloyd chuckled. “Full of surprises, aren't you?” he teased, crossing his arms. I sent him a playful wink.

“Are you gonna try, Lloyd?” I asked him as he handed over the rest of my tickets. “Because if we stop now, I’ll have beat you.” My lips spread in a smirk at the challenge, daring him to try.

He scoffed, crossing his arms again. “I don't want to show you up,” Lloyd taunted.

“Oh, really? You think you’ll do better than me? How about we make a bet?” I suggested. “If you get a higher score than me, I’ll give you half my tickets. But I bet you can’t,” I challenged, tucking my tickets into the crook of my arm as I crossed my arms.

Lloyd laughed. “You don't want to make that bet,” he promised. “Back me up here, guys.” He turned to Zane and Cole for backup.

“I don't know if you have what it takes, Lloyd,” Zane murmured, giving him a skeptical look. Cole snickered beside him.

“What? C’mon, guys,” Lloyd huffed.

My lips parted in a wide smile. “See? Not even they think you can beat me,” I teased. Zane and Cole chuckled, shaking their heads. “I’m just too strong.” I placed a hand atop my heart playfully.

Lloyd scoffed. “Watch this,” he announced, handing me his tickets and stepping up to the boxing game. The screen lit up as soon as he swiped his card over the scanner. Placing his foot slightly behind the other in a boxing stance, he swung a fist toward the bag.

The smirk dropped from my face, lips parting in surprise.

His fists pounded onto the speed bag. A right hook, left, uppercut — his hands moved almost too fast to perceive.

“Uh oh,” I laughed weakly as the scores on each of his hits added up for a total score surpassing mine.

The timer finished with a beep, and Lloyd stepped back from the machine, glimpsing at his score before his mouth curled into a smirk. He glanced at me, smirk growing when he saw the blatant shock on my face. I snapped my mouth shut.

“Looks like I owe you half of my tickets,” I managed to say after a second.

He laughed, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Keep them. Seeing that look on your face was all the reward I could want,” he teased, gently peeling his tickets away from my frozen hands. “I’ll see you at the ticket counter,” he said with a wink, walking away smugly.

Zane and Cole chuckled as he walked away, and I shot them an affronted glare. “You knew, didn’t you?” I accused them.

“I didn’t know he’d try that hard,” Cole defended with a laugh, lifting his hands in a placating gesture.

Zane nodded. “I didn’t anticipate it, either. I thought he’d go easy on you and let you win the bet,” he agreed.

My brows furrowed. “What? Why?”

The two shared a look.

“No reason,” Cole replied.

I squinted at them. I knew he was lying and that they knew something, but decided to drop it. It probably wasn’t too important.

“Alright,” I said, making sure I sent them a look that communicated they weren’t fooling me. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed that we had about a minute left of our passes. “We should probably group back up with the others,” I suggested, already starting to trail after Lloyd.

They followed behind me as I weaved through people, until I spotted Nya and Jay standing at the prize counter. I stepped up to them, feeling like I had forgotten something. Hm.

“Hey guys,” I greeted them. “Did you two have fun?”

Nya turned around to face me, a relaxed smile on her face. “Yeah! This was pretty chill. I’m glad you came with us, Mari.”

My lips curved into a smile. “Thanks, Nya. Me too. Cashing in on your prizes?” I asked curiously, glancing to where Jay was surveying the reward options.

She nodded, looking back at Jay to see him pick out a few pieces of candy and what looked to be a stuffed pickle. “For you, my favorite sea pickle,” he offered it to her, holding it up like it was the most precious thing in the world. It very well could’ve been, judging by the reverent expression on his face.

Nya burst into laughter, using a hand to cover her smile. “Aw, thank you, Jay,” she said, accepting it and giving it a hug.

My smile softened, heart throbbing at the two of them. They were so cute.

At that moment, someone stepped up beside me. Lloyd stood to my right, watching them with a fond smile. “They’re cute together, right?”

“The cutest. I think I’m going to faint over how cute they are.” I placed a hand over my forehead, pretending to look faint as I leaned onto Lloyd’s side.

Lloyd chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you,” he promised me, hand gently circling my upper arm.

My heart skipped a beat at his touch, and I sank further into him. “I’m not worried,” I teased with a light smile, dropping my head back onto his shoulder.

He seemed to freeze at that, and I worried I’d made him uncomfortable. But then he cleared his throat. “That’s good,” he said, glancing away.

Was I imagining it or did his face redden a bit? It was hard to tell with his mask still on.

Zane and Cole joined us shortly after. They stared at how I leaned on Lloyd, and I straightened, pulling myself away.

Nya turned away from us to watch them approach. She glanced at the small pieces of paper in their hands — receipts, I realized. Then she looked to my hands, where I was still holding rows of tickets. “Did you forget to count your tickets?” she asked, a small smile on her face.

I blinked. “Oh.” That was what I was forgetting. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll come with you,” Nya said, and trailed after me.

Striding over to where the ticket counter machine was, I started inserting the various strips of bright orange tickets. Nya stood beside me.

“So,” she started, “that was something.”

I didn’t look up at her, instead keeping my focus on entering the tickets into the machine. “What was?” I asked innocently. Maybe if I pretended I didn’t know what she was talking about, she wouldn’t bring it up again.

Nya hummed skeptically. “That little display. You know, when you practically fell into Lloyd’s arms?” she said.

Inserting the last of my tickets, I let out a snort. “I didn’t fall into his arms. It was nothing. Just… lighthearted banter.”

She hummed again.

“Seriously, Nya. It was nothing,” I repeated.

“It didn’t look like nothing to someone,” she countered slyly, examining her fingernails.

I stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” she parroted my words, giving me a cheshire grin. “Just that a certain someone seemed to be a little flustered and flushed after a certain other someone leaned on them. But maybe that could be because the first certain someone was actually feeling warm. All those layers…”

She was starting to confuse me. “Okay, Nya,” I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head. We walked back to the counter, where Lloyd was conversing with the others. It looked very hush hush.

Jay spotted us approaching and jolted upright, arms flailing as he struggled to look nonchalant. “Oh, Nya, Mari. You’re back,” he said. “We were… doing nothing… important.”

I glanced at Lloyd, silently asking what was going on. He shrugged, looking away as if to say ‘nothing.’ My eyes narrowed in confusion. “Yep,” I told Jay. “We’re back.” Striding to stand next to Lloyd again, I turned to him. “What did your total ticket count end up being?” I asked him.

He coughed, glancing at the slip of paper. “455,” was his strained answer.

I tilted my head to the side, frowning with concern. “Are you okay? You sound a little… choked up.”

Lloyd cleared his throat again, scratching at the skin below his eye. “Yeah, no, I’m fine,” he assured me, but his reply was still a little forced.

Why was everyone being weird now?

“Right. I only got 421,” I told him, rereading the ticket receipt with a wince. “I don’t understand how you’re so good at these games.”

He seemed to relax at that. “Practice,” he revealed. “Lots and lots of practice.”

I chuckled. “Did you play lots of arcade games when you were younger?” I asked, staring up at him.

“Yep. It was the way I spent most of my time,” he explained.

“Then I never stood a chance,” I said, putting on an exaggerated expression of defeat. Lloyd laughed and apologized, but I smiled at him, shaking my head. “Today was fun, though.”

“For sure,” Lloyd agreed, looking down at me with a soft smile. “I’m glad you came.”

I returned his smile. “Me too.”

“Are you going to pick out any prizes?”

I brought my attention back to the various items held on display. A silver pegasus plush toy caught my eye, and I was tempted to get it, but held back. I noticed a bright green dragon plush next to it, and decided to get it for Lloyd.

“Could I get the stuffed green dragon?” I asked the person standing behind the counter. She nodded and handed me the plush after I gave her my receipt. I extended it to Lloyd. “For you. My favorite green dragon,” I said, giving him a wink as I mimicked Jay’s words from earlier.

Lloyd’s gaze dropped down to the stuffed toy in my hands before he accepted it with a soft laugh. “Thank you,” he smiled warmly.

Sometime when I had been choosing my prize, he had taken his face mask off, so now I could clearly see the warmth in his eyes and smile — as well as the barely-there dusting of pink on his cheeks. The sight made my knees weak.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, a similar smile gracing my lips.

“You guys are still here?” Jay asked suddenly.

I whipped around to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“Dude, we already left. I came back when we realized you hadn’t followed us outside.”

Pressing my lips together, I simply said, “Oh.”

“We’ll be out soon,” Lloyd told Jay, shifting the plush dragon in his arms. “I just… need to go to the bathroom.”

Jay gave him a look, but nodded. “You couldn't have gone earlier?” he mumbled under his breath as he left the arcade.

Lloyd turned back to me. “You can join the others. I’ll be right out,” he said.

“Okay.” I nodded, and made my way through the doors. It was starting to dim outside, sunlight gradually fading. The rest of the group stood a few feet outside of the arcade entrance, and I hurried to join them. “Hey,” I greeted them again.

“Sorry about that,” Cole apologized as I approached. “We didn’t realize you two were still inside.”

I waved his apology off with a hand. “It’s okay. We didn’t realize you left.”

“Where is Lloyd?” Zane questioned.

“He’s in the bathroom,” I replied, tucking my hands into my pockets. Zane nodded in acknowledgement. “Are we going anywhere after this?” I asked, making idle conversation. While talking about this hangout with Lloyd, I’d failed to ask if we were going to eat after or not.

“Probably just somewhere to eat,” Nya answered. “We were thinking some street food. Does that sound okay, Mari?”

I blinked, but nodded at her question. “Yeah, that sounds great!”

Nya smiled.

After another few moments, Lloyd came barreling out of the arcade, holding a plastic bag as he came to stand with us. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he apologized quickly, stuffing a hand in his pocket.

A chorus of accepted apologies sounded from the group.

“Are you coming to eat with us?” Lloyd turned to you, eyes lighting up in a hopeful expression.

“Yup,” I said, giving him a smile.

“Cool.” He nodded, returning my grin.

Everyone else started to lead the way to the street vendors we’d most likely head to, while me and Lloyd walked in the back.

“What’s in the bag?” I asked while the group was busy talking about something. I had a certain feeling Lloyd hadn’t brought it up while everyone was still looking at him because he didn’t want to bring everyone’s attention to it.

He glanced at me, before shuffling slightly closer, never once missing a step as we kept walking. He opened the bag to reveal the green plush I got him, as well as the silver winged horse I saw earlier. “I saw you were eying that silver pegasus earlier, so I wanted to get it for you. Y’know, since you got me that dragon toy. I didn't know whether to give it to you now or later,” he admitted, scratching at his cheek.

Warmth billowed into my face as I took in the bag that held the stuffed pegasus he got me — as well as how close he was standing. “Thank you, Lloyd.” I sent him a bright smile. “If you want, you can give it to me later, before I go back home.”

“Alright,” Lloyd said with a nod. He hooked the handles of the bag over his elbow and kept walking.

He didn't move away.

I hid my blush by keeping my eyes on the backs of the group.

Eventually, we arrived at a little plaza that held various street vendors selling all kinds of food. Some sold hot dogs, others had noodles, or sliders, falafel, tacos, etc — I surveyed the options and took my pick.

Once everyone else had their food, we found a little park bench tucked to the side of the plaza and sat down.

Lloyd sat to my right, his back facing the entrance of the square, while Nya was on my left. Jay sat across from her, with Cole next to him, and Zane was across from Lloyd.

No one really said anything, which was expected. We all focused on eating our own food.

It was a quiet moment, with everyone basking in the sun’s dimming rays, even as the fall weather beckoned a crisp wind to swirl around us. It was quiet, until it wasn’t.

“Is that Lloyd Garmadon? Look, it’s the Garmadork squad!” someone suddenly called behind us, to which others around them laughed. Everyone at the table stiffened. “Hey, who’s that with them?”

I was about to turn around to face them, but Lloyd stopped me by placing a hand on my back.

“Don’t,” he warned, glaring at them through the corner of his eye. “They’re from our school. If they recognize you, they’ll post about it online.”

“I don’t care about that,” I retorted.

“You will.” His voice was firm. He didn’t pull his hand away from my back. “Trust me.”

The corners of my lips pulled down into a frown, but when I looked to the rest of his friends to see what they thought about it, my heart dropped. Matching expressions of frustration and resignation weighing down their features.

“Seriously?” I stared. “You just take it?”

“There isn’t anything else we can do,” Jay mumbled. “At least anything that won’t prove the city right about Lloyd.”

Nya nodded, her eyes shifting in that same storminess from the first day of school, when she’d talked about how Lloyd was treated. “If we fight back or call them out, we prove everyone right. We prove that Lloyd is someone to be feared and cast out,” she said, anger making her look downright scary.

Silence followed from the rest of the group, but no such kindness was given from the other group of kids. They jeered at us, but didn’t come any closer. Lloyd’s hand tightened on my back at their insults.

The harassers saw this, and took no small amount of delight in calling it out. “Shit, that freak’s got a girlfriend,” one of them said to the others. “What kind of idiot would fall for him?”

Lloyd recoiled from me, pulling his hand away to stuff it in his pocket. Not much of his face was visible behind the golden strands of his hair, but I could still see the anger and shame burning in him at their words.

A similar pinprick of fury lit in me then, when I noticed the way Lloyd tensed beside me as they continued spewing their hurtful words.

“Look at him,” another person sneered. “He’s so ashamed. You should be! Tyrants don’t deserve to be happy!” they directed at him.

The words struck a chord in me, and I snapped.

Ignoring everyone’s shouts, I rose from my seat, pushing past Lloyd’s outstretched hand and making my way to the group of teenagers.

Look at her. Can you believe the audacity of a criminal to be out in public? She and her brother deserve to be outcasts — they’re dangerous.

Quiet fury burned in my veins, stirred hotter by the insults hurled my way as I approached.

“Damn, looks like the freak’s girlfriend is mad,” one of them snickered. As I got closer, one of the girls leaned closer to her friend to whisper, “Hey, isn’t that the new—”

All of them recoiled from me as I suddenly cracked my fist into one of the guys’ nose.

He crouched away from me, cradling his nose as blood gushed out of it. “What the hell?” he shouted, blood dribbling down his chin.

Around us, phones whipped out to record the fight, but I just shook my head in distaste. “Don’t be an asshole if you don’t want to get hit like one,” I told him, not bothering to hide the venom dripping from my voice.

The girl who’d recognized me whirled her phone toward me threateningly. “Stop! Go away!” she yelled. “You’re the new kid at Ninjago High, right? We’ll get you expelled!”

I scoffed out a dry laugh. “For what? Defending a friend from being harassed? I’m not on school grounds, and I could threaten you with the same,” I retorted before turning away.

A brief whistle of air was the only thing to alert me that the guy I’d punched was swinging at me. I veered to the left, feeling the air from his punch graze my arm as I dodged the blow. “You don't learn, do you?” I scowled, turning back to face him.

The guy shouted angrily before swinging again. His punches were messy, anger clouding his thoughts. I sidestepped them with ease.

“Just stop, before you hurt yourself,” I warned, grabbing his fist and spinning him around to fall onto the floor.

I crouched down next to him, not worried about being hit since he was out of breath and limp on the ground. “And just remember, your threats don’t scare me. Come after Lloyd again, and you don’t need to worry about fearing him — it won’t be Lloyd who will come after you,” I whispered next to him, my voice low enough that only he could hear.

With that, I rose from my feet and walked away. I ignored the looks on everyone’s faces as I got to the bench and swiped my food wrapper from the table. “Thanks for today. I had fun,” I said and turned away without meeting their eyes. “And I’m sorry.”

I left before they could stop me, grimacing at the silence as I walked off. I’d definitely wrecked whatever friendships I was starting to have with them.

“Dammit,” I cursed myself once I was across the street from the plaza. No one had followed me. I didn’t know whether to be glad or feel miserable because of that fact.

“Things were going well, but you had to screw that up, didn’t you?” I muttered under my breath, frustration and shame heating my face up and bringing stinging tears to my eyes. “You got a brand new start, and you just had to ruin it.”

Even though it was only around five, it was getting increasingly darker as I made my way back to the apartment, one hand clenched around the key in my pocket while the other remained free, in case something happened.

I was breaking one of Skylor’s rules; no one was walking me home. Then again, I’d already broken the “behave” rule, so it wasn’t like this was my only transgression.

Nevertheless, I found myself keeping a watchful eye on my surroundings. I would not let my emotions make me an easy target.

A rustle came from behind me, quiet enough where I wouldn’t have heard it if not for the heightened hearing my whisps allowed. It was a human, by the sound of it. Male. Tall.

“Hell no,” I grumbled under my breath, walking faster. Hell if I was going to end up kidnapped or killed because I had been stupid enough to let my emotions get the better of me earlier and effectively cut off the friends that could’ve dropped me off.

I crossed the street suddenly, testing to see if I really was being followed. A few seconds passed and the man didn’t cross over to my side. I was ready to dismiss it as paranoia, but then he crossed, subtly. Pulled out his phone as if looking at directions. I scowled.

Okay, time for test number two.

These parts of Ninjago City, the parts not as close to Skylor’s apartment building, weren’t yet familiar to me where I was comfortable enough to split off public roads into alleys, but there didn’t feel like much else of a choice. I had to shake him.

Keeping a careful watch on the man with my whispers, I headed down a tight alleyway that should’ve still led to the direction of the apartment.

It felt like the man finally realized I was aware of him following me, because his pace sped up, anxious to catch up to me. My heart started beating faster, but I forced myself to keep calm. Panic would not help me now.

Walking wasn’t proving to be enough to shake him off, so when I spotted a wall I could climb up, I quickly hoisted myself onto a ledge and pulled myself over to lay flat on the connecting roof.

Placing a hand over my mouth, I waited for the man to pass the wall I’d scaled, tracking him with my whisps until he was far enough away where he wouldn’t find me again. I slid down the wall, landing silently. Skylor’s apartment wasn’t too far now, and I hurried to get there.

Once I reached the familiar glass door, I breathed out a sigh of relief. I buzzed myself in and climbed up the steps to get to our floor. Now safely inside the locked apartment, I strode over to the couch and collapsed on the cushions.

“That was way too close,” I mumbled into the cushions. If I had been any more distracted, something bad could’ve happened.

I silently resolved to explore more of the city. That would never happen again. Not on my watch.

Exhaustion suddenly came over me, weighing down my eyelids. I let them drift shut, feeling my muscles go limp as I sank further into the couch.

——————————

It was a fitful nap. No dreams or memories, but rest was elusive as smoke.

The sound of a lock being opened and a doorknob rattling open stirred me awake, and I squinted as I slowly lifted my head from the couch to peer at the sound’s origin.

Skylor walked through the door. Light from the hallway backlit her as she entered, laughing softly.

Kai trailed in after her. He was leaning in like he was about to kiss her.

I coughed loudly, clearing my throat to announce my presence before I witnessed something I’d want to burn from my memory.

The two startled at my cough, with Skylor staring at me as Kai frowned.

“Mari? What are you doing here?” she asked, peeling herself away from Kai — who’d started to take off his jacket — to walk over to the couch. “It’s still early, why aren’t you with the n— with your friends?”

I tilted my head at her slipup but looked away when I processed her question. “No reason,” I lied, tucking my knees to my chest and leaning against the couch’s back.

Skylor frowned at the obvious lie. “Did someone walk you back home?”

“No,” I murmured, already feeling tired of where the conversation was going.

“Why not? Did something happen?”

At that, Kai looked up from where he’d been kneeling to take his shoes off. Suspicion and mistrust flared in his eyes as he stepped closer. “What did you do?” he demanded.

I bristled at his words. “I didn’t do anything,” I scowled, but then my anger faded away as quick as it had lit, replaced by shame. “Not to them.”

Alarm flashed in Skylor’s expression. “What happened?” she repeated. I didn’t miss the way her eyes carefully scanned my person for any injuries.

“I…” Hesitation made the words drift away.

“Did you hurt them?” Kai butted in again, still not letting it go.

Skylor turned to him with a disappointed frown. “Kai.”

“No, I want to know,” Kai whipped to face her, anger burning in his eyes. But underneath that anger, some other emotion was present. It looked like panic, or protectiveness.

“I didn’t hurt your friends,” I told him firmly.

Kai looked back at me, doubt permeating his expression. Skylor’s slight worry turned into concern as she noted the way I called them Kai’s friends, not mine.

“Mari, what happened?”

I sighed, looking away as guilt displayed itself on my face. “Some jerks were harassing Lloyd while we were out eating. I… punched one of them.”

The two looked taken aback. Slight respect cut through the fog of Kai’s mistrust, but it was quickly replaced by frustration. “You punched someone?” Kai hissed. “Why would you—” He took a moment to calm himself. “Look, it’s great and all that you wanted to defend Lloyd, but you do know that you’re just proving to the whole city that he — and everyone he associates himself with — is violent, right?”

“I know!” I snapped. “I just— maybe you didn’t know before, but I know what it’s like being an outcast in society. So when those assholes started spewing their crap, I just lost it, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt Lloyd more by punching the guy. And it won’t happen again.”

Kai barked out a laugh. “Believe me, I know about you,” he said. That made me narrow my eyes. “I know all about how you were shunned because you were related to a criminal. That means you should’ve known better,” he reprimanded harshly. My blood went cold when he mentioned my past. “Because guess what? If those people post about what you did online, Lloyd’s reputation is gonna be even worse!”

“You think I don’t know that?” I retorted, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I can’t go back in time and stop myself from doing it, but I promise that it won’t happen again.”

“Oh yeah?” Kai scoffed. “How can I trust the promise of Ikarashi’s niece?”

Once again, my blood froze when Kai spoke.

“How do you know that name?”

My voice was barely audible to my own ears, so it was a wonder Kai heard it. However, it seemed he hadn’t meant to say those words out loud, because he slammed his mouth shut when he realized his slip.

“What name?” He put on a look of confusion, one that I didn’t buy for a second.

“Don’t play dumb,” I snarled. “You just said you knew that I was related to a criminal, but you shouldn’t know who.”

He didn’t answer, but his face said it all.

“You looked into my past, didn’t you?” I breathed out, laughing dryly as I looked away from him. “You… What are you gonna do now, huh? Now that— now that you know Lloyd’s friend is the niece of a yakuza crime boss? Are you gonna banish me from seeing him? Report me to the police?” I goaded him, eyes glinting with dark amusement, daring him to try something.

Kai’s face darkened with barely concealed rage. Skylor’s silence during our discussion didn’t go unnoticed by me.

“Whatever you do won’t be more than I’ve already gone through, I can assure you of that,” I told him, wiping the bitter smile off my face to scowl at him instead.

Sudden understanding dawned on Skylor’s face.

Kai sneered, fists clenching at his sides. “Maybe I will! You’re more of a danger to Lloyd than I thought,” he muttered quietly, his threat making a small pinprick of fear pierce my heart.

“No, you won’t,” came Skylor’s firm reply.

Both of us whipped around to stare at her.

“Why not?” Kai argued. “Do you see her right now? Did you hear her? If she keeps being around Lloyd, she’ll bring more of the police’s attention onto him when he’s done nothing wrong!”

“Have you forgotten who your girlfriend is?” Skylor countered. “I’ve done worse than what she did. Chen was my father. Do you think I deserve to be in jail because of that?”

Kai sighed, almost running a hand through his hair, but stopping just shy of the brown locks. “That’s different!”

“How? How is it any different?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“You’re didn’t— you were never—”

“Yes, I did, and yes, I was,” Skylor interrupted. “I was completely complicit in his illegal fighting arenas and in his other crimes. I was fully aware of it and didn’t feel any remorse.”

Silence met her words as Kai begrudgingly accepted her argument.

“I don’t know if Mari was involved in her uncle’s crimes, but regardless, she left that part of her past behind. She came here to get away and have a fresh start at life,” she finished.

Surprise lit my eyes at her words. Skylor glanced at me, nodding her head in understanding. “I know, Mari. I figured it was why… I see myself in you, you know.” Guilt suddenly washed over me, the memory of my hidden mask burning me with shame.

Turning back to Kai, Skylor jutted a finger into his chest. “And damn it if I’ll let her second chance be taken away from her. I got my second chance — do not take away hers.”

No one said anything after that last line.

“Fine,” Kai eventually huffed. “I won’t report her to the police.”

Skylor raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed, grumbling under his breath and reluctantly turning to face me. “And I won’t banish you from seeing Lloyd. But I’m warning you: do anything to hurt him, and you’ll wish you never came to Ninjago City.”

Skylor didn’t look too happy with the second part of Kai’s sentence, but she nodded. She was probably thinking the same thing as me: that it was Kai’s way of protecting Lloyd. The same way she was protecting me.

“Thanks,” I said to Kai, making an effort to meet his apology with less hostility. “But I doubt Lloyd wants to be my friend anymore, anyway.”

“Fine by me,” Kai muttered. He yelped when Skylor elbowed him.

“Come here,” Skylor said to Kai, pulling him by an arm to the kitchen, out of my earshot — or at least what it should’ve been if I’d been a normal person. But I had no desire to listen in on their conversation, so I ensured the whispers stilled around them so I wouldn’t overhear anything.

Without my enhanced hearing, I could barely hear the hushed tones they spoke in. But watching them was enough to gauge what they were saying.

As they came to some sort of an agreement, Kai leaned down to peck Skylor on the lips before he pulled his jacket and shoes on and left. As the door clicked shut, Skylor sighed before turning to look at me.

“Me and you are going to have a talk,” she said, her tone leaving no room for debate. But with a glance at the clock on the wall, she sighed once more. “Tomorrow.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

Skylor nodded at my agreement and turned to head into her room. “Goodnight, Mar.”

“Goodnight,” I replied, watching her enter the room and shut the door. With a sigh, I eventually got up from the couch to walk into my own bedroom, closing the door with a click and collapsing onto my bed. I didn't bother changing out of what I was dressed in — it wasn't uncomfortable enough to be a priority, not when the day’s exhaustion had worn me down so easily.

My phone buzzed with a notification from where I’d placed it on the nightstand. I turned on ‘do not disturb’ and flipped it over. With my luck, it’d be a text from Lloyd, either saying he didn't want to be my friend or asking me to talk to him about what happened.

I couldn't deal with either of those things right now.

Besides, tomorrow was Sunday. I still had a day to think through what happened and process how I was feeling before I dove into a big discussion with Lloyd and his friends.

But you and Skylor are going to talk tomorrow, too, I reminded myself. Ah, yes. Another thing to add to my laundry list of handling the mess that was my life.

Thankfully, sleep came easily this time. It only took a few seconds to drift into unconsciousness.

——————————

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#lego ninjago #lloyd garmadon #lloyd garmadon x oc #ninjago fic #lego ninjago fanfiction #ninjago x oc #coracal's fics: north wind

[is-on-its-way]

Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more - 2 A Wonderful Awful Idea

Post-Episode: s06e06 How the Ghosts Stole Christmas

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Part of the Scully is a human Series

———

Friday December 25th, 1998 

Everyone was laughing riotously at something her cousin Mary had said. She laughed along but she was so preoccupied she hadn’t heard what had been so funny. They were all sitting in the living room around the Christmas tree, Christmas presents, toys, crumpled wrapping paper, and extra chairs brought in for the amount of people squeezed into Margaret Scully’s house, higgledy piggledy around the room.

Her mom was watching her with a knowing look on her face. 

She cursed herself for feeling this way. Like a little girl in high school waiting for her date to pick her up for the first time. They weren’t even doing any of that. Just friends weren’t allowed to feel like this.

She told her mom shed invited Mulder and her mom had been so happy. She’d said “Oh really” with an eyebrow raised 

“Mom!” shed answered “We’re just friends. We were working a case until late last night and he had no time to make it up to Martha’s vineyard.” 

She’d given her the same look she was eyeing her with right now. A look of knowing things she had the good grace not to say out loud. 

Bill had given both of them a withering look.

“Will you try to be nice Bill, for me?” 

“Fine” he’d said looking away, annoyed.

She’d worried about how Bill would behave. He'd been uncharacteristically short with her since the conversation. He’d always been over protective of her. He’d never really understood why she’d left a career as a Physician behind to join the FBI. And he’d never liked Mulder. He’d blamed him for her abduction and her working through cancer, because, well, he really never understood her. 

But that didn’t seem like it mattered anymore because Mulder was an hour and a half late. Her heart was sinking with each passing minute. He said he’d come, so he was probably just stuck in traffic. But she hadn’t really thought of just how disappointed she’d feel if he decided against it. 

Those feelings burned now. And to make matters worse she was letting them, completely against all her rational thought. The vault she'd built around them after Antarctica, when Mulder had made it clear their almost kiss had been a mistake, was melting away as if she had used the ice of the glacier they'd been rescued from to do it. His recent hospital bed declaration of love played through her mind for the millionth time and she bit her lip. Her whole body felt hot; tingly with anticipation. Fear and butterflies knocked around her stomach. Was it stupid to have invited him? He’d invited her somewhere on Christmas Eve. But dinner with her overly boisterous family was entirely different than a shared psychotic episode almost ending in double murder. 

She forced herself to pay attention to the group, so her mind wouldn’t fall into the moments that might have happened in his hallway had she not been stung by that bee. Moments she, up until now, had only visited in her dreams.

All of her cousins children were playing with the nerf guns shed gotten them, and Bill was yelling at them to stop running.

“Oh let them play Bill, its Christmas” she said cheerily.

“Im not driving anyone to the hospital when they knock their teeth out on a chair.” He said annoyed

Scully shook her head, her cousin Connie said “Typical Bill” under her breath to her and they giggled.

There was a knock at the door

She felt herself blushing as she rose from the arm of Connie's armchair. Her heart jumped into her throat from down where it had been sinking.

She opened the door.

He stood on the porch, holding a potted plant with red point leaves, a poinsettia, in one arm and a bottle of whiskey in the other. He was dressed in dark blue pants and a blue sweater, his heavyweight cotton field jacket over it. He stood speechless for a second at the sight of her. She was wearing a long sleeve blue velvet dress with a square neckline that cut low enough a bit of cleavage was visible. Her skin glowed against the deep color of the velvet. She had black stockings on and her feet were bare.

“Hi” she said smiling at him "Come in from the chill" she stood aside for him and he entered the long hallway, turning back to her. She leaned against the back of the door as she closed it.

“Sorry Im late. I had to find Whiskey” He held up a bottle of Ardbeg. 

Margaret came to the foyer down the hallway from the kitchen. She kissed Mulder on the cheek “Hi Fox, Merry Christmas”

Hi Mrs. Scully. I brought you this, he handed her the plant, and Scully told me to bring Whiskey.”

“Oh this is so lovely thank you!, I have something for you. Ill give it to you before you go, its just an apple cake”

“She’s being modest.” Scully said proudly. “Its a Kehoe family recipe, she makes one every Christmas and she made an extra for you when I said you were coming”

“Just don’t tell anyone or they’ll try and steal it.” Margaret whispered

Mulder smiled down at her “I won’t. Thank you, I cant wait to try it.”

“Ill put this on the bar.” She took the whiskey and the poinsettia down the hall to the dining room. There were four doors off the main hallway and a stair case to the left along the wall. The kitchen was at the very back. The dining room and living room had large openings to the main hallway on the right side. They were also connected by a large opening between them with French doors, propped open for the party. Scully pointed out the fourth door down by the kitchen on the left as the bathroom.

“No blue label” Bill scoffed from the living room doorframe. 

Mulder shrugged “Well I tried, but the shop owner told me it was blended swill, so…”

“Its good enough for President Nixon” Bill said as he turned to his wife who handed him their crying child. 

Mulder turned to Scully confused and holding in laughter “Nixon?” 

Scully shook her head and grimaced while giggling as they watched Bill’s retreating back.

“More pleasant than the last time I saw him at least.”

“Its not you he’s been in a snit all day, don’t take it personally.” She turned to him and smiled. “I cant believe you made it.”

“I said I’d come.” Mulder said lightly. Hoping he didn’t betray the turmoil in his mind at doing this. He’d spent an hour after he already should’ve left, debating whether he should come or not. Then his panic at disappointing Scully took over, and he’d rushed over making the 45 minute drive in half an hour.

Come meet everybody” she said taking his hand and leading him into the living room.

“You have a lot of family” Mulder said scanning the party, people were in the living room the kitchen and the dining room. Everything was chaos, adults chatting and watching kids play with toys, teens rough housing and shouting in groups.

“Okay everybody, this is my partner from the FBI, his name is Mulder!” She yelled to the room

The room shouted back “Hi Mulder!” As he put a hand up embarrassed. She giggled at his discomfort and led him around the room introducing him to various cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, and her grandma. She led them through a group of teenage boys, a bunch of her cousins children. They all shook his hand and said hello when she told them to say hi. 

They drifted through the dining room where a bunch of men where hovering by the old fashioned intricate wood bar cart, tasting whiskey. Some uncles and some cousins were all introduced. Cousin Calvin offered Mulder a whiskey, which Mulder took thanking him. 

“Sip that slow, its a 20 year single malt!” He’d shouted as Scully led him into the kitchen. He downed it on one go as he met Scully’s aunts, all helping with the cooking or standing around keeping the ones cooking company. 

“Oh Dana brought a man” an aunt said struggling to get an oven rack rearranged with a turkey taking up most of the room.

“No Aunt Mary, He’s my partner at the FBI.”

“Oh, so whats he doing here?”

Aunt Judy hit her in the arm “Be nice Mary.”

Scully smirked at her aunt shaking her head. “We were working a case until late yesterday, his mother is all the way in Boston.”

“Mulder is it?”She asked

“It is.”

“Will you help me dear? Just take that turkey out and put it on top of the stove for now.” 

He obeyed taking the dishtowels she handed him. She bent back down rearranging the oven racks. She put two casserole dishes on the top shelf and motioned for the turkey, Mulder got it and placed it on the bottom rack.

“Thank you dear” she said patting him 

“He’s strong Dana you should reconsider.”

“Time to go” Scully said in a high pitched voice. He followed her to the hallway laughing.

“Sorry about her, she likes to make people uncomfortable. Usually we love her for it.”

“I don’t mind Scully, she was funny…”

A man interrupted while they were walking down the hallway to the dining room, catching them just at the door. 

“So you work at the FBI too?”

Scully looked apprehensive as Mulder said “Yes with Sc… Dana”

“Well I’ve been trying to get her to tell me but she won’t…”

“I don’t have access to that information uncle Frank, and even if I did…”

“What’s your take on the freemasons turning the US government into one giant corporation which will have total control over all of us within the next 50 years?

Mulder opened his mouth to speak but Frank continued.

“Now, we know Kennedy was assassinated by the men in charge because he was going to release us from the Fed but what about the false flag of Pearl Harbour to get America into Europe so the corporate government could enrich themselves with contracts? Has it been proven yet? Of course I could go on about ‘nam and the same problem…”

“Um Im sorry I work in a completely different field, you know, no conspiracies." Scully looked down  "Just what Dana here can prove with scientific evidence, and background checks mostly.” 

“Frank went on undeterred as if Mulder hadn’t said a word.

Scully put a hand on Franks shoulder. She turned away from Mulder, appearing interested. She caught Mulder’s eye and mouthed “Save yourself”. As Frank droned on about the Vietnam war.

He raised an eyebrow, smiling at her and backed away into the living room, before turning to find himself in front of a number of seated women. Scully’s aunts and three of her cousins.

“Mulder! Come sit and tell us all about Agent Scully FBI” cousin Connie said patting a free chair.

He sat and said “Well I don’t really know how much I can say, a lot of the work we do is classified.”

They looked disappointed. 

“Uh, well did you hear about that town in Arkansas that had all those cases of degenerative brain disease? We worked that one…” then whispered “Cannibal cult.”

Everyone gasped and cousin Connie said “No way” under her breath looking scandalized.

He tried to change the subject “But uh, tell me about Dana, any good childhood stories?”

Aunt Stacy chimed in “Well she a little cherub as a child, so chubby you could pinch her and just the most angelic little girl. Then she turned into a tomboy, always running around outside with those brothers of hers, always dirty, black fingernails from playing in the mud. And the way shed scream when Maggie had to scrub her for church on Saturday nights.” She laughed at the memory “She refused to were a dress for an entire year so Maggie dressed her in the Bills pastel blue short suit with knee high socks. She was just the funniest little girl, so headstrong for her age.”

Mulder was fighting back laughter as he said “I really appreciate that thank you for telling me”

Cousin Patricia looked at her mother with annoyance, “Don’t tell him that embarrassing stuff mom! Dana wouldn’t want you to”

“I think Dana knows what happens when people bring their significant others to a Scully Kehoe party” Connie interjected.

Mulder shifted uncomfortably “Or FBI partners” she corrected

“This one time,” she added “we rode our bikes down to the pier and we found a bunch of guys raking for mussels on the bay, she asked if we could learn how and they actually taught us how to collect them. She turned out to be pretty good at it for an eight year old. They had us working for a couple of hours too! They let us load our bike baskets up with as much as we could carry as payment, and Dana put extra in her pockets. Her mom made us wash our bikes with soap and hosed us down in the yard before shed let us into the house. But boy were those steamed mussels for dinner delicious!”

Everyone laughed 

“Thats so funny, we used to go out for quahaugs and mussels every week in the summertime where I grew up, just for us, we were never conscripted." Connie laughed at this "But it’s hard work” Mulder said

“It was! I was so bad at it, but Dana’s is good at everything she tries” Connie said bragging

“We hear you’ve been a great help to Scully through her cancer scare and everything?” Cousin Jane said

“That was all her, she was incredibly determined and strong.”

“Well you helped her through” Connie said “We're all very grateful she has you to watch out for her”

Mulder reddened

“And you saved her life, from that terrible man?”

"And that bank robber" cousin Corinne chimed in.

“Well, yeah but thats what partners do for each other. In fact she’s saved me just as much.” 

They made faces of disbelief.

“But she’s so little, what could she do?” Jane asked

“Well usually she has more forethought than I do and comes storming in with the cavalry.”

He smiled and they laughed

Bill muttered “Give me a break” stood up from the armchair he’d been listening from and walked away.

“Actually I think she’s saved me more than I have her. She’s a better shot than I am and Im a pretty good shot. The fact she’s a medical doctor really helps when we need any kind of medical analysis in a case. And she’s an excellent pathologist. She’s so…”

He realized as he was talking her up to her family, just how much he didn’t have to “up” the talk about her. She was impressive just as she was.

“Im extremely lucky she got assigned to me.” He said instead

They seemed pleased with his assessment, turning to look at each other.

“Well we just love her. She’s such a good girl. And Smart. And so good with our kids when they were growing up” Aunt Stacy said

“Yes, she was always our first choice for baby sitter with our Timmy. Chimed in another woman who'd started paying attention to them. “Remember we had to make a schedule to make it fair so no one could hog her?”

Mulder laughed at this, imagining them getting into bidding wars over her babysitting talents.

“She’s just so caring” one of them added.

Mulder’s heart felt like it was going to break in half in appreciation of her. He was overwhelmed with emotions towards her. He excused himself to find a bathroom. 

He leaned agasint the door and rubbed his face. She was perfect. Too perfect for him. He would never be as good as any of the people here. Maybe Bill had the measure of him. Try as he might to tell his body this, he felt himself falling more deeply in love with her than he thought possible. His heart ached at knowing just how much he needed her in his life. Just how fragile the balance felt. He splashed water on his face and told himself to get a grip.

As he walked through the hall to the dining room to find Scully, Aunt Judy and Mary came out of the kitchen to the dinning room.

“Alright Ham is in the oven “ she announced  “Who's playing charades?”

There was a chorus of “Me’s” 

“No kids allowed all of you upstairs to play with your toys” Mary declared

“And no fighting!” She called as they ran up the stairs.

Mulder found Scully in the crowd. “Ive been hearing stories about you”

Scully groaned “Oh no, what did they tell you?”

“Nothing I wont hold against you at a later date.” 

Scully hit his arm playfully

“Shorts and knee high socks at church? Are there pictures? I need to see it”

Scully giggled “Oh god the suit phase, there might be… ”

“Ill have to ask your mom…” He turned to go find her in the kitchen.

Scully grabbed him pulling him back “Don’t you dare!” she said laughing.

“Hey you two are you in or out?” Cousin Tommy called to them.

They turned, everyone was in the living room watching them, Aunt Mary, Aunt Stacy, Judy, Corinne and Connie had smiles on their faces, raised.

Scully looked at him “You don’t have to play we can just watch”

“Its okay Ill play” 

“Alright its two teams, mostly Kehoes verses mostly Scullys, pair off and if we have more of one or the other some people join the other” Tommy called out. 

Everyone shuffled into groups, Scully pulled Mulder to the Kehoe side and sat down on the rug next to Connie, he sat on the coffee table next to her. A pair of girls traded teams when their cousin called them over. And the group of teen boys separated themselves by pushing a couple of them off to the Kehoe side so everything would be even.

Coffee tins were was passed around on each side with paper and markers. Everyone wrote clues down. Giggling broke out as people wrote things down and showed them to each other.

Tommy called out “Nothing bad, you hear” Directed mostly at the boys. 

When the tins were full, they were traded to each side. 

“Okay rock paper scissor for who goes first, youngest from each side, come on”. 

A teenaged girl from their team and one of the boys from the Scully side played out of three, the boy won and the Scullys cheered. 

The groups started off and switched each round, laughing at people miming things like, synchronized swimming, a stegosaurs, snowboarding which everyone had trouble decifering from surfing, and a crab fisherman.

Mulder guessed one readily, along with a few other men on the team when one of the teen boys mimed a baseball swing, and then held up 10 fingers 7 times.

“Mark Macgwire!” They had all shouted in unison for the record breaking player of the last season.

The Scully team was winning by just a few clues when the Kehoe team got a stumper. Aunt Judy acted out a church and steeple. Then a judge banging a gavel, and then crossed her arms. 

Antidisestablishmentarianism?” Mulder said confused as to why someone would think to put that into a game of charades.

“Yes” sighed Aunt Judy shaking her head. She looked at the Scully team “That one wasn’t fair you guys!”

A few people clapped Mulder on the shoulder and back “We got a ringer!” Uncle Tommy shouted. And everyone laughed. Mulder could see Bill sulking at this appreciation. 

The Scully team complained loudly about some of the more difficult clues they received as well. They missed ‘truth’ but got points for ‘chat rooms’ and ‘Liberace’

Finally it was down to the the tie-breaking 21st point and the Kehoe’s had their turn. It was Scully’s turn to act out a clue she took the paper and stepped in front of her team. She looked at the clue and knitted her eyebrows and shook her head. She said “okay.”and ran her tongue across her upper lip in concentration. She mimed two words and mimed placing a box on the floor. Then a cat by licking her hands and making ears on her head. Everyone laughed, Mulder was looking at her enraptured, glad to be witnessing this side of Scully. She mimed putting the cat in the box. 

People shouted “Taking a cat to the vet” and “Adopting a cat”

Scully giggled and shook her head

“Cat litter” someone shouted

Scully looked at Mulder with an urgent expression that said ‘Come on you know this’ 

She held up her hands and motioned putting a face mask on her head with two canisters on either side of it. Everyone was silent in confusion someone mumbled “What?” as team Scully laughed.

She mimed a test tube and pouring a substance into in before placing it in the imaginary box with the cat.

Mulder threw his arms in the air, stood up and shouted “Schrödinger's Cat!”. They'd had an entire car ride once with Scully using her knowledge from her physics degree to explain the concept to him. 

Scully jumped up and down pure joy on her face, and held the paper up “YES!”

The Kehoe team erupted in cheers and jumped around hugging each other. Mulder stared at Scully celebrating their win, getting knocked around by everyone and patted on his shoulders. Scully found his face in the crowd and she broke into a giant smile and jumped into his arms, he caught her and they hugged, but released quickly. He turned and caught Margaret at the door between the living room and dining room. She met his eyes. She had a knowing look filled with warmth on her face. 

The celebrations wound down after that with some of the boys teasing each other with renditions of their acted out clues. Margaret and her sisters, Connie, Jane, and Scully went to go check on the food and put more sides into the oven. Mulder found himself sitting next to an older woman with grey hair, aunt Mabel. She’d been asleep when Scully was introducing him but had woken up with the noise of the game. 

So who might you be?”

“Oh Im Fox Mulder, Scu… Dana’s Partner with the FBI” 

“Mulder. Is that Scottish?”

“No, German Jewish mostly although we celebrated Christmas with the rest of the WASPs in Massachusetts.”

“Oh yes those Protestants, they’re a nasty lot if you don’t fit in to their little boxes aren’t they?”

Mulder nodded smiling, amused and reminded of his Irish university friends explaining why protestants were terrible. He wondered if she’d say the same if she knew his true thoughts about organized religion, but knew better than to elaborate.

“So you’re Dana’s partner are you? When are you going to marry her?”

“No I’m her partner like her coworker at the FBI, we work together.” he said, face reddening.

“Well thats what you two can say but its plain as day to see how you treat her Mr. Mulder, and how she is with you. Reminds me of when my Robbie and I were courting, god rest his soul.”

This woman had a quicker wit than her age let on, Mulder decided.

“She deserves babies Mr Mulder, and lots of them.”

“Oh… um, Im gonna refresh my drink” Mulder said turning bright red. 

“Okay dear.” She said, patting his hand with a tiny wizened hand.

He smiled at her and got up. Timmy laughed as he rose. 

“Don’t mind her, she says whatever pops in her head nowadays.”

Mulder shook his head and smiled as he made his exit.  

He searched the room, and his heart was filled again with appreciation and admiration of Scully as he searched among the happy faces. He felt like he now had a deeper understanding of who she was. This was something he’d never experienced. Even before Samantha had gone and his parents had given up with things like happy family events. His father was an only child and his mother had one sister with no children. He’d never been a part of a big family where everyone was close, even friendly, where they genuinely seemed to like each other. 

He found her shaking up a drink at the bar cart. 

“Hey” he tapped her side twice with the back of his hand.

She turned and beamed at him “Hey”

She poured her drink into a crystal lowball and said

“How you doing, overwhelmed yet?”

“I haven’t been to a family gathering with this many people in a long time. Maybe ever. And definitely never one where everyone actually likes each other. Its nice.” 

Scully gave him a commiserating look and said “Thanks” with a slight smile playing on her lips.

“Your great aunt Mabel wishes us lots of babies, just a heads up.”

Scully rolled her eyes “Sorry about that, she’s been trying to marry me off since I turned sixteen. Do you want a new fashioned?”

Mulder cocked his head , puzzled.

“Its bourbon, maple syrup, bitters, and an orange peel. My sweet mates and I invented it in undergrad.” She leaned into his ear in the ruckus that had just erupted in the living room. He savoured the scent of her hair.

“… No that’s not what I did!”

“Yes it was! You totally drank the cigarette water and then threw up in the front yard.” 

“You did too!”

“And then you threw up in Grandma Mabels flower pot!”

“She hit you with a broom for it!”

“Yeah and I still have a scar from the metal on my ass!”

Everyone pointed at him and yelled

“He admitted it!”

“Well what was she doing keeping cigarette water next to my iced tea??!”

Scully pursed her lips looking over at her cousins shaking her head. 

Mulder laughed jovially and said “Yeah why not.” 

She turned again and made the drink and he leaned against the wall to her side watching her 

“So you were a lush in undergrad?”

She looked at him, her chin tucked, danger in her eyes. “Were you not?”

“At Oxford? Well the legal age was eighteen, so we got around a bit yeah. And the formals were always a good time. I may or may not have ended up sleeping in a bush once or twice”

Scully giggled and handed him his drink and they clinked glasses. “Merry Christmas Mulder.” She said meeting his eyes

“Merry Christmas Scully” they sipped their drinks and Scully watched him for his reaction.

Mulder raised his eyebrows and said “Hey, thats not bad”

She smiled. She leaned close again and said “And I wasn’t a lush in undergrad” 

“Just me then” Mulder said smirking.

“Okay all Dinner is ready! I need all the strong men!”

The cousins, now watching two of them play fight, broke up and followed Margaret to the kitchen, still rowdy and ragging on each other. Aunts and a spare uncle or two who’d been helping in the kitchen filtered into the dining room to sit down. Mulder gave Scully his glass and she smirked looking down. He followed Bill and Tommy, he was a man after all, as someone called upstairs to the children to take their seats at the kids table.

He placed the dish he'd been given on the table between all the other dishes the men and boys had carried out. Scully motioned him to the seat she'd saved him next to her. He sat down and she leaned into him whispering, “We say grace, but you don’t have to.” looking embarrassed. 

Mulder shook his head “Don’t worry about it Scully” he whispered as everyone closed their eyes and bowed their heads. He looked around at everyone and caught Bill eyeing him. He made to bow his head but didn't close his eyes. He looked at Scully’s lap. Her hands clasped together there. He studied her perfectly manicured fingers. They were so delicate and small, but not so delicate it looked like she couldn’t look out for herself. There was a strength in them he liked. Maybe it was all those years as a tomboy that had made them stronger than other women’s hands. Maybe it was the kickboxing classes she'd started after she'd been taken by Donnie Pfaster. He was pulled out of this reprieve when she unclasped them and looked over to him. Everyone was grabbing for dishes now, the prayer over. 

“Not too bad?” She asked him 

He mouthed no, a slight smiled on his lips. Not to bad at all. 

Someone passed him a dish of roasted Brussels sprouts.

———

Dinner winded down, he was stuffed with some of the best food he’d ever tasted. His parents had usually catered their dinners, but fresh out of the oven homemade food would always be better. He’d also been introduced to a traditional Irish Christmas dinner, including a thing sent from heaven called bread sauce, like a lumpy béchamel that made the turkey taste like heaven.

One of Scully’s uncles laughed heartily at something Mulder said and Bill dropped his fork and hit his hands on the table. Scully jumped, and several others turned to look at him wondering what was the matter.

 “You know Ive had enough of this. Its crazy. And everyone is treating this like it's normal for him to be here.” He waved in Mulder's direction. 

Bill looked at him, his face reddening in anger with each second.

Tara put a hand on Bills arm but he ignored it. “How dare you come here. My sister hasn’t been dead two years and you come here to rub our faces in it when you’re the reason she’s dead?”

Mulder could feel his ears ringing and he could feel Scully’s whole body tense up as if she'd affected the air around her. Mulder looked away from Bill, and to Scully concern on his face for her. She looked stricken, staring at Bill horror on her face. 

The children at the kids table grew quiet and looking over at the grown ups.

A quiet voice interrupted his tirade. “Thats quite enough Bill.”

All heads in the room turned to Margaret. She had a warning note in her voice that rose the hair on Mulder's arms. He made a mental note, this was a woman not to be messed with.

“Nobody is to blame for my daughter's death but the ones who pulled the trigger. God took her. Not Mulder. and I'll be having a word with him about that if I ever get the chance."

Bill made to start speaking and Margaret put a hand up.

"It was Dana's choice to join the FBI. Fox cares a great deal about Dana and Dana cares about him. He’s saved her life countless times. You might not agree with Dana’s choices but they are hers. She is the one who decides what those are. Not you.”

Scully was looking at her mom hand over her mouth, silent tears on her cheeks now. Mulder found her hand in her lap and gripped it. He found he was calm. Calmer than he would’ve been if a stranger had said something to him in a bar. Or even if Skinner had said something that set him off like in the past. He found that with Scully here, his only concern was her.  

“And might I remind you they were coming to kill Dana that day, if god hadn't taken Melissa, he'd have taken Dana.”

“Maybe he should’ve!” Bill said standing up. 

Mulder stood up just as fast “Don’t say that!” The blood was rushing to his face now, now he was ready knock that stupid look of Bill’s stupid face. He’d had it with this guy. So smug so superior and now insulting Scully in ways he couldn’t imagine doing to a sister.

The party collectively gasped. People muttered things like “too far” and “Come on Bill”

Scully put a hand on Mulder’s arm and he looked down at her relaxing at her touch.

Margaret whispered “Bill!” Looking aghast at him.

Everyone was looking at Scully, all her cousins. Her aunts and uncles were glancing at each other, the entire kids table was up on their feet peering over now.

Her cheeks burned in shame. 

“I think Ill go.” Mulder said. He squeezed Scully’s shoulder as left the room. They were all silent as he got his coat in the front hall.

Margaret left to the kitchen.

“Scully stood up slowly looking at her brother. “I asked you to be nice to him, how could you say those things? How could you say those things to me? In front of everyone? If you blame him for Melissa’s death you can blame me right along with him.” Her voice shook and she let out a sob but her anger and frustration helped her regain composure.

“You’ve never liked that I work for the FBI, that I like what I do, or that I have a true friend in my partner.” she wasn't yelling either. She's was speaking calmly as her mother had done. 

Margaret walked past the dining room doorway with the apple cake in a Tupperware container. She caught Mulder as he opened the door.

Scully continued. “It may not seem important to you but it is to me and I’m tired Bill. Im so tired of having to justify myself to you when you never seem to care enough to listen to who I am. What I want.” 

Everyone could hear as Mrs Scully said “Here you go dear.” embarrassment in her voice. 

“Thank you Mrs. Scully.” wafted in as the door shut.

“You think you’ve taken up the mantle as head of this family, but let me give you some advice.” There was anger and contempt in her voice now. “Dad was twice the man you are. Twice as kind, twice as gentle, and twice as forgiving. You wish me dead? Fine.” She threw up her hands “That’s fine with me Bill.” 

She looked at him in disgust and turned to leave. 

Bill said “Dana” in a patronizingly exasperated tone which only incensed her further.

She found her mom as she walked around the kids table into the living room. She fell into her arms and Margaret hugged her tightly, “Thanks for sticking up for me mom.” 

“Of course.” She said holding her daughters cheeks “I love you Dana. Ill see you later.”

“Love you too.” Scully smiled sadly  “Im sorry I brought him. Im sorry I…”

“Fox is always invited in this house. We'll have to see about Bill though.” She said sarcastically. Brushing Scully's hair from her face.

“Thanks mom,” she laughed wiping tears off her cheek. “Ill come over tomorrow for apple cake and tea with you and Nana.”

She turned to the dining room “Bye everyone, I’m sorry about this.” she said from the door between both rooms. There was a chorus of awkward “Bye Dana’s” from the dining room. She grabbed her coat and bags from the foyer, thought for a second, walked back to the dining room and took the bottle of ardbeg Mulder had brought, 3/4 of it still left, and walked out head held high. 

#msr #msr fanfic #x files #mulder and scully

[orionlancasterr]

Oc interview

I was tagged by @adelaidedrubman !

Judas King and Mary Hart agreed to sit down with Lauren Westfield for a couple preemptive interviews with her podcast and YouTube series, Case Files.

name 

“Judas- oh you probably want the full thing, um, Judas King.”

nickname

“The Chosen One, Wrath, Sinner- I think Jacob called me the executioner once…”

Upon seeing Laurens growing discomfort Judas trails off, his face growing red

“Sorry that’s not what you meant. No I don’t really have any, Judas doesn’t really lend itself to nicknames. Skunk tried Jude once but it didn’t feel right.”

gender

“Male, mostly.”

star sign

“Aquarius I think? Mary talks about it a lot.

personality type

“I dont want to be a dick but I don’t really know what this has to do with Edens gate..”

Laura frowns a little, scratching at the back of her head. “We just want to get to know you a little better before we y’know get into the juicy stuff.”

“Oh right, you’re just gonna have to bear with me on some of these, my um, my whole world has been about this stuff uncensored for like five years.”

“Right, of course!” Lauren gives a sort of forced laugh.

height

“5’5 I think, they measured at the last doctors appointment.”

orientation:

“I’ve mostly been using gay but I’ve been reading a lot online and I think I like queer more- I don’t like specific labels.”

nationality/ethnicity:

“American, obviously but I think French? I have a second cousin twice removed something or other that lives over there but I’m not really sure.”

fave fruit 

“I love oranges- more than anyone should and I had one for the first time in years the other day and I gotta say even the best batch of bliss couldn’t beat that shit.”

Lauren, while still uncomfortable makes no move to change the subject this time.

fave season

“Early fall-late summer. The rain brings a chill and I think the mountains are best when it’s wet out.”

fave flower 

“I think bindweed flowers are really cute, unfortunely bindweed sucks.”

fave scent 

“There is this polish I use the interior of cars, mothers, it’s like a plastic restorer anyways that shit smells so good.”

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: 

“I didn’t like coffee or tea for a while but I’ve recently gotten into iced coffee, I like caramel iced lattes apparently.”

average hours of sleep: 

“Good nights, 5-6 but I can easily go a night or two without sleeping. Night terrors. But the guys say I still flail around and shit on the good ones.”

Judas chuckled at this one.

dog or cat person

“Bears. I volunteered at a wildlife rehab center before the reapings and we had this bear, cheeseburger, a big old boy who was found by one of the senior members found him shoving trash in his face behind Chad’s old place. Burgers, fries, onion rings you name it Cheeseburger ate it. So he took him in anyways after everything went down Wade radioed in saying he had to release him because the Jacob wanted to experiment so I tracked him down. Found out he was diabetic and needed insulin so we became buddies. He’s in Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary now and I visit him every few days.”

It’s at this point Judas pulls out a phone and starts showing the staff pictures of a severely obese grizzly bear wearing a collar, at which they coo and awe. In newer photos he has lost a considerable amount weight.

dream trip 

“Climb every mountain range in North America. I met a guy when I was a kid on a hike that did that, his name was trinket and he was like 70 years old climbing the continental divide in colorado. Said he sold everything a few years ago to fund his mission. I’d like to start in the south, Saturn says the Appalachians are pretty.”

“I don’t want to assume anything but wouldn’t you be sick of mountains at this point I mean…after everything that happened in the whitetails?”

Judas laughs. “It’s not the mountains fault some lunatic decided to murder and maim a bunch of people.”

favorite fictional/real character

“Optimus Prime, they made like three more transformers movies and I made everyone promise to watch them with me when we get home.”

number of blankets you sleep with? 

“I have a weighted blanket and, okay don’t make fun of me, my baby blanket under that. It’s basically like a two foot square of worn out fabric at this point but we found it in the house after. Um. After.”

It’s at this point Judas begins to look upset for the first time during the interview. Lauren quickly asks the next question.

random fact:

“I thought it would be fun to teach boomer how to launch himself off my back but now he does it at random. It hurts, I’m sorry it’s been nice do you mind if I um. If I go sit outside for a little bit?”

“Of course not, take your time.”

————

name 

“Marilyn Ellen Hart, please don’t call me Marilyn.”

nickname

“Mary, it’s the preferred name.”

She smiles charmingly, directly at the camera.

gender

“Female.”

star sign

“Aries sun, Capricorn moon and Sagittarius rising. This should be a shock to no one.”

This draws a laugh out Lauren.

personality type

“ENFP, crowds really get me going, I love talking to people. It’s why I love playing shows. Yeah sure the music is the thing that keeps me going after everything but the people make me feel alive.”

height

“Five feet two inches exactly. I got my drivers licence a few days ago. It’s crazy how many rules there are to driving in the real world. Skunk and Nick had two rules. Don’t hit anyone and stay on the pavement.”

Another laugh bubbles out of the staff and is met with a brilliant smile from Mary.

orientation:

“Lesbian but Judas and Daisy keep reading articles too me and maybe I’m also asexual. I haven’t decided yet.”

nationality/ethnicity:

“Raised in America but I was adopted from Ukraine.”

fave fruit 

“Strawberries. Like good fresh sweet ones. The ones from the store aren’t nearly as good.”

fave season

“Summer. Hot, sunny days, as dry and bright as possible.”

fave flower 

“Daisy”

She winks at the camera

fave scent 

“BBQ, I love a good vinegar based sauce.”

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: 

“Saturn got me hooked on sweet iced tea.”

average hours of sleep: 

“Recently I’ve been getting full nights sleep without smoking now that’s wild to me.”

dog or cat person

“Does peaches count as a cat?”

She looks past the camera and grins at someone. Laura asks who peaches is.

“Peaches, my dear, is this badass cougar we found eating so- I’m not allowed to say that am I? We found her in the Henbane.  Her owner just. Handed her to us, a trio of eighteen year old kids. She’s the sweetest thing…most of the time. She’s at Yellowstone with Cheeseburger. Apparently they tried to separate them but I imagine it didn’t go well because they were together again within like two days.”

Dream trip

“The ocean, we’re driving down California in a few weeks and I made them promise to take me to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.”

favorite fictional/real character

“Misa Amane, from death note. I was obsessed with her in middle school.”

number of blankets you sleep with? 

“Whatever is in the back of the van. Usually a throw and Judas’s weighted blanket.”

random fact:

“I had to learn how to whittle my own sticks because the ones we’d scavenge kept snapping on me. I still use my own at shows.”

I’ll tag @vault81 @bleumanouche @chaosintheavenue and anyone who wants to!

#catch Mary’s lies :) #trinket is a real guy I met #i Hope hes doing okay