#give this show and lizzie all the awards already

[the-fandom-queenxox]

So I made myself wait to watch the witchcraft smp finale till all the povs were out, which means I waited for Cleo to upload and also my college decided to allow offline/traditional classes to be back so it took me a bit longer to finally sit down and watch the povs. So here is some of my thoughts while watching the witchcraft smp finale episodes:

(Spoiler warning)

17/04

Lauren:

-Yeah Lauren you kinda did drop the whole competition just to vibe, but that's okay I still love you!

-Omg her wings look like thicc slices of bread!!And the colors of it are real pretty

-Yeah Joey!!! You were the worst best friend ever, screw you!

-Scott to the rescue!!!!

-YOOOO Joey's out first!!!!!

-CLEO NOO!!

-Hi supreme Lizzie

-Scott's the new supreme!!!

-Oh yeah they all do have her autograph in a way huh?

-Everyone reaction to finding out Cleo was an undead this whole time is really funny

-OH I KNEW THE DEMON WOULD BE BACK TOO!!!!

-Lauren just dipped lmao?!?!??

Eloise:

-The "Yep that's me, you are probably wondering how I got here." Bit to start the episode was good

-Training montage

-Damm Shellby's strong af, she really giving them a hard time

-Ohhh her artifact exploded on her because of the reset, alright that makes a bit more sense

-Oh she skipped the demon fight hmm

-Lol she became a witch content creator after the competitions?!

-Oli and Sausage got bailed out by El

-They made wcsmp's version of love or host lol

-Did she steal a award!?

-Someone get Scott I found his supreme crown

Joey:

-Oh that ice blast spell is cool(pun wasn't intended)

-Bro not the Stacy callback!!

-Cleo's time freeze ability <3

-Okay demon battle time

-Gods why was it that Joey give the "If we work together we can defeat the villian." Speech, it's not at all a thing his character would say

-Bro the demon's not even taking any damage lmao

-Scott's new to his supreme witch powers leave him alone

-Dude what home the mages won't accept you ba- oh that one right...

-I mean yeah screw those ice mages and all that but how is Joey's story gonna end now?

-You don't have any best friends le- oh yeah Tiff would be your best friend after all the demonic and botania stuff the both of you bonded over

-Where's Tiff?! Did mother earth take her back or smth?!

-No Joey she couldn't have gone through the elf portal, she has told you before that the portal works only one wa- aphgkgdj?!SURE JUST GO IN JOEY BYE WITCH!!!

18/04

Prismarina:

-Okay so at this point I'm pretty sure that there many chests in the area but not all of them have stuff in them and are there for decor

-Where did that blaze come from?!

-Lmao Cleo saying "Do we have a cool name?"

-Cleo and Scott are not giving Pris a chance to breath lol

-"I can't see it but I'll pretend I do"

-Bertha's curse got broken!!(see Bertha you didn't even have to bring back your dead sister and the demon she took down with her to break your curse you just had to wait)

-Is Bertha immortal?? Also do they not have a job outside of being the supreme witch competitions referee(???)

-Is Mertha's curse also broken now?

-Lol the demon fight crashed Pris' computer

-ARE BERTHA AND MERTHA ENGAGED NOW?!??!

-Is Pris a siren of some kind?

-Oh her dead sister is there, I'm going to assume that's her spirit coming for a visit or something

Shubble:

-Oooo we are finally meeting this "she" Shubble keeps mentioning

-My girl saw the weird dead deer skulls and said "Ew"

-*Big gasp* *choking noises* *literally dying* *it was nice knowing you*

-*In a nerd voice*Uhmm actually those look like shiny charizard wings thank you very much

-Her immediate respons to seeing Cleo was zap-teleport out of there

-Love how Tiff, Shubble and Pris are just watching Lauren and Joey "attacking" eachother

-Shubble leaving the scene when Scott shows up lol

-I love hduo, found sisters <3

-So is Tiff's first death not counted?

-"He is already dead let it go" SHELLBY?!!?!!!KAGLZHSK

-Why is it always these 2 in a fight to death

-Oh she just flew away?!!

-"Aren't you like dead though?" Shellby you need to stop!!kdhdhchbj

-Oh come on!! We are not meeting "her" aww man :(

Cupquake:

-Witch Tiff's grandma used to make nightsade berry pies. Good fact to know

-Oop the Bertha clone is back

-Oh her sneaking behind Cleo was so cool

-"Our leader!"

-"Yeah I want a piece of that. Equality!"

-The voices are back

-Oh, so she did went through the portal...huh

-This is just a random thought, but are we getting a fairies smp next? Cause I feel as though both witch!Tiff and witch!Joey 's stories are meant to continue in a way? Guess we'll have to wait and see

Cleo:

-Oh this is the longest episode, kinda nervous...

-The voices of all the Cleo's?! Excuse me?!??

-Gods, to get any of the end armor set pieces is so expensive

-Oh here is Pris making her amends, yeah I know this already I watched Pris' pov

-"I'M YOUR MAKER!" It's great to finally understand what she said at that time

-Yeah, I think "the coven" does sound cool and ominous

-Did Cleo just pledge herself to Scott? I-yo-I can't understand what their saying from everyone talking over eachother

-Damm has she not liked any part of being a time witch...

-All the skins!!

-And she's human again!

-"And they lived happily ever after." That's a poetic end to Cleo's story. Since she did introduce us to her character with "once/twice a upon a time" and had kind of a storybook structure from then on

19/04

Scott:

-He sounds so annoyed that he's only allowed to take 20 items with him lol

-I don't like how Scott said that he feels like he was going to "burst" and green particals started coming out of him...

-"Wow, you can't just say she's big!"

-"It encapsulates how weird and wonderful we are but it all still works together." Whatever you say new supreme!

-Frank and Agatha were in a 20 buck bet lol

-Agatha what other stuff is down in your secret lair??

-HES LOSING HIS POWERS TOO?!?!!

-Oh he is really going through with it!! Anything for his love ig

-HE DID IT!!!MILO IS BACK!!!!

-Oh he drowned to save Maxwell(I still don't know who that is. Their dog maybe)

-4 years?!

-Maxwell passed away a year later?!

-"Moonlight" "My little shadow" aww Milo is soo sweet, I love him already

-So he left the crown behind willingly. I mean I guess it make sense he just needed the power of the supreme witch to finally bring Milo back and since he lost all his powers he's not fit to have it anymore...

-Wait does this make Eloise the new supreme or do we need a new competition to be held pronto?!(in my opinion Shellby should be the new supreme cause she came in second place)

Bertha:

-So the supreme cursed Bertha and Mertha because she looked into the future and saw terrible things were to happen if anyone else were to become the supreme witch? Yeah that's fair ig :/

-Oh wow that was a quick forgivness lol

-Mertha did get the worst of it

-Her nap got interrupted that's so rude

-Time for the supreme games to begin!! But were skipping that probably cause I already watched it 8 times before this

-Oh quick run down of the events?! Sure...

-Oi!! That's so mean to Lauren she did her best!!

-That was an accident though!

-Oh when Joey asked to break the crown to have all of the being the supreme witch Bertha said "Me too?" Hehe

-Where is Mertha?!

-All "-ertha named" mobs lol

-I'm getting nervous, where is Mertha?!

-Why was she on top of a ice mountain?!

-Mertha's uncursed!!

-"666 hours later" sihdudynxtwhAT!?!

-WHY IS EVERYONE GOING THROUGH THAT DAMM PORTAL!??!!?

-Also why were you 2 spying on Joey and how did he not see the 2 of them, they're not hiding all that well

-They have a witch police?!

-Oh Mertha looks so sad waiting for Bertha...

-"Bertha will return" well yeah I sure hope she does!

And just like that it's over...how do I feel about it? Well...I think the smp had a strong start and a strong middle the ending though...is fine I guess...just wasn't my cup of tea, but I still liked the smp

#witchcraft smp #witchcraft smp spoilers #wcsmp #wcsmp spoilers #zombiecleo #scott smajor #laurenzside #joey graceffa #shubbleyt #ihascupquake #prismarinaplays #soupforeloise #bertha #wcsmp bertha #my opinions about all the characters endings will probably change over time but this is how I feel right now #long post

[qnewslgbtiqa]

Cruising for Beginners with AJ Lamarque

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/cruising-for-beginners-with-aj-lamarque/

Cruising for Beginners with AJ Lamarque

Sydney comedian and Kweens of Comedy creator AJ Lamarque follows his SBS television debut with a new standup show about gay culture and gay cruises at the 2024 Sydney Comedy Festival.

AJ Lamarque has had a triumphant start to 2024. In February he performed at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival’s Laugh Out Proud comedy showcase to an audience of more than 1,600 people at the Enmore Theatre.

In the same month he also showed that gays can be a feast for the brain as well as the eyes in his first television appearance on SBS TV’s Celebrity Letters and Numbers alongside fellow comics Harley Breen, Lizzy Hoo and Jude Perl.

Following his 2023 viral Tik Tok series where he describes Sydney Gays by Suburb, AJ Lamarque has earned a strong fan base in the Sydney LGBTQIA+ community and is now ready to bring a new, hilarious show to the Sydney Comedy Festival that explores gay culture in a funny, naughty and thoughtful way.

@ajlamarque

Sydney Gays by Suburb: Parramatta Gays #sydneygays #joke #comedy #gay #parramatta #fyp #gaytiktok

♬ original sound – AJ Lamarque

AJ is ready to set sail with this brand new solo show A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Cruising about his experiences aboard the world’s biggest gay cruise.

When asked what audiences can expect from the show, AJ says, “A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Cruising will contain everything people want to know about these infamous cruises, from the parties to the sex and more.”

“But equally, it will be an exploration of what happens when you give the gay community the space and freedom to be themselves, to be the majority.

“Have you dallied with the idea of going on a gay cruise? Want to learn more about gay culture? Or perhaps you just want to hear about all the sordid details that happen on board?

“Whatever your motivations, I’ve got you covered. So grab your life vests, your floaties, and your jockstraps because it’s time to go cruising.”

Having already earned a slew of awards and accolades, AJ’s comedy style has been described as the love child of Rhys Nicholson, Katherine Ryan, and Michael Mcintyre as he balances sharp wit with a charismatic charm to create a warm, honest and unique comedy experience.

Lamarque has performed across Australia and some of his most notable career highlights include hosting the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s 2023 Comedy Zone Program, being an Official Ambassador for the Sydney Fringe Festival in 2022 and being chosen as a Future Leader by Creative Australia in 2023.

He produces Oxford Street’s biggest and longest running comedy show, Kweens of Comedy, for which he’s also been recognised as a finalist in the 2019 Young Achiever category at the ACON Honour Awards and as a 2020 “30 under 30” recipient for Out for Australia.

See AJ Lamarque in A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Cruising at The Comedy Store in the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park with shows nightly at 8.15pm from Thursday May 9 to Saturday May 11. -For more information go to www.comedystore.com.au

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[wandavisionedits]

WandaVision tops the MTV Movie & TV Awards nominee list with 5 nods

#wandavision #mtv movie awards #elizabeth olsen #marvel #dailymarvel #marveledit #gifmarvel #eolsenedit #avengers #dailyavengers #avengersedit #wanda maximoff #the vision #kathryn hahn #agatha harkness #teyonah parris #monica rambeau #wandavisionedit #wandamaximoffedit #give this show and lizzie all the awards already #tv: wandavision #my edit #WVE edits

[disneytva]

Disney Television Studios Sets Comic Con At Home 20th Television Animation Panels 

Disney Television Studios will produce eight virtual panels for Comic Con@Home 2021, being held online from Friday, July 23 through Sunday, July 25. The virtual presentation marks the second straight year the show will be held virtually, as per pandemic protocols.

FRIDAY, JULY 23:

3:00PM (PT) DUNCANVILLE (Produced by 20th Television Animation; Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group; and Fox Entertainment) – Join the Harris family and friends for a conversation about the spectacularly average life of 15-year-old Duncan Harris on Fox’s animated series Duncanville. Executive producers Mike Scully & Julie Thacker-Scully, executive producer and star Amy Poehler, and stars Ty Burrell, Riki Lindhome, Joy Osmanski, Yassir Lester and Betsy Sodaro tease the rest of this season and next, and give fans a special look at an upcoming episode featuring a musical number with everyone’s favorite teacher, Mr. Mitch (voiced by Wiz Khalifa).

SATURDAY, JULY 24:

11:00AM (PT) THE SIMPSONS (Produced by Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television Animation) – Join Matt Selman, Al Jean, David Silverman, Carolyn Omine, Mike B. Anderson, Debbie Mahan and moderator Yeardley Smith as they give you an exclusive sneak preview of Season 33.  A panel of animators, writers and special surprise guests will answer your questions, tell behind-the-scenes stories, and reveal the secrets of the Springfield Cinematic Universe.

3:00PM (PT) CENTRAL PARK (Produced by 20th Television Animation) – Join co-creator and executive producer Loren Bouchard; co-creator, executive producer and voice of “Birdie,” Josh Gad; the voice of “Owen Tillerman” Leslie Odom Jr.; the voice of “Cole Tillerman” Titus Burgess; and producers Kelvin Yu and Steven Davis, from Apple’s musical animated series “Central Park” for the show’s Comic-Con debut. The panelists discuss how they brought this series to life by merging comedy with Broadway talent and songwriters.

4:00PM (PT) FAMILY GUY (Produced by 20th Television Animation) – Join cast Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green, Arif Zahir and executive producers Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin from Fox’s animated comedy Family Guy to celebrate 20 seasons of the series with a virtual trivia night. Watch the cast and produces compete against each other and see who knows the most about this iconic series.  After, you’ll see a special sneak peek at the 20th season premiering this fall.

5:00PM (PT) AMERICAN DAD! (Produced by 20th Television Animation) – Ever wondered how your favorite American Dad! episodes get made? Join Matt Weitzman as he walks you through the creation of an upcoming episode of the current season airing on TBS. You’ll see a table read, featuring stars Rachael MacFarlane, Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes and Dee Bradley Baker, followed by parts of the episode in the animatic and early stages of color.

SUNDAY, JULY 25:

12:00PM (PT) THE GREAT NORTH (Produced by 20th Television Animation) – Fox’s newest animated series, already picked up for a third season. Join creators and executive producers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux, executive producer Loren Bouchard and the all-star cast including Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Dulcé Sloan, Will Forte, Paul Rust and Alanis Morissette for a truly wild and hilarious Q&A, including exclusive clips and breaking news on the Alaskan adventures in store for the Tobin family in the upcoming season.

3:00PM (PT) BOB’S BURGERS (Produced by 20th Television Animation) – The cast and producers of the Emmy Award-winning animated Fox series Bob’s Burgers are back for another virtual Comic-Con. They will be breaking news about the upcoming season, showing never-before-seen footage, and answering questions from fans who get to join the zoom. Join creator and executive producer Loren Bouchard, executive producer Nora Smith and the hilarious cast including H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Dan Mintz and Larry Murphy.

#DuncanVille #The Simpsons #Simpsons #Family Guy #Central Park #Central Park TV #The Great North #Great North #20th Television #20th Television Animation #20th TVA #Disney Television Studios #Comic Con #SDCC 2021 #Comic Con At Home #Comic Con At Home 2021

[lifeofkaze]

An Art of Balance #33

Orion Amari x MC

Warning: Mention on injuries and a teeny tiny bit of blood

A/N: Ira Janda and Julian Bennett belong to @slytherindisaster, Azariah Steele belongs to @cursebreakerfarrier, Henry McClarnon to @thatravenpuffwitch and, of course, Judith Harris to @judediangelo75

Word Count: ~ 5.900 (I sincerely apologise for this. I am so sorry.)

_____________________________________

Chapter 33: Leap of Faith

Both teams were already waiting at the entrance of the pitch, when the three Hufflepuff Chasers joined them. The shadow of the stands overhead was concealing them from most of the crowd while they waited for Murphy to make the usual introductions. The atmosphere was so strained it could have been cut with a knife as Orion made his way to the front to stand next to Charlie. Lizzie and Skye were filing into their position in the line according to their squad numbers; out of the corner of his eyes, Orion could see how tightly Lizzie was gripping the hilt of her broomstick. She would usually have a little banter with her friends on the Gryffindor team, but today, none of the fourteen players spoke a single word.

Orion could catch a glimpse of the bright blue sky spanning the stadium. The sun was glaring down on them, its burning heat lessened by the light breeze that had picked up; the conditions were perfect for the match of the year.

“Are you ready for the last match of this year’s season, the final of all finals?” Murphy’s magically enhanced voice sounded through the air over the excited rumblings of the crowd.

“Going against all odds, which are standing at a remarkable 7.6 % to 92.4 %, both teams are starting into today’s game with the same amount of points scored throughout the year,” Murphy elaborated on the starting situation. “That means, the winner of this match will claim the House Cup and be crowned Hogwarts’s new Quidditch champion! Without further ado, I present to you the first of the contenders: fast as lightning, brave as lions and daring as they come; a massive applause for Gryffindor!”

Charlie and Orion shared a short look before the Gryffindors mounted their broomsticks and entered the roaring arena in flashes of gold and crimson. Orion could feel his heart beating in his chest as they circled the perimeter of the pitch once.

When it was their turn, he felt a sudden and familiar sense of calm wash over him as he mounted his broom and led his team out into the blazing sunlight. This was it, the moment they had all been working towards was here; there was no going back now.

The teams gathered around Madam Hooch in the middle of the pitch. As she recounted the rules for them, like she would always do, Orion let his eyes wander over his team members one last time to check if they were ready to spring into action as soon as the balls were released. He and Lizzie locked eyes for a moment, his slight nod of encouragement answered by a barely visible smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“We’ve had a clean season so far and none of you is going to change that, do you all get me?” Madam Hooch barked, her piercingly yellow eyes sweeping the circle of players around her. “I want a good, fair game, alright? Captains, shake hands.”

Orion and Charlie did as they were told, clasping their hands together with a resounding smack.

“Good luck everyone.”

With the sound of her whistle, the Bludgers and the Snitch were released and Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle high up into the air; the game was on.

Skye lost no time whatsoever; shooting upwards on her Comet, she immediately claimed the Quaffle and headed for the Gryffindor goalposts. Lizzie and Orion were flying by her side before they veered off to their own assigned positions.

Just as Orion had anticipated, with the beginning of the match all his nerves had made way for an absolute clarity of mind. For the first in what felt like forever, he knew exactly what to do.

As it turned out, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor being the teams fighting for the Cup was a more than warranted pairing. Even from the beginning, the match was pretty balanced, albeit incredibly tough to play.

The Gryffindor Beaters Julian Bennett and Henry McClarnon - a tall, broad shouldered boy from Lizzie’s and Skye’s year with a long, black ponytail - were in unbelievably good form. Orion and the other Chasers had to constantly dodge the Bludgers they were sending at them; somehow, however, they still managed to function as a unit.

Skye’s and Lizzie’s individual training was paying off splendidly; they were interacting in a completely new way no one except their own team members had seen before. Until the Gryffindors had adapted to the new style, they were able to score quite a few goals.

It wasn’t long before Orion and his team had carved out a hard-earned lead. After a failed pass, Skye lost the Quaffle to one of the opposing Chasers near their own goalposts who didn’t lose any time. He made short work of his attack and cheered as the Hufflepuff rings flared up.

“Another goal for Gryffindor,” Murphy’s voice could be heard echoing across the pitch. “That means another ten points adding onto the lion’s score. But I’m afraid the goal scorer won’t have much longer to celebrate.”

As Murphy was speaking, Judith had sent a Bludger flying towards the unheeding Chaser. He tried to dodge the spinning iron sphere, but he had seen it too late; making contact with the handle of his broom, it broke the hilt into an assortment of varnish and splinters. The sheer force of the impact sent the Chaser spiralling towards the ground, where he hopped off his dysfunctional broomstick moments later.

“Ouch, that one might be in need of a new broom, I think,” Murphy commented, sounding way more excited at the situation than he had any right to be. “According to Which Broomstick?, the leading magazine on Quidditch gear, the standard model of the Cleansweep 6 would be a good shot, with only 14.5 % less speed compared to the reigning market champion, but I digress. This particular broom, in any case, is 98.3 % not flyable anymore and that means, as of now, Gryffindor is short a Chaser!”

The crowd groaned at his words; the Gryffindor supporters because they were missing a player and the rest because now the tides of the game were undoubtedly bound to shift.

“It seems as if Hufflepuff is losing no time in using the new situation to their advantage,” Murphy continued as he watched the rapidly moving scene in front of him.

“Amari claims the Quaffle and heads towards the Gryffindor goalposts at lightning speed; he dodges the Bludgers sent after him by McClarnon and Bennett but will he be able to score, ladies and gentlemen? Of course!” Murphy jubilated maybe a bit too enthusiastically. “Amari sends the Quaffle past Gryffindor’s Keeper Steele with deadly precision and secures another ten points for Hufflepuff!”

Orion usually wasn’t keen on cheering excessively, preferring to keep his mind focused on the next move. But he couldn’t help a grin as Lizzie and Skye flew to his side and clapped him on the back, both cheering all the louder for his lack thereof. Skye raised her arms towards the Hufflepuff stands, firing them up to give it their all with their support.

Without their third Chaser, Gryffindor was slowly but surely starting to get into a fix. Being short a player, they had trouble getting hold of their opponents and were outflown or scattered by Judith’s and Everett’s Bludgers more than once.

A powerless Charlie was trying to rearrange his team but it didn’t help; he was forced to stay on the sidelines of the game. He could do nothing until the Golden Snitch was spotted and his time to take an active part in the game had come.

Due to the new situation, Orion was able to pass the Quaffle back and forth with Skye and Lizzie to their hearts’ content; it was showing yet again, if there was one thing holding the power to unite them like nothing else, it was their shared passion for the game they loved.

With their decimated numbers, not even the above average speed of the lions was enough to stop them once Hufflepuff had adapted their strategy. They were able to score many times in a rapid succession, giving them a more than comfortable lead.

The effect the change in balance had on Gryffindor was palpable; as the Hufflepuff score was increasing, the Gryffindor Chasers were starting to play more roughly, bumping into whoever held the Quaffle more often than not. When Madam Hooch had seen enough of it, the shrill sound of her whistle cut through the air, awarding Hufflepuff a free shot.

Skye took the responsibility on herself and expertly threw the Quaffle past Azariah, much to the chagrin of the Chasers who saw their foul play backfiring on them. After Skye flew past them with a smug look on her face, they shared a look between them before they set after her. One coming up on each side of her, they suddenly yanked their broomsticks inwards and wedged her in. One of them leaned over and let the handle of his broom collide with Skye’s, throwing her off course.

Guessing what Skye’s reaction to being fouled would be like, Orion was quick to fly towards the scene, finding himself to be correct. By the time he arrived, all three players were arguing fiercely; only moments after Charlie joined the scene.

“T’was a bloody foul and you know it,” Skye snarled at the other Chaser with flashing eyes. Orion didn’t know what had been said earlier, but judging by the angry spots on Skye’s face, they had been working themselves into quite a state already.

“No idea what you’re on about, Parkin. Must be seeing things, I guess,” the Gryffindor Chaser sneered; it was the one who had crashed into her.

Skye leaned forward and opened her mouth to shoot back but Orion was quicker. He got hold of her shoulder and pulled her back. While he tried to insert a calm energy into the heated situation, there was unwavering determination underlying his touch; he would not let this escalate.

“It’s enough Skye,” he told her firmly. “Let it go and concentrate on what matters.”

“But Captain,“ Skye started protesting, but Orion shook his head.

“No, don’t waste your energy on a needless fight; these are not our methods.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the Gryffindor Chaser from before chimed in angrily. “You have a problem with our methods, Amari?”

“Easy now,” Charlie interrupted before tempers could flare up again. “He is right; let’s just play, all this bickering is leading nowhere.”

His Chasers faltered under the withering look Charlie gave them. While he was always ready to put up a fight on the Quidditch pitch, Charlie was known to disapprove of foul play; he wasn’t happy with either of the turns the match had taken.

Thankfully, Charlie’s sharp words had the desired effect and their little gathering was dissolving quickly.

Sure enough, the move on Skye had not gone unnoticed by Madam Hooch and she awarded yet another free shot to Hufflepuff. Skye shot it brazenly past Azariah with all the force she could muster. He was diving for the right hoop, but wasn’t quick enough to prevent her from scoring again; his angry outcry could even be heard from where Orion was hovering in the air.

Cheering at her goal, Skye raised her fist into the air and flew by the Gryffindor stands on purpose. Orion furrowed his brow in dismay; he didn’t approve of her deliberate provocation at all.

“Hufflepuff scores another goal with Parkin’s free shot, raising the score into dizzying heights,” Murphy summarised the events for their onlookers. “Even if Weasley were to catch the Snitch right now, the additional 150 points wouldn’t be enough for Gryffindor to win. What a fantastic goal fest we are allowed to witness here today!”

When he heard Murphy announce the current score, Orion allowed himself to let a hint of relief touch his mind. He had felt confident about their chances at success from the beginning, but now, the end of their journey was becoming clearer as they approached the finish line.

Nevertheless, he remained apprehensive about the Gryffindors’ reactions. After all, if not even Charlie could secure their win right now, their situation was getting desperate and Orion knew a lion was most dangerous when it was wounded.

Contrary to him, however, his team didn’t seem to be sharing his concerns. Lucy was the only one still fully focused on the task of finding and securing the Snitch, but the others were visibly relieved at the high lead they had managed to attain.

He saw Lizzie and Skye passing the Quaffle between them a lot more recklessly than they had to; both their Beaters seemed to be more relaxed than in the beginning of the match as well. Orion felt the need to remind them to pay attention, but the sudden sound of Judith violently cursing stopped him dead in his tracks.

“The comfortable lead seems to have made the Hufflepuff team a little bit more careless than they should be,” Murphy exclaimed. “A Bludger from Bennett makes it past Harris and Everett and is headed straight for the Hufflepuff Keeper. I’m afraid this has a 72.3 % chance of ending badly.”

Neither of the Beaters was close enough to reach the attacking Bludger in time; Judith was trying to, but she was too far away to catch up with it. Orion could only watch with gritted teeth how Brian was trying to move out of the way, but he wasn’t fast enough. The impact of the Bludger against his shoulder probably wasn’t so bad in itself; he had been hovering close to his goalposts, however, and was now smacked into the middle one with force. Orion went pale as he saw his teammate collapse onto his broom and sink slowly to the ground.

He gripped the handle of his broom tighter and went off to go and check on him immediately; his movement got cut off by yet another Bludger whizzing over his head, straight into the direction of Lizzie and Skye.

Both girls had been watching Brian crash from somewhere close to the Ravenclaw tower; they were so distracted by their Keeper’s demise that they didn’t see the Bludger shooting towards them. A surprised looking Skye was able to dive out of its way just in time, but Lizzie wasn’t as lucky.

The crowd gave a collective gasp as Lizzie was hit square in the chest, her audible cry of pain ripping at Orion’s heart. He felt his breath hitching as he watched Lizzie getting knocked off her broom and into the wooden Ravenclaw Tower. She clung onto the blue banner hanging from it on pure instinct to keep herself from falling; her Comet, useless without its rider, was tumbling to the ground.

“McClarnon’s Bludger hits Jameson and leaves her without her broomstick, hanging from a height that will 87.4 % crush her bones if she doesn’t manage to hold on. Someone better do something right now!” Murphy’s voice was shaking with distress at Lizzie’s predicament.

Shrieks erupted from the stands as the Ravenclaw banners suddenly gave way before stopping again; they weren't intended to support the weight of someone clinging to them after all. Lizzie was screaming loudest of them all as she desperately tried to hold on to the piece of fabric that stood between her and more than several broken bones.

All of it had happened incredibly quickly, but the sound of her screaming had Orion snap out of his state of shock. He raced his broom over to the Ravenclaw tower as fast as it would allow, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. Lizzie’s eyes were wide with fear and relief as he reached her and helped her up on his broom. He saw how her ashy face twisted in pain as she held onto him with one arm, cradling her ribcage with the other. Her breath left her lips in a strained hiss and Orion could tell that she was hurt.

With Lizzie and Brian being attacked simultaneously, the match had all but stopped, everyone on the stands and the pitch anxiously watching the events unfold. A sigh of relief rippled through the crowd after Lizzie had been saved. Wanting her to get examined and needing to check on their Keeper as well, Orion signalled to Madam Hooch for a time out.

As soon as their feet hit the ground, Orion could feel Lizzie’s grip on him tightening as she struggled to support her own weight. After she had adjusted to standing again, she let go of him, clambered off his broom and gingerly sat down on the grass.

Her breathing was shallow and she dipped her head back into her neck. Orion could see that her eyes were shut tightly and her lips pressed together in pain. When she relaxed them, a distinct red sheen formed on them, growing into a ruby bead of blood that slowly started trickling over her lower lip.

He knelt down beside her immediately and gently took hold of her chin, turning her face ever so slightly to see how badly she was hurt. Lizzie winced at his initial touch but didn’t draw away. Instead, her eyes found his and the corner of her mouth twitched into a wry smile as she spoke.

“Don’t worry, Captain,” she reassured him, “I only bit my lip when falling, nothing too major.”

The strain in her voice did nothing to ease his worries, but before he could say anything, Ira appeared at their side, her brow furrowed in concern. She was acting as Madam Pomfrey’s extended hand during Quidditch matches, taking care of minor injuries. She brushed her blond curls out of her face before she gently but firmly pushed Orion to the side to examine the damage the Bludger had done.

Ira quickly checked Lizzie’s eyes for any sign of a concussion; when she was satisfied with the result, she moved on towards her bleeding lip. She took her wand out and muttered “Episkey”, making short work of the small wound. When she started scanning Lizzie’s ribcage, however, Lizzie grit her teeth, trying hard not to cry out at her touch.

“You’re lucky,” Ira stated as she straightened up again. “As far as I can tell, nothing’s broken but your ribs are badly bruised. This is going to hurt tomorrow.”

“Only tomorrow? What’s this now then?” Lizzie pressed out with a wry grin, trying to mask the pain that flooded her with every breath she was taking. “Can you give me something for the pain?”

Ira handed her a small, stoppered vial from her bag. The turquoise liquid inside was gleaming brightly in the sunlight as Lizzie unceremoniously upended it into her mouth.

The sound of angry voices approaching drew their attention; Charlie and Henry were headed over from where the Gryffindors had gathered; Skye was following in their wake, both Lizzie’s and her broomsticks resting on her shoulders. She was arguing loudly with Henry; a hint of annoyance at their bickering was visible on Charlie’s face. All of them knew that Henry hadn’t hit the Bludger out of ill intent; as brutal as it was, it was part of the game.

He immediately forgot his fight with Skye, however, as soon as they were within earshot. His usually cheerful face was pale and his brows drawn together with worry.

“Lizzie, thank Godric you’re alright!” he exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you so hard. I thought you’d dive or something!”

“Well, thanks to Julian knocking out our Keeper I was a tad distracted,” Lizzie replied sardonically. “I’ll give you that, Henry, you have a brutal swing.”

The tall Beater hung his head; it was palpable how bad he felt, although he had only done his job. “I’m really, really sorry.”

Charlie crouched down next to her, his brown eyes looking her up and down. “You alright, kiddo?” he asked her quietly.

Lizzie nodded and got to her feet again. “I’ll survive it; the potion’s working already.”

“That’s good to hear,” the voice of Madam Hooch could be heard behind them. She had been over at the Hufflepuff goalposts to check on Brian and had now come over to see in what state Lizzie was in.

“Your Keeper is out cold, I’m afraid,” she told Orion, who grimaced at his fear being confirmed. “He won’t be playing another second today, I’ll have him sent straight to the Hospital Wing.”

Her yellow eyes rested on Lizzie, trying to determine whether she should follow Brian or not. “What about you, Jameson? Can you play again?”

“Yes,” Lizzie answered immediately, simultaneously with Orion’s determined “No.”

Lizzie gave him a stubborn look. “Of course I can play; I have to. You heard Madam Hooch, we’re short one player already.”

Orion crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. “Absolutely not,” he declared firmly. “I applaud your dedication to our team, but right now it is thoroughly misplaced. You’ll go to the Hospital Wing and get yourself examined properly.”

Lizzie couldn’t believe her ears; it was very unlike Orion to not trust her judgement. “Are you serious? No matter how far we’re in the lead, with two players missing, we might as well give up straight away!”

Madam Hooch had watched their discussion silently; there was no way to tell her opinion from her unreadable face, so Lizzie was surprised when she spoke up.

“I’m afraid she’s right, Amari,” she said matter-of-factly. “With only five players your team will be in a rough place before you can say Bludger Backbeat.” She shrugged. “But in the end, that’s your decision.”

Orion knew they were right; the only way they could win this match with Lizzie and Brian missing was by Lucy catching the Snitch as quickly as possible, but there was no way to tell when or where the evasive golden ball would make its next appearance.

Injuries were a regular part of Quidditch and they all had been at the receiving end of a Bludger one time or the other; but Orion was still deeply shaken by the thought of Lizzie hanging from the side of that tower. He didn’t want to risk her getting hurt again.

He ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes, uncertain what to do. “I don’t know,” he sighed doubtfully before turning to Ira. “You examined her, what do you think?”

Ira was looking uncomfortable at being dragged into the discussion. “Well, the potion I gave Lizzie should last for a bit, so she won’t be in pain for now; it will hurt like hell once it’s wearing off, though.”

She could only shrug helplessly as Lizzie and Orion both stared at her intensely, both wanting her to say the complete opposite. “But from a medical perspective, there’s nothing really speaking against it. If you promise me to get straight to Madam Pomfrey afterwards,” she added with a sharp look at Lizzie.

While he was glad that Lizzie really didn’t seem to be injured too badly, Orion still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

His restless gaze met Lizzie’s for a moment. She locked eyes with him, unwavering resolve burning in them. Despite being the one who had fallen off her broom, she radiated a calm determination that slowly spread over to Orion as everything else around them seemed to fade for a moment.

“If you don’t want me to get back into the game, I will accept your decision,” Lizzie told him quietly. “But please, think about it. You know it just as well as I do, without a Keeper and three Chasers there is no way we can win.”

Orion bit his lip. He knew that she was right and he wanted to believe her, but there was no way of telling if the odds were really worth the risk.

Sensing his resolve wavering, Lizzie put her hand on his forearm, just where his captain’s armband was tied over his yellow robes. “Orion, please, let me play. You can trust me.”

His dark eyes flickered over her face, taking in the faint trace of blood still clinging to the corner of her mouth. “Are you absolutely sure?”

She only smiled at him for an answer and nodded.

Breaking the contact with her, Orion closed his eyes for a moment. He could feel her words were ringing true and he could see how badly she wanted to finish the match. What was more, he knew that she understood how much achieving their goal with this team meant to him.

And yet, she was ready to accept his decision, regardless of her own wishes. She trusted him to do what was best for all of them.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. If Lizzie was so sure about it, he had to give her the benefit of the doubt and take a leap of faith; he just hoped it wouldn’t be misplaced.

“Alright, you heard her,” he declared loudly and clapped into his hands. “Let’s get back into the game. It’s time to finish this”

***

After both teams had returned into the air the match resumed, albeit it was palpable that everyone was still shaken by what had happened.

It became increasingly difficult, if not downright impossible, for the Hufflepuff Chasers to score. Orion had withdrawn Judith and Everett from the main events of the game; they couldn’t leave their goalposts at the mercy of the remaining Gryffindor Chasers, so the two Beaters were now circling the hoops and setting Bludgers on every crimson-clad player that dared venture too close to them.

As a result, however, Orion, Lizzie and Skye were left without any sort of protection themselves. They were too busy dodging Bludgers and taking the Quaffle off their attacking opponents to even come anywhere near the Gryffindor posts.

Lizzie had just lost the Quaffle again and had turned around to chase after it, when her attention was caught by a flesh of red robes shooting upwards at a steep angle.

It was Charlie, his eyes trained on a spot high above them where a golden gleam was visible against the blue sky. Lizzie held her breath as she watched him ascent, her hunt for the Quaffle all but forgotten. Gryffindor had been able to score a few times and Hufflepuff was exactly 150 points in the lead; if Charlie caught the Snitch now, they would find themselves in a tie.

Luckily, the Snitch was hovering at a point in the air that had Charlie fly directly into the glaring sunlight. He tried to follow through for a few seconds longer before he couldn’t take the brightness anymore. Closing his eyes, he turned around and the Snitch vanished from sight once more. Relieved, Lizzie let out the breath she didn’t realise she had been holding.

She could hear Charlie’s outcry of frustration as he flew past her. A tie would play into Gryffindor’s hands; if two opposing teams had scored the same amount of points when the Snitch was caught, the winner was determined by a shoot-out and Hufflepuff was short a Keeper.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Charlie gestured to Madam Hooch, who blew her whistle moments later. Gryffindor was calling for a timeout.

Orion was looking as concerned as Lizzie felt herself when he gathered his team around him. His dark eyes swept over them as he spoke. “That was a close call; from what I could see, he very nearly caught the Snitch.”

Lucy’s shoulders slumped. “I know, I’m sorry; I should have seen it before him.”

“Don’t worry,” Orion shook his head, “Charlie is a gifted Seeker and he was in a better position to spot it. But the moment to call for a timeout is a peculiar one; I assume Gryffindor is about to change their strategy. They will probably switch to a full offensive while Charlie will go after the Snitch even more determined than before.”

He turned his attention to Lucy again. “Don’t let him catch it. We have to end this game on our terms and do it fast. As of now, we are exactly 150 points in the lead; if Charlie can secure the Snitch for his team, the winner will be determined through a one on one duel between the Chasers and the Keepers; and from where we stand, we are acutely short of one.”

“I could substitute as Keeper,” Skye offered. “I know how to play every position.”

Orion shook his head. “I appreciate your willingness to step up for the sake of the team, but I need you in the field to make sure the Quaffle stays with us and we manage to score at least one additional goal. And should it really come to a shootout, there is no one that could replace your precise aim.”

Skye nodded in agreement and Orion turned to Everett and Judith. “Make sure our goalposts are protected, should Gryffindor try for a counterattack. Chasers, try to keep the Quaffle in our ranks and score if you get the chance. We must not let it come to a one on one fight. Any questions?”

When all of them shook their heads, Orion nodded determinedly and mounted his broom again. “Let’s go and bring this Cup back home.”

*

Even though the Hufflepuff team had changed their tactics according to Orion’s plan, it proved incredibly tough to withstand the repeated assaults from the Gryffindor team.

Whatever Charlie had told them had reignited their desire to win and they set about their task with a grim determination. The Beaters were barely able to protect the goalposts from the continued attacks anymore, but somehow they managed.

They had been playing for several hours now and Lizzie wasn’t the only one who was starting to feel the exertion of the exceeding duration of the game. Everyone’s concentration was beginning to slip and the manoeuvres gradually becoming sloppier.

After another attempt on the Hufflepuff posts, Everett kicked the Quaffle back into the field; but even his brutish strength was fading and he didn’t have the experience that their Keeper did, so the Quaffle flew past Orion and began descending right in the middle between him and one of the opposing Chasers.

Orion immediately set after it and managed to catch it only moments before his opponent reached it. They almost collided in mid-air but Orion ducked under the other’s feet and sped up his broom on his way to the other side of the pitch, Lizzie and Skye falling in formation beside him. They only needed to score this one goal to make them breathe more easily.

The crowd had fallen increasingly silent as the match had dragged on, when suddenly a rumble went through the stands and Murphy’s voice drew Lizzie’s attention.

“Once again, Weasley seems to have spotted the Golden Snitch,” he exclaimed in excitement. “With O’Connell on the other side of the pitch, we might be witnessing the last moments of this year’s season right here and now! But I strongly suggest taking a good look at the Hufflepuff Chasers as well, as they are positioning themselves in their favourite formation to prepare for a last desperate attack.”

Lizzie gripped the handle of her broomstick tighter as she heard Murphy’s commentary; she knew the chances of Charlie letting the Snitch escape a second time were minimal. Out of the corner of her eye she could see both Julian and Henry aiming Bludgers in Orion’s direction, so she didn’t lose any time; lying as flat as she could on her broom, she sped up and broke free of their arrowhead formation. She shouted Orion’s name as she overtook him and he passed the Quaffle to her without a moment’s hesitation.

She could see Charlie extending his arm to reach for the Snitch and knew she had only moments left to score. The Gryffindor Chasers appeared at her side, trying to close in on her, but Lizzie pulled every last bit of speed her Comet could muster from it and left them behind. She had reached her favourite scoring distance and was absolutely sure she could bring the Quaffle past Azariah if she aimed for his least preferred hoop; the only question was if she still had the time to do so.

Lizzie was already preparing to throw when she suddenly saw Skye veering in from the side ahead of her. Employing one of their signature manoeuvres, she had used the focused attention on Lizzie to round behind the Gryffindor defence and reappear unexpectedly.

Lizzie was in a prime position to score and it was only seconds until Charlie would close his fist around the Snitch. Her eyes flickered to the commentary box and for a fraction of a second she could see Ethan Parkin standing in the first row next to Murphy, leaning dangerously far over the railing in excitement and anticipation.

Lizzie decided to go all in.

Screaming Skye’s name, she threw the Quaffle in her direction with all the strength left in her, praying to every God she had ever heard of that this wouldn’t turn out to be the worst decision of her life.

Skye caught the Quaffle expertly and with Azariah not expecting the most borderline reckless move Lizzie had ever pulled off, he had no chance to dive for the right hoop in time as Skye shot the Quaffle towards him with brutal force.

The goalposts behind him were flashing up in the same moment that Charlie pulled out of his dive, the tiny wings of the Golden Snitch beating furiously against the palm of his raised hand.

The stands exploded into screams and cheers but all of the players were holding their breaths. No one knew what had happened first, Skye scoring or Charlie ending the match. All fourteen pairs of eyes were trained on the commentary box where Murphy tried working out the events.

“Parkin scores an incredible last minute goal as Weasley catches the Golden Snitch almost simultaneously!” Murphy almost stuttered in excitement, something close to no one had ever heard him do. “The chances of both moves happening at the exact same time lie way below 0.5 %, so let me check the scores.”

The moment seemed to stretch into forever; Lizzie held her breath and Skye, who had flown to her side, gripped her arm so tightly it hurt when Murphy bent down to his megaphone again.

“Parkin scored first!” Murphy screamed so loudly his usually steady voice cracked. “That means, the final match of the season ends with 90 to 390 points for Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff is this year’s reigning Quidditch champion!”

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #quidditch #orion amari #murphy mcnully #skye parkin #charlie weasley #lizzie jameson #aob #art of balance #the quidditch squad #longest quidditch chapter ever #sorry got carried away #ONLY TWO CHAPTERS LEFT NOW #OMFG #the end is nigh #I'm getting emotional over here

[mlqcconfessions]

I hope you're doing well, love! Since requests are open (yay!) how about headcannons for how the boys would react to MC's ex trying to get back together with her? 😏 Assuming the boys and MC are already in an established relationship. No rush to complete my request okay? Take all the time you need! 💕💕

This is so CUTE UWU

Let’s bring back Tony

MLQC Headcanon - Sorry, she’s with me

Victor

You were out on a date because he said you get an award for doing well in the recent segment

So you decided to go to Disney World together (this wasn’t the award he was thinking about, but okay)

VICTOR. IN. MOUSE. EARS. (he couldn’t win against your pleads)

Yes. Thank you.

You were having so much fun taking pictures of him that you didn’t realize your feet were becoming scraped

It looked worse than it actually did and you tried explaining that to Victor (of course, he wasn’t having any of that)

“You dummy....how could you NOT notice something this bad?” 

Despite his words, his eyes were full of worry as he looked around for a store

“Stay here, I’ll be right back” 

You sit at the bench, waiting for him to come back

You suddenly hear a voice calling your name (It’s not Victor’s voice!)

“MC? Is that you?”

You turn around to see him, TONY, your ex-boyfriend (just my luck)

“Um..yeah. What’re you doing here?” (you can’t meet his eyes)

“I’m here with my family. Lizzy wanted to come. You remember my sister, right?”

“....of course. How could I not?”

That was how you met him in the first place (you were Lizzy’s babysitter before he asked you out)

It’s not like you two broke up for bad reasons (it was just a natural reason), but you can’t help this awkwardness

“Um..MC. I know that things happened between us, but I still really like you”

“....what?” (he’s actually saying this to me right now?)

“If you’re not seeing anyone, then I want to ask you out again” (this time, you’re looking at him straight in the eyes)

“I’m sorry, but—”

“But she’s already married” (you shoot your head around to find Victor, who now has his hand around your waist)

“Victor! Um..this is—” (he extends his hand before you can explain)

“Victor Li. Pleasure” (the air is so cold)

“Oh..nice meeting you...” (he reads the business card Victor gave him, his face dropping in fear)

Tony just nods goodbye to you, and he runs off in the other direction

You look up at Victor, who simply scoffs before swooping down to put on the shoes he bought for you

You do not mess with the alpha male’s bride

Kiro

You were at his house to discuss the plans for next week’s show (he was appearing as a guest)

He can’t contain his excitement while you’re in his house (it’s not a sleepover, Kiro) 

Savin is here too

There’s actually nothing to eat at his house except for snacks (so the 3 of you decide to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner)

After you’re seated at the table, the waiter comes up to take your drinks

“MC?”

“....Tony?” (you can’t believe your eyes)

Your waiter is your ex-boyfriend that you dated for 3 years

Kiro doesn’t like this

“MC, introduce us to him! Any friend of MC is my friend, too!” (he’s smiling but his eyes aren’t)

“Um...this is Tony...my...” (how do I explain this???)

“Boyfriend” (excuse me?)

Kiro DOES NOT LIKE THIS

“What? No! EX-boyfriend. He’s my EX” (you glare at Tony, but he’s just looking at you)

“Haha! I thought so! You almost had me there, Tony!” (Savin is hiding behind the menu)

No one says anything for a while

Kiro breaks the silence first

“Shouldn’t you get back to work?” (Kiro, NO)

“Um...right. Can I take your order?”

After Kiro pays for the meal (he literally snatches the bill away from your hands), he tells you and Savin to wait outside while he goes to the bathroom

Savin is terrified

Kiro looks around the restaurant, spots Tony in front of the kitchen, and takes off his disguise

“...Tony”

Tony looks up, realizing who it is

“You...you’re....you’re Ki—”

Kiro’s eyes glow a brilliant golden color, nearly making Tony fall to the ground

“I almost forgot to give you this before I left” (he hands him a piece of paper)

“Thank. You. For taking care of my FIANCEE until now. See you in 2 weeks.” (he leaves with a quite literally killer smile)

Tony opens the paper he received (.....a wedding invitation?)

Lucien

For some reason, your relationship with Lucien isn’t public yet

There was really no reason go tell everyone

But a supposedly-single Lucien did attract the attentions of others (much to your annoyance)

He treats all his students the same, regardless if they confess to him or not

But he lives for the moments you get jealous when a female student lightly taps his arm (you’re so obvious with your expressions, and he LOVES it)

He didn’t think the same would happen to him (never saw it coming)

You run into a student while heading over to Lucien’s office (you text him to tell him you’re on your way)

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” (you apologize as he helps you pick up your books)

“No worries, I wasn’t watching myself eith—” (both of you look up simultaneously)

“Tony?”

“MC!” (you’re actually speechless)

“You..you’re a student here, Tony?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know you were, too”

Meanwhile Lucien’s sitting at his desk, waiting for you to arrive

He’s lightly tapping his fingers on the chair, concerned that you haven’t shown up yet (It’s been 10 minutes since her text message....)

He decides to look for you instead

“How have you been, MC?”

“Everything’s been fine. Actually, I’m getting prepared for a big event in my life” (you can’t help but smile at the thought of Lucien)

LUCIEN! How could you have forgotten?!

You quickly take your books from Tony and stand up (Lucien must be so worried!)

“Wait!” (Tony grabs your arm just before you leave)

“....Tony? I’m sorry but I have to be somewhere”

“Do you want to go out with me again?” (his words make you almost drop your belongings again)

“So this is where you were” (Lucien’s voice brings you back to reality)

“Lucien! I was just on my way to your office!” (he comes up to you, takes your books from you, and grabs your now-empty hand)

“Great timing, I need to talk to you about our wedding reservations” (he nods slightly to Tony, who just stands there dumbfounded)

You’re lucky my hands are full

Gavin

You were thinking which flowers to give to Gavin for your 1st anniversary (Birdcop’s just as nervous!)

You visit a flower shop to look at what options you have

You enter through the door (the bell softly dings)

“Welcome!” (you turn towards the shop employee, and all reason leaves you)

“To-Tony? You’re a worker here?” 

“MC! It’s my family’s store. I help out occasionally” (he can’t keep his eyes off of you)

“Um...well. I’m here to buy flowers” (of course you were! Why else would you be in a flower shop?)

“Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

“I don’t know much about flowers...just something nice enough to give to someone?”

“In that case, these will be good. I’ll wrap it for you right now” (he goes to the back of the store)

Just then the bell dings again, and Gavin walks in the store

“Gavin?!”

He’s just as surprised to see you

“Oh, MC....I’m....here to buy some flowers”

“Me...me too” (both of you can’t hide your blushing faces)

Tony comes back after wrapping the flowers, noticing a new customer has arrived

“Welcome! Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Um..it’s okay. Thanks” (Gavin awkwardly shifts to the other side of the shop)

“Well, here’s your bouquet. I’ll ring it up for you now.”

“Thank you....” (you still can’t help but feel embarrassed)

Of all the flower shops in the city, REALLY? (Your ex AND your boyfriend in the same room?)

You pay for the flowers and reach out to grab the bouquet from Tony

He pulls back his hand and says your name

Gavin perks his ears (He knows your name?)

“Um, MC. I was wondering if I could have a bit of your time after this?”

A breeze stirs up inside the store (loose petals are floating around)

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“I want to ask you out again, if that’s okay” (you shouldn’t have said that)

Gavin suddenly appears behind you, and you catch a whiff of his scent

“I believe that’s mine?” (he’s extending his hand to grab the bouquet from Tony)

“I’m sorry?”

“I SAID. I believe. That. Is. MINE?” (Tony reluctantly hands it over to Gavin)

Gavin holds your hand as he leads you out the store, a strong gust closing the door behind you

He stops in his tracks, making you bump into his back

“Gavin?” (he doesn’t say anything, but hands you the bouquet instead)

You take it from him, but he just extends his hand out again

......hahaha. Just what am I going to do with him?

“Happy 1 year anniversary, Gavin” (you give him the flowers, AGAIN and he smiles back at you)

He takes something out of his pocket, a small case, and he opens it to reveal a beautiful ring (his face is so red right now?)

“....happy anniversary”

UGH

Jealous MLQC boys are the BEST

#mlqc #mlqc victor #mlqc kiro #mlqc lucien #mlqc gavin #mlqc imagine #mlqc imagines #mlqc headcanon #mlqc headcanons #mlqc fanfiction #mlqc fanfic #mlqc fluff #victor #li zeyan #lee taek eon #zen #gavin #bai qi #baek gi #haku #lucien #xu mo #heo muk #shimon #kiro #zhou qilou #ju girak #kira #mr love #mr love queen's choice

[letterboxd]

Best of SXSW 2021.

From properly good Covid comedies to an epic folk-horror doc and an Indigenous feminist Western, the Letterboxd Festiville team reveals their ten best of SXSW Online.

We dug out old lanyards to wear around the house, and imagined ourselves queuing up the block from The Ritz (RIP). We dialled into screenings and panels, and did our level best to channel that manic “South By” energy from our living rooms.

The SXSW festival atmosphere was muted, and that’s to be expected. But the films themselves? Gems, so many gems, whether shot in a fortnight on the smell of an oily stimulus check, or painstakingly rotoscoped over seven years.

When we asked SXSW Film director Janet Pierson what she and her team were looking for this year, she told us: “We’re always looking for films that do a lot with little, that are ingenious, and pure talent, and discovery, and being surprised. We’re just looking for really good stories with good emotional resonance.” If there was one common denominator we noticed across this year’s SXSW picks, it was a smart, tender injection of comedy into stories about trauma, grief, unwanted pregnancy, chronic health conditions, homelessness, homophobia and, yes, Covid.

It’s hard to pick favorites, but here are the ten SXSW features and two short films we haven’t stopped thinking about, in no particular order.

Recovery Directed by Mallory Everton and Stephen Meek, written by Everton and Whitney Call

“Covid 19 is in charge now” might be the most hauntingly funny line in a SXSW film. In Recovery, two sisters set out on a haywire road trip to rescue their grandmother from her nursing home in the wake of a severe Covid 19 outbreak. There’s no random villain or threat, because isn’t being forced to exist during a pandemic enough of a threat in itself? If ever we were worried about “Covid comedies”, SXSW managed to flush out the good ones. (Read about the Festiville team’s other favorite Covid-inflected comedies, including an interview with the directors of I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking).)

Alex Marzona praises the “off-the-charts chemistry” between leads Mallory Everton and Whitney Call. Best friends since they were nine, the pair also wrote the film, with Everton co-directing with Stephen Meek. Every laugh comes from your gut and feels like something only the cast and crew would usually be privy to. “You can tell a lot of the content is improvised, which just attests to their talent,” writes Emma. Recovery doesn’t make you laugh awkwardly about how awful the last year has been—rather, it reminds you that even in such times there are still laughs to be had, trips to be taken, family worth uprooting everything for. Just make sure you’ve packed enough wet wipes for the road, and think long and hard about who should babysit your mice. —EK

The Spine of Night Written and directed by Morgan Galen King and Philip Gelatt

Don’t get too attached to any characters from its star-studded cast—nobody is safe (or fully-clothed) in The Spine of Night’s raw, ultra-violent and cynical world. Conjured over the last seven years, directors Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King’s rotoscoped epic recaptures the dazzling imagination and scope of their influences Ralph Bakshi and Heavy Metal. Approaching an anthology-style structure to explore how ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’—a proverb more potent now than when Gelatt and King began their project—the film packs a franchise’s worth of ideas in its 90-minute runtime. Though the storytelling justifiably proves itself overly dense for some, it will find the audience it’s after, as other Letterboxd members have declared it “a rare treat” and “a breath of fresh air in the feature-length animation scene”. For sure, The Spine of Night can join Sundance premieres Flee and Cryptozoo in what’s already a compelling year for unique two-dimensional animation. —JM

Kambole Campbell caught up with Gelatt and King (who are also Letterboxd members!) during SXSW to talk about animation inspirations and rotoscoping techniques.

The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson Written and directed by Leah Purcell

Snakes, steers and scoundrels beware! Writer-director-star Leah Purcell ably repurposes the Western genre for Aboriginal and female voices in The Drover’s Wife. Molly Johnson is a crack-shot anti-heroine for the ages, in this decolonized reimagining of a classic 1892 short story by Henry Lawson. And by reimagining, we mean a seismic shift in the narrative: Purcell has fleshed out a full story of a mother-of-four, pregnant with her fifth, a missing husband, predatory neighbors, a mysterious runaway and a young English couple on different paths to progress in this remote Southern land. Purcell first adapted this story for the stage, then as published fiction; she rightly takes the leading role in the screen version, too.

As a debut feature director, Purcell (Goa-Gunggari-Wakka Wakka Murri) already has a firm grip on the macabre and the menacing, not shying away from violence, but making very careful decisions about what needs to be depicted, given all that Molly Johnson and her family are subjected to. She also sneaks in mystic touches, and a hint of romance (local heartthrob Rob Collins can take us on a walk to where the Snowy widens to see blooming wildflowers anytime). Judging by early Letterboxd reviews, it’s not for everyone, but this is Australian colonization through an Indigenous feminist’s eyes, with a fierce, intersectional pay-off. “Extremely similar to a vast majority of the issues and themes explored in The Nightingale,” writes Claira. “I’m slowly realizing that my favorite type of Westerns are Australian.” —LK, GG

Swan Song Written and directed by Todd Stephens

Udo Kier is often the bridesmaid, rarely the bride. Now, after a lifetime of supporting roles ranging from vampires and villains to art-house muse, he finally gets to shine center-stage in Swan Song. Kier dazzles as a coiffure soothsayer in this lyrical pageant to the passage of queer times in backwater Sandusky, Ohio. “He is absolutely wonderful here,” writes Adrianna, “digging deep and pulling out a mesmerizing, deeply affecting and emotionally textured performance, proving that he’s an actor with much more range than people give him credit for.”

A strong supporting cast all have melancholy moments to shine, with Linda Evans (Dynasty), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) and Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde) along for the stroll. Surreal camp touches add joy (that chandelier, the needle drop!) but by the end, the tears roll (both of joy and sadness). Writer-director Todd Stephens ties up his Sandusky trilogy in this hometown homage, a career peak for both him and Kier. Robert Daniels puts it well, writing that Swan Song is “campy as hell, but it’s also a heartfelt LGBTQ story about lost lovers and friends, vibrant memories and the final passage of a colorful life.” —LK

Leo Koziol spoke with Todd Stephens and Udo Kier during SXSW about Grace Jones, David Bowie and dancing with yourself.

Islands Written and directed by Martin Edralin

Islands is a Mike Leigh-esque story that presents a Canadian Filipino immigrant family full of quirk and character, centered around Joshua, a reticent 50-year-old homebody son. The story drifts in and out of a deep well of sadness. Moments of lightness and familial love make the journey worthwhile. “A film so Filipino a main plot device is line-dancing,” writes Karl. “Islands is an incredibly empathetic film about what it’s like to feel unmoored from comfort. It’s distinctly Filipino and deals with the psychology of Asian culture in a way that feels both profound and oddly comforting.” In a year in which we’ve all been forced to physically slow down, Islands “shows us how slow life can be,” writes Justin, “and how important it is to be okay with that.” Rogelio Balagtas’s performance as Joshua—a first-time leading role—won him the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. —LK

Ninjababy Directed by Yngvild Sve Flikke, written by Flikke with Johan Fasting and Inga H. Sætre

Ninjababy is as ridiculous as its title. When 23-year-old Rakel finds herself accidentally pregnant, scheduling an abortion is a no-brainer. But she’s way too far along, she’s informed, so she’s going to have to have the baby. The ensuing meltdown might have been heartbreaking if the film wasn’t so damn funny. Ninjababy draws on the comforting and familiar (“Lizzie McGuire if she was a pregnant young adult,” writes Nick), while mixing shock with originality (Erica Richards notices “a few aggressive and vulgar moments [but] somehow none of it seemed misplaced”).

An animated fetus in the style of Rakel’s own drawings appears to beg and shame Rakel into motherhood while she fights to hold onto her confidence that not wanting to be a mother doesn’t make her a bad person. Ninjababy’s greatest feat is its willingness to delve into that complication: yes, it’s righteous and feminist and 21st-century to claim your own body and life, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to turn away from something growing inside of you. It’s a comedy about shame, art, finding care in unlikely places—and there’s something in it for the gents, too. The titular ninjababy wouldn’t leave Rakel alone, and it’s unlikely to leave you either. Winner of the SXSW Global Audience Award. —SH

The Fallout Written and directed by Megan Park

Canadian actress Megan Park brought the youthful wisdom of her days on the teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager to her first project behind the camera, and it paid off. Following the scattered after-effects of a school shooting, The Fallout may be the most acute, empathetic depiction of childhood trauma on screen in recent memory. “It sneaks up on you with its honesty and how it spends time with its lead, carried so beautifully by Jenna Ortega. Even the more conventional moments are poignant because of context,” writes Kevin L. Lee. Much of that “sneaky” honesty emerges as humor—despite the heavy premise, moments of hilarity hang on the edges of almost every scene. And Ortega’s portrayal of sweet-but-angsty Vada brings self-awareness to that humor, like when Vada’s avoidant, inappropriate jokes with her therapist reveal her desperation, but they garner genuine laughs nonetheless.

In this debut, Park shows an unmatched understanding of non-linear ways that young people process their pain. Sometimes kids try drugs! Sometimes they scream at their parents! But more often than not, they really do know what they want, who loves them, and how much time they need to grieve (see also: Jessie Barr’s Sophie Jones, starring her cousin Jessica Barr, out now on VOD and in theaters). The Fallout forsakes melodrama to embrace confusion, ambiguity and joy. Winner of both the SXSW Grand Jury and Audience Narrative Feature Awards, and the Brightcove Illumination Award. —SH

Ludi Directed by Edson Jean, written by Jean and Joshua Jean-Baptiste

When Ludi begins, it’s quiet and dreamy. The film’s opening moments conjure the simple pleasures of the titular character’s Haitian heritage: the music, the colors, the people. Ludi (Shein Monpremier) smiles to herself as she starts her morning with a tape recording her cousin mailed from Haiti to Miami, and listens as her family members laugh through their troubles before recording an upbeat tape of her own. But that’s where the dreaminess ends—Ludi is an overworked, underpaid nurse picking up every shift she possibly can in order to send money home. Writer-director Edson Jean fixates on the pains and consequences of Ludi’s relentless determination, which comes to a head when she moonlights as a private nurse for an old man who doesn’t want her there.

Ashton Kinley notes how the film “doesn’t overly dramatize or pull at false emotional strings to make its weight felt. The second half of the feature really allows all of that to shine, as the film becomes a tender and empathetic two-hander.” George’s (Alan Myles Heyman) resentment of his own aging body steps in as Ludi’s antagonist. Jean throws together jarring contrasts: George throwing Ludi out of the bathroom, followed by Ludi’s memories of home, followed by another lashing out, followed by a shared prayer. The tension is unsustainable. By interspersing the back-breaking predicament of a working-class immigrant with the sights and sounds of the Caribbean, Ludi elegantly, painfully reveals what the cost of a dream can be. —SH

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror Written and directed by Kier-La Janisse

Building on the folk horror resurgence of films like The Witch and Midsommar, Kier-La Janisse’s 193-minute documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched is a colossal, staggering undertaking that should school even the most seasoned of horror buffs. “Thorough is an understatement,” says Claira.

Combining a historian’s studied, holistic patience with a cinephile’s rabid, insatiable thirst, the film, through the course of six chapters, broadens textbook British definitions, draws trenchant socio-political and thematic connections, debunks myths and transports viewers to far-flung parts of the globe in a way that almost feels anthropological. As Jordan writes, “Three hours later and my mind is racing between philosophical questions about the state of hauntology we generationally entrap ourselves in, wanting to buy every single one of the 100+ films referenced here, and being just a bit in awe of Janisse’s truly breathless work.” An encyclopedic forest worth losing yourself in—get ready for those watchlists to balloon. Winner of the SXSW Midnighters Audience Award. —AY

Introducing, Selma Blair Directed by Rachel Fleit

There’ll likely be some level of hype when this intimate collaboration between actress Selma Blair and filmmaker Rachel Fleit comes out later in the year on Discovery+, and that’s okay, because that is Blair’s intention in sharing the details of her stem-cell transplant for multiple sclerosis. There’d be little point in going there if you are not prepared to really go there, and Introducing, Selma Blair is a tics-and-all journey not just into what life is like with a chronic condition, a young son, and a career that relies on one’s ability to keep a straight face. It’s also an examination of the scar tissue of childhood, the things we are told by our parents, the ideas we come to believe about ourselves. “I almost felt like I shouldn’t have such intimate access to some of the footage in this documentary,” writes Andy Yen. “Bravo to Selma for allowing the filmmakers to show some truly raw and soul-bearing videos about her battle with multiple sclerosis that make us feel as if we are as close to her as family.” —GG

Femme Directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping

I May Destroy You fans, rejoice: Paapa Essiedu, who played Arabella’s fascinating best friend Kwame, takes center stage in Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping’s intoxicating short film Femme. It’s a simple premise—Jordan, a femme gay man, follows his drug dealer (Harris Dickinson, mastering the sexually repressed brusque young man like no one else) home to pick up some goods on a night out. Except, of course, it’s not that simple. The co-directors build a world of danger, tension and electricity, with lusciously lensed scenes that lose focus as the threat rises. Frankie calls it “hypnotizing and brutal and gorgeous” and we couldn’t agree more. A crime thriller wrestling with hyper-masculinity seen through the eyes of an LGBTQ+ character, with a sucker-punch ending to boot, the world needs more than twenty minutes of this story. —EK

Play It Safe Directed by Mitch Kalisa

If you (unwisely) thought that the vulnerable, progressive environment of drama school would be a safe space for Black students, Play It Safe confirms that even a liberal bunch of actors (and their teacher) are capable of being blind to their own egregiously racist microagressions. Mitch Kalisa’s excellent short film explores structural prejudice head-on, in an electric acting exercise that rests on where the kinetic, gritty 16mm camera is pointing at every pivotal turn. At first, we’re with Black drama student Jonathan Ajayi as he receives the assignment; then we are with the rest of the class, exactly where we need to be. “Literally in your face and absolutely breathtaking,” writes Nia. A deserving winner of the SXSW Grand Jury and Audience narrative shorts prizes. —GG

Follow the Festiville team on Letterboxd

#sxsw #south by southwest #sxsw 2021 #sxswonline #SXSW Film #janet pierson #film festival #letterboxd #letterboxd best

[kaalamarii]

MC’s Totally Rad 80s Party

I haven’t written in years and my new obsession with Obey Me + not working=me attempting to write again. Also new to tumblr and don’t know wtf I’m doing.

Summary: You’re feeling homesick and the boys throw a party for you. 

Pairing: None yet. This is just the prologue and then each demon will have their own part. Like a Choose Your Own Adventure sort of deal, I guess?

Word Count: 2339

Warnings: Set before Belphie’s out of the attic.Talk of sex, talk of alcohol. General cheesiness. Probably some swearing b/c I’m a potty mouth. I’m also the CEO of Run On Sentences. 2nd person pov/female mc, also a random OC that is mentioned (from mc/your life pre devildom)

As much as you’d hate to admit it, you were having fun in Devildom. 

At first, you felt nervous, scared, not knowing what to expect. But somehow the six demon brothers had wormed their way into your heart and you had developed a soft spot for each of them. And you knew the feelings were mutual. You knew that no matter how much they insulted you, picked on you, that they all cared for you.

It was surprisingly comforting, you thought. Though you knew any of them could easily kill you, you felt safe around them. They didn’t feel like predators, but protectors.

Still, a part of you missed the human world. You missed your phone, your family, your friends. The human world was, well, home.

The homesick feeling sunk in on one particular night as you were bored and organizing your room and found an old invitation smashed and crumpled in the pocket of the jeans you were wearing the night you got to Devildom. Unraveling it, you smile. 

“Come to Lizzie’s Totally Rad 80’s Party! Costume contest, photobooths, and lots and lots of booze and amazing food.”

You sighed. You had known Lizzie since the first grade, and although you had drifted apart since becoming young adults, the two of you always had a bond. You had been looking forward to that party. You had a super cute Madonna costume all carefully pieced together and had the perfect gift for Lizzie. 

You laid back on your bed with the invitation still in your hand, wondering what everyone back at home was doing and whether or not they were worried about you. Where did they think you were? You made a mental note to ask Lucifer about it later.

Your thoughts are interrupted by an obnoxious pound on your door. “Yo, MC! Open up! The Great Mammon is here to spend time with you!”

You both rolled your eyes and chuckled at the needy demon friend of yours before getting up to let him in.

“You know,” you say, “you don’t have to knock so loudly.”

Mammon scoffed, waving his hand at you, “Yeah, yeah.”

He made his way over to your bed, sitting down at the edge. “I’m bored. What’re ya up to in here?”

“Just doing some re-organizing.”

“Oi,” the second born said with a sigh. “That’s definitely not going to kill my boredom.”

You shook your head with a smile as you finished putting some things up. Mammon picked up the invitation on the bed and read it. He looked at you. “Where’d you get this?”

“It was in my pocket when I got here. It’s for a friend’s party from back at home.”

“Did you go?”

“I didn't have a chance to,” you say with a frown, looking over the invitation again. “She gave me this and the next day I was here.”

Mammon looks at you while you scan the flyer, noticing your sadness. 

“But it’s okay,” you continue. “Lizzie has a lot of other friends, so it’s not like she’ll be missing out not having me there.”

“But you missed out,” Mammon replied.

“Yeah, well, there will be other parties.”

You’re playing off your disappointment, but Mammon could see through it. He knew the look well, having disappointed many people many times. Still, he didn’t press it. He wasn’t so good with all that, and what if you started crying? He would not know how to handle that.

“I should go,” he said awkwardly. “You’re being all weird.”

You nodded, his blunt comment not bothering you much. You were used to it and knew it was him covering up his softness for you.

What you didn’t notice was Mammon stuffing the paper into his pocket as he left your room. 

**

“I wanted to run an idea by you all. Something for MC,” Mammon told his brothers the next day at school when MC wasn’t around.

“Yes, I agree,” Asmo said, not even bothering to listen to Mammon’s idea was, “That girl needs some slap and tickle, if you know what I mean.”

The others all gave the Avatar of Lust a blank look. 

“You know, the mattress mambo, bumping uglies, playing hide the salami, riding the flagpole, the down and dirty, boning…”

“What the hell?!” Levi cried, hands going up to cover his ears.

Satan snickered.

Asmo continued, “knocking boots, making love, if that’s your thing. Oh! And then there’s eating out, eating ass…ugh. You all are such prudes.”

“Hmm, eating,” Beel said, the rest of the words in the crude list quickly forgotten as he held a hand to his stomach. “I’m starving.”

“Okay, STOP!” Mammon said, frowning. “That’s not what I’m talking about...and nobody will be doing that with MC.”

“Nobody but you, huh, Mammon?” Asmo said, nudging his brother with his elbow.

“NO! Why would you say that? I’d never be with a lowly human like that!”

“Except MC, right?” Levi teased his already embarrassed brother.

Asmo smiled dreamily. “I’d do delightfully dirty things to MC.”

“First of all, no you wouldn’t. Second of all, why are we still talking about this? This is what I came to you for.” The Avatar of Greed slammed the flyer down on the table before all his brothers. “MC was invited to this party and never got to go because she came here. I think we should have our own 80s party at the House of Lamentation.”

Asmo was the first to accept the idea.  “Oh! I love the 80s! One of the sexiest decades...tight pants, mini skirts, big hair.”

Leviathan’s face lit up. “The 80s had some awesome anime! It’s when Studio Ghibli started!”

“Nobody cares, Levi,” Mammon replied.

“Nobody cares about you, Mammon! Scumbag.”

“Hey!”

“Does that say amazing food?” Beel spoke up over his arguing brothers. “I’m in!”

“I’m in too,” Satan said, “It’s been a while since we’ve had a party at the house. I know where Lucifer hides the alcohol.”

“Yeah, in the kitchen next to Cerberus' food,” Asmo stated.

“Nah, he moved it,” Beel replied. “It’s not in the kitchen anymore. He moved it once when I found it looking for snacks.”

“Yeah,” Mammon added, “When he confiscated that expensive bottle of tequila I bought in the human world, he put it in the music room.”

“Oh, really?” Lucifer’s voice boomed from behind them, making the five demons jump.

“G’aaah!” Mammon yelped. 

“I guess I need to find a new hiding spot then,” Lucifer said, walking over to his brothers. “What is it you all think you need alcohol for?”

Levi handed the invitation to him. “We want to throw a party for MC.”

Lucifer looked over the paper, brows furrowed. “Why?”

“She’s feeling homesick,” Satan explained. 

“Ya, she showed me this last night. She seemed all moody, so I thought maybe we could do this for her.” The second eldest told him.

Lucifer picked up the paper, looking it over. The rest of the demons looked up at him, hopeful. “And where would this gathering take place?”

“At home,” Satan replied, receiving a glare from Mammon.

“Hey, Satan, what’s the big idea! I’m the one that came up with the idea. I was up all night plannin’ this!”

“You were up all night planning a party for MC?” Levi teased. “How romantic.”

“Shut up! It’s not romantic!”

The demon brothers started arguing again until Lucifer cleared his throat. “Enough, you two. We can have the party for MC.”

The demons all cheered.

“BUT-” 

Their cheers turned into frowns. 

“I knew there’d be a but,” Mammon whined.

“No alcohol. Not on a school night. And it’s over by midnight.”

The younger brothers all started protesting.

“This isn’t up for debate…”

More protesting and boos from his brothers.

Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, I guess we can have some alcohol.”

“Over by 2 am?” Mammon asked, with an award winning smile.

Lucifer sighed. “Fine.” 

The group cheered and Lucifer let a smile play upon his lips when the others weren’t looking.

**

A week later, you were doing homework in your room when your D.D.D. goes off, distracting you. Your eyes flick over to see that Mammon had sent a message to the group chat between the brothers.

(Mammon:) Alright, Beel and Levi have gotten the food. Beel, didn’t eat any of it, did he?

(Levi:) Food’s safe.

(Mammon:) Okay, good.  Asmo, Satan, you two got the decorations?

(Satan:) Yep, got everything.

(Asmo:) Remember there’s a costume contest! Though we all know I’m going to win it.

(Levi:) No way! I’m going to win it! Diavolo is giving out Grimm as the first prize and I’m going to win it so I can get the new Ruri-chan figurine!

(Lucifer:) How does Diavolo know about this party and when did he become part of the planning?

(Levi:) He overheard us talking about it at RAD and got excited. He just kinda sat down and started planning stuff with us. Apparently some of his favorite music and movies from the human world are from the 1980s. 

(Lucifer:) Okay, we need to change some of the rules of this party then.

(Mammon:) ugh

...What the hell? Nobody had mentioned a party to you…

And why were they talking about the 80s? Wait. you got up, searching for the invitation for your friend’s party. Where did it go?

D.D.D. again. This time a chat between all brothers excluding Lucifer.

(Satan:) We need to get some booze. The invitation says booze.

(Levi): He’s not going to let you all drink with Diavolo around.

(Satan:) Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re going to find whatever is lying around the house and spike the punch bowl.

(Asmo:) ❤❤❤

(Asmo:) This party is going to be amazing! I hope MC will like it.

(Mammon:) Of course she will! Our parties are way better than any stupid human parties!

(Satan:) How would you know, Mammon? Like you’ve been to any parties in the human world.

(Levi:) Lolololol

(Mammon:) Hey! I’ve been to tons of human world parties! 

(Levi:) Sure, you have.

You couldn’t help the grin that took over your face as you reread the messages over and over. The boys were throwing a party...for you. You thought back to the night you were feeling homesick. Mammon actually listened to you complain about missing your friend’s party! And they’ve seen the invitation.

You immediately open up the Akuzon app, hunting down pieces for your costume. An 80s party for you, thrown by your favorite demon guys? Asmo was right... this was going to be amazing.

**

At breakfast the next morning, you try to act surprised as the demon brothers sit down one by one, all smiles and hand you a white envelope with your name printed neatly on it.

“What’s this?” You ask, pretending you don’t already know.

“Open it,” Mammon replied, a twinkle in his eyes.

You turn the envelope over and gently rip it open. You pull out a folded sheet of paper that was literally a copy of your invitation to Lizzie’s party, except Lizzie’s name was crossed out and your name was sloppily written above it. The date and time was also crossed out and rewritten. ‘Booze’ had a question mark drawn on after it, which was also crossed out with a ‘NO’ beside it.

“Surprise!” The boys howled.

You felt tears gathering in your eyes.

They all slowly, one by one lost their smiles. 

“Aw, man,” Levi whined. “She hates it! I told you the invitation was stupid, Mammon!”

“Hey! I didn’t see any of you assholes trying to make up an invitation!”

“Cause you just had to be the one to do it! And now you’ve made her cry,” Levi argued. “Idiot!”

Asmo shook his head. “Drop dead, Mammon.”

“Guys,” you speak up, wiping your face with your sleeve. “These are happy tears, okay? I love it.”

Their smiles return.

“I can’t believe you all did this for me. For demons, y’all are pretty sweet.” You got up, giving each one a hug. “Also, I’m going to slay all of you in the costume contest.”

**

You felt nervous as you got ready for the party. You tried to calm yourself as you teased and sprayed your hair a bit before tying a headband over it. You lined your eyes with black and added some colored eyeshadow. The outfit itself consisted of a black miniskirt and a couple belts over lace tights and a sheer shirt with a black bra underneath. And of course, lace black gloves with lots and lots of bracelets and necklaces.

You checked yourself out in the mirror, confident and self conscious at the same time. You wondered to yourself how the boys would react seeing you like this. 

It’s not like you hadn’t shown skin around them before, and you admitted to yourself that you liked the way they all looked at you when you wore something revealing. Even your RAD uniform didn’t keep much to the imagination when you sat down and it rode up your thighs. And you had caught more than one of the guys ogling you as you walked around the house in your pjs, which usually consisted of short shorts and a tank top.

The sound of loud music echoing through the house and bass rattling the room pulled you from your thoughts. You smiled, eager to see how your boys dressed up and decorated.

You couldn’t get that smile to leave as you stepped into the dining room and saw all the decorations. Neon greens, yellows, blues, and pinks glowed under black light.Colored streamers hung from the ceiling and the table and walls were adorned with various 80s pop culture; posters of John Hughes movies, records and cassette tapes, Rubix Cubes, Trolls, and Pac-Man. “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley blared from giant speakers.

You felt herself blushing as she looked around the room in awe...they put so much work into this. For you. 

You scanned the room, searching through the room of your scattered friends until you set your eyes on the one you wanted to go to first...

Masterlist

Mammon      Satan      Lucifer      Levi    Beel     Asmo      Belphie

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me mammon #obey me satan #obey me lucifer #obey me beelzebub #obey me asmodeus #obey me mc #obey me leviathan #obey me diavolo #obey me fanfic #obey me swd #obey me fanfiction #obey me main character

[cilldaracailin]

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Hello my Tumblr lovely’s.

Here is the next part in this story.

Hope you all enjoy.

Thanks so much for all the love and comments on this one so far :)

Suze xx

3 “The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

“So, what was that all about? The ID?” Asked Taron as they sat down on the base of the stone statue, the little green area on the opposite side of the canal much quieter than the town and where the parade had been, only a few people walking around heading home after the parade and duck race.

“Jane is in the musical society and is a fan of yours.” Robyn smiled. “She knew who you were as soon as you walked up even with the green hair and shamrocks on your cheek.”

“And that I wasn’t Dean Edwards?” He chuckled.

“She is a huge Elton John fan and adored your performance in Rocketman. Believe me, I saved you from an onslaught of questions and pictures.”

“You really haven’t told anyone about me, have you?” He asked her quietly, pulling at the orange fabric on the duck in his hands.

Robyn looked to Taron, taking in his strong side profile, noticing how he kept his eyes on the duck in his hands. “Not really no.”

“Can I ask you why?”

Robyn looked away from his face and to her own hands. “It’s not that I haven’t been sharing the news around that I know you and of course my friends and family know what happened in Florida as well as the gospel choir and musical society and of course the parents and the girls in work…”

“So, a lot of people really know.” He interrupted with a little smile.

“Those who are important to me know Taron. I am not keeping you a secret, but I am not shouting from the rooftops that my new best friend is a wonderfully talented actor with a heap of awards under his belt. You know how much I love you Taron and how important you are to me, how important our relationship is to me and I have seen first-hand how horrible the unwanted media attention is for you and for me too that I don’t really feel the need to share what we have with those who don’t deserve to know about it. You are a very special person Taron and only those who I can trust get to know about you.” Taron reached over with his free hand as she spoke and held her right hand tight in his left. “I know it’s a bit different for you because at times you live your life in the public eye and I am there with you too and you know I am ok with that Taron, you know that.”

“I do.”

“But I only share the most precious things in my life with those I fully and truly trust and believe it or not, it doesn’t include most of Kilcreen. By only introducing you to those I have full faith in, means my home will always be a sanctuary for you Taron, a place you can come to when you need too. Somewhere you can freely walk around without your hat and eyes on the back of your head on the constant look out for a rouge photographer.”

“And I know that means a lot to you too. Even though you accept that aspect of my life, I know it is something you can find difficult.”

“Taron you know I don’t…”

“I know Robyn and when you accompany me on the red carpet and stand willingly with me, I know you are there to fully support me and be there for me without a question and the way you keep protecting me is something I don’t think I will ever get used too but I appreciate that being photographed when you are just out getting a coffee with me is something very unsettling for you at times.”

“At times.” She agreed. “So like I said, it’s not that I don’t want my world to know about you, I just want to keep a bubble for you when you need it and Taron, I honestly don’t mind getting photographed with you. It gives me more photos for my wall!” She laughed as he let go of her hand and went straight to tickle her. “But on a serious note, I am always here for you ok? No matter what and like I said, it’s not that I don’t want to share you, it’s just I need to be absolutely sure those I can share you with will be respectful to you.”

“Jane’s not one of them?” He asked.

“Oh, she is. Don’t worry but it’s not the time or place for a photo opportunity and I already gave her the piece of paper you signed for me when we went to The Prince of Egypt together.”

“The one you pushed into your bra.”

Robyn laughed. “Yeah that one.”

“You still gave it to Jane after it had been in your bra?”

Robyn’s nose crinkled up as she looked at him. “Jane has boobs too and wears bras.”

Taron laughed a little nervously. “Not where I was going with that chicken but ok sure. Just you gave her the piece of paper you had in your bra.”

“She really didn’t care Taron. It had your signature on it and I really didn’t need it.”

“Or to sell it on eBay.” He added.

“Nope.”

“Robyn?”

“Yep.”

“Thanks for asking me to come over for St. Patrick’s Day and for keeping my bubble for me when I need it.”

“Anytime rocketman.” Robyn slipped right arm around his waist, inching a little closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

Taron looked at the duck in his hands, which was now looking a little bit sad, his costume and feathers destroyed with water. “Poor rocketman.” He pulled a very soggy orange feather from the duck. “Though to be fair, after I had finished filming in that outfit, I looked pretty much the same. It was so hot and I was so hot and was melting in that onesie.”

“I can only imagine.”

“And the weather was so unbelievably heated and humid. It was so uncomfortably muggy.”

“Some of those outfits looked very heavy and stifling.”

“That dress was a killer.”

Robyn chuckled. “Your face never showed that though.”

Well I am an actor.” He replied. He pulled the envelope which he got from Jane with the prize money from winning the duck race from his coat pocket. “This is yours.”

“Erm nope.” Robyn lifted her head from his shoulder and pushed it back towards him. “That is your prize. Your duck won.”

“Because you bought it for me.”

“Because you wanted one Taron.”

“Because it is a Kilcreen St Patrick’s Day tradition. This is yours.”

“Absolutely not Taron. It’s your prize.” Robyn took the envelope from him and pushed it inside his coat. “Yours.”

Taron took the envelope out again. “It’s ours and we keep it for when we meet up and do things together, like having dinner later or a few drinks. So…” He opened the envelope and took the notes out and split the money in two. “You keep half and I keep half and when it’s gone it’s gone so we spend it wisely and keep cwtch away from it.”

Robyn laughed and she put the money in her purse, while Taron did the same for his wallet.

“I can’t believe you bloody won. I have had a duck in this race since it started and never won.”

“I told you Robyn. You are my good luck charm. Have been since I met you in Florida.” Taron leaned over and went to kiss her cheek but we met with a face full of hair as Robyn turned her head as the loudspeaker set up on the green for the day squeaked as a voice started to speak.

“And now we have a performance from Kilcreen’s Gospel Choir, directed by Maddie Lyons.”

“Shit!” Robyn scrambled to her feet cursing. “Shit fucking shit balls!”

“Robyn?”

“The gospel choir! The performance after the duck race! I bloody forgot!” Taron started to laugh as Robyn brushed herself down. “What are you doing! We need to go!”

She bent down and grabbed his hands, yanking him to his feet and took to a run, still holding onto his right hand, almost dragging him behind her, until he caught up. She sprinted up the stone steps and down the bridge and road that led into the The Square, glad that Taron kept up with her. They moved through the crowd, Robyn apologising as she bumped into people as they went, still hauling Taron behind her. She stopped suddenly, Taron bumping into her.

“Stay with my mam.” She instructed him a little breathless from their quick run and with a mouthed apology to Maddie, snuck into the choir group, finding her place in the front row, still trying to catch her breath as she joined in with the song they were singing, picking up on the harmonies easily.

Lizzie looked to Taron who was grinning and trying to catch his own breath. “And you were?” She asked him.

“On the green by the train station. Lost track of time.”

“Hmm I am sure.” She looked to his hands and saw the duck he was holding. “So, you won then?”

“Ahh yeah, I did,”

“What did Robyn decorate that duck as?”

Taron blushed a little. “Erm it’s actually like one of the costumes I wore for the Elton John movie.” He explained. “Feathers and all.”

“You wore something like that?”

Taron chuckled. “It was a bit more elaborate but yeah I did.”

“I actually think I remember.” Lizzie replied. “The one at the start of the movie?”

“That was it.”

“And Robyn made the duck look like you?”

He laughed again. “Not me exactly but more so the outfit.”

“Uh-huh.” Lizzie answered turning her attention back to the choir as they started to sing another song. “Sure Taron.”

Glancing at the duck in his hands, Taron looked up to where Robyn was standing in the choir, his heart hammering in his chest and not from the quick dash they had made to get to her choir. He caught her eye and immediately saw a blush rise to her cheeks and knew it matched the ones on his.

“So, you invited Robyn to another event of yours?” Asked Lizzie having heard the choir sing the song they were currently singing many times before, she was happy to miss it and engage in a little chat with the man beside her, not yet having the chance to talk to him on his own.

“Yeah I did. It’s the premier in London for the movie I finished filming in February.”

“The one that was stopped because of what happened in Florida?” Asked Lizzie.

“That’s the one. Matthew, the director, put a lot of hours in to make sure it was ready for the original release date in April and I really want Robyn to go with me. It’s because of her that I was even able to finish filming.”

“Robyn was telling me you are working on a new film at the moment too?”

Taron nodded. “Yeah. That was the reason why I was late coming over. My schedule is pretty full on and it changed at the last minute. Matthew is the director for this one too and he finalised his cast at the weekend and organised a last-minute script read through. Just something I had to go to.”

“But you still made it here.”

“I promised Robyn I would.”

“And when I first met you, I asked you to look after my daughter and you promised me you would.”

Taron heard the change of tone in Robyn’s mothers voice and he closed his eyes as he waited for yet another lecture from another strong woman. “Lizzie…”

“I know you love her Taron.” His words were not only cut off but caught in his throat and he turned to look at Lizzie seeing so much of Robyn in her features and his eyes moved to meet hers. “And I also know she loves you too and you don’t need to look at me with that doubtful look. I don’t want to bring the subject of New York up but for Robyn to still be fully giving her all to you after that, I know she loves you. It’s been a while since I have seen her excited over a weekend away or a phone call or a teddy bear.” Taron smiled. “You made her day with that present, believe me. Even I tried to find one for her and could not.”

“Sometimes my job does have its perks. I was so happy to find something to make her smile.”

“You make her smile Taron, frustrate her too but definitely make her smile.”

“I try too. Lizzie, I can’t explain to you how important your daughter is to me.”

“You don’t have to Taron. Your actions, the majority of your actions show me that, but I just want to say one thing Taron. Robyn has been deeply hurt in a past relationship. I don’t know if she ever talked to you about Keith?”

Taron nodded. “She mentioned him once or twice.”

“Fucker, if you excuse my French. I tell you something, if I ever see his face again…” Lizzie’s words trailed off. “Sorry Taron.”

“It’s ok. I don’t actually know the whole story but I know he was a fucker as you call him.”

“As her mother you can understand that I will never let any man hurt her again and I know you are not him Taron and from how Robyn speaks about you after she has been with you, I know you treat her with the upmost respect and to be fair, I don’t think I need to worry about Robyn standing up for herself.”

Taron nodded his agreement. “I have seen it first-hand. It is not something you need to be concerned about.”

“But I just need you to promise me that you will look after her. She has this strong exterior but underneath she is a vulnerable young woman who just needs to be loved without question. I am not going to lie to you Taron, some aspects of your job worry me.”

“The media.” Sighed Taron.

“Got it in one.”

“I can’t promise you that I can keep every photo taken of us together from the media Lizzie, but I can do my best to try. I have a wonderful team who work with me.”

“And I have already seen how hard they work for you and I very much appreciate what you have done for Robyn so far but just the things people write about the two of you, about Robyn.”

Taron groaned. “Please don’t read them Lizzie. Robyn doesn’t read them. I don’t read them. I understand it is hard not to, but it is the only way to deal with it, by not reading it. Unfortunately, it is just something that comes with my job and it is very unwanted attention I get.” He reached for her hands. “Mothers just have a knack for knowing things and you are right, just like mine was. I love Robyn and I mean properly love her like head spinning, goose bumps and racing heart love her. She has been a constant comfort in my life since I met her and gotten me through some tough times and saved my life but please trust and believe me that I am always there for her too when she needs me and always will be no matter what. She is a beautiful, intelligent woman who literally holds my heart Lizzie and I promise to treat her with the respect and love she deserves, the same she has shown me.”

Lizzie smiled. “Thank you, Taron.” She leaned in and gave him a close hug. “And before you even think about it, Robyn hates massages.”

“Sorry?” Asked Taron confused.

“My daughter is very good at giving them but hates them.”

Taron felt his whole face flush and as the hug ended, he saw a wicked smile on Robyn’s mother face. “You heard about that then.”

“I am her mother. She tells me things.” Lizzie watched as his blush stretched to his neck. “And I need you to make sure you look after yourself because I need you to look after her.” She smiled at him. “She loves anything to do with her hair though.”

Taron smiled back. “I figured that one out already.”

Lizzie lifted her hands and placed them on his cheeks. “From what I have seen Taron, you are well fitted for her, but she is my only child.”

Although Lizzie’s tone was a little light, he could hear the warning in her words and nodded under her hands. In the same way as Robyn did, Lizzie stroked his cheeks a little before her hands fell from his face and she turned her attention back to the choir.

He had expected a speech at some point from Robyn’s mother and it wasn’t the angry one he had been waiting for but rather an almost plea for him to look after Lizzie’s most precious possession, her daughter. Her words spun around his head. Robyn loved him? Well he knew that. He knew Robyn loved him; she had told him herself. In fact, she had told him less than ten minutes ago as they sat on the green but Lizzie spoke as if Robyn’s feelings ran deeper.

“Hey Taron!” Robyn’s dad came and stood beside his wife. “Enjoy the parade?”

“Yeah I did.” He answered, his thoughts still on the conversation with Lizzie. He shook his head, deciding he just didn’t have the energy at the moment that it would take to think it through and turned to look at the choir as a cheer went up around him and Robyn took the few steps forward to the microphone.

“Happy St Patrick’s Day!” She spoke. “Thanks so much for sticking around to listen to us having a good old sing song. We have been working on a new song and sure we’re going to give it a whirl and see what happens with it. It’s not what we would call performance ready but if you know it sing along.” Robyn looked for Taron in the crowd and gave him a quick little wink and before she moved and picked up her guitar, Taron recognising the instrument as hers straight away having played it himself. He stared her down and once she started playing the opening riff, his whole body rose with surprise his face going straight into a smile.

“Know this one?” Lizzie asked him seeing his face light up.

“Might just know it.” He answered, his eyes closing as the music for Tiny Dancer filtered through the speakers, Robyn taking the lead vocal as she played guitar, the choir supporting her with a wonderful chorus of harmonised ohhs and ahhs.

Taron pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly opened his camera to video the performance. He wanted to keep a copy of it but also have one for Elton too, knowing he would want to see this and would thoroughly enjoy not only the gospel take on his song but the fact that Robyn was singing it. For the second verse, the whole choir joined in with Robyn and she took a step back from the microphone, so her voice didn’t carry louder the others. He naturally just sang along, enjoying how the crowd around him joined in too, the beautiful acoustic version of the Elton John song along with the crowd making it an exquisite version. Robyn stepped forward to take a solo verse again and her eyes locked on his the whole time and he knew she could see him singing along and he gave her one of those full grin smiles he had when he was truly in his happy place.

This song was more than just a song from the movie he was in, more than just an Elton John hit. It was the song he had in his head as Robyn taught him to control his breathing in the 7/11 when he was panicking, the one she had gently sung to him as he lay in pain in the ambulance and the song he had taken to singing while he was in her kitchen when he visited her, even videoing himself singing it on Robyn’s phone for her. It was their song, one that they had bonded over, one that brought a tear to his eye as he just closed his eyes and listened. It already held such a special place in his heart from his time filming Rocketman but now it held such a different emotional connection and he would always associate it with Robyn. He had heard Kilcreen’s gospel choir perform before, even joining them for a rehearsal and their harmonies were so on point, the difficulty increasing as the song moved through to another verse, Taron hearing Robyn’s voice taking the chorus herself again. He didn’t even think about singing along and naturally did so, his own voice louder than those around him but he didn’t care. He had to sing along and even with the slight crackle and wobble in his voice from tiredness, he didn’t stop until the song had finished, only himself and Robyn ending the song, Taron a little flustered that he had kept going when everyone else had stopped but he was so caught up in the music he hadn’t noticed.

As a huge cheer went up for the performance and Taron was brought down to earth as he had been floating on a music high. He looked to Robyn and saw that once again her eyes were locked with his and he mouthed ‘thank you’ to her and she nodded back to him, before she moved to put her guitar back taking her place back in the front row. The choir sang for another ten minutes and had finished their set just as a few drops of rain started to fall, the crowd starting to disperse quickly as the rain threatened.

“Taron, John and I am going to head on home. We normally have a meal with my sister who lives next door us on Patrick’s Day. She cooks us up a proper Irish meal.”

“Robyn isn’t going?” Asked Taron, wiping away a single raindrop from his forehead.

“She normally does but don’t you have plans for the day? Something about Guinness and a céilí?”

Taron nodded. “Yeah that was the plan but if she normally has dinner with her family…” Taron’s voice trailed off.

“Robyn can have dinner with us whenever she wants Taron. She only gets to see you for two days. She planned a completely Irish themed evening for you. Go and enjoy yourself.” Lizzie gave him a quick hug. “She wants you to have a good night so go and do so. It was so lovely to see you again.”

“Thank you Lizzie and you too. I will look after her for you.”

“I trust you completely with her.”

With another goodbye to her parents, Taron then turned to look toward the choir all of who had already left, just Robyn and Maddie staying behind to tidy up. He strolled over to them. “Need some help?” He asked, getting a big grin from Robyn who nodded. “What can I do?”

With some instruction from the two woman and with his help, the three had all the wires, cables and speakers put back in Maddie’s car as well as the microphone stands, music stands and keyboard within fifteen minutes.

“Thanks so much Taron. That made my life a lot easier.” Said Maddie.

“No problem. Thanks for the performance. I think Kilcreen gospel choir might be my favourite.” He laughed.

“You are already a member Taron, no need to suck up to the musical director.” Laughed Robyn as she swung her guitar case on her back.

“You know where we practice Taron and are welcome whenever you want.” With a quick goodbye, Maddie hopped in her car, giving the horn a beep as she drove off.

“So Tiny Dancer?” Asked Taron as he turned to Robyn. “Who came up with that song choice?”

“No idea.” She answered him, shrugging her shoulders and it was an awkward hug that Taron gave her as he held the duck in one hand and he couldn’t wrap his free arm full around her guitar. “Guess you liked it then.”

“It was beautiful. Haven’t heard it sang like that before.”

“Heard you singing along.” Robyn answered him as he let her go. “You should have come up and joined us.”

“You didn’t need any help and I thought you didn’t play in front of people.”

Robyn shrugged her shoulders once more. “Guess I changed my mind. We should make a move before those clouds actually break into a proper shower. I just need to drop this home before we head for some food.”

“That is fine by me.”

#Taron Egerton #Taron Egerton Fanfiction #Taron Egerton Fanfic #Taron Fanfic #Love #Friendship #Cuddles #Laughter #Protection #Bubbles #Singing #Thoughtfulness #St. Patrick's Day #Gospel Choir #Tiny Dancer #Mothers #Robyn and Taron

[xxxcallmescoutxxx]

*spins around in her pastel pink gamin chair* Oh hello, lovelies. *lowers pink 90s butterfly sunglasses* Welcome back to my channel.

Phew boy, alright here is Scout. @lizzievelnias​ familiar and an absolute little monster. She’s crybaby brat who has 1.5 million subscribers on youtube and will let you know that your girlfriend likes her better than you. She (possibly) lives with the rest of the familiars but like you walk into her space and it’s just all pastel pink. Everything. 

Let’s just get into her background oof she already is giving me a headache.

> Scout was raised in a Catholic group home in Brooklyn and hated every god damn minute of it.

> She hated the other kids who were awful to her because she was different, hated the nuns at school who made her write with her right hand, hated feeling like she didn’t belong. It was in these early years that she developed a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms and destructive habits that she could never quite break out of. 

> Eventually she was bounced around the foster system, often running away until she was dragged back again. She once bit her foster brother so severely they had to send him to the doctor, needless to say, she was rehomed.

> That is until her 15th birthday when her powers started to develop. She now had a way to sneak out more easily and this time she wouldn’t get caught. An ermine skittering around the dirty New York streets wasn’t exactly common but also not the weirdest thing passerby had seen that day.

> She was homeless for a while, staying in her familiar form as long as she could manage more often than not. She didn’t really have the hang of changing back and forth just yet, sometimes being stuck as human or stuck as ermine for days on end.

> It was as an ermine that a kindly, albeit eccentric, elderly couple (Joe and Kitty) took her in. It was the day before they called animal control to come to pick her up when Scout was finally able to change back into a human.

> They weren’t as surprised as you might expect considering this “married couple” was a witch and his familiar themselves. Luckily for her she had picked the right home to hide in the vents of.

> They gave her the life she never had and then some, they traveled all over the world, homeschooled her so she could study her magic (and finally learn how to switch back and forth without getting stuck), and honestly restored her faith in humanity. Done. She calls them her grandparents. And they truly did everything you would expect from grandparents: they spoiled her fucking rotten.

> Her grandfather was the one who gave her her first camera, and her grandmother who got her started on sewing and vintage fashion, and when she was 17 she started filming videos on youtube and the rest is history.

> Nowadays she likes to say she manifested all of this to happen. The people love a redemption story.

> She made videos all through college and steadily made a career out of youtube. But even after she was awarded her degree (and her silver then gold youtube button) she couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied. It was her grandmother who suggested she move to Wildemount. That was where Kitty met Joe after all.

> SO! She packed her bags and off she went in search for her purpose! She knows little about the veils and honestly doesn’t care much. She figures once she finds Lizzie she’d just assist in whatever Lizzie wanted to do in regards to the matter and that is a-ok with her.

> Scout is at the point in her life where she just wants real friends and a real purpose. Sure youtube is her job and she loves it (she feeds off of the likes and clicks yes) but it’d be nice to actually have people her age know and like her for her.

> It was her overbearing personality that got her to attach herself to Theo ( @nctgold​ ) by the pant leg like a little beast until he let her stay with him. Just goes to show that when you’re annoying enough and are a self-proclaimed baby you get what you want and Scout lives her life by those words.

#veils:intro

[mustangshelby04]

Boston Boy - Chapter 14

Kate wandered around the clean, white living room and admired the view from the backyard while Lisa followed her.  Chris came in behind them, setting their luggage down.  They were in Los Angeles for the Civil War press and premiere.  There were a lot of firsts happening on this trip for her.  First private jet ride, first time on the West Coast, first time going to a movie premiere, first time going public with her celebrity boyfriend…. She was working on not being overwhelmed.

“Welcome to my home away from home.” Chris said, walking up being Kate and wrapping his arms around her.  His hands went to her belly and he rubbed them in small circles.

“The view is pretty.” Kate said, leaning on him and laying her head back on his shoulder.  She was exhausted from jet lag and had developed a headache.

“You should go lay down, honey.” Lisa said, checking Kate’s forehead.

“Do I have time?”

“We’ve got plenty of time.” Chris said. “Ma’s right. You should go lay down.”  

“You need to take care of yourself, Kat.” Lisa said. “Chris, go lay down with her.  It’ll make her feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar bed.  I can entertain myself.”

He kissed Kate’s temple after she nodded her agreement. “Come on, baby.  Let’s go lay down.”

“I’ve got such a headache.” Kate said, rubbing her temples.

“I’ll get your Tylenol.” Lisa said.

“I have to pee again.” She grumbled as Chris led her to his master bedroom.

He pointed at the door to the master bathroom. “It’s right in there.  I’ll go grab our bags.”

“Ok.” When she came back out, Chris was sitting on the bed holding a glass of water and two Tylenol pills.  A pair of fluffy shorts and a large T-shirt sat next to him. He had changed from his jeans and sweater to a pair of gray sweatpants and no shirt.  Their suitcases were sitting in and around the chair in the corner of the room. “Feel better?”

“Only my bladder does.  My head still hurts and my feet are swollen and I want to take a nap.”

“Here, take these.” He handed her the pills and water. Once she took them, he helped her to get into the shorts and shirt before easing her onto the bed.  He sat down and took her feet in his lap.  

She sighed with pleasure as he began to rub her feet. “Tell me about what’s on the agenda this week.”

“Tomorrow is the MTV Movie Awards.  Sunday I’ve got press to do all day.  Monday I film Ellen with Lizzie and later is Jimmy Kimmel Live. Then Tuesday is the premiere.”

“Then on to China?”

“Are you sure you’re up for it?  You could always fly back with Ma.” “I’ll be fine.  I’m excited for London.  It’s only a couple of days, but I’ve always wanted to go.”

“I’m just worried about all that traveling and how it’ll affect you.”

“I’ll be tired, but it’s nothing I’m not used to right now.  I can’t sleep on my stomach, so I can’t get comfortable, so I don’t get much sleep. Maybe I’ll be able to sleep on one of the planes.”

“You didn’t get any sleep on the plane here.”

“I’ll figure it out.” Kate sighed and rubbed her stomach. “Being pregnant is hard.”

Chris chuckled. “I can only imagine.”

She reached out for him. “Come lay down.  Be my big spoon.”

“Happily.” Chris crawled up her body, kissing his way up her leg and then her arm.  He dropped behind her and spooned against her, wrapping his arm around her and rubbing small circles on her belly.  A strong kick to his hand made him jerk back. “Holy shit!” He laughed and put his hand back.

“Oh good, you can feel that now, too.” Kate heard him sniff behind her and she turned her head to see Chris wiping at tears running down his cheeks. “Awe, Chris….”

“Sorry.  I just…. That’s my kid.  That’s our kid.  We made that.”

“We sure did.” She turned over onto her back and covered his hand with hers as he rested it on her belly.

He laughed again as the baby kicked his hand. “Kat, I am so fucking happy.  I can’t remember ever being happier.”

Kate reached up and wiped away his tears with her free hand. “Is it just now hitting you that you’re going to be a daddy?”

“A little bit.” He ducked his head to kiss her shoulder and then rested his head there, staring at their hands on her stomach. “I’ve known it was coming.  I’ve watched you grow with our little Jelly Bean in there, but feeling our baby kick…. It means it’s real.”

“Oh, what?  I was just getting fatter till now?” Her tone implied that she was joking, but Chris still looked panicked.

“I didn’t say that!”

She giggled. “Baby, calm down.  I was kidding.” “I know, but I don’t want you to ever think that you’re fat or ugly.  You are so gorgeous and you just get more beautiful with every day that passes and I just love you so fucking much.”

“You don’t have to try so hard to get laid.” Kate poked Chris’ nose with a grin. “I’m all yours, baby.”

Chris laughed and kissed her. “We’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“This leads to sleep eventually….” A jaw-splitting yawn cut her off.

“You sleep.  If you feel up to it later, then we’ll work something out.”

 *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

When Kate woke up a couple of hours later, she felt the familiar roiling of her stomach.  She quickly got out of bed and rushed into the bathroom.  Lisa happened to be walking by Chris’ bedroom door when she heard the retching.  She rushed into the bathroom and knelt down by Kate, holding her hair with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.  Chris was in the kitchen on the phone with Megan.

“I thought the second trimester was supposed to be a cakewalk.” Kate said with a shaky voice.

“That’s a myth.” Lisa said, sitting with Kate. “There is nothing about being pregnant that is a cakewalk.”

“Maybe I need to start reading those books I bought.”

“You haven’t started?”

“I’ve been tracking my pregnancy on an app on my phone.  It gives me all the details of what I can expect that week and the size of the baby.”

“That’s really neat.”

“This week, Jelly Bean is the size of a head of cauliflower.” Lisa laughed. “Chris has the app, too.”

“There’s a party in my bathroom.” Chris said, drawing the women’s attention to him standing in the doorway. “Everything ok?”

“Morning sickness that can’t tell time.” Kate said. “Now that it’s over, I feel better.”

“It was probably all the excitement of travelling.” Lisa said, getting to her feet with her son’s help.

“Thanks for being here with her, ma.” Chris said, taking his mother’s vacated seat on the bathroom floor.

“It’s my pleasure.  I’ll go see what I can cook up for dinner later.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.  I thought we could take Kate out for a little site-seeing and dinner somewhere if she feels up to it.” He looked over at Kate. “Since you’ve never been here, I thought it could be fun.”

“Only if you feel up to it, sweetie.  You don’t want to tire yourself out any more than you already have.”

“I actually feel pretty rested right now.” Kate said. “I wouldn’t mind some site-seeing with you guys.  Will it be ok for you, Chris?  I know LA is kind of paparazzi central.”

“Yeah.  I’ll just pop on some sunglasses and a hat.  It should be a good enough disguise.”

“Kate, you’ll need to put some on, too.” Lisa said. “The internet has your picture everywhere and people are going to notice you. Especially in Los Angeles.  The last thing you two need is to get mobbed.”

“I’ve got a few hats you can choose from, babe.”

“Ok.  Get your ass up and help me up.” Chris chuckled and hopped to his feet.  He held his hands out and helped Kate to stand up. When he leaned in to kiss her, she ducked her head away. “You really don’t want to do that.”

He laughed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll go unpack your toothbrush.”

 *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Chris sat on the edge of the bed and watched Kate sleep.  She had been fast asleep when he’d woken up that morning and he hadn’t wanted to disturb her.  They had gotten home kind of late the night before.  He had planned on taking her to Grauman’s Theatre, a few places on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, and maybe the Griffith Observatory.  Instead, she had convinced him to take her to Disneyland.  They had spent all afternoon and well into the night there, closing the place down. She couldn’t do any of the thrill rides, but she had had plenty of fun with everything else she could do.  They had enjoyed a late romantic dinner at Carthay Circle Restaurant.  They had been lucky to get a table, but there had been a last-minute cancellation. Lisa had spent the afternoon with them, but had left early in the evening to give the couple time together.

“Hey sleepy head.” Chris leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It’s almost noon.”

“Mmmm.” Kate tried to roll onto her stomach, but her bump stopped her and she groaned.

He chuckled. “I’m really happy that you got some sleep, but now we’ve gotta start getting ready to go.  Jenn is here to pamper you.”

She lifted her head and curled around to lay it on Chris’ lap. “I’m cozy.”

Chris smoothed out her unruly hair. “I know. If you don’t want to go to the show with me, you don’t have to.  Ma isn’t going.  I’m sure you guys can hang out here or go out and sightsee around LA.”

“I want to go, but I want to be asleep, too.”

“I promise we won’t be there long.  I just have to introduce a clip from the movie and then mingle a little bit.”

Kate nodded and moved to sit up.  She ended up facing Chris and gave him a smile before leaning forward and nuzzling her head on his shoulder.  He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “Am I really going to the MTV Movie Awards tonight?”

“Seems like.”

“I used to watch them all the time when I was younger.”

“They were a lot more exciting back then, right?”

“They really were.  I think the last decent one I remember seeing was the one that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jack Black hosted.  Or maybe it was when Justin Timberlake hosted with that guy from American Pie.”

“You know Justin lives down the road from me?”

“Really?  I might go for a walk tomorrow.  Which way should I head?”

Chris laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Good thing he’s married.  You would win him over and I might lose you to him.”

“Oh, you definitely would.  I’m a hardcore NSYNC fan.”

“Don’t tell Shanna that.  She’s hardcore Backstreet Boys.”

Kate giggled. “Ok, I guess I’ll get up now. I’m going to brush my teeth before I go out there, though.”

“Ok.  I’ll wait here.” Chris laid down and stretched out in her vacated spot.

“Well, that’s not fair.  Why do you get to lay down?”

“Because I’m not getting my hair and makeup done.”

“You should probably rethink that.  The camera is definitely going to pick up how hideous your face actually is, then.”

Chris laughed loudly, covering his chest with his hand as the rest of his limbs levitated off the mattress.  He turned on his side and propped his head up on his hand. “Maybe I should let you go out and introduce the clip?  You’re already gorgeous.  That hair and makeup is only going to make it stand out more.”

“Pretty sure I would disappoint all your fans.”

“Just the female ones.  The male fans might try to steal you away.”

“Well, I’m also pretty sure Jelly Bean is a big deterrent to other guys.” She turned and walked into the bathroom while Chris just grinned at her.

 *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

The place was loud and full of beautifully dressed celebrities.  Jenn had dressed Kate in a fashionable blue dress that was off the shoulders and hugged her body from her shoulders to her knees.  It made her bump stand out.  She was wearing a pair of black, peep-toe pumps that had four-inch heels.  Jenn had teased her hair and then put it into a low side ponytail.  Her makeup was done very naturally and dewy as a request from Chris to just show off Kate’s natural beauty.

Kate gripped Chris’ hand as they walked through the backstage area behind Megan, his publicist.  The place was actually outdoors this year.  Everywhere they went, people stared inquisitively at her.  Chris waved at and talked to some of the celebrities, always introducing Kate.  Some of them were friendly to her, others just nodded and ignored her.  She was starting to feel like an outsider and it was making her cling to Chris as her insecurities started to creep through her.

“Captain Little Ass!” An unmistakable, loud voice called from a few feet away.  They turned to see Anthony Mackie making his way over. “Bring it in here, bro!” The two men hugged tightly. “Congratulations, man!  Welcome to the daddy club!”

“Thank you.” Chris laughed. “Mackie, this is my girlfriend, Kate.  Kate, this is Anthony Mackie.”

“I’m a hugger.” Mackie warned, bringing Kate into a tight hug. “Congratulations to you, too!”

“Thank you.  It’s lovely to meet you.” Kate smiled as Chris wrapped his arm around her waist.

“This dude talks non-stop about you. Seriously, the Avengers group chat has been non-stop Kate talk.”

“Oh, god.  That’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t be embarrassed.  We’re all really excited for you guys.  And he has nothing but great things to say about you.”

Kate looked up at Chris lovingly. “That’s so sweet.”

“So, when are you due?”

“July 22nd.” Chris and Kate said in unison.

Mackie laughed. “Not too much longer.  You’re almost in your third trimester, then.”

“Yes.”

“Are you excited?”

“Is that the same thing as nervous?  If so, then yes.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about.  If you need any advice, my wife, Sheletta, would be more than happy to help you out.  She pretty much adopted Chris the moment she met him, so you’re family now, too.”

“Oh, thank you!”

“What am I saying?  You’re getting hit with advice left and right, I bet.”

“A little bit, but I’m just trying to listen to my body and my doctor.”

“That’s the best thing.  Every pregnancy is different.  You do you, girl.”

“Chris, Josh Horowitz wants to do an interview with you and Mackie.” Megan said.

“Oh, uh….” Chris looked at Kate, not wanting to leave her.

“I’ll guard her.” A deep, Australian voice said from their left.

“Hemmy!” Chris and Mackie yelled.  The three men embraced and Chris turned back to Kate. “Kat, this is Chris Hemsworth.  Hemmy, this is my girlfriend, Kate.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Kate said, shaking Hemsworth’s hand. “I’m not gonna call you Hemmy.”

Hemsworth laughed. “It’s ok.  I’ve tried to get them to stop, but they’re assholes.  Look at you!  You’re bloody gorgeous.  Has Evans figured out that you’re out of his league, yet?”

“Oh gosh!” Kate blushed profusely. “I am way out of my element right now.”

“For the record, I figured it out a long time ago.” Chris said. “But she keeps choosing me, so I’m not complaining.” He kissed her quickly. “You’re in good hands with Hemmy.  I’ll be quick.” She watched him walk off with Megan and Mackie.

“How are you feeling?” Hemsworth asked.

“I’m ok.  I actually got to sleep last night.” Kate said, turning to look up at the tall Australian.

“Evans gushes about you and the baby non-stop.”

She laughed. “So I’ve heard.”

“We’re all really excited about it.  He’s going to be such a great dad.  We’re all really excited to get to know you, too.”

“That’s so sweet.  You and your wife just had twins, right?”

“We did!  They’re almost two years old now.”

“Congratulations.  That must be terrifying.”

Hemsworth laughed. “It was a bit of a shock at first, but we absolutely love it.”

“I’m sure it’s fun being outnumbered.”

“You’ll find out eventually, I’m sure.”

“Oh, we, uh…. We haven’t talked about that.”

“Oh god, I’m sorry.  Please, ignore me.  I talk too much.”

“No.  It’s ok. Really!  I mean, I’ve known that Chris wants kids plural.  I am a fan of his and I’ve seen his interviews.  I think you guys did one for Age of Ultron talking about him wanting kids after babysitting yours.”

“Good memory.”

“It’s just that…. Well, this one was kind of a shock, so I haven’t even thought about anything past this one.”

“I’m sorry.  Evans said that it wasn’t planned.  I just stuck my foot in my mouth.  I hope you’re not offended.”

“I’m not.  Really, I’m not.”

“Just the way he talks about you and the future….” Hemsworth shrugged sheepishly. “Topic change?”

“Sure!”

“Are you excited about going to the premiere later this week?”

“I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be.  You’ll have a blast.  I won’t lie and say the first time isn’t intimidating, but once you get over the initial insanity of it all, it’s actually quite fun.”

“Will you be there?”

“No.  Thor didn’t get invited to the war.  Besides, I’ve got press to do for this movie.”

“Hey, how do you handle people wanting to know every detail about you?”

“Deflection.  You give them just enough to think they’re actually getting something juicy, but in reality it’s just something they already know just rephrased.”

“I have no idea how to do that.”

Hemsworth laughed. “Honestly, I have no idea either. My wife gets annoyed with me sometimes because I think I always manage to give too much away.”

“I’m really glad I’m not a celebrity.  I don’t know how you guys can do interview after interview with the same questions.”

“Oh, that’s easy.  The more bored I get as the interviews go along, the more insane my answers get.  I kind of feel sorry for the reporters at the end of the day because they’re just getting complete bullshit out of me.”

Kate laughed. “Chris told me he gets kind of crazy at the end of junkets, too.”

“Marvel stopped letting us interview together because we were just the worst.”

“It’s true.” Megan said, joining the conversation. “I got so many calls about the shit that came out of them, I could’ve wrung their necks for it.”

“I’d say I’m sorry, but it was too much fun.”

“Thanks, Hemsworth.” Megan laughed. “Chris is just finishing up and he’s got to go do his intro.  If you want to watch, there’s a green room we can go to.” “I was heading there, too.” Hemsworth said. “I’ve got to meet up with Charlize and Jessica.”

“Can I go to the bathroom first?” Kate asked.

“Again?  You just went when we got here.” Megan said.

“She’s pregnant, Megan.” Hemsworth chastised. “She can’t help it.”

“Right.  Sorry. Come on.  There’s a bathroom in the green room.”

“Thanks.” Kate said. Hemsworth fell into step next to Kate and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Told you I would protect you.”

“Thor to the rescue.”

“Always, fair maiden.”

Megan led them into the building that housed a large, plush area that was also filled with celebrities.  She pointed out the restrooms and promised to be waiting right outside the doors.  Hemsworth told Kate he wouldn’t leave the room until he’d gotten to see her again before heading off to join his castmates.

“Have you seen her yet?” A voice asked as two women walked into the bathroom.  Kate had just gotten settled on the toilet.

“Yes.” The other woman said. “Clearly she got pregnant on purpose to keep him around.”

“You think?”

“I mean, why else would he choose to stay with someone so fat and pathetic?  She looks like she’s going to burst out of that dress at any moment like a can of biscuits.  It’s gross.”

“I don’t know.  She’s kind of cute.”

“Please!  She’s a complete stalker.  There’s no way they met by chance.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you actually believe she was just there on vacation by herself?  Who even does that?  That’s just sad.  She totally went to Boston to stalk her celebrity crush and managed to fool him into sleeping with her.  Now she’s got him trapped playing house.” Kate felt like she’d been hit with a ton of bricks.  They were talking about her.  She peeked through the slit in the stall door to see if she could tell who the women were.

“You sure you’re not just mad that you didn’t think of it first?”

“I would never allow myself to get pregnant to keep a man.  I’m not desperate like that.  That’s just over-the-top, trailer-park trash skanky.”

“Well, he’s with her now.  What can you do about it?”

“I was actually hoping to run into him tonight. See if I can’t get him to scratch an itch one more time, if you know what I mean.”

“You two were definitely hot together.”

“You have no idea.  I bet he’s so bored with the porker that he needs some excitement in his life.  You know, I almost regret breaking it off with him.”

“Why did you?”

“I got bored.  Besides, he was starting to talk about marriage and I just wasn’t feeling that.  I will say that the thing I regret most about the breakup is giving up the sex.  He is great in bed.” The woman laughed harshly. “How the hell he can find where to stick it in all that fat is beyond me.  Seriously, how did that cow get him to sleep with her?  And who does she think she is coming here with him?”

“You’re just mad he never brought you anywhere.” Megan’s voice said suddenly.

“Megan!”

“Finally dumping your fame hungry ass was the greatest thing Chris ever did, Minka.”

“Fuck you too, twerp.” Minka and her friend stormed out of the bathroom.

Kate felt her face getting hotter as tears fell down her cheeks.  The woman talking shit about her was Chris’ ex-girlfriend, Minka Kelly.

“Kat?” Megan called softly.

Kate didn’t answer as she felt her throat constrict with overwhelming emotions.  The things Minka had said were vile and hurtful.  Kate tried her hardest to not let others’ opinions of her bother her too much, but to hear someone discuss her private life and be so vicious towards someone they didn’t even know was awful.  And there was a little voice in the back of her head that wondered if it was all true.  Had she trapped Chris because she wouldn’t have an abortion?

“Kat, I know you’re in here.” Megan said.  Kate sighed and got up off the toilet.  She adjusted her dress and walked out. “Oh, Kat, I’m so sorry.  Minka is such a bitch.” “Clearly.” Kate spat.

Megan handed her a tissue. “Please don’t listen to her.  Chris adores you.”

“I don’t stack up to her, Megan.  I don’t stack up to any of the people in his life here. We’ve been living in this little bubble and I forgot for a while, but being here…. Seeing these people…. Seeing her…. What the hell am I doing here?”

“You’ve got it all wrong, Kat.  They don’t stack up to you. Trust me.  I’ve been with Chris a long damn time and I’ve seen them all. Minka may be pretty on the outside, but she’s an ugly person on the inside.  She’s just jealous.” Megan hugged Kate tightly. “Seriously, she was the absolute worst thing on the planet for Chris.  She’s a fame whore.  She jumps to an ‘it’ guy and rides his coattails until the next ‘it’ guy comes along. Chris actually thought they had something, but she was just leading him on.  He finally realized it the second time they dated and he dumped her.”

“What about all the others?”

“There’s really not that many, Kat.  And trust me, none of them have what you have.”

“And what is that?”

“Chris’ heart.  Seriously, that man is head over heels for you in a way he’s never been before.”

“You didn’t hear what she said, Megan.”

“Not all of it, but I heard enough.  I’m so sorry, Kate.  This is all my fault.  I got distracted and completely missed her coming in here.  I should’ve headed her off.” Kate glanced at herself in the mirror and groaned. “Don’t worry about it.  Chris should be done and we can leave now.  He doesn’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to.  I just want to go home.”

“Ok.  We can definitely do that.”

Megan helped Kate clean her face up as best she could.  It was clear that Kate had been crying, but at least her mascara wasn’t running down her cheeks anymore.  When she finally felt presentable, she followed Megan out of the bathroom. Glancing around, she spotted Chris talking to Minka across the room.  Her hand was on his bicep and she was laughing at something he said.  Kate’s stomach dropped and fresh tears welled in her eyes.

“Fuck me.” Megan snapped emphatically.  Lucky for her, Hemsworth was nearby. “Hey, Chris, can you take Kate to where they’re keeping the cars?  She’s not feeling great.  I need to go get Chris.”

“Of course!” Hemsworth walked over and wrapped an arm around Kate’s shoulders. “Come on, sweetheart.  Let’s get you out of here.”

“Thank you.” Kate said, her voice wobbling as she tried to fight back the tears.

“Pregnancy sickness is no joke.  I’m sorry it’s ruined your night.” He rubbed her arm affectionately. “Evans will get you home and you’ll feel better in no time.”

“Thanks.”

Hemsworth got them to the loading area and let the valet there know that Kate was with Chris Evans.  The valet rushed off to get the driver out there quickly.  Kate was having a hard time keeping the tears at bay and now her morning sickness was actually trying to rear its ugly head. Thankfully the car got there quickly and Hemsworth helped her in, telling her he hoped she felt better soon.

Inside the green room, Megan marched over to Chris and Minka. “Seriously?” She snapped at the tall brunette. “You seriously have the nerve to walk over here and talk to him after all that?”

“Whoa, Megan!  What’s going on?” Chris asked.

“Kate was in the bathroom while your ex-bitch here talked shit about her.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know she was in there.” Minka said, her tone implying that she didn’t care Kate had heard everything.

“Who the fuck cares if you didn’t know?” Megan snapped. “You don’t know her and you have no claim on Chris, so you shouldn’t even be opening your mouth.  The things you said about her were fucked up.”

“Seriously?” Chris growled.

“It’s not my fault if she can’t handle people talking about her.” Minka defended. “I was just repeating what I’ve heard. Maybe she shouldn’t have set her sights on someone so out of her league if she can’t take people talking about her.”

“Watch your fucking mouth.”

“After all I meant to you, you’re going to speak to me like that over her?”  

“You mean absolutely nothing to me.  Kate means everything to me!  Try spreading that shit around instead of the bullshit you’re spewing.”

“Chris….”

“We’re done here.  Stay away from me and my family.  Megan, let’s go.” Chris turned and marched off with Megan rushing to keep up. They passed Hemsworth on the way and he let them know Kate was already in the car.  Chris picked up his pace and practically ran to the car.  Kate was sitting in the back trying not to hyperventilate. “Oh, babe, I am so fucking sorry.” Chris wrapped Kate in his arms and she began to sob. “Please don’t let her get to you.  Please, baby.  She’s a piece of shit.” Kate couldn’t say anything.  She was too overcome with hurt and anger and it wasn’t helping her keep her morning sickness at bay.  Megan ordered the driver to pull over and Kate barely made it out of the car before she was sick on the side of the interstate.

 *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Chris laid beside Kate and watched her sleep in the darkness.  He didn’t know exactly what Minka had said.  Kate hadn’t been coherent as they drove home and she had decided to just go to bed when they got to their house.  Lisa had tried to get her to talk while she’d helped her clean up and get into her shirt and shorts, but Kate just hadn’t felt like talking.

He reached over and placed his hand on her stomach, hoping to feel the baby move. “Did I trap you, Chris?” Her voice startled him.  He thought she’d been deep asleep.  

Then the meaning of her words hit him. “What?”

She pushed his hand away from her. “I did, didn’t I?  Because I wouldn’t have an abortion, you felt obligated to stay with me.”

“I think you forgot about the two months before we found out….”

“I’m sorry, Chris.  I’m sorry for invading your life.  It’s not what I meant to happen.”

“Stop it.”

“But it’s true!  You were living your life and then I just showed up and….”

“Made everything brighter.  You made my world better, Kat.”

“How did I do that?  I said from the beginning that I’m nothing special.”

“And I said from the beginning that you are extraordinary.  You haven’t done anything to prove me wrong.”

“The things she said…. Are people really saying that about me?”

“Who gives a shit?  Nothing anyone says is going to change how I feel about you.”

“I’m just a nobody fangirl who met the celebrity she adored and fooled him into loving her.”

“Is that how you really feel?  Or is that a conditioned response?”

“Conditioned response?”

Chris sat up and turned the bedside lamp on. “Kat, your father spent years making sure that you felt like you were never going to be good enough.  You spent years in therapy trying to recondition yourself to think otherwise, but you’re going back to that old way of thinking right now.  Do you remember what you said to me in Boston when I was worried about people being mean to you?  You were so confident in yourself then.  You said that you had heard it all about yourself and it wasn’t going to bother you.  Where did that Kat go?” “She was wrong.  It does bother me.”

“Why?” “Because my father was right.  I’m not good enough, Chris!  I’m not good enough to be your partner.  I’m not good enough to….”

“Stop it!”

“Look at how I reacted tonight!  That’s not how someone in a relationship with Chris fucking Evans should react to anyone talking shit about her.”

“How should she react?”

“She should have walked out of that stall and told Minka to go fuck herself.”

“And why didn’t she?”

“Because I’m not her!  I just sat there and listened to it and I didn’t stand up for myself because I feel like maybe she was right.  Maybe I did trap you because I wouldn’t have an abortion.”

“Take your pass.”

“What?”

“Take your pass.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m giving you a hormone pass.  Take it.”

“You think this is just hormones?”

“I know this is just hormones.  Baby, you had a rough night and you’re allowed to feel shitty, but I need you to take the hormone pass and come back to me, ok?”

“Chris….”

“Take the hormone pass, damn it!”

She blinked at him for a moment. “Ok!  I take the hormone pass!”

“Thank you.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I love you, too.” Chris stopped for a moment and stared at her.  He seemed to come to some conclusion and smiled to himself. “Kathleen Amelia Allen, I love you.  It is insane how much I love you.”

“Sometimes I really believe that insane part.”

He reached over and pulled out a little wooden box from the nightstand on his side of the bed.  He opened it to reveal a beautiful and unique engagement ring sitting in dark blue velvet.  The white gold ring was an art deco style with a European cut diamond set in a square-shaped halo of French cut sapphire accents.  A pear-shaped natural sapphire sat on either side of the square. “Kat, I bought this in Savannah after I left Richmond.  I bought this only three weeks after we met.  I was wandering through town waiting for you to get off work so I could call you and I saw this in the window of an old antique shop.  It just screamed your name.  I walked in and bought it because I knew one day, I wanted to give it to you.  I bought it well before I knew you were pregnant.  I’ve carried it with me everywhere I go since that day just waiting for the perfect moment.”

“You think me having a mental breakdown because your ex said some nasty things about me and made me realize how big and different your world actually is, is a perfect moment?”

“Uh…. Actually….” His resolve wavered for a moment, but he pushed it aside and continued on. “Yes.” He wove the fingers of his free hand with one of hers. “Kat, I have never in my life felt about anyone the way I feel about you.  Now is the perfect moment for you to understand that.  You didn’t trap me.  I’m exactly where I was meant to be and I’m asking you to be there with me, too. I’m asking you to marry me.” Kate opened and closed her mouth a few times, not finding the right words to come out. “I’m going to set this right here,” Chris kissed her hand and leaned over her to set the open ring box on her nightstand. “You don’t have to answer me tonight.  Or tomorrow. Or the next day, or the day after that…. But the question is there to be answered when you’re ready to answer it, ok?” She nodded. “Let’s go to sleep now?” Kate nodded again, laying on her side and letting Chris spoon against her back.

Tag List

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[girlinparis]

Why is Peaky Blinders such a successful show…? 5 reasons why you should watch the BAFTA-awarded series with your man

… Because it’s a game changer in the gangster TV/movie scene

Most certainly is Peaky Blinders well-written, with good music, and picturesque characters (and an amazing casting) but above all it’s a story that can please both a male and female audience – and that is a novel and fresh approach to such shows, and an industry game changer. Making it completely relevant on Netflix platform, where couples binge-watch series together. The Peaky Blinders contains all the ingredients of a perfect gangster’s series’ recipe: ambition, illegal businesses (at first at least), guns, violence, sex, love, booze, drugs. Most of gangsters’ series and movies are usually written for a male audience, but Peaky blinders balances muscles and testosterone-y action scenes with the most romantic and tragic love story, while delivering insights into female empowerment in business and politics in early 20th century. To me, it’s a first to be inclusive of a female audience in the gangsters filming industry.

… Because violence is made bearable

Usually, in gangster movies, violent scenes can be quite dreadful to a female audience, the bleeding bodies and pieces of flesh being filmed with the utmost crudity and realism. But in Peaky Blinders, they are choreographed like music clips, supported by a great soundtrack, and filmed in slow motion, making the most violent head knockings, face cuttings and shootings completely bearable among women.

… Because the lead character – Tommy Shelby – is absolutely fascinating

Usually gangsters portraited in movies are strong, violent, raging characters, toughened up by large amount of booze, drugs and testosterone – mostly created to be thrilling among a male audience in fast-paced action movies. Think about the typical male archetype from Scarface, Goodfellas, The Godfather and the likes, either the brawn or the smart guys, they can kill in cold blood, their anger and violence towards either male or female know no limit, and they show no remorse or regrets. Most of the times, the lead character is not particularly handsome nor filmed in a way that would pay tribute to his most flattering features. To add credibility to the character, he usually has sharp face features, strong jaw lines, and thick eyebrows (and dark hair), all typical attributes of strength and power (clichés live long). Not the typical romantic and sensitive lover to please the ladies! We’ve seen many gangsters in the movies that we wouldn’t particularly have wanted to fall in love with, considering how they end up treating their wives.

But Tommy Shelby is a bad guy with an angel’s face – no doubt Cillian Murphy is perfectly casted for the role. His face features are so soft – they were even softer when he was younger, with his pale delicate face, high cheekbones, and sharp crystalline blue eyes, that us women immediately feel like sympathizing with him and loving him.

The whole filming crew had to sharpen his features to make him more credible as a gangster, though. In some movies, Cillian looks so feminine or the most unremarkable handsome man, that they had to give him an edge. That’s why the idea of the severe Peaky hair cut is so brilliant. Not only does it make him look more manly and tough (remember him walking up Small Heath’s central alleyway, with his long coat and cap pulled so deeply down just over his ears), but it gives him an attitude – framing his silhouette. Surely has the perfectly fitted, tailored suit also something to do with it – OMG, don’t start me on this…And when Tommy removes his cap, his smaller than average eye orbits and high cheekbones – typical female attributes, are much more visible making him even more lovable.

With this haircut, his face is a perfect mix of male and female attributes, which we consider the most remarkable beauty at an era where gender identity is blurred and redefined. The filming also has to do with it – when the camera does a close up on his upper face and eye area, where you see him absorbed in his thoughts or negotiating fiercely with an enemy. Although what he thinks or says is tough, cruel, unfair, inhumane in some cases (sending Grace or Lizzie off to a man), you cannot think of him as evil, or hate him because he is so handsome (ah, the magical power of blue eyes). Which truly questions our way of distinguishing the good from the bad…Those are definitely grey areas. What if Thomas Shelby had been ugly? Would we sympathize as much with his character? If he didn’t have Cillian’s angel face, how lovable would he be? Cillian’s face is instrumental to the credibility and success of Tommy Shelby’s character – so much that they have almost become as one (in our candid binge-watchers’ fantasy).

… Because this is the story of a redemption rather than a fall

Tommy Shelby is a complex character. He is a conflicted bad guy looking for redemption.In most gangsters’ movies, the bad guy comes from a poor and lower-class background, has strong ambitions, and reaches a summit before he falls back to his original condition. Because he is not able to change his morality, he remains fundamentally a bad guy.

On the contrary, Tommy Shelby is a bad guy who deeply wants to become a good guy, and although he has good moral intentions – see his determination to build a legit business, he always ends up doing bad things. So is Arthur Shelby. Very interesting to see how these heroes are tortured and self-conflicted. Once again, the voice of Cillian Murphy is marvellous at expressing this duality: he has a deep voice, confident and self-assured, that turns out to be broken or hoarse when he gets emotional (remember how he says “already broken” in S1E2, after Grace warns him about how she’s going to break his heart – OMG, my stomach is still shaking, just thinking about it). Acknowledging and shedding light on the emotions and frailty of his hero characters, Steven Knight depicts such modern male heroes. At the same time, redemption never comes. Tommy always fails to be good in the end, but there is hope in his journey because he is such a resilient character – also a modern-day value.

… Finally, because Peaky presents a modern and (relatively) progressive vision of male-female relationships

Not only is Tommy Shelby a war hero, a powerful and secretive businessman that never goes soft or shows his weaknesses to his many enemies, an ambitious breadwinner on whose shoulders rely the comfort and security of his whole family, but he is also a romantic, sensitive, and progressive male character. Making room for women in executive positions in his business, negotiating with female union leaders (Jessie Eden) or female Russian aristocrats (as they are the ones in charge), and even comforting his child at night to let his wife rest (talk about gender equality!) – certainly Steven Knight is taking liberties with early 20th century war heroes and businessmen, and extrapolates to make this show definitely 21st century. In a century where male and female archetypes are redefined, and male and female attributes are blurred and shuffled to forge new identities, it is very delighting to see these micro-changes in a gangsters’ TV series, giving us hope for tomorrow’s society. Unlike gangsters from the 20th century, Tommy Shelby would never beat up a woman, and considers the women he is dealing with on equal footing. At a subconscious level, and beyond the entertainment, there is an underlying message that could urge the typical male audience to change their behaviour towards women and start considering them equal in both life and business. 

Thank you Steven, Cillian, Helen, Paul, and all the Peaky Blinders’ crew that made this show possible!

#cillian murphy #peaky blinders #female empowerment #beautiful actors #best British shows

[neshabeingchildish]

Poly, Wanna? Ch. 12

Since Tumblr is experiencing things... Idek if anybody will be able to see this. @chenoahchantel @adorkable-blackgirl @henry-p-fart @up-the-tube

I haven’t done this in a while, or for her yet, but I wanted to dedicate this chapter to lil’ mama Lizzie. Thank you for being a lil’ goofball source of goodness on a daily basis. Thanks for the group chat. I’m the oldest human there, but it’s such a good collection of good kiddos. 

Home

"Hi. I know that we can't really discuss the nature of the other work for the show but this confessional seat is pretty much where I've been laying down my burdens so that's what's going to happen today. I think I finally realized something about the workforce. One of the reasons that I haven't been able to stay in the labs, that I haven't been able to put up with a lot of the crap that they expect you to put up with..  I feel like it's mundane and not very direct results. Sure something that I work on right now may help somebody one day, but whenever I work here whatever mark that I did, helped someone THAT day. I was having adventures and making a difference in a pretty regular basis and the entire time, I was simply trying to get a paycheck and also help others. Now, the help that I give others is a slow process and the journey includes pompous, pretentious dudes that insist that they're better, smarter, and more experienced than you, therefore, you don't even always get approved to do the work that you COULD do. When I worked here, my supervisor encouraged me to test things out and he admitted that I'm smarter than him. I've been smarter than everyone that I've ever worked under… but Schwoz is the only person who's ever validated that fact. Whenever I worked here, it was like a family. It was a community. Out in my fields of study, it's always a competition and I'm always clipped at the knees while the big name boys get their headstarts, their funding, their approvals, their awards and recognition… but, I'm a grown woman. I have to decide if I wanna push harder and drain myself just to catch up with them, or stay out of the way. 

Singing in nightclubs and serving drinks isn't beneath me, but my parents are right about one thing… it isn't what I worked so hard for all of these years. So I could give up on my years of studying and work and just find something that I'm passionate about, or work hard to be the best, even on an unfair playing field..  but in the meantime I will be settling back in here. I just feel so at home…" 

Whenever Captain Man and Mr. Feelgood came down the tubes, Charlotte was in the control panel, with Schwoz behind her, talking. "And if I had access to it, my research would make him look like the 20th century scientific charlatan that he is!"

"I support this!" Schwoz cheered.

Henry leaned over the two of them. "What's going on?"

"Charlotte's going to use my resources to stick it to the Man!" Schwoz said. 

Captain Man wondered, "What did I do, now?"

"The industry, Ray. You’d be surprised to learn that even in the scientific community, where everyone is there to further humanity with knowledge, truth and solutions, a lot of them are grossly prejudiced and oppressive,” Schwoz said, thinking about his own run ins with American scientists who felt like he knew less because they weren’t familiar with his country or his accent.

“I wouldn’t be surprised that people who went into the kind of work that was advanced at the violation of numerous enslaved African peoples and their descendants, not to mention several Jewish people and other marginalized groups who have been used as lab rats and sometimes still aren’t given viable scientific solutions to their needs,” Captain Man said, with a shrug.

Feelgood raised an eyebrow and wondered, “What have YOU been reading?”

Captain Man answered, “This bizarre story about me that for some reason had all of these science facts in it. I didn’t really get it, but the photos were GREAT!” Feelgood noticed Charlotte hiding a smile and he just HAD to know more, but needed to blow this bubble first and get comfortable.

When he was Henry again, he beckoned to Ray with a hand, “Alright, Dude. Let me see this story you speak of.”

Ray pulled out his phone and showed Henry an archive. It took Henry all of 15 seconds to realize that these were simply scientific and social justice essays that somebody had peppered in numerous photos of “The Most Handsome Man in Swellview EVER” and given titles such as, “Scientific Racism is an Ugly Part of Our Practices, But Ray Manchester is the Opposite of Ugly.” “This is interesting. It seems like the kind of thing to have a niche market of JUST YOU.” Henry told him.

“I follow it,” Charlotte and Schwoz both said. Schwoz with a shrug, as thought he OBVIOUSLY would follow such a thing. Charlotte, with a smile, because Henry knew good and damn well that these were her words. She added, “Along with Miss Shapen, Nurse Cohort, Mrs. Dunlop, YOUR MOM…” She listed off subscribers. “Piper hate follows to put things in the comments like, “I once saw him fuss with a squirrel and taunt it by saying, ‘I’ve got some nuts for you to choke on!’ which, in 3 years’ time is still the top comment on any of the posts.”

Ray groaned, “I would be insulted, but I got several ‘Do you have any nuts for me to choke on?’ messages, so Piper lost again.” He finished with a smile and headed to the auto snacker for a bucket of fries.

“Why would someone do this?” Henry asked, trying to hand Ray his phone back, but eventually gave up because of the huge size of fries and just stuck it in his pocket.

“Maybe, someone knew that there are certain people who would only be willing to receive information from such a source,” Charlotte said. 

*Holds up photograph of Ray. “Basically, if you ever want Ray Manchester to pay attention to something, the best way is to put his photo onto it. It started as an experiment, to be honest. I was trying to do a paper on narcissism for a psychology credit, and was using him as a study. But, then, I realized that I could actually get him to LEARN THINGS that I would have had to either accept that he never would or browbeat into him in the past. Now, Ray can recite to you statistics of scientific racism and how the medical field still fails minorities to this day, among other very important topics that his brain might have previously shut out.”

*Ray speaking. “Everything as harmless as poor lighting and unflattering makeup selections while on screen, to things as dangerous as not being able to detect signs of skin cancer in brown skinned patients! Right there, next to my smiling face and luxurious skin!” *Shakes his head. “I can probably trust a makeup artist or a doctor to take care of me, but Charlotte and her really hot mom might not!” *Shakes his head. “This world. It’s ugly. But you know who’s not? This guy.” *Holds up an article with the title: This World, It’s Ugly. But You Know Who’s Not? This Guy, with a photo of a young Ray in a horse sweater. “I don’t know where this person gets all of these photos, (*whispers) but they’re all perfect.”

.

Jasper and Charlotte had discussed the letters from Henry and she decided that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to read them, but told Jasper that if he felt the need to do so, he should. She and Henry were getting along pretty well and she worried that reading things that she had decided to try to move past might damage that and stir up strife and trauma that she wasn’t interested in. “If I were to say that I’m not curious about what Henry had to say for apparently 467 days, that would be an enormous lie. But, I’m also terrified of what finding out some of that might do to us. Jasper thinks that it needs to be done now, while everything is still new and fresh and it can’t hurt later. But… It can’t hurt later if he just burns them now, either.” *Shrugs her shoulders.

Charlotte still had leave of absence time from the doctor, even though she was fine, thanks to Schwoz. So, whenever Jasper and Henry were away, she was usually making herself pretty much at home and making the space a little more compatible with her. They hadn’t talked moving in together or anything, but… she hadn’t left yet and Jasper kept bringing more of their things over with each night that they spent there. She would chill in the Man Cave with Ray and Schwoz, work on her project that Schwoz was helping out with and back him up whenever the heroes got an alert. But, if Jasper was available, she spent her free time with him. And if the three of them were free, they spent that time together. The only times that she was with Henry alone was at night, when Jasper was bartending, on those nights that Swellview didn’t need their hero.

That was when the conversation came up again, “Are you ever gonna read them?” He wondered. She tensed up at the question, but blinked shortly afterwards and stared at him. He had been giving her a pedicure (since hers hadn’t gotten done at the spa that day) and he still felt bad about that. Plus, he had hella products for that at home. Between the two of them - her holistic healthcare and organic, natural, DIY beauty care, and his high maintenance grooming and wellness… This place was an apothecary, pharmacy, spa, gym… He’d even started making certain that he got handcrafted beers shipped in, since he knew that was what Jasper preferred to drink and he really wanted both of them to kinda… never wanna leave.

“How important is it to you that I read those letters? Are they worth my current peace of mind? Are they worth our current connection?” She asked.

He squeezed her foot affectionately and kissed it, “Nothing is worth that. I just didn’t know it NOT reading them would possibly risk that as well, perhaps?”

She sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not crazy about change. Things are already in the process of changing, but this change seems good. Do you think that whatever I read there would be a change for the better? Would it improve what is already happening, in any way? Or, do you just want me to have to know what you were going through while I was going through what I was going through, because I refused to grant you that attention whenever I was going through it?” Her foot was rested against his chest and he was stroking it lovingly, absentmindedly. She pulled it away gently and she shrugged his shoulders. “Well, when you can answer me that, I can answer your question. For right now, the answer is that I don’t want to do it. I can’t see how it would help anything.”

“I respect that.”

“I actually hate it.” - Henry

.

Jasper got home anywhere from 3-4:30 am, depending on how busy the lounge was or how much cleaning up he had to do. Usually, whenever he got home, Charlotte was asleep. Henry had a habit of waiting up for him. It was hard for him to sleep whenever he didn’t know that Jasp was home safe and staying awake made him less tired than interrupted sleep did. Charlotte sometimes slept in her bed, whenever she wanted to be immersed in her sleeping experience, unbothered and Jasper would join her whenever he got home. (His room was currently where he and Charlotte’s clean, but not folded laundry and other unpacked stuff was being stored. They lived in her room and visited Henry’s as frequently as though it were their own. 

His favorite nights were those when Charlotte didn’t necessarily want to be alone and slept in his bed. He still waited up for Jasper, but sometimes, she cuddled against him and went to sleep on him while he waited and played video games or watched something. Whenever Jasper would get home, Henry would be ready for bed and Jasper would generally wash up and come into bed, being the one who got to decide their placement for the night. Would he be in the middle? Would Henry? Would Charlotte? Whatever he chose, Henry was always happy, because they were both still there. 

Then there were the times that they were all home at night and got to settle into bed together! Rarely did one of the others suggest just going to their own room tonight, if all of them were there. They just went into Hen’s like it was the most natural thing in the world for all of them to be in bed together, sleeping and cuddled up - some nights just awake, talking in the candlelight until someone fell to sleep first and the other two gushed over them quietly. 

Actually, now that Henry thought about it… he had a different type of favorite night. Those nights whenever he had to leave for a mission before anybody went to bed, or when nobody else was there, and he came home, tired, weary, sore, etc… and they were both waiting for him. Either awake and worried because the mission seemed serious, or asleep in his bed, figuring that they would have been alerted if it had been something to worry about. 

Whenever he came home from a night of work and soothed away his pain and problems in a hot shower, knowing that within moments he could lay his head on a pillow or a person that he loved very much… ugh. Priceless.

.

Henry came into the dining room, from sessions in his office, to find Jasper at the table, with his letters, doing something with them. He didn’t want to interrupt… But, he appeared to possibly be destroying them and it was reflexive. “What are you doing?” He snapped. Jasper jumped and was clearly startled and taken back for a moment. Henry noticed, felt terrible, and calmed down. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Softer, he wondered, “What are you doing, there?”

Jasper’s hands shook a little and he set a letter down in a stack, face down and said with a low voice, “Organizing these for Charlotte.”

“What do you mean organizing? They were dated and in order. Did you like drop the stack, or something?”

“No, Henry. I didn’t. I thought that you said these belonged to us, now?”

“I did. They do. I’m just curious.”

“If you must know, I’ve separated them into categories. These are angry. These are sad. These are blunt and realistic. These are the ones that are the sweetest. They’re going into this scrapbook that I’m making for Charlotte. These other ones are going to be possibly shelved, possibly explored at her convenience. She’ll likely want to get into a certain headspace, cleanse them of their energy and ground herself before attempting to look at them. I don’t want her triggered whenever she tries to!” His voice got louder as he explained, until he was almost yelling. He rolled his eyes at Henry and began to collect his stuff.

“Where are you going?”

“Where you aren’t gonna come fussing at me just because Charlotte’s not around.”

“That’s not what I… Jasper, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I was fussing. Thank you for doing this. It’s so thoughtful and sweet. Charlotte is lucky to have you.”

“Yep,” Jasper said, angrily and kept going.

“Where is she, anyway?” 

“In the Man Cave. Go spin this however you need to.”

“I’m not…” Henry rubbed his eyes, frustrated as Jasper went into his room and slammed the door. 

“I can only guess that he recently read Day 273 recently…”

*Jasper taking deep breaths and clenching the air in front of his face to strengthen and center himself, then clears his throat. “Day 273. Dear Charlotte, I feel like I shouldn’t write that I love you anymore. I feel like I maybe should stop this altogether. Jasper and I are getting closer than I expected and it is starting to scare the hell out of me. I found myself wishing that I had you around to talk to about it. I found myself questioning if I was moving on from you and wondering if I should. Jasper is great. He’s everything right in the world and he seems to be really into me. I wish that I could love him, but I feel like I’d be betraying you again. Which… That’s hella stupid, right? We’re fucking. That’s betrayal, right? Or, is it okay, because I never really had feelings for him? He told me that he loves me recently. I told him that I love him too. I didn’t mean it like that, but I didn’t really wanna get into it. I would feel so much better if I thought that I could have your blessing. I know that it hurts him the way that I never quite let him in, but I can’t help it. It always feels like he’s trying to take your place, but I don’t want anybody else to take that place. Not even Jasper. I care about him, but… He’s just not you, never will be, and I don’t know if I could ever see him the way he wants me to, because I don’t know how low that would be of a blow to you. He said that you’ve cut him out now, too. I guess after 3 months of fucking your ex he felt obliged to share that info with you. I already feel like you probably hate me more. If you didn’t feel some type of way about it, you wouldn’t have blocked him. You still care! And knowing that, I just… I can’t move on. I’m not gonna say that I love you anymore. But, I know that you care..” *Slams down the paper into the “blunt and realistic” stack.

Henry came to the Man Cave and Charlotte was looking at her phone, and seemingly about to go - wrapping things up with Schwoz. “Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?” He wondered. 

She sighed and shook her head, “I’m sorry, Henry. I have to go see about Jasper.”

“I figured. I just wanted to say…”

“Say it on the way, Dude. Booty Bear is having a meltdown. What happened?”

“I think it's the letters. One in particular…” Henry said and ran a hand through his hair. “There was a time, about six months in when I was thinking about giving me and Jasper an actual try and I wrote to you about it, but basically decided not to.”

“This is why I don’t really understand WHY those letters ever had to leave your goddamn possession!” She fumed and shook her head as they got on the elevator. “Why would ever hand him something like that?”

“I figured it was better for it to happen now than it come out later somehow and what happened with you happened with him, or with both of you. I… am trying to hard to get everything out in the open and clarified and comprehended. We can’t ever become, if we don’t deal with the shit.” He fought to not cry. The last time he cried when he didn’t have a right, it only pissed her off. He shook his head and whispered, “I almost fucking died. I still have scars from that night. I still have nightmares sometimes. And, even though I was hostage for all those hours and ultimately had to fucking kill someone…”He clenched his fists, “That wasn’t the worst part of the night.” He started laughing and turned to face the wall, because he knew that the tears were coming. 

“Hen…”

“No. Sorry… I just… Go, um… Go make sure he’s okay. Tell him I’m sorry and I love him, K?” She rubbed Henry’s chest and nodded, then pulled him in for a hug. The elevator doors opened and Jasper was standing there. He slumped his shoulders and sighed. Charlotte patted Henry on the back and got off to check on Jasper. Henry went back down.

“I coulda done without seeing that today,” Jasper admitted.

“Yeah. I coulda done without you actually reading those stupid letters, but Henry said something that made me… give pause. I’ve been thinking that this was so important to him because I never let him tell me how he felt. Do you think maybe it’s so important to him because now that he’s said it, he doesn’t want it to seem like secrets that he’s keeping from us? He doesn’t want another night like that night… and I never knew how bad it had been for him. I never gave him a chance to speak. I was so done that I didn’t even think about what he’d been through. I didn’t even weigh it out against what I was feeling. I was so hurt…”

“You had every right to be hurt. You had every right to feel how you felt and do what you did, Charlotte. And, you’ve had no real reason to give him another chance, but here we are, seemingly doing just that. We’re… in a relationship with him. You realize that, right? It’s like the one that I had with him, where shit is really not spoken about and a little unclear, but we all know good and goddamned well that it’s a thing that’s happening. I just… Do you think that I’m here because he wants you and he knows he has to have me as part of the package? Do you think that he… Do you think that he could ever love me anywhere near the level that he loves you?” Jasper’s eyes were watery.

“Yeah. I think that he does love you that much. I think that those letters are a part of his past. I think that how he hurt you is a part of your past. I think that my anger at him is a part of my past. They’re parts that we have to fucking figure out, J. But… They’re the past, still. He told me himself he’s sorry and he loves you. Look. Let’s do this… Let’s… take those letters that both of you have been obsessed with for the past couple of weeks and let’s just… figure out at least those parts together. The three of us. How does that sound?”

“You said that you didn’t want to do that. You didn’t want to stir up any bad emotions. I don’t want you to do that for me, Charlotte.”

“Well… I don’t want to do it, but I know that I have to. For us.”

He took her into a hug. “You’re always gonna love me, even if it turns out that he doesn’t, right? And if I feel heartbroken by that, you won’t be mad and me and will know that it doesn’t mean that I don’t love you, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay. Thank you. Henry snapped at me tonight and I just… I’d already been transported to that time with the letters and hearing him speak to me harshly just took me deeper in. He can’t talk to me like that.”

“He sure can’t and I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind about it, too! Then, we’re all gonna detox, okay?” Jasper nodded. She kissed him on the cheek and texted Henry.

Come home now. We all gotta talk.

#Poly Wanna #Nesha HD Fics #henry danger #henry hart #charlotte page #jasper dunlop #hd ot3

[lifeofkaze]

When Stars Ignite - Chapter 11

HPHM Rockstar AU

A/N: As always, the lovely KC (only in mention) belongs to the beautiful @kc-and-oc . Thank you for everyone holding my blushing little hand through this and listening to me whine about it. Also thank you for all the ones providing me with research information 👀. You know who you are! 💛

General Warning: This whole fic has a general warning of being NSFW / 18+. We will give specific warnings for every chapter in itself, but several adult themes will be more or less present in every chapter, may it be explicitly or in mention. These include sexual topics, drug abuse, (ab)use of alcohol, smoking and a whole lot of cursing.

Specific Warning: Langague, depiction of alcohol consumption, depiction of drug abuse, graphic depiction of explicit NSFW content - do NOT read if under the age of 18!

~~~

Find the masterpost here, the previous chapter here and the next one here. The songs featured before every chapter can be found on this pretty badass playlist here.

~~~

This work is a collaboration with @the-al-chemist

Taglist: @slytherindisaster @night-rhea @carewyncromwell

And we were trying different things

We were smoking funny things

Making love out by the lake to our favorite song

Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow

Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long

~ Kid Rock - All Summer Long ~

~ 10 months prior ~

It had been an unusually hot day, even for the middle of August. The heat hazes over the scalding hot streets were omnipresent, and people everywhere were trying to find some relief from the burning sun.

Lizzie loved every second of it.

She didn’t mind the high temperatures at all and relished the warmth on her skin as she stepped outside the old house in Kensington. It belonged to Ethan Parkin and Equinox had been keeping their rehearsal rooms in his converted cellar ever since Lizzie could remember.

They had just finished a long day of putting together the last details for their upcoming European tour. It had taken them all day until everyone had been satisfied with the results. Finally outside again, Lizzie intended to make the most out of the remaining hours of daylight.

It had suited her just fine when Orion had mentioned the poetry slam happening just around the corner of where he was living. He had invited all of them to come, but all except Lizzie had already made plans for the evening. Skye had wanted to come as well, but after receiving a text, she had abruptly changed her mind again.

So now it was only the two of them riding on the West Kensington tube station towards Gloucester Road. Orion was casually carrying a huge bag containing one of his guitars over his shoulder.

“Why are you taking that with you?” Lizzie asked him curiously. “You usually keep them in the rehearsal room.”

“Everything has its time, may it be little or large. The time of the strings on this guitar are almost over; I need to replace them,” Orion said. “I don’t have any suitable ones at the rehearsal room though. I’ll just drop the guitar off at home and we’ll be on our way again.”

They had just hopped onto the Circle Line that would take them to Notting Hill; Orion watched her from across his seat. “Why do you look so surprised?”

Lizzie tilted her head to one side. “In all these years, none of us has ever been at your place before. Except for Merula, of course,” she added matter-of-factly.

They were about to reach Notting Hill Gate and Orion motioned for her to get up. “Then it’s about time.”

They had to walk a bit from the tube station to the house where Orion was living. Although it took them about fifteen minutes to get there, Lizzie didn’t even notice. They passed through bustling streets, several of them lined with market stalls selling food and curious little trinkets. The colourful terraces and fronts that made Nottinghill so famous brightened Lizzie’s mood even further.

She and Orion were talking about all kinds of things, the band, the tour, the fact that Lizzie had never been to a poetry slam before; something, Orion told her, they would definitely need to change.

When they arrived at their destination, Lizzie dipped her head back and looked up at the brightly painted front of the old house. It was bigger than the ones surrounding it and Lizzie presumed it was made up of several flats.

“Are you coming?” Orion called over to her; he was waiting in the doorway, holding the door open for her.

Lizzie smiled as she followed him into the cool darkness of the stairwell. “I just thought this place fits you.”

He laughed softly as he climbed the stairs behind her. “What makes you think that?”

“It’s a mix of so many different things,” Lizzie explained, “traditional, but also free-spirited and unconventional, old-fashioned and modern at the same time; just like you.”

She heard Orion laugh again. “Well, if you think so.”

They walked right to the top floor, where two dark blue doors branched off the landing. Orion unlocked the one on the left and stepped aside to let her enter his flat first.

Lizzie found herself standing in one huge, sun-filled room; her eyes were immediately drawn to the big skylights in the bare brick walls through which the light was filtering in. It was a lot tidier than she would have expected from someone with as much creative energy as Orion. But even though the furniture was pretty minimalistic, the room seemed to breathe Orion’s energy.

Everywhere she looked Lizzie could see something that was so inherently him; a half-finished travel book on India, a bowl full of colourful crystals, a small dreamcatcher hanging over his bed in the far corner of the room. Almost every free surface was occupied by plants of all forms and sizes; they added a pleasant pop of colour to the otherwise neutral toned place.

Everything Orion needed on a daily basis seemed to be in the room Lizzie was standing in right now; the only thing she was surprised to notice was the total lack of anything to do with music. While she kept her main drum kit at their rehearsal room when they weren’t on tour, she had a smaller one over at her own place, as well as some other percussion and a guitar for when she felt like a change.

Her unasked question was answered when Orion walked past her into an adjacent room Lizzie hadn’t noticed before, his guitar still strung over his shoulder. Curious, she followed behind and had to chuckle when she saw the reason why there were no traces of Orion’s love for music in the main room.

The whole second room of his flat had been turned into some kind of home studio. All of their awards and golden records were hung on the walls, alternating with several old guitars. All of them seemed to be in pristine condition.

On Lizzie’s left side was a huge table that was littered with notebooks, plectrums and a simple switchboard she assumed Orion used for recordings. What piqued her interest was located on the other side of the room, however; all the instruments featured in their band were set up there, including a worn looking, blue drum kit, almost similar to the one she had at home for practising.

Lizzie smiled and stepped closer to it as Orion deposited his guitar on the worktable. She ran her hand over the floor tom, one of the horizontally mounted drums. Something about it felt oddly familiar.

“Do you remember it?”

Lizzie looked up from the drums and saw Orion leaning against the doorframe, watching her. “You should, it’s the one you used on our first tour. The label let me have it for practically nothing.”

The memory made her smile and she tapped her fingers against the slightly worn drum head in a quick, alternating rhythm. “Why am I not surprised at all that you’re using half of your place for making music?”

He mirrored her smile. “Passion is like a living thing, it needs room to breathe and be free if it wants to thrive. Did you think I made up all the instrument parts for our songs only in my head?”

Lizzie picked up one of the drumsticks and flipped it, laughing as she caught it again. “And your neighbours are okay with you running your one-man band up here?”

“So far, no one has complained,” Orion grinned before pushing himself off the wall. He motioned to her to follow him. “Come on, the studio’s great but I want to show you the best part of this place.”

She followed him back into the other room, where he led her to one of the huge skylights. Lizzie noticed the steep, rickety looking steps beneath it. Orion reached up and undid the latch before quickly climbing upwards and vanishing through the window.

When she didn’t follow immediately, his head popped back into view. “What’s wrong?”

Lizzie eyed the steps sceptically. “These don't look really trustworthy.”

Orion laughed and extended his hand to her. “Don’t you trust me?” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Or are you scared?”

“As if,” Lizzie snorted indignantly and climbed up after him, completely ignoring his offer for help.

Her momentary flare of stubborness died as quickly as it had come when she stepped past Orion and out onto a beautiful terrace, set back into the roof of the building. It wasn’t a particularly large space, but it was more than enough for a sunchair, a set of lounge chairs and a table. A huge parasol protected the area from the sun, but even so it was burning hot up here. The ground was laid with wooden floorboards and several chains of fairy lights and small lampions were fixed to the walls or wound about the railing of the sunshade.

Not one to be intimidated by the heat, Lizzie walked over to the wrought iron railing and leaned over it, admiring the breathtaking view stretching out in front of her. The skyline of London was glittering in the sunlight and she could make out the sea of green that was Kensington Gardens.

“Wow,” she breathed, “the view is fantastic.”

She heard Orion chuckle from somewhere behind her. “It is.”

Lizzie’s eyes fell to the many plant pots lining the length of the terrace. Like the plants inside, they added something peaceful to the atmosphere; she had never known Orion was so into gardening.

She ran her finger over the leaves of one of them. “Who’s taking care of these when we’re on tour?”

“My neighbour,” Orion answered, “she knows her way around plants. She is teaching botany at Queen Mary University.”

Lizzie had spotted a very familiar looking specimen with distinctly pinnate leaves. She turned to Orion with a grin. ��And your professor neighbour is alright with watering this illegal little fellow here?”

Orion laughed. “She’s very liberal on the matter, really. Where do you think I got it from?”

“All for scientific reasons, I presume.”

“It does open the mind to a new level of creativity,” Orion shrugged, making Lizzie laugh out loud.

“That sounds so much like you. No wonder I don’t get the lyrics half the time.”

Lizzie stepped back from the railing and wandered over to the sunchair. The heated surface bit into the bare skin of her legs as she lounged into it, but she enjoyed the warmth as soon as the initial pain subsided.

“I can definitely see why this is your favourite place,” she sighed, “I could just stay here all day.”

“The poetry slam doesn’t start for another hour,” Orion said, “and it’s not far from here, so we don’t have to go just yet. Do you want a drink or something?”

Lizzie turned her head and shaded her eyes with her hand. “I like the sound of that.”

***

One glass of ice cold white wine turned into two, and then turned into a number Lizzie couldn’t possibly remember anymore. The sun had long gone down and the poetry slam had started ages ago, but they were still sitting on Orion’s rooftop terrace with no intention of going anywhere anytime soon.

With the sun gone, the air had grown cooler; the floor and walls were heated by the day’s sun, but Lizzie had found herself hugging her bare knees, shivering just a little. Orion had gone back inside to bring her something to keep her warm; he had come back with a plain black hoodie that she had gratefully accepted. Orion was much taller than Lizzie was, however and so the sweater hung loose around her shoulders and went down past beneath her hips. Lizzie had to roll up the sleeves several times until her hands were free again, but she was glad for the extra warmth it provided.

It didn’t surprise her that Orion didn’t grow the weed plant out of sheer botanical interest; accompanying the wine, they were sharing a joint with a mixture he had created himself. Lizzie couldn’t tell if she was primarily drunk or high at this point, the only thing she knew was that she had never in her life seen anything so fascinating as the fairy lights reflected in her wine glass.

“Like teeny tiny fireflies,” she giggled as she twirled the glass between her fingers, delighted by the way the light sparkled in the cold drink.

“I think you’ve caught a bit too much,” Orion chuckled but handed her the joint back anyway. Although he had been wearing a very detached grin on his face for the last half an hour or so, he wasn’t nearly as giddy as Lizzie; but then again, he was probably much more used to smoking than she was.

“And besides,” he continued, holding his own glass up against the lights, “they’re clearly little stars; how can you not see that?” His face grew pensive. “A whole, tiny wine glass galaxy.”

“You’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” Lizzie declared firmly. She lounged deeper into her armchair and took a deep drag. She dipped her head back and slowly blew the smoke into the air; the way it made the lights hazy was really pretty. “And it’s called a teacup galaxy.”

“Aren’t we all galaxies in our own teacups, in one way or another?”

Lizzie hummed in response. “In that case, I’d actually prefer the wine glass.”

She closed her eyes and let the sensation of the cushions in her back envelope her for a moment. From somewhere in the neighbourhood music was drifting up to them; from what she could hear, it sounded tropical, Caribbean maybe. Her thoughts being deliciously hazy, Lizzie could just imagine not being on a rooftop in London, but on a beautiful beach somewhere far, far away.

She smiled to herself; there could be worse company on a tropical island than Orion. The smile turned into a smirk as she thought about the many different tattoos she knew were decorating his well-toned upper body; she could most definitely imagine having worse company.

Indulging the idea of lounging in the warm sand with a drink and the rushing of the waves in the air a few moments longer, a sudden thought struck her and she sat upright.

“I just had the most brilliant idea.”

Surprised by her unexpected outburst of energy, Orion almost dropped his glass. “I told you smoking broadens the mind,” he said after regaining his composure. “What is it?”

“We should so change our tour display. It’s boring.”

A mixture of intrigue and scepticism showing on his features, Orion tilted his head. “So your suggestion would be?”

Excited by her flash of genius, Lizzie placed her now empty glass on the table between them and leaned forward. “Two words: steel drums.”

Orion didn’t say anything for a moment, a crease forming on his forehead. Then, he broke into a dazzling smile. “That must be the best idea you’ve ever had.”

“I know, right? But it gets even better.”

“How could it get better than steel drums? More steel drums?”

Lizzie contemplated that possibility for a moment but discarded it quickly. “No, I don’t think so.” Her eyes lit up as she thought about her idea. “But you and Ev could totally play ukulele.”

Orion sighed. “Totally.”

A thought seemed to cross his mind. “But I’m not sure Ev can play the ukulele.”

Lizzie was dismayed by this. “I thought if you can play the guitar you can automatically play the ukulele.”

“If you want to call what Ev does playing.”

She had to snort with laughter at Orion’s dry tone. “We’ll just replace him with KC, she’s the prettier one anyway.” The thought of KC performing a hula dance on stage had her laugh even harder.

“There’s a problem though,” Orion broke her out of her entertaining thoughts.

“What’s that?”

“You can’t play the steel drums.”

“Who says that I can’t?”

“Well, can you?”

“I can learn,” Lizzie replied stubbornly. “How hard can that be? You only have one steel drum and I have... “ She frowned as she was trying and failing to envision her drum kit in her head. “How many drums do I have? I can’t remember.”

“More than one, in any case,” Orion laughed and extended his hand towards her empty glass. “You go think about that, and I’ll get you a refill.”

Lizzie was quicker though, snatching the glass out of his reach and getting up. “Don’t worry, I can go myself.”

She walked towards the skylight leading back into the flat but had underestimated the effect of both the drugs and the alcohol on her body. Shaking her head a little, Lizzie took a moment to steady herself.

Just when she thought she had found her balance again, her foot caught in the wire of one of the fairy lights. She stumbled forward with a jolt, ripping the plug right out of its socket and plunging a good portion of the rooftop into darkness.

Luckily for her, Orion didn’t feel the effects of their smoke as much as she did. His reaction time was still quick enough to catch her before she could hit the ground. She could hear the breath leaving his lungs as she collided with his chest; at least he was softer than the floorboards would have been.

He laughed as she straightened up again. “Careful, drummer girl, that was close.”

Lizzie tilted her head as she looked up at him curiously. “You’re close.”

Only now realising their position, Orion mumbled an apology and started to move away from her but Lizzie was quicker. She had already scrambled up onto the seat next to him, still feeling a little dizzy. Her feet were resting on the arm of the lounge chair, her legs lying draped across Orion’s thighs.

“No, it’s alright,” she giggled and leaned against him, “you’re more comfortable than my chair anyway.”

Leaning towards the table to retrieve Orion’s glass, Lizzie’ head started spinning again and she had to grip his shoulder for support. She was glad when she felt Orion’s arm come around her back for added support.

“And besides,” she held the glass up triumphantly before bringing it to her lips, “that way, it’s easier to share this.”

They were sitting like that for a while, Lizzie leaning against Orion’s chest, her head nestled into the crook of his neck, while he had his arms around her. The music she had been hearing earlier was still playing, faintly carrying up towards them. Lizzie had her eyes closed, alternating between listening to the upbeat melody and the calm rhythm of Orion’s heartbeat.

Now that she was relaxing, she became increasingly aware of the combined effects of the many glasses of wine and the spliff they had relit again. She felt as if she was floating through a haze on the soft sound of the steel drums, as if she could fly right into the night sky until she was surrounded by a glittering sea of stars.

The only thing anchoring her was Orion, the steady rising and falling of his chest, the ends of his hair brushing against her cheek when he moved, the touch of his fingers against hers when he handed her back the wine they were sharing.

Her head was spinning and she hooked her finger underneath one of Orion’s woven bracelets, as if the physical holding on to him could prevent the rooftop from revolving around her. The breathy sigh leaving her lips turned into a giggle.

“I don’t know what you’ve put in that stuff but, damn, it packs a punch.”

Orion chuckled, the hand around her back playing with a strand of her ponytail; she had to laugh as he tickled her neck with the ends of it. “There’s nothing out of the ordinary in there.”

She leaned a little away from him so as to better see his face. “So, what is it? Spill it!”

His smile turned into a smirk. “Who am I to tell you all my secrets? A little mystery only adds to the fun.”

Intrigued by his evasiveness, Lizzie raised her eyebrows. “Is that a challenge?”

A curious expression flickered over Orion’s face for a moment. “Maybe.”

“Whatever it is, it’s thoroughly wrecking me,” Lizzie declared; that didn’t stop her from taking another sip of wine, however.

She could hear the laughter ringing in Orion’s voice. “That’s got less to do with the grass and more with all that wine. And the fact that you’re really, really small.”

“I’m not really, really small!” Lizzie replied indignantly.

“Of course you are, look at you; you’re basically a midget.”

Lizzie shoved him playfully, trying to keep a straight face but failing. “I’m not a midget and I’m not small!”

Orion caught her hand without so much as an effort. “Just look at you, you could wear my sweater as a dress.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m the perfect size.”

There it was again, that curious expression Lizzie had seen just a moment before. A crooked smile appeared on Orion’s face as his eyes flickered from her face over the rest of her body.

“I can hardly argue with that.”

Lizzie regarded him for a moment, trying to take his measure. The mood had shifted from the relaxed cuddle they’d shared into something entirely different. There was a sudden tension hanging in the air that made Lizzie’s skin tingle and she was sure that it had nothing to do with either the grass or the alcohol.

The corner of her mouth quirked up. “Is that so?”

She leaned forward again to put the wine glass away, using the momentum to shift her position. Turning slightly, she straddled Orion’s thighs, one arm resting lightly on his shoulder.

His dark eyes followed her every movement as she plucked the joint from his lips, gave it one slow, deliberate drag before putting it out against the wall, never breaking their eye contact. Holding the smoke inside her mouth for one long moment, she dipped her head back and blew it against the night sky. When she looked back at Orion again, his eyes on her were intense, making a shiver run down her spine. His hands were holding her hips, waiting on what she would do. Her lips curved into a smirk as she leaned in, her lips close to his ear.

“Only one way to find out.”

There was nothing hesitant about the way their lips found each other for the first time. Lizzie could taste the same fruity sweetness of the wine on his lips that was still hanging on hers.

Orion’s grip on her waist intensified and she could feel the rough skin of his hands as they found their way underneath her shirt, his fingers feeling deliciously cool against her heated skin. Her breath accelerated as their kiss deepend, her lips parting willingly as Orion’s tongue brushed against her lower lip.

She buried her hands in his long hair, as he pulled her closer, their bodies pressed together as closely as their position would allow. A low moan left Orion’s lips as she softly pulled at his hair, the movement of his head following her lead as he dipped it back into his neck.

Breaking their kiss, Lizzie’s lips started moving over his cheek to his jawline, her breath ghosting over his bare neck. She could see the goosebumps on his skin and feel his fingers dig into her waist as she teasingly ran her tongue over his collarbone. He sucked in his breath in surprise as her teeth nipped the sensitive skin and Lizzie couldn’t help but grin as her lips travelled upwards again.

Capturing his lips in another searing kiss, Lizzie’s breath hitched as his hands were sliding down from her waist over her hips. They came to rest on her bum, squeezing it tightly for a moment. She could feel his jeans becoming tighter as she ran her hand over him, coaxing another moan from his mouth. The sound made the heat spread from her stomach through her chest and into the rest of her body; she wanted to hear more of that.

Her fingers started working to undo his belt when he suddenly stopped her, gently pulling her hand away. Her eyes flew towards his face, a crease appearing on her brow.

“You not okay with this?”

Orion’s eyes were sparkling as he pulled her in for another kiss that took her breath away. When he pulled back, Lizzie’s head was spinning.

“Let’s take this inside,” he muttered into her ear. His voice sounded a lot deeper than what she was used to and she shuddered in anticipation.

Lizzie reluctantly climbed off him to let him get up. Orion couldn’t resist kissing her again, as he walked past her. Taking her hand, he pulled her towards the skylight that led down into the darkness of his flat. He climbed down the steps without a moment of hesitation; Lizzie, however, had to channel her concentration on something different than the burning need to feel Orion’s hands on her skin before tackling the unfamiliar steps.

And sure enough, two steps down, she misplaced her foot and felt herself falling for a moment. But for the second time that evening Orion was there, his hands providing her with something to hold onto.

Standing on the steps, Lizzie was a little taller than him. She gave in to the urge to pull him towards her and steal another kiss from him. His hands ran over her exposed thighs, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. Lizzie’s muscles tensed when he lifted her off the stairs, her legs wrapping around his midsection as he carried her over to his bed with a few short steps.

He lowered her down onto it and got rid of his shirt. There was no light in the room except for what was falling through the windows from the streetlights outside, but it was enough for Lizzie to see all of the countless tattoos decorating his skin, all the thoughtful quotes and intricate patterns.

She propped herself up on her elbows, locking eyes with him as he joined her on the bed. Reaching for his belt again, this time Orion let her undo it without objection. The deep moan she drew from him as she ran her hand over him a second time made her breathing speed up as well.

Much to her surprise, now that they’d changed location, their roles had reversed themselves. Where Lizzie had been in charge up on the rooftop, it was all she could do to keep her wits together as Orion let his hands roam her body.

The sweater she had still been wearing went almost instantly, quickly followed by her shirt and her shorts. Lizzie closed her eyes and held her breath as Orion worked his way from her lips over her neck, trailing kisses down between her breasts, lingering there for a sweet moment before moving on even lower. His soft lips combined with the bite of his beard almost drove her insane, but Lizzie just so managed to pull herself together.

Pushing him off her, she used his moment of confusion to flip him over, straddling him again. She shuddered at the feeling of him through her pants but pushed the thought aside; not just yet.

“Did you really think I was going to make this so easy for you?” she purred as she twirled his necklace around her finger. She smirked as she slightly repositioned herself on top of him, creating a delicious friction between them that had not only Orion exhale very slowly.

Lizzie pulled her hair tie out, enjoying the tickle as her light brown curls fell down beneath her shoulder blades. She bent forward to kiss Orion again, but he was simply staring at her.

“What?” she asked with a slight chuckle.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, brushing her hair that had fallen over her shoulder and was almost reaching his bare chest out of her face. Lizzie enjoyed the light pull as he raked his fingers through her mane. “So damn fucking beautiful.”

Lizzie felt a smile form on her lips before she kissed him, teasingly biting his lip. She could feel Orion’s hand wandering up her bare back to where her bra was still hooked. With a practised movement that didn’t surprise her in the least, he undid the clasp and Lizzie shrugged it off. The cool air coming in from the still open skylight hit her bare breasts and made her shiver from more than cold.

Orion’s hands danced over her thighs and up her sides until they found her breasts. Lizzie shuddered as his fingers grazed her sensitive spot at their base, her eyes closed to enjoy the sensation fully, when he suddenly stopped.

Opening her eyes again, she saw a curious look forming on his face as he turned her slightly so the light would better shine on her. Lizzie chuckled to herself; she knew exactly what he was so surprised to see.

“I never knew you had a tattoo,” Orion said, his eyes wandering over the black writing.

He traced his fingers over the inked words sneaking over her ribcage to the base of her breasts; the touch of his calloused fingertips made her sigh.

“You recognise the words?” she whispered with a smile, running her hand over one of Orion’s own tattoos on his chest.

“Unbounded like water, burning like wildfire,” he smiled, “of course I do; I wrote them after all. I had no idea you had them inked.”

She smiled back at him; the quote was taken out of one of her favourite songs Orion had ever written. “They’ve pulled at something in me ever since I heard them for the first time. I wanted to carry them with me wherever I go.”

A series of different emotions flickered over Orion’s face, much too quick for Lizzie to distinguish in the half-light of the room. He sat up, wrapping his arms around her, keeping her close. He kissed her with a passion that took her breath away.

“I want you,” he whispered into her ear, his voice low and husky in his throat, making Lizzie draw a shivering breath as she leaned her forehead against his.

“Then come and take me.”

It was all Orion needed to hear. He let himself fall back onto the bed, drawing her down with him. Their lips met in a passionate kiss before he flipped them around, so he was on top of her.

His head dipped against her shoulder as Lizzie reached down, tracing the edge of his boxers before her fingers disappeared beneath it. She ran them up and down his length, noting how his breath hitched, his arms tensing around her as she worked against him.

He stopped her after a few more strokes and moved away from her hand. Repaying her in kind, he ran his fingers over her pants, so very slowly, his eyes never leaving hers as she moaned at his touch. Hooking his fingers underneath the fabric, he pulled them off, leaving her fully exposed to him, but there wasn’t a single moment Lizzie felt vulnerable at all.

She gasped as Orion began to touch her properly; the touch of his rough fingertips was surprisingly soft, and combined with the trail of kisses he left on her hot skin, he made her feel like she was on fire. Her breathing strained, she managed to rasp out his name just before she would lose it completely.

Never stopping the movement of his hand, Orion looked up at her with a wicked grin on his lips.

“Anything the matter?”

All she wanted was to feel him by now but her words died on her lips as Orion slightly twisted his hand, making her inhale sharply.

With a low chuckle he withdrew his hand, making her miss his touch immediately. That short moment of regret was instantly forgotten when she felt Orion position himself before slowly pushing inside her.

For a fraction of a second, the reality that she was sleeping with one of her best friends hovered on the border of Lizzie’s mind, threatening to hit her; but when Orion started moving against her, their bodies instantly found a common rhythm. They were in tune with each other from the very first moment, all thoughts forgotten.

Their ragged breaths, her sweet sighs and his deep moans were a music of their own. Lizzie had her legs wrapped around Orion, her nails digging into his forearms; she could feel his muscles working underneath her fingers as he supported his weight with his arms. Even through the haze of her drunk and drugged mind, she was impressed with how flawlessly they were working together; his body against hers was feeling so incredibly natural, like they were meant to be that way.

She had no idea how, but just like before, Orion managed to hit all the right spots at the same time. Lizzie had trouble focusing on anything but the fire building inside her. She couldn’t form a coherent thought anymore, wasn’t able to think any further than the next breath, the next shock of pleasure Orion sent through her body as they moved.

Feeling she was almost there, her hold on him tightened as he picked up the pace, shifting slightly to take a little strain off his arms. Taken by surprise at the suddenly different angle, digging her fingers into Orion’s shoulders was all Lizzie could do as her high crashed over her like a tidal wave. Her body shook as she buried her face against Orion’s chest, clinging to him as if for dear life.

Hearing his name fall from her lips in a broken moan with her nails biting into his back, Orion couldn’t last much longer either. Their rhythm became an off-beat one, his movements more erratic than before. Lizzie could feel the muscles in his back tremble as he rode out his own high. His head dipped into the crook of her neck as both their breathings were starting to slow.

Orion stayed on top of her for a moment longer and kissed her one last time before pushing himself off of her. Lizzie breathed in deeply, running her hand over her tangled hair.

“Huh,” she chuckled, “who would’ve thought.”

“Who indeed,” Orion smirked.

The sizzling tension between them from before was gone and it just felt like it had always done between them; relaxed, familiar and completely natural.

They looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously bursting into laughter, nothing more than friends again, the sound carrying through the dark, out of the window and into the black night sky.

#hphm #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery #rockstar au #orion amari #lizzie jameson #lizion #when stars ignite #wsi #besties collaborate #so much for me saying I'll never write smut for my ocs

[peterstanslizzie]

Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 1.23 (Last Year’s Model)

“You like me, you really like me”. She didn’t say this but I feel this is the perfect description for this picture lol

- The Mcguire family’s got mail! Besides the generic ones like bills, Matt receives a letter that contains a $50 gift certificate from his grandma, Gammy Mcguire for his birthday. 

- But she seemed to forget when Matt’s birthday is because she had already gifted him his present 7 months ago. I still would like to see Gammy actually appear on-screen and interact with her family. But we are never going to get that I’m afraid. 

- As for Lizzie, she asks her mom if she could participate in a fashion show organised by ‘Teen Attitude’ magazine. If she’s chosen by them, she will receive $500 worth of merchandise. I would definitely want to do that fashion show just for the perks. Her mom seems to be on board as long as she does her homework and stops picking on Matt.

Lizzie says sure but we all know that she’s not going to do one of the two promises lol

Lizzie The Runway Model

Remember when fashion shows back then were all fun and joyful and the models always used to spin around? Nowadays, most models just look so miserable.

- Gordo seems to be on-board with the whole modeling thing for Lizzie, mostly because of the $500. Isn’t he the type of person who views modeling as superficial? I also wonder why Miranda wasn’t interested in trying out for the fashion show?

- Mr. Dig, their substitute teacher suddenly interrupts their conversation and went off on a tangent by talking about the time he gave advice to a model by the name of Colette Romana, whose face was broken when an elephant sat on her face in Nairobi.....okayyy

Mr. Dig is really odd but I do appreciate his honesty with the kids when it comes to life lessons 

- Next, we move on to the ‘Styling’ and Sassy’ fashion show! Lizzie’s parents, her friends and even Kate Sanders plus Ethan Craft are in the audience. Can I just say that Lizzie totally rocked the runway!? She really fits the typical girl-next-door look the fashion show was trying to showcase and not to mention, I love the fact that an S Club 7 song (Everybody Wants Ya) is playing in the background too!

Work that twirl girlfriend!

- Kate is clearly jealous that she couldn’t do the fashion show because she had to go to a funeral. Wow Kate, way to hit a new low this time. But I must say; Kate would’ve have been great for this because she certainly has the height for the runway. 

Everybody Is Acting Weird Around Lizzie

- After the fashion show, Lizzie tells her friends that she was asked to do another fashion show due to her amazing performance. Gordo then makes a joke with her, reminding her to not forget about them when she becomes famous and all of a sudden, Lizzie forgets his name when addressing him...umm what? Hope she wasn’t kidding when she did that.

- After that, we see this girl who sat with Kate and Ethan in the fashion show approach Lizzie and invites her to her dad’s clubhouse to hang out in the hot tub and watch the new Backstreet Boys DVD. This show is definitely old lmao!

Okay, this girl’s name is Jessica. I had to fast forward to figure that out.

- Lizzie hesitates to say yes because she already made plans with Gordo and Miranda to watch a movie but turns out, both her friends are very eager to join Lizzie at the country club and hang out with the popular kids. Even Gordo!

- We are then taken to the clubhouse and our trio is seen chilling in the hot tub. Gordo is mostly enjoying the free food being served. I can definitely relate to him. What’s surprising me right now is how Kate’s acting all cool and friendly in front of Lizzie.

What a sudden change in attitude! She’s now acting as if Lizzie is a legit celebrity, which she isn’t. I don’t get it.

- It’s not just with Kate; Miranda is also acting different around Lizzie. She offers to bring a drink over to Lizzie and basically recites the entire drinks menu. She’s acting like Lizzie’s personal assistant. But wow, Miranda actually seems to have a great memory when it comes to listing things out. 

- Back at the hot tub, Gordo is talking to Jessica and tells her he has videos of Lizzie that he has shot for his short films/documentaries. He offers to come over to her house to show her some of them to which she says yes, as long as he brings Lizzie along. 

Why is Gordo the only one wearing shades? It’s either he has sensitive eyes or he just wants to look cool, which isn’t something Gordo would do

- And just like that, Lizzie is going to watch videos at Jessica’s on Sunday night without agreeing to it. On top of that, she’s apparently going dancing at the ‘Shango Tango’ on Saturday night with them as well. Basically, they want to use Lizzie’s status as a model to grant them access to these places. She did one fashion show and they’re acting like she’s Gigi Hadid or whatever lol

Lizzie’s Famous Now

- At school, everyone is just staring at Lizzie everywhere she goes. Even Kate goes up to her and compliments her outfit and accessories. 

“My earrings match my eyes?”. This line is definitely memorable to me. 

- Plus, it seems like the tables have turned because Lizzie and Ethan have literally switched characters. When Lizzie is talking to him about an English test they just took, he’s acting like the old Lizzie when she’s around him; all awkward and fidgety. 

- Lizzie notices all of this and tells her friends how everyone is acting so different around her. Miranda and Gordo doesn’t view this as a negative; They like the fact that people are noticing them now and inviting them to all sorts of special events/parties. 

- After running away from the other students who were all just staring at her still, Lizzie hides in a room where Mr. Dig is and he then takes a picture of Lizzie to have it signed so he can sell it to his nephew...and niece. Well, putting that aside, Lizzie rants to her teacher how everyone and even her best friends are treating her differently nowadays since the fashion show. 

- Mr. Dig suggests to Lizzie that she should treat them like how a celeb diva would and treat them like dirt. This is to remind them that they are her friends and not her posse. 

Lizzie Brings Out Her Inner Diva

- Gordo and Miranda arrive at Lizzie’s house and Lizzie commences “Operating Superstar Brat” by acting like a total diva towards her friends. She’s even dressed up like one from head to toe. 

Even worse, Gordo and Miranda follow her orders and starts to bark like dogs, albeit their execution was a little sloppy lol.

- Soon after, Lizzie drops her act and tells her friends that they have changed. They clearly realise this and promise to Lizzie that things will go back to normal and they won’t act like her posse anymore. But the problem is, everyone else is still treating her differently. And this is the solution she came up with:

To act like a complete and utter fool on the runway. 

- I have to give props to Lizzie for having the courage to dress up like this and act this way in front of an audience. But if I were her, I wouldn’t want to give up a modeling contract with a popular magazine just because people are acting differently around me. I mean, I would at least give it more time to see if the situation would improve. Most of all, I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself publicly like how Lizzie did here. 

- Also, she didn’t have to include this dumb confrontation between her and Miranda. It just wasn’t necessary.

Y’all didn’t need to fight. The fashion show was already ruined when Lizzie started scratching her butt lol

B-Plot: Matt Goes Shopping

- Sam and Jo brings Matt and Lanny to the hardware/electronics store to shop for things he can get with the $50 gift certificate. Lanny gravitates towards the massage chair but it’s way too expensive. We then get a montage of the boys and Matt’s parents trying out different products at the store to the song, ‘Shopping’ by the Pet Shop Boys. It’s a pretty catchy song if you ask me. 

My favorite part of the montage is when they reference back to the Austin Powers’ villains, Dr. Evil and Mini-Me 

- Matt spots a hammock priced at $75 and he thinks it’s perfect for him. Even though it costs $25 more, Lanny is able to cover the rest because he’s earning money from his website. My question is, what kind of content is in Lanny’s website anyways?

- Back in the Mcguires’ backyard, Matt and Lanny are busy assembling the hammock they just bought but unfortunately for them, they got less than stellar results:

Exhibit A

- They are back at the store again and they want to return the hammock and get a refund. However, the store clerk, who is being a total prick tells them that they can’t get a refund on sale items. Okay fine but he needs to watch his tone when talking to customers. And he even called Sam an ‘old timer’. The disrespect! Sheeesh!

And the award for worst customer service goes to...

- Sam leaves behind Matt and Lanny to talk to the manager and afterwards, we see the two boys doing the absolute right thing by playing a prank on the useless employee who is walking on the treadmill. They proceed to tape his hands onto both handles and increase the speed on the treadmill. I’m not the one to agree with pranking others but this guy really deserved it.

Overall Thoughts

- This is yet again, a very entertaining episode. I love how the story was very Lizzie-centric this time and it did not disappoint. I mean, it was a little outrageous how EVERYONE was acting and treating Lizzie like a total A-lister after appearing in one fashion show. It’s like they assumed that everybody reads ‘Teen Attitude’ magazine.

- It kinda got me to think that maybe after the events of The Lizzie Mcguire Movie, I would assume that everyone at school would treat her similarly because she did perform a hit song in front of millions of people in Italy, which I’m sure it caught the attention of US mainstream media.

- Besides that, the soundtrack of this episode was incredible! I had to look up the songs on YouTube because they were so catchy. Lastly, Matt’s storyline was pretty insignificant in this episode and it didn’t really provide me with anything besides some physical comedy.

#lizzie mcguire #hilary duff #lalaine #adam lamberg #jake thomas #clayton snyder #ashlie brillault #hallie todd #robert carradine #disney #disney channel #disney plus #episode reviews #episode recaps #modeling #runway model #teen model #fashion model #last years model

[babybluelukes]

Confidently Lost

A/N: no warnings, just fluff turned stupid as I got a little carried away with an idea I’d had for a while

“I’m telling you, Luke. We’re lost,” you huffed, watching him hold a map upside down as he insisted he knew exactly where you were going. You were somewhere in a city in Europe, and he had soundcheck in less than an hour. What had started as a cute sightseeing date, buying each other souvenirs and talking stupid pictures of each other had evolved into and argument in the street because neither of you knew which way to go to the venue. But at least you were willing to admit it. 

“Trust me, babe. The map says this way,” he attempted to reassure you whilst looking down at the map, though the direction he was pointing in was in fact directly into a wall. You would never have been in this mess if either of you had thought to not waste all your battery taking and editing photos; but two instagram posts and three hours later, none of that mattered anymore. 

You began to stress for him, taking a sip of your coffee only to discover it was now cold. You frowned, only to discover Luke had given up on the map and was starring at you, a goofy smile plastered on his scruffy face. 

“You’re cute when you’re mad,” he grinned, ignoring your eye roll as he grabbed you and spun you around.  You gave in, letting out a short giggles he placed you back on your feet and put his freezing hands on your cheeks and went in for a kiss. 

You broke away after a bit, shaking your head slightly. “You’re awful calm for someone due on stage real soon.”

“Well I’m here with you, aren’t I?” He almost whispered, brushing a stray piece of hair from your face. Laughing, you grabbed his arm and dragged him with you as you approached a passerby to ask for directions. It turned out you and Luke had wondered further than you’d thought, and there was no way you’d make it on foot in time. 

“Taxi?” You questioned, but Luke shook his head. 

“I had another idea.”

As he approached the scooter rental, you couldn’t help but smirk at the idea of him trying to squeeze his long gangly legs under the handle bars, but he insisted it would work.

“C’mon, baby. When in Rome…”

“Reenact ‘The Lizzie Mcguire Movie’?” You finished, and this time it was him rolling his eyes. 

“I don’t lip sync.” 

“Sing for me, Paulo!” You exclaimed, and he almost did, until he realised the vender was walking up behind him. He showed you both the different vehicles they had available, though you already knew what Luke was going to choose. 

He paid the man at the counter and hopped on a pale blue vespa, kicking the stand up. Figuring it there was no way he was going to change his mind and that if Luke didn’t crash into a wall this might actually fun, you slid onto the back of the seat, wrapping your arms around his broad chest. 

“Shouldn’t we be wearing helmets?” You asked as he pulled out the alleys and out into the vast cobbled streets. 

“You don’t trust me?” He yelled back, the wind making it harder to hear him feigning hurt. You rolled your eyes once more, which he saw in the rear mirror. “i didn’t wanna ruin my hair,” he admitted. Letting out a short laugh, you moved one of your hands to ruffle his messy golden curls. 

You didn’t talk for the rest of the ride, not wanting to distract him for fear of dying. Instead you watched the old buildings and tourists as you passed by. You were a little cold, but Luke’s body heat radiating through his leather jacket kept your hands warm and brought you an odd sense of comfort. 

You continued on like this until you reached the venue. It was hard to ignore the roaring screams of fans when Luke pulled up on the little bike. It was something you weren’t quite sure you could get used to, but he remained unfazed. He only smiled as he parked the vespa, outstretching a hand to help you off. It wasn’t like you needed help, but you took it all the same, taking in the chipped red polish on his fingers with a goofy grin. You were half surprised that the two of you had made it there unscathed, but he had a tendency to be surprising. 

Your hand remained in his as you strode past the lines and up to the guarded door. Luke walked past the security guard without even looking up, moving to open the door.

“No cuts, back of the line,” the guard groaned, pointing to the line that went around the corner and most likely a lot further. Luke adjusted his jacket a little as he looked up, a loose laugh escaping his lips. 

“You’re kidding?” He asked, not rudely, just with genuine confusion. A smile formed on your face as he grew flustered, realising that the man was in fact not joking. 

“I’m due on stage real soon, man. I’m in the band,” Luke told him, running a hand through his hair, squeezing your hand a little tighter. The security guard just raised an eyebrow at him, staring him up and down. Maybe the leather jacket would’ve been enough to sell it, had it not been paired with a particularly ratty pair of sweatpants. 

“Whatever, call someone to come let you in and then you’re good,” the guard told him, leaning against the doorway in the manner of someone who did not believe that he would be calling anyone. 

Luke relaxed a little, giving your hand a rub before releasing it to pull his phone out of his jacket pocket. Only to remember it was dead. 

Luke coughed “You’re not gonna believe this, dude-”

One thing led to another, and now you were sat with your back against the wall, watching Luke sing on the street. You could’ve just asked a fan to pull up a picture of Luke at some award show to prove his celebrity status, but this was a lot more entertaining. To his annoyance, the guard said the only song he knew by the band was ‘Don’t Stop’, so now he was singing it to the very excited fans that were badly pretending they had no idea who the man in front of them was. 

“Every time you move to the beat, it gets harder for me and you know it, know it know it-” he began to trail off as Calum emerged through the door, laughing his ass off. Michael and Ashton followed suit, high-fiving the guard as they walked out beside you. 

“You motherfuckers!” Luke yelled, amused, pulling you off the ground as you too could barely contain your laughter. “You paid some guy to make me do this didn’t you,” he groaned, as the fans began to scream again, as you now realised they too were in on the guys’ joke. 

“We needed tour diary footage,” Michael justified, pointing at a camera set up on the wall. Luke shook his head, wrapping his arm around your waist. 

“Were you in on this too?” He asked, looking down at you with skeptical eyes. 

“I could never,” you giggled unconvincingly. His eyes widened as he picked you up and threw you over his shoulder, spinning around.  

“What am I going to do with you?” He laughed. “All of you,” he added, his voice hardening as he look back over to his friends who still couldn’t stop pissing themselves. 

“Would you hurry up, Luke? We’ve got sound check in a minute,” Ashton huffed, laughter slipping through his words. He just glared at him before chasing them back inside, you still hanging over his back. 

taglist: @glitterprincelu @abitloudforanaccousticset @therainydays4 @dancingonanemptywallet @lukesflaredpants @hearts-to-the-sky

#idek what is happening #i just wanted to post something #5sos #5 seconds of summer #luke hemmings #luke 5sos #my writing #luke concepts #luke fluff #luke hemmingsxreader #luke hemmings fic #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings blurbs #luke hemmings fluff #blurb