#yeah we smoke abroad

[prettyboiiblues]

Internationally Stoned

#me #black stoners #qwoc #Freeform locs #yeah we smoke abroad #blackstoners #black lesbian #locs #my face #lgbtq community

[shewrotesomething]

Jumin Han - The Day He Realized He Wanted to Marry You

People like to think that CEO’s have it easy. That they sit in their big office with their feet up on their mahogany desk, smoking cigars as they watch the money come in. 

Wrong. It’s weeks of working 80 hours. It’s every minute of your day meticulously planned. It’s stacks of paperwork, 30 urgent emails in an hour, it’s meetings upon meetings upon meetings, it’s… missing three date nights in a row.

Jumin has warned you that these few months will be an especially busy period, but he’ll be sure to fulfill his ‘boyfriend’ responsibilities.

Well… that hasn’t exactly panned out as well as he thought.

The first time he had canceled, you waved it off and said there was no issue. The second time, your smile had wavered, but told him you understood. He tried to console you by saying you could eat at the restaurant by yourself. It was dinner time and the reservation was still there. You turned him down and said you’d rather go home and eat at your place.

And now, well, he was lucky that he couldn’t see your face when he called you to cancel. Still, you were uncharacteristically quiet throughout his monologue. At the end of it, you simply said, “I understand. I’ll catch you later.” 

If you had gotten angry, screamed at him

and cried through the call telling him he was a liar 

and that he always chooses work over you… 

well, he’d take that. In fact, he’d rather have that than the quiet surrender you gave. 

As Jumin’s hands danced across his keyboard to reply to an email, he told himself he can’t drown in the issue too long. What’s done is done, instead, he’lld make it up to you a hundred times over. He’s going abroad next month. He should take you with him. At the hotel you’re staying at, he’ll be sure to fill up the place with your favorite flowers, a nice candle lit dinner, a new outfit, and any purchasable item that you even happen to breathe on. 

Later, he’ll tell you about it. He’ll apologize and tell you about the trip. 

It was nearly lunch time when the glass door to his office swung open.

Before he could even tear his eyes from his computer, the intruder spoke, “Jumin Han.”

There you stood by his door. Hands crossed over your chest. The stern expression on your face made his fingers freeze mid-sentence.

“…hello,” was his lame greeting.

You crossed the room and rounded his table to stand by his side then, to his surprise, set a timer on your watch.

Jumin arched his brow and spun his chair about to face you “What are you—” He clamped his mouth shut when you planted yourself onto his lap and wrapped your arms around his frame.

“There’s a 10 minute window before you go to a lunch meeting. It’s mine,” you declared.

Jumin’s hands retreated from his computer and wrapped around your frame. “Were you feeling lonely, dear?”

“Yes,” you answered with a petulant pout. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” you tell him. He could feel the vibration of your voice on his shoulder. “I know this is your life and I won’t be selfish about it. Just give me 10 minutes.”

He wrapped his arms tighter around you. 

There would be times where a passing comment, or a conversation thought to be out of earshot, would say that you were lucky to be with someone like him. Rich, brilliant, young, and handsome, Jumin Han. That was ludicrous. All along, always, he was the lucky one.

“Next mo—” he cut himself off. No, the trip next month was too long. No. “Let’s have dinner tonight. Whatever you want.”

You gasped and giggled. You broke away from the hug to look at his face. “Really? Are you free?”

“I’ll finish work by 8 in the evening, is that okay?”

“Yeah! I can wait. We don’t need to go out. Let’s just eat at your place and watch a movie!” You paused and hummed in thought. “I think I know a good movie that you and I can watch. It’ll be great.”

His hand reached up to caress your face. “I can’t wait.”

It’s a good thing that the trip is next month. It’ll give him some time to find out your ring size and rent a villa for the proposal

#jumin han #jumin x mc #mystic messenger #mystic messenger jumin #reader insert #rfa headcannons #mysme jumin #headcannons mysme #mysme headcanons #jumin han x reader #jumin han x mc

[katyswrites]

don't call me 'baby'

PART 2 | SERIES

Pairing: Steve Harrington/fem!reader

Warnings: Sugardaddy!Steve, swearing, alcohol use, smoking, references to vomit/drinking too much, age gap

Wordcount: 4.4k

A sugar daddy modern AU, a whirlwind summer romance in Italy, and two people from completely different walks of life, somehow finding each other in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But, what will happen when summer ends?

PART 2 | is it chill that you're in my head?

The next few weeks passed in a blur. With the semester officially wrapped, you threw yourself into working - early morning shifts at the coffee shop, then weekend nights Enoteca Bruni, slinging cocktails and lighting cigars, smiling prettily for high-end customers and their massive wallets. Fridays were the worst - working a double, swapping out your apron for a cocktail dress as you went from one job to the other, often fixing your hair and doing your makeup on the bus ride in between. 

It had been a bit of a culture shock, moving out to Rome. You had never envisioned moving abroad, but the offer had come from AUR with a great scholarship; it involved getting the Hell out of your parents’ house, working towards a degree, and starting a new life in Rome. Not knowing the language had been the hardest - you had spent nearly your entire first year enrolled in Italian classes, taking time to read newspapers, watch local television, and do everything you could to immerse yourself in the language. It wasn’t second-nature, exactly, but you found yourself switching from English to Italian easily now, thankfully. It was probably what landed you the job at Enoteca - they usually only took people with more restaurant experience (or the prettiest, you would later realize). But, an American girl, who spoke fluent Italian? It had made you invaluable, considering how many business executives and high-profile people from around the world dined there. 

That was probably why the experience a few weeks ago hadn’t shaken you all too much; you had become used to groups like that, men who were used to getting what they wanted, whenever they wanted. Still, when you allowed your mind to wander, or you had a moment or two to rest, you found yourself thinking of Steve Harrington.

It was rarely on purpose - the vision of the man encroached on your mind when you least expected, sticking and seeping through your brain like syrup. You had felt guilty about the money, initially - while some kind (and usually American) customers tipped, it wasn’t common on this side of the world. And, moreover, it had been far more than what was anywhere near reasonable, no matter how expensive their bill ended up being. Was he hitting on you? That wouldn’t have been the first time - plenty of pushy, or downright pervy customers had insisted on tipping you, slipping you a phone number with the cash. But, he hadn’t done that - there wasn’t any contact information, not even a return address. And, he didn’t seem like that - he could’ve made more of a move on you that night in the car, if he really wanted. It was confusing, more than anything - no matter how you had tried to rationalize it, the generous gesture was simply bizarre. That was probably why you found yourself thinking of him on occasion - why else would you be?

It was the last weekend of May, when it happened. If you had been back in the States, you supposed it would’ve been a long holiday weekend, thanks to Memorial Day. But here, it was just another Friday night. And, a rare blessing - you actually had the night off. Well, you had arranged for the night off. It had been a terrible week, beyond exhausting. When you had come home, last night, Robin had taken one look at you, and shook her head.

“No,” she said firmly.

“Huh?” you asked, plopping down in a kitchen chair.

“You need to take a night off, you’re miserable,” she said, sitting herself across from you.

“I need to work,” you explained. “In case you forgot, we need to pay rent.”

“Yeah,” Robin agreed. “But, you know… last I checked, a certain richy-rich business bro took care of that -”

“That cash is only gonna last so long, Robs.”

“Don’t you get it? That was his way of telling you to take a break - they love you at the restaurant. You never miss, just call out - and then we can go out tomorrow, and actually have fun, for once.”

You opened your mouth to protest, then stopped yourself - you carefully considered what your friend was proposing. The two of you rarely took time to have fun anymore - Robin once joked that you were both old ladies already, working all day and tucked in bed early most nights. You and her were often rolling coins for groceries, and you had treated yourselves to an actual sitdown dinner next week thanks to Steve’s money - it had felt extravagant, but nice. 

Buy yourself something nice, Steve’s note had said.

“Yeah, okay,” you conceded. “Let’s go out tomorrow, yeah?”

That was how you found yourself out that night, stuffed into your favorite jeans and flashy top, face made-up and six drinks deep at some nightclub, one of Robin’s favorite haunts from college. The air was hazy, the music loud, and you found yourself letting go, as best as you could.

Robin made her way through the crowd to you, shots in-hand, despite your earlier protests.

“Robs - no -”

“C’mon, live a little!” she shouted. “And don’t worry, it’s not tequila - I know how you get with tequila.”

You rolled your eyes, toasting her as you downed the shot, the liquor burning your tongue and throat as it went down. Robin grinned, pressing herself close to you as she asked, “Are ya having fun?”

You nodded, smiling. 

“Yeah, actually - I am,” you admitted. “But - I’ve got to get some air,” you said, pulling your pack of cigarettes out of your pocket and waving them.

Robin groaned.

“Those’ll kill you, you know,” she shouted as you headed for the door.

“We can only hope!” you sent back playfully over your shoulder.

You made your way through sweaty bodies and dodged the splashes of drinks, forcing your way out into the cooler night. 

The summer was in its infancy, the evenings still cool enough to raise goosebumps on the skin, to remind you that spring wasn’t quite done yet. It was a welcome change, the bar inside nearly suffocating with the pure volume of people. And more importantly, outside, it’s quiet. Yes, it’s still a city, the din of cars and motorbikes combining with the sounds of music and laughter from bars and restaurants, the cacophony of nightlife still a relief from what you just came from inside.

A few other smokers hung around you, alone and in groups, chatting and flicking ash onto the pavement. You leaned against the brick wall of the building, sighing and inhaling deeply. You let the night air fill your lungs, your head a bit fuzzy from the alcohol coursing through you. 

You fish a cigarette out of the carton, placing it between your lips before reaching into your pocket for a lighter - oh, no.

Your lighter was still in your purse. Because, you almost always have your purse, but because you were going out, you had just stuck some cash and your ID in the back of your phone, and left. Christ, you were out of practice. You slumped, and glanced around, only to realize a lot of people had headed back inside. You spotted a woman about ten feet away, exhaling smoke. You debated walking over and asking for a light - she probably wouldn’t have a problem with that, and she was probably done soon -

“Need a light?” a voice asked.

A godsend.

You turned to where it was coming from, and froze in place.

There he was, standing just a few feet from you. Steve wore a warm smirk and a fitted t-shirt and jeans, nearly unrecognizable from the man in the suit you had met a few weeks ago. His hair was still done immaculately, but he stood casually, hands shoved in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. In the dim streetlights, he could’ve been a stranger, just a boy on the sidewalk with a kind offer and a smile. Still, he wore nice loafers and a flashy watch, and though you didn’t know much about clothes, you imagine they cost more than most of your closet combined.

You couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him, unable to believe your luck. And, it doesn’t escape you, the irony of the reversed roles, of you being stuck for a light out in the night.

“If you’ve got one,” you replied, feigning a casual air.

“Well, I think I owe you the favor,” he said, reaching into his pocket until he produced a lighter. He held it up, and you leaned in close, letting him flick it on and light the cigarette until the end was a hot amber. You took a long drag, letting the smoke fill your lungs and exhaling, immediately relaxing.

You didn’t take your eyes off of the man next to you, still as boyishly handsome as you remembered. He was visibly more relaxed than the last time you saw him, and you couldn’t help but wonder… was he here alone?

“Thanks,” you said, pressing your foot into the wall to balance yourself. 

“Of course,” he replied, pulling his own cigarette out and placing it in his mouth. Still hand-rolled, you noted.

“Not just for that,” you said, measuring your words carefully. “For… for the other thing, too.”

He didn’t respond, at first. He just stared straight ahead, blowing smoke out into the night air.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, kicking at the ground with his toe.

“No, I should - I mean, that was… it was really generous. And, you really shouldn’t have.”

He looked at you then, face soft as he smiled.

“Yes, I should’ve. Because I wanted to. Did you do what I asked?”

You paused, confused. “What?”

“Did you buy yourself something nice?”

You suddenly felt your face heat, and it took you a moment to find the words.

“I - well, sort of. I mean, to be honest, I used a lot of it to pay this month’s rent. But…I took my roommate out to a nice dinner. And, there’s still a bit left, so I guess we’re using it now, for drinks and stuff tonight.”

He perked up at that, and smiled a little wider.

“Good,” he said. “I mean, I’m glad you were able to treat yourself.”

“It let me take the night off, for once,” you admitted.

“How many nights do you work there?” he asked curiously.

“Well, only four - Thursday through Sunday. But, I work 5 days a week at a coffee shop - you know Caffè Tazza, on Via Pave?”

He furrowed his brow, then nodded slowly.

“I think I’ve passed it on my way to work, yeah - not sure I’ve ever gone in.”

“Yeah, well, I work there. Enteco is just a side gig - it pays better. Well, slightly.”

You stopped yourself, then, suddenly feeling small - it hadn’t escaped you that the money Steve had sent you was probably a drop in the bucket, a negligible amount for him. You couldn’t even imagine what his bank account looked like, but from what little you knew about him, you knew it would probably make you fall to your knees. 

“But, it doesn’t matter - I needed a break, I don’t go out much, so here I am.”

He just nodded again, taking another drag. 

“Are you here with anyone?” he asked.

You nodded, glancing at the door behind you.

“Yeah - my roommate, Robin… you?”

You asked it carefully, glancing at him briefly. He turned to look at you again, and you could tell he was fighting a smile.

“No,” he said. “I’m here alone.”

You don’t know what it was - it was probably a mix of the alcohol, a long week, the buzz of the late night air, or the fact that both of you had subconsciously inched yourselves closer to each other during the last few minutes - you could feel the heat radiating off of him, hear his shallow breaths. But, you felt bold, bolder than usual.

“Did you plan on keeping it that way?” you asked quietly.

His eyes widened, and you saw him visibly freeze at your words.

“Not necessarily,” he admitted, voice soft and low.

Then, you pushed yourself up on your toes, and pulled him by the collar of his t-shirt, bringing his lips down to yours.

He tensed for a moment under your touch, then relaxed, leaning into the kiss. His lips moved with yours, softer than you had imagined. He tasted like cigarettes and scotch, and smells like cologne, the good kind. Your cigarette fell from your fingers and somewhere into the pavement, freeing your hand to snake up and press gently at the nape of his neck.

It was a bit messy, and not too sophisticated - if you had to guess, he was probably a bit drunk too, though maybe not as much as you. But you were kissing Steve Harrington, a man who was still practically a stranger, and he was kissing you back. And God, he was a good kisser. He pulled you closer, pressing his hands to the small of your back as you breathed into his mouth. And, for just a moment, it felt like you were the only two people in the whole city.

Perhaps it was a few seconds or an hour - most likely, it was somewhere in between. But eventually, you both pulled away for air, chests heaving, hearts racing.

He was looking at you through the dim streetlight, eyes wide. There was something there in his face - surprise, yes, but something else too… fondness? Excitement? 

“I,” you started, “um -”

“Yeah,” he said, chuckling under his breath.

A moment passed, and suddenly, there was an air of awkwardness that settled between you both. Did you misread that? Did he want you to kiss him? Well, he had kissed you back… but would he do it again?

He opened his mouth and took a step toward you to say something, but then you heard a familiar voice come from behind you, calling your name. You turn around, confused.

“I - Robin?”

Your friend stumbled out of the bar’s entrance, hand pressed to her forehead.

“Hey - I… I think I drank too much,” she slurred, making her way toward you.

“You don’t say?” you laughed, reaching out for her outstretched hand. She took it, face screwed up in pain as she squinted in the light illuminating the sidewalk.

“I think - hey, whose this?” she asked, standing up a bit straighter with a renewed interest.

You glanced back at Steve, who had taken a few steps back, his hands shoved into his pockets. He offered a small smile.

“Oh, um - this is, uh -”

“I’m Steve,” he finished, meeting Robin’s eyes over your shoulder. “Nice to meet you.”

“Steve? Who -” then, her eyes widened, and a cheeky grin spread on her face.

“Oh - Steve. Like, Steve Steve?”

You felt your face heat, and pointedly ignored the way Steve’s eyes were burning into the back of your head.

“Um, yeah - it was totally random, but we ran into each other out here and… we were… catching up.”

“Right,” Robin said, looking at you knowingly. “Nice to meet ya,” she said, casting her eyes to where Steve stood behind you.

Steve nodded, fighting a grin as he looked at the pair of you.

“Um, Robin is my roommate,” you explained to him. “But, from the looks of it… it looks like we need to get home. I’ll call us a taxi, yeah?”

“Can’t,” Robin groaned, leaning into your side. “I’m gonna throw up in it.”

You sighed, pinching your temples.

“Yeah, okay, well - if you do that, it’ll be like, hundreds of Euros, so… maybe you’ve just gotta make yourself vomit first, get it out of the way -”

Robin groaned into your shoulder at the thought, and you sighed again. It was then that Steve spoke up.

“Well, I can call my car to take you ladies home… if you want.”

You felt your face flush with embarrassment again, casting your eyes between Steve and Robin, hesitant.

“Oh, no - we couldn’t possibly ask -”

“You didn’t ask,” Steve said simply. “I offered. I insist, actually - I want you two to get home safely.”

You felt Robin lean further into you, and thought for a moment about your options - the last thing you needed was to rack up a fee and piss off a taxi driver.

“Well - I don’t want her to vomit in your car, either -”

Steve shook his head, waving you off.

“Please - don’t worry about that. There’s a garbage can and bags in the back, so she can use that. But, worst-case, I can send it to be cleaned after. I promise, it’s fine.”

You met his eyes, and all you saw was sincerity - he was being genuine, from what you could tell. Right then, you decided to surrender.

“I - yeah, okay. That’d be really great, if you could.”

He nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket and making a quick phone call. You did your best to straighten Robin up, but she just clung to you, swaying on her feet. Great.

“My driver will be here in a few minutes,” Steve said. “So, no worries - I gave him your address for a stop on the way home.”

“You remember my address?”

He shrugged, and stared straight at the ground. If you didn’t know any better, you could swear he was blushing. 

“Well - yes. I mean, I had to send you the letter not too long ago… write it out, all that.”

“Right,” you said, opting to stare out ahead at the street. A few passersby stumbled past you, in various stages of drunk and cheery, mopeds and cars speeding down the cobblestone streets.

“Thank you,” you added, just a bit more softly. “I - you really didn’t have to do this.”

You knew how this probably looked - two drunk girls, hardly adults, partying too hard and threatening to throw up in the street. You suddenly became self-conscious of your tight ripped jeans, your cropped top, the fact that you were probably just a bit too drunk and sweaty. You were an idiot for thinking he was flirting with you - he was just being nice.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “I was getting ready to go home soon, anyway. If you don’t mind me riding along, that is.”

You chuckled. “If I mind? It’s your car - of course you can come along -”

“Yeah, okay,” he said swiftly. “I just didn’t want to make you or your friend uncomfortable - Robin, right?”

You nodded. “Yeah - though, I don’t think she even knows where she is right now, so you’re in the clear.”

That earned a laugh from him - a real one. You hadn’t even thought it was that funny, but he acted as if it was the best joke he’d ever heard. You felt pride surge within you, and immediately pushed it down - that can’t happen, not right now.

The car arrived a few minutes later, and the drive home was mostly silent - Robin cradled a small garbage can, likely only meant for small debris like tissues, gum, water bottles - it only made your humiliation sink in further, feeling like a fool for even being in this situation. If Steve minded, he gave no indication - he sat up front with his driver, the same man from the other night. You sat in the back with Robin, keeping an eye on her in case the worst happened. By some miracle, it didn’t; she kept it down the whole ride, only occasionally groaning when the car went over a bump.

When you pulled up to your apartment, you felt a sense of deja vu - the same place, same time of night, with similar company. And, knowing how tonight went, it would probably be the last time.

After you had assured that Robin was out of the car and able to hold herself up on the sidewalk, you turned back to see that Steve had lowered the passenger window. He smiled as he looked up at you, and you once again realized just how handsome he really was. It was ridiculous, really.

“Um - thank you. Seriously - this was a huge help.”

“Of course,” he replied, leaning out of the window slightly. “Just make sure she’s okay, yeah?”

You glanced back at where Robin was sitting on your building’s doorstep, holding her head in her hands.

“I will - she’s going to be paying for it in the morning though.”

“I don’t doubt it,” he laughed, shaking his head.

You stood there for a moment, just looking at one another - the night was quieter here, just on the outskirts of the main part of the city. The silence was thick and heavy, and million unanswered questions between you two - perhaps they would never be answered.

“Right, well - I’m going to go in, I guess. I’ve got a shift tomorrow afternoon, anyways.”

“Yeah, okay - well, goodnight,” he said softly.

“Goodnight, Steve Harrington,” you whispered.

When you watched as the car peeled from the sidewalk and drove away, you couldn’t help but feel empty - you loved Robin to death, but she was going to pay for this, you decided. That thought really only lasted a moment - she didn’t actually do anything wrong, and she had taken care of you while you were drunk and stupid more times than you could count. Besides, it wasn’t like anything more was going to happen with Steve. You knew this for one reason - upon further examination, that look he had given you after the kiss… it wasn’t surprise, excitement, or any of the above. No - it was fear.

Still, that night, after Robin was put to bed with ibuprofen and a glass of water, you stared at your ceiling and thought of Steve. You thought of the way his voice sounded when it got low, the way he smelled when he was close enough, the way his lips tasted - and you didn’t sleep well at all, dwelling on what could have been.

*****

“Okay! Un caffè e due cappuccini!” you called out, placing the cups and saucers on the counter. The customers came up and grabbed them, knocking the coffees back and heading out, leaving a few coins behind. You were constantly on the move, Caffè Tazza beyond busy thanks to it being a Saturday. It had always fascinated you, how Italians took their coffee; your previous experience at Starbucks back in the States had proved nearly useless, considering that “to-go” coffee hardly existed here. Normally, you didn’t mind how fast-paced it was. But normally, you weren’t hungover. 

You had been in far better shape than Robin this morning, who could hardly get out of bed. Initially, you had actually felt fine. But, after a few hours on your feet, a headache was setting in, and you had a feeling it was here to stay.

The line of customers was long enough that you hardly paid any mind to who was coming in, set of pouring coffee and steaming milk, taking used espresso cups to wash in the back. That was why you didn’t see him come in, or hear him place his order at the register. No, it wasn’t until you were putting the small cup of espresso on the counter that you saw him, face-to-face.

“I - Steve?” you cried, startled. 

You thought maybe it was a dream, and you were actually still in the middle of your fitful sleep from last night. But he was there, clear as day, sporting a white button-up with sunglasses pushed on top of his head.

“Hey there,” he said, flashing a smile.

“What - what’re you doing here?”

He glanced briefly around the coffee shop, shrugging.

“You know - I was in the neighborhood.”

You raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. 

“You were in the neighborhood?”

He just took the coffee off of the counter and knocked it back, grinning as he returned the empty cup. You tried not to look at the way his Adam’s apple bobbed, or the freckles dotting his neck, but it was nearly impossible, given how close he was, how he -

“You caught me,” he admitted. “You told me last night how you worked here… and that you had a shift today… so I figured I’d swing by.”

You felt your stomach flip, because he actually remembered, and came to see you. You gulped, shoving your hands in the pockets of your apron.

“You… you came here to see me?”

It was then that his smile faltered a bit, and he nodded. He was shifting on his feet, not exactly meeting your eye - whatever confidence and charm he had been exuding when he had arrived was quickly fading. In fact, he looked close to terrified, even though he was the one who came here.

“I - yeah, I did. I was just thinking a lot, after last night… about you, and how you - well, when do you get off? Or, have a break?”

You cocked an eyebrow, cautiously curious. Was he going to ask you out? Or, more importantly, would you say yes if he did?

“Um, I have a lunch break in a bit… and then I get off at 6. Why?”

He bit his lip, shifting on his feet again.

“Right, okay - do you want to meet here, after you get off?”

You felt your stomach turn again, bubbling a bit. Still, you tried not to get your hopes up, and measured your response carefully.

“Sure… can I ask why? Like, are you asking me out, or what?”

You said it bluntly, because the last thing you want is a guessing game right now. He gulped at that, and shook his head. You felt your heart sink just a bit, and immediately cursed yourself inwardly.

“Well, no, not exactly - but I do have something I want to talk to you about. Something that I think can help both of us, if you’re interested.”

Before you could ask anything else, he was nodding curtly, and out the door. Then it was just you, a line of customers, and what would probably be the longest 4 hours of your life.

What the Hell does he want to talk about? you wondered.

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#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington/reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington/fem!reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x reader fluff #modern steve harrington #steve harrington au #sugar daddy fic #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #don't call me baby #don't call me baby fic #dcmb fic

[olderthannetfic]

hii! does anybody have any advice on how to feel okay with not having friends? i spent years abroad, so in the meantime my irl friends from hs found other friends to hang out with who they seem to like more than me or else are very busy with work and uni and such. which is cool, good for them for having such a vibrant social life, but it feels like they have no room for me anymore and i'm a person who can't make friends that easily. i don't drink or smoke, and i feel uncomfortable in big gatherings and feel better getting to know ppl one-on-one over a longer period of time, but that makes it hard for me to connect to ppl bc most irl people don't have much patience or already have their own established friend group and little old me doesn't hold their attention.

i'm starting a new job in a couple of weeks, so hopefully that will give me the necessary social interaction plus i have a great family, so i'm not going stir crazy, it just hurts a little that my friends don't bother to text me for days if i don't text them first or invite me out to places. and i'm trying to make new friends, it just doesn't come that easy and in the meantime i wish i could just feel at peace w being alone instead of questioning why people don't want to hang out with me or why i don't feature into their leisure plans. (not that i'm blaming them, it's just that it's hard not to feel inadequate.)

so yeah, anyone have any advice on how to feel at peace w being alone? like, maybe i'll never manage to make new friends or make new connections, maybe through lack of trying, maybe through lack of luck, idc, i just want to be enough for myself, but i don't know how.

so any wise words are appreciated and thank you, OTNF, for letting me vent in your inbox :)

--

Well... those feelings are pretty common and a natural reaction to the situation. You may not really get rid of them entirely, but you can accept them as a natural part of things and not a sign that anything has gone wrong.

HS friends rarely stick with each other even during college, let alone after, so you would likely be in this same boat regardless. Making new adult friends can be a pain, but it's something most of us face multiple times even if we luck into some good friend groups at points and even if we're more social.

The thing to do for many people is to keep busy with hobbies. A crafting meetup or book club isn't usually massive. I know you don't like groups, but nobody is going to go off one-on-one without meeting you in a group context first. Finding some more manageable groups to meet people casually and see if you click is how most people do it. The only way to get to know people over time is to show up in the same places with the same people a lot.

--

Another important thing to realize about adult friends is that many of them won't be good about texting you or inviting you because they're all out of energy for doing that with anyone. Maybe all of their energy is reserved for a job. Maybe for a child. Maybe for a romantic partner.

Even if you're their very best friend, they may still not respond much at certain times in their life. If you guys are just post college, maybe that's not the issue yet, but it will be at some point.

Every single book about the plague of loneliness and how people suck at maintaining core friendships outside of their household is fixated on this. People suck at recognizing when they aren't putting enough energy into maintaining relationships.

I would axe that hangdog attitude about little old you not holding people's attention. They probably just aren't allocating time to building friendships at all.

--

Liking being alone has a lot to do with loving yourself in general and having hobbies and things you want to have time for that are solo pursuits.

It's also about not waiting to do things like go to a restaurant you want to check out. Go alone. Go with a book. Anything can be a solo activity unless it literally mandates 2+ people. Missing out on friend time shouldn't mean missing out on everything else, but a lot of people let it become that.

[lumosatnight]

Lani's Birthday Oneshots: 2023 Edition!

So, today is my birthday (SCREAMING!), and as a continuation of last year's tradition, I present a ONESHOT REC LIST to celebrate 🥳! Here are 15 oneshots, all under 10k words, one for each day in June leading up to my birthday. Lots of genres, lots of tropes, ordered by ship (kinda).

🌼 - fluff | 💔 - angst | 🔥 - smut | 👀 - mind the tags

—

1. Potter's Got a Tiny Dick (that I can't stop thinking about swallowing whole) by @vukovich [Draco/Harry, E, 4.1k] 🔥🤣 This is crack. Hilarious and filthy crack with bff Ginny, nasty car sex, and unhinged Draco wanting "Just a little nom of a cock."

2. Boy Wonder by @maesterchill [Draco/Harry/Ron, E, 6.1k] 🔥🎹 Established in love Rarry with Draco returned from abroad! Wonderful Ron characterization, witty snappy dialogue, and dacryphilia!!!

3. A Saving People Problem by @the-francakes [Draco/James, E, 5.9k] 🔥🏍️ Draco living at Grimmauld place, and James can't keep his eyes off of him. Oh heck yeah! Surprisingly sweet for such a hot cross-gen pairing. Also poor Harry lol.

4. Gray Eyes (Tell No Lies) by @danpuff-ao3 [Sirius/Draco, E, 3.7k] 🔥🍏 Draco with a lingerie kink! Sirius with a one-way magic mirror! So hot, so delectable. Throw in a praise kink too, and I'm drooling.

5. A Sight to Behold by @lumoslyra [Sirius/Luna, T, 2.5k] 🌼🥐 Luna and Sirius dancing around each other. Hermione watching it all and Harry is just confused. Super cute and sweet.

6. in rivulets, in waves by @dulosis [Bellatrix/Luna, M, 2.0k] 💔👀 Dark and deceptive. I couldn't put this fic down. What happens if Bellatrix survives the war? What if Luna takes her in?

7. Catch Me As I Fall by @this-world-of-beautiful-monsters [Bellatrix/Lily, T, 5.8k] 🌼💔 This fic is a wonderful AU of Lily befriending Bellatrix at Hogwarts. How she slowly changes, how she still is roped into the war. Just spectacular!

8. (give me) the first taste by @iamsiriuslyriddikulus [Narcissa/Lily, M, 4.4k] 💔🌿 Narcissa and Lily as hot moms smoking weed!!! Yes!! This Muggle AU is so well thought-out. The characters are so memorable. (Also I'm a sucker for flangst).

9. Love in a Hopeless Place by @dragonsandotters-dh [Remus/Narcissa, T, 4.6k] 💔🐺 So much hurt but also so much comfort. Draco gets bitten by Greyback. A heart-wrenching and hopeful look into the aftermath.

10. Male Bonding by musigneus [Remus/Severus, E, 9.8k] 🔥👀 This is angsty fuck-or-die to the max. Trapped in a cellar before the full moon. But it's SO GOOD and a somewhat hopeful ending.

11. Open a Vault For Me by Sevanna_OHera [Charity/Severus, M, 3.4k] 💔🧪 I found this pairing recently, and the angst level is off the charts. So much hope and longing in this fic and also a canon-compliant ending.

12. Table for One by @littlesixxwrites [Dean/Blaise, T, 3.2k] 🌼🎄 I LOVE THIS SHIP. Bean is the cutest. This fic has instantly smitten Blaise and equally enamored Dean. Lovely fluffy fic that made me squeal with happiness.

13. Maybe This Time (alternatively: once more, with feeling!) by @wanderingdonut [Regulus, G, 4.6k] 🤣👻 THIS FIC!! I died laughing from this fic, then I came back to life cackling and died all over again. Ghost Regulus is perfect. Snarky and entitled and wallowing in death lol.

14. toxicology by @batmansymbol [Hermione, G, 2.9k] 💔💌 A fascinating dive into the possible implication of Harry being a horcrux for so many years. I love how we view everything through Hermione's unreliable narration.

15. just a few sweaters by Prettything_uglylie [Molly, G, 2.4k] 🌼🧶 This story is a cup of hot cocoa in front of the fire. Warm and sweet and content. I adore it with my whole heart.

BONUS FIC (>10k): Tiny Dancer by @rainchance [Neville/Pansy, M, 12.4k] 🌼🩰 A super sweet Panville fic with ballet dancer Pansy and film student Neville. Wonderful background characters and mutual pining.

—

Want more fics to read?

Try my rec tag: #lumosinthelibrary

Bday Oneshots 2022, 22 Fic Recs 2022, WLW Library

#lani's birthday oneshots #hp fic rec #rec list #lumosinthelibrary #birthday #2023

[house-of-mirrors]

@awordbroken @thedeafprophet IT WHAT

i gotta psychoanalyze it now... Lady Macbeth....

Act 1 Scene 5 comes to mind first:

Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false And yet wouldst wrongly win. 

Summary: Lady Macbeth has learned the witches have predicted Macbeth will be King of Scotland. She believes he has ambition but lacks ruthlessness to take the crown, that one must be willing to do unholy things to get what you want. Continuing--

Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry “Hold, hold!”

Summary: Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to remove her feminine kindness and replace it with cold, heartless ambition. One must be completely compassionless to rule. The last two lines particularly fascinate me in relation to Fires and the crimes against the stars.

And uh. Yeah the part. Fires talks about having been good at bearing children and. Yeah

Ahhhh but Fires you forget Act 5 Scene 1... Lady Macbeth gets what she wants, she gets all the power and glory, but the guilt of what she had to do to take the throne, and what she has to keep doing to maintain power, destroys her (I believe Fires knows, to some degree, that what it's doing is wrong, it gets all defensive when you bring up particularly nasty crimes in LF)

Why then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?

[...]

To bed, to bed. There’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come. Give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed.

[...]

DOCTOR Foul whisp’rings are abroad. Unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles. Infected minds To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets. More needs she the divine than the physician. God, God forgive us all.

Or does Fires, deep down, know its trajectory of ambition and conquest will only end with it undone... yet it still continues to do so anyway because it doesn't understand how it could pursue any other ending... It's a tragedy? Always has been

(Folger Shakespeare Library Updated Edition of 2013 text used)

#i have an english minor and macbeth is one of my favs #shakespeare is my thing #lore discussion

[sionisjaune]

nico/lewis 41 the street of an unfamiliar city at night

Setting prompts

The night is balmy enough that Lewis can stand out front of the bar and light her blunt without shivering like she would back home. She inhales, holds her chest full, and blows a cloud of smoke into the air in front of her face. 

“Hey,” says a voice behind her. She spins on the stiletto points of her shoes, and her gaze lands on a handsome face framed by floppy blonde hair. It’s the guy that was checking her out inside the bar. He looks like a local, with his suntanned skin and a string of seashells wrapped around his neck, but his accent is flat and unmusical.

“Hey,” says Lewis, taking another hit. “Where are your friends?”

“Inside with yours,” he says. “I’m Nico.” He stumbles his way towards Lewis, obviously wasted. He’s probably Lewis’s age, and probably a student too. Lewis is surprised she hasn’t met him yet. She flew in for her study abroad program a month ago, and Monte Carlo is tiny besides. 

“Hi Nico,” says Lewis. He stops a respectful distance away from her, obviously struggling to balance, and seems to be fascinated by her colorful nail extensions and the blunt propped between her fingers. “Let me guess. Your family owns a yacht and you’d love to show me sometime?” 

“Ah,” says Nico, scraping a hand through his hair. “I mean—we do, and I would like to, but I wasn’t going to open with that.” 

Lewis cocks her head. It looks like Nico is trying very hard to keep his eyes on her face rather than her body. She can hardly blame him. “I’ll give you another shot,” she says. 

“Just,” says Nico, wringing his hands. He tugs at his necklace, and it bites into his skin. Even completely wasted, he’s displaying that puppyish need to be adored that Lewis likes in a man. He looks like he would let her do anything to him. “You’re really beautiful? And I was wondering if I could get your number?” 

“Yeah,” says Lewis, lifting her hand for another luxurious hit. “I think you can.”

#inspired of course by the masterpiece that is kangeiko's breathe deep #setting prompts

[yisony07]

As big as they want

"Ken, Ken, come see this!" Jay yelled as he walked into Kennedy's room like it was his own house. He was in high spirits, and he was carrying a box in his hands.

"Jay, shit…" Kennedy muttered, opening his eyes. He noticed through the window that it was already night. He got up from the bed after a yawn and settled down. "Hell, Jay, what the hell are you doing here at this hour? And who let you in?"

"Your mother announced that she would go on vacation to a hotel with the others, remember? She was just leaving when I arrived, and she let me stay with you" he answered. "Anyway, I wanted you to see this."

"What is now?" he asked with a hint of mistrust.

"An item I bought while on my way here… the vendor told me that it is capable of fulfilling your wishes" Jay commented excitedly. "We could stop being seen as younger than we are!" Both boys had known each other since childhood and had always felt alienated from each other, because their genetics, for better or worse, made them look younger than they really are.

Jay, a term college student, a couple of semesters away from graduating.

Kennedy, a recent engineering graduate student applying for an internship abroad.

"Keep going believing in everything they tell you, that you will lose your money easily" said Kennedy leaning his body, sitting on the edges of the bed, towards his friend. "But let's see what's this time."

"What are you interested in too, huh?" Jay opened the box and took out a wooden mask of a worn green.

"Wow, that's interesting," Kennedy ironized, rolling her eyes. He noted that Jay looked at such an object between confusion and disappointment. "Try it on, see if it works."

Jay heeded Kennedy's words, turned the mask around and innocently brought it closer to his face, but...

"What the hell?" Jay whispered. "It felt like something was sucking on my face…" He took another look at the back of the object in his hands.

He was mesmerized by that glow with his eyes wide open. He brought the mask closer to his head until he molded it onto his face. At first nothing happened, but then Jay grunted: the mask sucked at his face and magically began to spread around the edges by tendrils and tentacles, as if it wanted to cling to his head, to his face, to be him...

"What are you doing? Take it off!" Kennedy told him, scared by what he was seeing.

Jay, on the other hand, did not stop the mask from continuing. He felt good, as if a cozy warmth enveloped him; not only on his head, but also on his whole body, so much so that, without knowing how conscious he was, he began to pinch and fondle his own nipples.

"Ah… yeah… it feels good…" Jay said softly as he gave slight movements, as if that would help the mask to cover him. Then he began to moan almost shamelessly.

Kennedy looked at him disgusted at first, thinking that the mask influenced him in terrible ways, but there was a whoosh (perhaps that green smoke expelled by the mask) that made him reconsider his feelings... did he like it?

The mask ended up engulfing Jay's head and Jay, feeling his libido rising with every second, ripped the mask off with satisfaction. He felt his body creak and expand, but it was as if he was being stroked from behind him and reached for one of his hands to masturbate. How could he not? It felt too good, like he was going to ejaculate every moment. However, he noticed that over time he stopped moving: first his grayish legs turned to stone; then his butt and his cock, huge and erect; followed his torso and finally his head, complete with mask. Jay had turned into a greenish stone statue, with a larger body than he originally had, and a slightly longer penis than usual.

Kennedy didn't know what to think. Did the mask turn his friend into a statue? "I already said that it was dangerous…". He was about to continue his groans of concern, when he noticed that a crack formed in the center of the body and with a *crack*, the statue collapsed, leaving behind a pile of dust and green gas, and revealing a smiling figure.

"I am amazing!" he said as he ran his hands all over his body. "I'm bigger, stronger, sexier… See Ken? I told you it worked!" he added. He turned on himself, forming a small tornado, and when he stopped he became another person.

"Uff… this is…" he noticed how her cock grew until it broke his underwear, revealing a huge member with a greenish glans, and without any shame he began to massage it uncontrollably… "Fuck…!" he said he and shot a load of cum that filled poor Kennedy, who was slow to process what he saw. "Hummm, Kennedy… you look so hot covered in my semen."

Masked Jay turned Kennedy around to clean him up and started kissing him. Kennedy's feelings were changing and a blush lit up his face, wordlessly consenting to his best friend's actions. Jay, with another twist, undid Kennedy's clothes, laid him down on his bed, and stood over him. "So, whaddya think?"

"You sure look older and… bigger than normal" answered Kennedy calmly.

"Well, I hope you're ready, because we're going to use this big thing to enjoy this time alone" and, inserting his cock into Kennedy's pinkish hole, giving a stroke, he began a pleasant night.

(...)

"Argh… ah… ugh… hmm… fuck yeah! That feels great" Kennedy moaned with the quick movements of Masked Jay. The bed moved, threatened to break from the violent shaking of both. Covered in sweat, semen, flushed giving it their all as they screamed from the pleasure they felt. Kennedy was in four, or rather in two, because his face was glued to the bed, with his hands clinging to the damp sheets.

"Almost there… want me to cum inside this time?" Masked Jay said about to come, reaching out with his long hands to grope Kennedy's nipples, abdomen and ass as he fucked him from behind.

"Me too… do it outside" Kennedy replied as he came.

Masked Jay pulled his penis out of Kennedy's ass and sprayed his river of cum all over Kennedy's back. "Oh…fuck!! I couldn't get enough of this…" Jay whispered. "Ready for another round?"

"I would, but I'm sorry: I'm extremely tired, my whole body hurts and it's already the fifteenth time…" Kennedy gasped. His breathing was quickening and his eyes felt heavy…very heavy. "I think I'm going to…". He didn't continue talking, because he fell asleep.

Masked Jay, for his part, in the absence of amusement, placed his hands behind his head, on that subtle line where the mask met. He put a finger under the rim and it felt oddly good, like he was fingering himself, but instead down there, just above the back of his head. Enjoying the situation, he placed his other fingers and pulled.

At first he hurt, it was like taking off a part of himself, as if he was shedding a bit of his own skin. His arms and his entire body spun in tornadoes as he felt himself grow weaker. He tugged at the mask, which was doing its best to continue clinging to his precious face, but Jay's will was stronger, and the mask was pulled from his face.

"Uff… you sure do give a lot of power" Jay praised the mask in his hands. "And now it's dear Ken's turn to enjoy it." He laughed a little, feeling as if he was making a prank.

He turned Kennedy's body slightly, enough to place the mask under Ken. Then he released it, and Ken's face made contact with the mask. This, similar to Jay's case, spread across Ken's face, completely engulfing his head. Kennedy was not moving, it seems that the dream was so great that he was unable to feel the power of the mask flowing through his veins.

"That should be considered a superpower". Jay commented surprised. He felt the sheets tug under him, knocking him off the bed. Jay saw the sheets cover Kennedy's body completely; green lights came out from under them, and within seconds, the sheets lifted, revealing a figure below them watching Jay.

"You are right, J…". The voice that emerged was deep, masculine, intimidating… "This is incredible." In no time, Jay was under him, eager to worship such a body. "How about we continue with the sixteenth time?".

Thanks to @thesantorias94 for the masked pics.

#loki mask transformation #he-mask #the mask #themask #the mask transformation #male transformation #male tf #fanfic #gay #gay transformation

[mywingsareonwheels]

The witches who don't know they're witches in Pratchett's Discworld and the Morseverse's Oxford

There may come a day when I will get over the glorious, very blatant, and wonderfully resonant influences of Terry Pratchett's writing (and especially the Discworld) on Russell Lewis's writing of Endeavour.

It is not this day.

(Spoilers for s9 of Endeavour; much milder spoiler for the first episode of Inspector Morse; mild-ish character spoilers for Witches Abroad, The Wee Free Men, the Watch books (but especially Thud), and Unseen Academicals.)

We know three things:-

every place on the Discworld, by and large, has its witch. Someone who takes responsibility for it, whose answer to the question "who is going to do something about X problem" is pretty much always "me", who tells the place what it is. Who is usually ferociously down to earth. Some places have more than one witch, though this can cause clashes.

not every witch knows that they are a witch (cf Granny Aching).

while custom and practice dictates that only women are witches, it's not at all a hard-and-fast rule.

And a fourth:-

I saw this explained far better in a post about Good Omens actually, but the risk with witches is that they go off the rails. This can look like desperately trying to control others (especially doing the thinking for others, which Pratchett always (rightly) regards as horrifying), and in extreme cases changing reality to suit that control. It can look like cruelty. It can look like violence. Above all, it's loss of self-control. And in all cases, it's called cackling. We see it most of all with Lilith Weatherwax; we see that Granny Weatherwax is terrified of it happening to her.

I'm anything but the first person to note that Sam Vimes is, unbeknown to himself or probably anyone else in-universe, the witch of Ankh-Morpork. He absolutely is. I'd also add that Glenda Sugarbean, similarly unbeknown to herself, is the witch both of Unseen University (which Vimes generally leaves well alone; and sure, UU has wizards everywhere, but it needs a witch), and of her particular street in Dolly Sisters.

If it weren't for her character development in Unseen Academicals I think Glenda could very well have ended up cackling in middle age or when older. She becomes awesome and has some excellent qualities from the beginning, but her tendency to take over what other people are doing rather than let them grow and learn and be themselves is troubling in itself and sometimes comes very close to doing the thinking for others. And she resents others' dependence on her while also actively fostering it which... yeah. In no reality does that lead to anywhere good. I love Glenda, but *ouch*. All power to her for getting herself away from that trajectory. By the end of the book she's a far more balanced witch and cackling is clearly not in her future. :-)

And Vimes, oh goodness. His monitoring of his own character and actions is clearly paralleled with that of Granny Weatherwax: both of them have to work not to keep darkness out, but to keep it in. His own internal Guarding Dark is what keeps him from becoming both a cackling witch and the kind of copper he desperately wants to avoid being (and honestly, in his case the two would be pretty much the same).

Now, as we know, a) Russell Lewis is a massive Pratchett fan, b) Vimes turns up as a mentioned cameo in Endeavour, as Fred Thursday's sergeant and mentor (both in policing, and in fighting against the other police in the Battle of Cable Street/generally being an antifascist) back in the 1930s and probably as the person Sam Thursday was named after. And I don't think it's any kind of stretch to see Fred as the witch firstly of Mile End, and then of Oxford when he's forced to leave. He talks about first his part of "the Smoke" and then Oxford much as Vimes talks about Ankh-Morpork or Tiffany talks about the Chalk.

He's a very frustrated witch, constantly having to grapple with corruption in the city, in the force, and even in himself, but always, always "there's a city to look to". There's something deeply mythic about Fred in the early seasons of Endeavour. He makes mistakes even back then, but my Gods does he care, and my Gods does he take responsibility. I honestly think that over the entire series, and certainly prior to his unravelling in s9, the only thing he does for purely selfish motives is buy those canaries. Ah, my heart.

He protects, he works his arse off. He loves Oxford, deeply and passionately. Protection is the beginning and the end of his work.

But he's very traumatised and not always very self-aware, and he always has that tendency to try to control the narrative. Morse is fine. His marriage is fine. The money is fine. Sam is fine. He is fine. He won't confide in Morse, lest he upset Morse; he won't confide in Win, ditto; he won't pressure Morse to confide in him, ditto. And he can be violent, sometimes understandably, sometimes much less so.

Instead of having an internal Guarding Dark, Thursday a) represses so he can leave everything at the hatstand, and then b) takes on Morse as an external Guarding Dark (with just a little touch of both Carrot and Angua), to help him stay in line - and then pushes back against it. And just with all of the intense expectations Morse places on Thursday, it's both heartbreakingly understandable, and really not fair at all.

Ultimately Morse can't keep Thursday's darkness in, and Thursday can't keep standing upright on that dizzying pedestal. Because of course they can't; no one could. And the trauma conga line that is series 9 for Thursday I think has him damn close to cackling, if not right over the edge, making some disastrously bad mistakes. He nearly loses Sam, and in saving him he loses Oxford, loses Joan, loses Morse.

Whatever Thursday still thought was possible at the beginning of That Conversation in the pub (moving his responsibility from Oxford to Carshall? really, Fred? after Raymond Kennitt, would that really work?!), he's had a massive change of heart and mind by the time he and Morse finally shake hands and part, and in that change I see his redemption.

Here are the last things he does for Morse:-

refuses an offered lift all the way to Carshall so that Morse can get to his rehearsal okay (underlining his repeated support of Morse as someone who needs music to keep him going; that one thing the darkness can't take from him)

validates Morse's strengths and his belief in him, and in a teasing compliment to himself, makes him just-about laugh

hands over his own service revolver, forgoing his own duty and responsibility as potentially violent protector (and also giving himself the opportunity to learn to be someone who doesn't need that role anymore, and omg this is giving me Granny-giving-Tiffany-her-hat vibes and all...)

calls Morse for the last time by his given first name (and nods in sad acceptance when corrected)

And in all that, I see him passing Oxford on to Morse, as a last act of love and respect (even if one that he's desperately aware is hardly the easiest of gifts to bear).

Morse is the witch of Oxford now. And look at him in the first episode of Inspector Morse! He's a mess in some ways, good grief is he. But he's far more centered and at ease, and he's also not only developed further that deep and abiding sense of responsibility (which, let's face it, the poor man wasn't lacking in before), and a certain trickster nature that honestly reminds me as much of a far (far, far...) less filthy-minded Nanny Ogg than of Sam Vimes. ;-) He's rather a good witch for Oxford. And so it goes on. <3

#gnu terry pratchett #sam vimes #glenda sugarbean #his grace his excellency etc. #granny weatherwax #granny aching #itv endeavour #itv inspector morse #morseverse #fred thursday #e morse #endeavour morse #russell lewis

[sparkagrace]

Hi my loveee 💖💖 How about ⚡️+ Evanstan for the plot bunny ask game?

Mayaaaaaa, this is perfect because you showed me this photo, and now I'm obsessed with the idea of film student!Seb and actor!Chris.

We know that Chris skipped college and went straight into acting so I can imagine Sebastian could be a little irritated when he's in class one day for a guest speaker. And he's expecting someone with a little more gravitas and experience, or an alumni of the school to come... then in walks this guy who is practically their age who's supposed to talk to them about the acting life, but he's wearing baggy jeans and an unironed shirt and, uh, frosted tips?

What's annoying is that this Chris guy basically has already led two movies. Seb has seen Not A Teen Movie and he knows about The Perfect Score and Chris hasn't even studied! He just apparently walked into Hollywood and got starring roles immediately.

What's even MORE annoying... is that Chris is humble and kinda shy about it? He seems to acknowledge that yeah, his path kinda came out of nowhere and he's still learning as he goes. He's funny and he's got this heavy Bostonian accent that Sebastian finds himself wanting to hear more of. Oh, and he's so complimentary about everyone he works with and all the crew on those shoots, that Seb can't even pretend he's arrogant or aloof.

Seb is so content to try and forget about it but someone invites Chris to a bar after class and it's just more of the same with Chris charming everyone and Sebastian trying to ignore it all. He finally gets outside for a smoke and tries to push away his weird envy and frustration of their guest speaker when he hears someone ask him for a light. He turns and it's Chris standing with an unlit cigarette in his hand. Sebastian gives him his lighter and they both smoke in silence until Chris finally breaks it with:

"I'm supposed to quit."

"Me too," Sebastian agrees. His mom doesn't like that he smokes but, y'know, peer pressure and he thought it made him look like James Dean because he used to have the hair for it.

"Is it hard?" Sebastian frowns at the question and Chris shakes his head. "Oh, not quitting. Sorry, I mean, uh, studying acting. It's not like there's a right answer? Not like math."

Sebastian huffs out a laugh. "No, it's not like math. When you tell people you're in acting school, they think you're just learning how to cry on demand."

He explains about the modules he's taken and teachers he's had. It's all about techniques and finding your voice, trying to see what's not written in the script.

"You studied at the Globe Theatre? You stood on the same stage Shakespeare did?" Chris looks at him in amazement and Seb blushes.

"Not the same stage. It was only for a year but-"

Chris curses. "Jeez, you're so lucky! People cast me as the jock all the time; no one will ever let me do a Shakespeare play."

They talk a little about London and Chris expresses how hopefully he'll be able to take roles that film abroad so he can travel while working too. Sebastian asks about auditioning because he just sends tapes to LA; he doesn't live there so listening to Chris talk about Hollywood life and how hard it is but surreal at the same time when he sits on set and thinks wow, I'm really here.

Then it's time for the night to end because Sebastian has an early class and Chris has a meeting with his agent and some scripts to see. They say goodbye and it's only when Sebastian gets on the subway home that he regrets not asking for Chris' number - just for networking, y'know? Just in case he's in LA for any reason.

He hopes that Chris someday gets to see London.

#that was more of a ficlet than a plot bunny #i'm sorry #i am unwell #evanstan #ask games #ficlets #maya 💖💖💖

[max-millers]

024, a hotel room with only one bed. - esme

@esmexavila

"Yeah, this is the only hotel in this area. And this is our only room left. We had someone else about to check in, though, so you'll have to agree on something with them, they went off to grab something, so you'll have to wait for a moment."

It's not often that Max is sent abroad for further education or events, but this is one of these times - and after his originally booked hotel had issues with electricity and was shut down for the while of his stay, he had to search for an alternative - only one bed, and another suitor? Seems like he'll have to pay them a whole load of money to back out of this one. Max turns to search for the person, tries to spot them, and then someone oh-so-familiar approaches, and Max can't help but break out in a fit of laughter.

"No," he croaks out in between snorts, and maybe it's the weed he's smoked earlier that makes him think this is so funny, "Esme?"

#cases filed for; avila e. #esme | is this... true love

[cherienymphe]

I want to go on on a little holiday abroad alone for a week but my family and I always go together and I’ve never been on my own. So every time I bring up that I’m planning on going somewhere, they’re like “oh yes let’s do it we’d love to go” and then I end up not booking it.

All I want to do is go to the south of France and Italy and maybe go interrailing and meet a handsome man who genuinely finds me beautiful. I want someone to be passionate with me and have a bit of roughness but tenderness to him. I want to be railed by a really fucking sexy Italian/French/Swiss/Monegasque man. I want to go on a dinner date by myself by the sea. I want to read a book in the outside of a cafe. I want to swim at a pool (I haven’t done that in years) without caring what I look like. I want to ride a bike to get around. I want a cute pastel coloured bike with a basket so I can put flowers and my groceries in it. I want to be cute by day and hot by night. I want to go to a rich casino where I’d wear my red dress and red lipstick and when I go outside for a breather I’ll meet the most handsome man. I want to go for a ride on his motorbike (literally and metaphorically). Or his rich fancy shmancy car. I just want someone who I’m attracted to to be attracted to me back.

But yeah. I can’t do that when I feel guilty for telling my family that I want to go on a trip by myself… because my mother’s 61 now and I know that’s not the end of her life but she’s a smoker and she’s been smoking since she was 10… what if it would be the last trip we ever had together? I can’t tell her no I want to go by myself. I’m 21, I’m overthinking rn because I’ve had some wine, Idk why I told you this

It's okay to ramble sometimes 😭 if you don't feel comfortable telling them you want to go by yourself you can always go by yourself later. I understand the feeling of being scared you'll miss out on activities with your family bc of their age and whatnot so there's nothing wrong with planning a trip with them and just planning a solo one later. You're 21. You have time to throw yourself into whatever adventures you want

#asks

[squareallworthy]

Hey, fun story: I knew a guy once who dated a girl named Teresa Goncharov. She was here from Italy on a year abroad thing, studying art, which is weird because it's not like Western has a great art program. Anyway this guy Ian, who was really more of a friend of my roommate Ben, met her in an art class and they started seeing each other. They would come around together and hang out sometimes. And yeah, she was one of those stereotypical intense, twitchy art students who seemed to survive on nothing but cigarettes and coffee. They came into the video store where i worked once and we had a deal where you could get a free rental on a new membership, so Ian had her open an account. Of course she only had Italian ID and the name on her license didn't mean anything to me, but I asked how it was pronounced, and Karl, the assistant manager goes "Goncharov? Like the movie?" because he was a big Scorsese fan. And she rolled her eyes and said "Yeah, yeah, my grandfather." So that's how we found out.

So then of course we had to watch it. We didn't have it at our store, because it was on moratorium due to the whole French recoloring copyright thing, but we managed to track it down at Scarecrow Video in Seattle. Two hundred dollar deposit, because copies were already pretty rare. We invited Ian and Teresa over and surprisingly they showed up. At first I thought it would be fun to watch it with the guy's actual granddaughter there, but she was a really irritating person to watch a movie with. She kept getting up every fifteen minutes to go outside and smoke. Then she'd come back in, sit on the arm of the couch next to Ian, watch for a few minutes, shake her head and say "It wasn't like that…my God, it wasn't like that." Then go outside to smoke another cigarette.

Great movie, and outside of that she was all right, but I wouldn't choose to watch anything with her again.

#goncharov #that's just how it was in the 90s

[untilthenextencore]

Cosmic~... Ch. 2

The ride to the Rainbow was an experience! Jimmy started by draping his coat over her shoulders before then also wrapping his arm around her & walking briskly to the car. He signed a few autographs as his minders slid into the front seat with the driver. Jimmy for his part then gallantly opened the door to the car for Galatea & helped her inside before sliding in after her.

Champagne was waiting in an ice bucket inside for him & was summarily popped & poured into two glasses. Galatea carefully tried stilling his hand as he began pouring hers.

"No, that's not necessary. Thank you."

"Why not, luv?" He asked with a soft smile.

"I... I... I shouldn't. I shouldn't really." She then poured what little was in her glass into his to top him off.

"Why not, my dear?..." He cupped her cheek, lifting her chin to study her face in the intermittent streetlight & moonlight as it flickered past. "It's no trouble..."

"I..." After a moment of getting lost in his gaze & feeling her toes curl once again Galatea dropped her gaze, looking down & away. "I just shouldn't..."

Jimmy peered at her curiously. He let a moment pass in thought before the answer came to him. Or rather the question. "How old are you, Miss Velasquez?"

Her breath caught in her chest. She wrung the edge of her skirt in her hands, not realizing how it was inching up slightly. Distracting him slightly. Considerably rather. But not enough to sway him. As it was when he prodded her with a hum.

"Hmmm?"

That she finally answered.

"Sixteen..."

"Sixteen..." He drawled in a puff of smoke like the dragon lord he was said to be.

"Yeah, sixteen. I just turned a few weeks ago..." At last she lifted her gaze back to him, breath still feeling like it was clenched in her chest as she asked. "Is that a problem?" Now it was her turn to study his features as he had did hers earlier.

His features softened. Lips curving into a slow easy grin. "Not at all, my dear. Not at all." Trying not to lose himself in the exposed expanse of upper thigh her skirt wringing had earlier revealed, Jimmy tried to make easy conversation with the shy young thing. "Where do you go to school?"

"Golden Heart Girls School. It's a local private parochial school. Uniform and all..." She adjusted her skirt a bit. "This skirt is actually part of my uniform. I just thought it looked cute as part of this outfit."

"Indeed it does..." He mused in another puff of smoke. His breath feeling still. Trousers suddenly feeling all the more small. "So is that why you're so averse to drinking?"

"Oh, I'm not averse to drinking." She explained. "I just don't want to put you out. I don't want to get you in trouble is all."

Jimmy just laughed. "Darling, you won't get me in trouble. Not here! Of course you don't have to if you don't want to, darling but... Your safe with me..."

She just gazes up at him, hesitantly. Clearly deliberating. Leading him to add.

"The bottle will be here if you'd like. I'll pour you another if you want. If not, that's fine too."

Hesitant or not, there was something Galatea felt resolute about. "I definitely don't think I should drink once we arrive at the Rainbow."

Jimmy chuckled again. "Fair enough. But as for now? Just between us?"

Silence. Then the shrugging supposition. "Maybe just a little... I mean... If you're okay... I'm okay..."

"Very well then!" Jimmy poured another slightly smaller amount of champagne into her glass.

It was then that he studied her more in full. Peering at her carefully. "Why do I feel I've seen you before? Have you been abroad at all? London?"

Galatea's gaze remained on her glass as she nodded, admitting. "Mmm-hmm... I went to London with my friend Alicia. I got to see you in the ARMS date there at the Royal Albert Hall. I've also followed my friend into doing some modeling a bit. Uhm, glamour modeling as of late I think they call it."

Jimmy was stunned. This shy, extremely careful young thing? A glamour model? "Since when?"

She was rather frank about it. Very plainspoken and simple. "Since I turned sixteen... The photos only are released in England though..."

"Page three?" Jimmy asked, going for the most likely culprit.

"Bingo." Galatea nodded.

"But you go to parochial school. How does that go?"

Galatea's head tilted down, shy as she admitted. "They ah... They don't really know. Since the photos are only released abroad."

"Don't worry, my dear." Jimmy smiled. His arm slid around her waist pulling her to him once again, comfortingly. "Your secret's safe with me."

She smiled shyly, a flush washing over her cheeks. Her only response being to cuddle closer, lean in & place a kiss to his cheek, hushing quietly. "Thank you."

Jimmy felt something clench at his heart. Like a small, delicate hand clutching at his heartstrings. Something about her burrowed under his skin. She got in his blood. Certainly, she got his blood boiling at the very least.

As such, his arm wound tighter around her, pulling her in closer still. His free hand came to cup under her chin gently, lifting it and her gaze in order to study her better. Her doe eyes locked on & studied him just as much. Toes curling once more. He seemed mesmerized as he gazed upon her in the fleeting light that flickered in from the passing streetlights. "Beautiful..." Was his only slowly hushed musing before he swooped in & stunned her with a kiss.

His lips were soft yet insistent. Gently overpowering. Guiding her stumbling mouth into something resembling a smoother rhythm. Her hands landed on his chest as he pressed her to him. Fingers clenching his scarf. Her flute had long since been sipped empty & placed back in the bucket. Leaving her free to fall into the kiss. And under his spell.

Who was under whose spell neither was sure. The minute their lips touched each felt ensnared. Again he felt the twining, plucking & clutching of that phantom hand, this time stronger. While Galatea felt she was finding herself - in her mind's eye - in the palm of his hand. Clasped gently between his two hands perhaps. Held tenderly yet protectively. Shielded & safe. It was thrilling. It made her feel warm. Deep inside. All over.

This warmth was only pierced by a sudden splash when a jostle from the car passing over a speedbump caused the bottle of champagne to tilt in the bucket & splash the two slightly, leading her to break the kiss with a soft gasp.

Her gaze fell to regard the splashed champagne on her thigh & his trouser leg. How it glistened. Gleamed. Glittered. Feeling like something sacred had just passed between them. Yet thinking how by some appearances it would seem tawdry to some. The irony of it all.

Galatea thought quickly, reaching into her pocketbook & pulling out a handkerchief to blot at both splashes. The champagne allowed its glitter & bubbles to be sucked up & turned the soft white lace-edged cotton fabric gold where it made contact. Glitter & gold meets cotton & lace.

Jimmy flashed her a toothy grin as she cleaned him up. His hand then came down to cup over her gently tidying one, lacing fingers with her around the handkerchief just as it rose to begin to blot the traces of her lip gloss off his lips. "No... Leave it..." He hushed. Her hand stilled, allowing him to pull away the handkerchief & tuck it safely away in the pocket of his suit jacket. Allowing his hand to fully encircle hers. Allowing him to lose himself in her once more as she did him. Allowing him to bring her close to him, into his embrace once more as he now fully locked her into his arms. Allowing his lips to slant over hers once more. And so it remained.

Galatea did her best to follow his instruction. She did her best to pick up & follow the rhythm he set out. But Lord it was so hard. So hard. So hard when it was so easy to just get lost in him. Him. Him in how he touched her. Him in how he held her. Cradling her like the most precious thing yet clasping her as if he'd cease to breathe if parted from her. The way his fingers wound in her hair & how he allowed hers to do the same in his messy curls. The way his lips softly nipped at her lower lip, then parted hers. The kiss suddenly then went from soft & gentle to deep & searching.

He felt like fire. She felt molten. Melting from the inside. Starting from her heart. From her core. Her legs pressed closed, knees kissing & thighs clenched tight.

That is...

Until a hand fell to land on her right knee. His, of course. It took no liberties. He did not try to push her limits in the least. Instead, he merely seemed content to make contact. Further contact. Jimmy massaged her knee gently, leading her to lax the "clenching kiss" her knees had with each other. Thighs no longer as tightly pressed. But even as her thighs laxed & her knees parted - even if only slightly - he still never pushed things. Never pushed her. The only hand that moved was his right hand slipping to the back of her neck, cupping the back of her head, keeping her in the kiss even as he deepened it. He seemed voracious. Seemed to want to devour her. Yet he somehow seemed to hold his hunger in check even as he so clearly burned for her hot enough to make her glow & grow warm in the light of his flame.

But just before she gave thought to allowing him to delve further into this hunger, into this burning desire, to revealing how she burned for him too in spite of her shyness & hesitance, the decision was made for her. The door to the car was opened to blazing neon lights & raucous rock music. A voice calling from over the sounds of cheering fans who were just then recognizing just who they had in their midst. "We've arrived, sir."

Again they are forced to break the kiss. Again Galatea is left in a swoon. She rests her head on his shoulder, covering her face with her hand. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts, of which there were both too many & none at all at the same time. Hiding her face also allowed her - or so she thought - to shield her blush from his gaze. Though as it turned out, the neon lights, as well as the overhead light in the car, made that more than obvious as well, as did her face shielding.

"Where are we?" Galatea mewled, not yet even bothering to look.

Jimmy chuckled, his mirth bubbling over as he petted her hair, brushing it back from shielding & obscuring her all the more. "The Rainbow, love." He lifted her right hand off of her face, pressing a kiss to the back amidst more caresses. And several more kisses. "Come with me. I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. I want you with me tonight."

Galatea's eyes lifted to meet his, arresting him. Stealing his breath from his chest. Stealing his heart. As did the gentle, caresses of her fingertips to his cheek & along his profile while her hand remained in his. Speaking words from her heart, pure & simple, honest & bare, Galatea intimated. "I'd follow you anywhere..."

Jimmy's chest puffed with pride. More than pride. His heart felt full enough to burst & make him glow brighter than the neon lights outside. His head buzzed stronger than any champagne could ever hope to rival. He felt as if on a cloud. He felt stunned. As if he were somehow holding a precious young innocent. An earthbound angel. A dear little angel that somehow had chosen to fold herself in his arms. He felt blessed. He felt as if he were walking on air as he guided her out of the car & into the club.

And as they made their way inside the club, Galatea remained still with her head on his shoulder. His jacket remained draped over her shoulders, glittering in the dimmer light still. His arm remained wrapped around her shoulders as he pet her hair & pressed a kiss to her lips & cheek before intimating to his angel. "I can't wait for you to meet Richard, dear. He oughta love you!"

Just as he said that, in short order they were lead to a table where a man with close cropped hair, moustache & goatee waved them over.

"Richard! There you are!" Jimmy smiled.

"Jimmy!" He greeted, before casting his eyes in Galatea's direction in evident bemused surprise. "And just who might this lovely young thing be?..."

~

To Be Continued~...

As ever this is forever under construction~

Thanks to @firethatgrewsolow & @pennyroyalcreep for their help~!

Hope you guys enjoy~!

#untilthenextencore #led zeppelin fanfic #led zeppelin fanfiction #led zeppelin fan fic #led zeppelin fan fiction #jimmy page fanfic #jimmy page fanfiction #jimmy page fan fic #jimmy page fan fiction #cosmic fic

[nicsalazar]

A will(-o') and a way || Ariadne & Nicole

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Nightfall grove PARTIES: @ariadnewhitlock  & @nicsalazar SUMMARY: Ariadne and Nicole's respective walks get threatened by shiny foes. CONTENT WARNING: Sibling death

The campus green was beautiful. Sometimes Ariadne still thought of the chance that she could have had, to study abroad in a place that was entirely unlike where she’d grown up. However, that had quickly become obviously impossible, and though being an optimist wasn’t something that she found easy now, she did acknowledge that she could at least work to enjoy what she had.

She’d decided to go out for a walk - it was nearly dusk, but after all, she was some sort of monster-creature of the night, wasn’t she? Mossthorn Bog wasn’t somewhere she’d ever been as a child, really - but now there was a sickly sort of comfort. Which wasn’t something Ariadne felt especially proud of, but it was a fact, and one she supposed she had to get used to. There were some lights, flitting about, and Ariadne bit her lip - she’d watched fireflies as a child, but somehow these seemed even more magical - except if they were fireflies, chances were, they’d stress themselves out soon. 

Taking a step back, she steadied herself - and her breath. Content to just watch for now, though if her heart could have raced, she was certain it would have.

Nicole stopped trying to understand how Nightfall grove worked. It was one of those things she couldn’t think too hard on. To preserve her sanity. When it came to Wicked’s rest, there was always a growing list of those. The only thing she knew about the neighborhood was that it gave the fire department constant headaches. Other than that, it seemed like the worst place to take an evening walk. And she should’ve been deterred by the creepiness of the forest as soon as she arrived, but she was curious enough. She promised herself to visit every corner of the town. Those were good enough reasons not to go back to her car.

She was initially drawn to the flickering orbs in front of her for its resemblance to fireflies. Fireflies. Nicole could stay and stare at them for a while, then continue her stroll. The sight was more enticing, anyway. On a closer inspection though, the orbs danced around like smoke, which set off all kinds of alarms in her head. Nearly made her reach for her backpack to find something to extinguish them. But when she really zoned in on them, she knew they weren’t fireflies. Nor smoke. She’d seen this before, not quite like this but— as an experienced hiker, she’d seen them more than once. They were as enthralling as they were dangerous. 

And she wasn’t the only one who had stopped for the spectacle. Nicole took notice of a young woman, (a kid basically) to her far left. And a third presence right on the other side of the bog. A man. She took a few side steps until she was closer to the girl, never tearing her gaze away from the orbs. “All good? I think… we might be in trouble” 

She practically jumped at the woman’s words. “I -” blinking rapidly, Ariadne did her best to regain her train of thought. “I’m fine. I think? I just got distracted.” By lights. Which made her feel like shrinking into herself for a moment, because that was possibly one of the more childish ways that she’d behaved recently. Even if she should have been bored, by all accounts and prior experiences (no offense to any fireflies), she found herself unable to look away from them.

Looking closer, she saw that they looked almost smoke-like. Which didn’t make sense, as far as fireflies went. Or at least Ariadne didn’t think it made sense. She’d never seen smoky bugs before - or, were she honest, smoky anything that wasn’t getting burned up.

“Wait, trouble?” The words finally registered. “Why? Are they gonna light something on fire?” Ariadne took in a steadying breath. “That’s bad. Do - is there someone we can call about that?”

“Yeah…” Nicole replied absently, the orbs still holding her undivided attention. They were beautiful, no doubt about it. And something in her pulsed, an urge to get closer, maybe even touch them. How bad could it be? She was a firefighter, she could handle— The questions reached her ears, but the trance she was in didn’t allow for much processing. It was the sound of a branch snapping underneath shoes that pulled her out of the daze. In front of them, the man had stepped forward, closing in on the spectacle as he extended his arms.

“Yes,” Nicole responded to the question still floating in her head. “I mean, no— no. Don’t think they’ll set something on fire” though they may. In that case, she felt a lot better about their odds. She shouldn’t have found the second question amusing. Was there anyone to call about another creepy occurrence in town? It depended on so many factors. Someone to get rid of smoky orbs? Unlikely those even existed. “We’ll be fine on our own, I think. We just have to—” the smoke danced around, and Nicole noticed just how close the man had moved. He was actively in their territory, hovering right above with his hands ready to grab. Nicole’s stomach dropped. 

The second he dared to touch one, everything changed. The orbs floated along his arm, taunting around his neck before going up his airway. Nicole froze as he inhaled, her heartbeat drumming in her ears, waiting. Something was going to happen. This wasn’t the end. And sure enough, as a shaky breath left his lips, he dropped to the ground, full on choking. 

“Uh-huh,” her own attention was held by the floating lights, too. Which was odd. Not that Ariadne had never been a distractible child, but she was usually more able to focus on conversations than what was happening right now.

“Oh. Okay. That’s - good, right? Setting stuff on fire is bad, wouldn’t want that… unless it’s like, birthday candles or for a holiday or something like that.” Ariadne sighed. She was supposed to be good at conversations. Even when she’d been relatively shy as a child, she’d still been good at talking to people. Or at least she thought she had. Maybe that, much like a lot of other stuff about herself, wasn’t as true as it seemed. “Okay, you’re sure? You look like you know what you’re doing. So I wasn’t trying to make it seem like I thought you didn’t.” She was truly failing at just about everything she could fail at right now, wasn’t she?

“He -” except she couldn’t finish her sentence, her thought, any of that because the man they’d both shifted their focus to had fallen to the floor. “We should help him!” Ariadne looked over at the other woman. “Right? What - what are we supposed to do?”

Fire bad yes, Nicole vaguely registered the woman’s observation, incapable of passing any judgement. Her own brain was too scrambled to come up with anything clever. Why were those orbs so damn addictive to look at?

“What? I’ve no idea what I’m doing—” she fully turned to the girl then, surprise evident in her eyes. “It looks like I do?” it was so not the point of anything, but an involuntary half smile tugged at her lips. That surely was something she had acquire through the years of firefighting training. Because most of the time, she had no clue what she was going on outside of work. And yes, a guy was choking in front of them, but the little ego boost felt nice, okay?

Which… there was a guy choking in front of them. Right. Focus. The orbs had completely taken a hold on the man, leaving both women unscathed and slowly regaining their focus. Nicole despised that she had to weigh their options at all. But... what if him choking meant they could escape? Because— the smoky spheres would come for them after. Right? Wouldn’t be happy with one killing. Her stomach sank as she processed her own thoughts. This man was very likely dying or encountering another terrible fate. “How��� how? I’ve never seen these things do that,” she breathed out, jaw clenched, eyes stinging with angry tears. How could they help? Beat the orbs out of him? Drag him away? The orbs would still follow along. They had to leave him behind. 

She never wanted to make a choice like this, but there was one life she could save. She’d deal with her own mental hell later. “I need you to not be angry at me,” Nicole whispered before she could stop herself. Maybe, she wished she could’ve said those words before. A lifetime ago. Wished she could’ve been absolved of her actions. Were they angry at her, that night? When she chose her survival over— She was the one who ran, right? That was her specialty. She grasped the young woman’s arm, tugging gently. “Can you do that for me?” She glanced at the woman briefly, before her eyes darted pointedly in the direction of the forest. We have to go. Maybe if she didn’t say it, it would be less horrifying. She’d be less of a bad person. She was counting on this girl to get it.

“You really do.” It was the truth. Ariadne very rarely saw any good reason to lie, and especially not when it involved complimenting someone else. There was always something genuine to appreciate about everyone, she figured. Especially people who tried to help. It was admittedly harder to concentrate on doing anything right now, given the appeal of the little glowing orbs. 

She followed the other woman’s gaze to the man a few yards ahead of them, who seemed even more taken with the orbs than either Ariadne or the other woman were. A small part of her, one that she loathed immediately, felt jealous that they were attached to him. A similar way to how as a five year old, she’d felt jealous when Chance had gotten his ice cream before her. Even on a hot day when it meant his started to melt faster. Except in the pit of her stomach, she felt sick for a moment - the man was choking, and here she was, sad and mad about the fact that whatever was attached to him was killing him.

That had to qualify her as a monster, didn’t it?

“What?” The other woman’s voice startled her from her own spiral of thoughts. “Mad? I - why?” Slow to register what the other woman was implying, when it finally hit her, Ariadne’s eyes grew wide. Well, wider than usual. “Go to - leave?” She bit her lip. Balled up her fists so that her nails dug into the palms of her hands. “He’s - let him -?” She found herself unable to finish her thoughts. “I - but - he’ll…” 

“Well… thank you” heat crept up Nicole’s neck, and she was thankful they had more important things to worry about than her bashfulness. “But trust me, I’m not. I’m just… I’m trying not to freak you out” she seemed to be doing a decent job at least, though it would depend on how the rest of the night unfolded. 

However, it was not looking good for the man, who twitched on the ground, choking sounds becoming more desperate. Her hands clenched into fists, keeping the nausea at bay. Rationally, Nicole knew she should’ve reached out. She had to. And then… then she should’ve performed CPR or something to keep this man breathing despite the smoke (or whatever that was) inside his airway. If this were a normal situation —big if— she should’ve jumped to help. But her body wasn’t obeying her, instead, it screamed at her to run. She couldn’t test her luck with those orbs.

And when the man went limp on the forest ground, his cries slowly extinguishing until there was nothing but eerie silence, Nicole definitely wanted to hurl. She let this happen. The sight snapped her back into action. She pulled harder, harder than she should’ve. They couldn’t wait longer. She’d carry this girl on her shoulder if she resisted. She jerked her around and ran, dodging the trees standing in her way. Until the bog was imperceptible under her nose, having distanced themselves enough. 

Nicole leaned against a large trunk to catch her breath, tugging the young woman to her side. She let go of her wrist, but gripped her shoulder instead, fingers digging into flesh. Anchoring herself before she did something weird like giving her a hug. Because this was a fucking stranger, she reminded herself against the ill-timed memories her head wanted her to revisit. A stranger. Not her— 

She would’ve been around her age now, her heart overturned logic. A fresh wave of guilt crashed over her. Maybe. If she had held onto tightly like she did tonight. If she had been quicker to react. Then maybe. Maybe… her sister would’ve made it into adulthood. Maybe would've reached this girl's age. 

God, she’d never be unshackled from those ‘maybes’.

“I’m sorry” Again, she wasn’t sure who she was talking to. “Wish you didn’t have to see that. It was… couldn’t risk them coming after us” they didn’t know, technically, what those orbs had done. Did it look worse than it actually was? Nicole had to hope so. But they couldn’t get back there and check, not tonight. She’d make sure to take a hike first thing tomorrow. And then, she was staying the fuck away from Nightfall grove. “You’re good, right?”

“I - you’re welcome.” She wasn’t sure if that was the proper sort of response, but right now, there were a fair few things that Ariadne was more than a little bit confused by. “Well, you’re doing a good job, at least helping me not be totally freaked out.” Which was true, and given her tendency towards freaking out about nearly anything, this was a solid win. As much as anything could be considered a win in the current circumstances. 

She let herself be pulled along by the other woman, no matter how much she wanted to run back to the lights, to the struggling man, to all of it, but instead she stayed complacent - even if this had to mean that she was now responsible for another death. Because he had to be dying, didn’t he? Even if the thought made her stomach turn, made her whole mouth feel bitter. Horribly, it made her crave a nightmare, too, but Ariadne shoved that thought out of her head as fast as she could, because the very last thing she needed right now was hunger pains.

“You - no, I’m sorry.” Ariadne wasn’t sure why she was apologizing, but it felt like the right thing to do, for whatever reason. “It’s okay.” It wasn’t, but it wasn’t the woman’s fault, and it would have been extremely unkind for her to think. “I’m glad they didn’t come after us.” That much was absolutely true. “I’m - yeah. I think?” Ariadne pressed her fingertips against closed eyes. “Dehydrated, I think.” She bit her lip. “Are you okay? Good? Sorry.”

“Fine” Nicole nodded curtly, raising a thumb to emphasize just how fine she was. She exhaled slowly, waiting on her heart to stop pounding in her ears. She craned her neck from behind the truck, looking back at the trail and scanning the ground for any signs of the smoky foes. None. Her attention returned to the girl, suddenly realizing what she had been doing. She dropped the hand she kept on her shoulder, clearing her throat. “I’ve water in my backpack” she said, twisting the bag to her chest and rummaging for the bottle. She handed it without looking up, too busy searching for her protein bars. They could use some food after witnessing— she didn’t finish that thought, instead offered one of the bars to the girl.  

“C’mon, let’s keep moving— just in case” Nicole nodded ahead, pulling herself off the trunk. She turned her head every now and then, confirming they weren’t followed. Ripping the package with her teeth, she ate in silence, letting the whole experience sink in before they could unpack it. “He might be alive…” she muttered, mostly to herself. But once she realized she had spoken out loud, she glanced at her companion. She let the sound of their footfalls fill another silence, before she shared her thoughts. “We don’t know what those— I mean, I’ve seen them before but never like that,” she had seen them guide other hikers towards dangerous places, but never go anywhere near human cavities. “So it doesn’t have to— he might be alive” she repeated, the corner of her lips twisting into something akin reassurance. 

“You got somewhere to be? I’ll drop you off. Not letting you out of my sight yet” her steps came to a halt, as Nicole paused to reorientate herself. Where was her car now?

She grabbed the water quickly, mumbling a thank you so much before she opened it and drank at least half of it probably far too quickly for her own good, but it gave Ariadne something to focus on that wasn’t whatever had just happened (she knew what had just happened, but even thinking the words would make it all too real). The water was still surprisingly chilly, which was good - something something about a shock to the system being good to not hyper-focus on anxiety, right?

“We can keep moving, yeah.” The words felt foreign to her, as though she wasn’t the one actually speaking them. Which brought Ariadne back to right after what had happened, months and months ago. How everything felt uncertain, rocky, like she wasn’t supposed to do. She took a protein bar from the woman, and began to nibble at it, trying to focus on the flavors, to once again have anything to focus on that wasn’t the fact that she’d just watched a man die in front of her and hadn’t done a thing to stop it. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen them before - I - I thought they were like, fireflies. Or something like that.” She nodded at the woman’s words. “Yeah, maybe he’s just got like - what’s it called?” She bit down on her lip. “Narco-something - lepsy! That makes you just fall asleep, doesn’t it?” Ariadne looked toward the other woman for any sort of confirmation that that was even possible.

“I - just back at my apartment.” Ariadne sighed, “you don’t have to, if you’re like, busy, you know. I don’t want to be a bother to you.” 

“That’s how they get you” Nicole mumbled after the comparison to fireflies. She was drawn to them too. Got lost in their beauty. If she had moved forward and tried to touch like she had wanted to, then she would’ve been the one convulsing on the forest ground. Just a split second decision separated her and the dead— not dead— guy they left behind. “Don’t trust any shiny bullshit out here” she warned, though it may have been pointless by now. She thought the girl was traumatized enough not to go near anything like it again. 

She blew a tense breath, her half-chewed protein bar forgotten in her hand. She wanted to entertain the girl’s idea. She couldn’t discount any possibilities, really. So maybe it looked like the guy was toasted but there was something else going on inside. She’d have to ask Leah if she had any information on those orbs. Nicole nodded, mostly to convince herself. “Yeah, let's hope he’s got that… magical narcolepsy. I’ll uh— I’ll, come check on him tomorrow. See if— see…” she shrugged, the end of her sentence clear enough to be understood in silence. 

Nicole turned around a few times, bottom lip between her teeth, eyes narrowed in concentration. Until the spinning stopped, and she settled on a direction. Car's that way. Her steps resumed, slow at first for the girl to catch up. When she heard her speak, she glanced back at her like she had grown another head. “No,” she tried to adjust the deep scowl on her face to something friendlier, more in line with what she was really thinking. There was nothing wrong with the girl’s words, but Nicole was confused. Why would taking her home bother her? “Where’s your apartment?” she asked, pushing past her confusion. “You’re right not to trust a stranger right now,” she conceded after a moment. Maybe that’s where her apprehension was coming from. She extended her hand. “I’m Nicole. And I will take you back home. Made you run after all”.

“Oh.” Ariadne frowned. “Okay.” She still felt waves of confusion wash over her, but for now, she decided to ignore it (as much as she could, anyhow), because adding more to her already deeply confused state wouldn’t do anybody any sort of good at all. “Noted. But like - does that include jewelry, or just random shiny bright things that are out and about?” She hoped that she didn’t sound too clueless, though she supposed that she was, in fact, quite a bit clueless about this. 

“Okay - if he’s just asleep, will you let me know?” Wide eyes nearly met the other’s before she quickly turned away, because despite all her hope, she knew that the likelihood of the man still being alive was not large. That it was, in fact, likely practically nonexistent. Still, Ariadne didn’t like thinking that way, and she’d learned over the past year that thinking that way didn’t quite change things, no matter how much she might’ve wanted it to.

“It’s just downtown. I - just - not too far from the high school.” Ariadne walked a bit faster, doing her best to catch up with the other woman as quickly as she was able. “I’m Ariadne.” She gave the woman her hand to shake, wondering how quickly she’d realize just how cold she was. “Running’s not so bad. Good excuse for exercise, or something.” She made a face, a poor attempt at humor once again. “Sorry if you’ve said this but you - work out here, or…?”

Nicole opened her mouth, having no real answer to her question, so she closed it. Only to try again a second later. “I’d say… uh, only the random shiny things on the ground” she nodded to herself, yeah. That made sense, though logic didn’t come into play a lot when it was Wicked’s rest. She was curious though, and if Leah couldn’t supply answers maybe she’d ask Jerry. No one knew the trails of Wicked’s rest better than he did. He must’ve seen this before.

The girl’s words shook her off her thoughts. Nicole raised her eyebrows, giving away her surprise as Ariadne requested a follow up. Maybe she wasn’t as traumatized as she thought. “I will” she promised, a small but genuine smile on her face. “I’ll need your number or—or an email or something but, yeah. I’ll…uh, you’ll know” she confirmed, twisting the empty package of her protein bar in her hand in an anxious move. 

Nicole took the woman’s hand and shook it quickly before letting go, too used to Leah’s warm touch to think anything extraordinary of Ariadne’s cold hands. Everyone was cold compared to her girlfriend. “Oh, yeah. That’s on my way home so, no problem” she shot the girl a reassuring look, in case she still felt like she was imposing. Or that Nicole was a murderer. Though at this point, if she were —and Nicole wasn’t— she would’ve had enough time to attack already. She almost missed the next question with the odd tangent her mind was entertaining. “No I was… taking a walk. Exploring the neighborhood, don’t really come here” for good fucking reason, it seemed. “Not really my scene but, it’s good to know what’s out here”. 

They walked in silence for a moment, slowly but surely (as far as Nicole could tell) making the way back to her car. A question lingered in the back of her mind. But she didn’t want to sound too concerned or stern or— “Why were you out here by yourself? I mean it’s— you’re pretty young, that’s not… it’s dangerous”. 

“Okay, I’ll do my best.” Ariadne still didn’t fully understand, but she also wasn’t going to question whatever Nicole was saying, because she very much seemed to be knowledgeable about the outdoors, and life in general, by extension. At least in Ariadne’s mind. Plus, she was an adult, and Ariadne wanted to respect her views and what she said, even if she felt confused (but only somewhat). 

“You can have my number,” she paused, “uh, do you want me to write it down, or should I just put it in your phone? Whatever works for you.” Ariadne’s gaze went to Nicole’s hands, the twisting of the wrapper a far too familiar feeling - one she was guilty of, even if usually it involved picking at her nails more than twisting wrappers around. But then again, most of the time she just had small candy wrappers, or whole bags, and Nicole wasn’t like her, so she clearly had other things to fiddle with. “Thanks - I - uh, yeah. I’d - it’d be nice, just to hear from you again, too.” She hoped that wasn’t too weird to say, that she hadn’t been such a bother that the very last thing Nicole would’ve wanted was to ever run into her again.

“Oh, okay - good. I just wouldn't want to make you have to go out of your way for me.” Ariadne fought back the urge to say please don’t do this, I don’t deserve it - and for a moment at least, was mildly impressed with herself for avoiding telling Nicole that. “Oh, that makes sense.” She wasn’t sure if it did, but very little made sense anymore and she figured that she could at least fake it when it came to what Nicole was saying. Relatively speaking, her explanation did make more sense than a whole lot of other things.

“I - I like walking, and - I dunno,” she finally acquiesced, “just wanted to go for a walk, and my cousin was… busy.” Which was to say that Ariadne didn’t want to ask Chance to go for a walk with her, no matter how much she wished she could’ve. “I - I’ve got pepper spray.” She looked down at the ground, then back up. “There’s a car over there - is that one yours?”

“Oh, right yes… of course” Nicole shoved her hands inside her back pockets, trading the empty package of her snack for her phone. A picture of her and Leah with the sun setting in the background flashed as the screen lit up, before she unlocked her phone and promptly handed the device to the young girl. She furrowed her eyebrows, surprised by Ariadne’s admission. Like friends? Had she managed not to completely freak this woman out? Enough that she might consider talking to her further? She gaped at her for a moment, a shy smile slowly creeping on her face. “That’d be nice, yeah. Could help you out picking better trails” she shrugged, unable to keep the teasing lilt off her voice.

“All good,” Nicole waved dismissively, knowing the young woman didn’t want to be an inconvenience. It was a good thing she didn’t have to lie, Ariadne’s apartment was on the way home. She wasn’t sure she’d sound convincing at all if the opposite had been true. She nodded in silence, willing every facial muscle to go for reassurance. If she was successful, she couldn’t tell. And the girl likely couldn’t either, with how dark the forest was. 

“Alright, yeah. You’ll need someone to join you on your walks, for when your cousin can’t make it” Nicole briefly wondered about the rest of Ariadne’s family. Were they not around? Just busy? Was she here for school? Were they dead like pretty much everybody else’s families in this town? Maybe if the other woman did take her up on her offer, then she’d end up finding out eventually. “Pepper spray is good. A start, at least. We’ll have to make you a backpack with more stuff, though” her heart did skip several beats at the thought of a girl walking around the forest with only pepper spray on her. “First you’re gonna need—” She looked up at the question, following Ariadne’s line of sight to find her Subaru Crosstrek. “There it is, yeah” she let out a sigh of relief, turning back one final time to convince herself the smokey orbs were not going to return. It wasn’t often she had the urge to leave the woods. She unlocked her vehicle, a hand on Ariadne’s back urging her inside. Only once she was in front of the wheel she felt the rest of her anxiety roll off her shoulders, letting out a shuddering breath. “Right, so you need a starter pack…”

#sibling death tw #w: a will(-o') and a way #w: ariadne #w #wickedswriting #soft if u ignore the dead guy #ty emily for writing w me

[survey--s]

600.

Who gives the best advice? I don't really ask people for advice - because my experience is that they then get pissed off when you don't take it.

Is there any band out there that you like every song by them? No.

What’s the best song a friend has ever introduced to you? I can't think of anything in particular right now.

Have you ever smoked? Yeah, I smoked for a bit during my year abroad.

Does your favorite uncle have any children? He does. Two grown up daughters who now have kids of their own.

Have you ever been in a lighthouse? Yes.

Name one of your psycho exes? Chris.

Why were they a psycho ex? Well, he was a compulsive liar and refused to admit to several of his children. We broke up and it's come to light there are even more.

Do you still talk to your first crush? No.

Where would you like to travel? I'd love to go back to Canada and Italy, and in terms of new countries - New Zealand, Iceland, Japan and the Seychelles.

Are you shy about singing in front of people? Not really, but I definitely can't sing in tune lol.

Do you know anyone who always makes themselves out to be the victim? Yeah, I went to university with someone like that. It was exhausting.

Have you ever been insulted or called names by a significant other? Yes.

What’s your favorite movie battle scene? The battle for Helms Deep is pretty good so far as battles go.

Have you ever been to a same-sex wedding? No - I've never been to any wedding that wasn't my own.

What’s the population of your hometown? The town I grew up in is about 15k. My current town is about 7k.

What’s the most difficult experience you and a significant other have gone through together? I don't really know, to be honest. Looking back most of my relationships were just filled with pretty mundane dramas.

What’s something you have zero tolerance for? Animal abuse.

When's the last time you said you were sorry? Earlier today when I trod on the cat.

Would you like living on the coast? I love living by the coast. The only disadvantage is the strong wind/storms in the autumn.

Honestly, do you enjoy arguing? No.

Which theory do you wish but perhaps not believe was true about afterlife? I don't really believe anything happens after we die. I kind of think heaven would be cool, though, but without the religious aspect.

Are you scared of losing the person you like to someone else? No. I have no concerns in that respect, he's a very decent person with decent morals.

Do you have a hard time making decisions? I'm weird in that I can make huge, life-changing decisions in seconds, but I really struggle with minor decisions like where to eat or what outfit to wear lol.

If there was a large spider in your room, would you stay in the room? NOPE.

What’s your favorite kind of meat? (vegan/vegetarian options count!) Steak or bacon, or fried chicken.

Have you ever been mistaken for staff at a store you were just visiting? No.

What’s the coolest or most memorable animal you’ve ever seen at a zoo? White lions and tigers are pretty incredible, even though they're mostly inbred these days which is sad. I also remember seeing dolphins at an aquarium in Italy but it just made me sad. It was a mum and calf in this tiny tank and they just swam in circles constantly.

Do you share a bedroom with anybody? My husband and the dog, lol.

What video game have you played the most hours of? If you don’t know, just make a rough guess. Overall probably the Sims as I played it constantly as a kid.

Who will you see within the next week? Mike, my parents and I have no idea who else. I'm hoping to catch up with Susie at some point and I'll probably see my in-laws too.

Do your parents live in their hometown(s)? No - they live on the opposite side of the world from where they were born, lol.

Have you ever modeled before? No.

If offered $1 million, would you do a reality show of your life? No. I value my privacy too much for that.

Who owns the computer you are on? Me.

What’s your best friend’s favorite color? I'm not sure he really has a favourite colour.

What color was your senior prom dress? Red.

How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2014? Just the one.

Northernmost state you’ve been to: I've never been to America.

Think you’ll live to be 100? Who knows. Both sides of my family are pretty long-lived and healthy so I guess it's possible.

Which YouTuber do you feel like you could be friends with easily? I don't watch any YouTubers.

Who do you know personally that has a nice singing voice? My dad.

If you met your favorite musician, what would you ask him/her? I honestly have no idea lol

What's something you used to believe in that you don't anymore? Nothing in particular is coming to mind.

What's something you believe everyone should have? A home.

What's the first thing you do once you get home from a trip? Say hi to all the animals, and then go and take a pee.

Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones? No, I genuinely don't get the appeal.

What was the last heavy thing you lifted? The cat.

Do you have an anchor tattoo? No.

Are your hands unsteady? No.

Do you think you’re pretty? I think I'm normal looking.

Who do you know that wears the most makeup? I don't really know anyone who wears tons of make-up. I live in a very outdoorsy area so most people don't wear much (if any).

Are you anyone’s first love? Apparently so.

Has anyone ever told you they were in love with you? Yes.

How much does your mother know about your sex life (or lack thereof)? Nothing. My sex life is nobody else's business but mine (and my partners).

#survey #surveys