[dualityoflight]

phantomgalaxies‌:

“I didn’t want any of that, Jesse. And you know it.” Grace answered back. “Do you think I like having my mother, and grandmother, and aunts and pretty much anyone who knows me asking when I’m going to settle down. When I’m going to find a man, get married and produce an heir?” She questioned, her voice cracking. Her normally pristine posture and transformed into a slump and she leaned forward, staring hard at the rug. “I hate it. I hate it so much. They keep forcing these men on me, telling me they’d be perfect husbands, great fathers, good for the family. They tell me that time is running out - and part of me wants it to. The only person I want that with is…” Grace trailed off. The only person she wanted that with was Jesse. In those rare moments, she allowed herself to daydream, it was perfect. Her and Jesse, a beautiful house by the seaside and three lovely children. However, that could never be their reality, so dreaming like that wasn’t worthwhile. “You have options, okay? You can be with anyone you want. I can’t.”

Jesse softened as Grace ranted, the pressures of her family so very real. She set her wine glass aside and moved to smooth her hand over the curve of Grace’s shoulders until it rested on the back of her neck. Her jaw tightened when Grace trailed off, neither of them needing the unspoken ending. “Anyone?” Jesse replied gently trying to keep her own upsetting emotions out of her tone at Grace’s implication. “You’re going to sit here and tell me I’m not just as trapped as you are. You’re royalty, Grace. I understand that comes with so many expectations. Better than most since I do manage your life.” She offered up a sad smile. “We commoners don’t have it much easier.” If she tried to sound joking about it, it didn’t hurt so much that there were so many obstacles between her and Grace, least of which was the fact that she was nowhere near the station of a princess. “You know I can’t be with who I want any more than you can. If either of us could then there wouldn’t be a problem would there?”

[phantomgalaxies]

starter @dualityoflight

“I know you were being nice - but you don’t have to be that nice,” Grace said with a sigh as she poured herself a generous glass of wine and another for Jesse. Sometimes it seemed like Jesse didn’t realize the effect she had on men, they liked her. And the hidden nature of their relationship made it harder. Yes, Grace finally called Jesse her girlfriend in private. Yes, they did things like go on dates. But it was so difficult in the public eye. “You know he’s an adulterer, right? And that he was a child out of wedlock?” She added, snark in her tone as she settled on the couch. Deep down Grace knew Jesse had no interest in the man, but seeing the way he looked at her? It hurt. All she wanted to do was lay her claim, whisk Jesse away and kiss her senseless. “Honestly - he’s total rubbish.” 

[dualityoflight]

Jesse took the offered wineglass, lips pressing into a thin line. It was hardly the first time Grace had become jealous. They were something more official at least to one another these days, though that didn’t allow for any public acknowledgement. “Child out of wedlock? Really?” Jesse countered, not in the mood for Grace’s pettiness when she had been the one that had to put up the unwanted attention all night. “I didn’t know Graciella of York was so easily scandalized these days.” Jesse let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose before she pushed out of her heels and settled beside Grace, a little more room between them than the usual non-existent amount of space. “Do you think I enjoyed any of that? That I like feigning niceties in the background while I what each introduction of you to a man from a “good family” is supposed to mean?” Jesse kept her own jealousies quiet. Grace was under enough pressure and stolen kisses and private nights were all they were allowed. It didn’t help to get upset about the reality that was their very finite relationship. 

[thewalkingcast]

Lauren Cohan gets ready for the Screenwriters Guild Panel (via Jamie Greenberg’s snapchat)

[rpmemes-galore]

Send a symbol for your muse to gently touch mine by: 

❥ :  tucking stray hair behind their ear

✿ : trailing soft kisses down their arm

☁ : cuddling with them under a blanket

★ : pressing a kiss to the back of their hand

▲ : leaning your head against their shoulder

♪ : singing them a lullaby and brushing their hair

◆ : wrapping your arms around them from behind

✤ : lacing your fingers into theirs and holding their hands

♣ : slowly pulling them into your lap to curl up and cuddle

▨ : rubbing their back to calm them down when they’re upset

▰ : embracing them and holding them firmly against your chest

[dualityoflight]

coaching duo for @jvsminerose

Blair loved the chaos of fall ball. Freshman on the field for the first time. Getting to try out different lineups. And getting to scope out the competition. Their crosstown rivals, another public school about the size of Blair’s had a shakeup when their coach had moved to Ohio last year. He and Blair had built up a friendly, if at times biting, banter over the the few years they’d faced one another. Blair knew not to underestimate whoever was brought in, the athletic department was serious about softball. What she hadn’t expected was the new coach to be young and gorgeous in addition to plenty capable on the field. That certainly made things more interesting. Blair made a point to seek her out while some other schools were playing, leaving the scouting to her assistant coach for the time being. 

“Blair Drake,” she introduced herself as she slid onto the bleachers beside the other woman, close enough that it left their legs touching. “Coach of East Wilmington High, if the colors weren’t a dead giveaway.” Blair was clad in the school’s signature green which as luck would have it was great at bringing out her eyes. Her cap was backwards, not exactly the professional look she went with for more official things, but hey, it was fall ball and they were having fun. “Which makes you the new competition, so I had to come say hi and warn you what you’re up against. And that unfortunately unless you find a better fit at third base,” She pulled a face and shrugged, “You’re going down.” She finished off with a grin, making sure there wasn’t any real animosity in her words. 

[moonminho]

Crazy Rich Asians (2018) dir. John M. Chu

[jvsminerose-moved]

@dualityoflight

[infintyonhigh]

Wholesome

[aholywrathincurred]

@leiaskywclker / @stumblingwords

[flawedlouise]

[packing-it-up]

characters i adore 👑 in 2019

✔ Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge 

[dualityoflight]

❛ i thought we were done. ❜ Tucker/Jordan

Angst for Ships Sentence Prompts for @gothknight - still accepting

It was a valid response to the latest time Jordan had kissed Tucker, pulling back to get some small distance between them so she could think clearly enough to speak. She touched her fingers to her lips. Tucker had just looked so sad with her big eyes and she had wanted to take that away. For both of them.

“I… I thought so too,” Jordan agreed, looking to the floor, thinking of how she’d told herself time again she was over Tucker, both of them moving forward with their lives. She couldn’t call either of them happy now. They were most days simply coping with what their lives were. 

“I thought we’d moved on. You’re the artist I always knew you could be,” Jordan looked up at Tucker and half smiled because over her ex or not, she was so proud of what Tucker had done. “I could live my life behind the scenes… except-” Jordan swallowed the lump in her throat and her face pinched. That wasn’t an option currently available. Perhaps if she’d been braver or realized the spotlight was different with her hand in Tucker’s she would have gone about things differently back when they broke up. She thought she’d been sparing them a worse heartache. Letting Tucker become the person that was free of obligations she’d been trapped in.

“I don’t know what to think anymore. Not after everything. We’re not those people we used to be.” She shrugged and stepped back towards Tucker, stopping herself from reaching for her hand and instead playing with her own. “All I know is I can breathe when I’m with you. You’re the one who understands. Who can make those horrible interviews bearable or get me to leave the apartment without an anxiety attack.”  But all those things weren’t at the heart of why Jordan had kissed Tucker.

She paused, debating the her next words and blinking through her watery eyes. “I can’t shake the thought of how you came running back to me. I see it every time I try to fall asleep. And how someone shouldn’t do that.” If that wasn’t love, Jordan didn’t know what was. “And then all I want you here. With me, again. For real.”

[maziekeen]

[elizabeth-forbes]

Iris West: favourite outfits and hairstyles 12/?

[hope-mikaelson]

Endless gifs of Juliana Valdés

[dualityoflight]

gothknight‌:

Tucker couldn’t get her brain to stop racing, with all the things that could have happened, all the terrible sorts of people Evangeline could have run into. The Encampment was barely safe for girls who lived in it, let alone ones who didn’t, ones who stuck out like sore thumbs in the general squalor. But she was here now, locked safely inside until Tucker could walk her out. Tucker leaned with her elbows on her knees, sitting square and contemplative on the couch edge. Something was wrong. She might have only been awake for five minutes but she knew that much. “Fine,” she mumbled, sparing a glance up at Evangeline and trying to not give away how terrible she was about to be at saying no to her. Especially when she called her hope, especially when Tucker had barely ever head that name out loud before. “But only because I need to get well enough to walk you back out of here later. Safely.”

“Yes, later you can. Once you’re doing better.” That Evangeline was willing to agree upon. She rummaged in her bag and with a little effort found a bottle of small pills that probably help with the pain she knew Hope was feeling. “At least two of these, but I would take three. Should make it less painful so you can rest,” she explained, frowning when she looked at Tucker’s back and the way some of the sores looked like they might have seeped through the shirt. Evangeline moved to take the spot beside Tucker on the couch, mirroring the way she balanced on the front edge. “Is it alright if I...” Evangeline dipped her fingers beneath the hem of Tucker’s shirt, barely touching skin and moved it upwards a fraction. “I only need to pull it up to see and maybe clean some of them up.” Already Evangeline could feel the heat radiating off Tucker’s back. This, for all her attempts at confidence, was completely outside of her expertise. There wasn’t anyone she ever needed to care for. Not like this. 

[dualityoflight]

gothknight‌:

She’d checked in. As soon as Evangeline said it, Tucker felt guilty. The soulmate thing was going to take some time to get used to. “I didn’t – “ Tucker ran her hands over her face and braced herself on the wall. “I’m sorry. I was asleep. I didn’t – my mom never came home. Your banging woke me up. I must have just been –” Tucker trailed off and took a breath and tried to sit back down on the couch, tugging her small blanket out of the way to make room for Evangeline if she wanted it. “I don’t know… maybe. I didn’t feel like this last night. Evangeline you really – did anyone give you trouble coming in here? You shouldn’t be here.”

“I definitely should be here if your mom isn’t. Someone needs to look after you.” Evangeline’s brow furrowed and she shook her head. “I promise you it was fine. More staring than usual and it was hard to figure out where you lived until I told this man you played the guitar and he pointed me in the right direction. Now please,” Evangeline gently set her hand on the top of Tucker’s shoulder, hardly thinking how last time she’d been all unsure about touches and being in Tucker’s space. It was what came naturally to Evangeline. “Let me take care of you, Hope. I’m sorry I woke you up, but I think we should check and see if everything is okay. Medicine and water if nothing else.” As insistent as she was being, Evangeline softened when she looked at Tucker. It was something of a pathetic sight. She was worried and she’d do anything to make Hope feel better.

[dualityoflight]

gothknight‌:

It was somehow easier to drift off to sleep, despite the pain she was in, despite the worry for her mother, still out at work, gnawing at the back of her mind. Somehow, it was even easy to drift asleep with all of her newfound worries, about Evangeline and what it meant that she had a soulmate now, about what they’d do and if anything was safe. Tucker hadn’t expected to wake up in pain. She’d been sleeping like a rock, like a rock who had been laying face down on that couch for nine hours, entirely unaware of the infection slowly creeping into her bones. There was nothing smart about it, about a government that publicly beat their citizens with god only knew what and sent them back to prison cells or to live in their already unclean homes with little to fend for their well being. She’d probably have caught it at least, if her mother had come home. But Tucker hadn’t even notice that she didn’t. She was always working lately. But it was the only way to keep them above water. 

The pounding at the door woke Tucker with a start, and she flew out of bed, nearly falling straight back down at the flash of nauseating pain when the fast, instinctual movement tore at the wounds on her back. Her heart hammered, sure that anyone knocking could only be the authorities and her head spun so much she barely noticed the sound of a voice outside until she opened the door, with her jaw squared against the fear and the pain and instead came face to face with – 

“Evangeline?” Tucker immediately lowered her voice and tugged the other girl inside, briefly looking around before she shut the door. “What are you – you can’t be here. How did you even – Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course I’m okay. You’re the one who’s not.” Evangeline felt torn between being affronted and thinking it sweet that Hope immediately thought something was wrong with her. “Goodness, Hope. You..” Looked like death. “I could feel something wasn’t right and then you didn’t answer when I tried checking in. I had to come. Here you should lay back down.” After the initial flurry Evangeline took a moment to look around the small space Hope lived. There was a couch, messy in a way that revealed it’d been slept on and Evangeline remembered Tucker mentioning it now. She tried not to let the realization that this was where Hope slept read on her face as she tried to guide her soulmate back down, letting the bag she’d been clutching since walking into the encampment drop to the floor. “I brought all the medicine things I could,” Evangeline explained, reaching out to press the back of her hand to Tucker’s forehead. “You’re burning up. Could the lashes be infected?” Evangeline winced at the thought. Tucker didn’t deserve to keep suffering because of this.

[dualityoflight]

gothknight‌:

“Me too,” Tucker mumbled back, down into the floor, at the water at their feet. She let the water from the shower head drip down over her bowed head, filling her eyes and her mouth while Jordan ran gentle lines across her back. Somehow, she thought she had it together better but the more distance they got from the concert and the hospital, the more Tucker suddenly felt like she was drowning. “I’m sorry,” she broke the silence after a long pause, shifting uneasily on her feet. “I thought – I don’t know. I thought I’d know what to do or how to – I don’t. I feel like a shadow.”

Jordan shook her head despite Tucker not being able to see it. Her soft tracing stopped and she moved to hold Tucker by her upper arms with both hands. “Hey, no. Don’t be sorry.” She ran her hands up and down slowly stepping a little closer so Tucker could hear her quiet voice as she worked through the lump in her throat. “I don’t know any better. It’s so much right now.” Jordan blinked back tears when she caught the side of Tucker’s face, the profile enough for her to fill in the sad expression. “No one should have to be prepared for this,” Jordan whispered and leaned into Tucker’s shoulder. Tucker the shadow and her the damn that was about to burst at the seams. They were a pair, but they had each other. “You don’t have to be sorry with me.”