the land of yesterday

[gcldenchances]

IVAN was, quite frankly, shocked that Lily had stayed alive for more than a few weeks without him. They’d been inseparable for over a decade, The very idea that he’d been the one to leave was so foreign he almost felt as if he’d been playing a part. He supposed he had, the martyr. The figurehead of a class power struggle for which he’d had no hand in. Ivan had a lot of regrets, but he’d made it very clear that losing Lily would not be one of them. They’d stayed in touch by sheer force of will, whether it be phone calls or letters. Every day, or near to it. Until the letters stopped, And she wouldn’t pick up her phone. Until the day she appeared on his doorstep, beaming with her familiar grin. 

It just hadn’t been fair, surprising him like that. Ivan thought it was time for a little payback. He’d gotten up bright and early before even the birds had started to sing, and made his way down to Lily’s apartment. The knocking on her door must have been dreadful, even neighbours could be heard murmuring. When the latch gave way Ivan was standing there, sporting that timeless grin that said payback. “Lily, my dear, did I wake you? Shame well, you better get ready because I have a surprise for you,”

( @russianlily​ ).

[russianlily]

Lily enjoyed her beauty rest. After all, it was how she stayed so, well, beautiful. She did not take kindly to people rapping at her bedroom door in the wee hours of the morning. Wee hours for everyone too, not just for her. If it had been anyone but Ivan, Lily was sure she’d claw their eyes out. But instead, she answered the door, an absolute death glare in her eyes. She scowled at his happy face. How dare he be so perky early in the morning. 

“I’m not getting ready. I’m going back to bed where I belong and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let me.” Lily warned him, her voice dangerously low. She narrowed her eyes even more as if daring him to challenge her. As pissed as she was to be awakening so early in the morning, there was no real malice in her threats. She knew deep down, deep deep down, that he has something special planned. But why couldn’t they do that later in the day?

[russianlily]

indaylghts​:

      DRESS - SHOPPING WAS on the top five list of gisabelle’s favorite activities – especially when accompanied by good girl - friends like lily. though, as much as the blonde loved to shop, it was like there was a storm cloud hanging over her head today. with all the planning that’s gone into her next event to go very wrong less than a month before the date was stressing the organizer out, more - so after the confrontation with that lawyer. and now … this dress.

     with a closed - lip smile that doesn’t reach her eyes, she turns her head to glance at lily when she enters the dressing room. “ thank you … hmm … i think it’s the color? i don’t look good in green. ” she answers with a meek tone. 

“Hmmm...” Lily tapped her chin thoughtfully, taking Gisa’s comment into consideration. “It’s just not...your color. Don’t get me wrong, you look fabulous in it. But it doesn’t bring out the inner you, you know?” She stood up, walking back to the sales racks, and started leafing through the different gowns that hung there. In her mind, one of two things could happen: either Gisabelle would find another dress she liked, or decide she really did like her dress after trying a few on. “What about this?” Lily pulled a longer blue gown with long sleeves and a full skirt off the rack. “This could look incredible...”

[russianlily]

smwgreen​:

Each month his parents gave him a list of events he needed to go as part of his “punishment”. It was always some charity with a few sob stories, people asking you to donate, and then some top 40 songs from the DJ to get people onto the dance floor. Adam had to admit, he was proud of himself. He only fell a sleep twice instead of his usual five times. So that was progress at least…right? He took another sip of his champaign when he spotted a woman walking straight towards her, her blush dress giving her a sort of angelic glow. He raised an eyebrow at her offer. “What the hell. Let’s dance.” he put down his glass and gently took her hand. “I won’t lie, I would have probably fallen a sleep over there. So you just saved the day. Thank you.”

Lily grinned, glad that this handsome stranger agreed to her dance. She let him lead her to the dance floor, letting her arm slide around his shoulder as the other stayed firmly in his hand. Lily tilted her head up coyly at him, a small smirk turning the corners of her lips. “You’re saving me from the same fate. I’m usually having a great time at these parties but lately they’ve been a little lacking.” She sighed, looking around at the grand ballroom. In her younger days, she could go to a party every night without being phased. Maybe she was getting older, wiser...”I feel like I’ve seen you before. Do you come to these things a lot?”

[russianlily]

indaylghts​:

      CHEEKS TINTED PINK – cathy glances away in response to lily’s obviously shocked reaction. was it weird that she was still wearing jamie’s ring? there were no manuals for stuff like this – well, that statement’s not exactly true ( a testament from cathy’s internet history ). in fact, in the wake of her and jamie’s divorce, the blonde spent countless hours looking for answers – from how to change her last name back, her legal assets, and lawyers all to scouring for signs of life on jamie’s social media’s, a new book, an article, something to keep tabs on him to therapists, how to get over heartbreak, how to cope. jamie walking out of their marriage had destroyed her … so why doesn’t she fully let him go?

      cathy shakes her head vigorously to the question, letting out an exaggerated groan. “ oh god, c'mon. no! ” she answers, scrunching up her face like the very concept disgusts her. leaning back and slumping in her chair, she keeps going, digging herself into a hole. “ no – no way, ” insisting, like she has to convince herself. “ i like this new guy. i’m over jamie. ”

     “ yeah – it does. ” she agrees with a sympathetic look, and cathy feels a little bad for bringing up wesley to begin with. “ but – maybe look on the bright side? you’re established, independent – and you’re like, really hot. any guy would be lucky to have you. ” and cathy means it, in comparison to herself, it’s a surprise that men aren’t banging down lily’s door. but, to further cheer her up, she places her right hand on lily’s forearm in support.

“Alright! Okay!” Lily put her hands up in defense, it was clear to her she’d touched a nerve. “You know, no one would blame you if you did. I mean, you were married to the guy for...how long?” She shrugged, chewing on her bottom lip. It was very obvious to her that no matter how much Cathy insisted she was over Jamie, it simply wasn’t true. Lily’s heart ached for her friend. Getting over someone you truly cared about was never easy...especially when the breakup wasn’t exactly her idea.

Lily smiled as she covered Cathy’s hand with her own, giving it a little squeeze. She knew her friend meant well, but...”I’m not sure I’m ready to date anyone just yet.” Lily explained, her voice uncharacteristically soft. It hadn’t even been a year since her husband’s death, and while their relationship hadn’t been what was typical between a husband and wife...Lily had still cared for him deeply. It seemed a betrayal of his trust to just get right back out there...but then again, it wasn’t like she’d betrayed his trust before.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Lily patted Cathy’s hand. “But I say if this new guy makes you happy, have at it!” She exclaimed, turning the conversation back to her friend. “Or if it’s just sex, that’s great too! I mean, you’re a modern woman. You should absolutely be having great sex if you want!”

[russianlily]

ethxntyler​:

“I- Kind of?” he said, walking up to her table after he was handed his coffee. He didn’t know how to fix that specific problem, but he knew how to tinker around with it until it worked again. “Before I touch it, how important is whatever you were doing? Cause if the answer is very, you should probably call someone instead.” 

“No, no it’s fine! Just fix it! Fix it!” Lily insisted, pushing her laptop toward him as she caught her head in her hands. It hadn’t been super important...but the carefully edited photo was finally looking good and Lily hated to have to go through all that work again. Was Instagram even worth it? “Well? What do you think?”

[timotaychalamet]

when friends talk to me about their men

[russianlily]

@gcldenchances

[russianlily]

pcper-fcntcsy​:

True had to laugh at her flare of extravagance, pleased to see she had a sense of humor about herself when others in her financial class would snub their noses at a worker like him, “Call it all the HGTV my mom and I watched,” He shrugged off any compliments, though True could always pat himself on the back for good work once the job was done, “Oh well, you’d be surprised. Some people want entirely circular homes, some want entirely pink, some entirely metal. That’s the kind of stuff you never saw on HGTV, but it’s definitely the most fun.”

“HGTV! A godsend!” Lily agreed with a laugh, clapping her hands together. It was clear she’d found a kindred spirit in this Mr. Russell. “I could spend hours debating different granite countertops.” Her eyes widened at some of the ridiculous requests his clients had spilled from his lips and all of a sudden Lily felt that her extravagance was somewhat normal. “A circular home? I mean, maybe if you’re a princess locked in a tower but...wow, that’s insane.” She sighed with a shake of her head. “Do you like doing that sort of thing?”

[russianlily]

pcper-fcntcsy​:

Ilona took distinct appreciation for how Lilly instantly bonded with her, quietly proud to be a woman for they way they cared and looked out for each other in these places. She tried to avoid the seedy pubs, but Ilona’s search for a kind hearted man could only take her so many places before leading back to the social clubs, “VIP? I like the sound of that, my friend!” Sounded luxurious - Ilna wondered if Liy was someone of renown that she should know already. The jeweler wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth though, and linked their fingers together as they started on their way, “As long as there’s the promise of no more terrible conversation,” Oh, who was Ilona kidding? Being VIP was enough incentive for her.

“Definitely none of that. They play the music so loud, you can’t really hear anything anyway. I hope you’re good at reading lips.” She teased, her arm still wound around Ilona’s as they stepped into the cool night. There was a line of people still waiting to get into the dingy bar...good riddance, in Lily’s opinion. If they were going to wait in line to get into a mediocre bar, they weren’t the type of person she wanted to be with anyway. She was just glad she and Ilona got out just in time. “It’s this new place called Sonic Forest and it has everything. Lights, music, go-go dancers...” Lily sucked in a huge breath of air through her nose, getting excited now. Even more than before now that she had her new friend in tow. “So, how did you end up there? It doesn’t seem like your kind of place, I mean...you seem cool.”

[russianlily]

walkingmxuth​:

Johnny shrugged, the grin still plastered on his face. “Is it kind?” He knew others with far worse, others who had to suffer through their memories of the things they had gone to. War was not an easy subject and though Johnny had the luxury of forgetting, there were so many others who were not. It was an honest question though, one that didn’t have a hint of a condescending tone in it. His smile only grew, his hand briefly clutching as his chest. “I want to say it’s the most likely, but I’m sure others will be able to tell you better. I don’t know myself as much as I’d like to say.” He laughed, looking not at all startled when she corrected him. Instead, he crossed out the first try of her name and rewrote it, with only two L’s. “L-I-L-Y. Pretty. Like you.”

“Most people who are kind don’t realize they’re being kind. They just are.” Lily mused, watching him draw for a moment. The silence hung between them comfortably, something Lily wasn’t used to. She always thought someone should be saying something, conversing...but it was nice to just sit here with him. She grinned as he called her pretty, that kind of compliment was never lost on her. “Thank you.” Lily could feel a faint blush tint her cheeks as she turned back to her drink to take a sip, hoping to cool herself down. “How many people do you have in that book of yours?” She asked, catching her chin in her hand as she leaned forward.

[russianlily]

@adastrvs​

“Daisy! Daisy, down girl!” Lily yelled down the street as she tried to chase after her puppy. Somehow the tiny dog managed to tug her leash out of her hand and take off down the street after the food in a total stranger’s hand. Her attempts to convince her dog to slow went in vain as she finally caught up to the person and attempted to pounce on their leg. “I’m so sorry! She’s still a puppy. Daisy! Naughty girl.” Lily chastised, as Daisy’s big brown eyes bore into her soul. “Are you alright?”

[russianlily]

pcper-fcntcsy​:

Ilona was a lady, and she did not much like the idea of starting an argument with anyone. Thankfully, this lovely new woman could whisk her away before either of them had the chance to tell the bartender to go to hell. Getting up out of her stool, Ilona clung to Lily’s arm as if they were already good friends, “Incredibly stupid,” The jeweler pursed her lips once more, letting her sass slip out effortlessly, “Than you very much for playing along, this is exactly the kind of thing that makes me never want to visit pubs again. Or meet guys ever again, whichever. I’m Ilona.”

“Not this type of pub, for sure.” Lily murmured, looking over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t being followed. Some men might get the idea that they weren’t finished when....they certainly were. “Ilona? So sorry you were on the receiving end of that. Some men have such audacity...” She took her head in disgust. “Do you want to get out of here? I was just on my way to a club downtown. A friend of mine just opened it and we’d be on the VIP list, so no riff raff like that to bother us.” Lily’s eyes lit up at the possibility of a new friend stood in front of her. “What do you say?”

[girlsuggestion]

Big sweaters and lacy lingerie underneath

[russianlily]

✧ * .   brotp #3 ft. lily malevsky & julia adams  . * ✧

( @kingofnxwyxrk​ )

who is the better dancer?

i feel like julia is the better technical dancer, but only with the right partner. lily is out there busting every move. 

who likes the outdoors more and who likes the indoors more?

lily loves taking daisy on walks and julia’s favorite place to write is outside in the park! nature is very inspirational to her.

who’s a cat person and who’s a dog person?

lily quite literally just adopted a dog. julia does like cats though.

who’s more social?

they are both pretty social, but lily is better with people she doesn’t know than julia is. 

who makes the bed every morning?

definitely julia. she was raised to while lily had her bed made for her every day. 

who likes to keep the house cold and who likes to keep the house warm?

lily can’t be cold. like ever. julia will be like ‘you could put a sweater on?’ but lily is like ‘but my aesthetic doesn’t really call for a sweater rn so...’

who takes longer getting ready?

l i l y. no question about it. 

who likes scary movies and who likes funny ones?

they both like comedies. they’re both much too chicken for scary movies. 

who screams when they see a bug and who ends up killing it?

lily won’t deal with bugs. they’re gross. julia will calmly release them outside though.

who is more technology challenged?

julia. just because lily is on social media every damn day. 

who would be more likely to burn something in the oven?

lily. she’s never cooked a day in her life. julia is amazing at it though.

who talks in their sleep?

lily, again. she just mumbles, but it happens.

who leaves the cap off the toothpaste?

NO.

who likes getting dressed up more?

lily, obviously.

who’s better at tying ties?

they are both pretty good! lily had to teach vlad and julia did it for michael all the time. 

who recorded the answering machine message on the house phone?

if they had one, probably julia. 

who’s better at planning romantic things?

my first thought is julia, but i could also see lily sparing to expense on a grand gesture. 

who takes up more space in the closet?

lily, of course. 

who has more of a sweet tooth?

surprisingly, lily. but she has more self-control because she probably has some fancy dress to fit into. 

who drinks more often?

lily. she’s an ex party girl and is russian. she’s got most people beat. 

who is most likely to laugh during a serious situation?

lily. she hardly takes things seriously. 

[russianlily]

✧ * .   brotp #2 ft. lily malevsky & cathy hiatt . * ✧

( @indaylghts​ )

who is more excited for halloween?

lily! she loves dressing up. cathy can be coaxed with alcohol.

who gives the best gifts?

lily, once more.

who sings along to the radio the loudest?

definitely cathy. she knows how good she is and it’s the best way for her to practice.

who actually finishes a book they’ve started?

cathy. she likes to read while she waits for auditions

who falls asleep during a movie?

lily. cathy loves critiquing a movie, even for fun so she’ll stay awake to see how it ends.

who plans a surprise getaway vacation?

lily is the queen of getaways. she loves to treat her girlfriends when they’ve been having a rough time.

who comes home with useless decorative knick knacks for the house every single day?

cathy. she’s pretty sentimental, so she has little knick knacks from different occasions. 

who takes more pictures?

cathy! she’s a talented photographer and lily loves all the candids she takes of her.

who likes baths? who likes showers?

both women are big bath lovers. cathy’ll hop in the shower when she’s running late, but lily always makes time for a bath.

who keeps a weekly planner?

cathy. she’s got all her auditions and appointments in her planner.

who actually watches the discovery channel?

cathy, once more. she watched a documentary on space that freaked her the fuck out.

who brings up having kids first?

i think lily would be the first one ready to have kids, cathy has a lot she wants to do first. 

who fixes things around the house when they break?

neither. they both have to call someone. 

who leaves their dirty towels on the floor?

lily. she’s never hung up a towel in her life. 

who makes the coffee in the morning?

cathy. she’s up way before lily. so much that it’s already cold by the time lily gets up.

who gets jealous over very petty things?

they both do. they’re jealous bitches and we love them so much.

who exercises more?

definitely cathy. lily will occasionally accompany her, but she’s not much of a workout type.

who starts listening to christmas music in october?

cathy. lily doesn’t really care either way though.

who actually reads the newspaper?

neither. pfft.

[russianlily]

✧ * .   otp #2 ft. lily malevsky & hero chidike . * ✧

( @pcper-fcntcsy )

Who said “I love you” first

hero. lily was shocked someone like him could love her.

Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background

lily, for sure and it’s always a goofy selfie.

Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror

hero leaves them for lily in the morning. he’s always up before her. 

Who buys the other cheesy gifts

lily loves giving any sort of gift, so she’s more likely to buy the cheesy gift.

Who initiated the first kiss

lily. she got dared to kiss whoever won the gold medal and it was hero.

Who kisses the other awake in the morning

hero. he always wakes up first and gives her a good morning kiss, even though she’s probably still sound asleep.

Who starts tickle fights

lily, but hero is not ticklish at all. she’s determined to find his tickle spot though.

Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower.

lily. she knows it’ll make him blush, but it’s not like he’s gonna say no.

Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch

neither of them have a typical 9-5 job to it’s pretty easy for them to meet up for lunch.

Who was nervous and shy on the first date

i guess hero? he was just surprised by lily’s confidence.

Who kills/takes out the spiders

definitely hero. lily doesn’t do spiders.

Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk

definitely lily. hero takes her home from the bar and she can’t stop talking about how much she loves him the whole ride home. even to the uber driver. 

[russianlily]

✧ * .   brotp #2 ft. lily malevsky & maria rainer . * ✧ 

( @wundcrlust )

who is more excited for halloween?

they both do! lily loves dressing up and maria loves passing out candy. she mainly loves seeing other people’s costumes and how creative they can get. plus, the kids are usually adorable.

who gives the best gifts?

lily definitely buys more expensive gifts, but maria puts more thought and effort into her handmade ones. however, lily has a knack for finding clothing items that no one would ever buy for themselves, but look fabulous on them.

who sings along to the radio the loudest?

again, both. their jam sessions are legendary. maria is the better technical singer, of course, but no one matches lily in terms of pure volume.

who actually finishes a book they’ve started?

maria, without a doubt. lily tries, but she gets bored and gives up or starts a new book. lily adores reading, but she often doesn’t have time to read and when she does, she’s forgotten what’s happened previously and has to start over.

who falls asleep during a movie?

maria, but only when they start the movie late. lily knows to have a blanket ready so she can sleep on the couch. she’s only stayed up once, during marley and me, but that’s because she and lily were in absolute tears.

who plans a surprise getaway vacation?

lily! she knows maria has been stressed at work and hardly takes time for herself, so she plans a surprise trip to the country complete with a spa day and wonderful brunches. and….bottomless mimosas.

who comes home with useless decorative knick knacks for the house every single day?

maria. they’re not so much knick knacks, as art work and other things that students have given her that she doesn’t have the heart to throw away. their refrigerator is full of art work and their shelves of little play dough sculptures.

who takes more pictures?

lily. she loves documenting their little adventures. maria is a good sport about it, and she does enjoy looking back at the photos.

who likes baths? who likes showers?

lily is a bath girl. bath bombs, salts, bubbles….the whole nine yards. maria prefer showers. it doesn’t waste water and it’s quicker.

who keeps a weekly planner?

maria. are you kidding? she has to with all those kids. each kid is color coded in her planner too.

who actually watches the discovery channel?

maria again. but mostly for the background noise.

who brings up having kids first?

surprisingly enough, lily. maria is hesitant since she works with kids all day, but they eventually come to a mutual decision. what that decision is though, i have no idea.

who fixes things around the house when they break?

maria. she is surprisingly knowledgeable about little fix it stuff. plus, she’s sensible enough to pull up a how to youtube video.

who leaves their dirty towels on the floor?

lily. she still assumed that her housekeeper will pick it up for her and it drives maria crazy.

who makes the coffee in the morning?

neither. maria prefers tea and lily gets hers on the way out.

who gets jealous over very petty things?

lily 100%. she’ll be ready to throw down, but maria can usually calm her down and help her see the other side of things.

who exercises more?

lily. she’s got a whole exercise/diet plan that she keeps to religiously. she’s usually up at 5am to get ready to go to the gym.

who starts listening to christmas music in october?

definitely the music teacher planning for christmas concerts. it drives lily crazy, but she tries to be supportive.

who actually reads the newspaper?

neither. maria is a big podcast person though.

[russianlily]

I am accepting BROTP #1, #2, #3 and OTP #1, #2, #3 for MS. LILY MALEVSKY: the countess