@bobasheebaby !!!!
Not today Justin

roma★
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i don't do bad sauce passes

titsay
taylor price

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trying on a metaphor

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祝日 / Permanent Vacation
Misplaced Lens Cap

blake kathryn
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me

⁂

#extradirty
wallacepolsom
Xuebing Du
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸

pixel skylines
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Malaysia

seen from Australia

seen from Malaysia
seen from Japan

seen from Saudi Arabia
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@stopforamoment
@bobasheebaby !!!!
Chances are in about four years, kindergarten classes will be filled with students named Liam and Olivia.
No ducking way!!
“Chances are in about four years, kindergarten classes will be filled with students named Liam and Olivia.”
In The Shadows
Book: The Royal Romance 1 & 2. Bastien’s story.
Pairings: Bastien. Liam x MC (Riley Taylor)
Warnings: slight swearing, slight angst
A/N: I thought it would be nice to see things from Bastien’s POV. Any similarities to anything else out there is unintentional and is purely coincidental. I fell in love with the TRR series late and have only just got into it. I felt that some of the chapters just needed a bit more - it goes along with my previous fanfic where Riley went back to New York briefly after the coronation ball.
All characters belong to Pixelberry.
Apologies in advance for any typos, grammar or spelling errors.
Chapter 2
A few days after the masquerade ball there’s a knock at Bastien’s office door ‘Come in.’ He summons. The door slowly opens and Maxwell Beaumont stands on the other side his hands wringing themselves together nervously, his eyes darting from Bastien’s face to the back wall, his voice small and unsure ‘You asked for me?’
‘Ahh Lord Beaumont yes I did, come in.’ Bastien pulls out a leather computer chair from the desk next to him and places it a foot away directly in front of his own, as he sits down in his own leather desk chair he he motions for Maxwell to sit down. The poor young lad looks uncomfortable and nervous as hell as he sits on the edge of the chair. Bastien enjoys tormenting Maxwell too much, toying with him is just too easy he thinks to himself.
‘So, Lord Beaumont’
‘Please call me Maxwell all my friends do.’ Maxwell tries a smile at Bastien, he doesn’t know why the bodyguard makes him so nervous, well it’s probably got something to do with the silent but deadly looks he gives, that and the all the muscles that strain beneath the older mans suit. Oh, and the fact that he could snap him in half in an instant doesn’t help.
‘We’re not friends’ Bastien deadpans, the stern look on his face unmoving. Maxwell audibly gulps.
‘I need to know everything you know about Lady Riley Taylor.’
‘I’ve already told you everything I know about her.’ Maxwell looks at the bodyguard in confusion ’She was our waitress, we ordered whiskey and burgers, well Drake ordered whiskey and burgers, the rest of us actually wanted steak but you know how Drake is about these things, and she said the closest we’ve got to filet mignon is...’
‘Maxwell’ Bastien growls leaning forward.
‘Sorry’ Maxwell blushes, he knew he was babbling, he had a tendency to do so when he was nervous, he sat back in his chair, trying to put some distance between himself and the intimidating bodyguard.
‘She seemed to get on with Liam well- in fact I haven’t ever seen him so happy as he was when he was with her, so the next day me and Drake went back to her bar and waited for her. We asked her to come back with us and she did. That’s all there is to tell’
Bastien nods his head. ‘So you didn’t go back to her apartment with her?’
Maxwell shakes his head ‘No, we waited for her in the limo.’
‘And what about since then? She’s been living with you right? You must have learnt something about her.’
‘Oh yes!’ Maxwell exclaims, suddenly animated ‘She’s amazing, she knows all the best dance moves and has great taste in music, she puts all the other suitors in their place and yet still holds herself with grace and dignity, errr sometimes she swears but me and Bertrand are trying to drum that out of her, well Bertrand is, I think it’s kinda cute.’ Maxwell’s cheeks grow pink once again.
Oh great him as well, what the fuck has this girl got that’s got them all acting like dribbling idiots? Bastien wonders.
‘No, no, I mean what do you know about her, about her background where she’s come from, her past? Has she told you anything about her family? Her parents? What school she went to? Where she grew up? Anything like that?’
‘Oh um...’ Maxwell looks up to the ceiling tilting his head to the side thinking about the last few days with Riley ‘No, no she hasn’t. We don’t really talk about stuff like that to be honest, we’re too busy teaching her about the court and it’s many protocols.’
Shit. He knew it was a long shot asking the young Beaumont, as nice as the guy is, he’s not the brains of the family. Maybe he should have asked Bertrand he thinks, but the more astute of the two brothers would know that Bastien hasn’t been able to do his job properly, hasn’t been able to find out about the American’s past. He doesn’t want it to get out that he’s so far failed, he’s got enough on his plate with Constantine’s demands on him and arranging the security for the social season. Damn it.
‘Ok Beaumont you can go, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this meeting.’ He gives Maxwell his most menacing stare toying once again with the poor lad, chuckling to himself inside.
Maxwell’s up like a shot reaching for the door handle ‘oh yes of course, my lips are sealed’ he makes a key locking motion on his lips and hurries through the door.
Back to the drawing board Bastien thinks frustrated. He picks up the phone to give an old friend of his in the FBI a call, he needs help on this one, it is as matter of national security after all.
The weeks of the social season pass in a blur, Bastien is rushed off his feet organising the palace guards and personal security teams for the nobles and the Royal Family.
He gets a message that Constantine has summoned him to his chambers. He knocks on the Kings sitting room door and waits.
‘Enter’
Bastien opens the door to find the King standing at the large lead lined window
looking out over the lush green lawns of the palace grounds.
‘Ah Bastien there you are my fellow’
‘Your Majesty’ Bastien bows to the King and enters the sitting room closing the door behind him ‘You wanted to speak with me?’
That in itself wasn’t strange, they often discussed the palace security details outside of their morning briefing, especially when it involved leaving the security of the palace walls.
‘Come, have a drink with me.’ The King walks over to a drinks cart stocked full of decanters of spirits, without waiting for an answer he pours two glasses of amber liquid.
‘Your Majesty, I’m on duty’ Bastien’s not a big drinker at the best of times, preferring to keep a clear head in case he’s needed to respond to a threat at anytime.
‘Nonsense, you can indulge an old man this once.’ The King hands a glass to Bastien and knocks his own against it.
‘What are we drinking to?’ Bastien asks
‘Hmm’ The King pauses thoughtfully ‘to creating our own destiny’
Bastien raises an eyebrow and his glass to The King.
‘Ya mas’ he toasts before taking a sip of the fiery liquid. He remains silent waiting for The King to fill him in on the reason for this impromptu drinking session.
‘Bastien, I need you to do me a favour.’
‘Of course Your Majesty, anything.’
The King runs a hand along his cleanly shaven jaw thoughtfully. ‘It’s of a delicate nature, I need your discretion on this.’
‘Your Majesty I have served you faithfully for over twenty years now, you know my discretion is guaranteed’
‘Of course I realise that Bastien, it’s just, this is for The Prince, it’s in his best interests, only he might not see it that way.’ Lines crease the old mans forehead.
Bastien nods ‘Ok, go on.’
‘I need you to get rid of the American’
Bastien’s eyes widen and his voice falters ‘Ahh. Sir I understand, but Prince Liam is really quite taken with her, it wouldn’t be right to, um, get rid of her.’
The King lets out a deep throaty laugh ‘Good God Bastien what do you think of me! I don’t mean kill her!’ He laughs again and Bastien lets out a breath thank God for that he thinks. He’ll do a lot to serve his crown and country but murdering a suitor is way past his job description.
‘I mean get rid of her from the running, make it so she can’t stay as a suitor. Preferably before the coronation, it won’t give the right image to do it after he’s chosen her. And knowing my son as I do, he will choose her.’
‘Yes Your Majesty, I think he will. However surely it’s his choice to make. Are you sure that’s what you want? You must have noticed as well as I have how happy The Prince is when he’s with her. And the press seem to love her.’
Constantine straightens his posture and takes a sip of his scotch ‘It’s not really his choice to make. This whole ridiculous farce is just for show. He will marry the best choice for the country, not whoever he wants. That’s why I’m asking you. I’m not a fool Bastien, I’ve seen the looks he gives her, you’ve kept me updated on their antics, their romantic rendezvous. He’s just lucky he’s got you looking out for him, not letting him get carried away and caught in a compromising position by the press. It wouldn’t do for the crown to be dragged down in some gutter press scandal involving my youngest son. I don’t want Liam to be likened to his brother and the reputation he made for himself.’
Bastien clears his throat. ‘Your Majesty he’s been quite the gentleman so far.’ He feels bad that he’s required to report back to The King on Liam’s life, but that’s part of his job and he knows if The King found out something that Bastien hadn’t told him there would be hell to pay.
‘Exactly - so far. He’s a young man Bastien, and as old as I am I do remember what that’s like, he won’t be able to keep that up for much longer.’ He gives a rueful smile and turns his back to his bodyguard, moving to stare out of the window once again at the palace gardens beyond. He shakes his head.
‘Bastien I am quite sure. She needs to be gone. She can’t compete to be Queen. She’s not the right fit for Cordonia. She’s not a noble, she’s a mere commoner. Your dossier on her was...enlightening, it’s clear where she gets her stamina and veracity from, however it also made it clear that she was born beneath us, that she’s not fit for our world. As pleasant as she is she’s not good enough for my son or my country.’ He pauses thinking for a moment. His lips turn up at the thought of the pretty American woman ‘Hell, if I was a young prince I would chase after her too for some fun. But even Liam, as soft as he is, can surely see that’s all it can be, that she’s not worthy to wear the crown.’
‘Your Majesty...’ Bastien starts but is cut off.
‘And while you’re at it get rid of that damn Nevrakis woman too, she’s far too feisty and hot headed to be Queen. What with her family’s past I wouldn’t want him choosing her as some kind of consolation prize.’
‘Your Majesty, please I don’t think...’
‘I don’t pay you to think Bastien, I pay you to do. You have my orders. I don’t care how you do it I just want it done. Some kind of scandal should do the job, get it out all over the press, make sure she’s humiliated enough to leave immediately afterwards. Do you understand?’
‘Yes sir, but there has to be another way, please Sir, talk to The Prince...’
‘Bastien’ the King raises his voice an octave ‘Do not overstep the mark.’ Bastien closes his mouth and nods silently. He makes for the door.
‘And Bastien, not a word of this to anyone.’
Bastien places his barely touched drink on the antique sideboard. ‘Very well Your Majesty.’ He bows and leave the room.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. His mind is whirling, how the hell is he going to do this, Liam is never going to forgive him. He’s seen how much the young prince cares for Lady Riley. She’s done so well in her time here, even Bastien can now see what it is they all love about her, she’s got them all captured with her majestic beauty, her uncompromising strength, quick wit and dazzling personality. Even the stone cold Drake Walker has totally fallen for her, much to Bastien’s chagrin. That boy is gonna get his heart well and truly broken going after his best friends girl. Ever since Jackson Walker died in the line of duty Bastien has looked out for Drake and Savannah. Drake’s not going to forgive him for this either. He has no choice, he can’t go against the direct orders of The King.
Regretfully Bastien sets up a trap for Riley. He gets that idiot Tariq to try his luck with her, knowing that the fool couldn’t resist the thought of getting one up on The Crown Prince by getting his end away with the favourite suitor. It was easier than he thought it would be. The only thing he didn’t count on was that Drake would go piling in to save her. Still, they got the photos they needed. He sent them to the press anonymously. Constantine had orchestrated it so that it would happen at the Coronation Ball for maximum impact, Bastien was not in agreement to that, the public humiliation was a step too far in his opinion. But The King was ruthless and Bastien had no choice but to go along with it.
I love the interactions between Bastien and Maxwell. I can completely see this dynamic! I also like how you handled Constantine giving the order to Bastien to take out Riley. This is a great series!
In The Shadows
Book: The Royal Romance 1 & 2. Bastien’s story.
Pairings: Bastien. Liam x MC (Riley Taylor)
Warnings: slight swearing, slight angst
A/N: I thought it would be nice to see things from Bastien’s POV. Any similarities to anything else out there is unintentional and is purely coincidental. I fell in love with the TRR series late and have only just got into it. I felt that some of the chapters just needed a bit more - it goes along with my previous fanfic where Riley went back to New York briefly after the coronation ball.
All characters belong to Pixelberry.
Apologies in advance for any typos, grammar or spelling errors.
Chapter 1
‘You did what?’ Bastien’s eyebrows knit together and he shakes his head slightly, he stares down at the young noble, disbelieving.
‘I...um...I asked the waitress from last night to come back to Cordonia with us. To...um be House Beaumont’s sponsor for the suitor.’
Maxwell, Drake and the girl have arrived in the palace lobby, upon seeing the waitress Bastien immediately grabbed Maxwells elbow and led him away from the others.
Bastien stands slack jawed in front of Maxwell. Maxwell was so confident in his earlier decision but is now unsure that it was a good idea at all, what with Drakes blatant disapproval and now Bastien getting on his case. Hiding his nerves he smiles a big wide toothed grin at Bastien, his eyes are however peering sheepishly at the large imposing figure in front of him. Bastien crosses his arms in front of his chest.
‘Seriously Lord Maxwell?’ Silently he adds what the hell is wrong with you?
‘Um...should I not have?’ Maxwell looks crestfallen, his voice less confident. Bastien shakes his head again.
‘It’s just...I saw how well they got on and how Liam looked at her...’ a soppy smile plays at Maxwells lips and Bastien lets out a sigh. ‘And I just thought it would make him happy.’
‘Lord Maxwell I shouldn’t have to tell you about security, you can’t just go around inviting random strangers back to the palace. What about her security clearance? What about the background checks? There’s a process for choosing suitors for a reason.’
‘Pleeease Bastien? Please let her stay, surely you can get all those things done?’ Maxwell’s whiney tone irritates Bastien. What the hell is wrong with these entitled kids? He thinks. Do they not realise my job is hard enough as it is. He takes a deep breath and tries not to show how irritated he is. He can’t believe Drake had a part in this, he had thought better of him, his dad was a kings guard, he’s seen first hand how tough their job was, he didn’t think Drake would have gone along with this stupid scheme.
‘Look, I can try and fast track her security clearance but the background checks might take a while. You should have at least run this by me first.’ The scowl on Bastien’s face gives away his irritation, but there is little he can do now she’s here, he’s not heartless enough to put her straight back on a plane home.
‘Is that a yes to her staying then?’ Maxwell asks his voice full of hope. ‘Please? Please?’ Maxwell hops from foot to foot.
‘For now it is, but listen to me carefully, this is only temporary. If the checks come back less than satisfactory I will get rid her faster than you can say Jack Robinson.’
‘Who?’
Bastien sighs, exasperated ‘It’s an idiom Lord Maxwell... anyway that’s not important. Lady Riley will be kept a close eye on until she’s cleared, you understand? And if anything happens to the Crown Prince I’m holding you personally responsible, get it?’ For his own amusement Bastien runs a finger across his throat, keeping the tone of his voice hard, his cold eyes staring at Maxwell in what he hoped was an intimidating way. Maxwell nods his head very slowly, eyes wide.
Why did none of them take his role seriously? Bastien thinks, he thought his job would be a lot easier now with Prince Liam to look after. After looking after the rebel that was Prince Leo he assumed this would be a walk in the park. He’s still not forgiven himself for allowing the former crown prince to escape his security detail time and time again.
‘Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!’ Maxwell sings. ‘I could hug you!’
‘Please don’t’ Bastien growls holding a hand up in front of Maxwells face. ‘I’ve got work to do’. He strides out of the lobby back to the security offices in the basement of the palace.
Bastien unlocks the door to his windowless office, despite the heat of the Cordonian summer outside the air inside is cool. The quiet tranquillity of his clutter free desk, pristine stark white walls and marble floor are a comfort to him. He sinks gratefully into his black leather office chair. Why did I ever agree to that ridiculous bachelor party? He thinks back to the nightmare he had arranging the security so that of the Crown Prince of Cordonia and his friends could galavant freely around New York. He had factored in the girls that would no doubt throw themselves at Liam, that was par for the course with the young handsome prince, what he hadn’t factored in however, was a waitress taking the Prince on a god damn boat to the Statue of Liberty. What a curve ball that had turned out to be, he very nearly called the coast guard for an escort, but for some unknown reason his gut told him to trust her, and he had thankfully trusted his gut. He shook his head at the memory of the feisty American girl that seemed to hold some kind of power over the Prince that night. In all honesty he didn’t think he’d see her again, he should have known better. He too had noticed how Liam was around her, he hadn’t seen the Prince act that way before, as far as he’s aware Liam has never been in love, never had a serious girlfriend even, not like Leo who fell dramatically in love with every girl he met, often regaling Bastien with tales of the wild nights he had spent with them when Bastien had finally tracked him down and dragged him back the palace. No Liam wasn’t like his brother in that respect. This isn’t going to end well Bastien thought I’ve got a bad feeling about this one.
Powering up his laptop he got to work on the background checks for the pretty American waitress, hoping it wouldn’t be too difficult. Maxwell had emailed him back the questionnaire all candidates had to fill in so at least he had a starting point.
Several hours later an alarm sounded on his phone, the masquerade ball was starting, he needed to get up to the ballroom and check in with the security team up there. He stretched his arms above his head intertwining his fingers and cracking his knuckles, he rolled his head from side to side straightening out the kinks in his neck from being hunched over his laptop for so long. Normally these kids were easy to trace, their social media often gave away a lot of information, but not this one. So far all he’s traced her back to is one bank account with a pittance in it; an address for a studio apartment in a not so nice area of Queens; and a history of jobs like the one at the bar that they already knew about from when the guys met her. She’s proving to be an enigma and Bastien doesn’t like mysteries.
He moves through the passageways of the palace quickly and silently, finally emerging in the ballroom. He scans the room for the prince and spots him deep in conversation through the balcony doors with the waitress. Shit he thinks to himself making his way quickly and discreetly to the open doors of the balcony. He’s being doing this job for so long he knows how to blend seamlessly into the background, lurking in the shadows. He casts an ear over the Prince’s conversation telling himself it’s to make sure nothing confidential is being discussed, in reality he wants to suss out the situation, check if his initial instincts about Liam’s feeling were right. He’s not sure he trusts this girl yet, not until he’s had more time to look into where she’s come from, this is real life not a fucking fairytale he thinks to himself bitterly.
Later that night he watches from an upstairs window as the Prince and the mystery suitor enter the hedge maze. To give him his due Liam hasn’t done a bad job of trying to evade Bastien, however Bastien has had plenty of practice and Liam definitely isn’t as good at sneaking around as Leo was. This Riley girl is going to be the Prince’s Achilles heel he can tell already. He watches silently from afar, letting the Prince have his fun, letting him think he’s outrun Bastien. He smiles to himself remembering his youth, whilst he never had girls throwing themselves at him in quite the same way, he remembers what it was like to be carefree. He waits until he’s sure the Prince has returned to his room alone before making his way to his own room, vowing to make a renewed effort to trace the enigmatic Riley Taylor.
Yay, a Bastien Stan! At least I hope so. Tag me please xx
I want in on this please tag me .....
Yes! More Bastien and I love getting his POV!!!
Heads up for TRR Bastien fans - I've been reworking my TRR AU Protect and Serve series and have more or less rewritten the scene where he admits his feelings for his LI Sophia Turner. I'll post it on Valentine's day (it's smuffy) so keep your eyes peeled!
If you haven't read this AU, my Bastien is the Captain of the Royal Guard that Cordonia deserves - upright, loyal, efficient and ruthless, not the travesty TRH turned him into. No under 18s please.
@sirbeepsalot @katedrakeohd @rainbowsinthestorm @stopforamoment @endlessflame @bascmve01 @camillemontespan
Aw, thank you! I’ve been so mopey about Bastien since PB completely rewrote his relationship/guard status with Jackson Walker in order to work in the final book traitor plot. Wow. No plot holes there. Ugh
Irreplaceable Chapter 11: Nothing Comes Close
Series Premise: Two years after his abdication and wedding to Katie, Leo meets Riley the night of Liam’s coronation.
Chapter Summary: Riley struggles to move forward and settles into her new job. Leo and Luca talk. Milo has news.
Luca, Milo, Mark, Claire, Lindsey, and Simon belong to me, as does this story. Other characters belong to Pixelberry.
Catch Up Here!
Content Warnings: Language, angst, discussion of infidelity
Music Inspo: Oceans-Seafret
Word Count: 5638
Haven’t finished yet, but has to comment. Okay,
“Chaz sending me daily motivational quotes on pictures of birds.” I was howling!
Then the very next line “I think I’ll keep Chaz.” I am f-ing dying! All of the inner thoughts are so good! 🤣🤣🤣 I love how you get into Leo and Riley’s heads and give us their inner monologues. You know them so well and they are so well paired for each other. And OMG the shit they say to themselves is comedic gold at times! Genius!
Irreplaceable Chapter 9: Tell Me What You Want Me to Say
Series Premise: Two years after his abdication and wedding to Katie, Leo meets Riley the night of Liam’s coronation.
Chapter Summary: Leo and Riley go to the beach. Luca has a rough day and Leo tells Riley the truth.
A/N: I hate this chapter. 🤣😭 I’ve been messing with it too much, I need to post it.
Luca belongs to me, as does this story. Other characters belong to Pixelberry.
Catch Up Here!
Content Warnings: Language, angst, discussion of infidelity, excessive alcohol consumption
Music Inspo: No Light, No Light-Florence and the Machine
Word Count: 5852
I love reading their perspectives, and I love this sentence Leo thought at the end:
Probably because Luca is asleep and Riley is always thinking of everyone else
Throughout the chapter he kept thinking about how kind she is. Even when he respects her wishes and leaves at the end, it registers with Leo that she probably didn’t slam the door because she’s so considerate.
That says so much about how he feels for her.
The Courtship (Completed Series)
(Liam x Riley) (Drake x Olivia) (Hana x Rashad) (Maxwell x Amanda) (Bastien x Lucy) (Leo x Madeleine)
Series
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32
Peeks and requests:
Neighbors (Bastien x Lucy)
Just Because (Bastien x Lucy)
This Is All Your Fault (Bastien x Lucy)
A Proper Greeting (Bastien x Lucy)
Once Again (Bastien x Lucy)
Barely Missed It (Bastien x Lucy)
Save Yourself (Leo x Madeleine)
Would You? (Bastien x Lucy)
Pacing (Bastien x Lucy)
Mortally Wounded (Bastien x Lucy)
Hope (Leo x Madeleine)
A Special Occasion (Bastien x Lucy)
Hana Lee: A Study in Erasure
I've written all kinds of essays for Hana over the years - on her scenes, on her characterization, on how her writing can be improved. As the Royal series comes to a close, I'll be doing something slightly different. I'll be doing a series of essays exploring her, the way she's written, and the way fandom responds to her. How does she fit in, as an LI, as a courtier, as a foreigner who originally came to win Liam's hand - same as the MC? How does the narrative view what she does, or what's done to her, or even the things that matter to her? How does the fandom reinterpret her, if they feature her at all? As a woman in a court full of very powerful women, what power does the narrative allow her?
This essay series won't be about improving her writing. Nor will it be about convincing most of the fandom of her value. It's been four years. Four years and seven books, with the final book out next week. Both the fandom and the writing team have already proved, in that time, that they consider other, whiter women worthy of focus, attention and respect.
This essay series is about putting that treatment on record. There is a lot to be said about how erasure works, when you look at Hana's writing from beginning to end, and when you look at how she's treated in fandom spaces/content. There is a lot to be said for the whittling away, the casual retconning, that Hana has had to put up with. This essay is about exploring what was once written in the text, and breaking down how it was ignored, wiped out or even rewritten over time - in ways that harmed Hana's characterization rather than benefited. It's about how most of the fandom, time and again, pulled her down to prop their favourites up.
This essay is really a tribute to a character that had a lot of promise, still has plenty of potential, but not a lot of support from either writers or a huge chunk of the fandom.
Series Masterlist (sections may be subject to change):
So Who Is Hana Lee?
A Book-by-Book Breakdown of Hana Lee - Part One
A Book-by-Book Breakdown of Hana Lee - Part Two
The MC (+ Friend Group Dynamics)
Parents
China
Sexuality
Power Dynamics
Pain and...Resolution?
Fandom
--
(I hope to have this done over the week, and will possibly be putting up two sections per day. Fingers crossed!
If you'd like to be tagged in this, do tell me! I'll be tagging a number of people who have both asked to be tagged in this in the past, and people I've spoken to about this series.
If you don't want to see this content, you can mute/block the tag #hana lee: a study in erasure)
Please tag me!
Double Trouble
Featuring Bastien Lykel and family post Cordonia
I'm posting this with an apology - it really should end up with some smut but I'm just not in the right frame of mind and I have another chapter on the back burner. So - fluff!
Word Count 2565
Settling In
Bastien and family are just getting used to their new home in Edinburgh. Looking after twins outside the support bubble of the Palace is a little challenging.
Sophia sang as she balanced Beatrice on her hip, stirring the pasta sauce on the cooker top. Theodore stood watching behind the baby gate that kept him out of the kitchen in the Edinburgh apartment they had occupied for a few months now as Sophia settled into her new job at the University. It was the weekend and Bastien had taken precious time off childcare to go to the gym to fight the softness that threatened to obscure his taut abs, and their home help, Morag, was out getting groceries. The twins were mobile now, crawling at speed and hauling themselves up on furniture to standing, but not taking their first steps just yet.
Ooh! I’m rarely on Tumblr anymore, but this popped right up. What a wonderful surprise!
I am dying that Bastien’s son loves bananas. Well played! And aw, Bastien is getting a little soft around the abs, plus some white in the beard, but he definitely still has it and his goddess loves all of it! I also love that he’s still so protective of his family. Of course he’d freak that Sophia can multitask in the kitchen with a toddler on her hip! So glad they have help with the twins. I’m sure they’re a handful!
Hope all is well with you! 💕
Gilded Poppy Eurovision 2021 HC’s
Just for fun, a collection of my silly HC’s for the Gilded Poppy enjoying 2021’s Glorious Eurovision Song Contest last night:
Of course they’re having a viewing party at the penthouse with copious amounts of alcohol and country-themed nibbles.
Everyone is dressed as if they’re attending the actual ECS itself to make it even more special!
The Americans are reasonably bemused by the whole event - Zoe has accepted that ‘this is a thing’ over her time with the Poppy and has gotten into the spirit accordingly.
MC needs a full explanation and gets a full animated rundown of ECS gone by from Remy and Jett who are avid Eurovision fans - this includes renditions of previous Eurovision songs, going all the way back from Bucks Fizz, to ABBA, to more recent winners and the most famous runners-up.
MC is appalled that this doesn’t exist in the US! She wants a similar competition set up for every state!
The Poppy members from participating Eurovision countries have little mini versions of their national flags to waves, and the others have to choose a country to support - no one is allowed to have the same allegiance for increased competition and entertainment value!
Zoe has to find the livestream with the British commentary from Graham Norton, because his sass is just peak Eurovision, and also because Nikolai refuses to watch any other stream. He smirks repeatedly throughout.
Everyone is thoroughly delighted at the amount of love and diversity on display at ECS 2021!
There are a bunch of drinks-based games going on during the performances including, drinking every time something goes wrong, every time someone raps, every time a smoke machine is used, every time a contestant cries tears of joy, and so on. Things get very, very messy very, very quickly.
Vivienne is living for the costumes - there’s nowhere else you get this much sparkle and eyeliner in one room - when the German entry appears dressed as a hand, giving the peace sign, she almost chokes on her drink and falls off her chair!
Zoe is highly amused when the peace sign changes to a middle finger and is basically dancing around the stage flipping people off.
Everyone except Leon yells and boos when another ballad comes on and he huffs that ballads are lovely, particularly when they’re done in the country’s own language and everyone should stop underestimating them.
Everyone is limited to one vote each! Especially Zoe, as Vivienne’s fairly sure she could use her powers for evil and rig the whole of the contest for the public vote portion.
For the scoring portion of the evening, Remy has created a drinking game that involves taking a shot every time a pre-defined political 12 point score is awarded meaning there’s a rousing group cheer and succession of shot glasses slammed on the coffee table when it’s Cyprus and Greece’s turns.
Jett laments about the judges being harsh and ‘the British entry wasn’t that bad, he didn’t deserve zero points!’, Remy quips ‘no, but Britain did...’
By the time the public votes come in, everyone is seriously merry and chaos ensues as those completely disconnect with the judging panel’s votes!
When the UK get nil points in the public vote, the Poppy join the Rotterdam arena in applause for the mortified contestant - Jett hides under a sofa cushion wailing.
Leon is on the edge of his seat as the scores go onto the board, initially trying to hush the rest of the gang to hear, but ends up just laughing at their antics.
Måleskin lift the trophy and ~50% of the Poppy agree that they would probably sleep with the lead singer while Vivienne wants haircare tips from their drummer.
Naturally there have been some hefty-valued bets changing hands for days before the show on who the winner will be - Jett is delighted and smug as he claims the pot at the end of the evening!
Brilliant! I am howling at this!
I’m Bringing Sexy Back (To Regency England) - Immortal Heart Society
So this happened because I referred to new series IHS’s baddie Lord Montague as ‘Lord Timberlake’ due to the coiffuring similarities and it made @aquagirl1978 LOL and she made me this:
See how alike they look though?! I’m not crazy.
Literally no one in the world wants this fic, and it’s just stupid, but I had a giggle writing it, so 😆 Also, I genuinely know nothing about TJ, if any of you are superfans and I’m way off, it’s just a bit of fun, no ill intent or offence meant 💕
Also it’s just in time for all the good old memes... (At the end if anyone needs a ref point)
Word Count ~3500 (yeah, I’ve gone off)
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In the grandiose but soulless marble bathroom of the Boston penthouse, Justin squeezed his eyes tight-shut, splashing his face with frigid water. He inhaled sharply as the moisture hit his skin, opening his eyes and staring intently at the reflection mirrored back at him. It had been quite a night so far. He’d been courted by ‘The Society’ for a couple of months now and on receiving their latest invite, he had finally acquiesced. Over the course of the evening he’d exchanged pleasantries and mingled with a fusion of intriguing individuals - all very different, very separate people, but all who clearly had gotten the memo: convince him to join. Justin suspected before he arrived, from the exclusive address on the invite alone, the sort of members The Society would have on its roster and he wasn’t surprised - even if most of them were no more than masked silhouettes. Initially when he had exited the elevator and caught sight of all those shaded faces, Justin’s heart stuttered: had he inadvertently accepted an invite to some sort of sexy party? How would he explain this one? ‘Hey Honey - funny story...’ But it didn’t take long to deduce that the disguises were all part of the prestige and served as identity protection rather than a conduit to anyone having any real sort of fun.
The mixer itself had been entertaining enough, but the hushed secrets shared in the drawing room were what had piqued his interested and saw him hiding in the restroom searching his own soul for answers. He’d been trading anecdotes with a handful of members before he was interrupter by a well dressed blonde and ushered through a side door, where he was greeted with a firm handshake by one of the top men within the society (apparently), Richard - Something. Initially Justin had smiled but internally rolled his eyes as he considered how these shady types only ever give out their first names - and how that felt particularly unfair when everyone here knew fine well what his surname was... Richard was perfectly charming and charismatic - in the same faux-caring, calculating way politicians are they try to snare floating voters. His smile was bright and his words were warm, but his eyes were a stark contrast. The Society’s hoi-polloi were obviously deemed to have played their part in warming him up and now Richard was here to give him the hard-sell: and sell he did.
And at first, it sounded relatively normal. At first. Until Richard started with tall tales of how society members held all of the power in the world through power stones. Initially Justin got to his feet and scoffed - weren’t crystals just for spa days and hippies? This had to be a set up. He scanned the room looking for any clue of a hidden camera, Ashton Kutcher’s sneakers showing from behind a curtain perhaps - but nothing. It all sounded truly ridiculous, but as Richard stood, laying a firm hand on Justin’s shoulder, directing him towards a plush chair, pouring him two fingers of whisky, something held him; fascinated him. Stopped him from barging straight out of the room. Justin observed in silence as Richard thumbed through various documents, showing him photographs, pulling up search data online... Explaining. Convincing. Persuading. Justin didn’t trust the suave smarmy suit as far as he could throw him, but the more Richard divulged of the spiderweb of societal involvement in major global events and current affairs, the more sense it made... And in spite of himself, Justin started to succumb to this strange reality. Every word out of Clever Dick’s mouth was revelational, peeling away one layer after another, after another, until Justin’s mind was blown; his brain hurt the same way it did the first time he watched Inception. He couldn’t bend his mind around why Richard was telling him all this, or why a collective more powerful than The Walt Disney Company would want a musician to join their ranks? Richard shrugged coolly as he continued to play for Justin’s buy in, simply smiling and saying that, as a big pop star, it would be quid pro quo - a very mutually beneficial arrangement. The society had access to the best labels, the best A&R departments, they could get Justin as much airplay, fame and publicity as he wanted.
Justin couldn’t deny it sounded appealing - but what did they want in return? So far it was all ‘quid’ and no ‘quo’. He had to ask. Even the easy, practiced grin on Richard’s face couldn’t offset the glint of ice in his dark eyes and menace in his voice that chilled Justin’s blood.
“Justin, come! Everyone knows that music is what shapes the youth of today! The influence wielded by artists, the loyalty inspired by them, their marketability, it’s simply insurmountable! Think about it, dear boy? If The Society control the music, they control the populace.”
Justin cleared his throat as he sized himself up, readjusting his skinny black tie and squaring his shoulders. Richard must be insane. The Society’s logic was fatally flawed: they couldn’t seriously think that it was possible control the entire world’s population through having a singer in their ranks? It was infeasible. Impossible. But what they were offering him in exchange? Now, that was a very attractive proposition indeed. If he agreed to join, and got all of that out of it, it would be worth it? The Society would surely realise at some point that they couldn’t rule the world through the power of song? Yes, the power of a one-line harmony had already been proven by McDonald’s to sell a shit-tonne of burgers - and while it was a pretty convincing argument, selling fast-food to hungry people was one thing - but full-scale global domination?? That was something else entirely. But if he could ride along on their coat-tails and reap all the benefits until the realised just how crazy that idea had been in the first place...
—- two years later —-
Cash carded his hand through his dark hair, exasperated as he listened to Alana’s latest report, “You all understand that Timberlake is completely out of control, yes?”
Emilio grunted flatly as his head fell into his crossed arms on the table like a five year old ready to play heads-down-thumbs-up, “Yeeeeees.”
Cash bristled further as he looked to Rafe and Kiran for their input, both simply nodding back at him as though to say, ‘yes, we know.’
Alana looked down at her phone, worrying her full bottom lip between her teeth, “It’s worse than you think though, Cash.”
He was instantly on his feet staring at her, Rafe and Kiran leaned forward and Emilio raised one weary brow from his slumped pose, concern evident on all their faces.
Kiran was first to speak, “Alana how can it be worse? Richard’s vanished off the face of the earth. Justin’s last billboard count had him go multi-platinum - again, and his lyrics are becoming...”
Rafe offered flatly, “Odd.” He stood, cracked his neck from side to side and headed towards the small stove, absentmindedly filling a saucepan with water and a packet of instant noodles.
Cash shook his head at Rafe then turned back to glower at the rest of the Inner Circle, “Thank you all for the recap. It’s bleak, we know. Alana?”
Green eyes fixed the room as Alana cleared her throat and mouthed, “One hundred and ninety-four.”
Dumbfounded silence filled the room; jaws hung slack. Until Kiran broke the spell, a spluttering cough turning into an uncomfortable laugh, “One hundred and ninety-four what? Because I know you definitely can’t mean stones. We know the exactly location of over fifty percent of them? They’re safe?”
Rafe, back at the table with his ramen by now, paled as Alana shook her head at a loss for words, red curls bouncing around her shoulders, “How is that possible?”
Alana threw her hands in the air, confessing “I honestly don’t know. But he has ones that we knew the location of, and more besides.”
Cash paced the room, clearly agitated as he cursed and barked,
“That’s every stone in existence, except ours and one other.”
Alana puffed out her cheeks before huffing out the breath sharply, “Correct. He has the lot, excepts ours - and the Garnet.”
Emilio’s hand slid under his shirt, a double-check to be sure his Alexandrite remained firmly on the chain hidden beneath the dark fabric, fiddling with it like a child with a comfort blanket as he spoke, “I- I just don’t understand. How? How did he get so many without us knowing?”
Rafe shrugged as he shovelled a spoonful of noodles into his mouth and chewed thoroughly before answering, “Richard’s protege. His pet project. Nothing surprises me when he’s involved. Everything he touches gets tarnished.”
Alana sighed sadly, “Justin seemed like such a sweet guy when he first joined. I really liked him. I thought he could have been part of our Inner Circle someday.”
Rafe shot her a rueful smile before looking down into the noodles, “Same. He changed. Fast.” Coiling his fork in a thick helping, he swung them into his mouth without ceremony.
Cash pinched the bridge of his nose, stopping pacing for long enough to stare and snap at Rafe,
“What is it with you and those blasted ramen noodles??”
Rafe shook his head silently as though to say, ‘I don’t know’: he wasn’t entirely sure why, but every time someone mentioned Timberlake, he couldn’t stop himself from carb-loading. All he wanted a big bowl of ramen in his belly and he couldn’t think about anything else until he was full of noodley-goodness. He’d eaten more instant ramen in the past couple of years than he did during college, and that was saying something.
Kiran cut through the atmosphere between the two men, venturing, “So how are we going to shut him down?”
—-
Richard had been missing for months, and although all trails had gone cold and no one was one hundred percent clear on what had happened to him, there was very strong suspicion within the group of five that Justin had something to do with it. How else had he managed to acquire almost every power stone in existence? He must have dispensed of Richard and taken them for himself - there really didn’t seem, to be any other explanation. The Inner Circle had been aware that Richard was hoarding stones, but his haul had escalated significantly and quickly with Justin by his side - at the Circle’s last count maybe six to eight months ago, Richard only had sixty-five stones in his custody. The dirty duo had been busy.
Emilio shuddered solemnly as he thought about what must have happened to the rightful owners of those stones. He was at the tower with the Inner Circle, minus Cash. Cash would arrive soon, bringing Justin to the table with him. Creating a rouse of support, and then double-crossing him to recover the power stones had been deemed the only feasible plan. Emilio watched the rest of the group: Rafe stirring at a saucepan at the small kitchen set up, Kiran flipping aimlessly though a fashion magazine and Alana tapping at her cellphone. They were all feeling nervous about this, the stakes had never been so high. He scrubbed his brow as he ran through the various scenarios of what could possibly happen with Cash and Justin arrived.
He didn’t have long to wait as the door opened and laughter reverberated around the room. Cash was manoeuvring Timberlake expertly, and Justin seemed to be lapping up everything he said. A round of smiles and handshakes later everyone sat around the table, eyes expectantly on Cash.
“Justin, firstly, thank you for joining the group here today. As you know, with Richard... Let’s say, elsewhere. I’ve been standing in as the ‘interim leader’. And I’ll be frank, Justin, I always thought it would be for me, but it’s not. And it takes a lot for me to admit that. I can do the decision-making, the negotiations, but what I cannot abide is dealing with attitudes and egos all day long.”
Rafe chortled, “He thinks he should be the only one allowed an attitude and an ego!”
Justin grinned and visibly relaxed within the larger group.
Clearing his throat irately, Cash gestured towards Rafe, “Exactly what I’m talking about. Justin, my calling doesn’t lie in leading The Society. I am more interested in having a less ’public facing position’ shall we say, where I can really put my true talents to use. And that’s why I invited you to sit with us today, Justin.’
Timberlake nodded enthusiastically, “ I see.”
Cash stood, wearing a trail in the carpet as he walked back and forth,
“What are your goals, Justin? We understand you must be distraught about Richard’s disappearance, you two seemed close. Do you have aspirations for The Society’s Leadership? We’ve been observing you for some time, and feel that we could all benefit each other within this little group, everyone here wants to progress and wants ‘more’. And we feel like you may have some ideas that could help us all to achieve just that.”
Justin leaned back in his chair observing the group sat around the table. Of course he knew what his goals were. He’d never really considered leadership of The Society until recently - his mind had been consumed with his plan for ultimate pop domination over the past two years. And he’d progressed so far that it was within his grasp - and that was when he and Richard had begun to clash. Badly. Richard’s vision was so- So limited. He couldn’t see Justin’s potential past being a Society tool used to control the public. Justin knew his worth, he was more than a tool for Richard to implement as he saw fit. He felt the anger bubble inside him as he recalled the final fight with Richard. They could have controlled the entire world together: why couldn’t Richard have seen that? Why couldn’t he have got on board with Justin’s plans? As he sized up the twelve eyes watching him, he thought about the dozens of power stones locked securely in the safe in his apartment: these people could see his strength. His power. His star ascending. He leaned forward, his decision made,
“I have acquired many power stones and my plan is, to use our time-travelling abilities to go back in time and wipe other pop stars from existence, so that I am the single biggest pop star in the world today. Then with my influence, The Society will control everything. We, friends, will control the world.”
Alana and Kiran eyeballed each other as the men nodded at Justin.
Kiran interjected,
“There’s no doubt that The Society would benefit from that sort of influence, but what about all of the damage that would be done to culture and humanity without artists?”
Justin looked confused as he stared at her, “But they’d still have me?”
Kiran chewed the statement over before asking, “And who are you going after? Are we talking about Elvis? The Beatles? Frank Sinatra?”
Justin waved a hand as though he’d practiced this very conversation in the mirror a hundred times, “No, no. Only today’s artists. I can’t disrupt anyone who directly or indirectly influenced my career. Butterfly Effect and all.”
The Inner Circle nod sagely as Justin continues, “And when my plan is complete, who, I ask you, will be the biggest pop star in the world??”
Alana glances up grimacing, “I don’t know Justin, I mean Lady Gaga is pretty huge? Iconic, even.”
Emilio shakes his head, “Right now, Ariana Grande’s the biggest artist in the world, I read it somewhere.”
Justin fixes them both with an affronted stare, “But think about it, if none of them ever existed... Then who would be the biggest pop star in the world?”
Alana and Emilio exchange a world-weary glance as Justin cackles, “Guess what? It’s gonna be me.”
Rafe scrunches his nose, confused, as he speaks through a mouthful of ramen, “May? What? Are the Emmy’s not always in September?”
Cash shoots him a withering glance before grinning at Justin, “You’ve thought a lot about his haven’t you?”
Justin, visibly flattered, shrugs off Cash’s praise, “Just a little.”
Cash leaned towards Justin conspiratorially, “So tell us, what more do you need to make your dreams a reality, and how could we, as a group, facilitate that?”
—-
Over the next few weeks the Inner Circle had planned for two consecutive missions. One intricate scheme with Justin, that involved him travelling back over two hundred years to Regency England to secure the Garnet power stone from a Lady Foxworthy. And their own private secondary mission that involved luring Justin back to Regency England where there was no power stone to be found.
When the day to venture back in time arrived, Justin paraded around the tower preening in the mirror at his era-appropriate garb. Kiran had stitched it to perfection, a beautifully embroidered waistcoat over his cravat, fitted cream pants and a midnight blue, velvet long-tailed coat that really made his eyes pop. Rafe let out a low whistle, winking at Justin’s reflection in the mirror, “Looking sharp! Nice work Kiran.” This look was a definitely a step up from double denim!
Kiran moved around Justin turning him, dusting down his shoulders, “Oh hold up, you have a thread. Let me just get that for you. Can’t have you looking less than perfect!” She reached for her scissors and touched the back of his jacket whilst swiftly clipping a tuft of hair from the back of his head.
The corners of Cash’s mouth quirked upwards at her almost imperceptibly as he spoke, “Very elegant, good Sir. You look quite the part.”
Justin gave Cash a delighted twirl to show off his new threads before performing a low, sweeping bow - completely unaware of his missing locks - speaking in a haughty-sounding English accent, “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr Tarkhan, I am Lord Timberlake.”
Alana had to swig at a cup of water to stop herself from bursting into peals of laughter, it was like the only English person he’d ever heard speak before was Queen Elizabeth herself! Cash raised an eyebrow in her direction before addressing Justin, “You’re definitely comfortable travelling back alone, because it would only take Alana here a few minutes to change into something suitable and accompany you?”
Justin waved a hand dismissing the suggestion, quite honestly he didn’t want anyone cramping his style. It wasn’t Justin’s first time in Regency England - when he and Richard had travelled there previously he’d had a ball. He had exactly eight hours to get there, get the Garnet, have some fun in a previous era and get back - and then. Then a whole new era would begin. His era... Leader of the most powerful Society in the world and the biggest pop star in history. Justin grinned as he stepped forward, placing his hands around the ornate pocket watch and beginning the arcane chant to begin his voyage through time. The rest of the Inner Circle joined the chant, Turing back the clocks within the tower as Justin’s world started to blur at the edges, drifting backwards through two hundred years of history.
After Justin was gone, a series of stealthy grins were exchanged around the group. Emilio breathed a sigh of relief, “We did it.”
Kiran tossed the little velvet bag with Justin’s hair inside to Cash - their insurance policy, should he need to be dealt with ‘more permanently’ at a later date. Today’s plan didn’t involve the singer being turned into a surprised-looking statue, just giving him an extended stay in Regency England instead... The garnet wasn’t there - in fact, there were no stones left there. It was common knowledge within the Inner Circle where the garnet was: firmly on the finger of Richard’s blissfully unaware and estranged daughter - passed down by his long-missing wife. A point that Timberlake was sadly remiss of: they all had banked on Richard never disclosing a topic so sore as his failure as a father out of pure pride and vanity - and they’d been correct...
Now there was nothing more to do than wind all the clocks back to the correct time, then sit and wait until Justin would try to get back.
—-
Seven and three-quarter hours later, the group within the tower saw a blurry portal loom in the corner of the room. Suddenly alert, they listened intently as Justin’s voice crackled through,
“Rafe, Cash, guys! Are you there? Help me! I can’t... I can’t get back! Alana?? The ritual, it’s not working, I’m not fading back through??”
Cash drawled as he examined his fingernails, looking thoroughly bored,
“Ah, so our little ritual worked then. Good to know.”
The passage through time became narrower and narrow as a sickening realisation suckerpunched Justin, panic rising like bile in his throat, “You... You did this on purpose!! You screwed me over!! You bastards!!!!”
As the portal flickered and shrunk to no more than a pinhole, echoes of the roars of their names reverberated around the room, until the gap sealed itself trapping Lord Timberlake in Regency England for ever more. Silence settled over the tower for a few moments, until Rafe glanced up at the rest of the group thorough his sweeping fringe, a smirk slowly stretching from ear to ear as he shrugs,
“Cry me a river...”
I am howling! You used the phrase! And referenced double denim! Amazing. Absolutely amazing! 🤣💕
Composure: Immortal Heart Society (Cassius x MC)
Shortest thing ever, had to write it, been rattling in my head for almost 2 weeks - total HC of where this story might go, probably 100% wrong but *shrug*
—-
Within seconds of returning from Regency England I exit the room and put some much needed space between myself, MC and the rest of the society. My pace quickens until I’m alone outside the building and I thoroughly lose my perfected composure. My hand rakes through my hair and I roughly scrub at the back of my neck trying to shake these feelings.
I said I would never do this again. It’s stupid. Ill-advised. It’s simply not worth it. But that smile, the way she rises to a challenge, how surprising and capable she is... That stupid kiss... No. I can’t do this again. I need to clear get my head.
I lecture myself:
‘You don’t ‘do’ romance, Tarkhan. You can’t. You need to focus on ending the society’s corruption - nothing else. You can’t be distracted and messing around falling for some woman you barely know. Not when you know how it ends. Not when you know how it feels when it does.’
I gulp cool air into my lungs as I try to settle my frayed nerves.
‘You need to stop this right now - it doesn’t matter that you haven’t felt like this in a hundred years.’
I close my eyes and all I see is Joanna. My heart twists as though a knife has sliced me clean through: I still grieve for her.
The downside of being immortal is that you lose everyone you ever love - eventually.
But that’s the deal I made.
Ooh, this is so well done. I love that it’s short and gut-wrenching. I think you’re on to something. Immortal Heart Society. Definitely something to that. 🤔💕
I read the beginning of the new book today - and I enjoyed it!
However, I realised something bothered me in this scene...
It took me a minute to work it out.
And then...
You’re welcome!!
I am flipping howling at this. And the “I fixed it! 😊” just slays me!
Trouble in the Suez - Queen of Thieves Fic
I still can’t believe that anyone was actually interested in reading my Ever Given meets Queen of Thieves nonsense 😂 99% written before the boat got unstuck, finished now she’s free, so slightly out of date but still fun to finish, especially since I’ve not finished anything in AGES.
Notes - characters all belong to Lovestruck and the below is just a bit of fun. Haven’t implied who MC’s romancing. The part where she says something that’s kinda dumb, is a direct quote from my hubby. Yep. Delighted to fit that in here... 😂 I’ve also attached the memes etc where I could find them / links to them again, because they were gold. Oh and most of the cargo is made up, except the really ridiculous stuff, that’s true and there’s newspaper articles proving it 😆
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—-
Jett almost spit his drink trying to control his laughter as his phone buzzed again, and again, and again. Nikolai, positioned at the opposite side of the room with a newspaper sprawled across the table, lifted his head and raised one sharp brow,
“Rather ‘tickled’ by something this morning, aren’t we? No doubt I’ll regret asking...?”
Jett’s struggled to rip himself away from the screen to meet Nikolai’s impatient gaze, using the back of his hand to wipe the tears of laughter as he finally composed himself enough to speak,
“Endless memes about this bloody boat, mate: priceless! My phone’s never stopped!”
Nikolai watched him, bemused for a few seconds, “The boat stuck in the Suez?”
Jett’s phone lit up again as he answered,
“Yeah, the Ever Given. Honestly, after all the COVID and quarantine over the past year - it’s amazing having a newsworthy event that doesn’t involve mass pain and suffering! Haven’t you seen any of the memes?? They’re gold!!”
Realising that Nikolai clearly hadn’t indulged in the best of the week’s internet humour, Jett made his way to show him some of the highlights:
A TikTok of two dachshunds in high-viz vests and hardhats digging like crazy to music to free the stricken vessel
‘Disaster Girl’ positioned in front of the cargo ship, with that chilling, knowing look on her not-so-innocent baby face
The GPS mapping of the off-course of the ship before it got stuck, that sort of looked like a penis.
The Austin Powers ‘You had one job!’ TikTok
A ‘steal his look’ meme including a dark green pair of straight leg D&G linens and some self-adhesive wheelie bin stickers
Nikolai half-smirked and rolled his eyes as they worked through, wondering who on earth has the time to waste in creating this sort of thing... What else could they achieve if they redirected their energy...?
Bernie Sanders stared out at them from the Suez, fold-out camp chair, coat, mask, mittens and all
There was a news story about the Ever Given’s sister vessel toppling a container of rubber ducks into the sea some years previously - the Friendly Floatees
A Lego replica had even been built to prevent someone from doing their dishes...
Frowning when they reached one of an elderly, sailor-esque gentleman in front of the boat, captioned ‘Captain finally revealed’, Jett chuckled as he explained to Nikolai that the pensioner was a character in a long-running British TV comedy - a former naval officer who’d sunk every ship he’d ever set foot on.
“Global trade grinding to a halt has really captured international attention, but not in the way I surmised...”
Leon, Remy and Zoe had appeared half-way through the conversation and cheerfully watched the meme-fest on Jett’s phone,
“Memes aside, it’s a pretty big deal - I was reading about it online last night. Roughly 12% of global trade passes through the Suez, boat’s been stuck for three days already.. There’s about 200 ships blocked and waiting to go behind it - well, either that or they have to decide if they want to divert around Africa. It could add two weeks onto their trip, but if that boat is going to be stuck for weeks, it might be faster... ” Pulling her phone out, Zoe tapped the screen until she pulled up a satellite image of the canal covered in coloured dots, “See?”
Leon shook his head in disbelief,
“Crazy. All that cargo... Going nowhere... I wonder what’s in all those containers? Must be costing the companies a fortune?”
Zoe shrugged, pulling up yet more screens as the others watched on,
“It’ll all be covered by insurance... But these reports estimate around $9bn is being held up... There’s some oil tankers, medical equipment, oh damn - a new passenger ferry being transported to Denmark, it’s not even been used yet - can you imagine being stuck on that... There’s a tonne of consumer goods - microwaves, freezers, driers - you know the stuff... Some cars... Sex toys - en route to the Netherlands apparently...”
Leon and Remy interrupted one another as they exclaimed, “Cars?”, and, “Sex toys?”, respectively, causing peals of laughter amongst the group, which had now expanded to include the entire Gilded Poppy; MC and Vivienne both appearing to see what the commotion in the common area was over.
Nikolai peered over Zoe’s shoulder, fielding Remy’s question first, wearing a grin,
“One ship is carrying around 20 containers of vibrators and the likes... According to this article, Dutch sex-shop shelves are bare after Valentine’s Day.”
Jett chuckled,
“See?! You honestly couldn’t make this up. It keeps getting better!”
Nikolai continued, turning his gaze to Leon,
“Another boat has several containers full of Nissan GT-R’s.”
Leon leaned forward in his chair, flushing to the tips of his ears as he enquired,
“Does it say? Are the GT-R’s ‘Nismo’s’?”
Vivienne tilted her head towards Leon,
“That’s the question you’re choosing to go with? Oh, Leon!”
The group continued to chat and crack jokes at the quality content and meme-fodder arising from the ongoing maritime situation, until MC made the comment that descended the group into utter hilarity,
“Imagine if pirates were real and decided to rob them all!”
Jett quirked an eyebrow,
“What do you mean ‘if’ they were real?”
Glancing around the confused faces of her friends, she offered,
“If they were real. As in, not just a fairytale thing. That’s what I mean.”
Remy’s bottom lip disappeared under his teeth as he tried his hardest to keep a straight face,
“Because they only exist in fairy stories?”
MC nodded enthusiastically, clearly unaware of her gaffe,
“Yes, in kids books. Peter Pan, or whatever”
Vivienne, barely able to breath, clutched MC’s arm, exclaiming,
“They’re not a Disney franchise, darling, pirates existed for hundreds of years before they made Johnny Depp into one!”
MC’s face glowed as her friends explained her error and teased her relentlessly,
“Santa Claus - real or not real?” , “Tooth Fairy?”, “What about the Easter Bunny?”, “Ghosts??”
The banter continued until MC floated the question that rendered the thieves silent,
“So if piracy is an actual ‘real thing’, have the Poppy ever heisted anything from a cargo ship before?”
Six pairs of curious eyes landed on her simultaneously, the air buzzing with the sudden realisation that there were over 200 potential treasure-troves bobbing around the Suez Canal like apples at Hallowe’en, just waiting for someone to bite...
—-
A few days of serious planning and awaiting the results of the necessary COVID testing to get themselves into Egyptian airspace, allowed the Poppy enough time to come up with one of the best heists that any of them ever could remember piecing together. Maybe it was having to lay low for so long due to the pandemic, or maybe it was the idea of pulling off such a spectacular heist in the goldfish bowl environment of the global tabloid media’s voyeuristic gaze... Whatever the reason, they all agreed this job was something truly special and if they weren’t already infamous, this was the heist that would propel them to a new height of infamy, on a worldwide scale. There was something for everyone on this heist: a traffic jam of cargo ships filled with treasures untold - unless of course your name was Zoe and you were able to access the shipping manifestos...
Initially there was a line of thought that the Poppy could simply steal the wanted containers from the stricken vessels with Leon using the helicopter to ‘hoist them away’, but that wasn’t exactly inconspicuous no matter how good their distraction techniques were. Nikolai was also quick to point out that disturbing the weight distribution of the containers and where they were placed could put the ship at risk of breaking, and therefore the crew would be in danger, so it was very quickly ruled out. A more subtle approach seemed like the better option; to blend into the rescue and recovery efforts, to provide a little assistance to those stuck through no fault of their own, and in turn, to secure a haul to be proud of!
—-
Zoe had worked tirelessly, with some help from MC, hacking systems to create dummy privileges, forging IDs and documents to allow the Gilded Poppy clearance and access to the various ships of interest caught up in the watery traffic jam. She also worked on a method of creating interference on all nearby video equipment that could capture an image of any of the Poppy, so they couldn’t be identified later... Once everything was in place, their plan rolled into action.
Vivienne nodded sympathetically as she flashed her ID badge with abandon and chatted to the crew on every boat she stepped aboard, posing as Head of Port Liaison Services, working to establish their needs throughout the crisis. For some of those stranded, there was nothing required, but after long days and nights adrift, some were desperate for a specific meal or drink, or for provision of extra toiletries as their own had run out - no one having expected such an extended trip... As she jotted down items like shaving foam, painkillers, fizzy drinks and cellphone top-ups, she noted any potential issues the Poppy would have to work around whilst smoothly guiding the conversation, allowing her to glean as much further information about the cargo onboard as possible: it’s intended destination and the location of the containers of interest on the ships, feeding all information back to Nikolai via a tiny hidden camera Zoe had secured in the Poppy-shaped pin of her smart, red, uniform neck-scarf.
Remy, MC and Leon would later arrive with Vivienne, all wearing similar uniforms. Remy and Vivienne smiled kindly, bringing positivity and care packages to the crew filled with the items they’d requested, plus some extra goodies to help the time pass more quickly, while Leon carried out a ‘security round’ of their boat to help the crew feel comfortable from potential threats whilst stranded. Given his stature, none of the crew were at all suspicious, and simply waved him on his way with MC at his side to look after the paperwork as required by the Port Authorities.
With the staff of each ship wholly distracted by an abundance of food, drinks and treats, Jett was able to sneak on board, follow Nikolai’s instructions via earpiece, to reach the containers Vivienne had defined as containing goods-for-heist! Once he was outside the specific container, Zoe could deactivate any tracking or tamperproof devices, allowing Jett the time he needed to pick the locks on each unit - without raising suspicion - in time for Leon and MC arriving on their rounds... It was all down to Remy and Vivienne to be enchanting and enthrall the crew until such times as the others had offloaded their haul to the small waiting tug boat the ‘Port Liaison Officers’ had arrived on, before resealing the container like nothing had ever happened. This heist was proving to be amongst the Poppy’s most satisfying - it was truly a ‘something for everyone’ heist: a plethora of new tech for Zoe, some shiny new sports cars for Leon - the most challenging items to remove from a floating container ship without anyone noticing mid-theft, enough sex toys to open the Poppy’s own bonafide bondage club - if the resident members wished to do so, dazzling jewels galore destined for the top stores in Europe’s capital cities for Vivienne, an abundance of art supplies for MC, a container filled with fireworks for Jett, and all the satisfaction and notoriety a heist like this could bring for the pickpocketing streetkids who had dreamed up the Poppy over a decade before. Little by little, distraction by distraction, the team were able to offload all the pieces of cargo their hearts desired - taking no more than one or two pieces or crates from each container. Zoe’s expert hacking of the security systems ensured the crew wouldn’t be penalised for anything going astray, and that any anomolies could simply be totted up as an inventory loss or wastage if they were discovered at the other side... The Poppy were very keen to ensure that nobody lost out because of this heist - with the noted exception of the insurance brokers and global capitalism: they figured the various crew members had been through enough!
Back at the hangar they’d made their base, with the last of the stolen items secured in the underbelly of their private plane, champagne flowed, but amongst all the whoops of jubilation from the Poppy, Nikolai was quietly subdued. Pensive. Eventually, frowning, he called Remy aside,
“We can’t leave it like this... It doesn’t sit well with me, these people all still stranded, and for who knows how long. Miserable. Families awaiting their return...”
Green eyes sparkling, Remy teased his oldest friend,
“You are going soft, mon ami... And what do you propose we should do to assist them? They already think Vivienne and I are so wonderful, someone told me we’re the best Port Liaison staff they’ve ever met.”
Nikolai raised his hands in an appealing gesture that said ‘seriously - why has no one else thought of this?’,
“We free them.”
Remy’s laugh filled the space between them as he shrugged and wrapped an arm around his oldest friend,
“D’accord, Niko. Why not?”
—-
Remy had donned a construction worker disguise before marching toward the crew manning the bulldozers on the bank where the golden class megaship had embedded its nose, tapping the pen against his clipboard, a grave expression as he spoke with them. Nikolai was with him claiming to be from HQ, dressed in a sharp-looking suit - the picture of a stressed out management sort - raking his hands through his dark hair and barking instructions at Remy every so often to give the impression that they would both be in very serious trouble were the salvage crew not to do as they were asked. There had already been thousands of tonnes of sand shifted and dredged, but the ship was still firmly wedged: all that Remy was requesting that they take a break - to go home - rest - get some sleep - please. He told them that they’d already been on the job for more hours than allowed in line with health and safety guidance, and another team was on their way to relieve them for a few hours: Remy desperately needed them to buy into the narrative as he needed to get Jett and MC on the scene without raising any suspicions. Once the workers finally accepted that it was time to break from their task, Nikolai vanished and Remy ushered in Jett fully dressed in scuba gear. Jett worked at speed to rig some strategically-placed safe charges under the water line in the silt surrounding the boat’s bulbous beak - the aim was to disrupt the earth without damaging the vessel. Leaving him to prepare the blasts, Remy and MC scaled the Ever Given: Remy gave her a confident nod as he gripped the abseiling ropes tightly in place, allowing her descent down the side of the ship. Jett emerged from the water when everything was in place, unable to stop himself from laughing at the sight of Remy and MC, hundreds of feet above him carrying out a special request from Nikolai. They were almost done. They would have to move quickly now, the excavators would be back onsite soon, they’d already been gone for a couple of hours...
—-
Nikolai, Zoe, Vivienne and Leon listened over their secure comms system as Jett confirmed,
“Remy and MC are on their way back to you now... And we’re all set to blow, in 3, 2, 1...”
Leon closed his eyes, covering his nose and mouth with praying hands, Zoe stayed still as a statue while Nikolai and Vivienne leaned closer to the speaker in anticipation of what would come next. They heard a low, rumbling blast echo, then nothing but interfere with their signal until Jett’s voice crackled back through moments later,
“Bloody hell. I think we’ve done it!”
—-
As Leon prepared to fire the plane’s engines up, the others crowded around the live newsfeed on Zoe’s tablet, watching a bubbly young presenter grin into the camera as touched his earpiece and began to speak,
“We are hearing reports that the salvage and excavation teams, after six days, have finally managed to straighten the course of the Ever Given, stuck here, blocking one of the world’s busiest trade routes: the Suez Canal. She has been refloated after tireless work by Port Authorities here in Egypt, and is set to be on her way. A happy ending to one of the biggest news stories of 2021 thus far. We have some live footage of the 220,000 tonne megaship continuing on her voyage for you now, and... Ohhh... Ohhh!!”
Laughter erupted in the cabin as the Poppy saw MC’s handy-work... They watched on as the refloated ship sailed down the Suez before the eyes of the world’s media, a stream of glitter trailing behind her, bearing the misnomer ‘Ever Gilded’, and underlined by a scrolling golden poppy on a vine.
https://www.tiktok.com/@crusoe_dachshund/video/6945198026159869190?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6947089670736053765&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0
Part 2: we did it!😅 #suezcanal #fyp #suez
https://www.tiktok.com/@valgenk/video/6943919703714696453?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6947089670736053765
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/feb/12/great-escape-bath-toys-pacific
When 28,800 bath toys fell off a cargo ship in the Pacific 20 years ago, they began an incredible journey.Here, in an excerpt from his new b
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/worldnews/14474344/suez-canal-ship-stocked-sex-toys-stuck-frustrated-customers/
A SHIP stocked with sex toys has been among those blocked from entering the cargo route in Suez Canal, leaving customers frustrated. The “pl
This is amazing and I love that you included the memes and whatnot. Leon getting excited about the cars and Jett all excited about the sex toys. Of course! 🤣🤣🤣 You did such a great job explaining their roles for this heist—it all fits so perfectly with the real events! And the ending with the boat renamed and the Poppy’s signature. Brilliant!
Jiu Jitsu Instructor Lets Adorable Little Girl Beat Him
Not sure what you’re talking about. He obviously put up a good fight, but was clearly no match for her.
She’s got mad skills for a white belt. I’d be fearful of facing her even now. Much less at blue
This might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen
She isn’t cute she’s a fierce warrior that deserves only respect
For real though that instructor must have incredible control over his body in order to essentially somersault over a toddler without falling on them
@bobasheebaby you know Bas would do this with his daughters!
Timing--Part 6 (Coming Forward)
This is Part 6 of my fanfic and it’s my version of events once the gang travels to LA to find Tariq. In my version, he refuses to come forward and Riley made a painful decision. In this part, the events leading up to the photo scandal are discussed. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors. PS—my Liam is Asian Liam, and my Riley is tall, like me.
All characters belong to Pixelberry.
Song Inspiration: Morning Dove, Julie Byrne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSRdGF12dDk
Tagging: @gennesaret @simsvetements @cora-nova @carabeth @hopefulmoonobject @katedrakeohd @aworldoffandoms @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @drakesensworld @lauradowning29 @liamxs-world
Word Count: 3699
Liam X MC, Liam X Riley
Liam and Riley sat on one end of the sofa in Liam’s study. Hana sat at the other end, and Bertrand sat behind the oversized and imposing desk. Bastien stood in a corner near the window. Drake and Olivia were sitting in plush chairs on one side of the massive desk. They were all waiting for Maxwell to bring Lady Penelope and Lord Tariq. Riley looked around the room, impressed with the staff who had to come and clean up the destruction Liam had left behind before joining her at House Beaumont. God, was that only yesterday?
It had been decided to talk with Penelope and Tariq together, although Bertrand wanted to do it separately so as to minimize Constantine’s involvement in the scandal. He was overruled by everyone else agreeing that the best way to corroborate stories was to have both present. Both sides of the story gave them the full story, and with the full story, a cohesive statement could be crafted.
Keep reading
I loved getting more insight into everyone’s actions that night. But even better, Liam’s reaction as the events are revealed to him. And seeing Maxwell and Drake in a new light, and his suspicions? Ooooh!!!!