#(pet dog school in contrast to sport dog school

[abirddogmoment]

someone at (pet) dog school tonight asked me what kind of dog rory was and I told them and they said "oh so like a cocker mixed with what?" SIR 😭😭😭😭

[shakeskp]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

Tagged by @garnetrena <3

1. Are you named after anyone?

My second and third names come from my grandmothers

2. When was the last time you cried?

I tear up sometimes when reading something, but the last time I truly cried was when I lost my dog 😔

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, I don't want any (I'm an aunt though and that's so cool ✨)

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Just sometimes (I often need the sarcasm sign, though)

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

Way too many! The ones I played the longest were tennis until I effed up my ankle, swimming (I still do but for pleasure, not in a mandatory sport of the week way), sailing, and kayaking (can you guess I'm from a coastal town). I've been doing flying yoga for a few yeas now

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people?

What make them different from the others because I have NO MEMORY FOR FACES, like that's a real problem. If you're blond you'll be the blond one to me, if you wear green glasses you'll be the green glasses person and for the love of me, don't take off your glasses. If another blond or someone else wearing green glasses arrives, it's game over for me (and afterwards anyone can gaslight me, "she wasn't blond she was brown-haired" "really? You sure? Oh, ok, I must have misremembered")

I'll defend the blond/brown dynamic (or any other contrasting hair/skin/clothes colours) in shows and movies forever and ever, colour coding is my best friend

7. What’s your eye colour?

Brown

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings, life is scary enough :D

9. Any special talents?

Writing and rescuing orchids

10. Where were you born?

In Brittany, France

11. What are your hobbies?

Writing, reading, playing video games

12. Do you have any pets?

Not right now :(

13. How tall are you?

161 cm/ 5,2 ft

14. Favourite subject in school?

French litt

15. Dream job?

Not needing a job is my dream job. I got to try my childhood dream job, writer, and realized I liked it better as a hobby, money changes the way you think about writing, and I don't think it's working out for me from a mental health perspective. I'm not saying I won't ever publish again, just that it's not a goal anymore

If we're mutuals, consider yourself tagged &lt;3

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

Opening this weekend:

Love Lies Bleeding--It certainly does, along with a fair number of corpses, before this New Mexico noir has run its course. It's 1989--the Berlin Wall is coming down on TV in the background--and our heroine Lou (Kristen Stewart), a lonely employee at a low-rent desert gym, spends her days unclogging toilets and stonewalling FBI agents who would like to talk to her about her estranged arms-dealer dad.

Lou falls hard for Jackie (Katy O'Brian), a beautiful feral bodybuilder who's in training for a competition in Vegas. Jackie moves in with Lou, but as you might guess, all does not go smoothly. Jealousy, domestic violence, gang violence, PEDs and the rage to which they give rise all intrude on this sweet romance and lead to gruesome murder and desperate cover-ups.

Stewart and O'Brian are both believable, and their passion for each other is exhilarating, even as you see the collision course with disaster that they're on. Ed Harris is at his creepiest as Lou's Dad, but Dave Franco wins the award for most odious as J.J., Lou's brother-in-law who abuses her hapless sister Beth (Jena Malone). Anna Baryshnikov is wistful as Daisy, who has the bad luck to have a crush on Lou.

The director is Rose Glass, the Brit behind Saint Maud, working from a script she wrote with Weronika Tofilska. As with Saint Maud, Glass is adept at blending the horrific with the ecstatic and the erotic, and her style, abetted by Ben Fordesman's queasy fluorescent cinematography, shifts comfortably from bleak British nastiness to gritty, lurid '80s-style southwestern nastiness. While the story gets a bit chaotically close to running off the rails in the homestretch, Glass even manages a surreal, magical-realist flourish near the end that feels right.

Arthur the King--This isn't a new version of Malory or T. H. White or Camelot. The title character here is a scruffy third-world street mongrel of such dignified bearing that he's given the royal moniker by his new best friend. Said friend is Mike (Mark Wahlberg), an "adventure racer" who impulsively feeds the dog a meatball during a break in a grueling event in the Dominican Republic, after which the mutt shadows Mike's four-person team as they run, bike, free-climb, zip-line and kayak across hundreds of miles of jungle. He even steers them away from peril.

Directed by Simon Cellan Jones, this is based on the 2017 book Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home, by Mikael Lindnord. The script, by Michael Brandt, is fictionalized; Lindnord is a Swede, not an American; he met Arthur in Ecuador, not the Dominican Republic, and Wahlberg's teammates in the movie (Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ali Suliman) are likewise made-up.

More strikingly, the real-life circumstances of Arthur's adoption may have been more ambiguous: an Ecuadoran man later claimed that Arthur, originally named Barbuncho, belonged to him, and that Lindnord had essentially dognapped him. Many hardcore dog lovers, of course, will be unlikely to feel much sympathy for the owner of a "pet" who's at liberty to join a dangerous cross-country race.

In any case, Arthur the King is an unembarrassed and pretty effective hybrid of the venerable band-of-misfits, last-chance-for-glory underdog sports movie with an old-school "I think he's trying to tell us something" dog picture. It's admirably attuned to the plight of strays; there's a hint of reproach, probably unintentional, in the contrast between Arthur's struggles to survive on the streets and Mike's self-imposed travails in his rather bougie, corporate-sponsored sport.

Ultimately, though, the movie is really no less corny than any Rin-Tin-Tin or Lassie flick. But it's well-paced, and if, like me, you're a sucker for dogs there's a good chance you'll enjoy it. Wahlberg is agreeable as the boyishly earnest Mike, but neither he nor any other member of the human cast is a match for Ukai, who plays Arthur, and steals the movie like it was a meatball.

[kghr-8125]

So guess who just learned today that:

(Yes this is a horrible picture but pls excuse it)

This will not be leaving my mind for some time now because it fueled some brainrots

Its always been a reccuring thought to me how Hirano and Kagiura at the surface may look like their personalities are very different but that's not actually it.

We have Hirano who is a member of the disciplinary committee and is pretty diligent and straight-lace.He follows the rules regularly and tends to do everything by the book despite having bleached his hair blond.He's closed off and other people tend to find him intimidating.

Then we have Kagiura who is a member of the basketball team.He's carefree and is more sociable.He's very honest,straightforward and tends to be well-liked by other people and is in general an easy person to get along well.

At first glance they look like the classic introverted nerd and extroverted jock dynamic but there's actually more to it especially when you notice how some of their interest and personality actually overlaps.

We find out that back in middle school Hirano actually used to be in a sport team of his own and that he was in the track team.And Kagiura may not be that good at studying but I heard he's at least good at biology and he seems to have an interests in stars too.

Not only that they both are hardworking,competitive and very determined when it comes to getting what they want.They also are very decidated to what they do(Hirano spends his weekends studying in the library and likewise Kagiura also does the same by playing basketball despite not having practice during those days)

They both clearly have a goal in mind and are very decicated to making it come true which lead to them both coming and meeting in the dorms.

Both are two sore losers who hates losing and are also intelligent in their own ways but can also be dumb in certain aspects.

Because i love them a normal amount(yeah definitely) I sometimes think back to their animal images to find more things to think about when im waiting for a new chapter every month and seeing how Hirano's is a gray wolf and Kagiura being a shiba inu it definitely connected some dots in my head and finding out now how Shiba inus are closely related to wolves only encouraged many thoughts too.

It only started of as me thinking of Hirano being a gray wolf may be hinting that his home situation growing up may have been very different to the one Kagiura grew up in.

Kagiura obviously grew up in a loving family full of people who were really close to one another and tho he was a middle child im sure he still grew up receiving tons of love and care to be the kind of person he is today.Domestic dogs like shiba inus tend to be kept as pets and when they have great owners they also grow up receiving lots of love and everything they need to grow up as adorable doggies who deserve all great things in life.

In contrast to Hirano who has a wolf animal image.Wolves are creatures who lives in a wild and has to deal with harsher things to survive like tough weathers and having to hunt their own food to eat.Wolves as i heard actually tends to avoid human interactions too so with all these in mind i like to think there's a possibility of Hirano growing up in a tough and strict environment,maybe he was also sheltered or didn't get much chance to see the outside world(this also makes me believe why he's said to be into planes cause if i were to see it in a child's point of view planes are amazing because they get to go anywhere)

As harsh as he's possible living situation may be I don't think he grew up fully receiving zero love cause as I remember he seems to get along well with his parents although we sadly don't know much about how things are between his other relatives.

It doesn't even need to be his home life maybe middle school was hell for him too and he didn't have much friends.Alot to think about really.

This also just leads me back to how despite being an only child Hirano seems to be pretty independent and self reliant on his own and also manages to take great care of others(like a wild wolf taking care of the members of his pact).I dont like to believe that Kagiura is helpless on his own since im pretty sure he can manage himself,he just like being taken care of and spoiled by Hirano(like a domestic dog who was treated with great care growing up) but out of the two of them Hirano seems like the most reliable one.

Anyway im gonna wrap this all up by ending it with how much I love that at the end of the day Hirano and Kagiura are different enough to have lives outside of eachother yet similar enough to get along well and balance each other out and also bond over similar things.

[kaypeace21]

i'm losing hope of byler being an endgame :( milevens say that we are invalidating mileven, besides having several scenes that they show "passion/love". they make fun of us, besides always giving reasons why mileven is an endgame, and disrespecting other people's ship, and maybe actually Will will be with another boy right?? idk but I really hope I'm not being deluded

lol  lets not focus on byler for a sec and mostly discuss mileven. what scenes show mileven’s  ‘passion/love’? Because the show invalidates mileven constantly-why they’re so aggressive/afraid of us.THEY KNOW IT’S DOOMED (they live in head canons and nothing else).  I’m going to try keeping this short by doing bullet points.

-The writers in s3 threw in a telemarketing joke just for Mike to say “El. no. sorry not interested” and hang up the phone. 

- Flo  in s1: “only love makes you that crazy and that damn stupid.”

Mike: “if we’re both going crazy. we’ll go crazy together right?”will: “yeah, crazy together “ *smile and stare longingly at eachother *————————————————————-Mike: “they do say it makes you crazy”El: “what makes you crazy?”(the exact opposite of crazy together as she continues to be confused over every explanation he gives of love 😂)————————————————————-During the byler fight  Mike says “el’s not stupid!” After this, Will calls himself “ so stupid “ 4x .  rips up photo where they said they’d go crazy together and cries . But, El after fighting with mike happily says: “there’s more to life than STUPID boys .”  El’s catchphrase being “not stupid” which she says in s2 before going to see Mike at the school. And Nancy before Mike says he loves El / Mikeduring the byler fight (about mileven) say “El’s not stupid!”

original gifs  sources

-the s3 stobin confession parallels mileven’s s3 shop confession (full analysis in link). Both El/Robin have bandages on their legs and both pairings sit together (on the floor) during their confessions- and are interrupted by Dustin. And in both straight baits- the guys use the terms “stupid/crazy” but subvert the expectation of it being romantic-as both girls say they’re not “crazy” or “stupid” for the guy. El saying “what makes you crazy?” in response to Mike. And Robin saying she was not into Steve’s “stupid hair” (similar to El saying there’s more to life than ‘stupid boys’/other saying she’s not stupid.”Also the song ‘the first i love you’ only plays twice in s3. During Steve’s romantic confession and robin rejecting him because she’s gay & El’s romantic confession and awkward kiss with mike (where Mike doesn’t reciprocate). Cause Robin/Mike are both gay and will reject the romantic confession.

- Erica making he-man and barbie kiss: “Hey , They’re in love!”Lucas (livid- and standing right next to a rainbow forcing them apart): “No, actually,  they’re not. they’re not even from the same planet.”  El even watches he-man in s1! Mileven is not in love!

Cue El and mike being compared to ET and Eliot -WHO AREN’T FROM THE SAME PLANET (by the Duffers in multiple interviews and in the pilot script ) .   And then there’s the  old euphemism of “girls come from Venus, and boys come from Mars”.  The Duffers saying mileven isn’t in love cause they’re not from the same planet (aka the same gender) -is just them telling us Mike is gay so he can’t fall for El-who is a girl/diff species. They literally have Will say to Mike “welcome to my world” as a contrast. So El telling mike he should ‘stick with his own species’ (aka boys) is another gay hint.

In s2 they even had El wear the same shirt as a 1986 movie character (staring Winona Ryder). The movie is called coincidentally “lucas”- and he’s in an unrequited romantic relationship with a gal named maggie. And he later says him and Maggie are  from “different worlds.” El being movie-Lucas in a unrequited romance, in this scenario. And the other easteregg is the Duffers have st-Lucas  say the “planet/worlds” similar to movie-Lucas.

some milevens also attribute romeo/juliet to mileven cause Dustin mentioned it while mileven was out of shot. But romeo & juliet weren’t actually in love-it was just kids in infatuation. And also used to describe the unrequited infatuation of Lucas/Maggie.

-Also when dustin in s1 says el is “like a wizard” (like Will.) Mike corrects dustin and says “more like yoda”. Really hammering down the alien references- which the Duffers reference to el in interviews all the time-by comparing her to et . In the pilot they even said mike and el are like “Eliot and et.” They said they made el dress like a ghost cause et did so- and then for the extra burn they made mike a ghost hunter/buster. And they also said that EL’s makeover in s1 was like et’s in the movie. And sorry ... who compares the girl they “crush on” with a green gross alien (yoda)- kind of shows how he sees her more as this foreign superpowered entity rather than a girl/crush. And on what planet is et /Eliot romantic??Answer is -it’s not. 

- In contrast, They have Mike and Will parallel  Diane and Venkman. In ghost Busters, Mike -is Venkman- and Will -is Dana Barret- who Venkman flirts with shamelessly until she is possessed. Dana finds a demon-dog in her fridge, and hires the ghost busters. And right before Venkman goes on a date with her she is possessed by the big-bad, Zuul, and is transformed into the gate-keeper (who controls demo(n)-dogs). Venkman proceeded to try to talk to the real Dana , ignoring her possessed form and eventually realizes how serious her condition is, is forced to sedate her. Eventually with the help of his team, Venkman closes the gate to Zuul’s dimension, rescuing Dana in the process. And Venkman plants one on Dana before riding away in triumph. While, El is a ghost and Mike is a ghost hunter XD

Notice in the same season lucas says mileven is ‘not in love’ and compares mileven to he-man and barbie .  Dustin has a  he-man & Et next to each other (along with a ghost buster sign above them, and the ghostbusters-trap next to et). This just reinforces the mileven eastereggs I’ve already talked about -  and how they want you to make the connections  about mileven not being in love. They showed et/barbie next to he-man, had El watch he-man, compared El to Et (who had a barbie-like makeover/ghost costume), so the next he-man ref of ‘not being in love’  cause rhey’re from different planets would connect in a more obvious way to mileven.  Same with Et next to the ghost trap and ghost busters sign (and El dressing as a ghost and Mike as a ghost buster-as an extra burn).

- Mike dehumanizing El is hammered down again when they compare s1 mileven to s2 dart /dustin (a demo dog) , to further show how un-romantic it is. Fin even said the duffers told him Mike saw el (OFFENSIVELY) as a “puppy’ (right after s1).  And of course millie accurately said “what a horrible way to describe me!”But the parallels are there: Dustin/Mike sharing sweets ( nougat vs eggos) for breakfast and saying they’ll have to wait for them to come home from school. And having mike annoyed, say  “a bond? cause you shared nougat?!” is dissing milevens who think the ego thing is cute/romantic. Dustin/Mike saying they ‘promised’ to take care of them and that they ‘trust’ dustin & mike. Dart killing a cat and El almost killing a cat. Dustin/Mike trying to convince Lucas- Dart & El aren’t bad. The boys thinking both El & Dart were bad guys causing both to end up running away because of that. Mike even admits in s1 he doesn’t like eggos and told El she doesn’t have to eat “like a dog” anymore.  it’s ironic when Mike says to Dustin “she’s not a dog” cause he treated her as such. Why El says in s3 angrily , “am I your pet?” It’s because he did/does unfortunately treat her this way to some degree. 

-They Parallel Mileven to Hopper & El (since mileven isn’t actually romantic)!

*teaching the meaning of promise vs com-promise. And making “promises” to eachother is not some super romantic thing- for just mileven.

* Telling her to eat “real food” vs eggos

* saying her new look is “cool”and saying it’s “bitchin” after El says the look is.

* Saying others are “corrupting her” and in response gals say neither respect her ability to make “decisions” in regards to romance. Hopper not accepting Mileven together (want them to break up)  and Mike not accepting she dumped him.

* Max saying to not let Hopper/Mike control her

*El saying “you lie” to both of them

ok , back to listing other points

- they dance to ‘every breath you take’ a break up song about a stalker ex who can’t accept he is now with her friend. The writer of the song also has said many times “it’s NOT a love song.” The duffers obviously knew that. Lumax also danced to it and Lucas was called a ‘stalker’ . El also stalked Mike in s2 (all that stuff milevens found romantic- El watching him without him knowing. Mike says he was not ok with it in s3). And in s3 he said not to do that and she just says ‘i make my own rules’.Plus, sting (the singer) mentions it’s supposed to sound romantic but the lyrics are sinister. And that the ambiguity/deceptive happy -romantic tone was intentional. Kind of like how people think mileven is healthy and in love when the show (ambiguosly says ) that it’s not -and the “opposite”.Just like the song being misinterpreted as romantic because of its deceptive packaging -mileven is the same . Mileven got popular cause everyone missed all the warning signs it wasn’t healthy (cause it was packaged as ‘cute’ and ‘ in love’) when behind the surface it was shown to be the opposite and not healthy.

 Not to mention Nancy teaching Dustin how to dance is a direct parallel to Mike teaching El. 

Mike also tries to act like Dustin, and  forces Will to dance with a girl (who’s wearing a rainbow hair clip). Trying to be a good sport like Dustin is about lumax. And right after this we see Dustin look sad about Max/Lucas dancing and Mike (next to Dustin) look sadly at Will/girl dancing in the same exact frame as Max/Lucas. As they switch between these 2 shots to emphasize their sadness/jealousy.Then they both sit down (mirroring each other) on the verge of tears before Nancy and El show up to comfort them and distract them.  As El once again (presumably) wears Nancy’s dress. Mike after El asks “will you be my brother?” “you cant go  (to the snowball) with your sister... i mean you can but it’d be really weird.” 

- before their first kiss in s1 she asked if he would be like her brother (after being compared to a cousin, and being compared to Holly, and wearing Nancy’s dress.) In s2 they even make a direct parallel to Luke &Leia (who were siblings who had a weird romantic relationship/kissed before realizing they were related). Mike (as Leia) saying “it’s a trap” to El (Luke). 

- Mike in s1 writes a d&d story for Will inspired by star wars.  in ep one Will tells Mike “it was a 7, the demogorgan it got me.”At the end of the season Mike writes a whole story of him and his friends killing a 7 headed monster, and showing the decapitated head of the monster to king Tristan (Will). Similar to how at the hospital he tells Will to not worry cause “it’s dead now”. This is right after Will rolls a 14 (cause Mike and Will are 7s together). And Mike who is a fan of starwars has King Tristan give them medals after killing the monster. Cause he wants Will/king tristan (instead of Leia -a girl) to present him with medals and be his romantic love interest (and praise him for being a hero).

- They had Dustin call mileven “bullshit” just like stancy (who were never in love). And in s3 for almost every single character in the show to dislike mileven . if that isn’t a cry for help from the writers idk what is XD

other stancy parallels: Making out on a bed to cheesy music. stancy wasn’t in love but they kissed the most in the series and nancy and steve (similar to mileven exchanged ‘i love yous’) but weren’t endgame and it was never love. Mike and Steve sing to their gfs and neither girls are fans and cut them off.In s1, both Nancy/Mike slap Steve and El and then both yell “ What is wrong with you?!”  Stancy/mileven are compared to Karen/ted who according to Nancy “never loved each other”. El is a fan of ted’s lazy boy. (Karen in s3 looks at Ted in the chair when the lyric “I should have walked away “ plays). And Steve and ted continuing to eat chicken as their gf /wife storm off from the table upset , and they do nothing. After the mileven and Karen/Ted fight- Steve says while eating “what did I do?what did i do?” And mike while eating says about el after their fight “what did i do wrong? what did i do wrong?!Steve and Ted both tell Mike to “stay on the bench/you’re on the bench.” Karen/ ted that they “never loved each other” (just like mileven and stancy which are “bullshit.”) All 3 wheelers were with people cause it seemed like the rational choice ( rich guy/ popular guy/ girl). Not to mention mike said “ I don’t remember” ( in reference to saying he loved el ) . And doesn’t say it back when el says “I love you”. Which mimics Nancy in s2 saying “I don’t remember ” (saying the stancy relationship is bs) . And she is also unable to say she loves Steve when he says“say you love me.” And Steve and el walking away as both wheelers stand there in silence. Unable to say “I love you” back.  Also, when stancy officially breakup it also pans to mileven on the porch as another parallel.And 11byers mentioned (at Christmas)  jancy has a moment but despite stancy’s issues she goes back to Steve where she looks sad over the decision .  Similar to how Byler have a moment , but then after , mileven talks about christmas  and they have that awkward kiss. In s3, steve when talking about stancy and trying to be popular even says “dustin’s right it’s all a bunch of bullshit.” (meaning Dustin’s right about mileven). Steve even says “everything people tell you is important that you’re supposed to care about- it’s bullshit.” (same season Mike mimics Lucas’ words from s1 about El being the “most important thing”.

-They also had Mike tell Max “i don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.”  Aka he can’t hate Max or love el cause he knew both for a week-and doesn’t know them. The amount of mileven burns that were in s2 -were insane XD.

other direct contrasts between Mileven & byler 

besides the ones already mentioned. 1) ‘crazy together/so stupid’ vs ‘what makes you crazy?/el’s not stupid/more to life than stupid boys & 2) ‘they’re not in love they’re not even from the same planet’ vs byler’s ‘welcome to my world’

3) Mike has drastically different expressions after the byler/mileven fights and the difference in weather and music selection ,convey how Mike is feeling. He looks regretful with Will, and almost annoyed with El dumping him.  Mileven breaks up to upbeat music on a sunny day (the break up being in front a crowd and a joke) vs the morose music and the storm shown (with just Mike and Will fighting ). We are supposed to take the byler fight seriously and the mileven one as a joke.They had Mike apologize to Will immediately. But with El he says “what did i do wrong?’ (Kind of like how ted, after pissing off karen says “what did I do?”)And then had Mike wait by the phone for her to apologize- says sexist stuff about her. Then have mike laugh/burp and talk about cheese and El to laugh about the break up/high five max and immediately oggle a pic of another boy/male celeb (unlike Will who looks sadly at the pic of Mike after their fight). And then after staring at the  teen-male celeb,  El says she’s not sure if  Mike’s a good kisser cause he’s just her “first boyfriend” and she has no other boys to compare him to (implying she’s thinking of other boys in the future).  Contrasted to Will who said he thought him & Mike would never get gfs but just spend the rest of their lives together. El after all these events, then happily reads comics  as Max says she shouldn’t hang out with Mike all the time. VS Will having him sadly read his comic to distract himself  only to throw his comic on the ground right before he looks at the pic of mike from Halloween (where they said they would go ‘crazy together’), calls himself stupid (unlike El saying there’s more to life than stupid boys/mike saying El is not stupid-aka in love ). And then destroys castle byers /crIES after the their fight. These events were perfect opposites.

4) When Mike says in the pool shed she’s the “most important thing in the world” to him. she cuts him off and says Hopper is right about them spending too much time together. But when Mike in the shed says asking Will to be his friend was the “best thing he’s ever done” (it was practically the cliche of true love breaking the curse) XD.

When Mike says to El  “you’re most important thing to me” in the pool shed. El doesn’t even acknowledge the comment (and neither should the audience- cause the words were empty). The framing of this mileven scene was not cinematic or heartfelt, and neither was the delivery from Mike. He’s not crying, trying to reach her with proclamations of his genuine feelings. There’s no dramatic music, framing, lighting or shot composition (and the scene was incredibly short).And El just responds and cuts his supposed ‘true feelings’ off- only to agree with Hopper and says “ what if he’s right”  . I didn’t speed this up FYI.

Juxtaposed to the MUCH longer byler shed scene. A literal single tear falling down his cheek as Mike , recounts the first day they met. This whole monologue is only of tight shots of just their faces (their bodies aren’t shown like in the pool shed scene). With contrasting colors of light and shadow.This is a personal moment between them and them alone- and the fact we zoom in on their faces (expresses this to be important emotionally) . And when we see Will’s reaction to Mike saying “it was the best thing I’ve ever done”. We just see Will’s face only- no music is playing and all we hear is  Will’s whimpers and Mike crying in the background.*

5) Max in s2 at Will’s house questions how Mike can still trust Will now that he’s a spy for the mf . Max (in s3) at El’s house: says that Mike doesn’t trust El- and Mike mentions that her spying is why he doesn’t trust her.  in s2, Mike: “if anyone could stop them it’s Will“. Max: “ I thought we couldn’t trust him that he’s a spy for the mf now?” Max in s3 calling Mike out  : “El has saved the world twice. And Mike still doesn’t trust her.” Mike: you want to talk about trust really?! after... Eleven spied on us! I guess girlfriends don’t lie they SPY!”

Not to mention - the fact is... El has “saved the world twice but Mike still doesn’t trust her” to fight the mf. Yet he 100% believed Will could defeat the mf -despite Will being possessed/a spy for the mf . And despite the fact Mike  thinks Will has no powers - unlike El ( but we all know he does , though :P). And, Mike even says Billy is dangerous cause  the “mf is in him ...Billy’s mind is sick, diseased” (but with Will possession -Mike still trusted him).  Max rolls her eyes and stares challengingly at Mike cause she remembers what Mike said about Will in s2- and the hypocrisy . And she finds it annoying how little faith he has in her compared to his almost unmoving-trust in Will (who at the time was possessed) . Mike has 100% trust and faith in Will-but simply doesn’t trust El.  And MAX KNOWS IT! Cause she’s paying attention. Like her facial expression/raised brow, at the end, is a challenge- you think non-superpowered Will could defeat the mf but not El with a history of fighting monsters? You say Billy possessed by the mf is dangerous- but still have more faith in Will possessed by the mf- than your own gf?! tbh El couldn’t defeat the mf (so technically him trusting Will over  El was proven to be correct). He wasn’t right about the El ‘giving up’ bs and he was still wrong for not respecting El as her “own person” with her “own free will” : not believing in El’s ability to make decisions like breaking up with him/ not believing El made the idea to spy on him, etc . But, Team work has always been what saved the day in s1-2, so over-relying on El to do it all and acting like she was the messiah ( like most of the st fanbase) was a poor plan . It’s not the El-show (it’s an ensemble cast with several mains). When they relied on her only ,to be the chosen one- she lost her powers, 30+ people d*ed, and they had to save her.

6) ) El and Will both calling for “Mike” alone in the upside down . And Mike “never giving up” on them.In the exact same ep (s2 e2) , both call for Mike from the upside down. El saves herself without Mike’s help. But Mike rushes to save Will crouching to comfort Will (whose body language mirrors El’s but who was alone in the forest after she sees mike and he did nothing). 

in s2 ep 1, both call for Mike ,but Mike only comes for Will -not el. It was like how Nancy in s1 called for Jon, and jonathan pulled her out of the upsidedown.  And as Jonathan and Mike both pull Nancy and Will back from the upside down , Jonathan says “I got you”. And Mike says “I got him “ twice. But mileven is like how barb while in the upsidedown called for Nancy (but nancy didn’t hear her screaming her name-cause it shows symbolically Nancy does not return Barb’s romantic feelings). Just like mileven.

Mike even saw Will’s dead body but the second he heard his voice he convinced everyone he was alive. Mike deep down assumed El was dead he brushed off seeing El as seeing things (like how Hopper described seeing Sarah). He even tells Max “ they took her just like they took bob” who was dead. Then a few minutes later lies and says he “never gave up” on her when she appears alive (which was a lie cause he just said she was dead). When El goes to his house Mike doesn’t ever go the forest to find her (unlike how Mike went into the forest in the pouring rain twice for Will). The truth is the only person he ‘never gave up on’ was Will.

7) They have El & Will have pics of Mike on Halloween (same night of the ‘crazy together’ speech). El only has a pic of Mike being miserable  and Will has pics of Mike staring at Will, and smiling next to him- despite the joke Mike never smiles in photos , this isn’t the case when mike is next to Will (he always smiles with Will). Cause being crazy with Will makes him happy - unlike his relationship with El who he fakes being ‘crazy’ about .

zoom in of Will & El’s pics of Mike: Will’s pic on left vs El’s on right . XD

8) Millie said El is “obsessed with Mike” so she has Mike-themed stuff all over  her room. She has a drawing with a heart that says mike on it/random heart pics, mike pic, dice that spell out mike, mikes’ stuff. So, It’s funny that mike has nothing relating to El at his place. In contrast to this, he still has 5 d&d drawings from Will on his wall (that he’s kept on his wall for 3 years despite removing an old poster from that same wall-which he gave to El). Mike even put up a 6th Will-drawing in s3- next to his new poster. And he never put a single 1 of her many drawings on his wall-just Will’s).

back to other points...

- They compared mileven to karen/billy. El in s2 , mimics Erica Kane who m(in the ep she is watching) rushes into a relationship with a writer named Mike Roy. (That relationship is not endgame-and  literally ends with one of them stalking and sabotaging their next relationship, but eventually accepting it’s over). This, also parallels Karen/ Billy. Before she meets him in s2, Karen is reading a romance book that has a guy that resembles Billy on the cover. The Duffers even mentioned they changed the cover to show the resemblance between Billy and the fictional book character. And we see Karen reading the sequel in s3 before Billy appears. Both El and Karen don’t/didn’t love Mike or Billy- they just projected onto them fictional characters they were infatuated with. El being into Mike roy- but projecting her crush on to Mike wheeler.

-They had El’s whole s2 arc be destroyed to show mileven is bad for her. “friends don’t lie” to let me lie to my friends so I can kiss mike and ditch them. lucas even said “they’re lying (about her curfew).”And lie to Mike about hearing his confession. Then in s2 trying to leave the cabin to experience the world and see my friends and fam again. To literally ignoring them all for 6 months and never leaving the cabin-despite Hopper letting me leave the house in s3.

- El in s3 says Mike treats her “like a pet” and “garbage”.

-In s1 Mike referred to her as a ‘weapon’  to help get Will back. smacked her when he thought she lied about Will being alive and said Lucas was right about her all along when he thought Will was dead and he couldn’t use her anymore. 

- They had El never apologize for spying/stalking . And  Mike never apologize for lying -despite it being the cause of the breakup . And had mike not reciprocate the kiss/ or say ‘i love you ‘ back  and had his eyes open while the same exact song plays that robin came out to: called ‘the first i love you’). These are the only 2 times the song plays in s3. The ‘first i love you’ also sounds like ‘the first lie’ - that song played when jancy said they were just friends. it sounds the same cause jancy lied about it not being romantic while mileven lied by saying it was.  He never apologized for lying cause the love is the lie- like Max said “boyfriends lie ALL THE TIME”. And it’s why the camera panned to Will when Lucas asked why Mike lied to her. And he never answers El’s question of ‘why do you lie?!’ (he just looks up silent and guilt ridden).This awkward kiss all happens in Will’s room too while Mike is in front of an open closet (while El is holding Will’s old bear).  

Plus he also fought with Hopper in s2 (’about El’) in Will’s room too. He wasn’t actually calling Hopper the liar he was calling himself “a stupid disgusting liar”out of self hate .  That scene was foreshadowing his lying to El in s3 (about his feelings for her). He blamed Hopper for his feelings for Will cause he told himself it wouldn’t have escalated if El had been around to ‘fix him’ . “I BLAME YOU! NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OK! NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OK. YOU STUPID DISGUSTING liar, liar, liar, liar”.starts crying.

- Mike says “i never gave up on you (to El). “ When moments earlier he says “it took her just like it took Bob.” HE’S LYING AGAIN. He always thought she was dead -he was just hoping she was alive so he didn’t have to blame himself. He felt bad for treating her like a “weapon”. Mike saw El and didn’t even bother looking for her in the woods cause he assumed she was dead and was hallucinating. Mike saw Will’s dead body- but heard his voice and got him from another dimension (for El he couldn’t even bother to walk into the woods). Despite going into the woods in the pouring rain 2x for Will in s1& 3. El and Mike both call for Mike in the upside down (Mike in the same ep only comes for Will).

- They barely spoke to each other and all they did was makeout for 1 ep (while Mike put a drawing of ‘Will (the fire wielding) wise’ on the wall to help him kiss her/ with rainbows pic everywhere in the room to signify he’s gay and lying).  All while listening to a mixtape Will gave him as he kisses El.As Mike moves her hands off him (and sings a song from ‘boy in the box’) and El says to Max later she doesn’t know if mike’s a good kisser . And Mike rushes to one of his many established double-dates with Will and lumax  (x). And Mike in s3 when dating el, removes the sign of the heart being propelled by a rainbow (which he had before meeting El in his basement) .BUT it follows him symbolically ,as a drawing of a heart being propelled by a rainbow (in el’s room- cause no matter how much he kisses el there, he can’t escape his rainbow/being gay.)

-as mileven kiss in s3 e1. We zoom in on the drawing of Will the wise (the lyrics over the pic are “a little more time can open closing doors”). And then Mike continues to sing this song from ‘boy in the box’ (cough closet).Will in s3e1 says he won’t fall in love and the song then a diff song plays “love that was new to you , you open up the door.” mileven at the end of s3 kissing in front of Will’s open closet door with Mike’s eyes open not kissing back , and saying he doesn’t “ remember “ the love you and just says it was “in the heat of the moment”. The mike song being from “boy in the box” (closet). And they make out to “I can’t fight this feeling” which the singer says is about wanting to admit your feelings to your friend of many years and being afraid it’ll ruin the relationship. Aka even when kissing El he’s thinking of Will and admitting his feelings and not being able to fight his feelings

- Mike saying about Max “awesome? you don’t even know her.” Dustin says “ i don’t have to i mean look at her.” El was said in s1 multiple times to look like a boy (specifically Will). So Dustin and Lucas had no interest in her -only Mike did. BUT when max (a girl who looked like a girl) arrived- they as straight boys  were smitten. And Mike was not interested at all (cause he’s gay). The fact people don’t realize Mike was rude to her because he thought Will liked her too makes me laugh - he even was 1/2 honest in s3 saying he was jealous of her  XD 

why in s3 (when she looks like a girl) the compliment to her look is almost the same as Hopper’s comment to her makeover in s2. Paralleling Mike to her dad is the opposite of romantic!

-people say in s3 Will saying “a day free of girls” is gay coded but everyone ignores Mike in s3 saying “BOYS ONLY”. Same energy.

-MiKE has more rainbows than Will: Mike’s rainbow bedroom blinds, the rainbow-heart wooden sign in the basement in s1, the rainbow heart drawing that says Mike in s3, a rainbow sticker in his room, byler standing behind a rainbow poster in s2. And Will with the rainbow ship and the girl he danced with having a rainbow hearts-hairclip.

- People mention Mike saving El in s3 was romantic ( when he hit Billy). But when Billy slapped max he charged in to save her too and tried punching him (despite their beef). that moment wasn’t romantic (unless you think madweheeler is- which no). Mike is just a good person- he also risked his life for dustin. He’s brave and will defend HIS FRIENDS. 

- we’re almost to the end for those not keeping tract mileven is compared to stancy, ted/karen,  karen/billy, stobin, Dart/Dustin, max &mike, barb/nancy, nancy & dustin, siblings & cousins & a parent/kid dynamic. And contrasted to byler.

- Finn, after s1, said the duffers told him,   Mike thinks of her as a “puppy/ “et” , and that Mileven was a  “first summer love thing”- foreshadowing what was mileven’s downfall during the Summer (aka s3). He repeats this “first summer love” phrase 2x.  Millie when he mentioned what the duffers said, rightfully thought the puppy thing was “awful”, but Finn was clearly told mileven doesn’t last -very early on.Summer love” by definition fails-as it only lasts during the summer.  

-It wasn’t a break it was a breakup. Like Max and Will said in response to Mike  “ she said she dumped your ass! That doesn’t sound like a break?!/ it wasn’t!’ Or El knocking all the candy out of the machine, except the kit kat Mike wanted. Slogan of kit-kat “ having a break , have a kit kat.” In other words, it was NOT a break. It was a breakup. Difference is - in s4 it’ll be El who can’t accept this fact , not Mike. Max having to correct El that Mike is her “ex boyfriend” after the breakup (in s3) foreshadows this.The other couples in s3 who fought -were always still paired together in framed shots (jancy/ lumax) were on a break (but got back together- by the end of s3,  not confident about their futures together, but they still have a distinction from mileven-based on such framing). That mileven didn’t get back together. El in s3 was always on her own and Mike was paired with Will (while the other couples were in frame). 

this could go on and on honestly. there’s so much other stuff proving mileven is not going to be endgame. Not to mention all of Mike’s queer coding (x) XD   

[inthememetime]

Psst wake up, new ask game just dropped.

OC Questions to help with development

OC headcannons: send me a number, and I will tell you:

1. What's something your OC is really embarrassed about doing?

2. What does your OC want to do as a profession?

3. Does your OC sing, or play an instrument?

4. If your OC is in the LGBTQ+ community, are they out? Closeted? Or are they still figuring it out?

5. Do they play any sports?

6. What's their favorite animal?

7. What kind of music do they like?

8. Are they, or have they ever been married? Do they even want to get married?

9. What is their favorite and least favorite food?

10. Any allergies?

11. Is your OC a POC? If so, do they ever feel marginalized by other characters?

12. What's their pet peeve?

13. Are they, or have they ever been addicted to something?

14. Do they drink? If not, why?

15. Are they religious? If so, what religion?

16. What's their worst memory? Their best?

17. Do they drive? If so, what kind of vehicle? If not, why don't they?

18. What skills are they most impressed with? Contrast with: what skills of theirs do their friends/family consider most impressive?

19. Have they ever broken laws? If so, which ones?

20. What's their favorite haircut (if they cut their hair). Cool hair colors & extensions count.

21. Do they have any pets? (Includes working animals like horses, seeing eye dogs, ect)

22. Do they have any scars? If they do, how did they get one of them?

23. What's their favorite genre of music?

24. What's their favorite genre of movies?

25. What's their favorite genre of books?

25. Does your OC have any skills of dubious morality? (Like pickpocketing, lockpicking, hacking, hot wiring cars, ect.)

26. Do they have tattoos? If so, what's a story behind one of them?

27. Any piercings?

28. When they're a kid, do older people mostly consider them a good kid or a bad kid?

29. If they had a chance to go anywhere with no money limits for a vacation, where in our world would they go? What about the world you like to write them in the most? Why?

30. Do they have any siblings? How many?

31. What kind of clothes do they like to wear? Is their style goth, punk, preppy, ect.?

32. What is your OC most proud of doing?

33. Does your OC dance in public? Or only where nobody can see?

34. Do they value bonds of friendship, love, or blood more? Why?

35. What's one of their bad habits?

36. What's one of their good habits?

37. Is your OC underweight, at a healthy weight, or obese? How do they feel about it?

38. Is your OC an average height, tall for the sex they were born as, or short for the sex they were born as? How do they feel about it?

39. Is your OC comfortable with how they look? If not, what would they change and why?

40. What's the weirdest place your OC ever fell asleep?

41. What fairy tale or urban legend scared them as a kid? How about now?

42. What kind of relationship do they have with their parents? Extended family?

43. Do they have any physical or mental disorders?

44. In school, do/did they do any clubs or groups? Which ones?

Please reblog, don't repost! Have fun with it!

[jovialyouthmusic]

Past Times

The Dalgleish family continue their tour around John Lykel’s estate, and Elizabeth has to make a big decision.

Word Count 3233

A/N Although this is a spin off of a spin off of a fanfic, it has become it’s own story. I’m pleased to see it has prompted some interest. This is fluffy and gentle and there is longing and romance, but definitely no smut - at least not yet.  

8 Will you be Mistress?

The family spent a pleasant afternoon touring the formal gardens before being admitted to the walled garden where the head gardener grew produce for the manor. Fruit trees soaked up the summer sun on the south facing walls which also sported a large glasshouse.  Exotic plants were carefully tended in there, and they were told that such fruits as pineapple and peaches would be served at the grand dinner to be held when all the guests had arrived. John’s friend Tom and his wife were due to arrive the next day and would be staying for two weeks, and other guests would be coming from nearby estates. There would be a grand dinner and a Ball in a week’s time and most of the guests would return home at the end of the day, but there were rooms still available for a few who had further to travel.

The estate was set on the banks of a river and the fishing was good. Copses and woods provided game to hunt, and cattle and sheep grazed the meadows. There was a farmhouse with a barn and dairy and other outbuildings and a number of cottages housing estate workers, and John also employed a gamekeeper. Servants who worked in the house either slept in the top story of the manor or in one of a few cottages that stood close by. Naturally there were also stables housing a fine stallion and a sweet docile mare for riding and for breeding, and two lesser steeds which could be hitched up to draw an assortment of gigs and carricles. The farmhouse had its own stable with plough horses, and beehives provided honey. Chickens ran about the farmyard, there were ducks on the pond near the farmhouse and the pig sties were well stocked.

All in all, the estate was not only self sufficient, but a surplus of meat and other produce was sold to traders in Edinburgh. John took rent from the farmer and other smallholders and a percentage of anything made from trading. Having visitors stay at the manor and holding an elaborate dinner and ball for nearby gentry would hardly make a dent in the estate’s finances. What was draining to John’s resources was the rent and upkeep of the townhouse in the city, but Elizabeth’s dowry would help to cover those costs. She would receive an annual income from the money her father left her, plus rent from the farmhouse on his estate – or rather, John would, as the practice at the time was that any property or income a woman had passed to her husband when she married. In Scotland however, women had far more of a say in marital finances and sometimes ran the whole estate if they were able.

Elizabeth was a little overcome at the size and scope of Laxton Estate. She and John walked together, her parents admiring the exotic fruits and flowers in the glasshouse and Amelia trailing behind them. John had promised her that later they would visit the stables to see the horses and a litter of kittens that one of the farm cats had just given birth to.

‘How have you not been snapped up by a finer lady than I, John Lykel?’ she asked him as Morag admired the vegetable beds outside the glasshouse.

‘None attracted my attention like you, my dear Lizzy’ he assured her ‘Money and title are superficial and I did not expect to be managing the estate for some time to come. It is your spirit and your intellect that snared me – do you not remember our first meeting in the library?’ Elizabeth looked a little embarrassed.

‘If I had not tried to surprise Duncan, I might never have caught your attention, or you mine’ she said, and he smiled in agreement. He looked toward their chaperone and steered her a little further out of earshot.

‘Tell me my dear, what do you think of your room?’ he asked quietly.

‘It is very fine’ she replied ‘Is there anything significant about it?’

‘I wondered if your parents would be concerned that I had given you a larger bed’ he murmured ‘The truth is that it was challenging to allocate rooms and beds to accommodate both your family and other guests. I assure you there is nothing improper intended in giving you a bed that would accommodate more than one person. When we are married you may of course choose any room you wish as ours’ Again she blushed at the thought of what might occur when they were finally promised to each other and recognised by the Church.

‘John’ she said, squeezing his arm ‘We shall be wed soon, surely nothing can be improper, short of being more intimate with each other’ He smiled at her boldness

‘We have not set a date yet’ he replied ‘I wanted you to see the entirety of my estate before you accepted my proposal for certain. Some might find the prospect of being Mistress of Laxton rather challenging’

‘Mama and Papa have made sure I have been educated sufficiently for such a prospect’ Elizabeth assured him ‘Some of my friends have only been schooled in genteel arts such as dancing, singing and sewing, but as Father lacked a male heir he made sure to instruct both Amelia and I in the matter of estate as well as house management. It may come to pass that one of us might have to look after the family estate whether we are wed or not’ John raised his eyebrows in surprise.

‘Indeed, I was not aware of that’ he replied ‘You are truly a very suitable young woman, and I am very fortunate to have attracted your attention.’ He grinned ‘How have you not been snapped up by a finer gentleman than I?’ he said, echoing her words. She laughed and drew him closer, making as if to press her nose to his, but behind them, Morag cleared her throat.

‘When we have set a date, perhaps we will have a little freedom’ Lizzy sighed in exasperation ‘It is so tiresome having Morag trail us, and I am sure she wearies of it too’ she murmured, and he made a wry face in answer.

‘The next thing to do before you make a proper decision about our betrothal is to see the rest of the estate, and you will observe what your responsibilities might be beyond running the house’ he explained ‘You and I and Morag will take a gig and drive out. If your parents and Amelia wish to do the same, they may take another, for I have nothing that will seat more than three persons. I presume your father can handle a gig’  

‘Oh yes, he is very fond of driving Mama around our estate.’ She replied ‘And I am determined to be by your side for as long as fortune allows’

‘Perhaps I should reveal some of my lesser habits in case you find them repugnant’ he mused ‘Maybe I should pick my teeth or belch after dinner’ Elizabeth laughed

‘Nothing will deter me. I have read that in some countries it is impolite not to belch after eating at a host’s table’

‘I too have heard that. Perhaps we shall visit such a place together’ Her eyes lit up, but they were interrupted by Amelia sidling up to them.

‘Lizzy, if I see one more peach or rose I shall scream’ she said quietly, and turned to John beseechingly ‘They are beautiful, but you promised to show me the kittens at the stable’ John smiled

‘Very well, we shall go there next’ he said gently, and made his way over to the girls’ parents. However, they chose to remain in the walled garden a little longer, and gave Amelia leave to accompany John, Elizabeth and Morag to the stables. They spent some time admiring the horses, and Amelia played delightedly with the kittens.

‘Do you think Mama would let me take one home?’ she asked hopefully ‘It would keep me company when you – when you leave, Lizzy’ She looked so morose that her sister put a hand on her shoulder to soothe her.

‘I can’t say for sure, but you should realise that a pet is a big responsibility, Melly’ she said gently.

‘Maybe I can bring one into the house here’ she said brightly, her eyes shining as she looked up at John ‘I could keep it in my room, and when Mama sees how well I care for it…’

‘You shall do no such thing, Miss Amelia’ scolded Morag ‘The kittens are far too young to leave their mother, and are half wild. They are farm cats, and will catch mice and rats, not look pretty for spoiled young ladies’ Amelia pouted a little.

‘When we all get back to Edinburgh perhaps we will talk with Mama about you having a pet’ Elizabeth said. ‘Perhaps a little dog, or a parrot’

‘Oh not a parrot, Lizzy’ Amelia protested. ‘Eleanor’s father has one that belonged to his kitchen maid’s brother, and it says some extremely rude things, he dare not have it out for visitors. Also it makes a mess with its droppings’ John laughed at her tale, and Elizabeth looked up as her parents made their appearance. Amelia made as if to open her mouth and plead to have a kitten, but her sister frowned at her and she remained quiet. Already the stable hands were harnessing two gigs – small open carriages set up to take two  or three passengers, one of them driving the horses. John’s two gigs could each be drawn by a single horse, and he planned to drive himself with Elizabeth and Morag while Sir James drove his wife and younger daughter on a trip around the rest of the estate.

The rest of the afternoon was spent touring the orchards and farmland, the farm and the cottages. Elizabeth could not think of a single thing the estate did not have, save for a folly or some ornamental building or summer house. All was practical and business like, in contrast to her father’s estate which was largely for show, with long avenues of beech trees, an ornamental lake and a tower on a hill overlooking the house. The farmland was quite separate from the Manor, whereas at Laxton all was integrated and appeared to work well. Oddly though, Laxton Manor was, as she had already observed, a finer example with more elaborate décor and fine furnishings.

After their tour they returned to the house to rest and prepare for dinner, hoping that Lady Margaret would feel well enough to attend her visitors. The two girls endured their mother’s attentions as to what they should wear. She summoned a maid to Lizzie’s room to try out dresses and accessories for them. It was not a formal occasion, but if John’s mother was to be there, they must appear suitably dressed. It was decided that their best most fashionable gowns were to be saved for the ball and perhaps one or two other occasions, so their second best could be worn to dinner that night. They could then be put away for when the other guests were present, and they could wear less formal attire from day to day. The girls had two or three other dresses that would do for the latter, and various scarves, hats, bonnets and other hair decorations and hairstyles would transform those plain garments. Jewellery would be reserved for the very best occasions.

At last they descended to dinner. Lizzie’s father was already in the drawing room with John enjoying a cigar, on which his wife frowned, not liking the smell that lingered about him after he smoked. The Captain came forward to welcome Lizzie, taking her hands and placing a kiss on her cheek that burned her skin and made her stomach do somersaults.

‘Mother will be down shortly’ he smiled ‘She asks that we wait, and she will attend us. Would you all care for a cordial in the meantime?’ Amelia’s face lit up, as she loved sugary drinks, which her mother rarely allowed due to the effect on the young woman. She tended to become more animated and subject to flights of fancy, but at a pleading look, her mother accepted for all three of them. Sir James was already enjoying a pre dinner glass of brandy in a fine balloon glass.

‘Oh, is this raspberry?’ Elizabeth asked as a servant brought round a tray of glasses of clear red liquid.

‘Indeed it is’ John replied ‘You will have seen the fruit bushes in the gardens – we had an excellent crop last year. Perhaps you might like to try our raspberry brandy later’

‘Perhaps we might’ their mother replied politely. It was but a short time before a servant came to open the door for Lady Margaret to enter the room. The girls curtseyed and Sir James gave a little bow.

‘Please, if we are to be family we should dispense with such formalities’ the Duchess said generously ‘Sir James, your daughters are have very particular manners; they are a credit to you. I know not what it is like to bring young girls up to fit into polite society.’ She inclined her head to John ‘My dear son is not the only child I have borne, but he is the only one to survive past his infancy’

‘Oh, my dear Lady Margaret’ Elizabeth’s mother said sorrowfully ‘I am so sorry to hear it. I was fortunate to have my girls, and never a lost child to our marriage.’ At this moment John’s manservant came to announce that dinner was ready to be served, and they all moved to the dining room to seat themselves as before at the long table. It was set more formally with silverware and lit by chandelier and candelabra, the soft light setting off rainbow glints on the silver and crystal on the table.

The first course was swiftly served – lobster bisque, which John assured all was made fresh from creatures bought this morning from the nearest fishing village, some hour or so’s cart journey away. Elizabeth was fond of shellfish and declared it was the best she had tasted in a while. The family had stayed with a distant cousin in North Berwick on the coast east of Edinburgh the previous year, and had enjoyed much fresh seafood then, even though it was readily available at home due to the city’s proximity to the port of Leith. Food was more expensive in the capital due to the cost of transporting it in the quantities needed by the number of people that called it home, and many merchants charged the upper classes more, knowing they could afford it.

For the second course, some few dishes of meat and fish were set out on the table along with vegetables and sauces, all made from produce from the estate. There was salmon from the river and pork from the farm, and pickled cucumber from the hothouse, as well as delcate onion and mushroom sauce and egg balls made from egg yolks. Wine was served from the cellar, and altogether it was a fine and delicate repast that Elizabeth made sure to savour and compliment. She cast her eye over her youngest sister to ensure that she wasn’t eating too fast, but she saw that the flavours and textures of the dishes had not gone unnoticed, and she was savouring her food delicately.

She sampled a little of every dish, and the pace of the meal and the conversation was such that when dessert was served, she found that her stomach had space to take some. Sweet cakes and fruit were set out, but the highlight of the meal was the presentation of a dish of lemon sorbet, brought in with a flourish by John’s manservant. Amelia’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the dessert.

‘Oh my goodness’ she breathed ‘I can only remember having anything this fine but once before, at the Beaumont’s Easter dinner party’ John smiled at her wide eyed expression. Elizabeth thought privately that it was as well to produce such a grand dish now, so that Amelia wouldn’t be so overwhelmed at the grand dinner to come, when others would be present.

‘You saw the ice house on the tour, Miss Amelia’ he said ‘We fill it with ice every winter, and it is well insulated enough for it to still have some left when the snows return the next season. As you may have seen, we grow lemons in the hothouse also’  

‘It is extremely generous of you to serve it outside a formal dinner’ Lady Charlotte declared ‘We are, after all, almost ‘en famille’ rather than with other guests’ John inclined his head as the servants presented each of them with a glass bowl with a spoonful of the sorbet, equally distributed so the serving dish was empty. It was enjoyed not in silence, but with sounds of delight and appreciation. With a sigh, Amelia pushed her empty bowl aside and looked longingly at the little cakes close to her.

‘Please, help yourselves to more, should you wish it’ John said kindly, and timidly she took one to nibble, as the others also chose small morsels to finish their meal. John sat back in his seat, and addressed Elizabeth’s parents.

‘So, I wanted Liz – Miss Elizabeth – to see the best we have before she properly accepts my proposal of marriage’ he announced. ‘Though I must confess we have not had occasion to serve such a fine dinner since I have returned from sea.’

‘You must have many a fine dinner in the officer’s mess, Sirrah’ Lord James interjected. ‘I have been told that only the common sailors eat bully beef and hard tack’

‘Of course’ John replied ‘But I find it does well to eat with the men sometimes to remind oneself of the conditions under which they work. There is a balance to be had between maintaining order and making a bond of brothership with the lower ranks’ Sir James nodded sagely, then turned to his elder daughter.

‘Well Lizzie’ her father prompted ‘Has all this finery turned your head? Do you think you would like to be mistress of such a fine estate?’

‘I would be content with a cottage in the country, should I have the company of my John’ she replied ‘I hope Lady Margaret will be able to advise me on the management of this establishment, for I am sure I will find it a challenge’ Lady Margaret nodded her assent.

‘I am sure you will learn swiftly, and add your own flair to what will be your home should you accept John’s proposal, my dear’ she replied.

‘I would not think to have your answer with all watching, my dear Lizzie’ John replied ‘You have but to tell me in private’ She gazed into his eyes, and much as she wanted to declare her devotion then and there, she thought it best to honour his wishes. She hoped that once they were properly engaged, Morag might let them off the leash a little and they could have some time alone. She wished with all her heart that their engagement would not be a long one, and that they would soon be married.

@sirbeepsalot​ @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria​ @dcbbw​ @rainbowsinthestorm​ @katedrakeohd​ @trappedinfandoms​ @kingliam2019​ @nomadics-stuff​ @texaskitten30​ @princess-geek​ @texaskitten30​

[bethhxrmon]

do flowers exist at night? -chapter eight

Chapter Eight: A Turkey Dance

Pairing: Steve Harrington x OC

Chapter Summary: After a little while, Thanksgiving has finally decided to show up. It causes Annie to have some realizations about everything around her.

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of trauma, dysfunctional family stuff

A/N: Howdy, not gonna lie, I’ve run out of motivation over the last month. I’ve got up through chapter sixteen written, but reblogs and comments are the best way to help me get that motivation! Also, school’s starting for me tomorrow so that is definitely going to come before this fic. Anyways, if you’d like to see the other parts of the fic you can go here.

~*~*~*~

Thanksgiving was ordinarily a good enough holiday. There was food and a parade to watch plus a cute dog show afterwards. Annie's parents were never into football, so she never had to put up with watching the sport. However, this year was a little different than other years.

By a little different, that meant it was a huge difference. Initially, she assumed that it would just be her mom and herself sitting in front of the television and watching whatever was on.

Now, Annie wasn't against her mom dating someone else, but introducing the guy at Thanksgiving just felt a little bit weird to her. It could have been worse, though. The guy could have been a complete dick and Annie would have purposely made the day a living hell for everyone.

Fortunately, Scott Clarke was a nice guy. There wasn't any way around it. A part of Annie wanted to just hate him, but it was easy to like the middle school science teacher. How he and her mom met was beyond her, but her mom seemed pretty happy about it.

Steve told her to just give him a call if things got unbearable. His parents would be around, but he swore he would make up an excuse to help her out. What were friends for if not saving what was originally a well-liked holiday?

Everything was pretty nice that morning. Annie was working on baking a pumpkin pie and was making some mashed sweet potatoes. That was about the extent of her cooking ability. The pie was easy, she just had to pour a few cans of mix into the premade crust and make sure it didn't burn. The sweet potatoes were just the anomaly of being able to cook one thing decently enough.

"I've heard a lot about you from your mom," Scott said.

Annie nodded as she poured in the pie filling, "Yeah, I've heard a bit about you from some kids I know."

"Which kids?"

"Um... I think they're your AV kids? Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and I think Max is in there, right?"

"Yes, you'd be correct," he grinned, "They're a bright group. How do you know them?"

"Um..." she paused, realizing she couldn't explain the real circumstances, "I helped babysit them a couple of times."

It was obvious that Scott was trying and Annie had to give him some credit. From how the kids talked about him, he was a smart and nice guy. While she wasn't ordinarily inclined to trust the judgement of a bunch of eighth graders, she trusted those kids.

While this wasn't the Thanksgiving Annie had counted on, it wasn't warranting a call to Steve. However, when the doorbell rang, a few alarms automatically went off in Annie's brain.

She went over to open the door and saw none other than Carter Hardwick. Already, she could feel her stomach twisting in knots. As nice of a guy as Scott was, she doubted that he dad would take well to him. Hypocritical yes, but what was a shitty parent if not just that?

"Anne, aren't you happy to see me?" he asked.

Annie forced a smile, "Uh yeah! Just um- just a bit unexpected."

"Well, I wrote."

Maybe she shouldn't have burned those letters after all.

Begrudgingly, she let her dad into the house. What other choice did she have? If her mom wanted to force him out, she wouldn't stop her. However, Annie was all too aware that she had no way of telling anyone what to do in this situation.

"And who's this?" her dad asked, nodding at Scott.

"Mom's new boyfriend," she said, her brain simply short-circuiting.

How couldn’t that have happened? The way her dad stared at the other man made Annie want to crawl into a hole. Thankfully, her mom came out into the living room. There was no hiding the look of disdain on her face. It was even more obvious when her mom asked him to talk with her for a moment.

He shrugged, "I'm sure whatever you have to say to me can be heard by our daughter and whatever asshole you've got over here."

"I'm speaking to you alone," her mom insisted.

That left the living room with only Scott and Annie. They both decided to just watch the dog show going on in front of them. Erik hopped onto the arm of the couch and Annie busied herself with petting him.

"So what's that little guy's name?" he asked.

"Oh, this is Erik. He's the family cat, but he likes me the most. Probably because I'm the most relaxed one in the house, I guess."

He nodded, "Poor, poor Erik."

"Wait... you've read Phantom?"

"Well, of course. It has some of the most amazing scientific ideas for the time!"

She thought a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

While Annie wasn't sure what to think of her mom dating someone, she was at least glad this guy was nicer than her dad. The contrast was obvious when her parents both walked out.

"Anne, you'll be happy to know your good-ole dad's gonna be here for the day," her dad said as she dodged him ruffling her hair.

"You're not my dad," she said plainly before her eyes widened a bit.

That wasn't something she counted on coming out of her mouth, but she wasn't about to take it back. Technically, she was right. Neither of her parents were biological. Still, they took care of her like they were. Except, with all the things her dad had said and done in the past, she knew she could hold that lack of biology against him as long as she wanted.

"Go to your room!" he snapped.

Annie let out a laugh, "Are you serious?! You don't even live here! If you actually wanted to be a good dad you would... you- well you would pay the damn child support once in a while! You only have to make thirteen of them!"

"Annette!" her mom said, "I think you could use a moment to cool off."

That was the nicest way her mom could tell her to go to her room. Maybe she hit a nerve or two, but Annie knew she hadn't said anything that wasn't already true. There wasn't any use in arguing, though. Not when she almost wanted out of the situation. She picked up her cat and took him to her room with her.

This was the exact sort of thing she was supposed to call Steve over. So she took the phone in her room and dialed his number. As it turned out, Steve did have a phone in his room. One which they had both completely neglected that night a few weeks ago. A night she wasn't over by any means. She hadn't told her mom about any of it, and she knew that she probably would never be able to explain it. It still stuck around in her head. The inter-dimensional and the real things that happened just wouldn't leave.

She let out a sigh as she heard the phone ringing and she twisted the phone cord around her finger.

"Hello?"

"Steve?"

"It's not even noon yet," he said, almost laughing, "That bad already?"

Annie chewed on her lip, "My dad made a surprise visit... I kinda told him he's not my dad and to pay the child support for once."

"Oh shit..." he sighed, "I'd try to come and get you but um- my parents sprung a surprise trip to my aunt's on me."

"That- that's fine, I get it. You gotta see your family."

"If it's any consolation, I'll wish I'm not there. I'd really prefer to hang out with you."

She smiled a bit, "That's nice... I'd rather hang out with you too. Of course, I'd rather hang out with a cockroach than be stuck here."

"Well, if I make it back early enough, maybe I can make something work," he suggested.

"I'd like that a lot."

There was shouting in the background of Steve's end, "Uh I gotta go. Good luck, though."

"Thanks um- you too."

Then the phone clicked off and Annie set her own on the receiver. Admittedly, she almost counted on hanging out with Steve. Aside from the kids, there really wasn't anyone else she spent a lot of time with.

The thought of him trying to come over later did make her feel special. Not that she was about to say so. It was normal, they sort of just had each other. She didn't have any friends to begin with and she knew Steve would sooner die than third wheel his ex all the time.

Aside from sort of being social outcasts and dealing with the Upside Down together, what did they have in common in the first place? Maybe they had a similar sense of humor and similar music tastes, but almost anyone could have those things in common. They were just friends and Annie knew that didn't mean they had to do anything more than that.

Either way, Annie knew that she wasn't going to bother with leaving her room until someone told her to. Continuing on with her reading of War and Peace was fine with her. Contrary to her dad's opinions, she thought it was an interesting book.

A part of her was almost too invested in some of the drama of it all. What with Natasha now being tempted by Anatole as Sonya tried to be a good and loyal cousin as well as a friend. It had her reading the pages as quickly as she could. Though, a huge factor in getting through the book as quickly as she was had to be waking up in the middle of the night.

The nightmares didn't happen every night, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference either way. It was too much for her to deal with. While Steve wanted her to talk about it with him, she still didn't say much about it.

"Annie?" her mom knocked at her door.

She marked her book, "What's up?"

The door opened as her mom stepped inside, "You know, I think we still need a couple of things from the grocery store."

"Wait," she looked over the list being handed to her, "I thought we had-"

Her mom cut her off, "We're gonna run out soon. Just take your time, alright? There's no rush."

"Oh, okay."

This happened often enough when they lived in New York. If tensions got really high, her mom would send her out somewhere to do something. That didn't mean she missed out on all the yelling and arguing, though.

Still, it was enough for Annie to take the hint and grab her red, fleece-lined jacket off a hanger and left the house without saying anything. She was almost positive they didn't need any of this. They had more than enough butter and Annie could barely stand Stove Top stuffing in the first place.

She walked rather aimlessly, though she was headed toward the town. If she were too aimless, she would have ended up in the woods. As bright as the day seemed, she still didn't trust herself to go there alone.

Besides, she still hadn't found her switchblade since trying to fight Billy. A part of her thought it was possible he had it. Though, it was just as likely that it was in some obscure place of the Byers' house. She didn't want to go back there any time soon. It wasn't that she had anything against the family, but the thought of going back into the house or stepping into the living room? That was out of the question.

A part of her wished she had some way to actually make Billy pay for everything he did. The problem was that there wasn't any way to do that without giving away everything else. Not that she could think of, anyway. And who knows, maybe she didn't interpret everything properly. Maybe he hadn't done anything.

Her hands clenched inside her jacket pockets as she continued walking. A part of her wanted to tell her mom at the very least. The closest that got was when her mom saw the scar that the cut she got on her face left behind. She blamed it on getting into a bit of an altercation with Erik.

After walking for some time, Annie found her way to a small park. Someone was sitting on the swings. She could see the red hair from pretty far off, but she was unsure of who it was. Though, the closer she got, the more certain she was.

"Max? What're you doing out here?" she asked, sitting on the other swing.

Max looked over to her, "Um... just hanging out."

"None of the guys are available?" she asked.

Max shook her head, "It's Thanksgiving, everyone's with their families."

"Yeah? Well, then what're you doing out here? It's a bit chilly."

"Um..." Max let out a sigh, "You know how the whole divorced kid thing goes. It's my first Thanksgiving without my dad around and Neil and Billy are... um... they're being themselves."

Annie frowned, "They're not hurting you are they? Because if they are I-"

"No, not like that. After I almost hit Billy's nuts with that bat he's been a bit better. It still um- it scares me sometimes, though.

She nodded, "I guess that makes sense. I wish I could look forward to my dad showing up out of nowhere today, but that guy's a dick."

"Oh, was it just gonna be you and your mom?"

"And your science teacher."

"Mr. Clarke?!" Max exclaimed, laughing, "You're kidding!"

She laughed along with Max, "I'm not- I mean, having my mom date some guy like this is weird, but- but I guess things could be a lot worse, you know? Well, before my dad showed up and managed to make it awkward for everyone."

"Oh, that sucks. Sorry, I just don't know what else would help you."

Annie shook her head, "That's alright. You're, like, thirteen? You don't need to worry about helping me."

The both of them stuck around and talked to each other for a while. They managed to avoid actually talking about the awful things Billy had done. Likely because neither of them were prepared for a conversation like that. At the very least, Annie knew that just thinking about talking about that with anyone was enough to make her nauseous.

Eventually, it was for the best that Max went home, so Annie walked her back before turning around and heading back to her own house. She would have to face everything there eventually. But maybe her dad decided to buzz off by that point.

There was no such luck, though. As awkward as it was for her, she gave Scott props for not finding an excuse to get out of the house until the meal was over. If she were him, she  would have faked a family emergency in a heartbeat. Though, it was possible that he was just a better person than she was. Lots of people were.

"So, Anne, I've heard you're reading War and Peace," her dad said as they all sat around eating pie.

Annie nodded, "Yep."

"I don't understand why you would bother. I've already told you all the reasons it's a waste of time."

Annie set down her fork before looking over at him, "Maybe I started to realize you compulsively lie about everything. Oh, or maybe I realized people have different tastes from you. Hm, maybe it's the fact that I couldn't give a shit about your opinion of me after everything you've done."

"Language, young lady! Elsa, is this really what you're letting our daughter get away with?"

"I'm not your kid! If I were, you wouldn't send me a ten page letter about how I-"

"Cut it out! Both of you," her mom snapped, "Look, I'm not about to kick my own daughter out of my house, but Carter? I've done nothing but try to make this day decent and, frankly, I'm tired of that. I need you to leave."

Annie focused on her pie as her mom and dad headed out of the kitchen. It beat getting told to quiet down or to stop rambling. Although, it was clear the enjoyment of silence wasn't mutual.

"This pie is great," Scott told her.

She forced a smile, "Thanks... my mom ended up doing most of the work this year, though."

"You know, I hope you don't think I'm intruding on anything. I know this wasn't the best time to try and introduce myself."

"Look, I'm gonna be honest with you. Having my mom date someone is super weird, but I don't hate you. That being said, if you even so much as think about hurting my mom, I'll find a way to make your life a living hell."

Eventually, Annie was able to go back to her room for reasons other than getting into it with her dad. It was nearly midnight and she was focused on the book in front of her as she sat in her bed. There wasn't any school the next day, so she didn't worry about what time she went to bed.

Her distracted state didn't last long when she heard something knock on the window. When she looked out she only saw a shadowy figure outside and her eyes widened. Though, looking closer, it was obviously just Steve.

She opened the door, though she did so a bit sheepishly. How could she have been so easily scared by her closest friend? Steve slid in quietly, though there was a bit of tumbling in since her bed was right under her window. If he got his shoes on her light grey comforter, she would have probably screamed.

He grinned, "Told ya I'd come over."

"Steve, I- I wish you'd told me first," she said.

His smile faded a bit, "I can leave if-"

"No, sorry, just," she sighed, "I don't know, everything just really sucks right now."

There was a long pause before Annie let herself say what happened that day. She wished today could have been normal. That every day could be normal. If that meant her life was boring then so be it. Maybe all the boring people had it right.

"That's really shitty," Steve said, looking at her.

"Yeah."

"Hey, maybe it'll get better."

"Maybe."

A few more minutes and Steve was doing everything he could to get Annie to laugh. It took a solid half hour to get a real laugh out of her, but he did it. After getting her a bit more distracted, they ended up talking about everything except the things they should have probably talked about.

Instead, it meant both of them staying up until the clock in Annie's room read that it was nearly three in the morning. It was around that point that Steve passed out in the chair next to her desk and Annie was only partially on the bed with her head and torso laid out on the carpet and her legs on the mattress.

Tag List (lmk if you want on): @dungeons-and-demodogs​ @nxncywheeler​ @ilovebucketbarnes​

[valiantrunawayelle]

Memoirs

FOR COMING HOME AGAIN

Supply the information being asked. (1 point each)

1. What was the illness of Chang-Rae Lee's mother?

His mother’s illness is Gastric Cancer or Cancer in the stomach.

2. What sports was his mother good at?

His mother is good at playing basketball.

3. What was his father's profession?

Chang-Rae Lee’s father is a doctor.

4. How old was he when he left home for school?

He was 15 years old when he left home for school.

5. How many siblings does he have?

He has one sibling.

Based on your understanding of the text, answer the following questions. (5 points each)

1. What were the similarities and differences between Chang-Rae Lee and his mother?

Throughout "Coming Home Again," one significant similarity between the mother and son is the love of cooking authentic Korean foods. From his childhood, the author will often stand next to his mother as she cooked to soak up her techniques. We can see that even after his mother's death, the narrator chooses to cook food for him and his father. Another similarity between the son and the mother is that they are both quiet to each other. They often talk and open their hearts to each other. Another thing is that they both love each other silently.

On the other hand, the difference between them is that the mother cooks more deliciously than her son. Another difference between them is that the son always vulgarly hurts her mother's emotions, but her mother continuously acquires optimism whenever she faces her son.

2. Describe his relationship with his mother. Provide specific examples.

The strong bond between them through learning how to cook good food, through playing basketball, and through cooking food while talking about minimal things in life made them somewhat distant from each other because the more they preserve each other's feelings of care and love, the more that they are somewhat disconnected. One example is that when his mother asks endless questions about his school for an hour or two, he did not talk much, and he did not answer that much. One more thing is about him going to boarding school, his mother insisted on it, but he does not want to go because he wants to take care of her. Their relationship is being somewhat disconnected to protect each other from heartbreaks and pain.

3. How did his mother feel about Exeter? Cite examples.

The author enables a detailed view of how he feels about his mother before moving to Exeter. Leaving home to Exeter made him feel weary against her mother, and a flashback makes her point to the reader. His mother thought she made a big mistake when she let her son go to Exeter and live without them. It is seen in the text that the mother did not know that she was going to die, so she let him be with a school that will provide a massive opportunity for him.

4. What is the significance of food in the essay?

In Chang Rae Lee's memoir "Coming Home Again," he mentions food as a means to recall the relationship he had with his mother. It is a symbol of their love for each other amidst such misunderstandings. Food was a connection to them. As a son, he often wanted to spend time with his mother and learn to cook. Even after his mother's death, he became the one who cooks food for his father in memory of her late mother.

5. Why do you think did he entitle the essay "Coming Home Again"?

For me, the essay is entitled "Coming Home Again" because it states the hardships and homesickness of being away from one's family for great opportunities in life. Like Chang-Rae Lee himself, he became a little more distant from his family after going to boarding school. One more possibility that it was entitled as "Coming Home Again" is the main reason that he comes home some time is for her ill mother. The very last time that he came home, her mother already died.

FOR THE GLASS CASTLE

Supply the information being asked. (1 point each)

1. How old was Jeanette when she was hospitalized?

Jeanette was 3 years old when she was hospitalized.

2. Why was she hospitalized?

She was hospitalized because of her serious burn caused by cooking hotdogs.

3. Who are her siblings?

Her siblings were Lori and Brian.

4. What was the name of their pet dog?

Juju was the name of their pet.

5. Where was Jeanette going when she saw her mother at the Dumpster?

She was going to a party.

Based on your understanding of the text, answer the following questions. (5 points each)

1. Contrast the hospital and the Walls' home.

The difference between Wall's home and the hospital is that their house smells like smoke and whiskey. Also, basically in their home, no one cares for Jeanette. On the other hand, at the hospital, it smells nice and fresh, as she described. The nurses also care for her to the point that one of them gives her chewing gums to encourage and cheer her.

2. What does it mean to checkout, "Rex Wal ls style"?

To check out "Rex Wal ls style" is to check out from the 6 months of her treatment in the hospital without paying anything and without acknowledging everyone. It is stated there that the nurses told Rex to stop running towards their car with Jeanette. Basically, this means that the child is either safe or not yet paid to the hospital bills.

3. What was Jeanette's reaction when she saw her mother at the Dumpster? Why do you think did she feel that way?

Jeanette felt rattled, which means irritated or nervous, after seeing her mother at the dumpster ready to hoise some things or food. For me, she felt that way because she wanted to give the best to her mother. Jeanette was going to a party at that time and saw her mother looking for food at a vast trashcan. She felt irritated because she can provide for her mother, but her mother does not want anything from her, and also, Jeanette is afraid of her friends that they will judge her because she is rich, but her mother is hoisting something to eat from a dumpster.

4. Contrast the way of living of Jeanette (as an adult) and her parents.

Jeanette (as an adult) is living a wealthy but not-so-wealthy life with her husband. She can buy what she wants and can provide from what her own family needs. On the contrary, her parents are living through making the best from the street to feed their stomachs. They are looking for food from the dumpster, and they are also recycling things from it. In short, Jeanette is living comfortably while her parents are living poorly.

5. In their meeting at a Chinese restaurant, Jeanette's mother advised her two things:

(a) that she should accept them (her parents) as they were and

(b) that she should tell people the truth about them

Do you think Jeanette heeded her mother's advice? Explain your answer.

Based on my opinion, Jeanette did not heed or follow the pieces of advice from her mother because she is now an adult who can decide things in her life. She wanted to change and to help her parents from living hardly and poorly in life, but they don't want any help or money. Jeanette wanted them to live happily and satisfyingly before they die, but her parents don't want to do so. For me, I think that she did not follow her mother's words and continue to persuade them until the end to live a comfortable life through her help.

[rant4hsmtmts]

Caswell cousins

I thought of writing this ages ago but forgot to finish it- so here is a small story about Ej and Ashlyns childhood.

Sorry this is kinda a mess and jumps all over the place lol. Anyway enjoy!

@uglyballerina @beese-is-cheese-for-bees

“I’m proud to call you my sister”

“-close enough”

Both being the only child in their families, the Caswell cousins were quite close. Ej’s parents worked a lot. They were people of high profile jobs, taking any opportunity to just drop their son around the corner to Dennis and Debbie’s house. Ashlyn was happy to see her cousin, but she could see it was kinda hard on him that he never got to spend time with his parents. He spent a lot of time at her house as a child, to the point he could walk around blindfolded (which he did do once to prove a point).

She was always there for him, and he was always there for her. He would always wait for her clubs to be finished to walk home from school together and they always shared what happened that day. You’d expect such a popular guy to complete disown his cousin, but it was more the other way around... Ej was terrified that he would eventually do something so stupid that Ashlyn would disown him. Even after some of the things he had already done, it as a wonder to him that she still hung out with him.

Growing up Ej was the first person she went to for advice. He was an intense people pleaser, but once he got comfortable he had no problems being very blunt. It meant she could always rely on him for truthful advice, of which her shy jazz musician and quiet writer parents usually were too nice to give.

So when she wrote her first song- he was the first to hear it. His loud thunderous applause made Ashlyn feel like she had written the greatest song in the world. Along with his encouragement, he suggested it needed an instrumental solo, his idea was to add a harmonica solo (something that was joked about for years to come). In the end, she added a beautiful piano solo in the middle, all jokes aside Ej knew that Ashlyn really had a gift for songwriting.

Something that was really a great way for her to express herself. Ej never really found his own expression til much later.

They grew up on the edge of new technology, seeing the ipod and ipad come through but they were nothing compared to the very first gadget they both owned, the Nintendo DS. As their parents worked through the day, leaving the two to their own devices, the Caswell cousins would often play pictochat hide and seek. Though they could only draw and type to each other they would spend hours trying to find the best spot that would leave the seeker scrambling.

The overall winner was Ej (or so he claims) because he once had the ‘genius’ idea of hiding in his parents car. It was the only time that Ashlyn had to actually accept defeat as the sun had set and their dinner was ice cold on the table.

His competitive spirit was clear from childhood. Ash knew when he said he played to win he wasn’t kidding.

Ashlyn had just finished fourth grade when they officially banned Caswell game nights in the house, after a night that went down in history as the 2013 Monopoly disaster. Ej wouldn’t speak to Ashlyn for over a week due his bruised pride (and that was even after flipping the table just before landing on Parklane). After that Debbie, Dennis, Carolyn and Adam all decided that it was probably better (and safer) to just have family dinners on Thursday nights.

As they grew older Ej and Ashlyn’s hobbies started to grow apart. Ashlyn had her clubs, her songs and Ej had his team but musical theatre was something they still shared.

2014 just starting year 7, Ej started to play waterpolo, he was always quite a strong swimmer- never fast enough for the big leagues but had the perfect upper body strength from basketball. He loved it, although his competitive nature definitely got the better of him a lot.

Waterpolo has one major risk of injury, well whether you can call it injury is subjective, but one major risk of the water sport....sunburn. Ej’s play to win attitude always court him out in one way or another, Ashlyn knew this quite well.

However it had never been so evident until he rocked up for Friday night family dinner with every visible area of skin a rich red lobster colour that could made him hiss every time he had to move. After finishing dinner the two went to the living room, as their parents started an in depth discussion about whatever drama or crisis they were facing. Both Caswell kids were quite oblivious to this at the time, but EJ knew the looks that his parents would give each other meant there was something going on. Anyway, the two went on the night playing some version of ‘New Super Mario Bros’ on the Wii. They had done this for years- it was a constant they could always count on. As Ej got older and stopped openly talking about what he was going through, Ashlyn knew a couple rounds of the Mario/ Luigi power team would help him settle down and let it out.

Due to his parents lack of attention, Ashlyn knew that her cousin had always craved positive praise and interest from other people. He used his insta ‘fame’ to try and fill the void but she knew empty likes and followers would never fix something like that. After a disappointing Waterpolo game, he lost the game, his parents didn’t come and the team had a go at him, the cousins started their trek back home down Pakington Road. Ash suggested that they have a look at the Pet Shelter and she knew cuddling all the animals could get anyone out of a bad, self deprecating mood.

After spending a little while playing with all the tiny kittens Ashlyn looked up to see Ej in the corner slumped against the wall patting a small Labrador puppy. The lop sided grin Ej made as the puppy wagged his tail, Ashlyn knew that the little dog had captured his heart already. Preceding a long argument with his parents, he finally convinced them to let him adopt the puppy.

Practically prancing down to the shelter, Ej adopted Remy, and made sure that the little puppy would never feel rejected again.

Having Remy around had confirmed one thing for Ash, although she loved the dog, she was definitely a cat person.

Since Ej got Remy, and managed to look after him by himself, it was a lot easier to convince her parents that she could have a pet. If Ej could do it… she could definitely do it.

Ash knew the moment she saw her curled up in the shelter that she couldn’t leave without her. Soft spoken meows, cautious, it was such a contrast to the brash energy that Remy had. Scarlett was the smallest of the litter, she was a gorgeous little Burmese cat.

Scarlett was always there for Ash, listening to her practice lines, watching her bake cakes, looking unimpressed when Ej would tell Ashlyn all the dumb things he managed to get up to, and being the very first fan of all her songs (as she would always make a little meow at the end).

Unfortunately, Ashlyn is the only person Ej trusts to look after Remy when he’s not home. Safe to say, Scarlett is not impressed. Remy and Scarlett tried, well at least Remy did, bouncing around the small cat wanting to play a game. Scarlett was very displeased with the notion of having to entertain the dog, so she found a loving sunny spot near the windowsill and decided to have a siesta for the arvo.

They have been there for each other through thick and thin, including discovering and having a rough lesson in heartbreak.

The very first girl Ej Caswell ever really liked was Anna Madden. It was freshman year and Ashlyn had seen the way his eyes would light up every time she was mentioned or how whenever she would call he couldn’t help but smile. But the problem with Ejs love life is he would fall hard, and fast. Saying ‘I love you’ way too early or something just as scary to a freshman who doesn’t understand commitment. After Anna dumped him for Justin, the captain of the Basketball team, Ej shut down for a while. He didn’t express his emotions as openly as his former self, he felt the rejection of his childhood once again.

Ej didn’t know why he was such an a**hole after that. He always tried to do the right thing, but at the end of the day, his lack of regard for the consequences of his actions would always come back to bite him. He really did want to have a relationship, be a good boyfriend but he was terrified of reliving the rejection, so he just had causal flings. Winked at all the girls, hanging out but at a far enough distance so that he didn't get too involved.

So when Ashlyn heard that he told Nini that he loved her- Ashlyn knew that she was different. She knew her cousin had messed up, and so did he, but she tried to plead with Nini... knowing that the girl had unlocked a part of Ej that Ashlyn thought was long gone.

Their personalities were really quite different.

Although somewhat quiet at school, Ashlyn was quite a loud person a home. She was a chatterbox that would spend every dinner retelling the details of her day with great dramatic hand gestures. Like the time she was in fifth grade, and people started a riot outside the canteen because raised the price of cookies from 50 cents to a dollar. She never really had this confidence at school but Ej knew the bright dramatic personality that hid in the shy school girl.

Ej however was rather the opposite. It was almost like his outside life he was constantly trying to entertain everyone and make them happy, while painting himself as a cool, smart and all around good guy. His constant façade was rather tiring for a guy that liked to go home and spend an hour reading the works of William Shakespeare every night.

But through all their differences (and all of Ejs stupid choices) the Caswell cousins were always there for each other. Advice, a laugh, a dangerously competitive game- they would always have each other’s backs.

[cavernsofdarkness]

15 Questions Tag

I was tagged by @falllforfiction

1. Are you named after anyone? 

   Nope, my parents just found a name they liked. 

2. When was the last time you cried? 

   A few months ago; I don’t cry particularly often. 

3. Do you have kids?

   Ha! No. Nor do I want any. 

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

   Not as often nowadays, but catch me in the right wrong mood...

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people? 

   This depends on the circumstances under which I am meeting/noticing them. If I am in a professional setting the answer would be different than if I was just walking on the street. Am I seeing them with my eyes, or hearing them? It all depends, but it could vary from voice, to clothing choice to hair.

6. What’s your eye color?

   A dark maroon-ish brown. 

7. Scary movie or happy ending?

   I don’t think this is really an accurate contrast of a comparison (a scary movie could have a happy ending). That being said, I don’t care for scary/horror movies. Now if the question was ‘happy ending or sad/profound ending’ my answer would be both. I don’t mind a happy ending, they are good, but I also really appreciate a good movie that has an ending that is sad or makes a profound impact; every story doesn’t always have a happy ending, and sometimes the more unfavorable endings make for lasting impacts. There is a time and a place for both. 

8. Any special talent?

   What counts as a “special talent”? I can flare/wiggle my nostrils, I think I do makeup well, I would say I have a good sense of style and can put together outfits well, on that note I think I have a knack for finding good pieces when going thrifting and am good at getting deals when shopping online. I can dance, I can write relatively well, I’m pretty good at public speaking. I mean I’m just listing attributes here, but do they count as “special talents”? I don’t know. 

9. What country were you born in?

   The USA

10. What are your hobbies?

   Photography/fashion photography, video games, creating/editing pictures using ts3, writing, reading, doing makeup, dancing. 

11. Do you have any pets?

   Yes, I have a dog, a german shepard/collie mix; he’s 13 years old and still going strong!

12.  What sports do you play/have you played?

   I have done a lot of sports in the past (mainly when I was younger): soccer, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, cheerleading, dance and skating. Dance and skating are what stuck, and I still dance to this day. 

13. How tall are you? 

   I am 5′3″ or ~161cm

14. Favorite subject(s) in school? 

   In traditonal “grade” school, my favorite subjects were english/literature. In Higher education, my favorites are the social sciences; particularly sociology and anthropology. Having said all that, I have a degree in Biology 😂 We can talk about that another time if you want. 

15.  Dream job?

   I have always wanted to just do hands on work with animals. Currently, I am trying to break into the wildlife rehabilitation field. 

If you ever have random questions about me or my characters, my inbox is always open.

[arp-ar-performers]

Official Website—Member Profiles

Translations of the artist profiles on the ARP website.

Words in blue are taken from the official English translation. Links have been added for context in the Q&As.

SHINJI

Birthday: December 6th (Sagittarius) / Blood type: A / Height: 178cm / Weight: 60kg / Gender: Male

The son of a famous composer and an opera singer, he received advanced education for playing the violin, ballet, and figure skating from a young age. After graduating from middle school, at the urging of his parents he entered the prestigious artist vocational school ISM (International School of Music) in Yokohama, where he’s remained at the top of his class at school since enrollment. Diligent at everything he attempts, he is the de facto “leader” of ARP. He refers to his fans as “princesses” and “knights”.

Q&A

Favorite international artists: Dirty Loops, Pharrell Williams, Michael Jackson Favorite Japanese artists: Hibari Misora Instruments you can play: Violin, piano Pre-show rituals: Huddling and doing a group cheer Favorite subjects: Music Least favorite subjects: None Favorite school lunch: Omurice (at ISM, they draw a musical note on it with ketchup) Favorite ISM teacher: I don’t like or dislike my teachers Hobbies: Online shopping, cooking, running, and researching Japanese confectionery Talents: Whistling, Internet research Animal you’re most like: Dog Animal you want to have as a pet: I currently have a Boston Terrier named Mimi What you wanted to be when you grew up: Ballet dancer, Takoyaki chef Favorite season: Beginning of winter Favorite movies/animation: Kingsmen, and I’ve also recently gotten into American superhero and sci-fi movies Favorite ramen flavor: Salty Favorite sweets: Freshly ground convenience store coffee, chocolate mint frappes, and handmade traditional Japanese confectionery Favorite onigiri filling: Eggs and ground beef Favorite oden ingredient: Eggs and radishes Favorite type of girl: Someone who likes me, and adores me more than anyone else in the world Least favorite type of girl: I can’t think of anything Favorite hairstyle on girls: Whatever suits them Favorite clothing for girls: Whatever suits them, and also long knit sleeves during winter Gifts you give to girls: Bouquets of roses and dahlias How you spend your days off: Cooking, taking Mimi for walks, going home to my family Favorite amusement park rides: Merry-go-rounds and spinning teacups Events you often go to: Any sort of opera Everyday clothing: GUCCI, YSL, Ron Herman Sleepwear: Silk pajamas, though sometimes I fall asleep in my bathrobe Cologne used: CHANEL No5 L’eau First thing you do after waking up: Take a shower What you would bring to a deserted island: A chef First love: A girl in my ballet class

DAIYA (REBEL CROSS)

Birthday: August 7th (Leo) / Blood type: O / Height: 187cm / Weight: 71kg / Gender: Male

A member of the duo “REBEL CROSS.” His real name is Daiya (大哉). DAIYA was raised at an institution after losing his parents at a young age. While in elementary school, he was invited by his close friend RAGE to form the indie band CROSS BONE. In addition to being the vocalist, he was also the band’s guitarist. He won 1st place at the International Street Dance Competition. He personally designs ARP’s clothing, accessories, and merchandise. He is good at all sports, and serves the role as the team’s “older brother”.

Q&A

Favorite international artists: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Qemists, Eminem, Jazzy Jeff, and many more Favorite Japanese artists: I don’t really listen to them Instruments you can play: Guitar Pre-show rituals: Polishing my costume's accessories Favorite subjects: PE, Art, Calligraphy Least favorite subjects: Math, anything related to history, Japanese Favorite school lunch: Don’t care, I always just choose curry Favorite ISM teacher: My calligraphy teacher Hobbies: All types of designing Talents: Dancing, doing backflips Animal you're most like: A cow (according to RAGE) Animal you want to have as a pet: An otter or a cat What you wanted to be when you grew up: A superhero Favorite season: Summer Favorite movies/animation: Marvel movies, The Matrix, John Wick Favorite ramen flavor: Pork bone and soy Favorite sweets: I rarely eat sweets, although sweet red bean soup is alright Favorite onigiri filling: Pickled plums Favorite oden ingredient: Konjac Favorite type of girl: Girls with some volume (softness is important) Least favorite type of girl: Girls who use too many fake eyelashes Favorite hairstyle on girls: Long and glossy hair Favorite clothing on girls: Vintage accessories with denim, shorts, short skirts in general, fishnet stockings Gifts you give to girls: Handmade accessories How you spend your days off: Going to instrument stores, shopping for jeans, cleaning and doing laundry, playing video games (WWE/Spiderman) Favorite amusement park rides: Rollercoasters and haunted houses Events you often go to: Pro wrestling and martial arts matches, though lately I've also been watching basketball games Everyday clothing: T-shirt with jeans Sleepwear: Jersey (although I sleep in my underwear during the summer) Cologne used: If worn I use Verveine by L’Occitane First thing you do after waking up: Gargle What you would bring to a deserted island: A fishing rod and Rage First love: My kindergarten teacher

RAGE (REBEL CROSS)

Birthday: August 23rd (Virgo) / Blood type: AB / Height: Private / Weight: Private / Gender: Private

A member of the duo “REBEL CROSS.” Their real name is Reiji (怜士). At age 14, they teamed up with their best friend DAIYA to form the dual-vocalist indie band CROSS BONE, considered to be the predecessor to REBEL CROSS. They became known as the “prize winner” after they won various contests. They were then scouted by AR Productions and signed under the condition of attending ISM. They earn excellent grades in school. They are vehemently opposed to losing. They also work on song production. They refer to their fans as “sub-members.”

Q&A

Favorite international artists: RAGE (REBEL CROSS) Favorite Japanese artists: RAGE (REBEL CROSS) Instruments you can play: Guitar Pre-show rituals: Touch an Ise Shrine charm Favorite subjects: Japanese Least favorite subjects: Cartography Favorite school lunch: Pancake plate (with bananas) Favorite ISM teacher: The lunch lady Hobbies: Living Talents: There’s nothing I’m bad at Animal you’re most like: Cat Animal you want to have as a pet: Any animal What you wanted to be when you grew up: RAGE Favorite season: I'm not a fan of hot weather Favorite movies/animation: The Harry Potter series Favorite ramen flavor: Super carb-heavy ramen (primarily for its cost-effective performance) Favorite sweets: Awkeotsang figs, convenience store sweets, Chinese almond jelly, Japanese parfait Favorite onigiri filling: Red rice and red roe (because they're red) Favorite oden ingredient: Eggs and kelp Favorite type of girl: All girls who love me should be my lovers Least favorite type of girl: Girls who won’t admit that they love me Favorite hairstyle on girls: Pigtails Favorite clothing on girls: Short pants and miniskirts with slit leggings Gifts you go to girls: Ladurée macarons and Échiré candy How you spend your days off: I’m on 365 days a year, I don’t take holidays Favorite amusement park rides: Bumper cards, labyrinths, solving riddles, escape rooms Events you often go to: Musicals Everyday clothing: Nothing looks bad on me (Daiya says jerseys are fundamental) Sleepwear: In my birthday suit (though sometimes I'm in clothes) Cologne used: Cotton candy First thing you do after waking up: Open my eyes What you would bring to a deserted island: Guitar First love: Everyone who loved me

LEÓN

Birthday: March 1st (Pisces) / Blood type: B / Height: 176cm / Weight: 60kg / Gender: Male

LeOn was born in Kobe, Japan to a Japanese father and Brazilian mother. He left home to enter Yokohama’s ISM, where he lives in the student dorms. It wasn’t long before his remarkable 4-octave vocal range and model-like appearance caught the attention of AR Production. He wrote the lyrics and music himself for FANTASISTA. Part of his appeal comes from the stark contrast between his reserved off-stage demeanor and high-energy performances. He refers to his fans as “tantan” and “tantan men”. He is in charge of the “Brief Glimpses” on ARP’s official Instagram account.

Q&A

Favorite international artists: Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson Favorite Japanese artists: Chris Hart, Seiko Matsuda, Mr. Children Instruments you can play: A little bit of guitar, digital music Pre-show rituals: Singing and dancing by myself Favorite subjects: Music, PE Least favorite subjects: Art (I have no artistic sense) Favorite school lunch: Fried pork with ginger (good for the throat) Favorite ISM teacher: My PE teacher Hobbies: Dancing, daydreaming, watching soccer Talents: Knowing trivia about staying healthy, singing girls’ songs Animal you’re most like: Meerkat Animal you want to have as a pet: Turtle (I used to have one) What you wanted to be when you grew up: A soccer player Favorite season: Summer Favorite movies/animation: Toy Story, soccer manga and anime Favorite ramen flavor: Pork bone Favorite sweets: Sofuol yogurt, Country Ma’am cookies, cream puffs, key lime pie Favorite onigiri filling: Chicken mixed with vegetables Favorite oden ingredient: Glutinous rice inside fried tofu Favorite type of girl: Nearby girls Least favorite type of girl: Crude girls Favorite hairstyle on girls: Energetic hairstyles and ponytails Favorite clothing on girls: Anything fluffy Gifts you give to girls: Clothing How you spend your days off: Clothes shopping, watching soccer on TV, visiting Rebel Cross, debugging Furefure Favorite amusement park rides: Freefall rides, haunted houses, carts or segways that go fast Events you often go to: Any sort of concerts, soccer matches Everyday clothing: A parka over a t-shirt Sleepwear: Fleece in winter and a t-shirt with shorts in summer Cologne used: Ultramarine First thing you do after waking up: Stretch in bed What you would bring to a deserted island: DAIYA—he can cook and fight animals First love: The girl who sat next to me in elementary school

[sher-soc-the-famder]

Been thinking about a platonic LAMP soulmates AU lately, the type where when you meet a possible soulmate a mark appears that represents your relationship with them. The larger and more colorful the mark, the more important and impactful on your life they are. Soulmates can be platonic or romantic, but most people assume or hope for a romantic soulmate.

I just can’t decide if I want it to be a multichaptered fic, a long oneshot, or a shorter oneshot. But like!! (also help what is consistent tense)

Logan and Roman have known each other since elementary school. Roman’s first memory of Logan is being told that his drawing of a dog with wings was wrong “‘cause dogs don’t have wings.” Logan’s first memory of Roman is Roman picking up the nearest handful of play-doh and rubbing it into his hair in revenge

To say they had a rough start would be an understatement

The next couple of years they butted heads over every little thing, turned anything they did into a competition, and over all trying to prove to the other that they were the best. Roman excelled in the arts and sports. Logan completely crushed him when it came to academics

They didn’t truly click until the start of middle school. Roman got into a fight with some bullies because he was going to beat Logan fairly how dare you!! Logan found Roman reading The Odyssey and ended up in a friendly (if heated) discussion on the different forms of epic poetry

Nobody quite understood their friendship, seeing as it was composed of insults, competitions, and banter, but it worked for them.

“Gorgon” “Hellion, and you need to carry the x here, yes just like that” “Wait what were we on?” “I” “Imbecile?” “Juvenile”

Logan helped Roman with his homework without making Roman feel like an idiot or less for not understanding it. Roman helped Logan understand people and more often than not ended up at the principal's office fighting off Logan’s bullies.

(The bullies stopped by high school, but Roman still bristled at any perceived slight against his best friend)

Because best friends they became. If you wanted to find Logan, you looked from Roman and vice versa. Attached at the hips. Logan and Roman became Logan-and-Roman. You couldn’t get one without the other. Every sports game had a nerd reading in the back and every debate event had a theatre kid scrolling through his phone in the corner

So it was no surprise to anyone when the Marks appeared their freshman years, startlingly bright, covering Logan’s entire left arm and Roman’s right

A bright rainbow dragon curled around Logan’s arm, almost neon in its coloring. A bright golden crown adorned his shoulder, the dragon’s tail wrapping around it and leading down to the head that rested on the back of Logan’s hand, mouth opening up into bright red flames that wrapped around Logan's palm

Roman's arm portrayed a pouncing sphynx in brilliant blues and golds, reaching up towards an aurora against the night sky of dark purple and deep greens, the tail curling around his wrist and wings stretching wide and around his biceps until they met at the very tips

What no one expected was for Logan to start stubbornly wearing long sleeves, or Roman to start doodling on his other arm as if he could pretend that his new Mark could be disguised as simple art done in boredom

“I simply don’t see the point of society putting an emphasis on something that makes no sense. How is my body supposed to know if someone is going to be important to me in the future? How does the color pigment appear? And don’t get me started on the placements and the images, the emphasis on symbolism is simply absurd-”

“It’s restrictive!! So what if I have a Mark now?! It doesn’t change my relationship with Specs in the slightest! Not to mention the expectations over the years and the paperwork and all of the work work work work work. I don’t need a stupid tattoo to tell me who my best friend is!! I know it just fine by myself! None of the other gays will even look at me now it’s a CRIME-”

"And it doesn't match your aesthetic-" "IT DOESN'T MATCH MY LOOK IN THE SLIGHTEST!"

Roman gets Logan fingerless gloves for christmas. Logan gets Roman a bulk sized pack of color pens

They often get asked if they’re dating, to which the answer is no. One kids accused them of fucking and Logan couldn’t help but “Roman I would have put my book down if you had told me!” but the questions never seem to stop

Roman’s absolutely sick of it. Logan would please like to return to studying in peace.

AND THEN THERE’S MOXIETY

Patton and Virgil have known each other forever; Patton can’t remember a time that he didn’t know Virgil and adored him and followed him around like a lost puppy (or so he’s been told!) All Virgil remembers is a kind boy with a toothy grin offering to share the sandbox with him

Stuff of legends clearly

Patton was considered nice but weird in elementary school but it was alright!! He had a best friend already!! Virgil may have been quiet but he was super nice!! They colored together and Virgil made the coolest things!

Virgil had a friend. That meant he didn’t have to try to approach any of the other kids. Patton already did that for them. And yeah, they thought the two of them were a little weird but at least they didn’t pick on either of them

Patton followed Virgil and Virgil followed Patton. They had a couple of people they could spend time with but no one that they’d really classify as friends other than each other.

To be fair, no one else seemed to be able to read their moods like each other, or put up with Patton’s excited squeals, or Virgil’s constant need for reassurance, or the contrast of Patton being too excited and Virgil not caring in the slightest so long as Patton was happy

Patton was content with watching Virgil draw and pet dogs with his free time. Virgil made sure that he took care of himself! And Patton made sure Virgil smiled every once and awhile! It was nice!

Even if Virgil never quite believed him when Patton said that he wasn’t going anywhere! He wasn’t! Virgil was his best friend! Even when everyone else was talking about love and stuff!

Patton loved people! He just.. didn’t get what they meant about butterflies in his stomach or wanting to kiss someone! Well, he kissed Virgil on the forehead but Patton had a feeling that wasn’t what they were talking about. Virgil didn’t ask him about crushes or love or things like that, it made Patton feel warm and fuzzy inside

So the Marks were just like!! Making things official! Patton loved the way that it made Virgil relax, just a little bit, even if people started asking if they were dating

Patton talked his Gram-gram into getting an entire wardrobe of various backless shirts so that he could show off his Mark. The wolf that curled around a moon on the center of his back was awesome! Different shades of purple and silvers that practically glowed and Patton wanted everyone to see it

Virgil kept the blue panther that curled around his heart, front paws crossed over it like it wanted to protect him, close and private. The gradient of sky blue to black comforted him on bad days and the tail that swung around his waist felt like an eternal hug.The perfect reminder that Patton was never going to leave him.

At least when they moved to a new town and a new high school Patton and Virgil got to stick together, even if the new surge of questions about their relationship got annoying. Not that it would stop Patton from flopping into Virgil’s lap every chance he got.

Cuddles were the best!!

Patton meets Roman after school waiting for Virgil to finish talking to a teach about joining the art club and the two hit it off almost immediately

Logan runs into Virgil at the library, the later having accidentally taken Logan’s usual spot to study and the two end up sharing the space in comfortable silence

Roman bursting into Logan’s room asking for gloves to borrow to cover the new Mark on his left arm meant that Roman caught Logan looking for a turtleneck to cover the mark along his back and neck

Meanwhile Patton finds himself with the task of trying to talk the two around to the idea that having some Marks wasn’t a bad thing, or at least to help him convince Virgil that it didn’t mean they hated the anxious young man

At least High School wouldn’t be boring anymore?

And IDK that’s what I’ve got so far :p

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Magic and Miracles and BEYOND Chapter 7

YA’LL I’M SO SORRY. I didn’t forget about this I swear, I just got hella distracted by life and a million other things BUT I’M BACK. And I know this is a short chapter but trust me, MORE is coming. So I would just like to say this cruise ship is based off of Royal Carribean’s Syphony of the Seas and almost all these pictures are from the Royal Carribean site, which usually sails the Carribean but for the purposes of this story, it’s going to Hawii and something similar is going to Alaska because this is a fantasy story where I go ‘fuck you’ to reality and everyone’s happy and nothing hurts, YET. (dun dun dun). And the ship has a dog park which I don’t think the actual ship does. And Dani and the twins RETURN and they just keep spreading the baby bug. 

So @the-immortal-marshal sorry for the wait but here you go. 

AO3

Magic and Miracles and BEYOND - Chapter 7

“So? How was Disney?” Sylva asked Ada as all the girls walked into a designer dress shop as they looked for formal attire for the cruises.  

“It was amazing,” Ada sighed wistfully as she went through the rows of dresses and found a few that she liked.

“Oh good, did Luche behave himself?” Sylva asked.

“Of course, he’s been the perfect gentleman.” Ada reassured Sylva.

“Good.” Sylva nodded before they all got dozens of dresses and tried them all on.

“Oh this is gorgeous on you!” Sylva praised as she watched Ada twirl in an ivory gown that perhaps looked a touch bridal on Ada and Sylva knew that once Luche would see Ada in this gown, he’d be thinking wedding bells too and knew she just had to get it for her. “It looks divine, I absolutely insist on getting it for you and I have the perfect pearl necklace to go with it too.” Sylva urged her.

“Ok,” Ada nodded in agreement before she put on another dress, this one a brilliant aquamarine that just made her hair pop in contrast. It was perfectly gorgeous and elegant.

“And that one too.” Sylva insisted which got Ada to squeal and giggle and twirl in her dress as the other girls emerged from their dressing rooms, showing off their dresses to Sylva too, wanting to get her stamps of approval too which Sylva was more than happy to give out. And once all the girls got all the dresses they wanted and needed, Sylva was more than happy to buy them all before making sure that the guys got the proper suits and things to match on the other end of the store.

“Lu,” Sylva called out as she looked at a few shirts and ties.

“Yes?” Luche asked as he came to stand next to her.

“I’m really proud of you.” Sylva offered.

“Thank you?” Luche returned, not quite sure why she’d be proud of him.

“You’ve done really good with Ada and I wanted to make sure you knew that you were doing well.” Sylva encouraged.

“Oh, thanks.” Luche nodded.

“Now I need you to promise me something.” Sylva began and turned to make sure he was looking her in the eye before she continued. “You need to make sure you don’t have sex with her while on the cruises.” Sylva urged, dropping her voice to a soft whisper so that only Luche could hear her.

“Uh, ok.” Luche frowned in confusion, he had thought that would have been a given.

“I know it seems silly right now, but trust me, on the boat, wearing what she will be wearing, it’ll be a temptation and it’s of paramount importance that you make an honest woman out of her. She cheated once and from here on out, if she cheats on Cor with you, it’ll form a habit that will spell disaster for you both. Just trust me on this. Don’t kiss her, don’t give her any carnal pleasures whatsoever. This will be a new start for you both, give yourselves the best start you can, and that starts with respecting her and her current relationships, however doomed they may be. You need to do the right thing. Not what ‘feels right’ in the moment. But the right and proper thing over all.” Sylva urged before she got Ravus’ attention and brought him over.

“Ravus, I’m trying to make a point to Luche, when Selena was with Pelna and you two were getting close, did you two ever cross the line physically before her relationship with Pelna ended?” Sylva asked lowly.

“No, not at all, and I’m glad we didn’t. I mean it sucked, like a lot in those moments because there were so many times I wanted to, I would have given everything for it but looking back means that neither of us have any regrets with the way we got together and respecting her relationship with Pelna then- means that my relationship with her is respected now. It’s something you have to do if you don’t want the past repeating itself and I know Selena is much happier with herself and rests easy because of it too.” Ravus urged Luche.

“I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal about this, I knew going in that it would have to be like that.” Luche assured them.

“Did Ada get a white dress for the cruise or something?” Ravus asked his mother, trying to figure out what would prompt his mother to have this conversation before it dawned on him.

“Ivory. Wedding bells were going off in my own head when I saw her in it. She’s lovely, just, stay strong Lu, your future depends on it.” Sylva repeated as she grabbed Luche by the upper arms and shook him a little to emphasize her point with a laugh.

“Really?” Luche asked, a dopey grin spreading across his face.

“Yeah, you’re gonna have fun. Just, not too much fun.” Sylva narrowed her eyes playfully before she made sure all the guys were squared away too.

The next morning they were all in the terminal including Johnny, Anna and the twins and Dani, who had sorely missed Ravus and Selena who in turn had sorely missed them and outright refused to put down the twins, Selena commandeering Gabby as Ravus kept Izzy and Dani as they were waiting to board the cruise ship, all the dogs on leashes since the cruise ship had a dog park and a cat lounge on board and accommodations for dogs including a dog daycare so Ada wouldn’t have to be separated from Baxter, Crowe and Libertus could take Otis, Pashmina and Gladio could take Dianna and the Nox Fleuret- Caelums could take Pryna and Umbra and even Duchess was in a deluxe cat carrier, and Iris and Craig could take Noche since all the dogs had been traveling with the young adults all summer.

Sylva had gotten everyone suites, however with Ada being an add on and Hazel and Titus joining them too. It was a push to have everyone more or less together and on the same floor at least. Sylva was only slightly evil and mostly scheming, making sure Luche and Ada had side by side rooms where they could both sit on their balconies and see each other and talk to each other. This new cruise ship had everything. It had rock climbing walls, water sports simulators, it’s own water park, a traditional as well as an open dining option with over a dozen restaurants and buffets and golf, both a mini golf course and a golfing drive simulator, bumper cars, laser tag, an arcade that rivaled Dave and Busters, sports courts, an obstacle course, a sky diving simulator, zip lines, two trampoline parks, one was a traditional one and the other was with the harness and bungee chords so you would really jump high and even a trapeze school that had gymnastic equipment and a dozen different niche clubs and concert halls, ice skating, an escape room, a casino, dozens of shops on the boardwalk and throughout the ship, an out of this world spa and a bunch of other amenities that every active teenager and young adult could possibly want including loads of things for Dani and even a daycare for the twins. It was perfect.

Sylva got everyone’s boarding passes and room keys handed them out before they all waited to board, most of them thankfully having games on their phones and tablets as Sylva, Lunafreya, Ravus, Luche and Ignis did some last minute business for Miracles from their laptops while Regis caught up with Noctis. Ravus only having a little trouble since Izzy was in a carrier strapped to his chest and Dani draped herself across his lap and shoulder and cuddled into his chest while he reached around both of them to type on his laptop. 

“So how are you doing Hun?” Titus asked as he and Ada sat down side by side as Hazel was doing some last minute business of her own on her own laptop from her spot next to Sylva at the computer table, one of dozens that was specifically built that had dozens of outlets so that the laptops and cell phones and other electronics could charge while the guests waited to board the ship.

“Doing much better.” Ada smiled happily as she had Baxter laying on her lap as Titus pet Baxter too. “How was the wine tour?” Ada asked Titus curiously.

“I couldn’t tell the fucking difference between the cheap stuff and the good stuff, wine is wine in my book, the whole time I couldn’t help thinking…‘I could go for a whiskey right about now’, beer on the other hand, that’s more my speed, a good porter or stout and I’m good to go and thankfully there was plenty of that too.” Titus chuckled which got Ada to snicker a laugh. “But it made Hazel happy and we had a lot of fun and I’m glad we went,” Titus shrugged but smiled happily nonetheless since he hadn’t gotten a real vacation in..he couldn’t remember when. “Got to have a lot of really good cheese and charcuterie though and all the food was outstanding. Granted, not as good as Hazel can make it but pretty close.” Titus appraised because to him, Hazel was the best chef ever and made everything great and it was hard for any food to equal hers since she was his gold standard.

“Aw, I’m glad you had fun. The gang took me to Disneyland. That was epic and awesome and amazing and I got my real first spa day the day before and I felt like jelly afterwards.” Ada informed him proudly.

“Oh so you got your ears? Your Mickey or I guess in your case Mini ears?” Titus gently teased.

“Several pairs, yes.” Ada nodded. “And then we got to go to the beach and splash in the Pacific Ocean and go surfing. I think I swallowed half the ocean and seaweed touched my leg and I screamed bloody murder because I thought it was a jellyfish or a shark and I climbed Luche like a tree and nearly accidentally drowned him trying to get away from it.” Ada began as Titus barked a deep belly laugh just imagining that. “It was really hilarious, everyone laughed and it was recorded on the waterproof go-pros.” Ada giggled. “And then Tredd found a dead slash rotting fish on the beach and tormented everyone with it before Yasmine and the tothers beat his ass that he was gonna make Crowe miscarry because of how many diseases were probably crawling on it.” Ada recounted.

“Good for her.” Titus grinned proudly.

“And then we had a bonfire and a BBQ right on the beach too and charted a big fishing boat and went fishing and then Noctis and his band did a few shows over the weekend which were amazing, because when they weren’t on stage, which even when they were, I got to do back up vocals which was epic and we got to enjoy the rest of the concerts and go back stage and meet all the other bands and hang out and get pictures and get autographs and merch from the other bands and I got to help with the band merch so that all of us could take shifts and have breaks and stuff and that was really fun and we made money hand over fist. And everyone has gotten along really well and there wasn’t any fighting or arguing about anything. And we’ve all been taking care of each other and Craig’s been doing most of the cooking and he is an outstanding cook, like, Nyx and Libertus can cook really great too and there have been so many times where we just raid a Sam's Club and we cook for ourselves instead of going out to eat for every meal and between Pashmina, Yasmine and Pelna cooking a lot of Indian food, I mean their chicken curry and tiki marsala is phenomenal, and their chicken Biryani rice is outstanding and Luna, Rae and Stella all do wonderful French cooking and Iris and Gladio bring the Spanish flavors and Cindy, I know she doesn’t look it but she has a Paula Dean in her and she makes pies, from scratch, like old fashioned, flaky crust pies made with lard, that are better than any bakery and she’s gotten all of us into it and Selena and Nyx bring a lot of the Mediterranean flavors and they make the best baklava and pitas and hummus and all kinds of stuff. And even Tredd cooks, he makes the best mashed potatoes, actually potatoes period he makes all the potatoes the best, not to be racist but because he’s Irish, I think it runs in his blood and mac and cheese with so much cheddar. And Libertus is of course Italian so he’s made fresh pasta and these sauces from scratch that take like two to three days to make but they’re the best ever. And Iggy orchestrates all of us between the two kitchens on the bus and even on the girls bus there’s an electric smoker so we smoke a lot of foods, like salmon and cheese and of course every meat imaginable and make our own jerky and Iggy makes the best coffee, I don’t know how he does it but he does and it’s amazing and Luche and I just do whatever everyone else tells us to do. I swear I think I’ve gained like ten pounds since I’ve been with them, I’ve eaten so much, but it’s all been so good.” Ada beamed happily.

“So has Lu been behaving himself?” Titus asked curiously.

“Oh yeah, he’s been the perfect gentleman. Like perfect.” Ada answered with fawning, adoring smile and a wistful sigh and Titus cocked a half grin at that. Ada still loved him too. He supposed it was inevitable. Like moth to a flame but he wasn’t sure who was the moth and who was the flame at this point.

“Good.” Titus nodded.

“Oh and then the guys had a video interview! That was the best! Did you see it?” Ada asked as she pulled her phone out and showed Titus the video on YouTube.

“Hi I’m Laney for Rock360 and I’m with the Chocobros! Say hi guys!” Laney invited before they all waived to the camera, Noctis, a little awkwardly still.

“So anyone who knows you, knows you got your start performing for kids at Miracle Hospital and your videos went viral and you’ve gained quite a bit of notoriety on the circuit and in the rocker community for being as diverse and as inclusive as yours is and the band it seems, fluctuates because sometimes, it’s the four of you and other times there’s like a dozen people on stage, what can you tell me about that?” Laney asked.

“Well, how that started is some venues want to see the girls that they saw in videos so that’s where we ask the girls for guest appearances.” Ignis explained.

“Aww, that’s really great that they can do that. And speaking with the other bands I understand that your crew is unique and that the only people who are actually hired are your drivers, otherwise it’s just you and your friends and it’s noted that it’s very much like a family and you’re all pretty close knit.” Laney noted.

“Yeah we are, it’s awesome, it’s us and our significant others which is great and we all get along and take care of each other.” Gladio grinned proudly.

“Now I also know that there is a lucky charm.” Laney giggled.

“Yes! That’s Crowe, she got pregnant right in the beginning of the tour so right before we go on stage we pat the bebeh belly for good luck.” Prompto answered before the camera cut to Crowe behind the scenes eating a doughnut and waived as Libertus pet her belly to illustrate.

“And that’s Libertus, her fiance, he’s the proud father, obviously.” Prompto beamed as Libertus nodded ‘yes’ emphatically and gave a double thumbs up with a bright cheesy grin around his own stuffed cheeks since he was eating doughnuts too. 

“Aww, that’s adorable.” Laney fawned before she continued to talk to them about their music and their songs and what their songs meant to them and how fun their tour had been and what other bands they had been performing with before they ended the interview.

“Aw, that’s awesome.” Titus grinned proudly before they boarded the cruise ship and got to their rooms. Ada squealing in delight at how magnificent her suite was, especially since she got it all to herself, well kind of, she had Baxter with her and that’s all she could ever ask for, there were already food and water dishes set up for him too. This next week was going to be heaven. She unpacked her carry on bag and by the time she was done, her luggage got delivered and once that was all put away she rejoined the rest of the group, dropping Baxter off at the on board doggy daycare, sticking close to Luche and Titus as they explored the ship before hitting up one of the buffets.

“So has Cor ever told you why he never wanted kids?” Ada asked Titus who nearly choked on his spit and tripped over his own feet as he felt his soul leave his body to go to the astral plane for just a moment to have a mini freak out as he then tried to grab Cor from the astral plane to come here and have this conversation with her because while he felt like a father figure. This was just...not his area of comfortable conversation topics but Regis was too far away to pull into this to deal with this, Regis was better at this kind of thing but if Ada felt comfortable enough to bring this up, he needed to handle this with care.

“Sweetie, I think he’s seen too much of the worst of humanity to try to bring life into the world, at least, that’s what he’s told me, why?” Titus asked.

“Just, with Crowe being pregnant the baby bug is going around.” Ada shrugged as she then looked over at Selena who had Gabby on her hip while she piled her own plate with food for the both of them while Ravus held Izzy and did the same while also helping Dani with her plate and the five of them already looked like the perfect family and Ada felt a pang of jealousy while also noticing how Luche was also helping Dani and was doting on her too and Ada felt like she was seeing a glimpse of what he would be like as a wonderful father too and it both warmed while rendered her heart a bit because she wanted that too but she couldn’t have it.

“Well don’t let it bite you too hard. Babies are a lot of work, they’re loud and messy and stressful and will change your life forever.” Titus gently warned her with a slight air of a teasing tone even though he could see from his vantage point, Hazel talking with Crowe and when Hazel touched Crowe’s belly and just the look in her eyes and the expression on her face that she was getting bit by the baby bug and for the first time in his life, the baby bug bit him too and his slight panic at Ada mentioning babies suddenly vanished and was replaced by the urge and need to make a baby with Hazel, but he would have to make sure they were both in a position to feel safe enough to do so. Because while he was getting older, he wasn’t that old, not yet. 

“Besides, you’re still pretty young, how about you try getting to the legal drinking age in this country and enjoy your youth without kids first.” Titus gently encouraged Ada before he sat down with Hazel and he was just struck by how adorable their kids would be. So he just picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles sweetly as Hazel practically melted in her seat.

Truth be told, she was getting bit by the baby bug pretty hard too and it wasn’t the first time it bit, but it was the first time it bit with Titus and suddenly her mind started whirling with all of the possibilities. There was just two problems, 1. Gil. 2. Charlie. There’s no way with them still so close that she’d ever get the chance to have a family of her own. A relationship was already pushing it. Maybe Cor had what it took to end it. She was hoping that with all of them being gone, he would throw himself into his work unimpeded and not distracted by anything or anyone and finally be able to end this once and for all and with herself being out of the picture, she could distance herself. He had the next two weeks to do just that and she hoped he could do it, for all their sakes.

“Ok guys, who’s up for the rock wall?” Titus challenged the guys after they finished eating and went over to the rock wall, Titus and all the guys getting tethered in to race each other.

“Ok? Ready? Set? Go!” The climbing instructor challenged as they all raced up the walls, Ravus, Nyx, Luche and Titus got an early lead with Gladio, Prompto, Noctis and Ignis barely getting up there as the girls cheered them on, Regis cheering his sons and Titus on as Sylva was cheering everyone on while Hazel cheered for Titus the loudest but only seconded by Ada cheering on Luche. 

“How the hell are you climbing so fast?” Luche, Ravus and Nyx asked Titus as they watched him race up the wall with surprising agility for a man his size as they did their best to navigate the wall. But Titus had a trick up his sleeve, he had studied his wall from the moment he saw it and had mentally already mapped out his route and suddenly Hazel wasn’t the loudest cheerer, Regis was. Regis was because he wanted Titus to beat the younger kids to prove that age and wisdom sometimes gave you the advantage over youth and brute strength and in record time, Titus won by being the first to ring his bell at the top but Ravus and Nyx tied for second only a second later as they both held onto the wall and looked out over the sea and then looked down at the crowd below and waived before they went back down just as Luche and Gladio tied for third to reach the top, followed by Ignis who was fourth. Prompto and Noctis, Pelna and Libertus all tied for last. Sylva and Regis having to coach them on which foot holds and hand holds to use and Regis had an ice cold beer waiting for Titus when he came down.

“And to the victor goes the spoils.” Regis beamed proudly as Titus barked a deep laugh as he took it and quickly and easily drank it down as Regis drank one himself.

“Seriously, how did you do that Coach?” Nyx asked in astonishment.

“Study the wall, see? Look at your wall, it’s not random, see- there’s a pattern, see the zig zag?” Titus pointed out on Nyx’s wall, making sure Nyx followed his line of sight.

“Oh!” Nyx, Ravus, Luche and Gladio all groaned as they mentally figured out how they could have climbed their walls better.

“Rematch!” Nyx insisted just as Libertus came down his wall.

“No! I’m done, one was enough for me.” Libertus complained.

“I’ll go again.” Ravus offered.

“Me too.” Gladio and Luche added with grins, Luche agreeing if only to hear Ada cheering for him again. He had missed that more than words could say.

The second time around, all four boys were within hundredths of seconds between each other as they had taken Drautos’ advice and taken a moment as another round of competitors had used the walls to study the walls and mentally map out their plan of attack with great success before they all got dressed in their bathing suits and enjoyed the on board water park. It was going to be one hell of a week.

[ankhlesbian]

FE Rarepair Week: Day 2

Prompt: Longing, for @ferarepair-week

Fandom: FE Fates

Pairing: Velouria/Soleil

AO3 Link: Here

Length: ~2k

Title: Opposites Attract

Soleil, star of her high school's lacrosse team, finds herself head-over-heels for Velouria, someone way out of her normal social circle, and definitely out of her league. But this is high school: anything can happen, and Soleil's unorthodox courting method may just pay off...

(aka I tried to write angsty Soleil and then it lasted for like one scene)

“She’s so perfect,” Soleil sighs, slamming her locker shut and leaning against it mournfully. “She’d never want to talk to me!”

Caeldori switches her sweaty practice shirt for a clean one and wiggles a finger at her, disapproving. “She doesn’t even know you, there’s no way she hates you. You have to actually make a move before you say things like that.”

Soleil crosses her arms. “But what could I do? I’ll probably just embarrass myself. She’s goth, right? I’m just a dumb jock.”

Caeldori rolls her eyes. “Literally only you think like that. As long as you ask her out properly, I’m sure she’d say yes.” Caeldori’s eyes are sparkling, surely thinking about some grand romantic gesture. Soleil’s seen her reading enough of her cliché romance novels to know what Caeldori considers the “proper” way to ask someone out.

“Maybe I’ll leave notes in her locker.” Soleil says, choosing to ignore Caeldori. Caeldori secures her lacrosse stick onto her bookbag and turns to leave the locker rooms. Soleil follows suits.

“You could leave flowers!” Caeldori suggest brightly. Soleil opens her mouth to protest, because what goth girl wants a locker full of flowers, but the flowers she saw on the way home from school recently spring to mind.

“That might not actually be a bad idea.”

Caeldori huffs, swinging around. Soleil has to duck to avoid the handle of her lacrosse stick as she turns. “I’m full of good ideas! Especially on the field. Maybe if you’d listen to me instead of daydreaming about Velouria, we’d—”

Soleil lunges forward, slapping her hand over Caeldori’s mouth, furiously looking back and forth down the hallway to detect any eavesdroppers. It’s empty, thankfully.

“Don’t say her name!” She hisses. Caeldori pushes her hand away with disgust, wiping at her mouth.

“Not even our teammates are around. Don’t interrupt your captain. As I was saying—” Soleil lets the familiar lecture wash over her, focusing instead on her master plan for wooing Velouria.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Soleil watches with bated breath from around the corner as Velouria approaches her locker. She’s wearing her usual combination of black and red, contrasting with her silver hair. She’s truly breathtaking, and Soleil can’t help but swoon just a little.

The girl wrinkles her nose as she swirls her lock, and when she opens her locker she’ll see a black rose, taped to a note. She’d pulled out her best calligraphy, hoping it would be distinguishable from her usual scrawl in case Velouria decides to do any detective work.

Velouria unfolds the note carefully, and then scowls. Soleil’s heart drops. Then, oddly enough, Velouria holds the note, rose and all, to her nose and sniffs deeply. Her head turns, eerily, in Soleil’s direction. She ducks back behind the corner, palms sweating. There’s no way Velouria suspects her. That would be absurd. But what if she comes this way?

Soleil’s eyes dart around the hallway. School hasn’t started yet, and there’s plenty of people milling around their open lockers.

“Out of the way! Emergency happening here!” She shoves some poor soul aside, and crams herself into their locker, for once thankful for her short stature. She slams the door shut. “Just play along,” she whispers to the bewildered face peering in at her. Her reputation must come in handy, because her accomplice obeys wordlessly.

She peers out through the slits, holding her breath. After a few seconds, she sees distinctive black combat boots passing by. She sighs in relief and bangs on the inside of the locker door.

“Okay, you can let me out now.” The door swings open and she crawls out, dusting herself off casually like she didn’t just do something extremely weird. “Thanks!”

After that close call, she’s careful to not stick around after slipping the note and rose into Velouria’s locker. It’s been a week since she’s started, and she’s pretty satisfied with her progress. Maybe after another week or two she’ll try talking to Velouria, like, in person.

She’s in a good mood after lacrosse practice, humming merrily to herself as she exits the locker room.

“We need to talk.” Says an ominous voice from the shadows.

“Gah!” Soleil jumps, hands going for her lacrosse stick. From the darkness of the hallway steps the last person she expected to see here.

“Velouria? I mean, uh, who are you?” Velouria’s arms are crossed. She’s very clearly unimpressed.

“You know who I am. Unless you’ve been leaving flowers in my locker for the past week on accident.”

“How’d you even know that was me?” She’s never been very good at lying, so she concedes defeat.

“I have my ways,” Velouria declares mysteriously. It’s very goth of her, and extremely cool. “So.”

“So.” repeats Soleil, unsure of what happens next. IS there an expected response to this?

“So,”  Velouria prompts.

“So?” Soleil says again, confused.

“So…” Velouria coughs imploringly. “You must have been leaving those in my locker for a reason.” In the dim lighting, Soleil can just barely make out Velouria’s face. Are her cheeks… pink? She’s blushing? Soleil grins, and attempts to turn up the charm.

“Well, I thought they were an appropriate gift for you. Just as beautiful as you are. I figured I should woo you proper before asking you on a date.”

Velouria nods approvingly, trying to stay calm even though Soleil can tell she’s delighted. If she was a dog, her tail would be wagging. “Very well. I accept your offer.”

Soleil’s bouncing off the walls by the time they exchange phone numbers and arrange a time and place. She bursts back into the locker room, crashing into Caeldori to give her a hug.

“It worked! You’re a genius!”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

That Saturday, Soleil finds herself waiting nervously outside of the mall. She’s in her best outfit, one that goes with her pink hair, and has her hands tucked into the pockets of her letterman jacket so that no one can see them shaking. She’s cool, she’s suave, the ladies love her, she’s the star of the lacrosse team, she’s got this.

“Hey.”

Soleil jolts. She must really be out of it, because Velouria’s staring down at her with a raised eyebrow. Actually, wait a second. She glances down, and yep, Velouria’s wearing a different pair of boots. These ones have a heel, giving her another good two inches on Soleil.

“Hey. Let’s go in! How’s your day been?” She enters chatterbox mode out of habit, but Velouria doesn’t seem to mind. She keeps up gamely, usually offering one word responses or even a sentence or two.

They enter the mall, walking around aimlessly. It’s the only mall in town, so it’s not like there’s anything they’ve never seen before here. Window shopping is always fun, and she discovers that Velouria has a soft spot for dogs when they pass the window of a Build-A-Bear. The other girl trails off in the middle of a sentence as they pass, her gaze lingering on the wolf plushie on display in the window.

“Should we go in?” Soleil teases, though her dad did give her some money for this date, and she’d be more than willingly to spend it on a stuffed animal.

“No. Why would you ask that? I just saw some dust,” Velouria says quickly. Soleil giggles.

“Your tough goth girl image is safe with me.”

“Speaking of that…” Velouria points to an upcoming store. Soleil freezes.

“You want to go in?” It’s a scary place, one Soleil, as a self-proclaimed prep-adjacent jock, has never stepped foot in. The walls are dark, stacked from floor to ceiling with shirts plastered with eerie images and unfamiliar characters. Everything seems to be either black or red. It’s… Hot Topic.

Velouria seems pleased, poking thoughtfully through the merchandise. Soleil may dye her hair, but the man with green hair by the cash register is giving her the creeps. The things she does for love.

“I can get you something. If you want.” It takes all her bravery to ask, doing her best not to look too closely at the sharp accessory Velouria’s holding. To her surprise, Velouria just laughs at her, smiling softly.

“I just wanted to see if you’d agree to come in, I don’t actually need anything. You’re certainly out of place.” The other customers are giving her the stink eye, that’s for sure.

Soleil puffs out her chest. “And you’re certainly devious. I’m making you look at athletic wear next.”

She must have a weak spot for Velouria, though, because instead they end up buying ice cream.

“We should eat outside. It’s a beautiful day!” Soleil declares, scooping up an enthusiastic spoonful of her cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

“Hmmmm,” Velouria says, licking at her cone of coffee flavored ice cream thoughtfully. “But it’ll melt.”

“You better eat fast then.” She pulls out her secret weapon. “There’s a dog park out back, you know.” Velouria caves, and outside they go. It’s not actually that warm out, but the sun is shining.

They end up acquiring a frisbee from a dog owner who isn’t paying enough attention to what their pet is doing. Velouria is clearly enamored by the dogs, crouching down to pet them immediately, unconcerned with touching the damp ground. She even makes pathetic, albeit they endearing, attempts at throwing the frisbee for a lively lab.

“I’ve got this. Just watch!” Soleil takes the frisbee from her and winds up. Lacrosse players have excellent arms, and the frisbee goes flying. The dog barks happily as it chases it, jumping over the dogs in its path.

“I suppose sports are good for something, after all.” Soleil holds up her right arm, flexing the bicep proudly. Nothings really visible under the thickness of her jacket, but it’s the principle of the gesture that counts.

“If you want to see what else these guns can do, you could always come cheer me on at a game.”

Velouria rolls her eyes. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself. I’d look terrible in a cheerleader outfit.”

Soleil grins cheekily, giving Velouria a once-over. “I dunno, I think you’d look great in one.” Velouria blushes, turning her attention back to the dogs.

Velouria tires quickly, probably due to her lack of athletic activity and her dark clothing. They settle underneath a tree, and Soleil tentatively takes her hand. It’s damp from sweat and dog slobber, and kind of sticky from the ice cream, but Soleil has no complaints.

Five o’clock comes all too soon, and her dad texts her that he’s in the parking lot.

They stand up, still holding holds, and face each other. Soleil smiles up at her, gripping her hands a little tighter.

“I had fun. A lot of fun! We should do this again.”

“It went surprisingly well.”

“Hey!”

“You’re doing a great job of melting my cold, cold heart.” Velouria amends, a smile tugging on her lips.

“You’re just a big softie.” Soleil scoffs, sticking her tongue out. “You don’t have to act all aloof.”

“Not around you, I guess. You’ve figured out my secret.” She deadpans.

They fall silent, staring at each other. Soleil bites her lip. Should she kiss her? Is a first date too soon for that? Should she let Velouria make the first move? Maybe a kiss on the lips is just too much? The cheek then, maybe. Or…

Soleil raises their joined hands to her lips, gently kissing the back of Velouria’s hand.

“I’ll see you at school on Monday?” She asks hopefully.

Velouria nods, eyes bright.

“I’ll text you.”

And then they part ways. Soleil makes her way back to the car with a goofy grin on her face. Her lips taste faintly like coffee. For once, she can��t wait for Monday to come.