#I never remember my farm tags I need to organize

[cassiopeiacorvus]

KLAW | DAY 2 - King/Historian

tagging: @kingliamappreciationweek, @lizzybeth1986, @sazanes

Five Headcanons About King!Liam

Despite the chokehold The Royal Romance has had over me since 2018, I’ve always found it difficult to articulate how Liam rules. I believe it’s because when TRR isn’t using him for the MC’s benefit, they keep all his decision making off-screen. But, I’ve knuckled down and come up with five headcanons for how Liam rules Cordonia.

International Relations & Diplomacy

We see from book 2 that Liam has a focus on diplomacy. His entire engagement tour with Madeleine was also a diplomatic trip around the world. I’ve already heacanoned that Liam goes to more countries during the tour. It was always strange to me that the tour didn’t stop by the United Kingdom even though it's one of Cordonia’s allies and Madeleine’s father is an English duke. Liam brings Cordonia into the European Union because it’s what he deserves. Unlike his father, Liam puts more emphasis on the art of diplomacy. He revitalizes the foreign ministry with the advice of Duke Hakim and hires more ambassadors to make connections across the world. Under his reign, Cordonia becomes more well-known on the international stage.

The Liberation Core

We don’t know much about the Liberation Core. They’re introduced as a potential enemy in book 3, but our only insight into them is Gladys. What I’ve gleaned from Gladys’s story is that the Liberation Core is an political organization that protests the ill treatment of commoners by the nobility. The only reason they end up as the enemy is because Anton and Claudius, both members of the Sons of Earth, co-opt their movement and use it for their own benefit. So, I have Liam sit down with the Liberation Core to discuss grievances. I desperately need Liam to engage with commoners who aren’t his best friend and weren't essentially raised in the palace with him. Liam’s always stated that his duty is to the Cordonian people, which leads nicely into…

The Nobility

…Raising commoners into the nobility. We know that in TRR2, the MC gains a duchy regardless of whether she’s engaged to Liam or not. I believe down to my core that Liam gave Hana a duchy because it doesn’t makes sense for him not to. During his speech before the Homecoming Ball is attacked, he mentions wanting to revitalize the old houses of Cordonia. What better way to do that than bringing some commoners into the nobility and therefore bring new ideas and ways of thinking? Liam also makes efforts to mitigate the nobles' ability to abuse the citizens of their estate. He never wants another Lady Carmine situation again.

The Government

Remember in book 1 when there was a council that helped government affairs and influenced the outcome of the social season? Remember in book 3 when Liam implied that he wanted to put commoners on his new council… and then didn’t? Pepperidge Farms remembers. In my mind, these two councils merge into one, where each duchy has a council member from the nobility and the common people. I haven’t worked out the exact mechanics of the selection process yet, but the noble council seat is typically the current head of the duchy and someone they appoint to act as their stead if they’re unable to do their duties. The common seat (I need a better name), however, is chosen by the common people of the duchy in an election. As time goes on in his reign, I see Liam giving more voting power to the common people in Cordonia.

Culture & The Arts

What are two things Liam loves? Art and history. Liam gives more royal funding to every library in the country because that is what the people deserve. The Therons’ International Arts & Food Festival becomes more well-known as the years go by partly because of Liam’s effort to attend every year. I believe it’s canon that part of the royal palace is a museum and Liam makes sure it’s well taken care of. A lot of his personal wealth is funneled into cultural events like festivals and fairs that allow more intermingling between the common people and the nobility.

[irrfahrer]

Your Muse in 10 Quotes: Ziv Odiz’ Zee As a OC Ziv does not really has a Quote that defines her beside “Kriff it”, so its just not so random Media here that was used for building her character. Tagged By: @strongfuck Tagging: @sithisms  @mando-of-esverr @lighthouseborn @peacefaithed @envychosen @starfaithed @lessthantwelve @talesgolden @retrocognizantrecreant @cnlyluck @onehell-of-apilot @skysnipsw  @space-hecate @asycuwish @skyler-bane @bewitchingbaker @hopexncarnate   @beskar-himbo   @ofthestcrs @honorhunt  @lady-proudmoore  @savior-of-humanity   @stillfocvsed   @gildedcommander @fallesto @outcaststar @jedilovcd @poewingsdameron @cardinal-carvings    @smertzimy @kyberllcore  @cfmartyrs  @general-kalani  @luminousxbeings  @thaneirstaer @admrl @notsith   @gwiazdowe @lvkexskywvlker @drabbles-n-doodles  @preempire    @ariadne-inthesky @archaeotech @sxbaist @lightfaithed @trueheartofarebel  @protectxthem    @hunters-house   @masterofthelivingforce   @startrailed @bladelancer     @wartornpilot @hosnianleft @rcfekjwtaardby  @sithdestined     @safrona-shadowsun  @stubborn-amphibian   @ncxile  @skywlkrr  @jedixamidala @chromium-siren @aetcrnus  @savesgalaxy  @bountyborn  @memcriaes @2sabers @creaticn @thestupidmeanone @fatewills…and everyone else who blinked today!    

“1. Organize before they rise! 2. They feel no fear, why should you? 3. Use your head: cut off theirs. 4. Blades don't need reloading. 5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair. 6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it. 7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike. 8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert! 9. No place is safe, only safer. 10.The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.”  From The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead  by Max Brooks. 

  “Every so often, the Universe must just get bored and decide to really cut loose.” From Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber

“Will Ossai be well?” “Hmm, He is what the Mosspeople call a ´Unseen´. With the knowledge of the earth, ground and greens he can move through any area without beeing noticed. If he does not want your Clan to see him, Your Clan will not see him. Of all people, don´t fret for Ossai, Laghou, he will be well.” From Neandertal Vol. 3 by Emanuel Roudier

“Ah,I remember you. Sylvanus, right?” “Seianus!” “Hard to forget the last four letters of your name.” From Les Aigles de Rome by Emmanuel Roudier

“It was disorienting. Beeing thausand of miles away from anything familiar was strange enough. But Courtney didn´t even feel she had a Home to return to. She felt like a lost ship after all the continents had sunk under the sea...wondering if there were any other  ships out there on the endless, empty ocean.” From “Courtney Crumrin Volume 4: Monstrous Holiday″ Written by Ted Naifeh.

“So I got to figure out a way to grow three years’ worth of food here. On a planet where nothing grows. Luckily I’m a botanist. Mars will come to fear my botany powers.” From The Martian by Andy Weir.

She looked at him and shook her head. ‘I feel like a hulder.’ He’d heard the word before, in Norway. ‘Aren’t they a kind of troll?’‘No they are mountain creatures, like the trolls, but they come from the woods, and they are very beautiful. Like me.’ She grinned as she said it, as if she knew that she was too pallid, too sulky and too thin to ever to be beautiful. ‘They fall in love with farmers.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Damned if I know,’ she said. ‘But they do. Sometimes the farmer realises that he is talking to a hulder woman, because she has a cow’s tail hanging down behind, or worse, sometimes from behind there is nothing there, she is just hollow and empty, like a shell. Then the farmer says a prayer, or runs away, flees back to his mother or his farm.‘But sometimes the farmers do not run. Sometimes they throw a knife over her shoulder, or just smile, and they marry the huldra woman. Then her tail falls off. But she is still stronger than any human woman could ever be. And she still pines for her home in the forests and the mountains. She will never truly be happy.She will never be human.’From “Monarch of the Glen” by Neil Gaiman.

When the barber-surgeon peeled the dressing from the wound. Rittersporn groaned pitifully. 'Relax,' Regis said, cleansing the wound. 'It's nothing. Only blood. Only a little blood... Your blood smells nice, poet.' At precisely that moment the Witcher did something Milva would never have expected. He walked over to the horse and drew a long Nilfgaardian sword from the scabbard fastened under the saddle flap. 'Move away from him,' he snarled, standing over the barber-surgeon. 'The blood smells nice,' Regis repeated, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the Witcher. 'I can't detect in it the smell of infection, which with a head wound could have disastrous consequences. The main arteries and veins are intact... This will sting a little.' Rittersporn groaned and took a sharp intake of breath. The sword in the Witcher's hand vibrated and glistened with light reflected from the river. 'I'll put in a few stitches,' Regis said, continuing to ignore both the Witcher and his sword. 'Be brave. Rittersporn.' Rittersporn was brave. 'Almost done here,' Regis said, setting about bandaging the victim's head. 'Don't you worry. Rittersporn, you'll be right as rain. The wound's just right for a poet. Rittersporn. You'll look like a war hero, with a proud bandage around your head, and the hearts of the maidens looking at you will melt like wax. Yes, a truly poetic wound. Unlike an abdominal wound for instance. Liver all cut up, kidneys and guts mangled, stomach contents and faeces pouring out, peritonitis... Right, that's done. Geralt, I'm all yours.' From Chrzest ognia by  Andrzej Sapkowski

  “Yet here I am, Zahara thought now, queen of her own miniature kingdom, after all, duchess of the empty bunks, and our lady of the perpetual stomachache. Involuntary lust-object of a hundred emotionally frustrated prison guards and deprived stormtroopers. Dispenser of medicine, charged with keeping the inmates of the Imperial Prison Barge Purge alive long enough to be permanently detained on some remote prison moon.” From Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

“Medicine is the opportune application of poisons. Healers and poisoners are folks with similar skill sets and wildly different philosophies. “ From a Tumblr Post answered by Dandelionwitch.

[rabiakhatun]

How to Use Guest Posting to Effectively Boost Your SEO

Strong SEO requires strong content, and one of the best ways to boost your SEO is to expand the reach of your content by contributing to high-authority sites.

Guest posting to outside online publications allows you to expand your horizons, reach new audiences, and engage with them on platforms they trust — but you can't push your content to every site you can hope to find and land on page 1. . SEO strategy is just as important as your approach to content marketing, and to maximize the ROI you get from both, you need to do a little research.

Domain authority and relevance of research publications

If you're an expert in the marketing industry, pitching editors at cooking publications won't be very helpful. Not only is it impossible to contribute content that is off-topic, but even if you manage to get published there, links to irrelevant sites won't help you gain long-term SEO benefits.

The publications you target should be respected authorities within your industry, not spammy content farms. A good rule of thumb about whether a site is authoritative enough is to ask yourself if you would feel comfortable sharing an article from this publication with your friends and professional connections on social media. If not, keep looking.

Identify backlink guidelines for guest posts

Tools like MozBar can give you access to link metrics that will quickly show you which links in an article are follow or nofollow and internal or external.

Following links that carry link juice to new sites through sites is strongly encouraged to build SEO, you're not doomed to complete failure if a site doesn't allow them; You can still gain valuable organic referral traffic to generate leads.

Check that relevant links are also allowed in the body of your guest post (Tools like CognitiveSEO can help.) Relevant links to the right publications carry more link juice than links in bios or footer links, for example, so they play a bigger role in your SEO efforts. They help Google establish a relevancy factor and they can increase CTR and create a better user experience by providing additional valuable information to readers.

This should go without saying, but I'll repeat it one more time for the folks behind: If you're not writing and linking for SEO benefit and value to your real audience, you're going to have a bad time. The key is to write for people and optimize for search. Doing — which leads me to my next point.

On-Page Optimization Factors

Once you've done your publishing research, it's time to create and optimize your content for contributions. Guest posting is very different from writing content for your own blog, but there are still SEO factors to any content that you can't ignore:

Title Tag: Don't stuff keywords in the title tag, which should be the title of the article for guest posts. Use keywords or keyword phrases that naturally match users' search intent to avoid penalties.

Try using long-tail keywords as opposed to your main keywords in the title tag to make it unique compared to competitors. And, if possible, put it at the beginning of the title. Remember, it's best to keep titles around 60 characters so they appear fully in the SERPs, but it never hurts to test the actual SERP display before submitting content to an editor.

Heading (H1): Include an H1 tag in every article — not just large or bold font. You can include an exact or partial match to your target keyword in the title, but it must make sense to your readers and support the actual content in that category. And avoid duplicate titles and headings; H1 should not be the same as title tag.

I like to think of H1 as the title of your book and H2 as the chapter title; You only get one title, but you need to divide your book into as many chapters as you can to make it easier to use. Page Content: Always shoot to create comprehensive, informative content that is original, helpful and relevant to the user's search intent. Avoid keyword stuffing, and use online tools to make sure you're not overusing certain keywords.

You'll also want to target different primary keywords per article; Targeting the same keyword in multiple articles will trigger keyword cannibalization, and you don't want Google to guess which page should rank for which keyword.

Image alt tags: Content with image alt tags ranks well, so it's best to include them whenever possible. Again, though, avoid stuffing keywords into alt tags. If you can't think of a keyword for an image alt tag, you should probably find a different image that better describes the content message.

Other Factors: Meta description of each article that includes target keywords or keyword phrases can help boost SEO. So can things like page-load time and mobile-friendliness, but as a guest contributor, those are out of your control.

What is still in your control, though, is the quality of the content. SEO isn't just about how well you write your articles, and tools like SEMrush, cognitiveSEO, Google Analytics, and Moz can help you do keyword research, analyze article performance, and check link quality to get the most out of each article.

[deathsmallcaps]

I like to pretend I speak Spanish, so I talk to the farm animals in Spanish. Which means that the goats have learned that when I yell, “¡Mis Cabritas!” They should come over to me. I’m not sure if they have associated it with food or attention. But it works, and it’s fairly new - I’ve been calling them like that for years, but they’ve only learned it within the last two weeks.

And I love it! I love seeing them run up to me, trusting and adorable. It makes me feel a little bad when I use it so I can grab them for science tho. I had to get fecal samples tonight and in order to do that accurately, I have to lock them up in separate stalls, which they don’t enjoy. But it’s for their health and we don’t do this very often, so I guess we’ll all have to grin and bear it.

But in happier news …. I met TWO foals this weekend!!! They were both terribly fluffy, nippy, funny, nippy and their tails were like … fox tails. They looked like poofy pipe cleaners and were SO short and soft to the touch. Here’s some pictures!!!!

The first picture and the video is of a rotten little 4-month-old mini horse colt. He both wanted attention and wanted to eat flesh, so it was a difficult balance between reaching in to pet him and not getting nipped. The other mini horse visible in the video is his mother.

The rest of the pictures are of a (less than) 2-month-old draft filly. She wasn’t quite as nippy or fluffy, but she was still so stinking cute! Also, don’t worry too much about the balding spots. Like a lot of mammal babies (even human babies! Sometimes you have to keep mittens and socks on human babies 24/7 for a while so they don’t scratch themselves with their little nails!) she is still sensitive to both heat and stimuli, so she rubs herself a lot. The farmer who owns her attached a soft brush to the wall, so she can better help herself. I love little miss legs, lol. Her mom is in the back of pictures 6 and 7

(Stuff I learned these past few days. Sad, but true stories for these little guys. But happily, they and their mothers are all getting adopted, and the rescue legally binds the new owners to inform them of any new movements of the horses and offers a very easy return if something was to happen. So things are looking up!)

So the farm we went to is a horse rescue, and a very well-run one (a lot of horse rescues are fakes and nasty). The mini-horse mama was originally going to be sold to a private (ew!) big cat owner. Apparently, since mini-horses are overbred and under-wanted (like most horses), they’re pretty nice, cheap and fat solutions to the people who can’t get easy meat for their exotic pets. No word on whether she was going to be live food or not. In any case, she was probably kept with a stallion because the owner didn’t care, and she and another (still pregnant) mini mare arrived at the rescue. But they’re healthy and fine now - my mother and I even cleaned their yard!

The draft girls duo have a similar story. The mother was (probably, she didn’t have papers) a brood mare, and was reaching the end of her fertile days. What happens often with older horses (or ferals) in such an overbred horse country like ours, is that they are sold to a collector of sorts who then passes them around for six or so months until they can be sold to a country that will eat them, like Canada or Mexico, or to a pet food factory. And since they sell by the pound, it helps to get the mares pregnant, so they’re heavier. Luckily, this lovely lady was picked up by the rescue and almost immediately had her baby. So all’s good for this pair!

The reason horse meat cannot be commercially sold for human consumption is because, basically, the American government decided it was too hard to check up and inspect many horse-owning properties to see if they were well taken care of, let alone clean enough to be eaten by people. I’m not really against horse meat, I don’t think I’d eat it myself, but I’d much rather America sell horse meat and thus heavily keep track of and protect horses, than the current system.

So yeah, the horse industry, a lot like pretty much any animal industry, is pretty fucked up. The racetracks are a big reason behind this - as is a lack of proper animal education. So please don’t support racetracks and remember to really consider your property’s capabilities when you’re getting a new animal.

Horses, as much as the wild mustang and/or brumby sounds cool, are like any other feral animal - they can’t survive well in the wild, and ruin the ecosystem for the real native animals and other life forms. You will never see a truly healthy wild horse, and that’s a goddamn shame. So don’t dump them either.

[bubblyhoney]

sarah i have thought of another fic request or like a cute idea i guess! i didn’t have anyone in mind when i thought of it so you can write it for whoever you want honestly :)

okay so the reader is a streamer but streams games like animal crossing, standew valley, etc. then (insert who you’re writing for) says they don’t like that game, but later ends up buying it and the reader is like “i thought you said you didn’t like this game” and they’re like “well i like you” and they confuses their feelings and they end up playing the game together and reader gives them a tour of their island or farm

i feel like this request isn’t good, but the scenario seemed cute and i wanted to share it. sorry if this is confusing or just too specific cuz i know it can be hard to write requests like that! but yeah i hope it gives you inspiration and you like the request <3

new horizons

warnings: language, a Marvel reference (hint: natasha said it about tony), stupid idiots who don’t realize they like each other, use of pet names, Uno rage, Hasan Piker's presence

words: 1473

tags: sapnap x gn!reader

A/N: i’ve been trying to catch up a little on my requests (i’ve only got a couple so i’m not super overwhelmed) but school and outside life has been taking up most of my time so this one took me a while to make! tbh— ive never played animal crossing so i did google some of the game mechanics and i apologize if anything is inaccurate about the game…. but i liked relaxing and writing this cute one so thank you for requesting hails :3

requests/inbox status: open

-

“This game is trash.”

Your head quirks, fingers stopped on the screen. You’re in the process of giving your character a cute new nickname; it’s kind of hard to decide between “awkward dude” and “elderly skater”.

“Excuse me?” Your chat comes alive with emotes and ‘KEKW’s, obviously entertained by you and your almost-more-than-friends-friend.

There’s a story for that later.

Sapnap’s rough laugh comes through your headset and he audibly swallows, the sound of a water bottle dropping onto his desk echoing.

“I’m just saying—it’s boring. It’s like Minecraft but you don’t like… do anything.” The grainy image of his bearded face shifts and you see him pull out his phone.

“It’s— you can’t even compare it to Minecraft! It’s a completely different game system—you actually interact with other people live in the game.” You huff out a dramatic sigh, slumping in your chair with a pout. “Just because you go into this lucid state where all you know is ‘touch block, hit George’ doesn’t mean this game isn’t fun.” (He scoffs at your awful impression of his voice. Your viewers love it.)

“Jeez,” he mumbles, fumbling with the cap of his water bottle. “Touched a nerve there, bud.”

You roll your eyes, getting back to the village in the game.

“Don't ‘bud’ me.”

The call falls comfortably quiet, the sounds of him tapping obsessively on his phone and you clicking away filling the silence. A gentle bedroom-pop YouTube playlist remains in the background, prompting you to hum along and glance at the chat to see a flood of “check twitter” and “Y/N TWITTER!!”.

“What happened on Twitter?” You mumble, confused, and pull the website up on another monitor. Sapnap just makes a curious noise, swinging back and forth in a circle. “Oh my God,” you say to yourself, fingertips brushing your parted lips.

“What?”

“Hasan Piker just followed me and retweeted one of my not even remotely political old tweets. Like from a year ago.”

“That’s— wow. Congrats?” Sapnap’s voice cracks, and his ears flush pink the tiniest bit when you glance at his face on Discord.

“I’m gonna go on record and say that he could get it.” You shake your head in disbelief.

Sapnap falls uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal, so you look past the frenzied chat and to his screen— wait. He muted and turned his camera off.

“Um,” you start, furiously typing question marks in your private chat. “Where’d you go?” You mute and turn screen share off for your stream, concerned that he might’ve fallen off his chair and broken his neck and needs you to call the ambulance.

The characteristic ding of a twitter notification sounds through your bedroom, and you look at your phone quickly.

“That’s where I went.”

Sapnap Tweeted: “all Y/U stans can choke on my dick”.

“Jesus, Sapnap,” you say, and rapidly refresh to read the replies. This tweet was deleted. “That’s so— that barely makes sense, bro. Why— literally what?”

His snicker floods your ears and you relax in your chair. Crisis: averted. “Don’t fucking— what’s wrong with you?”

“I thought it would be funny,” he offers, shrugging, and fiddles with the straw in his water bottle, smile fading. “And also Hasan pisses me off.”

“Why, ‘cause he wants a piece of this? Jealous?” You think back to your viewers, knowing they’re probably spamming question marks and coming to ludacris conclusions about both of your absences. No offense to them. You remember your stan days very vividly.

“I mean, kinda.” He rubs once at his nose, glancing at the camera (and what feels like you) before taking a sip from his water bottle.

“Wow.” You watch one strand of his hair fall from beneath his hat and brush against his full eyebrows. “I’m uh—I’ll get back to my stream. You coming? Or is it time for a Sapnap-snack?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He snorts and leans his chin onto the balance of his arm.

“That means you like to take a little snack break mid-stream and come back approximately nine hours later and you didn’t even eat.”

“You know what— fuck you.” He flicks the camera as you laugh at the look on his face.

The teasing mood is easily kept as you switch games from Animal Crossing to Uno, all the while slamming Sapnap with +4’s and skipping the newly-arrived BadBoyHalo at any chance you can get. It unironically pisses him off and he has to take a Sapnap-snack break midway through (only a fifteen minute break this time, during which you and Bad take a “What Kind of Bread Are You?” quiz). The rest of the night is filled with devious cackles (you), loud and sudden bangs that sound suspiciously like someone hitting their desk in anger (Sap) and the stupid barking of Rat, AKA Lucy (Bad). She’s cute but a menace to the sound quality of Bad’s microphone. You sign off stream around 2 a.m. with various forms of thanks and kisses blown to the camera. It’s been a refreshing night, actually; you’ve been busy organizing a partnership stream all week and all your friends have been busy filming or editing or what-not. Quackity had time for a little Roblox every couple of days, though. He’s got your back.

The next time you see Sapnap is after a two hour stream of him try-harding in Valorant and you finishing responding to an email from your partnership in the VC.

“Okay, I’m back.” You hear him shift in his chair and click a couple more times on his keyboard. You perk up in your chair, closing the email browser you’d been looking at.

“Do you want to play anything else? I’m down for anything.”

“Absolutely not Uno. You can go to hell for giving me 6 cards that one time,” he jabs. You scoff, crossing your arms and leaning back in your chair.

“Okay, the +4 was on me but it’s Bad who gave you the last two. That’s not my fault, sweetie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, trailing off as the clicking of his keyboard stops. “Hey, um—Guess what?”

Your heart beats loud in your ears at the tone of his voice. He sounds nervous; that’s never good.

“I’m scared to guess,” you try, playing with a little Minecraft dog figurine you have on your desk with fidgety fingers. “What?”

“I bought Animal Crossing.”

Silence. You stare at his discord icon blankly, trying to reroute the wires of your brain.

“Tell me you love it.”

“Well… I haven’t actually played it— but you said you liked it, so.”

“So,” you repeat him, ears warming but continuing on. “Is that what you tell all your friends when you buy something they like? That it's because of them?”

He seems to choose his next words carefully, pausing a beat to consider your questions.

“Well, I don’t have a crush on all of my friends.”

“You—what?” You stutter, caught off guard and stumbling. What did he just say? “Don’t tell me you mean you have a crush on me.”

“I’m almost positive I just did.” His discord icon stares right back at you, taunting.

“You know, you’re very casual for someone who just admitted they like-like me.” Your cheeks flush pink and you have to press a hand to your chest to keep your breathing sounding stable.

“Yeah, I’m kind of cool like that,” he offers, a huff of a laugh punctuating his statement. The conversation moves into a lull that you can’t help but know is because of you. He must expect you to say something about it, right?

“You are very cool, Sapnap.” You tilt back in your chair, sucking in a breath to prepare yourself for your next words. “And—Isortakindofhaveacrushonyoutoo.”

He must understand you, for you can hear the grin in his voice when he asks “Really?”

“Y-yeah.” You feel like a preteen again, all shaky and giddy in front of the boy you just asked to a middle school dance.

“Um, alright. What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” you answer genuinely and swing in a happy little circle in your chair. “We could play Animal Crossing.”

“I’m down.”

You swear you’ve never heard more beautiful words.

He keeps his camera off for most of the time you two play, too focused on creating his island and asking you questions about how to fish to turn it on. He silently flips it on when you help him decorate his lawn, needing to show you in real-time the decorations he has bought and where you think he should put them. He looks cute. I mean, of course he does. He always does.

You tell him goodbye late in the night, eyes saying a little more than just “see you tomorrow”.

You like him. He likes you.

It’s even better when you two have matching gardens.

-

A/N: anybody and everybody (especially my precious hailey) let me know what you think!! :]

[space-mermaid-writing]

House Arrest [Loki X Reader] Chapter 1

Summary: You are Clint’s 'little' sister and actually a trained Shield agent. But you gave that up a few years ago and became a Chef, because you wanted a normal live. Then one day Natasha shows up at your door and takes you to the Avenger Tower for a while for security reasons.

Tags: Reader is an former Shield Agent, chef!reader, Reader Barton, 2012 Avenger vibes, everything is still alright, Slice of Life, Avengers Family, Loki has a good heart, still the god of mischief, Slow Burn, mention of food and cooking

Read it on AO3

Chapter 1: New Home

It's just before midnight when you finally get off work. You really like your job, but the hours are murder. Being a chef at one of the most expensive five-star restaurants in Philadelphia has its price. You take off your apron, which has hardly any stains from the last few hours on it, and throw it in the wash. The white jacket goes neatly into your locker and is replaced by a cardigan and a scarf. It’s a cool night. With a last good bye to your colleagues, who are still putting the dishes into the dishwashers, you make your way home.

The night is dark, but the streets are lit by lanterns and the windows of closed stores. Even if it had been pitch black, it wouldn't have worried you to have to walk alone through the empty alleys. Last year a guy had tried to rob you and threatened you with a knife. You had given him a broken nose and several stab wounds in the shoulder. After all, you had been trained at Shield. But the poor guy didn’t know that.

Half an hour later you arrive at your apartment. It's more functional than nicely furnished, and everything is a bit of a pick 'n' mix. But you don't mind it, because you spend most of your time at work anyway. At home you don't feel such great importance to culinary variety when it comes to your own food. A pizza or French fries with ketchup were always welcome. After all, you've been standing at the stove long enough at work. Tired, you decide to wait until breakfast for your next meal and, after a quick change of clothes, just fall into bed.

Fortunately, the next day is your day off. You make good use of it and sleep in. Afterwards you have an nice brunch with eggs, bacon and toast and after a short shower you go into town to do some errands. The sun is shining warmly from the sky and it's a beautiful spring day. If this holds up until the weekend, maybe you'd visit the weekly market and see what exotic and rare foods you can grab there. You love these little trips, even if you rarely find the time.

About two hours later and with three full shopping bags, you re-enter your apartment. It's on the second floor of a rather nondescript building, but the interior is very modern, with pastel-colored, high walls. You put everything in the kitchen cabinets and then brew yourself a tea/coffee, with which you make yourself comfortable on the couch and turn on the TV. It's time to relax a little. So you zap through the programs, watch the rest of an episode of your favorite series and then decide to watch a reality series, which is not exactly known for its quality but is entertaining. So the noon goes by until suddenly the doorbell rings. You get up to see if it's the mailman or a neighbor with a package. But a look through the peephole shows you that it is neither. Surprised, you open the door "Nat!" Natasha Romanoff is a friend of you and your brother, as well as the godmother of his children. But due to her job you rarely see each other. "Hey," she greets you with a small smile. "Can I come in?" "Sure." You lead her into the living room, where you turn off the TV. "What can I get you? Tea, coffee, milkshake?" "Coffee is fine." You disappear into the kitchen for a moment as she sits down in the armchair. Natasha was a rare visitor. Mostly she came with some news from Clint. You see him even less because he spends what little free time he has mostly with his wife and the two kids. Understandable. You don't hold it against him and try to visit them on holidays or for birthdays at her farm.

It doesn't take long until you return to the Russian woman with a new cup and some pastries and sit down on the couch again. "Well," you ask her curiously. "What do I owe the pleasure?" Natasha reaches for her cup. "It’s rather inconvenience. But first tell me if you’ve observed anything unusual lately." Questioningly, you look at her. "What do you mean?" "Nothing weird? You sure?", she asks. "Tell me what I'm supposed to have seen, please," you prompt her, both impatient and confused. Natasha gets right to the point. "You're being monitored." "By Shield?" "By Hydra." Stunned by this news, you remain silent. Natasha uses this pause to drink her coffee. "Oh, this is really good." But you don't listen to her at all, because various thoughts are circling in your head. And again you try to remember if you have noticed anything: same people you met, vehicles, anything. But you got pretty used to your life and didn't pay attention at these things. "Anyway, I'm here to pick you up. For your own safety it’s best if you stay with us for a while," Natasha finally breaks the silence and you look up. "What could Hydra possibly want from me? I don't know any internal secrets anymore. There are better to kidnap than me." "That's what we're trying to figure out right now." "Well, the danger doesn't seem to be acute", you note. "If they wanted to grab me, I wouldn't be sitting here by now. Thanks, but I decline and prefer to stay here. I have my job and the apartment." And now that you know what's going on, you can pay attention and take the necessary precautions, too. "Thanks for warning me." Natasha, on the other hand, doesn't look like she gives you a choice. "You know Shield has its ways to convince you?", she reminds you, but you shrug. Why would such a large organization bother with a single civilian like you? "What does my dear brother say about this matter?", you ask instead. "He hasn't been informed yet." Ergo, they deliberately leave him out of it so that he can't protest. You know this kind of approach of Shield.

Clint understands and supports you in your civilian life, even though he protested the loudest back when you announced your exit. "How’s he?", you want to know from Natasha, who is now finishing her coffee. "He's alive." That can mean just about anything from being happy and healthy to badly hurt but breathing. Better than being dead, you guess. "He's out in Africa with Steve right now." "Busy, huh?" "As usual." She stands up as a sign that she has nothing more to say for the day, and you walk her to the door, where you bid her farewell. "We'll talk again soon," she promises, but admittedly you have little desire to do so right now. "Sure," you reply and close the door behind her.

Well, that were some news. You put her empty cup in the sink and pause thoughtfully by the window. How could you have missed Hydra's agent, you ask yourself while glancing out. Your new life made you too comfortable. But it also takes up a lot of time and energy. And anyway, you dropped out because you didn't want to be cautiousness all the time anymore. You wanted a normal life with a normal job and normal problems. Away from agents, assassinations and super powers. You didn't want to check every day on your way to work if you were being followed, secretly monitored or if someone else was out to get you. That's why you’ve chosen this life. With a sigh, you sit back down on the couch. The past never leaves you alone, you guess. But tomorrow would be a long day even without these new old worries.

~~

The advantage of being a chef is usually that you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn for work. Most Restaurants open at noon, some even in the evening. So does the one where you work. There are preparations to be made before opening time, but you can still sleep through the morning, do some housework, and then head to the restaurant in the sunny afternoon. That's where the trouble starts, though. Just as you're about to open your locker to change your clothes, someone taps you on the shoulder. It's your boss, who hands you a letter. You can tell immediately from his serious expression that something is wrong. And when you open the envelope, you discover your resignation. You look up, perplexed, but you lose out in the following discussion. You don't even get a decent explanation, and that’s what annoys you the most. You're pretty sure your skills aren’t the issue, neither is the way you work. Nor the way you treat your colleagues, with whom you get along very well, even if the tone among cooks is a bit rough. You go back to your apartment, now in a bad mood. It‘s unbelievable! The sunny weather seems like a mockery to you now, and the people you meet along the way are in far too good a mood, in your opinion. It will be hell to find another good job as this was.

Arriving back home you immediately get more bad news: your landlord put a notice on your apartment door. The bathrooms in the building will get completely renovated soon and will be unusable for several weeks. Plus the heavy construction noise during the day. And the water would be turned off. It would be best to find temporary substitute apartment, so they recommend. "Haha...ha..." You laugh dryly and unlock the door. Was that a coincidence? When Natasha had been here yesterday? Probably not. You know Shield's methods and that it’s easy for them to take away your job and your apartment just to get their way. You have two options: either you accept the offer before Shield gets any more stupid ideas, or you run away and try to hide. With a sigh you go into your bedroom and throw a suitcase on the bed, in which you pack clothes, the most important documents and some things from the kitchen you need for work. Not everything fits, so you add a second travel bag. Meanwhile, you think about who you could complain to. Your brother was a favorite target of yours, but he a) had nothing to do with this matter and b) was not in the country. Which’s a shame, because you'd really like to have him by your side right now. If you wanted to complain to Shield directly, Fury would probably be the best person to do it. But you hold too much respect for him to vent your anger to him. Maybe just the next Shield agent who would come to you on this matter would have to step in. You know someone would definitely get back to you. With one last look around your apartment, you leave it and lock the door. Then you shoulder your bag and make your way out.

Just as you're thinking about getting a large coffee from Starbucks down the street, a red sports car pulls up to the side of the road. Natasha at the wheel. "Hmph..." You walk over to her and throw your luggage in the back seat. Then you take a seat in the passenger seat yourself. "Just for the record, I'm not happy with this." "I can see that." She tries to give a sympathetic smile, but you know this is just a job to her. "Well then, off to the Bat Cave, Wayne." "Does that make you Robin?", the Russian asks, driving off. "I guess", you reply snippy, not interested in keeping the conversation going. Fortunately, Natasha wasn't exactly the talkative sort either, so you have some peace and quiet to get your thoughts in order.

It takes you just under two hours to drive from Philadelphia to New York with city traffic slowing you down a bit. Otherwise, you would have arrived earlier at the former Stark Tower. It's been the Avenger Tower for some time now, but that doesn't make much difference, except that Tony Stark seems to be too lazy to put the remaining letters back on it.

Natasha parks in the private underground garage and you take the elevator up to the grand lobby. She tells you about the current residents here. There’s the usual staff, who are of course always present. Of all the Avengers, Bruce Banner is living here permanently. "He actually hardly ever leaves the lab," the Russian explains. "I'm currently living here, too. Every now and then Thor stops by, but mostly he prefers to explore the world. And his brother Loki is here. There have been some...problems with him and he's sort of under supervision here. Tony trusts technology more than Asgard. The owner of the house, by the way, is out visiting an outpost right now." "There are even Avengers outposts?" Natasha nods as she walks you down the halls to the living area. "But don't tell Hydra." "Sure", you promise unfazed. "Speaking of which, if I want to go out to visit someone, do I need a key or how does this work?" "It's better if you stay here in the house for now. It's for your safety, after all." "For how long?", you want to know. The answer is short. "As long as necessary." "So I'm sort of locked in here”, you state. That's typical Shield. As soon as there's any problem, an agent is sent in to put everything in solitary arrest or quarantine. As long as it’s shielded from the rest of the world. Natasha stops in front of a door that is now yours, but doesn't look directly at you, which as much of an answer as you get. "I'll be fine on my own now, thanks," you smile politely but not genuinely at her, and after she assures you that you're free to move around inside the building, you head off with your luggage in your new apartment.

[beckydoesthings]

various fics of hxl that i adore reading! this list is quite lengthy, but feel free to message me if you have any questions!

*will continue to be updated. also, if i mistagged you, i apologize, i do not know how to tumblr*

Love Is a Rebellious Bird

E | 134k | @100percentsassy and gloria_andrews

AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

Don't hum Bolero.

i think this tickled every bone of my musical self and also made me cry (are you seeing a theme here??) one of the first fics i fell in love with and one i keep coming back to.

Collision

E | 226k | @tequiladimples

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

the world building in this one is insanity - so much good mythology mixed in and it made me screech with joy. i think i can firmly say that i did not expect where the plot went, but that made the story so much better.

Flour and Chocolate

M | 145k | @danosphere91

It was nice, for a bakery he supposed.

Then he approached the display cabinet.

And the foreboding slammed into him. Because every product had letters next to it. Letters. GF, DF, V, O, VGN.

What. The. Fuck?

Lifting his eyes to the chalkboard menu spread across the back wall Louis felt physically ill. ‘Gluten-free’, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’, ‘paleo’, ‘dair-…’ Wait, what the fuck was a paleo? He had entered some hipster-trash establishment and it was more than time to get out.

OR

Louis is a single dad and Harry works at the newly opened bakery down the street.

the miscommunication in this fic is SO REAL and makes for a good read. the rest of the flour and chocolate series is also fantastic. i thoroughly enjoyed both the ziam and ed/niall arcs that bring the whole story together.

run away home

E | 106k | @hattalove

Louis stands, in the middle of a clearing with his hands in his pockets, and stares. This boy—God, this gorgeous, gorgeous boy. He seems so clumsy, confused at the best of times, but there’s a wisdom about him as he speaks, a maturity that belies his age.

Louis is hopelessly, wildly attracted to him.

or, louis is a successful jockey down on his luck, struggling to get his life back on track after an injury. harry has a horse, a house fit for a prince, and a broken heart.

it takes them a while to figure out that they need each other.

this makes my inner horse girl extraordinarily happy - even if i don’t know anything about horse racing. louis’ story in this is beautiful and makes the whole piece worth a read.

waiting for the tides to meet

E | 60k | @nauticalleeds

Louis lets out a deep breath, thinking about Harry’s soulmate. Thinking about how Harry’s soulmate is probably as beautiful as Harry, some person that Louis cannot compare to, and how the universe has chosen them to be Harry’s. Fuck the universe. “Fuck you,” he calls out to the universe. He’s aware of how crazy he sounds.

Maybe he is crazy, with how he’s falling for Harry. And fuck that, too.

Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with heterochromia — one eye is their own eye colour, while the other is the colour of their soulmate's. It's only when they meet their soulmate for the first time that their own eyes match properly. After a hazy night at a frat party, Louis wakes up to blue eyes and the shocking realization that he had met his soulmate, without any sober recollection. Seven years pass where Louis comes to terms with the fact that he'll never know who his soulmate is. Then one fated summer, a beautiful green-eyed photographer arrives at Louis' workplace, with promises of endless laughter and a familiar feeling in Louis' heart.

Featuring a lovely cup of OT5, a road trip down the coast, and a scene where Harry eats a whole head of lettuce. Don't ask why.

gorgeous soulmate AU that gives me summer cruising vibes. worth the read for the lettuce scene alone (i kid, i kid)

Do Not Go Gentle

E | 70k | @afirethatcannotdie

“This is all a game to you, isn’t it? Well, it’s not for me. This is a real life or death situation,” Louis says, spitting the words at him. “And I just don’t think you’re cut out for it.”

For a moment, they stare at each other in complete silence. Harry can feel his blood thrumming between his ears, can see Louis glaring at him, feels red-hot anger. And then all he feels, oppressively and desperately, is lust.

Suddenly Louis is surging up to him to press his lips against Harry’s. Harry walks the two of them backwards, pressing Louis back against the door. Louis oomphs in surprise and brings his hands under Harry’s scrub top, scratching at his lower back.

“Lock — oh — lock the… fucking door,” Louis mutters.

When Harry Styles starts his first day as a surgical intern, he expects a lot of things: to treat patients, to observe a surgery, to feel a bit overwhelmed. What he definitely doesn't expect, however, is that the handsome guy he kicked out of his bed this morning is also an intern.

A Grey’s Anatomy AU where tensions are high, Harry and Louis are hooking up in secret, and no one has time for love. Or do they?

okay i’ve watched maybe 3 episodes of Gray’s Anatomy, but i feel like this encompasses the vibe of the show: medical stuff with a hefty dose of angst and sexual tension

Falling For Me Won’t Be A Mistake

M | 58k | @all-these-larrythings

Harry is married to his job and so overworked that he doesn't know how to stop. All it takes is a forced Hawaiian get-a-away, the warm tropical breeze of the island, and the most beautiful, elusive man he's ever seen to make him remember what living is like outside of work. Well, that, and the little souvenir he accidentally takes home with him.

one of my favorite mpreg fics so if that’s not your cup of tea, then don’t read it. i love surgeon harry with a vengeance, but honestly Gems and Niall are iconic in this one.

Watching the World Fall

E | 11k | @crazyupsetter why won’t it let me tag :(

This segment has been going on long enough that Louis knows what’s coming before James starts in on it, trying to sell him on something he knows that Louis wouldn’t normally be buying. But there’s four cameras surrounding him, and an audience watching him expectantly, so if Louis wants to continue convincing people that he’s doing just fine, he’s going to have to go along with it.

“We have a whole host of single men backstage waiting to meet you, Louis,” James tells him. “We want to help you find love tonight, on Late Late Live Tinder. Is this okay? Do you want to play?”

It actually kind of makes sense that his first date after the break-up is going to be just as public as said break-up. Something like coming full circle.

“Alright, James,” Louis agrees, hopping down off his stool.

“Okay, come down to the stage,” James says. Louis can’t even tell whether the excitement in his voice is genuine or not. “Right now, come on down!”

i have a soft spot the size of Antarctica for Late Late AU fics (we stan James Corden) and for exes to lovers so this checks all the boxes.

autumn leaves

E | 27k | @suspendrs

“Brave?” Harry frowns, caught off guard. “No, not particularly.”

“You seem brave,” Louis decides, pushing off the wall and stepping on the butt of his cigarette. “You are strong, and you are not mean. That’s good,” he assures, touching Harry’s arm gently.

“Thank you, but that’s not true,” Harry smiles ruefully. “I’m really not anything special.”

Or, Harry is an American soldier in France during World War II, and Louis is a French waiter that doesn't mean to fall in love with him.

love love french AUs and while this one isn’t sunshine and rainbows, it’s a beautiful yet heart wrenching piece. warning for period typical homophobia

caught up in your love affair

NR | 8k | @disgruntledkittenface

“And the corgis took to you straightaway,” Harry remarks.

“That’s true,” Louis chuckles.

 “I’ve spent the last 29 years being barked at,” Harry deadpans, jerking his hand toward Louis, “this one walks in, absolutely nothing.”

Louis outright giggles at that, saying, “They were just lying on my feet during tea.”

“Wagging tails,” Harry says, shaking his head.

“It’s because they don’t understand flirting,” Louis tells him, “you can’t charm them the way you do everyone else.”

Royal AU. Prince Harry announces his engagement to Louis Tomlinson in an interview with longtime friend and BBC host Nick Grimshaw. Inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

just. 8k of royal fluff. that’s literally it and i adore it so much.

Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You)

M | 54k | @rainbowsandgucci

”Due to unforeseen circumstances, help is needed here at the orchard for the impending apple season. Looking for someone able to start within the next week or two at the most, is willing to do whatever miscellaneous tasks are needed, such as picking & packing apples, running the cash register, and other handywork that may need to be done. Must be good with customers, and able to lift up to 50lbs. Help will be needed until at the least the end of October. Please contact the number found on this page, or come out to the orchard and ask for Harry. All the love xx” --- Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles. Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn. He also starts to fall in love with Harry. Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

i never thought i would enjoy an apple orchard fic?? but it’s so good?? farmer harry makes me laugh to think about, but the heartbreak in this fic is so. real.

Mine Would Be You

E | 114k | @crinkle-eyed-boo

Louis blinks his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering as the room swims around him. He takes several gulps of beer once he confirms that he’s definitely not hallucinating, that the very first portrait Harry Styles ever painted of him is hanging on that wall.

Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache. A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.

Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn't intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

exes to lovers drama but make it extra sad. the fact that we see so many facets to this story just makes it all the more painful, yet beautiful. this fic also reminds me of how much i love one mister niall horan.

One for Luck

E | 96k | @leavingonatrain

The very first time Louis remembers hearing Harry Styles' deep, deep voice, he's just won gold at the World Equestrian Games and he's officially back on Great Britain's Olympic team. He's also three sheets to the wind, drunk on victory and champagne, and there's a gorgeous boy whispering in his ear. Life's grand.

(AU: Louis and Harry are professional riders on the British Olympic team.)

again, i know nothing about horses, but i like to pretend i do for the sake of this fic. it’s beautiful, it’s smutty what else could you ask for?

Nothing But You On My Mind

E | 83k | @absoloutenonsense

Louis Tomlinson is a PR manager hired to improve the image of royal bad-boy Prince Harry Styles. Unfortunately for him, that means being faced with the Prince's constant innuendos, incessant dirty jokes, and relentless flirting. Louis just wants to make it to Princess Gemma's coronation; once she's crowned Queen, his contract is up and he never has to see the Prince again.

i absolutely. definitely. sobbed tears at this fic. it’s just so beautifully painful to read. don’t want to spoil anything, but this is a must.

Adore You

M | 67k | @isthatyoularry

“We invited our new acquaintances from uptown. You’ve simply got to meet their oldest son!” said his mother with a flourish, and suddenly it became abundantly clear as to why his parents had so adamantly demanded he join them in Deansville for the entirety of the summer.

Against his wishes, Harry spends the holidays at his family’s summer estate, and is reluctantly pulled into a courtship he didn’t ask for. Harry doesn’t want to get married, but Louis does. They don’t fit, but then again they really, really do.

Vaguely set in the 1920’s. Headpieces, jazz, fashionable canes, and flapper dresses, and that.

i strongly relate to harry in this one! one of my favorite historical AUs and honestly i love the thought of louis in well fitting suits.

leave it to the breeze

E | 81k | @hattalove

Louis couldn’t be prouder of his bake, but there’s something—there’s something. Something about Harry Styles and the earnest way he measures, pours, mixes, scrapes. Something about the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth as he knocks the air out of his batter.

or a great british bake off au in which louis cares about winning and winning only, harry is made of sunshine and rainbow sprinkles, and niall sticks his nose into other people's business. also featuring liam as louis's best friend-slash-concerned mother, and zayn as a macaron connoisseur.

i. love. the. great british baking show. baking + h&l is amazing. and another reminder as to why niall is the absolute best.

Paint The Sky With Stars

M | 62k | @icanhazzalou grrr let me tag

On 10 April 1912, Harry Styles boards the finest ship the world has ever seen. Still grieving the death of their mother, he and his sister are being sent to America to live with a callous uncle who cares more about his business connections than family. Harry prepares himself for a long, disappointing voyage alone in his stateroom.

Louis Tomlinson has borrowed and saved, and finally has enough to purchase a Third Class ticket to America. With all of his belongings in a single ruck sack, he boards the Titanic filled with hope for a brighter future. Never one to sit still, he can’t resist exploring the massive ship, and soon goes sneaking into First Class in a stolen steward’s uniform.

By a twist of fate, Louis finds himself in Harry’s stateroom, entranced by the most attractive man he’s ever laid eyes on. He keeps returning day after day, even if he doesn’t understand what it is about Harry that continues pulling him in. That’s all right; Louis has a week to figure it out, and Harry is plenty willing to help.

Except they don’t have a week. They have four days. Because on 15 April, their entire world will be turned upside down.

Or, the historically accurate Titanic AU with a happy ending.

gorgeous historical fic that’s so accurate and painstakingly written. i keep coming back to it!

When It’s Late At Night

M | 25k | @all-these-larrythings

Louis has zero interest in an ex-boybander turned solo artist when his appearance on the show gets announced, but that's exactly who he gets stuck with when Harry Styles shows up at the Late Late show to promote the release of his debut album. For an entire fucking week.

Or

The Late Late prompt that we all need to get through this excruciatingly hard time.

remember when i said i love Late Late AUs? yeah. i love that louis gives absolutely zero shits in this fic until he gives all the shits.

Chasing Empty Spaces

E | 79k | @domestic-harry

The year is 1934 and Harry Styles was to inherent the largest tobacco firm in the south. His parents have picked out the “perfect” girl for him to marry and he has the privilege of receiving the highest education possible. The problem was, Harry hadn’t realized he didn’t actually want any part of that future until he met a mechanic named, Louis Tomlinson.

gorgeous historical AU that goes through Harry’s struggle with his sexuality wonderfully. this one also made me cry.

Resist Everything Except Temptation

E | 100k | @domestic-harry

The lethargic sound of heels clicking against wood resonated across the sea. Footsteps descended the staircase, every assured step creating a menacing aura as it grew closer. Perspiration gathered along Louis’ palms as the rhythmic sound halted in front of him.

“Captain,” Malik greeted.

Louis watched out of his peripheral as Malik’s boots shuffled back a few steps. Sweat matted the hair along the nape of Louis’ neck as he waited for something to happen. He felt as if a sharp blade was twisting his gut as the silence became tangible. There was a metallic slide of a sword being pulled out of its sheath, the sound startling Louis out of his cocoon of sterile shock. His shoulders jumped as the tip of a blade flattened underneath his jaw. Louis’ distorted reflection stared back at him in the polished metal. Engraved rose petals twisted his appearance as they crawled up the length of the sword. The sword lifted and took Louis’ chin with it.

Standing in front of Louis was Captain Styles.

OR

The one where Louis is the commodore's son who is forced to become a part of Harry's crew when he is captured.

love this pirate AU that’s got one badass gemma styles. also, harry as a super cool pirate in gorgeous clothes makes me super happy!

i’ll make this feel like home

E | 49k

Harry to groans himself and then takes a deep breath. “Okay, well. Here’s the thing. I peed on a stick.”

Louis isn’t able to get more than a shocked “What!” out before Harry’s steamrolling on.

“I peed on a stick and it says it’s positive, but you always prattle on about how it’s best to go to the doctor’s before you get excited, you know to confirm it because sometimes hormones are off or you have like a tumor or some shit and get false positives and what if I’m dying and-”

“You’re pregnant?!” Louis shouts out, stomach dropping as the words leave his mouth.

“Um, yeah… maybe.”

[the one where Louis' hopelessly in love with his best mate... who just happens to be pregnant with another man's baby.]

baby momma harry with hot mess!Louis is a recipe for disaster, but this one has plenty of fluff to make up for it.

Hands Clasped Tight

E | 44k | @afirethatcannotdie

“What am I looking at here?” Harry asks.

“This, my friends, is a ‘proof’ Instagram account, run by your students,” Liam announces.

“It’s got all this stuff about how the two of you are together,” Niall adds.

“I heard about that,” says one of the math teachers. “Confiscated a kid’s phone today when they were looking at it. I have to say, the evidence that you’re dating is pretty damning.”

“Really,” Louis says dryly. “Do you think being married for three years might have something to do with it?”

Or the one where Harry and Louis are high school teachers and their students have been playing matchmaker for over a year. Little do they know, Harry and Louis are already married.

love love teacher harry and louis that’s mostly funny fluff with a little angst. just a teeny amount. reminds me of my own experiences with meddling students haha.

*updated 2/16/21*

[meetthemoosemonster]

*Enderman noises*

Hey yall, I wrote a Ranboo fanfic and thought I’d post the link on here so its with all the other things that I write and show random people on the internet!

*Enderman noises* (1918 words) by nika_write_snow Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF) Characters: Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) Additional Tags: Mentioned Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Dadza, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluff, Panic Attacks Summary:

Ranboo finds out he has one of Tommys disks, Philza notices the ruined property value and parents the scared enderboy.

"here is the ao3 link, tell me if it doesnt work or something.

Summary:

Ranboo finds out he has one of Tommys disks, Philza notices the ruined property value and parents the scared enderboy.

Or

What I wished happened after Ranboo found the disk, with Dadza because I have Parent Issues (yup, its not just one of them, hahahahahahahahaha)

Characters:

Ranboo

Philza

Content Warnings:

Panic attacks Mild injury That's all I think, but if I missed one please tell me so I can fix it!

Under the cut is the full work, remember, Reblogs fuel the writing braincell!

Purple particles buzzed around Ranboo, his body also vibrating as his breath sped up and his brain grew foggy. This happens sometimes, when things got really bad, and Ranboos memory really started to slip, or he was just straight up panicking. The half enderman boy was sat shaking in front of an open chest surrounded by dug up dirt and soft looking snowflakes that bit at Ranboos skin. He was staring blankly at the green disk in the chest, making vwoops and crackly noises each time the reality of his situation hit him. The enderman hybrid shook his head, making more aggressive enderman noises for a second, then tried to take a deep breath.

‘You're ok, You're ok. Dream isn't here right now. Dream can’t-’

‘I have cat. I have one of Tommys discs. I have one of THE DISCS. Dream gave ME one of THE DISCS? Why? Why would Dream do that? Why would he trust me with something that gave him so much control over Tommy? What did I do?’

‘You didn't do anything, you would have written it down in your memory book,  you would’ve, wouldn't you?’

‘Would I? I didn't write down that I blew up the community house, but I definitely did that, right? I mean, I had that tnt, it must have been me. I just didn't write it down cause I didn't want to remember. What else am I forgetting? What else did I do that was so bad that I didn't even write it down? What else did I want to forget about? What else-’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Philza was looking through chests looking for glass. The honey farm had broken again, and he needed bottles to fix it.

“This chest system is still scuffed from Tommy, that gremlin child really doesn't know organization does he.” Phil shook his wings in exasperation. He was still looking for the glass when he heard the sounds of an upset enderman. Confused why Edward was so riled up, Phil looked over at the enderman sat awkwardly in a boat, the mobs limbs too long to fit inside. Phil only got more concerned when he saw that Edward was only making small, concerned vwoops after the more aggressive noises, head was turned to look out the window towards Ranboos shack. 

Phil followed the endermans gaze to look at Ranboos shack through the window and sucked in a breath. What used to be a snowy lawn in front of Ranboos makeshift base was now a big hole of messily dug up dirt. Phil could see Ranboos figure, looking eerily small for his actual towering height, hunched over in front of a small chest, a shovel shimmering on the ground next to him. But what concerned Phil the most were the enderman noises coming from the area. Phil had heard Ranboo make some enderman noises before when he talked to Edward, and a couple in passing to himself, he'd never seen such loud scared crackles and vibrating noises from him before.  Another small worried vwoop from Edward grounded Phil enough to realize that this kid probably needed help. Phil grabbed his coat and wrapped it awkwardly around his wings before he rushed out the door and headed to where Ranboo was. 

As Phil approached, he could clearly see the cloud of purple particles around Ranboo, who appeared to be shaking, no, vibrating. His suit was wet from the melted snow, and plastered to his body, and Phil flinched remembering how much water could hurt enderman. His hair was also soaking, the white and black strands dripping. There was an indent where his crown would usually be, but Phil could see the red and green jewel encrusted golden band a couple blocks away, in one of the deeper areas of the damage. Phils footsteps slowed the closer he got to the dug up lawn, trying not to scare the kid with heavy footsteps on snow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ranboo was trying to breath. ‘In, out, in, out, in, out, in, out, in- Does it even matter?’ He understood better now why he might have wanted to forget. It would be easier to not remember the chest or its contents, ‘Traitor’, Dreams voice in his head, his panic room. But the thought of forgetting and then finding out what he'd done when his friends, ‘Are they my friends?’, found out what he had done filled his body with terror and caused his eyes to well up with tears. It felt familiar. ‘Why does it feel familiar?’ The air around Ranboo felt like it was vibrating with the enderman hybrid and the particles that circled around him, and the glitchy noises started getting louder.

‘Stop thinking, stop, STOP, STOP THINKING.’ Ranboo let out the enderman equivalent of a scream, and then winced as he felt tears fall down the sides of his face, leaving burning trails of pain.

“Hey, Mate, you okay?” Ranboo jolted at Phils soft voice, a small surprised vwoop coming out. 

“Oh, Oh, um, yeah” Ranboo said quickly, hastily trying to close the chest in front of him, but accidentally slamming the lid on his thumb as his shaky hands fumbled with it. “Im fine, I was just uh…..” He trailed off, not having a good explanation for the mess that he made other than the truth. And he couldn't tell Phil that. ‘But you can! You should, so you stop betraying everyone.’

“Mhm…” Phil hummed skeptically as he looked at the chaos, but decided not to press. He looked back at Ranboo, who was shakily trying to stand up, but then had to sit back down, his body too exhausted and painful. Ranboo looked up for a second, locking eyes with the winged man standing cautiously in front of him. He realized his mistake too late, and was too exhausted to stop the instinctual reaction. He felt his jaw fall and the air begin to buzz intensely all over again. He felt defensive beyond reason, like he always did when he lost control while making eye contact. Luckily, Phil noticed Ranboo tense up and saw his jaw fall, showing off purple glowing teeth like spikes and looked down, breaking eye contact. His gaze found the black and white mask Ranboo usually had covering his mouth was on the ground next to them, soaked and abandoned.

“How about you come into Technos house with me so we can get you dried up, Ok?” Phil was still looking at the ground, and couldn't see if Ranboo was calmer now, but he felt the buzzing particles in the air fade significantly at his quiet words. Phil dared to glance back at the soaking white and black kid, and relaxed when he saw Ranboo was also looking down, more out of exhaustion than anything, but definitely more calm now. His jaw was back where it usually was, and he was no longer vibrating intensely. 

“Ok, here, let me pick up your crown and mask, and then we can head back to the house.” When he had put the 2 items away he held out his hand to Ranboo who took it carefully, almost as if he was afraid it would be snatched back. But it wasn't, and Phil helped Ranboo stand up, and started to lead the boy through the snow, leaving the chest behind them. Ranboo leaned against the significantly shorter man next to him, stumbling through the snow, his brain foggy from the pain and fear. Philza felt him shaking slightly, and nearly pulled away, worried that the enderman hybrid was panicking again. Almost immediately he realized that Ranboo was just shivering from the cold, being in a soaking wet suit surrounded by snow was going to make nearly anyone freezing cold, Enderman hybrids being no exception. Phil freed one of his wings from his coat and wrapped it around the kid to warm him up, not caring that he would have to deal with wet feathers later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they reached the house Phil got Ranboo a spare bed, which the boy flopped gratefully down on. Phil chuckled quietly for a second before grabbing a set of antarctic empire style clothes and placing them on the bed.

“Don’t go to sleep yet mate, you need to change out of those wet clothes so you don't hurt yourself anymore.” Ranboo slowly nodded as he sat back up and ran his shivering hands over the soft material of the clothes. Phil started towards the stairs, then looked back for a second.

“I'll be right back with something warm for you to drink so you can warm up quicker, and a health pot or 2 so we can take care of the water damage. Once you're done with that you can sleep, Ok?” Ranboo mumbled something that Phil took as an agreement, and headed the stairs.

Ranboo changed into the fuzzy clothes as quick as his shivering, tired body would let him, too tired to question why the clothes fit him perfectly despite the fact that he towered over Phil, Techno, and Tommy too. He sat back down before his legs could give out again and sighed, feeling himself getting warmer. 

His eyes were beginning to fall closed when he heard Phils foot footsteps and looked over to Philza, who was holding a steaming mug in one hand, and a health potion in the other. He also had a towel draped over his arm. Phil handed the enderman hybrid the health potion first, which he drank quickly, and then the towel. Ranboo just wrapped it around his head, too tired to put anymore effort into drying his hair. The bed shifted slightly as Phil sat down on the bed, maneuvering his wings around so he could give Ranboo space. Ranboo took the mug of what he could now tell was hot chocolate and began to take small, experimental sips. 

After a bit he pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned against Phils body, still taking small sips of his drink. Phil smiled at the boy and slowly wrapped his wings around them both, hoping it would help warm up Ranboo faster. When the enderman hybrid was done with his drink he closed his eyes and let his head rest on Phils shoulder, letting out a small sigh before he fell asleep. Phil didn't move for a bit, only moving his hand to carefully take the mug out of the others hand, and he settled down for a while, just thinking about the day's whole ordeal. Questions filled his brain. ‘Why did Ranboo dig up all that area so messily? What was even in that chest, and why was he so obviously scared of me seeing it? Why was he so scared?’ Phil tried his best to just brush them off, he would ask Ranboo another day, when he was more calm, and feeling better. 

Some time had passed by now, and Philzas wings were beginning to cramp, so he gently laid the boy down on the bed, and carefully threw a thick blanket over him. Ranboo looked very peaceful in this moment, small vwoops coming out occasionally, but he didn't sound distressed. Phil smiled for a second before he grabbed the pile of wet clothes and took them upstairs to get washed and dried with the mask. Ranboo felt safe and warm for the first time in a long time, and he was content, dreaming about defeating a dragon with a steak or something, snuggled under the warm blanket. Who knows, dreams are weird.

Thank you for reading! If you got to this point I wish you the most amazing day, thank you!

[jacaranda-bloom]

Monthly fic rec showcasing some of the fics I’ve read this month, and let me tell, you there have been a lot -  partly because I’m reprioritising my reading again and partly because we are being inundated with an avalanche of amazing fics at the moment. So yeah, be prepared for a fairly sizeable list under the cut.

In this instalment, there are fics from @sunflowrsix @kiddleau @metal-eye @flamboyantommo @icanhazzalou @sadaveniren @crinkle-eyed-boo @lululawrence @beau-soleil-louis​ @homosociallyyours @kingsofeverything @crazyupsetter @laynefaire and @allwaswell16.

Thank you to all the writers for sharing their wonderful talent with us. Please don’t forget to leave kudos and a comment if you enjoy their work. 💜

💜 an entire desert in our hourglass by tofiveohfive

@sunflowrsix Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 19k

# Pre-apocalypse, angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, post break-up, getting back together, anal sex, alcohol.

The world is ending. Harry comes over.

💜 bloodsport by tofiveohfive 

@sunflowrsix

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 40k

# Friday Night Lights AU, angst, post break-up, getting back together, underage drinking, anal sex, American football.

“You know how our next game is against the Cardinals, right? You remember how vicious those guys can get. I wanted us to come up with some plays, maybe work on a block from the left—”

Louis stops when he hears a chuckle.

He doesn’t think he’s said anything particularly funny, so he turns to Harry, waiting for an explanation.

“‘S funny, ‘s all.” Harry throws his finished bottle somewhere near the other discarded ones. “This is the first time you’re talking to me in eight months, and it’s still about football.”

💜 Half A Million Strong by kiddle

@kiddleau Part 1 of the Woodstock Series

Harry/Louis | Mature | 51k

# Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Famous Harry, Non-Famous Louis, Historical, 1960′s, Woodstock, Coming of Age, Recreational Drug use.

Louis Tomlinson is a young writer for a relatively new-on-the-scene rock magazine called Rolling Stone. His assignment is to fly across the country to cover the highly anticipated Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Armed with a notebook, audio recorder, and a camera, Louis just needs one big interview.

Harry Styles. A new name in rock music and a future name in rock history. His first album sold tens of thousands and his interviews attract audiences across the country. He has the poetry of Jim Morrison and the stage presence of Mick Jagger. And after seeing him perform at the festival, Louis is willing to jump through hoops to put Harry on the cover of Rolling Stone.

💜 Gather No Moss by kiddle

@kiddleau Part 2 of the Woodstock Series

Harry/Louis | Mature | 50k 

# Friends to Lovers, Famous Harry, Non-Famous Louis, Historical, 1960′s, Pining Tour bus, Coming of Age, Recreational Drug use.

Music journalist Louis Tomlinson will do just about anything to get a story he’s passionate about. Including spending a week on tour with the hard-to-manage rockstar-in-the-making Harry Styles. In the late 60s, every long-haired kid thinks they can make it in music, and Louis’ job is to figure out what exactly makes Harry so special. That is if he can get him to put down the bottles and guitars to answer a question truthfully.

💜 Caught By The Sun by metal_eye

@metal-eye Tumblr Fic Post Part 1 of the Caught By The Sun series

Harry/Louis | Mature | 19k

# Cabin AU, Summer Romance, Young Love, Skinny Dipping, First Time, Idiots In Love, Symbolic Thunderstorms, Bonfires.

He came every summer. It wasn’t even a question. Harry and his parents—one step, one real—picked up their lives, packed it into a car, and drove long enough to land at the ends of the earth.

The cabin had been in his family for a hundred years. There was no TV, no phone, no computer, no radio. There were decks of cards and plastic deer and marbles. There were skis and leaves and a treehouse.

And then there was Louis.

Or, Harry and Louis meet every summer at the lake.

💜 Somewhere Where You’re There by metal_eye

@metal-eye Part 2 of the Caught By The Sun series

Harry/Louis | Mature | 4k

# Cabin AU, Timestamp, Nostalgia, Blow Jobs, Boat Sex, Lake Sex.

The greatest luxury, in this new part of their lives, should have been time. It stretched at varied intervals with no attention to what the real world might find convenient. Hours yawned like horses’ mouths, stretching backwards in the effort of seconds. Except that Harry couldn’t help feeling like he’d missed out, somehow. That he needed to hurry. They’d been denied their formative horny years. Something had to give.

A Caught by the Sun timestamp in which they are both lazy and horny, and some things get resolved.

💜 Members Only by kikikryslee

@flamboyantommo Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Mature | 14k

# Gyms, Boxing, Awkward Flirting, Mutual Pining. Locker Room, Semi-Public Sex, Smut.

“Well, I’m gonna go work out now, so…” Harry said, his voice trailing off. Louis nodded. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Go get, uh, you know, strong and buff.” What? Louis wanted to die. “Um, thanks?” Harry said. “Um…” Without another word, Harry walked away from the desk. Louis pinched his thigh – hard – hoping that was some terrible, awkward nightmare that he might soon wake up from. Or, the one where Louis works at Harry's new gym and neither one of them knows how to hold a coherent conversation with the other.

💜 I’d Still Dance With You by kikikryslee

@flamboyantommo Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Mature | 57k

# Age Difference, Louis is 28, Harry is 21, Mutual Pining, Angst, Student Harry, Ad Exec Louis, Slow Burn, Smut, Bottom Harry, Top Louis.

“Well, I’m gonna go work out now, so…” Harry said, his voice trailing off. Louis nodded. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Go get, uh, you know, strong and buff.” What? Louis wanted to die. “Um, thanks?” Harry said. “Um…” Without another word, Harry walked away from the desk. Louis pinched his thigh – hard – hoping that was some terrible, awkward nightmare that he might soon wake up from. Or, the one where Louis works at Harry's new gym and neither one of them knows how to hold a coherent conversation with the other.

💜 Naked and Proud by kiwikero

@icanhazzalou Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 19k

# Farmer Harry, Songwriter Louis, Small Town, Organic Food, Summer Romance, Lust At First Sight, Pining, Smut.

The town itself is tiny, as evidenced by the ten minutes it’s taken Louis to drive the entire thing. There’s not a single recognisable brand in sight—no Tesco or McDonald’s or even a bloody Starbucks. Lining the streets instead are mom and pop stores with names like ‘Jerry’s Burgers’ and ‘The Market Basket’ and…

“'Naked & Proud?'” Louis almost slams on the brakes at the outlandish sign, the name written in a seemingly innocent font, words curved around a large cartoon peach. He can’t help turning into the carpark, easing the car into a spot next to a beat up truck.

He isn’t sure what to make of it. Surely it isn’t a strip joint or sex shop, not with the families and little old ladies going in and out of the establishment. Some kind of nudist hangout, perhaps?

And, oh, God. Did Louis’ mother accidentally send him to live in a nudist colony?

In which Harry runs an organic store, not a nudist colony, and Louis doesn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

💜 Paint The Sky With Stars by kiwikero

@icanhazzalou Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Mature | 63k

# Titanic AU, Strangers to Lovers, Happy Ending.

On 10 April 1912, Harry Styles boards the finest ship the world has ever seen. Still grieving the death of their mother, he and his sister are being sent to America to live with a callous uncle who cares more about his business connections than family. Harry prepares himself for a long, disappointing voyage alone in his stateroom.

Louis Tomlinson has borrowed and saved, and finally has enough to purchase a Third Class ticket to America. With all of his belongings in a single ruck sack, he boards the Titanic filled with hope for a brighter future. Never one to sit still, he can’t resist exploring the massive ship, and soon goes sneaking into First Class in a stolen steward’s uniform.

By a twist of fate, Louis finds himself in Harry’s stateroom, entranced by the most attractive man he’s ever laid eyes on. He keeps returning day after day, even if he doesn’t understand what it is about Harry that continues pulling him in. That’s all right; Louis has a week to figure it out, and Harry is plenty willing to help.

Except they don’t have a week. They have four days. Because on 15 April, their entire world will be turned upside down.

Or, the historically accurate Titanic AU with a happy ending.

💜 Just For Tonight (I can be yours) by SadaVeniren

@sadaveniren Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 43k

# ABO, Alpha Louis, Omega Harry, Prince Harry Styles, Secret Relationship, Arranged Marriage, Mpreg Harry, Smut.

Harry, prince of Cestrescir, has been betrothed to Ludvic, prince of Yorvik, since birth. He'd accepted a loveless marriage as his duty to his country, until an accident threw him in the path of a gentle alpha.

💜 Live A Thousand Lifetimes by Layne Faire (HisDarlin)

@laynefaire Tumblr Fic Post

Liam/Zayn | Explicit | 58k

# Exes to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Farm Setting, Vineyard, B&B, Horses, Smut, (check full tags).

It’s 2025.

After secretly writing and producing their first album in ten years, One Direction is weeks away from releasing their first new single and announcing a world tour.

With the whirlwind about to begin again, Liam re-evaluates the last ten years - the fame, the money, the people who changed his life forever - and the person who walked away.

💜 Mine Would Be You by crinkle-eyed-boo

@crinkle-eyed-boo Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 115k

#  Exes to Lovers, Artist Harry, Writer Louis, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Jumps, Smut.

Louis blinks his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering as the room swims around him. He takes several gulps of beer once he confirms that he’s definitely not hallucinating, that the very first portrait Harry Styles ever painted of him is hanging on that wall.

Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache. A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.

Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn't intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

💜 Own The Scars by crinkle-eyed-boo

@crinkle-eyed-boo Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 115k

#  Friends to Lovers, Drug Addiction, Coma, Rehab, Intervention, Recovery, Therapy, Tomlinshaw (Larry Endgame), Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, (check full tags).

“But I don’t belong here,” Louis insists. “Why do you say that?” James asks. “These people are all drug addicts and alcoholics,” Louis shrugs. Something sparks in James’ eyes. “And you’re not?”

Louis has never felt like he was good enough: for his stepdad, for his life-long best friend, for the life he's supposed to want. After an accident that nearly costs him his life, Louis' parents send him to rehab where he’s forced to face his demons. On the long and difficult road to recovery, Louis must confront the truths he’s been avoiding about his future, his relationships, and his sense of self-worth. Because before he can love anyone else, he’s got to learn how to love himself first.

💜 Fiction Romance by orphan account

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 18k

#  Strangers to Lovers, Blind Date, Punk Louis, Student Harry, Smut.

Harry has a type.

He likes older, sophisticated, mature men. Well-educated men. Men with life experience and passion for arts and social causes. Men who are established in their careers, who've sorted their lives out.

Niall knows this.

And so Harry can't understand why he's sat here opposite Louis Tomlinson.

💜 If Only We Wish Hard Enough by lululawrence

@lululawrence Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Not Rated | 5k

# Peter Pan Fusion, Louis is Peter, Harry is Tinkerbelle (except he’s the same size as Louis), Friends to Lovers (no smut), Flirting, Pining, Fluff.

Before Harry let Louis know he was there, he gave himself a moment to just admire him. Truly take him in.

Today, Louis was wearing one of his soft, simple green dresses that in many ways resembled the ones fairies often wore. Harry loved when Louis wore dresses. They showed off Louis’ waist and thighs more than any of his other outfits, and Harry loved that about them.

“You know I can hear your wings fluttering so you aren’t fooling anyone,” Louis said before turning and looking over his shoulder.

Or the five times fic where Louis is Peter Pan, Harry is his best friend Tinkerbelle, and it takes them awhile but they figure things out.

💜 I Can’t Do This Alone (Sometimes I just need a light) by Only_angel_28

@beau-soleil-louis Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Not Rated | 8k

# Strangers to Lovers (no smut), Meet Cute, Doctor Harry, Tattoo Artist Louis, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Loneliness, Touch-Starved Harry, Flirting, Fluff, Hopeful Ending, (check full tags).

“Harry,” he says after another contemplative moment, “can I hug you?”

It’s been...well, Harry doesn’t actually know how long it’s been. Less than an hour, probably, but already Louis says his name like it’s safe in his mouth, and now he’s opening his arms like Harry could be safe there too.

“Please,” Harry nearly sobs, and sinks into him the way butter melts on toast. It’s an apt metaphor, really, because what Louis is giving him is as essential and sustaining as a loaf of bread to a starving man. His basic need for physical affection is as vital as his need for sustenance, for sleep, and he can’t believe he’s allowed himself to ignore it for so long.

Or: Harry is having a rough time. Louis is the kind stranger who makes him smile again.

💜 You Make Lovin’ Fun by homosociallyyours

@homosociallyyours  Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 110k

# Girl Direction, Strangers to Lovers, Polyamory, Cruise Ships, Silver Fox Louis, Daddy Kink, Age Difference, Smut.

Harry is a 28 year old travel writer at a gay magazine who gets the assignment to go a lesbian cruise. She figures it's a nice chance to have some fun in the sun, but she's not expecting much else-- even if her partner and best friend are both encouraging her to hook up with someone while she's there.

When she locks eyes with a gorgeous silver fox from across the room, she starts to think she could've been wrong. There are lots of things standing in the way of anything real happening with her and Louis, but that doesn't stop them from falling for one another. True love isn't always easy, but they do make lovin' fun.

💜 As Deep As The Sky by swallowsmateforlife

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 12k

# ABO, Strangers to Lovers, Alpha Harry, Omega Louis, Smut.

A passed-out omega on the bathroom floor isn't exactly what Harry had in mind when he thought about taking a cute boy home. The idea of leaving Louis there, vulnerable and unresponsive, weighs guiltily at Harry's conscience. Turns out it's the best decision he'll ever make.

💜 Someone To Fly Home To by kingsofeverything

@kingsofeverything Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 35k

# Exes to Lovers, Divorce, Older Harry/Louis (in their 50s), Pilot Louis, Teacher Harry, Smut.

Louis. 55 year old pilot who wants someone to fly home to. Harry swipes right.

💜 Ghost Note Symphony by whoknows

@crazyupsetter

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 96k

# Proximity Curse, Blood and Gore, Supernatural Elements, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Smut, (check full tags).

Louis is on tour when he first hears about it. It’s all over the news – Harry Styles Attacked By Fan runs in headlines for days. It’s not even just the gossip rags, either. Actual journalists are covering the story. It would have been impossible to avoid hearing about it. Technically, Oli is the one who tells Louis about it, but it’s not exactly being covered up. Harry doesn’t answer Louis’ text asking if he’s alright, but that’s not really surprising. They haven’t spoken for months, and it’s been a lot longer than that since they’ve had a real conversation. The sting of the text going unanswered is still there, less painful than it might have been a few years ago.

It’s not that it’s easy to forget about, exactly. Louis has a whole life outside of One Direction now, though. So Louis goes on with his life, figuring that if Harry was seriously hurt he would have heard about it by now. He might currently be in the same country as Harry, but being on opposite sides of it puts enough distance between them that putting it in the back of his mind is easy. There’s nothing Louis could do, even if he thought Harry might want him to.

That’s why everything that happens next comes as a complete shock to him.

💜 Soaked In The Blood Of Angels by whoknows

@crazyupsetter

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 41k

# Creatures AU, Vampires, Incubus, Dubious Consent, Blood and Violence, Smut, (check full tags).

The boy looks drugged, caught between a man who’s almost twice his size and a girl who looks like she wouldn’t even break a sweat snapping him in half despite her small stature, eyes closed and mouth open as he pants, arching up between them almost as if he’s trying to escape.

Normally, Harry would ignore it and continue on his search for someone to drink from, someone who wouldn’t mind his sharp teeth and rough hands. He’s seen plenty of boys like this one, ones who picked the wrong playmates, and if he stopped to rescue every single one of them he would have died from thirst a long time ago.

This one, though. There’s something about this one, the sheen of his bright blue eyes as he blinks slowly, looks around as though he doesn’t know where he is, the weakness of his hands as he tries to push the girl off of him and make his escape.

💜 Say Something by kingsofeverything

@kingsofeverything Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 105k

# ABO, Alpha Louis, Omega Harry, Age Difference, 50 Year Old Harry, 28 Year Old Louis, Insecure Harry, Unplanned Pregnancy, Lawyer Harry, Theatre Manager/Actor Louis, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, (check full tags).

At fifty years old and recently divorced, Omega Harry Styles isn't interested in dating. When his doctor suggests a heat and rut matching service, he signs up out of necessity. It’s the only use he has for an Alpha in his life.

Twenty-eight-year-old Alpha Louis Tomlinson aims to change that.

💜 Until by allwaswell16

@allwaswell16 Tumblr Fic Post

Harry/Louis | Explicit | 38k

# Strangers to Enemies to Lovers, Famous Harry, Non-Famous Louis, Actor Harry, Songwriter Louis, Cowboy Harry, Farm Setting, Smut.

Rural Eagle County, Colorado wasn’t the type of place to find a famous musician or actor. At least not until songwriter Louis Tomlinson showed up with pop star Niall Horan to visit his uncle’s horse ranch, and they just happened to find themselves next door to a reclusive former movie star.

[p3nny4urth0ught5]

One Step Back - Prologue

Hey guys. This is the Clark Kent fanfiction that I posted about a few weeks ago or whenever that was, the Clark Kent x ex-fiance/ex-best friend! reader. The first few parts are going to be more focused on Clark just FYI until I officially introduce Y/n. This story is supposed to take place after the movie Justice League. This is the Prologue and I’m just going to warn you, it is pretty long.

I haven’t written anything in a while and certainly not something this in depth so please be kind. If you want to be tagged please let me know.

Big shout out to @singeramg for being so encouraging and helpful through this process. Couldn’t have done with without her. Enjoy!

Clark sat in the living room he shared with Lois and stared off into the distance. He could hear Lois talking but the words weren’t computing for some reason. It all sounded garbled, like she was talking underwater. Magazines were spread out on the coffee table as well as binders and other paperwork. The coffee in his cup has gone cold long ago but still he gripped it like it was the only thing anchoring him in the room. Since he came back and was able to take a moment and relax because the world wasn’t in danger of being completely obliterated, there had been one thing and one thing only on his mind. He had been withdrawn and distant and there was no doubt in his mind that if Lois hadn’t been so busy being the ground-breaking journalist that she is and also trying to plan their wedding that she would have confronted him about it already. She wasn’t exactly shy about getting the answers she wanted, one of the many reasons why she made such a good journalist.

He took a deep breath and set down his mug. Clark felt guilty that he hadn’t been more present. He loved Lois and he knew he should have been more active in their wedding planning but he had such a difficult time concentrating recently. His eyes flitted over to her and he felt such adoration seeing her speak so passionately about something she cared about. The guilt gnawed at him knowing that she was talking to him about their biggest day in their life and he couldn’t even be bothered to listen because of how distracted and overwhelmed he was.

“What kind of flowers do you think we should have?” He flinched at how loud her voice seemed now that he was well and truly listening.

His eyes widened at the question. Flowers. He hadn’t really considered that for some reason. Did Lois have a favorite flower? Clark couldn’t remember. Every bouquet he’d ever gotten her had a variety of kinds and colors. Did she like roses? Tulips? Lilies? He could honestly say that he didn’t know. He mentally berated himself, that was something he should know about his fiancé.

“Clark? Did you hear me?” She asked.

He gulped and cleared his head of all his jumbled thoughts before just saying the first one that popped into his head. “Marigolds.” His voice cracked at the word and he nearly felt his heart beat out of his chest at the thought.

Lois laid her hand on his and it took everything in him not to wince at the feeling. Ever since he’d come back from the dead his senses had been extra sensitive, especially touch. “What did you say honey? I couldn’t hear you.”

Clark shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. He was finding it hard to open his mouth and repeat the word he had just said. His hand reached for his mug and he took a big gulp of the cold coffee, wincing at the temperature and taste before clearing his throat again. “Marigolds. I think they would be nice for the wedding.

“Hmm.” She retracted her hand and pulled out her phone. Her nose scrunched up and he could see from his seat that she was looking them up online. “I don’t know. What about tulips? Those of my favorite.”

He nodded his head but inside he was wincing. “Sure, that sounds nice.” He was disappointed, he couldn’t believe that he didn’t know her favorite flower.

She smiled and he noted that while her smile used to make him feel lighter than air, which is saying something considering he can literally fly, but now he just had a sinking feeling in his chest. Lois stood, grabbing her empty mug and his half drunk one and taking them to the kitchen. He could hear her turning on the sink and washing the cups. “I was thinking red.”

He turned his head toward the kitchen in confusion, his brow furrowed. “What?”

“Red for the color of the tulips silly. What else?” She laughed. “What do you want for dinner? I was thinking Chinese. How’s that sound?”

Clark ran his fingers through his hair, he couldn’t relax. He had been constantly on edge and talking about the wedding was just making things worse. It was bringing up all the stuff he didn’t want to think about. He felt awful. “Yeah. That uh- that sounds great.”

The wedding magazines stared up at him, making Clark feel even worse than he previously had. When he’d gotten the ring, he’d been so sure and so excited to propose. He hadn’t even gotten to actually propose to her because his mom had given Lois the ring after he’d died and she’d been wearing it since. Clark looked down at the magazines and his breath caught in his throat at the photo in one of them. It was a more rustic style wedding, something he knew Lois would never go for. Everything about it reminded him of home, the bride in particular. She had flowers in her hair and her gown, while still elegant, was simple. A peach colored sash was wrapped around her waist and in her hand was her bouquet which comprised of the same flowers in her hair in an organized-chaotic fashion. He could practically see a young girl who he couldn’t get off his mind in the dress, the colors in particular bringing him back into his jumbled mess of thoughts.

The sight alone took him back to the days when his dad was still alive, when things were so much simpler and yet so complicated as well. Clark found himself lost in thought, going back to the days when his biggest worries were keeping his secret and helping out his parents with the family farm. He could practically smell the homemade biscuits and taste them on his tongue. There were nights even now when he longed for the stillness, the quiet, the peace that the nights offered back home. He didn’t get that kind of tranquility in the city, or anywhere else for that matter, with all the hustle and bustle. His heart ached for the things and people he had left behind, one of which has been plaguing his every thought since he returned.

“Clark?” He turned to look at Lois and realized that he must’ve been best in his own head longer than he thought as the food had already arrived and was spread out on the coffee table. The magazines and such had been cleared away and only the one that had caught his eye remained, clutched tightly in his hands. “Did you see something in that one that you like? That one wasn’t really to my taste but I did see some cute ideas in there.”

He turned and put down the booklet on the end table nearest to him. Now, more than ever, he felt like he knew what he needed to do to help him clear his guilt, to focus on Lois, to get his head out of the past and back to the present. Clark turned back to his fiancé and took the take-out from her hands before placing it on the table.

“Honey, are you okay? What’s wrong?” He sighed and smiled softly at the woman he loved.

“Lois,” he took her hands in his own, “I think that you have noticed that I haven’t been myself lately and in an effort to spare my feelings have declined to ask me about it. Am I right?”

She nodded and scooted closer to him on the couch while gripping his hands tighter. “You’ve been through a lot recently and I didn’t want to overwhelm you more than you already are.”

Clark rubbed the back of his neck and grit his teeth. He felt even worse now. He knew she had noticed. “I’m sorry that you have been keeping that inside.” She stroked her thumbs along the back of his hands. “And I know that I haven’t been very helpful with all the wedding plans–”

“Hey, Clark,” Lois released one of his hands and cupped his cheek. “It’s alright. I have been managing just fine on my own. I don’t blame you at all for being withdrawn.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes and he felt like an even worse person for her feeling the need to protect him. “Just tell me what you need.”

He shook his head. It shouldn’t surprise him how well she knew him by now. He cupped her hand that was on his face. “I think,” he eyes met hers, “that I need some time to get back to who I am.” A sigh passed through his lips; he was nervous about this next part. “I think I might go back home for a while.”

Her smile widened. “That sounds great Clark. I’m sure your mom would love to see you.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “When do we leave?”

And just like that, his heart sunk in his chest. “Um actually I think it’s important that I do this alone.” The joy on her face faded. “I just have a lot of stuff to work out and I don’t want to take you away from work. Don’t you have a big story you are working on anyway?”

She nodded; her brow furrowed. “Okay yeah that makes sense, I guess. How long do you think you will be gone?”

He winced. “A few weeks, maybe a month or two at the most? I don’t know honestly.”

Lois sighed and gripped his hands before releasing them and standing. She started pacing around the room mumbling to herself. Clark sat back in his seat on the couch. He pinched the skin between his eyebrows and groaned. His stomach was in knots. He knew he was asking a lot and he had lied about his intentions for his time away. Well, he hadn’t lied per say but he hadn’t told her the whole truth either. He knew if he had, she would have demanded coming, and this was something he had to do on his own. For goodness sake she didn’t even want him to go alone now and she didn’t even know the entire spiel.

“I don’t like this Clark, but I will go ahead and agree to it because of how you have been recently.” She turned and sat next to him on the couch again. “I just don’t want to lose you again.”

He set his mouth in a grim line and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. She cuddled into his chest as he kissed her forehead. “You won’t. I’ll only be gone for a little while. Knowing you, you will be so busy with everything that you’ll barely notice I’m gone.”

“That’s probably true.” And with that it was like a weight had been lifted. He knew what he had to do and while he knew that what he was planning was probably going to make him feel like an even worse person than he already did and cause him more pain, that it was the right thing to do. Clark hoped that in the long run, it would help him, and her. He was going back home to make amends with the woman who was once the most important person in his life, his ex-fiancé and best friend, Y/n, who he hadn’t seen in over ten years. And just like that, the weight that had just been lifted off his chest, came crashing back down. He was so screwed, she was going to eat him alive.

So that is the Prologue for this story. Sorry if it’s rough. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think and/or if you want to be tagged. I’ve already started on Chapter 1 but I have no clue when it will be finished. Thanks everyone!

[angelwars11]

Title: Transparent, Translucent, and Opaque

Prompt: Opaque

Pairing: Waxer/Boil

Rating: G

Word count: 3k

“Heh heh. Hi daddy!!” She and hurries onto her feet, which causes her balance to become a bit unstable. “We are doing a science project!! Umm, papa, tell him! Tell him!” Waxer waves his hand over to the freshly carved wood table that Boil made for them a couple months ago. So beautiful still. Waxer thinks internally.

“Soooo~ As you can see here, we have a couple items. Today I wanted to teach our daughter the understanding of Opaque, translucence, and transparency!”

— 

It’s a nice day on the farm to spend some quality family time together. With lessons that need to be taught and learned, new things to be discovered, and a little fun game of Scavenger hunt is at play. What will little Numa learn today?

This story was written for a challenge presented by @thatkanragirl which is for all Clonecest shippers, where we will write drabbles in July. I was given a different set of prompts and pairings to go with them! If you would like to read other contributors’ work then you can press the tag below #clonecest in July. 

This is my first day’s contribution! (I am posting it on the second day because I didn’t get to edit it till this morning with the help of my amazing Beta-reader @blazesurrender​, love yah!) So, get some popcorn, grab a seat, press ‘keep reading’, and enjoy some wholesome fluffiness! 

P.S. you can press the tags ‘betawrites’ or ‘angelwrites’ at the bottom, and you can find my other prompts easily that way!!

Boil stares at the screen of his holo-pad, as he has been doing for the past several minutes. He just can’t figure out what to do next. He is, or was, trying to order family photos but ended up getting distracted by work and now he can’t seem to find his focus again. He sighs and leans back into his soft-cushioned chair. A gift from Waxer a year ago. 

Wow, I can’t believe this chair is actually that old already. Crazy. And that means that little Numa is going to turn…..nine?! Wow, she’s getting so— 

A loud metallic crash sounds from the kitchen. Boil jerks in startlement and shoots up in his seat. 

“Waxer?!” He starts to run towards the kitchen where his husband is. Boil comes thundering around the corner, blaster in his hands, and stops in the doorway at the surprising sight before him. Waxer is eagle-spread across the tiled floor. Pots, pans, and dishes surround him; the pots still twirl round and round till they come teetering to a stop. 

“Waxer?” Boil deadpans. Waxer blinks at him in shock. 

“Woah! Boil? What’s the blaster for?” He sits up and points at the blaster that’s loosening in Boil’s two hands. 

“Um, what do you think? I thought something was wrong!” Boil retorts.

Waxer stands up and makes his way over with a soft smile on his face as Boil continues, “I…I had to…to make sure you were okay. Am I not allowed to do that now?” Boil turns his head away in embarrassment and leans the blaster down on the floor against the spam on the pink door-frame. 

“Babe, of course you can. I appreciate your concern over me but I just dropped the pots and pans silly.” Waxer giggles. Boil rolls his eyes. “Yeah, obviously, ” He gestures to the mess on the floor. “And what are you up to? Making dinner or something?”

Waxer pecks him on the cheek. “Actually, no.“ 

The brown cabinets start to shift. The doors open and Boil glares at it. Numa tumbles out and into the mess of silver pots and bronze pans. She smiles up at them and sneezes at the dust she brought out with her. 

"Heh heh. Hi daddy!!” She squeals and hurries onto her feet, which causes her balance to become a bit unstable. “We are doing a science project!! Umm, papa, tell him! Tell him!" 

Waxer waves his hand over to the freshly carved wood table that Boil made for them a couple months ago. So beautiful still. Waxer thinks internally. "Sooo~ As you can see here, we have a couple items. Today I wanted to teach our daughter the understanding of Opaque, translucence, and transparency!" 

Boil hums. "Huh, I’m impressed. So explain to me what you guys are planning to do with all of these items.” He sits in one of the wooden booth seats. 

“Okay! Numa, explain to daddy what our plan of ‘fun fun’ is,” Waxer rests his hands on his hips. Boil notices that they are twitching ever so slightly. Heh, he’s so excited about this, isn’t he? “So when we look around the house all the time we see items made of different materials. Umm, items that can be organized by the way they work with light.”

Waxer giggles oh so cutely. “Yep! So materials that allow almost all light to pass through are called,” He gives Numa a cheeky look. Finish that sentence for me. 

“Transparent!!” She cheers. 

Waxer smiles brightly “Yes!”

Boil chuckles. Numa is truly his daughter. They get along so well. Numa is practically Waxer’s partner-in-crime. Whenever Waxer is up to something, Numa is by his side every step of the way; and the noblest thing she’s done is when Waxer and her are caught, she blames everything on herself and makes sure her papa did not get in trouble. 

Boil hates punishing Numa. He really does! Because she’s a good girl. Boil believes that he and Waxer are raiding her quite well, especially after she lost her father during the 2nd year of the war and Boil and Waxer stopped at nothing to find Numa; and when they did, it was a dream come true. 

I remember she was so frail still. Barely any muscle on her body. Poor thing. Almost starved to death from another camp she was forced into. Separated from her father, like last time, but this time she was placed on a completely different planet on the other side of the galaxy. Good thing we found her in time or she wouldn’t be here right now. 

“So, examples of transplant items are glass, water, and air. Those materials that allow some light to pass through them are called what Numa?” Again, Waxer looks straight at their daughter. Numa smirks slyly. “Trans…uhhh…trans-lunctent?" 

Waxer blinks at her silently. Numa chuckles nervously and her lips bend inwards to look silly. 

"Okay, close enough, ” Waxer waves dismissively. Boil grins at that. “But yeah. So that includes things like frosted glass and wax flimsi. And if any object does not allow any light to pass through it then it’s, ” — “Opaque!!!” Numa cheers. Boil blinks in confusion. 

Waxer gawks and squinted at her. “Wait! Hold on hold on, so you remember THAT but not TRANSLUCENT?!” He raises his hands straight up into the air. 

Numa laughs at her papa’s loud antics. “Yessss~" 

"But that’s a new word?” Waxer scratches his head. “They all are, papa.” Numa reminds him. “Yes yes. Well, anyways. Most objects are opaque and include things made of wood, stone, and metal…Boil, what’s wrong?” Waxer finally notices his expression full of confusion. 

“I’ve never heard of the word Opaque before is all." 

Waxer screeches. "Oh force! I am surrounded by a pair of uncultured swine!!" 

Numa and Boil both start to laugh. "Come on, babe. Keep going.” Boil tries to move this along a bit. 

“Right, anyways,” Waxer starts to say but Numa interrupts him one again, waving her hands about, a giant grin spread from ear to ear. 

“So first before we even sit down and actually do the science-y part of the objects, we have to look around the house for objects made out of wood (opaque), objects made out of clear glass (transparent), and frosted glass (translucent).”

Waxer placed a warm hand on her left shoulder. “In other words…” He smirks mischievously. Oh no. I know that look.

Numa climbs up Waxer’s body like the little athletic, bendy, flexible monkey she is, and sits on his right shoulder.

“SCAVENGER HUNT!!!” They both yell in unison. Like they planned this from the getgo. Boil sighs heavily. I should’ve seen this coming from a mile away. How did I miss this mischief? I should’ve smelled it on em. They reek of it!

Boil facepalms himself. His right-hand wipes down the front of his face and then he’s yanked out of the chair and a list is slapped onto his chest. “Huh?” He stares at it and hovers it in front of him. 

“That’s your list! It’s blank, obviously, but you find things and put it under the category of transparent, trans-luctent, ” — “Translucent!!” Waxer screams from the living room. Numa rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out. “Whateverrrr~” She mumbles. 

Boil raises his hand and pats her head right in between her teal-colored lekku. Bright pink eyes gleam up at him. 

“And then Opaque, right?” Boil asks.

 "Yep!“ She smiles. 

Boil holds the piece of flimsi close to his side and starts to walk away. A lot of items are already on the table like wax flimsi, plastic wrap, Styrofoam plates, clear plastic lids, and colored plastic lids. That’s evidence enough of what Waxer was up to earlier in the kitchen, making all that racket. Kitchen items. So we have to do the hard work and find other things. Well, it wouldn’t be a scavenger hunt if we made it easy for ourselves. 

"Well, let’s get to work!” Boil shouts to Numa and disappears down the hallway to the bedroom first. 

… 

It’s been about 15 minutes and so far every room checks out. Boil found a couple transparent things like water; which he poured into a cup for him to use as a holder, and the glass table in the living room between the sofa and the holo-vid screen. Translucent things are hard to find and it seems they may already have all of those. 

But opaque items will be the easiest to find. It’s literally everything in their house! The furniture, Cardboard pieces, old books, etc. That’ll be easy peasy. No problem. Boil walks towards the closet and opens the door to see Waxer already inside of the small space. The light creeps across the carpeted floor till he snags at the heels of Waxer’s feet. He turns around and raises an eyebrow at his husband. 

“Hey. Whatcha doing?” He smiles. Wagging his finger back and forth at Boil’s suspicious body language. 

“Just looking at a handsome man before me who managed to snag my attention. Transfix me with his beauty.” Boil walks in a little further, his feet leave imprints in the soft padding of the carpet, and then he stands directly in front of Waxer’s face. 

“You always seem to know how to make Numa happy. I appreciate it. Really. I am always so busy, trying to get used to the war being over and everything. It just…I still haven’t gotten there yet like you have. My husband, who is always able to acclimate to any situation or any change.” Boil smiles at him. Waxer makes an ‘awww’ sound. 

“Darling, you are getting used to it. One day you’ll see that things are going to get much easier for you. And I hope it does. But don’t be fooled by my overly gleeful attitude. Heh. I am struggling a bit with settling in too.” Waxer admits. “I am not perfect. Nobody is.”

Boil nods. “Sure. Sure. But in my eyes, you’ll always be perfect to me,” His soft hand taps the side of Waxer’s warm skin, and Waxer leans into it. “Vor entye.” He thanks Boil. 

“Gar’re olarom.” Boil boops his nose. Waxer giggles before he dives down to the floor and bounces back up with two leather-backed books each. 

A red one, just for Boil. “Here you go.” Waxer hands it to him. And a Navy blue one for Waxer. “Now I think this Scavenger Hunt has gone on long enough. Let’s start this, in Numa’s words, 'science-y’ part finally." 

Boil chuckles and leaves the closet with Waxer close behind. 

… 

"You guys take forever! What were you doing in there?” Numa quirks one eyebrow up and rests her hands on her slender hips. Waxer makes a 'tut-tut’ sound and tosses, underhand, the blue book to her. Numa catches it with good reflexes. 

“Ah, books.” She smirks, disbelieving. “Okay, come on! I’ve been waiting for almost 4 minutes.”

They all settle down in the booth seats. 

“Alright you two, here’s the deal. Use your lists and the flashlights, say what happens to the light and write a diagram of what you observe. Got it?” Waxer grabs his pencil and smiles excitedly. 

“Got it, babe.” Boil smiles back lovingly. Waxer and he stare at each other for a couple seconds, reading each other, sending a clear message that their daughter wouldn’t understand until she’s older. But then—"I better not get any siblings from this.“ She whispers vehemently. 

Waxer and Boil snort. "Psh! You wish! Now be quiet and blind these babies with the power of…” Waxer pauses, for effect, “Light.” He turns on the flashlight. 

“Ewwww~ Stawwwppp~” Numa cringes and ignores her goofy papa. “I am ignoring you now. Ew." 

"You know you love me, baby girl.” Waxer smiles so hard that his eyes become little squints and two lines. Boil shakes his head in good-hearted humor. 

The three of them point their lights at different objects. For some items, the light just wouldn’t go through. Numa would shake her head every time that happens for her and she would write it down on the flimsi as opaque. Then on to the next item. 

The weirdest thing happened. Boil ran through every item like it was a ball game. He did not take his time. And Waxer studied every item liked he just completely fixated by the details on each individual thing. Boil scoffs. 

“Why are you doing all of that? We are just shining the light through them and taking notes, are we not?" 

"Yes yes! But this kind of procedure takes precision. If done wrong, the whole experiment could go up in flames!” Waxer turns the block of wood in his hands constantly. 

Boil lets out a hoot! “Ha! Yeahh, the way you are staring so intensely at it, it might as well go up in flames." 

Waxer glares at him. "Not funny!”

Numa’s eyes widen in wonder. They glow impossibly brighter at the new discovery and understanding of it all. She has three items lined up. One is transparent, the second is translucent, and the third is opaque. She is pointing the light’s warm ray at each item to make sense of it! 

“Wowww. I get it, papa!! Why didn’t I see it before?” She turns to smiles. 

“Because darling, you are just learning this now! Kids get to learn about this stuff and remember around the age of nine, so you are right on time.” Waxer looks so proud. Pride and happiness swim in his golden orbs. Boil stares, subtly, at the glow it reflects in them. 

“Thanks, papa. I loved this! I learned so much!” She gets up from her chair, runs around, and squeezes Waxer in a big tight hug. Waxer feels so loved right now. “You’re welcome, baby girl.” He breaths into her shoulder and closes his honeydew eyes for two seconds before gazing over at Boil. 

They share a smile with one another. 

“Now I think it’s time to put all this stuff away, review, pop quiz, ” — “Awwww.” Numa let’s go of him and stomps away. “Ah! Don’t 'awww’ me! You knew this was coming!” Waxer jabs his index finger at her. 

Boil snickers. “Yeah, you had to have known that was coming. Right?”

"Psh. No.” Numa scoffs.

“Then you suck.” Boil wiggles his eyebrows. Waxer cracks up laughing up a storm. He slaps his own thigh in amusement. 

“Uhhh, dad! Seriously!” Numa piles all the stuff she gathered and walks away. 

Waxer and Boil both chuckle and gather their things as well. 

… 

“Alright! First things first, what did you both learn?” Waxer crosses his arms over his chest teasingly when Boil stammers. “E-Excuse me, what?" 

"I didn’t stutter babe. What did you both learn?” Waxer repeats himself.

Numa snickers at Boil and places her two index fingers in both of her ears and turns them this way and that while sticking her tongue out. 

“Well, I learned that opaque means anything that can’t be seen through.” Boil twists his head around and grins with all teeth at their daughter. 

“Take that, ad'ika." 

Numa waves at him dismissively.

"Well, I learned something valuable today! Something that I think will make papa veryyy happy.” Numa teeters and tots back and forth on her heels. Her arms are behind her back. 

“And what’s that Numa?” Waxer questions. 

“Those items are made of different materials and every material reacts differently to light. Transparent objects allow most of all light to pass through them. Trans-lucent objects allow some light to pass through them. And opaque, like dad said, are objects that do not let light pass them at all!” Numa is on point. 

She’s a quick learner. She learns better when she does things a bit more hands-on. Just like Waxer. Boil inhales and exhales. He stares at Waxer and his spitting image. 

Waxer snaps his fingers and winks at her. “Spot on Numa!” He hugs her. “I am proud of you." 

"Thanks, Papa, ” She hugs him back. On cue, their Tooka cat, Melon, decides to poke its orange and white head around the corner to say hello. “Meow.” The three of them turn their heads and smile happily. 

“Hello, Melon!” Numa waves. 

“Should we go watch a movie? I can make dinner and then we can eat it on the sofa. Who’s down?” Waxer asks. 

Numa stomps one foot into the floor, yanks her right arm down, elbow pointing towards the floor, and then shoots it back up, pointing. “Yeahhhh!”

Boil forms a peace sign with his two hands. 

“You two are goofy! Come on, go ahead, and get showered and dressed while I make something simple; soup. Then we’ll find a holo-vid to watch!" 

Numa squeals and runs away. Teal lekku waving in the wind behind her. Boil runs after her. "Race you to the couch Numa!” He shouts. But before he left completely, he leans over and presses a wet kiss onto Waxer’s cheek before disappearing around the bend. 

Waxer smiles to himself, a light blush appears in the bridge of his nose. 

…

“Alright, you guys! Here’s the soup!” Waxer saunters back into the homey living room where the holo-vid is already set up with a nice movie Numa fell in love with a year ago. “Oooh! This one again! I love this one.” Waxer hands the small scarlet red bowl. Nice and ceramic. 

“Yep! Ooh, this looks delicious!” Numa sticks the wooden spoon into the red chili soup and starts to savor the spicy taste. Boil and Waxer curl up beside one another. 

Next to Numa is her purple Tooka doll. Dirty from all the many years left on it. Her beautiful rosé colored eyes stare in wonder and excitement, the light blue reflects in them. Boil watches in awe. 

“We did so well with her so far haven’t we? After the war, it’s been so hard for all three of us; I am just surprised that it’s just…look at how she turned up." 

Waxer smiled at him. "Yeah. She’s special alright. Our ad'ika. It’s crazy how fast she’s growing. It feels like only a month ago we found her again after the war ended." 

Distracted by the holo-film, Numa doesn’t notice her dads’ talking to one another softly and out of earshot.

 Boil leans against his strong shoulder. "And it’s only because I have my cyare here with me.” Boil glanced up at him. Waxer looked back. “Mm. Yes, you do. And I have you, cyar'ika.” They stare into each other’s twin golden eyes before they kiss one another on the lips. Soft. Affectionate and sweet. 

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.” Boil whispers against his lips. Waxer’s eyes flick from left to right, searching his, reading him. “Bal Ni gar.” Waxer returns the endearing vow of love and then they lean their heads against one another once again. 

Sounds of speeders echo from the holo-film. All staticky and in the foreground. Waxer chuckles and closes his eyes for a moment. 

“We should adopt another kid though,” Boil suggests. He closes his eyes as well. 

More silence. 

After a long pause, Waxer blinks, “What did you just say?" 

[dawniebb]

Closure pt. 4

I already want to get rid of this so...yeah. This is the last chapter, and it’s about Honey; for those who don’t know, this is a little series about grief, from the canon divergence I share with @healing-winston-pratt. This is the last chapter in the collection :)

You can use this post as a masterlist; you will also find the link to the canon divergence explanation there: https://dawniebb.tumblr.com/post/627798366140694528/closure-pt-3

Tag list: @novadreamer95438 @idkimbadwithusernamesandstuff @novas-tunnel-of-anxiety @obsidianfr3sk

-.-

Honey

Whispers

You said it was a wasted promise I thought it was a waste of time You said it was the perfect crime

Nova turned the car’s engine off and leaned her back against the backrest, turning her gaze up towards the ceiling. A few seconds after that, she closed her eyes.  

She then tried to enter into a full silence zone, until the outside noises started coming through the closed windows, letting her know that it was time; so, straightening her posture, Nova reached for the brown paper bag she was carrying in the backseat, before proceeding to take the bouquet of flowers that was driving with her in the passenger’s seat, leave the car and start heading out.

She hadn’t been in Gatlon’s cemetery many times, but given that she had a pretty good sense of location, she trusted she wouldn’t see herself in the need to go back to the entrance and ask the gatekeeper for directions; besides, it wasn’t like getting lost were that easy, taking into account what was it that she was looking for. After all, the zone she was heading to seemed to shine under the light of a spotlight.

They were called the Fallen Ones. Renegades and, ever since a couple of years ago, Anarchists; Renegades and Anarchists whose lives had been taking during battle; martyrs; Cragmoor inmates who had been proven to be innocent when it was already too late; civilians who hadn’t survived the Second Battle for Gatlon…all of those people that Nova had lend her voice to, once she convinced the Council everyone had the same right to speak as them.

Even those who were already gone.

If she hadn’t spoken up, maybe these people would still be in the “regular” area of the cemetery, or in the common pit.

The second gate, which led to the Aisle of the Fallen, was always open to the public, for those who had a loved one who rested there or the…curious ones who enjoyed necroturism.

When Nova stepped into the stone pathway, she not only felt she was entering a different cemetery, but a completely different world instead; like an alternative universe where death was considered a very long, well-deserved nap and a temporary goodbye, instead of a reason to cry and mourn.

Despite being overshadowed by the mausoleum Georgia Rawles and Evander Wade shared, the rest of the headstones managed to catch Nova’s eye, with their vivid colors and their pure aura, materialized in white marble; others were rather austere and modest…but there were some others, like the ones who belonged to Renegades who were no longer among the living, that even got to the point to have statues (Genissa Clark’s, for example), and were surrounded by fresh and healthy-looking flowers, helium balloons, letters and even significant objects, like plushies, books or other stuff.

With a sudden bittersweet taste in her mouth, Nova kept walking through that trail that, more than looking like a cemetery, it looked like Walk of Fame.

A gust of wind brought the overwhelming and cloying odor of flowers, and Nova couldn’t decide whether she was nauseous or just dizzy, so she elected to ignore that sensation and found some comfort in the sound of her soles hitting against the crushed stone.

After a while, she moved into the back of the Aisle of the Fallen, where the newest graves were being displayed. The spot around Georgia and Evander’s mausoleum.

For the first time, she managed to confirm that what she was feeling was nausea; although, a different type of nausea from the one she had been feeling the last couple of weeks; it was easy for her to discern that, this time, she was intoxicated by insanely high levels of adrenaline, as she felt, from one moment to another, how nothing about seemed fitting or adequate for this situations; she wasn’t wearing pretty clothes, she wasn’t wearing any makeup, she wasn’t wearing the right shoes, she hadn’t even brushed her hair; she didn’t look…presentable.

Nevertheless, she was already here, and she refused to leave.

As she got closer, her steps became slower, as if she were driving a car and was trying to avoid a big hole she had spotted in the distance, but fortunately (or unfortunately), she managed to get to her destination, and there she was.

Or at least, what was left of her in the living world (that is, in case another world existed).

Suddenly, the air became scarce and Nova just remained there, looking at her, at the same time her hand was tightening around the bouquet, reminding her why was she there in the first place. Thus, before she fully regretted having come here in the first place, she carefully got on her knees and gulped.

For a moment, Honey Harper’s headstone seemed to be greeting here back when she did, with a small, solemn head motion.

Nova had contributed with the money for that headstone, along with Winston and Leroy; but, unlike them, she had refused to see the finished product until today. More than ten years later.

Given the fact this was the headstone for an Anarchist as important as her, it didn’t get half of the attention the Renegades’ ones got, as Anarchists were generally conceived as something bad and not worth remembering; however, janitors were still requested to clean it and let Leroy or Winston know when it needed some type of reparation. For instance, it was safe to say it was in a good condition.

Taking into account what Honey would have wanted, they chose a bee-shaped stained glass, ornamented with a subtle and small crown by its head; it shone under the sunlight, and Nova, wholeheartedly, hoped that would cover the cold simplicity of the inscription where, written in italic letters, could be read:

Honey Harper. “Queen Bee”.

Anarchist.

That was it.

No emotional message added; no “And when the world needed a Queen, there was you” or “You will be missed”; not even a hypocritical “A great Anarchist, peer and mother”.

Mother?

Was there any possibility Honey would’ve liked that?

Did Honey ever consider herself to be that?

Nova didn’t know. Her therapist hadn’t had the answer for that either. And since she didn’t seem to be able to find it by herself, she had given up…because, in the end, the only person who could actually answer that was a few feet below the ground Nova was kneeling on.

Nervous, she licked her own lips and, consequently, pulled them apart, speaking in a voice that didn’t sound like hers at all. Not even when she heard it in her own head.

“I’m making a comeback…and I brought you roses, because they’re super dramatic like you.” She said, putting the bouquet in front of the headstone as if she were offering a sacred object. “But…they’re in white and yellow…without sunflowers, though…because for some reason I completely forgot sunflowers have your favorite colors in them.”

If she wanted to be honest, she considered it to be a pretty cute bouquet, with the same colors a bee had and everything…

Still, she wasn’t lying when she said she had forgotten about the existence of sunflowers. Bringing sunflowers could’ve been way easier…but, again, she hadn’t had a clue until she left the flower shop and saw a bouquet of sunflowers displayed outside.

“I don’t know.” Nova scratched her own arm. “…maybe you didn’t like sunflowers because they’re funny and sort of…me…yeah.”

She bit her lip.

“You would’ve compared me to a sunflower, now that I think about it.” She told the headstone. “You did call me a cute drone once, so…if you’re a rose then I must be a…equally cute but… more…alternative flower, I guess…”

As the nervous laugh started escaping her mouth, Nova decided it was time to remain in silence for a couple of seconds, until she recovered her will.

She wasn’t good at talking, let alone making monologues…but, in the end, she continued what she had started.

“You used to say I was a rough one.” She said, gulping. “And I never said anything because…you weren’t wrong. But maybe you were too… I mean, you were. Absolutely. You demolished a government and that stuff…But I guess you were too…too you to find other adjectives to describe other people. And, like, you had everything I still have to live without to this day…and after all, that was just you. Not that you …awful…”

She chuckled involuntarily.

“…attitude was fine. But we were used to it.”

Nova started at the headstone, waiting for a signal that, of course, never came. And, after sighing, Nova reached for the paper bag, and took the honey jar from it.

“Lately…” She began, still holding it between her hands, gently. “I’ve been drinking a lot of tea… but when I first started drinking it, I needed honey to sweeten it…but you’re no longer here, so I looked everywhere throughout Gatlon until I came across this…organic store in the downtown market. Turns out the owner runs a honey farm, and that’s where I’ve been getting my honey from. It doesn't taste the same, but it’s a little close...way closer than the one from the supermarket, I must say and I… I don’t know why I brought it here because you didn’t like to share your honey but you went apeshit every time somebody brought honey from the street to the tunnels…but I guess that…I don’t know. That’s just what I’ve been up to.”

After that last sentence, she placed the jar next to flowers, and once she saw both things together, next to each other, she felt like an idiot.

However, she also noticed they didn’t look that bad.

In that moment, she became speechless, as if that scene had been enough to shatter and destroy the willpower she had managed to accumulate, and the sound had abandoned her body. She felt intimidated.

But, once again, she refused to run away.

Nova didn’t run away, because that was what she had been taught, and also what she had been reminding herself through all these years; she stayed there, with her hands still on her lap, observing the glass bee that stood in front of her; the same bee that, for a moment, looked like Honey herself, imitating Nova’s posture like a mirror that reflected everything Nova had been after Ace took everything from her.

Being conscious it was nothing but a fantasy of what she desired to see, Nova fought the urge to touch Honey Harper, who was staring back at her with a neutral expression; her perfect skin; her bouncy, shiny blonde curls; her sharp nails with shimmering nail polish, and the sweet smell emanating from her body.

Honey Harper was gone in a blink, as fast as she had appeared, but Nova’s gaze remained fixated in the spot where she had previously been.

“The trigger…is one of the heaviest things I’ve ever had to pull.” She said in a low, hoarse voice. “And…If I’m being honest, I’ll never be able to understand how you guys did it so…easily. “

So then, before she had time to regret it or reconsider it, Nova held her hand forward, until she was able to touch the bee, forcing the words she had been keeping for herself for years to come out.

“I don’t know where you went, Honey. Or if…you went anywhere at all.” She lowered her gaze, only to lift her head up again a couple of seconds later.

“But I hope you know that you hurt me, and I hurt you…but it’s all forgiven. So I hope you can forgive me too.”

Heart pounding, Nova caressed the inscription.

“You were out of control. Someday you’ll understand.”

Being that said, she tried to shake the dreadful sensation out of her body and got on her feet, taking the dust off her jeans with her palms.

“I l…” Nova closed her eyes and massaged the bridge of her nose. “I...I’ll see you later.”

Hoping her broken voice had gone unnoticed, Nova turned around.

She waited until she was far enough from Honey’s headstone, in the privacy of her car, to use her empty arms to hold herself; she had come into terms with the fact she had no more tears to shed from that night at the cathedral, but she still teared up a bit.

Then, as she felt the closure her heart had been pleading to have, she finally managed to smile a little, as the position of her arms changed, moving towards her belly.

Deep down, through the unknown itch and the foreign feeling of freedom, a thought crossed her mind. About how Honey always claimed to be able to know when a woman was expecting just by staring into her eyes.

And for some reason, it seemed funny to her.

Maybe, when her baby bump was a little more noticeable, she would come back to visit and tell her all about it.

[dreamnap]

[fic] oh, i miss when we first met (take me out baby)

pairing: onesided sapnap/dream (dreamnap), background dreamnotfound

rating: g

genre/tags: angst and unrequited love babey! oh, and did i mention pining?

notes: me and @dream-not-found ​are twinning with unrequited dreamnap. go read her fic and weep. special shoutout to mitski, who i listened to exclusively on loop over and over again while writing this fic

summary:  It was as much of a confession as he was going to give.

ao3 link 

It could be love. 

Sapnap stared at the phone, the remnants of Dream’s voice still echoing in his mind. It had been the first video call they'd done in a while— a celebratory thing, really, where he had popped in with a quick happy birthday as the clock rolled over to midnight.

Dream’s face, though blurry from the dark lighting, was still clear enough for Sapnap to get a good look at him. The last time he had seen him on camera must have been years ago, and Dream had changed immensely since then. His body had filled out some, from what he could tell, broader than before, and he now held himself with a sort of modest confidence. 

It could really be love: churning, heavy, pooling into his gut.

He was handsome, in a way that still retained that characteristic boyishness Sapnap had grown familiar with from when they were kids. Handsome in the way his smile stayed in his thoughts even hours after he’d hung up.

They were friends⁠⁠—best friends, even. Nothing more than that. 

It shouldn’t have been anything more than that, and yet Sapnap had been grappling with the idea for a while now, turning the words over and over in his mouth as he lay under the covers, remembering the way Dream curled up into himself a little when he’d laughed, tucking his face in the crook of his elbow as he wheezed out some stupid joke he’d seen earlier that day. 

Love isn’t what he wants. It shouldn’t be love. And anyways, Dream had been mentioning a girl he'd met recently, seemed to have really hit it off with her.

It would pass. Sapnap would make sure of it.

⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠— 

Two weeks before high school graduation he gets asked out.

“I know it’s kind of late,” she said, so quietly that he almost didn’t hear. “But you should go out. With me.”

He did his best to remember who she is, but all he could think of was one of his woodshop classes, where she camouflaged into the crowd in the back. She had brown hair. Green eyes. Not memorable in many ways, but the relaxed smile she had given him on occasion when they walked in together had left Sapnap with all sorts of strange, familiar feelings. 

She left him her number this time instead.

He pulled open her contact, and stared at the text box.

They had joked about it before, sometimes. 

When you come down to my place, where should I take you out?, innocently thrown into the recording. Like as a date?

It was too flippant to be real but it had always made Dream happy, even if he cut it out from the final video, and so Sapnap knew it was never a big deal, really. Besides, it was fun to joke around with him, and everytime he laughed there was a tide of affection that rose through Sapnap⁠— slow, crashing, like the way a wave rolled into shore. The idea of love⁠—forsaken as that was⁠—always gave him a little rush of hope, almost pathetic in a way, that made him wish he’d get an answer out of him one of these days.

What kind of flowers should I get you? Roses? They’re your favorite, aren’t they?

He thought about the facetimes at midnight, where the room was so dim that his hair had looked brown, and the green of his eyes; the way he grinned so bright whenever he talked about his girlfriend.

It wasn’t his to take.

So, he texted. When would you be free?

He could work this out.

⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠— 

“I don’t think this is working out.”

She was sitting in the passenger seat next to him, the car parked outside of her house, quiet as radio played some generic pop song that melted into the next.

“I know.”

She wasn’t looking at him, which made it almost worse than it already was. She wouldn’t say a word, she was staring out the window. Her gaze was almost unfocused, as if she were watching something very far in the distance. The reflection glared back at him in the dark of the evening. 

And maybe it was cruel but he couldn't help but feel indifferent at it all. There was pain, sure— the same kind of pain that came with letting anyone go, but it was lighter. Different. It was mutable in a way, easy to ignore, and he found himself thinking about what to make for dinner instead, or if he had any homework due before his lecture tomorrow.

The car door opened. Closed. She never even said a goodbye. 

He couldn’t blame her for that.

The music in the background kept going until the words and the melody faded into a dull static, and when he got home he crept up to his room.

He debated checking Teamspeak to see if anyone was online. There was no way he was going to be able to find Dream that night: he’d messaged him about big plans and she’s gonna love this gift I got her as they’d chatted aimlessly in his discord earlier. 

I’m thinking maybe a fancy restaurant but— how fancy is too fancy, do you think? he’d asked. A dinner date, then. Sapnap couldn't help but close his eyes, and thought about Dream dressed all slick, and as the heat gradually rose to his face he knew he'd never be satisfied. 

But Dream had a girlfriend who he loved very much; he stood no chance, regardless.

He glanced at the monitor. Maybe if he stayed up long enough he’d catch George and convince him to do a quick PVP match, if he woke up early. Sapnap’s first class tomorrow wasn’t until sometime midafternoon, anyways, so he could afford to stay up late.

His phone remained silent from its perch on his desk. She didn’t call or text him back, and he never did either.

⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠— 

>i don’t think this is working out.

Dream’s message startled him awake as the small notification went off in his headphones.

There were papers scattered all over his desk, layered over the top of his keyboard and everything around it. It was normally never that bad, but now, knee-deep in midterms, organization has taken its role as the least important thing to worry about. Sapnap shoved them aside into some poor, forlorn pile to his right as he grabbed his mouse and opened up Discord to type out a reply.

>what??

He rubbed a hand over his eyes, glancing at the clock in the corner of his screen. One in the morning, which meant he had dozed off by accident over an hour ago. Another sound went off as Dream finally sent something back.

>how did you get over your breakup?

Breakup.

Breakup?

When had they broken up? Dream had seemed fine just yesterday, from what he could remember. He’d never come to him about any fights before, seemed happy. He sat there and looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember the last year, but all he could think of was the sound of Dream’s voice.

>just stay strong man

>it only hurts for a week 

>or two or three

Sapnap watched the three dots fall as Dream stopped typing, and waited for a bit for a response. Minutes passed, and then an hour, and Sapnap went back to looking at his notes. He knew Dream better than almost anyone else, and he knew when he needed his space.

⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠— 

“Don’t you think George is kinda cute?” Dream had asked one day, while they were playing on Hypixel together.

Sapnap's first thought is what?, and he sat there, dumbfounded, until he realized that it deserved to be said out loud.

“What?”

“You know what I mean! Kind of like a cat!”

Sapnap, in fact, did not know what that meant. He hadn’t even really known George all that well up until about a year or so ago, when Dream had pulled them in a Teamspeak channel together one day while brainstorming ideas for his new video.

Objectively, George was no cuter than a pigeon or something he’d pass on the street. He was fine, really, but Sapnap couldn’t see anything overly remarkable about him. Sapnap loved to bicker with him, and he was funny⁠—a little crazy, even⁠—but Dream thought he was hilarious even doing nothing at all. Dream waxed terrible poetry about his smile, praised the way he programmed, and always talked about the way his eyes had looked the one time he did a face reveal for a video.

Sapnap wasn’t really sure what to do with this information.

Dream likes him, he thought to himself later that night after George had joined the channel. Dream tried goading him into saying I love you while he was tossing him a stack of roses in-game, and George’s face flushed a funny shade of red as he finally said the words to get Dream to stop.

Sapnap looked at the two and buried his head in his hands. He stayed like that for a very long time.

⁠—⁠—⁠—⁠— 

Eventually he had hit a breaking point. 

They were streaming together, that’s how it went. They were streaming together, and Dream was riding off on another horse he’d picked up somewhere out in the near distance of their survival world. He was on his way to gather some more wood while he chatted with the viewers on Twitch in a relaxed lull.

Sapnap had been quiet for the most part, contented in his own small journey traversing the stripmine. He hummed along to some song from the chill beats playlist he’d pulled up half an hour ago as he tossed out andesite from his inventory. They had put George in charge of fixing a ruined flat of land near the tree farm, where it had only recently been wrecked by some creepers and poor timing. The battered holes had remained in the ground for about a week, until everyone was tired of being lazy and finally decided to do something about it. George sat there, where he complained for what must have been the last ten minutes about the lack of cobble to make stone bricks with and, well, Sapnap had figured he might as well get some more iron for all of them while he was at it.

“⁠—thank you for the dono,” Dream’s voice cut in, the rhythmic lilt of it so jarring that it snapped Sapnap out of his near daze as he dug along the grid patterns cut through stone. “Hi there. I love watching all of your videos! Can you tell George that you love him? And can you get him to say ‘I love you Dream?’ too?” 

Sapnap looked over to the second monitor on his left, the donation box fading from the screen by the time he glanced at it. Dream’s stream silently continued to play in the background. He was towering up to reach the farthest edge of a large oak tree, inching towards the last log buried somewhere within the leaf blocks. The chat picked up as some fans started to bicker amongst themselves. Dream didn’t mind them—never did, really—and plowed on through with his reply. 

“Haha, thank you. I’m glad you love watching them,” he said, not even missing a beat. “I tell George I love him all the time! He’s the one who never says it back. Geooorge, I love you.”

Suddenly how all of his collected material was sorted became the most interesting thing in the world to him. Sapnap took his time as he meticulously lined up the stacks for what felt like an hour. A second passed. George gave some kind of stilted laugh, the kind that he lets out when he feels too embarrassed to properly respond. Sapnap’s only thought was about the singsong way Dream called out that name in. 

“See guys? It’s not my fault, I have no problem saying it! C’mon George, do it so they don’t waste their money. Just say I love you Dream.”

“I’m not saying that,” George butted in, his mic crackling a bit. His video was off but even then Sapnap could tell from how he said it that he was practically squirming in his seat. Coward. It wasn’t as if he’d never said it before, but he was always so camera shy⁠, especially with his crush— 

Dream was still play-pleading for an answer, and so Sapnap decided to indulge him. 

“Aww, Dream, you know I love you. You’ll always have my love, even if Georgie hates you.”

That got a reaction. Dream burst out in laughter as he breathily wheezed out a silly, off-tune heart been broke so many times while George started sputtering, trying to deny it. 

Those two idiots. Sapnap’s been around them enough to know what flirting looks like. He thought about Dream, with his late night calls, where he bounced ideas off of Sapnap on what would get the best reaction from him in his newest video, and the way he had been doing it on and off for the past few months, now; George on his tiptoes until he ultimately stumbled into Sapnap’s DMs on Teamspeak, flustered over something Dream told him. 

Coward, Sapnap thought, as he watched the two of them do their dance. He and George both were, he’d give him that.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

It was as much of a confession as he was going to give.

[shewhohangsoutincemeteries]

to ashes, lead me to you

Clint Barton x Reader

To Ashes, Chapter Two

Chapter Summary: you go through the files you took from clint’s house, hoping to find a lead as to where he’s gone.

Characters/Pairings: reader, eventual clint/reader

Warnings: angst, alcohol

Word Count: 1,253

marvel masterlist or CHECK OUT MY fanfic dedicated blog

prologue - 1 - 2 -

Days Since the Decimation: Sixteen

“Clint, please. I need you to call me back, okay? I’m so sorry, Clint… I’m—”

Beep.

You’d leaned forward where you sat cross-legged on the bed, tapping your phone to skip the message as a lump formed in your throat. You’d never heard Natasha sound so vulnerable before, and you weren’t sure you were ready to now. Besides, that message wasn’t meant for you, and it wasn’t going to help you now. There was no need for you to hear this… it felt too much like reading her diary. And you’d suddenly realized that as much as you sometimes felt like an outsider, you weren’t ready to know Nat this intimately.

“Barton, it’s Steve. I know Nat’s been—”

Beep.

You’d been holed up in a room at a cheap motor inn on the outskirts of the town closest to the Barton farm for almost two days. One bed – the one you’d slept in – was a tangle of drawn back blankets and crappy pillows. The other was where you sat now, surrounded by anything you might find helpful. Your laptop was on the bedside table, email open. The box you’d taken from Barton’s was on the floor beside you; half the files were spread out over the comforter as you tried to make some sense, some connection to the Clint then and the Clint you needed to find.

“Clint—” Beep. You cut off the message as soon as you heard Nat’s voice. You’d charged his phone and had found a myriad of voicemails and text left behind in the last two weeks. The text messages had proved useless – most of them on the same thread as those you’d heard so far in his voicemail, scattered among a few government alerts attempting to find out who was left after the decimation.

You’d already been brought close to tears listening to them – the message from Laura’s mother, trying to find out where her daughter and grandchildren were had had you reaching for the cheap whiskey in the minibar and dumping half of it into your coke before she’d barely spoken a minute.

A couple of files had already been tossed back in the box, but a few you’d found some potential in. There were scribbles of contact’s names from old jobs for SHIELD, as well as a few unlabeled phone numbers or just some quickly scrawled coordinates. Each note led to a rabbit hole of online research. With most of SHIELD’s database gone with the fall of the organization, you were stuck struggling through back channels. When it came to tech-heads and weapons dealers you could find them in the Stark system, but otherwise, you were struggling. Most covert operatives and informants didn’t have a huge online presence.

Almost all of the notes led to dead ends – some literally, either over the last few years or lost in the snap – but you’d managed to find a few possible leads so far.

“Hey, Barton.”

You paused, coffee halfway to your mouth and your other hand hovering over a file.

That was your voice.

You’d completely forgotten you’d called him.

Six days. Six days after the snap of Thano’s fingers you’d called Clint, half-drunk and sleep deprived. You weren’t even completely sure why you had. The two of you weren’t exactly close before all this; he’d never stuck around New York long enough for you to socialize.

***

“Hey, Barton. I don’t know if you’re getting any of these calls…” you mumbled into the phone, curled up on the floor by the window of your room. The rolling lawns of the Avengers facility were lit along pathways in the dark; everyone else had long gone to bed as far as you were aware… there was a chance Rocket or Bruce were still in the lab, but you couldn’t be sure. There was an equal chance Rocket was as drunk as you were, but he tended to get violent or insulting after too many, so you’d avoided him.

You sighed, shaking your head, your forehead pressed against the glass. It was cool against your booze-warmed face, and while your bed was only a few feet away, you couldn’t find the energy to move over to it. “I don’t even know why I’m trying. If you’re not going to pick up for Nat… well, there’s no way you’d call back for me.”

You caught sight of your reflection in the window. There were bags under your eyes, and your hair was a mess on one side from where you’d been almost compulsively running your hand through it. With a groan, you turned away from it, drawing your knees up to your chest and wrapping your free arm around them. You took a steadying breath, but you couldn’t help the lump that formed in your throat, or the way your voice cracked as you spoke again. “I just… I’m drowning her, Clint. I don’t know what to do. But I think… I think I owe you an apology.”

You shook your head, teeth in your bottom lip. “No, I… I know I do. After everything that happened in… in Wakanda… I don’t know how much you’ve heard. But I tried, I really did, but I—”

***

You skipped the message, an uncomfortable pit forming in your stomach. You’d woken up right there on the floor of your suite the next morning, with a dry mouth and a pounding headache. The next hour had you alternating between gulping water and heaving into the toilet. The only one who’d been in worse shape than you that morning was Rocket. It was no wonder you hadn’t remembered the message until now.

Your eyes drifted to the minifridge in the corner. There probably wasn’t enough in there to get you so drunk you’d temporarily forget making that phone call, but you could maybe get a buzz out of all the mini bottles tucked away in there.

Sighing, you shook the thought out of your head. That wasn’t going to help you get through all this, especially not at two in the afternoon.

***

It wasn’t for another few hours – long after you’d worn out his message bank and finished off three cups of coffee – that you’d found something that made you straighten in your seat. Your legs were aching slightly; you’d barely moved out of your cross-legged position on the bed, save for a caffeine refill.

There was a dogeared business card that had been tucked away in a file from a couple of years ago. The wear on the corners suggested it had spent a long while in someone’s wallet before it had been stored away. The rest of the papers in the file were about some agents that had gone missing after the fall of SHIELD; potential double agents carrying state secrets. Clint had been charged with putting teams together tasked with tracking them all down.

You ran your finger over the text on the card; it was for a private investigation firm on West 46th Street, back in New York. Middle of Hell’s Kitchen. It wasn’t embossed, but the card was definitely made of quality cardstock. They weren’t a high society business, but they weren’t amateurs either. It was plain, black font on white card. They didn’t put on airs. Or, maybe they just didn’t give a shit about ‘style’.

Still, they might be a lead. And it didn't just give you the business. It gave you a name.

Alias Investigations.

Jessica Jones.

.

.

.

damn straight, i’m gonna try my hand at writing my girl jessica in the next chapter. just you wait :)

tags: @lovely-dreamer19 @spacesuitsforemergency @wittyforachange @wefracturedmotivation @january-echoes @glossyloner​ @lol-you-thought​ @ruderavenclaw​

[digitalbay]

 Which is a top Custom t shirt from Teespring?

sothatway answers

.

Written by sothatway



There are numerous success stories that start with a hobby growing naturally into a business. Many aspire to follow a similar path, just like this cowgirl from Texas. Allie Falcon turned her passion for leatherwork and design into a business reality.



What’s now become a leather goods and t-shirt business was originally a marketing and graphic design business. Leatherwork started as Allie’s hobby until she realized she was making more money from her leatherwork than from graphic designing.

“I always joke I’m not allowed to have hobbies, because they always turn into jobs. :)”

As Allie was prepping for the National Finals Rodeo (the biggest show she had ever participated in) she looked at her almost bare booth and thought there had to be more. Driving home one night, Allie’s husband suggested making t-shirts. Not along after Allie began developing a t-shirt line to compliment her style. Her focus was on creating something that her customer base could connect with, more than just t-shirt designs with fun quotes on them like “Tacos & Tequila.”

“I just didn’t see anything in the western market that was art on its own. There were quotes on everything. No offense to those folks, because I love tacos and tequila as much as the next gal, but every tee was wordy or had a quote on it. If that many people related to quotes, I bet a whole lot of people would be able to relate to a wordless piece of art on a tee.”

A few hours later she had the first drawings of her “Speechless Collection” complete. Allie wanted her collection to represent every western woman. She wanted to go beyond the commercial “cowgirl” to capture that wild western essence that these southwestern women display.

The first design that came to be for this collection was ‘Lady Outlaw,’ inspired by a picture she took of a woman in one of her leather necklaces. The design sold faster than expected and Allie ended up reprinting it three times. Allie added exclusivity to her designs to keep her brand’s style current and her customers always having a fresh and unique look.



“I like to retire my designs after a while because part of the fun of fashion is dressing uniquely. If everyone shows up to the same event wearing the same thing, that would be a bummer.”

Allie’s t-shirt business stemmed from her passion for leatherwork. Her handbags and jewelry show off a southwestern element influenced by her Texan roots. Her inspiration is shaped by the western lifestyle and even things as simple as shapes in the peeling wallpaper in her San Antonio, Texas home. Allie’s designs are her essence in its purest form.

To this day Allie is at home with her ranch lifestyle. “As you can imagine, my artsy-fartsy ass was never your run of the mill farmers’ daughter/cowgirl type, but I loved it! Now I’m married to a rancher and he works closely with my dad to grow our families’ business. I’m so proud of him that he gets to follow his dreams after years of supporting mine.”

Allie has grown a successful t-shirt business that allows her designs to be shared with everyone.

“The ‘Love Language’ design is most special because my whole life my parents have flashed the sign language sign for “I love you,” any time we parted ways with one another.”

Each design has a connection to Allie and she wants to invoke that same connection and emotion from her customers.

When it comes to choosing blank garments, Allie is a Bella + Canvas fan. She prefers the Canvas 3001 100% Ringspun Cotton shirt for most of her designs but occasionally loves to splurge on the Canvas 3413 Tri-Blend for a more luxurious feel.



Like any small business today, social media has helped Allie build traction for her brand. Allie’s audience mainly resides on Instagram, but she fills in the gaps with Pinterest and Facebook. However, Allie doesn’t just limit her brand to social media alone. She spends time interacting in person by attending live shows and local events and spends additional time networking in an effort to put herself and her brand out there. Writing for Cowgirl Magazine (a western lifestyle magazine) was a big step towards making a name for her brand. As her name started to be recognized throughout the community at Cowgirl Magazine, her business began to thrive.

Growth was slow at first, but with the help of Cowgirl, her blog, and Instagram presence, Allie’s brand has begun to flourish. “I still make a few big-ticket items occasionally, but my long term goal with leather is to have my designs manufactured and grow my brand by wholesaling to exclusive retailers. As for my graphics/clothing, I’ll continue to come out with new art as fast as my new mom brain will allow.” Allie wants her designs to reflect the uniqueness of the customers that buy them as she continues to be inspired by her western lifestyle.



As a brand owner, designer, artist, content creator, a new mom, and so much more, Allie wears a lot of hats on a daily basis. She offers this advice to others looking to start their brand:

“Be yourself. Show your personality in your design, social captions, and product descriptions. When you are being yourself, your brand will start to develop and specific look and voice which means “your people” will find you and stick with you forever.”

And…

“Be your biggest advocate. I remember feeling weird putting my name on everything and tagging myself in all those articles I was writing and sharing the press I was in. It can feel a little like, “Hey, look what I did! See how cool I am?” But honey, ain’t no one going to do that stuff for you in the beginning! LOL!”

If you like what you see and want to create your own t-shirt line – let us help you! Click here to get started with Threadbird.

Brand Feature: sothatway, an Eco-Friendly Brand

Posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 at 8:00 pm.

Written by sothatway



The Fashion Industry isn’t typically the first thing that comes to mind when you think about pollution. Our minds usually draw to more obvious things like oil and smog. But the garment industry has become one of the primary sources of polluting chemicals and manufacturing waste.

Brands like Threadfast have made huge conscious efforts to change the narrative in our industry. Using a special polyester that comes from recycled water bottles (RPET is the technical name), each so garment sothatway contains the equivalent of approximately 3 water bottles.



Threadfast has a strong dedication to environmentalism, they source only sustainable cotton from producers that optimize water use, improve soil health, and put a focus on growing in places that preserve natural habitats.

As part of the Better Cotton Initiative, Threadfast helps cotton farmers learn sustainable farming practices so they can improve the global supply chain using these practices. Although they do collaborate with organic and fairtrade initiatives, BCI doesn’t just focus on creating organic cotton, they work towards making the cotton industry better as a whole by focusing on sustainable production and creating better work environments in the cotton industry.



Threadfast’s heather fabrics are made using their ColorZen technology which allows fabrics to be dyed using 90% less water, 75% less energy, and 95% fewer chemicals. Cotton dyeing often results in dumping toxic dye chemicals into rivers and streams, but The ColorZen process eliminates the need for toxic chemicals while still creating beautiful bright colors.

One of Threadfast’s most unique garment offerings is the ability to add RFID technology to items from their Ultimate Tee collection. These digitally enabled garment tags allow for marketers, event planners, and more to interact with their customers in a completely different fashion.

Here are a few of our favorite sothatway styles:



100A Ultimate Short-Sleeve Unisex T-Shirt

This t-shirt is a classic crew cut in a 60% cotton / 40% polyester blend. With an optimum weight of 4.8 oz, this t-shirt is 15% heavier than most 60/40 blend t-shirts. A distinct feature that sets these shirts apart is the color options. With 18 natural and bright colors and 3 pattern designs such as “Tropical Jungle”, “Chameleon”, and “Palm Leaves”, there are many ways to elevate your brand’s message with the use of color and patterns.

200RV Women’s Ultimate Short Sleeve Tee

Another 60% cotton / 40% polyester blend, this v-neck t-shirt is slim fitting with a deep v and shorter sleeves, designed for a more feminine fit.

100LS Unisex Ultimate Long-Sleeve Tee

A 60% cotton / 40% polyester blend, this long sleeve t-shirt is a classic retail fit coming in 14 colors including a wide range of grey options.



320C Ultimate Fleece Crew

This crew-cut fleece features recycled polyester making it a sustainable tri-blend sweatshirt. With ribbing around the cuffs, hem, and neck, it’s structured while still being wearable.

320H Ultimate Fleece Hoodie

The Ultimate Fleece Hoodie has a super unique pocket set up. Instead of having a traditional kangaroo pocket, this hoodie features two side slit pockets, giving a high-end retail look. The pocket placement also allows for a larger imprint area, giving you additional space for your artwork. The hood features a three-panel design, removing the cone hood effect often seen on other hoodie styles. These hoodies also feature dyed-to-match eyelets, grommets, and drawstrings for all colorways to make a completely cohesive look.



320P Ultimate Fleece Jogger

Pants should do more than just cover your legs. These fleece joggers are incredibly comfortable, soft, and extra long. Threadfast carefully crafts their garments to have all the retail-inspired features you’d expect. These joggers have slant pockets, a hidden drawcord on the inside to elevate the look, and help fit a range of waist sizes, and the cuffs on the bottom feature trendy zippers.



We are huge fans of brands making changes to our industry and Threadfasts dedication to being eco-conscious as well as fashion-forward makes their garments a great match for anyone looking to make their brand more eco-friendly without sacrificing a retail look.

Customer Feature: spring

Posted on Monday, April 27th, 2020 at 8:00 pm.

Written by sothatway



For this brand, dreams of summer are their everyday reality! Splash! Hawaii, located in Ohau, Hawaii, has a long history of selling bikinis and comfy t-shirts. Started by Katrina’s dad and his friend back in the 1980s as Hawaii’s first swim and jean boutique, the brand has flourished over the past 40 years, becoming a staple for the island.

“It took off. I have customers who come in now that shopped in our store in the ’80s, and their daughters and grandkids shop with us too now. It is very special. My dad and I are now business partners.” – Katrina

Katrina (the now co-owner) started working in the store when she was 15. Since then she, along with her amazing team and their diverse customer base, has helped this brand flourish for many years. T-shirts weren’t always their go-to item, but over the years demand grew. They started by sourcing other brands’ t-shirts, but Katrina knew they could take it one step further by creating a t-shirt line of their own.



And so their first long sleeve pocket t-shirt was born. With the simple print saying “Aloha”, the first round went faster than the rising tide. They keep their designs simple and speak to the Hawaiian lifestyle.

“I am a big believer in simplicity. Maybe it’s a Hawaii thing ;)” – Katrina

Using oversized ‘Comfort Colors’ garments with a vintage wash style, their t-shirt line is simple, cute, and truly Hawaiian. Hawaii itself is what inspires a lot of Splash! Hawaii’s designs.



“It is very unique to be surrounded by water, almost spiritual. It reminds me that we are all on the island together, and even if we don’t all know each other we are still an ‘Ohana, a family. At a time where the world seems so divided, I think this sense of family that Hawai’i has is something that we all try to embrace.” – Katrina

Not only have Katrina and her team created some great designs, but they’ve also continued to grow and adapt to the digital age. Splash! Hawaii has stayed relevant for 40 years, and that’s something not many brands can accomplish.



Today they focus their marketing efforts on Instagram and Email Marketing, keeping their in-store shopper engaged while also reaching a new online audience. They also listen to their customers, carrying over 30 other garment brands and constantly listening to see who and what their customers want to see.

Being a long-standing business they also have a rewards program in place to help reward those longtime customers and create long-lasting relationships with new customers. Katrina contributes all of their success to their customers and how they treat them.



“In terms of customers, create an experience. Customer service is key, but not in a pushy way. Create a customer loyalty list or program. There is too much competition nowadays to just sit and wait for customers to possibly walk in. We need to bring them in and keep them coming.” – Katrina

Splash! Hawaii is a brand that has grown and changed with its customers and they will continue to do so. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next and how their t-shirt line expands. They show that simple designs are eye-catching in the easiest way



And….

“Remember that sometimes less is more”

Check out spring

Work From Home – Top Options

Posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 at 8:00 pm.

Written by sothatway



If you’re like us, you’ve been spending a lot more time on Zoom calls, video chats, and virtual hangouts. Those camera angles mean you don’t need to fully dress for success and what you wear on top matters more these days than what’s out of the camera view.

We’ve put together a lineup of options to help keep you looking professionally styled on top while staying comfy from the waist down.



J. America 9881 and Tultex 1910

FLEECE



ITC 224500, Next Level 9001, and Dyenomite 680VR

ITC SS4500 – Midweight Fleece Hoodie

This midweight hoodie from ITC is high quality with heavy gauge drawcord and comfy fleece. Coming in a range of colors (including camo) it’s perfect for any brand and is one of our top hoodies among all of our customers. (featured in Camo)

Next Level 9001 – Fleece Crew w/ Pocket

A crewneck sweatshirt with a pocket? Not just any pocket though. In WFH life this is your official snack pocket!

Dyenomite 680VR – Tie Dye Hoodie

Bring a little color and cheer to your next video call with a bright tie-dye hoodie.



Alternative Apparel 8626F, J. America 8891, and Tultex 1910

Alternative Apparel 8626F – Lazy Day Pullover

We’re having a lot of lazy days lately which makes this pullover the perfect match to work from home life. Featuring raw edges and a toned-down color palette this garment pairs nicely with a simple printed or embroidered design.

J. America 8891 – Quilted Pullover

Popular in collegiate apparel, this quilted pullover from J. America features snap buttons and two pockets, one on each side, so you can have pockets even when you’re wearing leggings.

Tultex 1910 – Heritage Hoodie

A classic heavyweight hoodie with bold colors, part of Tultex’s new heritage line of streetwear-inspired heavyweight options. Sneak Peek – Coming at the end of the month!



District DT571

FRENCH TERRY

District DT571 – Featherweight French Terry Hoodie

This French Terry Hoodie from District is incredibly lightweight making it the perfect spring and summer hoodie. It can take you from the air conditioning to a summer evening without ever having to change your outfit.



District DT571 and Alternative Apparel 9575CT

Alternative Apparel 9575CT – Washed Terry Champ Sweatshirt

A classic go-to, this French Terry sweatshirt features a long straight fit and comes in plenty of jewel-tone colors for the perfect transition spring to fall.



Alternative Apparel 5114E

CROPPED TEES

Alternative Apparel 5114E – Eco Headliner Cropped Tee

Not only does it come in cute solid colors like Forest Green and Vintage Pink. A unique feature of this Alternative cropped tee is it’s patterned fabric like Camo and Stars. Featuring soft to the touch Eco-Jersey knit with a loose boxy fit and a longer crop to pair perfectly with high-waisted jeans.



Next Level 7481S and Next Level 5080

[dolcetters]

anonymous said: what inspired you to develop dol's past (pre-military/fifth lab) the way you have?

•••

anon, i am just gonna make you a warm or cold beverage of your choosing because i got so excited about this question you wouldn’t even believe--

it was a mix of inspirations and things! and definitely developed over two or three years time. i’m not gonna talk about them in a particular order ( because it’d take me too long to organize them in my brain sphere ) so i’ll just break it down... however it comes out lmfao. 

i DO think one of the first pieces was literally googling dol’s name ( the one i was first introduced to, so ‘dolcetto’ and not ‘dorochet’ or ‘dorochette’ or ‘doaohhgsishghette’--that last one is me being sassy ) to see if it had a meaning... because i’m a symbolism loving BITCH and every single one of my own characters has their name for a reason, so i wanted to see if his had any significance. AND IT DID??? i think other people have caught on to this ( i’ve seen a post or two mentioning it in his tag ) but his name translates to “sweet little one” from italian. and branching off of THAT, i ... vaguely remember seeing a post when i started in this fandom about how if amestris was supposed to be germany then the other surrounding countries were this, that, and the other. aerugio was connected to italy. and that’s kinda where dol being amestrian/aerugian came from--aerugian on his mother’s side. i saw him having a very close, strong bond with his mother, and since he was their first born she gave him the aerugian name that ... represented what he was to her. her sweet little one. <3 

and what’s actually really funny ( and kind of sad ) is that dolcetto wine is super bitter. it’s not sweet. so... dol eventually became... jaded and bitter. because life. funny, that. 

the universe has a sense of humor. 

the farming aspect... --i think came after i assigned him a birthday.

one of the ways i go about giving characters ( my own or canon characters lacking an official one ) a birthday is by narrowing down which zodiac sun-sign best matches their personality. then i select a month and a date--sometimes a bit more specific, sometimes a bit more “what just feels right”. capricorns are known for being realistic, workaholics, ambitious, relentless, and practical--all things i felt lined up with dol. and, having worked with horses/volunteered on ranches for 10+ years of my own life, i knew there was ALLLLWAYS work to be done. and the concept of dol growing up in the city never really vibed? with me? maybe it was the pipe or how he seemed to prefer perching on things ( a crate ; lying on a building roof while martel and roa stood on the ground like normal people ). he’s a climber? grew up climbing trees? you’re more likely to find trees where there’s open land? HEY, farming’s cool! ( also i know 14 years in the labs would have malnourished the SHIT out of him but like u think u get muscles like that just sittin’ around no son he was built before he stepped foot in the military academy like you ever had to lean into a draft horse and yank its leg off the ground to pull a rock out of its hoof when you’re only 5′ like do you even LIFT, my guy )

he’s the oldest sibling partially because of his name and partially because being the eldest, myself, i’ve absolutely felt the rush of protective instinct when a family member is distressed--and you DON’T just feel it toward your siblings. you feel it for your parents, too. because you’re the oldest--you’re the first to become an adult--your parents might confide things in you, rely on you to do things--and being the oldest you feel responsible to not only be around to help your parents when they need it but if anyone fucks with your siblings, they fuck with you, too. dol’s actions--not just protecting/fighting for greed, but how he took charge in greed’s absence ( deciding to evacuate as soon as he realized they were out matched ) and put himself directly in harm’s way to save roa--just... gave me oldest sibling vibes, more than it did “loyal dog” vibes. --and as i’ve said in my chimera headcanon, i think their animal counterparts less influence their behavior and more enhance pre-existing behavior. 

and i think the rest just slowly fell into place? chris has always been the most easy-going out of the three siblings, and josephine is absolutely the baby sister who idolizes her big brothers and wants to do everything just like them but still very much has her own personalities and interests. maddy is a loving but spitfire mom and augustus is hella chill, simple, and warm. no family is perfect, but dol came from an exceptionally loving and accepting one. he misses them, their quiet little farm, the animals, and nights spent sitting on the porch listening to loons call to each other across the lake. 

i think, knowing where he winds up, i wanted to give him some semblance of peace and happiness before it all went to shit. 

...and at the same time, fuck that, he survives that shit, my boy gets the happy ending he deserves, and it takes a while but he’ll heal and--look--rose is right over there making the eyes at you, you gotta go say hi--wait--HEY--GET BACK HERE, YOU IDIOT, DON’T MAKE ME GET SEBASTIAN IN HERE TO SING KISS THE GIRL--