#It was last recorded in the 20s and there's always a chance that someone accidentally imports a rabid animal

[bonefall]

Honestly the only cats that SHOULD live longer than normal are ex-kittypets, like Millie, Firestar is he was a background character, Some Skyclanners, ect. I'm hoping to see a 20+ year old Skyclan elder ex kittypet in cannon, tbh. Especially in England with vax they don't have to worry about rabies, and once they retire they're pretty safe from wounds. Idk I just think it'd be interesting for the clans to wonder why ex-kittypets seemingly live longer after retirement.

I do have some cats that are straight-up ancient already, but it's noted that they are big-bang-level old

Tallstar (19)

Mistystar (18)

Mosspelt (Still alive at 19)

One-eye (20)

Ratscar apparently (17-ish)

Note that two of these super-seniors were leaders.

It would definitely be cool for SkyClan cats to live a ridiculously long time though, that's a neat quirk. Leafstar is also probably getting up there in age (she was 5-ish during Firestar's Quietus), so that shouldn't be too hard for SkyClan's life expectancy to be 17 or 18 while Forest Four expectancy is 16.

This is nothing next to Stonetellers by the way, their lives last well into their 20s thanks to their leader power.

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 20 May 1954

A two-song week, as we head towards summer. Will we be seeing signs of summeriness? One song looks like it's got some flowers in it, at least.

Friends and Neighbourgs - Billy Cotton & His Band (peaked at No. 3)

We've seen Billy Cotton before, on the time capsule of a song that was In a Golden Carriage (There's a Heart of Gold), a tune written and performed for Elizabeth II's coronation. I assumed then that Billy was being wheeled out as a reprentative of something that felt traditional and British, an old-fashioned performer for an occasion that called for a bit of pomp and circumstance - that is to say, that Billy, at this point, was a bit of a relic, beign dusted off as a topic one-off.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I get this - a Billy Cotton original song, in the charts, apparently entirely on its own merits. I guess there's a chance some sort of cultural event catapulted this into the charts - a TV appearance, or a film, or something - but it does seem a bit random that a sound like this can just pop up unannounced, all old-fashioned and sentimental.

Actually, I think the last one's the key here. This is a sentimental song, taken from a sentimental/melodramatic music hall tradition that had metamorphosed into the "British dance band" scene at some point before World War II. It's out of place in the 1950s, but I can imagine a lot of slightly older record-buyers finding this a nostalgic throwback.

Musically, it's a little bit jazzy, but in a staid, plodding way, not doing anything particularly wild. There's a muted trumped, an accordion, a clarinet, and a strummy banjo, plus a whole group of backing singers who don't sound half as polished as backing singers in this era often are. This feels like it could just be a bunch of people you're mates with, which is kind of fun.

The lyrics are banal, all about how good it is to have friends and neighbours, and how they make the world better, how you can talk to them about your troubles, and how "Although you've not a penny / And you house may be tumbling down / With friends and neighbours / You're the richest man in town." It's well-meaning, and sweet, I guess.

I'm still confused as to why it exists, I'm afraid. I suppose it's a nice sentiment for people who're still in rationing, for goodness' sake: you may not have money currently, but you've got neighbours, at least. Trite, but hard to get grumpy at it, and it's not actively irritating me yet.

Someone Else's Roses - Joan Regan (5)

Oh, I like this. It's not summery flowers at all, it's heartbroken-and-angry-at-your-lover flowers! I don't know if that was a surprise, per se, but I did enjoy the story told throughout this song. It's by Joan Regan, who also did Ricochet, whose bouncy charm I enjoyed, and while the tone of this song is different, the theme isn't a million miles away. Again, Joan's playing the jilted lover, angry at her unfaithful man.

It feels quite modern in a way, the way that this song takes a little moment and spins it into a whole narrative. The idea is that Joan's love has somehow sent Joan some roses, but with a note that was meant for somebody different. We don't learn exactly how this happened, or the specific details. Are they still a couple, or is this an ex accidentally sending her things? All we know - in true tragic fashion - is that "The note you send I wasn't meant to see". And worse, it's "The kind of rose you always chose for me". Oh no! She's lost her love

While there's a rich vein of anger that could be mined here, Joan doesn't quite go down that route - a shame, I thought at first, because she did it really well in Ricochet. Here, though, we have a slower, soupier song, and so she goes down the brokenhearted route instead, singing about how she won't forget his love and - possibly the most interesting line in the thing - begging him "Won't you tell me it was really meant for me". It's a fascinating insight into her brain - she'd rather have the reassuring lie to cling to, even though she knows the awful truth. But if he would only lie to her, she'd have the plausible deniability to stay with her unfaithful man. Unfortunately, the fact that she's begging seems to suggest that he can't even be bothered with that - he's moved on, ad she's left out in the cold.

You could get a whole song out of that one idea, actually - it's a shame Joan doesn't dwell on it more. Instead, we get a brief instrumental break, and then the song's over. It never quite gets worked up as much as it could, given its emotional subject material, and Joan also doesn't quite let loose as much as she maybe ought to. She sings in a very prim, proper way, and I can't help but miss Ricochet a bit. It's not a bad song, but I'm just not completely sold on it yet.

Actually, that might just be a soupy ballad issue for me. I'm not often as convinced by slow, dramatic songs, and the more you drape them in strings and elegant twirls, the less I'm inclined to buy into whatever they're selling me. They're just too smooth and pretty, I get distracted. Soz, Joan.

Both of these songs were very melodramatic and sentimental. Apparently the British public were in a slightly sappy mood at this point in 1954. And well they might be, with summer round the corner and proper rock and roll still nowhere to be seen. I can't quite love either of these songs, but one of them, at least, made me stop and think about its lyrics for a while.

Favourite song of the bunch: Someone Else's Roses

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

2 A.M.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

PROMPTS: 48. I called you at 2am because I need you. 50. I’m scared but won’t admit it so you take my hand 

Requested by @wonderlandmind4​

So, I’m not going to include #1, because I already did that prompt in another story. 

The Avengers are at the Tower for plot reasons. And just because I wanted it that way. Deal with it LOL. 

Bucky rubbed his eyes awake as FRIDAY announced that he was receiving an incoming phone call. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand and it read 2AM.

“Accept,” he muttered huskily to the AI.

“Wait, FRIDAY, no, no, no!” The call immediately came in.

“Hello?” Bucky asked with confusion.

He expected it to be Steve, who was on a mission with the entire team. It left Bucky as the sole “superhero” left in the tower. But he didn’t see himself as such. Bucky was crashing at the high-rise because he really had no place else to go. And he knew Steve would be disappointed if Bucky didn’t take him up on the offer.

“Bucky, hi.” A female voice said.

He squinted and then put it together. “Y/N, is that you?”

Y/N was Happy’s niece. Tony and Pepper were basically her aunt and uncle without being related. She lived in the city, and therefore was around the tower a lot. Pepper was constantly inviting her over for dinner. Sometimes she’d do her laundry there. If Tony ever had a party, she was invited. The rest of the team had befriended her. 

But Bucky...Bucky kept his distance – just like he kept his distance from basically everyone.

However, that didn’t mean he didn’t take notice of Y/N.

It was ridiculous how long it took him to realize that his eyes seemed to always be searching for her when she was around. He watched her at parties, always dressed in a fancy dress with her makeup a little heavier than usual. He would steal glances at her when she was in the gym. Apparently she didn’t want to pay for one herself, but there wasn’t a gym nicer than the one at the tower.

But just because Bucky noticed Y/N didn’t mean he talked to her. 

Bucky thought the world hated him. Once all of Hydra and SHIELD’s secrets were leaked, everyone knew exactly what he had done.

The Winter Soldier wasn’t someone people wanted to be friends with.

“Hi, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to call you. No, I told FRIDAY not to call you,” she was talking really quickly – obviously, stressed – and yet quietly, like she was scared someone might hear her.

Bucky sat up straighter, fully awake and now on alert. “Everything OK?”

“Yeah. Well, I mean, not really. I’m sure it’s fine. I’m probably being crazy,” her words were coming out faster and faster.

“Y/N, take a breath,” Bucky demanded.

She must’ve done as she was told because there was 5 seconds of silence.

“What’s going on?” He asked then.

“It might just be the storm…” Bucky looked outside his window at the lightning and heavy downpour. “But I swore I heard someone trying to get into my apartment. There’ve been two robberies in my building the last 2 months.”

Bucky already knew about that. He overheard Y/N telling Pepper, Tony, and Happy about it in the kitchen. She seemed pretty shaken up about it. One of her neighbors had to go to the hospital because the robbers timed it wrong and ended attacking the poor man in a panic.

Tony and Happy weren’t happy about Y/N living in what appeared to be an unsafe building. They both tried to convince her to move into the tower. When she refused, pointing out how ridiculous the idea was, Tony told her he’d just buy her a place that had a doorman and high-level security. Y/N refused that too.

It was the first time Bucky had ever agreed with anything Tony said.

“Can you hear anything now?” Bucky asked, taking Y/N’s concerns and fear very seriously.

“No. It’s hard to hear anything with the rain and thunder outside,” Y/N whispered.

Then she sighed.

“Listen, Bucky, I’m really sorry for waking you up. Pepper and Happy are in Germany for a Stark meeting. I was just trying to reach Tony…”

“Everyone’s out on an assignment right now,” Bucky explained. “I’m the only one here.”

“Oh…” Y/N said lamely.

Bucky could tell she did really feel bad, and was growing more and more embarrassed. “And you don’t have to apologize.”

“I’m just being a total spaz right now and–“ She stopped abruptly.

“Y/N?”

“I definitely just heard something,” she whispered as quietly as possible.

“Y/N, I need you to give me your address,” Bucky instructed calmly.

There was no answer.

“Y/N,” his tone more gentle this time, “you gotta give me your address.”

He was already moving around his room, grabbing necessary clothing. He moved with purpose, not even thinking about what he needed to grab.

Bucky listened as Y/N rattled off her address and apartment number.

He was grateful that her apartment was only a 10 minute drive from the tower.

“I’m on my way. Stay on the phone with me,” Bucky sounded like he did was he was on comms during a mission. Not that he’d done that recently.

“O-Okay,” Y/N stuttered in a whisper.

For a second, Bucky thought maybe he should talk to her, try to keep her calm, or make sure she knew she wasn’t alone. He’d be there soon.

But it was obvious that she was staying quiet so she could listen to any possible intruder.

Just when Bucky was two blocks away from her place, the line went dead.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath.

He slammed his breaks just outsider her building, not bothering to turn off the car or try to park it.

Bucky would’ve shoved his way through the front door of the building with his metal arm and shoulder, but the lock had already been broken.

Now Bucky was more concerned.

He was quick and stealth as he went up the stairs to Y/N’s floor. He pulled out the gun from the back of his waistband.

With one floor left to go, Bucky suddenly heard footsteps running on the floor above him – Y/N’s floor. The footsteps were running toward the opposite side of the building that Bucky was on. Which meant they probably knew someone was on their way up and they were escaping through the emergency stairs on the other side.

For a moment, Bucky considered running after them. He knew he could catch them. They didn’t stand a chance.

But Y/N was now at the forefront of his mind.

He quickly made it to her apartment.

The door was closed, but he could tell from the scratches on the lock and handle that someone had been trying to break their way in discreetly.

Bucky took in a deep breath and knocked.

“Y/N? It’s Bucky. Can you let me in?”

There was no answer. He waited a few minutes and listened for any movements from inside the apartment.

Nothing. 

“Doll… I’m coming in, alright?”

With a quick twist of his metal hand on the doorknob, he was able to crush it to pieces. It should’ve been harder to do, but the building was clearly as old as Bucky and not kept up to code.

Bucky promptly put his gun back in his waistband, not wanting to alarm Y/N with just the mere sight of a firearm.

“Y/N?” He called out to the empty apartment. “It’s just me.”

But he knew where she would be. It was the most common place for people to hide in case of an emergency.

Bucky made his steps quiet, but noticeable, so Y/N knew exactly where he was in the apartment.

He made his way to her bedroom and stopped in front of her closet.

He knew that she knew he was there. He could hear her soft breathing that was still anxious and terrified.

Ever so carefully, he opened her closet door.

Inside Y/N was tucked in the corner, knees to her chest, with a kitchen knife in one hand and her dead cellphone in the other.

Bucky looked at her with only sympathy. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt as scared as Y/N looked. Fear had been beaten out of him long ago.

He kneeled down, his forearms balancing on his knees.

“Mind if I come in?” He asked casually.

She shrugged.

Somehow the giant super soldier managed to fit into the closet, making it feel even smaller than it already did.

“For the record… you aren’t crazy. There was definitely someone trying to get into your apartment.” Then he took in a deep breath, realizing he probably wasn’t making her feel any safer. “But they’re long gone.”

When he glanced down at Y/N, she just nodded in acknowledgment.

Bucky wished he was better with words. He used to be. Words used to be his specialty. But he’d isolated himself from everyone. Before that, he was a brainwashed assassin without a mind of its own. Bucky was out of practice.

Bucky slowed reached over to the hand closest to him, the one holding the knife. Gently, he took it out of her grasp and placed it far enough away from them that it wouldn’t accidentally hurt anyone.

Then he took her hand in his, gripping in tight enough to show her comfort. His thumb brushed back and forth over the back of her hand.

She squeezed in return, silently thanking him.

The closet was quiet, only filled with Y/N’s shaky breathing.

“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you,” Bucky finally breathed.

The words surprised him. He had no idea where they’d come from.

But they seemed to finally calm Y/N down.

“Why don’t you pack a few things, so you can stay at the tower for a few days?”

He half expected her to be stubborn and say she was fine, that he’d have to put up a fight to get her to go back home with him.

But Y/N just nodded numbly.

He nodded back and got up first so he could help her back onto her feet.

When he started to leave her bedroom to give her some privacy, she jumped forward.

“W-Where are you going?”

Bucky quickly turned around. “Don’t worry. I’m just going to be in the living room. I’m calling the police. Between your door and building’s front door, there’s enough evidence to prove that someone was trying to rob the building again.”

Y/N blinked at the him saying “again,” proving that he knew this had happened in her building recently.

She didn’t think Bucky ever paid her any attention. She was never offended by it. But he had just proved that he knew paid closer attention to her than she could’ve ever realized. 

20 minutes later, there was a knock at Y/N’s front door.

Bucky quickly answered to find two cops standing outside.

He answered all their questions, hoping he did a good enough job that they wouldn’t really need to talk to Y/N all that much.

“You live here?” One of them finally asked, realizing that his name wasn’t on the lease.

“No,” Bucky answered.

“It’s your girlfriend’s place?” They followed up.

“Uhhh…no. No, Y/N’s just a friend.” He felt awkward as he answered, but the cops didn’t seemed fazed by it.

Y/N finally came out of her room with a duffle bag.

The cops started asking her questions. Bucky stood guard, making sure they didn’t push her too hard or ask things the wrong way.

After seeing how shook up she was, he felt like he’d instantly turned into her personal body guard.

“Your landlord already called a locksmith to fix your door. He should be here in a few minutes. But you should take any valuables with you just to be safe.”

Y/N nodded.

When the cops turned to talk amongst each other and with the landlord, Y/N turned to Bucky.

“Can we go now?” She asked him meekly.

It was the first time she’d talked directly to him since he got there.

“Yeah, doll, we can go.” He ushered her out and, on instinct alone, put himself between her and the cops as they walked out.

Y/N was quiet on the drive back to the Tower.

Bucky had already texted Happy and Tony about what had happened. He assumed the whole team would know soon enough.

When they were in the lobby of the residential floor, Bucky shifted his weight awkwardly. He didn’t want to leave her yet.

This was the first time they’d ever been alone together and Bucky didn’t think he could go back to keeping his distance again.

“Uhh…Do you want me to show you where the guest suites are?” He asked as he scratched the back of his neck. But he knew that she knew.

She gave him a small, forced smirk. “No, I know where they are.”

He nodded.

“Hey, Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you want to just stay up and watch a movie or something? I don’t–I don’t think I can go to sleep any time soon?”

“Of course. I mean, yeah.” Bucky responded immediately.

“Let me just change into some sweats I packed. I’ll meet you in the TV room?”

“Y-Yeah. Sounds good.”

A few minutes later, Y/N joined him on the couch.

She asked him what he wanted to watch.

“Umm…I don’t-there aren’t a lot of movies that I’ve seen,” Bucky finally told her when she kept trying to figure out what he’d like. “Haven’t really tried to catch up on the whole pop culture thing like Steve has.”

“Oh…” Y/N muttered, realizing the mistake she made.

“Put on whatever you want. Really. I’m sure I’ll like it.”

Y/N clicked a few buttons and a quirky song started playing along with someone writing in a notebook.

“Almost Famous,” Y/N explained. “It’s one of my favorites. Always puts me in a good mood, no matter how terrible I feel. And this way, you’ll be able to get a crash course on the best bands ever.”

Bucky couldn’t help but smile at that.

The opening credits weren’t even over before Bucky felt Y/N looking over at him.

He turned to her.

“Thank you for…saving me tonight,” she told him slowly.

Her words were sincere, her eyes even more so.

“You don’t have to thank me, Y/N.”

“Figured you’d say that.” Then she seemed to be trying to work up the courage to say something else. “I’m…umm…I’m glad it was you.”

Bucky blinked at her small confession.

“Me too,” he finally agreed.

And then they both turned their attention back to the movie.

Halfway through, Bucky felt a weight fall onto his shoulder.

Y/N had fallen asleep, her body choosing Bucky as its pillow.

A soft and shy grin grew on his lips from the feeling and the sight of it.

Very carefully, he maneuvered her body so he could lift his arm around her and make it less uncomfortable for her.

She didn’t wake from the movement, only sighed and shifted a bit.

It wasn’t long after that Bucky fell asleep too.

——————————————

“Sam, I told you to leave ‘em alone,” Steve called out in a hushed tone.

“Not until I document this…”

Then Bucky felt the flash of a camera. His eyes snapped open to find Sam looking guilty with his phone pointed at Bucky and Y/N, who was still fast asleep.

“You have two seconds to get that phone out of my face,” Bucky warned in a growl.

He would’ve jumped up and snatched it himself, but he didn’t want to risk waking Y/N.

Sam winced and instantly fled.

Bucky glanced over at Steve, who gave him an apologetic look.

“Tony told us what happened. She OK?” He whispered.

Bucky shrugged. “She’s a little shaken, but I think she’ll be fine.”

“Well…at least you finally talked to her. Though I wish it didn’t have to be a break-in for it to happen.”

Bucky played the ignorant card. “What do you mean?”

Steve narrowed his eyes as if to say, ‘Don’t even try.’ “Bucky, give me some credit. I’m your best friend. No matter how discrete you are, I know when you have a crush.”

Bucky blushed and the looked down at Y/N.

What neither of the super soldiers knew was that Y/N heard Steve’s confession too. And she wasn’t about to let Bucky go back to ignoring her.

----------------------------

This request was put in ages ago. I’m trying to clean out my inbox. I have so many requests that are collecting dust. 

THIS DOES NOT MEAN MY REQUESTS ARE OPEN. THEY ARE NOT. 

Please don’t request things. And please don’t immediately request a second part to this. There is no second part. 

[moonbeambucky]

Hey Neighbor (Part 21)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 3841 Warnings: fluff, angst

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: Here we are... the aftermath.. Feedback is always appreciated!

HEY NEIGHBOR PART 20 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

Sunlight streams down, shining in between gaps of the branches of the large tree you’ve nestled under, keeping cool under the shade as you turn the page of your book. The crisp spine cracks as you adjust your grip, taking a break to sip an iced coffee. You rest it carefully beside you, in the groove of the large root breaking up from the surface.

Central Park is active for a late morning, the chatter of people passing by, the carefree laughter of children playing in the distance. You wish you were as carefree as them. The book you’re attempting to distract yourself with is not working but still you force it, needing anything to take your mind off the events of the past weekend.

Normally you would be at work but an early email from Tony Stark alerted you to him being called away for the day and generously granting you a paid day off to “enjoy the weather.” You wish you could have appreciated it, having the chance to sleep in but doing so would mean you might run into Bucky and you couldn’t have that happen.

Instead you left for work as you normally would, stuffing a tote bag with a large book and a blanket. You treated yourself to breakfast, stretching the time out as much as you could before grabbing an iced coffee and finding a large tree to plant yourself under. You check your phone for the time, making sure you wouldn’t be late for your internship but no, you weren’t; in fact time was moving so slow you thought you gained an extra hour.

It isn’t fair that Tony Stark was so generous. You’d rather be working and had you known in advance you could have possibly rearranged your schedule with Elena but you weren’t the only intern so you had to wait.

And wait...

and…

wait.

A text from Wanda distracted you for a moment, though it really didn’t. Asking how you are only reminds you that you aren’t okay. You spent Sunday night crying your eyes out in her arms, wondering why you were so stupid to think Bucky could actually like you. You weren’t special, you were just a stupid girl who thought she could actually change someone; that somehow Bucky would veer from the path he’s always been on just for you!

What a joke. You cringe when you think about how pathetic you are. It was just sex, nothing more. Wanda was right, he’s probably wanted to fuck you from the start. The Music Man was an apt nickname for the man that played you like an instrument, knowing the perfect keys to hit, the chords you thought were opening your heart but really opened your legs.

Friendship never mattered to Bucky, no– James, the man who hid himself from the start, a dollar store recorder masking himself as a flute, whose only goal was to get laid.  

Coming home that night your eyes were so swollen you could barely see. You huffed up the stairs not wanting Bucky to hear the ding of the elevator as it opened on your floor. You even separated the key to your apartment so the jingling didn’t alert him of your arrival home. The last thing you wanted to do was see him.

You turned your phone off long ago, not wanting to even see Bucky’s name flash on the screen let alone hear any of his excuses. He probably wanted to smooth things over just enough to keep things peaceful between you, hoping that if you were dumb enough you would forgive him and fall in line with the rotation of other women he fucks.

Well you weren’t going to be like any of them. Desperate women, running over the moment Bucky texts before they lose their chance. Throwing themselves at him, hoping he’ll change their mind and love them just like you thought he could love you. But there is no room for love in Bucky’s cruel black heart.  

The following day at work you tried to hide your emotions. With makeup you camouflaged the swelling and painted on a smile but you couldn’t hide the truth from Steve. He sat with you over a tear filled lunch as you told him everything, making him swear to you that he would not talk to Bucky.

There may have been some guilt tripping involved reminding him how you wanted to confront Lillian after she cheated on him but you didn’t because Steve asked and trusted you not to. He suggested speaking to Bucky. “It doesn’t mean you have to forgive him.” Steve’s voice echoes in your head. “He’s your neighbor, you’re going to see him eventually. Wouldn’t it be better to work this out?” Steve might have a point but you’re not interested in hearing it right now.

He invited you to stay for dinner, and that night he and Peggy helped keep you distracted for a few hours. Only they and Wanda knew what happened and you wanted to keep it that way, not wanting to cause friction within the group. Thankfully Sam was working an overnight shift on Sunday because had he been there things would have escalated.

Sam is persistent and though he always means well you knew he would have tried to patch things up between you and Bucky on the spot. Knowing how you are you would probably have lost two friends that day, lashing out at their “help” so thankfully it hadn’t come to that.

You’re not even sure why you’re keeping this a secret. For all you know Bucky may have blabbed to everyone about what happened, and if he didn’t yet he probably would soon enough. For now, you decide not to share it with anyone else, burying what happened into the back of your mind, sealed by the iron door that should have been there to protect your heart.

The book holds your attention by gossamer strings as you reread the same lines over and over, lifting your gaze up to stare comfortably at the brightness of the world around you; bright green grass with pops of yellow and white dandelions sticking up, a cloudless sky that in no way reminds you of someone’s eyes. Looks like it’s time to go back to reading.

You ignore the sound of a guy yelling– nothing unusual especially for New York, but as the sound of his voice grew closer you decided to look up. Your eyes widened with shock as it was just in time to see what he was yelling about. It was too late to move so you braced yourself, the book dropping as a giant brown pitbull jumped into your lap, its bright pink tongue wildly licking your cheek.

“Get back here!” the owner huffed, finally catching up to the dog, grabbing the leash he had accidentally dropped. “Groot! I said get back here.”

He pulled the playful dog off you, sternly telling him to sit. “Groot, sit down, I mean it.” The dog stared back at his owner, tilting his head with innocence. The man rolled his eyes quickly before kneeling in front of you. “Are you alright? I’m so sorry about that.”

His eyes were as green as a picture perfect meadow as he stared back at you, with soft pink lips that turned down into a worrisome frown. He was handsome, sun kissed skin and golden brown hair, with the hint of dark stubble peppering his sharp jaw.

“I’m okay.” You choked on your words, finding it hard to stop the smile that was pulling at your cheeks.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I know he looks intimidating but he’s a sweetheart, I promise.” The man smiled, looking back at his dog, panting with its mouth open. “I’m Peter, by the way.”

Your name floated from your lips to his ears and Peter smiled, a boyish grin that flashed pearly white teeth. “And you’ve already met, but this is Groot.”

The sound of his name made the dog perk up and rush forward towards you. Peter caught him in time before he could assault your face with his tongue again but he couldn’t stop Groot from spilling your coffee.

“Aww Groot! Come on buddy!” Peter whined.

“It’s okay,” you laughed, picking up the overturned container. “He wanted to say hello again.”

You stuck your palm out low so Groot could easily sniff it and quickly his jaw fell open with a grin, his wide tongue soaking your hand as he lapped at it. He nudged your hand with his large nose asking to be pet and you happily complied, scratching under his chin as his tail wagged back and forth.

Groot nuzzled into your lap, his heavy body rolling onto you in a plea to be pet more. Peter huffed in frustration, looking to pull his dog off you but the smile you gave him said you didn’t mind. Both hands worked on making Groot happy, scratching his ears and rubbing his chest. Peter joined in too, rubbing Groot’s belly and softly slapping his side. Your fingertips touched briefly, electric tingles racing up your arm.

Peter cleared his throat of the nervous lump that settled there, tugging gently on Groot’s leash to get off you. When he saw you began to get up Peter offered his hand. There was little hesitation when you took it, feeling his slightly calloused palms against yours. You looked away from him when you were standing, brushing off some dirt from your thighs.

“I’m sorry, again,” Peter grimaced, your clothes were dirty thanks to Groot’s dirty paws. “I feel terrible, can I buy you a cup of coffee… to make up for what Groot spilled?”

Maybe it was Peter’s big doe eyes anxiously awaiting your answer or Groot’s beaming smile but you said yes, picking up your things and walking with them a few blocks to an outdoor cafe. On the way you learned that Peter was a firefighter and looking at him you didn’t doubt it. He was tall (taller than Bucky), with a broad frame (bigger than Bucky) and large bulging biceps (also bigger than Bucky’s, though his came close).

You shake away thoughts of Bucky because you do not want to think about him. And why should you have to? Not when a very cute firefighter with an even cuter dog was pulling out the chair for you to sit down as you got to know each other.

He grew up in Missouri, raised by his mom up until she died from cancer. He was eight at the time but the slight crack in his voice he tried to clear away as he talked about her let you know how much she still meant to him.

“She called me her little star lord ‘cause all I talked about was that one day I was gonna be a space pilot.”

“So how’d you go from space to fighting fires?” you asked, smiling at him as you leaned in closer on the table.

The wait for an answer was interrupted by the server bringing your orders, another iced coffee for you, coffee with a shot of espresso for Peter and a big cup of whipped cream for Groot. Peter held the cup in his hand as Groot swiftly lapped away at his sweet treat.

“There was a fire at my grandparent’s house. I was about fifteen, sixteen at the time. I helped them get out and ran back to grab my mom’s old walkman. It’s all I had left of her.”

Peter paused, almost anticipating a comment about how stupid it was to do that but you were quiet, listening without judgment and understanding. He lifted his lips with relief and explained that after that happened he knew what he wanted to do, hoping he could save people and the homes that hold things dear to them.

“Plus my grades could probably never get me through the door at NASA,” he joked.

You and Peter spoke for the next hour, telling him about your jobs and interests. He was really easy to talk to, with no lulls or awkward silence in your conversation, and he made you laugh a lot which is something you sorely missed these past few days.

When it was nearing time to leave for work you exchanged numbers, giving Groot an enthusiastic petting and letting yourself be enveloped by the warmth of Peter’s arms for a big hug goodbye.

You were surprised to find yourself thoroughly distracted the rest of the day, with Peter in the forefront of your mind, your heart swelling with joy as you read a message he had sent while you were working.

Peter: Hey Y/N it was really great to meet you. I have another day off before my shift and was hoping we could talk again… maybe even see each other. It’s for Groot’s sake really.. I think he likes you.. 😉

A smile reached your ears and you were quick to respond. Yes, you think you liked Groot as well…

Messages exchanged back and forth on your way home and throughout the dinner you were preparing yourself. Your phone buzzed with Peter calling, preferring to talk as Groot decided to lie on top of him like a log, and it was hard to reach around him and type. You spoke until well past midnight and for the first night that week you fell asleep with ease.

Peter stayed in touch throughout the next day and asked you out to dinner. It was last minute but you didn’t mind, the less time you spent at home the better. You decided to meet at a casual spot for burgers. The place was small with limited seating but you managed to grab a table on the end of a long row so you didn’t feel completely claustrophobic.

You didn’t mind sitting close to Peter, apologizing when your knee kept banging into his under the table, getting to see his big smile up close as he told you not to worry about it. He looked great, removing a sanguine red leather jacket for a form fitting dark t-shirt, smelled even better, like almond blossoms in the rain.

Peter was scheduled to work tomorrow, a typical 24 hour shift so he ordered his burger without fries not wanting to feel weighed down by the extra calories. The golden steaming potatoes tempted him from your plate and even though you offered him to have some he declined.

“I feel bad since you’re sticking with water,” you remarked, as your drinks arrived, his water with lemon looking a little boring compared to the iced cold beer that was brought for you.

“Don’t, it’s fine,” he said. Leaning closer the words fell from his lips in a low purr, “Besides I can always taste it from your lips.”

Fire erupted on your cheeks and luckily you were with the perfect person to extinguish the flame. You saved making out with Peter until after you left the restaurant; standing outside of your building with your hands scratching through his hair as his tongue caressed yours.

His lips pulled away with your soft moan still lingering on them, and as much as he wanted to continue this Peter knew he had to get some sleep as did you. Without any haste your hands let go of each other’s, fingertips still gently grazing as you pointed your hips towards the front door. Before you lost contact Peter grabbed your waist to pull you in for another kiss, because a few more wouldn’t hurt.

The elevator carried you upstairs even though it felt like you were floating and as you reached your door the bubble you were in burst immediately as Bucky’s door creaked open. You couldn’t open your door fast enough so you were stuck having to hear him call your name, a desperate sounding cry that reeked of insincerity.

“Can we talk?” he begged.

Through a narrow eyed glance you turned to face him, lips pursed tightly as you looked him up and down. Bare feet stuck out from the bottom of dirty sweatpants, his t-shirt was worn and wrinkled, and if you were being honest he didn’t smell great. Bucky’s hair was an unkempt mess with strands sticking up wildly in all directions and a thick shadow of stubble on his face.

For a moment your heart broke for Bucky until you remembered it already broke because of him. Ice set into your veins again as you stiffly replied, “I don’t think there’s anything to talk about.”

The vibration of your phone in hand rescued you from a conversation you didn’t want to have in the first place. Seeing it was Peter your face softened with a smile that was once reserved for Bucky.

“I gotta take this,” you said, opening your door without giving Bucky the chance to say anything else.

His shoulders slumped, sighing defeatedly as Bucky trudged back into his apartment. It didn’t help that he could hear you through the wall, your voice light and bubbly. He crawled back into bed, past the instruments left untouched for days because the thought of creating something was hopeless; a daunting task that required Bucky to give part of himself but there was nothing to give.

Part of his soul died the day you walked away from him, not letting Bucky explain the horrible coincidence of running into a person he never intended going on a date with in the first place. You ignored his calls, didn’t answer his texts and probably rappelled up the side of the building into your apartment to avoid running into him.

If you did answer, Bucky would have told you the truth, that he did make that date long ago, that he made a lot of dates he cancelled because no one was you. He would have told you how he stopped setting up dates, that he cancelled all the ones he remembered before deleting his dating app, how it had been almost two months since he had sex and how none of that mattered because all he wanted was to give you his heart.

Everything he said over the weekend was true and he hates the fact that you won’t give him a goddamn second to prove how much he means it. Bucky rolls over, pulling the blankets above his head. He clutches a pillow close to him, a poor comparison to the way your body fit perfectly against his, shutting his eyes tight as he hopes sleep will come for him.

Friday passes slowly, the hand of every hour moving at a half-dead snail’s pace. Bucky waits to hear you coming home, having missed the opportunity to speak to you in the morning because as the sun was rising in the sky his eyelids were finally shutting. He anxiously waits for the ding of the elevator, rushing to his door to open it ajar.

His heart races as he hears the sound of keys jingling closer, pulling his door open with all his strength he’s surprised he hasn’t ripped the hinges off. But instead of seeing you approach Bucky shrinks, deflated and embarrassed to have Shuri, the teenager that lives at the end of the hall with her family, see him looking disheveled. He smiled, giving a half wave, swearing he could hear her call him a “broken white boy” under her breath. He shut the door only to wait again.

When Bucky did finally hear you come in it was late and he was a second too late, opening his door as you shut yours. He sent a text hoping you would respond to no avail. He heard you through the wall, the sound of your closet opening, the creak of the mattress as you get in bed. Bucky’s palm presses against the cold wall. It hurts knowing how close you are and yet you’ve never been further apart.

It’s a beautiful Saturday but Bucky can’t enjoy it. He paces the hallway in front of the elevator and stairwell; he is not going to miss your arrival. It’s nearing the time you normally get home from Metro-General and he prays to anyone listening that you aren’t making any stops along the way.

He needs this. He’s desperate to tell you what happened, so you could see the truth flow from his lips, the tears fall from his eyes as he begs for forgiveness of the misunderstanding.

The elevator soon grants his wish as the doors open revealing you, like the lustrous pearl of an oyster and Bucky can’t help but smile. You on the other hand were not expecting to see him. Bucky was in the same clothes, his hair a little greasier, with stubble that had grown in more. The brighter lighting of the hallway did him no favors, accentuating the deep purple bags that settled under his eyes.

He starts off right away, begging for a moment to hear him out but you strode past him, ignoring the way Bucky ran up beside you like a lost puppy looking for a home. Realizing you weren’t going to stop Bucky ran ahead, blocking your door with his body as he implored you to listen.

“No!” you barked sternly. “Get out of the way Bucky.”

He didn’t move and both of your frustrations grew. “You need to listen to me Y/N, you’ve got– ”

“Don't tell me what I need to do Bucky. You need to get out of the way.”

Not only did Bucky not move but he tried to grab your hand. You snapped it away, gritting through your teeth about how serious you were. You didn’t want to raise your voice and cause a scene with your neighbors if you didn’t have to.

“I just want to talk.” His voice was tight and Bucky fought hard to stop the tears from burning their way to his eyes.

“Well I don’t want to. Move. I have a date to get ready for.”

You stood firm, wondering if you would have to resort to having Clint come down and make Bucky leave, or worse, Natasha, but Bucky stepped aside, letting you enter your apartment without another word.

The slamming of the door masked the sound of the bubbled cry he let out, tears streaking down his cheeks. Hours later he heard a voice at your door, devastated to know you were telling the truth about your date, and dying inside at the sound of lips smacking together. He gave it a moment and opened his door quietly to see you walk hand in hand with some guy down the hall.

Bucky goes back inside, back to the safety of his bed, where he swallows Benadryl and soaks his pillow with tears as he falls asleep.

He dreams of better times, of your smile, of your touch, of all the days you spent together because in his dreams is the only place he’ll have those again.

He’s lost you.

PART 22

[oakleyhall]

Name: Oakley Hall.

Age: 35.

Occupation: Private Investigator.

Neighborhood: Downtown.

Gender & Preferred Pronouns: Cis Male & He/Him.

QUICK OVERVIEW.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa which is where he lived for all of his childhood until just shy of his 14th birthday. He always thought his parents had an idealistic marriage, until the last image of his father was through a rearview mirror after his mother had discovered his longstanding infidelity.

After a brief few months of staying with family friends, it was decided for him that he would move back to his mother’s hometown with her -- Iron River, Georgia.

It wasn’t an easy move for him, made more tumultuous by grappling with the detriments of his parents divorce that he never saw coming. That sense of being blindsided stuck with him throughout the rest of his adolescence and became something he resolved to never wanting to experience again.

His mother’s aunts often called him nosy, too much for his own good according to them, but he saw it more as being thorough. Determination isn’t in short supply for him, and after muddling through his 20s with an ever switching career path it finally clicked into place for him what he should be doing. Being a private investigator wasn’t his first choice of work, but it’s what he’s best at, even if he’s learned 10 times over it’s a thankless job.

Despite the success he’s garnered for himself with an impressive track record in his work, it’s not without its downsides. He’s burned bridges in town and scorned people who’s dirty secrets he’s brought to light at the behest of their scorned loved ones and it’s gotten him in a fair number of scrapes.

PERSONALITY.

+ easy going, friendly, reasonable.

- crafty, indecisive, emotionally aloof. 

BONUS ROUND.

has been in and out of town since college because he couldn’t really settle on where the hell he wanted to be, but decided to make it his permanent home (for like the 15th time) 5 years ago and has been buzzing around since. 

lives downtown now but as a teen he lived in the mines with his mother, who is still residing there. chances are, if anyone has ever left a note on your car for blocking her driveway, brought down the vibe at a street party by being overly judgemental or called the cops on you for a noise complaint, it was most likely elizabeth “karen” hall. 

he has 2 great aunts who also live in the mines and have done for their whole life. world renowned gossips, will talk about anyone and their scandals all the while tutting at oakley for how he makes ends meet. he adores them. they’re the worst. 

has a snake tattoo wrapping around his left forearm because its a moniker he’s gotten thrown his way more than once when he’s exposed a cheating partner and he thinks its funny. ref here and here. 

has mostly lost his south african accent after so long stateside, but it does creep in at times inadvertently. 

CURRENT CONNECTIONS.

vanessa gable: adolescent best friend turned high school girlfriend turned college break up turned ongoing something turned some dude’s wife. 🤠 he’s not bitter at all ab it 🤠 @rivergables​

spencer mccann: the losers club but make it 2 people and make one of them actually hella cool. long-term homie, he thinks she’s the bizz. @spencermccann​

SPECIFIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.

a ride or die homieeee, someone who’s always got his back 

an out an out enemy, someone who wants to put a knife in his back. 

in general tho, anything related to his work would be hella. ppl who’s lives he’s accidentally ruined, or inversely brought them a truth they couldn’t or wouldn’t see. doesn’t have to be your muse specifically either, could be an npc connected to ‘em but either way it could be hella fun to plot out. 

half sibling!! v open ended right not but, basically is younger than him and is his father’s kid. gender/fc/personality all utp. may sub to main, may not, i’m mulling like a christmas wine on it rn but yeah. if its of any interest hmu and we can play around with it. 

his mom’s (most likely one sided) adversaries that he tries to peacekeep with JHSGSHSGHJSK

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

connections wise he’s pretty much an open book right now, but some baseline ideas that can be springboarded off are:

friendly.

childhood friends / pseudo-siblings / friends / drunk friends / new friends / former roommates / folks who’ve let him couch surf / former co-workers (he’s worked a few random jobs around town i’m currently nailing down the timeline of that but will list when i have done) / former or current clients. 

romantic.

flirtationship / friends with benefits / tinder matches / unrequited crush (can be either way) / exes. 

antagonistic.

enemies / former (best) friends / frenemies / rivals / negative influence / former co-workers (but combative.. u know) / people he’s fucked over in the past or has fucked him over / former or current clients (derogatory).

[thetvmoviefan]

Nabrina Fanfics Part 11 (Winter Solstice Update)

Sabrina Spellman & Nicholas Scratch (Nick Scratch) FanFics MASTERLIST (UPDATEABLE PINNABLE)

Updated: December 21, 2020

It’s official ONLY 10 more days till Part 4 of CAOS and we get the show back for the last time. As we wait countdown here are some fantastic Nabrina Fics by some wickedly good writers. Escape into their amazing and magical creations through their amazing writing as we wait on a final part. Make sure to leave some Love/Praise or Kudos through the comments on their work. Or maybe given them a little message to how much you enjoy their stories, they have been the real heroes through this Nabrina/CAOS hiatus.

As always have a Wicked or Hell-ish these fics and ENJOY!!!!

Fics in order by Last Update: 9/20/2020

[Key: AU=Alternate Reality - AH=All Human/All Mortal - * = New Fics to List]

1. “Never Really Over”*

Author: Miss_Kath90

Summary: Sabrina Spellman wanted nothing more than to have a normal life and to achieve it, she accidentally had caused a time paradox that had allowed two of her to coexist in the same timeline.One, living in Greendale with her family and friends. The other, reigning over the infernal court in Hell.She could finally have (almost) everything she ever wanted but nothing in Sabrina's life was simple or normal…A new threat looms over Greendale.And she would need all the help she could get to stop it.Especially Nicholas Scratch's, even though every time they are in the same room the weight of their shattered romance filled the air and threatened with crush them. Rated M - Chapters 12/? - Last Update 12/20/2020

2. “Another Year”*

Author: shotgunkitten @shotgunkitten

Summary: Nick wanted to get his hands on his grandfather's journals for years and now his grandmother named her conditions: He gets the journals when he's in a steady relationship. Jumping at the opportunity to finally study his grandfather's research, he tells his grandmother that he has a girlfriend. The problem: He doesn't. Who better to ask than Sabrina to help him out and pretend to be his girlfriend while his grandmother is visiting for the Yule celebrations? Rated T - Chapters 3/? - Last Update 12/19/2020

3. “Under the mistletoe”*

Author: Miss_Kath90 @misskath90

Summary:  Nick and Sabrina meet at Spellman's Christmas party throughout the years. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 12/18/2020

4. “Sins of the Father”*

Author: willowaus @willowaus

Summary:  In a Greendale where Edward Spellman was given the chance to see his manifesto play out, Sabrina Spellman works to traverse the world her father created for her, walking that fine line between mortal and witch, trying to integrate them both. It’s not enough that she has to maintain that Spellman image while trying to juggle the Weird Sisters, her friends, and an annoyingly hot warlock, Nick Scratch. She also has to deal with the fact that someone or something doesn’t want her to make it to her seventeenth birthday. Rated M - Chapters 9/? - Last Update 12/18/2020

5. “Of Gingerbread and Snow Globes”*

Author: sarahkwut @sarahwyland

Summary: Nicholas Scratch begrudgingly helps his grandmother move back to her hometown of Greendale. He's got a high powered job and is used to the big city lifestyle. The small town life isn't for him, but he promised his grandmother he would stay through the holidays. Enter, Sabrina Spellman, international journalist and soon-to-be author who happens to love Greendale - and all of its holiday traditions. She's not trying to change Nick's mind about the place, but they do seem to keep crossing paths... Rated M - Chapters 3/? - Last Update 12/18/2020

6. “yuletide blessings”*

Author: bunivy @bunivys

Summary:  Journalist and hopeless romantic Sabrina heads home for the holidays with an assignment: write the perfect article on a small town Christmas to capture the spirit of the holidays. Things start off right when her aunt Hilda performs a bit of tea reading which suggests romance in Sabrina’s future, and she gets a call from one Harvey Kinkle, friend and childhood crush, asking her out on a date to the local Christmas Market. Hilda’s tea never lies and this could really be it. He could be it. To her surprise, she runs into a spellbinding bookseller at the market who seems to be on a quest of his own and before Sabrina knows it, she’s wrapped up in the mystery and holiday joy of it all. Along the way, she comes to learn that maybe there's still some new magic to be discovered in old Greendale, after all. Rated M - Chapters 2/? - Last Update 12/17/2020

7. “Illicit Affairs”*

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary:  She had never really meant for it to start. It wasn’t like her, the secret meetings, hushed whispers, and built up lies. But there was something about all of it that dragged her under the current and swept her up that she couldn’t deny or ignore. It was never her intention to start an affair with Nicholas Scratch. Though it was somewhat of an inevitability. From the minute they met, a line in the sand was drawn and they spent the better part of two years trying not to come closer to it. But the magnetic pull between them was undeniable, and soon the line in the sand was just as messed up as their sheets. She hadn’t planned it, and the second she let her guard down they’d both fallen into a hole they couldn't quite climb out of. She’d been sleeping with Nick for months and talked to him about more things than she never dared to with Harvey. Harvey.The highschool sweetheart she couldn’t let go. Or rather she couldn’t admit the relationship was failing, because she wasn’t a quitter. But she couldn’t seem to quit Nick either. Rated M - Chapters 8/? - Last Update 12/16/2020

8. “Off The Record - One Shots”

Author: sarahkwut @sarahwyland

Summary: Missing scenes from my completed piece, 'Off The Record.' AU/AH - Not Rated - Chapters 9/? - Last Update 12/14/2020

9. “If You Let Me”

Author: bunivy aka @bunivys

Summary: After pouring all of her time and effort into obtaining a law degree in the city, Sabrina Spellman moves back to Greendale for one last summer before she departs for good. She's fully intent on enjoying her stay in her hometown, even deciding to pick up a part-time job at her Aunt Hilda's cafe to save up some money. The only problem is that the boy in the bookstore across the way is one she's had some not-so-good history with and it's becoming increasingly harder to ignore him. Before long, she finds herself exploring the complexities of old high-school grudges and what-ifs, all while trying to sort out her present-day relationship with the boy she has long since deemed as non-existent.Meanwhile, Nicholas Scratch wonders if it would just be easier to remain non-existent. AU/AH - Rated M - Chapters 30/? - Last Update 12/10/2020

10. “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night”

Author: shotgunkitten @shotgunkitten

Summary: Hilda Spellman once said that their meeting was fate. And while neither Sabrina Spellman nor Nicholas Scratch were sure if they believed in that kind of thing, they were sure of this: They never wanted to find out what their lives would be like without each other. AU/AH- Rated T - Chapters 17/? - Last Update 12/08/2020

11. “Wicked Winds”

Author: sarahkwut @sarahwyland

Summary: Nicholas Scratch winds up at the Academy of Unseen Arts after being kicked out of several others for being too smart - and too powerful - for his own good. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and he’s not in Greendale to make friends. But then he meets Sabrina Spellman, a witch that’s not only beautiful, but just as up for breaking the rules as him.Except she wants nothing to do with him.His old friend Prudence places a bet that he can’t get her to give into him - but things get complicated as he not only starts to fall for Sabrina, but a deadly darkness settles over Greendale. Rated M - Chapters 23/23 - COMPLETED 12/04/2020

12. “Wintertime Love”*

Author: sweetjs

Summary:  Sabrina and Nick celebrate both Winter Solstice and Christmas through the years. Rated G - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot 12/04/2020

13. “p is for passion, n is for not this again”*

Author: Unseemingowl @unseemingowl

Summary: In which Nick is very passionate about the Baxter High encyclopaedia section and Sabrina Spellman can never just get one day of peace and quiet and making out. Rated M - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot 12/03/2020

14. “Soft Place To Land”*

Author: shotgun kitten @shotgunkitten

Summary: A collection of short Nabrina one shots based on fluff prompts on tumblr. Rated T - Chapters 14/? - One Shots 11/26/2020

15. “my greatest grief, my deepest desire”*

Author: bunny @bunivys

Summary: She could put her hand out and touch Nick, but she couldn’t hold him, couldn’t kiss him, couldn’t slot her nose into the corner of his neck like she had once loved to do. Couldn’t run her fingers through his curls, hear him sigh against her lips. Could be the first person Nick loved, but not the last. Rated M - Chapters 14/4 - One Shots 11/21/2020

16. “I almost do”*

Author: Miss_Kath90 @misskath90

Summary: Nick and Sabrina dance at Hilda's wedding. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot 11/17/2020

17. “Before the Devil Breaks Me”

Author: willowaus @willowaus

Summary: All Sabrina wants to do is enjoy the last few years with her mortal friends. Attend college, party a little too hard, and make endless memories with them. But when you're a Spellman nothing ever goes as planned, especially not when she meets her handsomely mischievous classmate, Nick Scratch, who introduces her to a side of witchcraft that she's never thought possible.When people start ending up murdered in ritual sacrifices on campus Sabrina knows she can't keep both of her worlds apart any longer. Especially when it seems each murder is a message for her. AU - Rated Mature - Chapters 31/31 - COMPLETED 11/17/2020

18. “whispers in the white wind”*

Author: bunny @bunivys

Summary: Nick had no one to knit him scarves and Sabrina didn’t mind sharing.(a collection of tumblr winter fluff prompts.) Rated T - Chapters 7/7 - One Shots 11/13/2020

19. “For Fluffs Sake, Angst-hole”*

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: This is a collection of short writings/scenes from an ask I did on Tumblr for Nabrina!It used to be all fluff, but now there's some agnsty ones in there too! Not Rated - Chapters 23/23 - Last Update12/07/2020

20. “Haunted Herat”*

Author: shotgunkitten @shotgunkitten

Summary: Sabrina ran through the woods, tree branches crashing to the ground in front of her, grasping at her. Roots digging themselves out of the wet soil, wrapping around her calves, dragging her to the ground. She set them on fire, the angry, high-pitched screams of the trees filling the air as Sabrina got up, looking over her shoulder. She could see torches in the dark, coming closer. “Find that witch!” a male voice bellowed, others chiming in, faint calls of “Burn the witch!” following. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot 10/31/2020

21. “Cruel Summer”

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: A mix between AU and Cannon, where the young members of the Church of Night also attend Baxter High. The young witches and warlocks then go to the Unseen Arts Summer Camp to bolster their gifts. However Sabrina, being half mortal, only began attending after her Dark Baptism. To the mortals of Greendale, Unseen Arts Camp was for the wealthy. An elite sector of the Baxter High youth that attended a camp deep in the Greendale Wood far upstream of Sweetwater River. Many had tried to find and break in, but none have succeeded. To the mortals, the divide between the camp attendees and the not was of money and status. When in fact, the difference lay with light vs. night.Set between two timelines- the present and the summer, Sabrina attends camp for the first time and grows closer to Nick only for them to be torn apart as school starts. Rated Mature - Chapters 27/27 - COMPLETED 10/27/2020

22. “in a dream, a thousand years ago”*

Author: bunny @bunivys

Summary: It’s a painful thing to be a songbird with no one to serenade, and maybe he knows that, too.(part of the anti-soulmates au; Nick and Sabrina meet in a bar) Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot 10/22/2020

23. “Born To Love You”

Author: thoughtsaboutshows aka @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: So Sabrina left Harvey at the altar for Nick. What now? Tune in for snapshots into Nick and Sabrina's life now that they've admitted their true feelings. What happened after Sabrina left Harvey and ran to Nick? Did they live happily ever after?This will be a collection of snapshots of this version of Nick and Sabrina. I don't know how often it will be updated, but we will get a look into their life together.I enjoy writing my fics based on songs, so if a particular song screams this Nick and Sabrina to you please message me on tumblr or comment below and maybe I'll write a scene based on it! ****Follow up to One-Shot Marry Me. Go READ it first!**** AU/AH - Not Rated - Chapters 4/? - Last Update 9/24/20

24. “Unwritten”

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Tired of her aunt’s matchmaking attempts, Sabrina decides to tell a little white lie… and now she needs a boyfriend to accompany her to her hometown for the holidays.And who better to play that part than her good friend Nicholas Scratch? There is only one little problem… He had a crush on her since the day they met. When two friends pretend to be in a relationship, what could possibly go wrong? Rated T - Chapters 10/10 - COMPLETED 9/22/2020

25. "Free Pour”

Author: sarahkwut @sarahwyland

Summary: He's a bartender with a perfect free pour and a Ph.D. candidate. She thinks she wants to be a lawyer and wishes she had taken more chances in life. Both of them are trying to move on. But when their paths collide, Nick's hand is no longer steady with the bottle and she's far more willing to take a risk. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 23/23 - COMPLETED 9/01/2020

26. "Burning House”*

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: Sabrina hasn't seen him in months but she still sees him everywhere. Nick sees her every night in his dreams. They both know what they want, but won't let the other have it. Not yet. Not when Nick will hardly talk to her and Sabrina used well...THAT candle... ONE-SHOT - Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 8/28/2020

27. “The Four Pictures”

Author: Copper_16

Summary: It’s been 10 years. Nick and Sabrina are teachers at the Academy along with some familiar faces. It’s been a decade there can’t be that much chaos anymore, right? Wrong. Rated T - Chapters 4/? - Last Update 8/04/2020

28. “Marry Me”*

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: “No, No, No.” Nick said as he shook his head at Prudence. “Sabrina is my best friend. That’s it.”“Sure.” Prudence shrugged her shoulders.When she explained to her brother that they were likely more she had said it as a statement, not an invitation to have a conversation about it. She was entirely annoyed by the Spellman girl, and had found it odd and irritating that she and her brother had been attached at the hip from a young age.“Besides she’s marrying Kinkle, Prudence.” Nick explained more to himself than to Prudence. His eyes were wild and looking around the room, searching for something to land on. “Not me.”“Do you want her to?” Prudence asked as she leaned forward. Nick paused, unsure how to answer that question. Nick had been in love with Sabrina Spellman for most of his life. But she was happy with Harvey Kinkle. Prudence rolled her eyes and stood up sighing, and placed a hand on Nick’s shoulder. She was rarely affectionate and this was as comforting as she got. “You may want to figure that out.” AU/AH - Rated Mature - ONE-SHOT - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 7/11/2020

29. “The Chaos In the Stars”

Author: willowaus @willowaus

Summary: Nick sacrificed himself to save her, but Sabrina's not about to let him fester away in Hell. But what happens when saving the one she loves brings about a series of apocalyptic events that Sabrina and the rest of the Spellman clan need to thwart?Alternate part 3. (Part 3 Fic) - Rated Mature - Chapters 24/24 - COMPLETED 6/30/2020

30. “A Little Wicked”

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Sometimes, in the darkness of her room, unable to sleep, she thought about how easy it would be to fall in love with him. And she was sure a part of her was a bit in love with him already, but she kept holding to the past and that was hurting them both. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 6/16/2020

31. “Crash Into Me”

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: Set after Part 3 and some time after Nick and Sabrina's breakup. Just a little one-shot of a mission they get sent on by Zelda. Tough conversations and some tears...and one bed ONE-SHOT - Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 6/15/2020

32. “Heaven can’t help me now”

Author: bunivy @bunivys

Summary: Soulmates are a universal law, the way of life. Sabrina's soulmate is Harvey, but she'll pick Nick every time, in every way. ONE-SHOT - Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 6/13/2020

33. “I knew you were trouble”

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Sabrina didn’t know that being away from home for the first time could be so hard.Away from her aunts, friends and her-lifelong-boyfriend, Sabrina have to deal with the nostalgia but also with the new challenges College's life mean: get used to share a room with a not-so-nice roommate, put up with long hours of study and very few of sleep, learn to live from pre-cooked meals instead of her aunt Hilda’s homemade ones, find balance between her studies and her new social life… And resist the temptation a certain Nicholas Scratch mean for her. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 28/28 - COMPLETED 6/06/2020

34. “A Thing or Two to Learn”

Author: gracefulchaos

Summary: What if Sabrina and Nick weren't in the same coven, and they met each other later in life? AU - Rated Mature - Chapters 1/? - Last Update 6/06/2020

35. “When the Bones are Good”

Author: sarahkwut @sarahwyland

Summary: Sabrina Spellman is enjoying her life as a normal teenager. Sabrina Morningstar is reigning Hell with an iron fist. Ambrose Spellman is searching for a solution to bring them back together and close the time loop, Sabrina's wishes be damned. And Nicholas Scratch? He's faced down his own demons and he's desperate for redemption.Except the clock is ticking.On time and Terrors. (Part 4 Fic) - Rated General - Chapters 28/28 - COMPLETED 6/05/2020

36. “Bury a Lie”

Author: raeinthedark

Summary: Sabrina is comfortable with death. It's her job. But everything is changed on a rainy October morning. The life and work she was accustomed to are forever different in the wake of tragedy. There really isn't coming back from this, unless she can figure out who's behind it. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 3/? - Last Update 5/04/2020

37. “I run to you”

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: Nick and Sabrina love two things. Research and each other. But their research often takes them to far away places, and far away from the person they love most. AU/AH - Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - One-Shot COMPLETED - 5/21/2020

38. “My Body Is A Canvas For Your Love”

Author: Unseemingowl aka @unseemingowl

Summary: Sabrina had no love for the whip or the belt or the cane that Nick had used to enjoy so much, but restraints... That was another matter entirely. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 4/29/2020

39. ”Ground Beneath Her Feet”

Author: mindlesshappy aka @feministstree

Summary: Sabrina is born out of a miracle - one that she wishes would repeat for her, but when she is destined for someone else, how much can she resist before her heart decides to give in. Alternatively, Nick is Sabrina's soulmate, but she really just wants Harvey to be it. Also, in the backseat are all the other possible ships, getting their own soulmate glories. Rated T - Chapters 18/? - Last Update 4/17/2020

40. “in your eyes (there's something burning inside you)”

Author: jessequicksters

Summary: Nicholas falls in love with Sabrina as fast as a mortal sells their soul to the devil. The only problem is, in the Church of Night, everything has a price. Even love.Especially love.(He bleeds every time he dreams of Sabrina and when they kiss, it happens too, but love isn't supposed to hurt, right? Except he's never known about love; the only thing he knows is that this half-mortal is going to be the death of him.) Rated Mature - Chapters 5/5 - Last Update 3/22/2020

41. “The Institute for Divine Craft”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: After a humiliating spat with Father Blackwood pushes Sabrina away from her witching life and the Academy, Madam Satan crafts an alternative solution to move Sabrina Spellman further down the path of night. Ultimately leading her to the Institute for the Divine Craft. A handsome Headmaster with mysterious ties to her father, convinces Sabrina to abandon her mortal life, and cultivate her abilities as a child of the Church of Lucifer. AU - Rated Mature - Chapters 19/? - Last Update 3/22/2020

42. “My Lover of Blood and Milk”

Author: Unseemingowl aka @unseemingowl

Summary: It didn’t feel as though it had only been a few hours since she had made her way to the Greendale woods for Lupercalia. As she sat there, shivering in her muddied and bloodied silk slip, it felt as if a completely different person had made her way back out of the forest...... Or how Sabrina struggles with lust and trust after her disastrous Lupercalian night with Nick. Rated Mature - Chapters 4/4 - Last Update 3/15/2020

43. “I Need to Know”

Author: raeinthedark

Summary: Love isn't that easy to erase... and that song is on again. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 2/29/2020

44. “Be True To Your School”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: Nicholas Scratch is the Golden Boy™ of Baxter High; star athlete, top of his class academically, and devastatingly handsome. Sabrina Spellman sees Sophomore year as an opportunity to expand her horizons; joining the cheerleading squad, running for student council, and making new friends along the way while working to maintain her relationships with her old friends. What Sabrina Spellman doesn't know: sophomore year is about to turn her world upside-down. Rated T - Chapters 6/? - Last Update 2/23/2020

45. “Ocean”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: AU, M-Rated. Nicholas Scratch has everything working in his favor. He's got a decent job as a history teacher, his roommate Melvin is always up for video games and getting high, and Sabrina Spellman lets him mess up her sheets frequently. Sabrina knows Nick isn't good for her, but she can't stay away, no matter how hard it is to pretend she's completely okay with their casual arrangement. But when life takes an unexpected curve, Nick is forced to face a new normal he doesn't know how to navigate. And Sabrina may or may not be there to help him through it. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 27/27 - COMPLETED 2/10/2020

46. “I’ll be there”

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: She couldn’t stop looking at him, since she had recovered him from the claws of the Dark Lord, she felt unable to be apart from him and had to admit that part of her was afraid he would disappear if she moved from his side. And Sabrina wouldn't let anyone or anything separate him from her again. Never. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 1/30/2020

47. “Walk away”

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Pain. Could he someday escape the pain? He sometimes thought it impossible. It was strange, his relationship with the pain, it was an enemy and a friend. The pain numbed him. The pain didn’t let him sleep. The pain hurt him and soothed him. It was unhealthy, the way the pain helped him relieve the pain. But it was the only thing he had left. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 1/27/2020

48. “To Hell and Back”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: Sabrina was successful in her efforts to retrieve Nick from Hell, but the damage - physical and emotional - is deep. Sometimes, the only way to heal is to go your separate ways and trust things will work themselves out in the end. (Written before Part 3 - an alternate take on how Nick recovers from his time in Hell - with and without Sabrina). Rated Mature - Chapters 3/3 - Last Update 1/26/2020

49. “The Morning(star) After”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: A Painful NickxSabrina Reunion Rated T - Chapters 1/3 - Last Update 1/24/2020

50. “My only love sprung from my only hate”

Author: filmharlot

Summary: High School AU where Nick is based on the version of him that Sabrina creates in her dream during the Batibat episode. Harvey and Sabrina have broken up and don't want to work together on the Romeo and Juliet assignment in Drama class, so she ends up being partners with Nick AU - Not Rated - Chapters 8/? - Last Update 1/19/2020

51. “A very witchy Christmas”

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Just a bit of silly Christmas fluff that I couldn’t help but write, placed in the series universe after a huge jump in time. Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 12/25/2019

52. “Mortal Little Christmas”

Author: HeartsInJeopardy

Summary: ‘Twas the night before Christmas – and the first for Nick Scratch - but Sabrina’s holiday movie was not a good match. Rated T - Chapters 2/2 - Last Update 12/21/2019

53. “Lessons in the Unseen”

Author: bunivy aka @bunivys

Summary: Academy Teachers AU. Sabrina Spellman lives as simple a life as a half-mortal half-witch can. Despite her dislike for the headmaster, she enjoys spending her time teaching Ritual Magic at the Academy of Unseen Arts, hoping to positively shape the minds of young witches and warlocks. However, with the sudden dreadful announcement of her aunt Zelda's engagement and the appearance of one mysterious - and strikingly handsome - Nicholas Scratch, Sabrina finds that her life is not so simple anymore. Or all that safe. AU - Rated Mature - Chapters 32/32 - COMPLETED 12/17/2019

54. “Just a Little Obsessed”

Author: eyerys

Summary: Nicholas has developed a tinie-tiny crush on Sabrina. Nothing like major or whatever. It's not like he thinks about her all the time or daydreams about what it would be like to be with her or how cool she is. No, not at all.Sabrina doesn't have a crush on Nick. No, not at all. Uh-uh. She has Harvey. Sweet and loving Harvey Kinkle. But for some reason, she can't help but find her mind wandering. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 12/13/2019

55. “As The Moon Rises”

Author: venzaren

Summary: Sabrina Spellman is tired.Tired of living a double life. Tired of facing discrimination at the hands of her pack. Tired of dealing with her status as an Omega. And most of all, she's tired of people hounding her about finding her mate.Then Nick Scratch returns to Greendale. AU - Rated General - Chapters 1/? - Last Update 12/07/2019

56. “Thirteen Memories”

Author: tempestbreak

Summary: (Set at the end of Season 2) Sabrina and her friends go to Hell and rescue Nick -- but what happens when that's the easy part?It turns out, having the Dark Lord inside your mind for months can do some damage, and Nick comes back different. His memories of the events leading up to his sacrifice, including his relationship with Sabrina, are gone. How can Sabrina help him regain his memories of their time together when she's not even sure she trusts her own? Rated Mature - Chapters 6/? - Last Update 11/02/2019

57. “But The Greatest Is Love”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: The acheron captured Lucifer Morningstar, but their problems are far from over. The coven is decimated, the Church of Night is no more, Father Blackwood is on the run, and Nick and Sabrina's relationship is in ruins. How do they pick up the pieces and move on? There are more questions than answers and the consequences could be of biblical proportions. Rated Mature - Chapters 25/25 - COMPLETED 10/28/2019

58. “Back to You”

Author: nadiaselite

Summary: Sabrina brings Nick back from hell. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 10/11/2019

59. “The Open Road”

Author: paradiamond

Summary: Nick wants her back, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes. In fact, he insists on it. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 9/22/2019

60. “The words “I love you” aren’t enough”

Author: Miss_Kath90

Summary: “Look at me, Nick” he was reluctant but when he finally looked up she took his face in her hands making him unable to look away “What you did that day… Nick, you sacrificed yourself for my sake, even when I mistreated you and told you all those horrible things. You did it for me, because you love me… Don’t you see? You’re incapable of being evil.”Or... Sabrina gets her boyfriend back but things don’t go as smoothly as she thinks they will. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 9/22/2019

61. “Mission: Let’s get my boyfriend back”

Author: My_Evak_Heart

Summary: Sabrina and the Fright Club ventures on their first mission: getting Nick back from Hell Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 9/7/2019

62. “Jealousy is a killer”

Author: Melissa1226

Summary: Will Sabrina and Nick Start something new? and who is watching them from the shadow full of jealousy? Rated Mature - Chapters 8/? - Last Update 8/28/2019

63. “The Jock”

Author: mikaila_ealum

Summary: An Alternate Universe where Nicholas Scratch is Baxter High’s quarterback along with one of the most popular boys at school. With few knowing the truth, Scratch is living a double life as a warlock at the Academy of Unseen Arts. Sabrina takes a hiatus from the Academy to get more in touch with her mortal side. When Sabrina gets back she becomes partners with Nicholas for a project in theatre class. AU - Chapters 8/? - Last Update 8/07/2019

64. “act 5, scene 2 (thou and i are too wise to woo peaceably)”

Author: ghostemo aka @wickedscratch

Summary: When Sabrina Spellman rose to a challenge issued by Prudence Night, she never imagined she’d actually make the varsity cheer squad - or that doing so would upend life as she knew it. Now she has to navigate her new role within the social hierarchy of hell -er Baxter High as well as trying to get her boyfriend to actually communicate. It certainly doesn’t help that she’s been paired up with the annoyingly handsome Nicholas Scratch, captain of Greendale’s beloved football team, for a project in her theater class. It’s exactly as, if not more so, cliche as it sounds. AU/AH - Rated T - Chapters 3/? - 7/25/2019

65. “Off the Record”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: AU. Detective Nicholas Scratch left New York for Greendale in desperate need of a change of scenery. The small town takes some getting used to, but local reporter Sabrina Spellman quickly grabs his attention. It's the fresh start he needed until Greendale's residents start turning up dead. With a murderer on the loose, no one is innocent - and anyone might be next. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 29/29 - COMPLETED 7/22/2019

66. “Bring You Close To Me”

Author: BridgetMcKennitt

Summary: Sabrina and her friends managed to bring Nicholas back from Hell. There was a lot the two of them needed to discuss, but tonight, they had this. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 7/13/2019

67. “A Brief Moment”

Author: bunivy aka @bunivys

Summary: Ever since he's returned from Hell, Nicholas Scratch has been having nightmares. With help from Aunt Hilda, Sabrina unknowingly shows him a light and for a moment, Nicholas knows everything will be okay. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 6/24/2019

68. “To Hell and Back”

Author: swtnerdgirl

Summary: A year has passed since Sabrina and her friends rescued Nick from Hell. No one came back the same. They all had their scars. Some emotionally. Some physically. In the days leading to Hilda's wedding, they all prepare for their lives to change and heal their wounds. Rated Mature - Chapters 16/? - Last Update 6/06/2019

69. “Dead Witch Walking”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: Faced with the possibility of being harrowed to death by her classmates, Sabrina finds an escape. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 5/26/2019

70. “Moonlight Beneath Rough Lips”

Author: ivylikeveins

Summary: After the encounter with the thirteen witches of Greendale, Sabrina enters the dining hall with moonlight locks bathed in soft blue hues, and Nick does not know what to do. He ends up with a soft and small Sabrina pressed into his chest, sleeping, and wrapped around his very much over-sized jacket with Nick's lips pressed into the soft, pearly strands he wants his soul to get entangled within. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 5/19/2019

71. “The Hunt”

Author: OnlyInAutumn

Summary: Nick howled into the night, up at the stars to signify that he was ready on the eve of Lupercalia, the darkness of midnight around them. The first sound of the horn sent them into the forest. The hunt had begun. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 5/11/2019

72. “Secrets, Secrets are no Fun”

Author: filmharlot

Summary: Sabrina is the new kid for the first time in her life. Choosing to go to the Academy full-time seems to be a hard transition than she was expecting. With the Weird Sisters harassment at an all-time high, dealing with leaving her mortal friend's and condescending teachers, Sabrina is suffering. She's not even allowed to have Salem for comfort. It's not all bad though. She is finally free to do magic whenever she wants, and there's a charming warlock who is being particularly nice to her. Plus, someone is leaving kind gifts on her bed at the end of the night. She just wishes she knew who it was. Not Rated - Chapters 1/? - Last Update 5/06/2019

73. “Unsettled Nighttime Creatures”

Author: mindlesshappy

Summary: We all know Sabrina is going to save Nick. This is how Nick reacts to being saved - which, spoilers alert - is like a very stupid warlock. Rated T - Chapters 5/5 - Completed 4/25/2019

74. “Selfless”

Author: sarahwut

Summary: Sabrina Spellman dragged Nicholas Scratch back from Hell. But Hell might be better than a world in which they aren't together. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Completed 4/23/2019

75. “Homecoming”

Author: cherrystems

Summary: After several months Sabrina is able to get Nick back from Hell with the help of her family and friends. However, Nick has to adjust to Earth again while dealing with PTSD and anxiety. This tells the story of the growth of Sabrina and Nick's relationship over the recovery time. Not Rated - Chapters 3/? - Last Update 4/20/2019

76. “Under Your Spell”

Author: londonmarie

Summary: Sabrina doesn't hesitate to have her Dark Baptism and things go differently. Rated T - Chapters 10/? - Last Update 4/18/2019

77. “Photographs”

Author: Greyowl9831

Summary: It's been at least 150 years since Sabrina signed her name in the Book of the Beast. One day she finds an old photo album. Will the memories it contains be a great walk down memory lane or will it be more than she can bare? Not Rated - Chapters 4/? - Last Update 4/14/2019

78. “An itch That Needed Scratching”

Author: umbrellacorp

Summary: What if Nick slayed his familiar and Sabrina and Nick got to experience the last night of the Lupercalia festival alone. Tonight, Sabrina would be transformed. Nick was going to show her power that she never knew she had, an innate carnal power. They were about to become the most powerful union of the Church of Night. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 4/13/2019

79. “and I keep waiting (but I won’t say I’m waiting)”

Author: lost_n_stereo @lost-n-stereo

Summary: You would think that it would hurt less as the days go by, since it’s been nearly two years since Nick sacrificed himself for the greater good and Lilith took him to hell. Except, he didn’t sacrifice himself for the greater good, he sacrificed himself for her. And that makes it a hell of a lot tougher to let go. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 4/10/2019

80. “Fire”

Author: OnlyInAutumn

Summary: Their power—together—was overwhelming. It was something that she had not felt either, the consuming feeling of expanding power. It was entirely addicting. Rated Mature - Chapters 2/2 - Completed 3/24/2019

81. “something I can believe”

Author: Anry

Summary: Missing scene after Sabrina's baptism. I wouldn't say that it's really a relationship here, just conversation. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 1/25/2019

AND THERE YOU GO!!!! Have fun everyone, if I missed any Fics or you have any recommendations for the list message me or send in a ask and I’ll add it to the list. Can’t wait for Part 4 and Enjoy <3333

[spell-cleaver]

Meta asks! 1, 3, 8, 14, 20, 25?

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

Ohhh boy. Current project is in the pre-writing research stage where I'm still planning it out and doing some research. I'll be writing a few unrelated oneshots while I finish research, but. Next longfic is one based on a prompt I received here nearly two years ago (anon if you see this I'm sorryyyyy) about Senator Luke Naberrie arrived at the court of Empress Padmé Amidala. It... snowballed. Now it's basically Luke trying to be a good, honest senator while every one of his relatives is extremely cutthroat and fighting over his allegiance. Padmé is evil/pro-Empire. Some other good people are evil. Vader is as much of a mess as usual. Leia is even more intense, more devoted to democracy, and scarier than usual. Padmé and Sabé have a breakup scene. I'm so excited to throw Luke into a court full of vipers politicians he is related to. I'm currently rereading Queen's Shadow and about to read Queen's Peril while I nail down how to characterise an Empress Padmé, but I have the character arcs, central themes down. And I have the first five chapters planned out, with five acts planned, so it'll hopefully be about 25 chapters. If all goes well. *crosses fingers and grimaces*

!!! I'm very excited about this project, if you can't tell :D WIP title is The Protégé.

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

I answered this here, but bonus other scene from another WIP:

Fantasy AU where Luke is a prince and has been "assassinated" (everyone thinks he's dead and they're about to go to war over it). Vader, who has been a pretty shitty dad since Padmé died but is feeling all his sins catch up to him, breaks down apologising in front of Luke's grave (I have all the dialogue planned out for this and Will Not Spoil it) and Luke comes in at the right moment for an emotional reunion.

I don't want to say anymore because this has been keeping me going for 4 years and I swear, I will write this, I will. I need to completely revise the plot since someone about it just dried up all inspiration, but i know how to figure out what's causing that and it will happen. There's always another fantasy AU coming for SpellCleaver's AO3 page XD

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

By and large, yes! I'm actually a lot angstier in what I write recently than what I read, it has to be a specific type of angst to hold my interest. I think I accidentally vaccinated myself against angst. But generally what I read is more varied than what I write, and I crawled out of a years-long reading slump last summer so I'm expanding my reading tastes even further the more original fiction I read.

14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

Usually as soon as I get the idea. Every story needs a heading to go into my ideas folder, so I think of one that fits a little bit and slap it on. Later on they sometimes get replaced (The Seafarer -> No Heroes on the High Seas) or refined (The Free, Ordered Record and Codex of Everywhere (FORCE) -> The Codex of Everywhere). But I have a pretty good instinct for titles, so usually they get assigned early on to fit the plot and themes I want to develop, often with a double or triple meaning (The Heir). Or they get named something, I get attached, and I have to spin the motifs and themes to match the title (Eclipse, Sparks).

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

I rambled about something before here, but I'm gonna take the chance to ramble about something else:

Communication. It's a core theme in a lot of my fics, without me ever really intending it??? It's not something I'm particularly fascinated by (okay, maybe a little bit - but you take my point.) I always think I'm writing about something else and then it loops back to communication. Sparks is about secret-keeping and a coming of age story, yes, but it's also about trusting your loved ones and telling them about your fears/reasons for doing things to prevent misunderstandings that lead to people getting hurt (...in an extreme way.) Reality and Other Constructs is on the surface about how we all only ever see one point of view of the world, but the entire solution (and strength of the Jedi) is that they talk to people, connect with other people, compare beliefs and points of view, to discover the truth and broaden their horizons. It's about how communication leads to a better world (and understanding of the world). Same with Eclipse, where Luke and Leia's main strength is their honesty and trust in each other, and they mainly lose when they don't know all the facts or someone is keeping secrets. And a bunch more of my fics fall into this! I think it's necessitated by the characters I'm writing about - Vader? Communicating healthily first try? Nah - but it is a fun thing to examine. So this isn't really information about specific symbolism or development I put into a fic, mainly bc I have too many to choose from (if anyone wants a ramble about a specific fic, shoot me an ask and I'll go off) but just... an observation I've had across fics. I don't know why it keeps happening, but it fascinates me.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

I love most of it, but especially the first draft. Typing at 50 words per minutes, poetic bullshit spilling onto the page, jumping from rung to rung on a plan ladder I built previously. It's the most exciting part!

That said, I love love love planning, even if it's harder (logistics and all that) it's got all the feeling of potential. And I do like editing... I just like editing other people's stuff more than my own :D

Thank you so much for the ask!!! Sorry I went off a bit XD I think this is the longest ask-reply I've ever written (that isn't prose) but I got very excited.

Send me some fun meta asks for writers!

[radramblog]

Radiohead Retrospective Part 6: Ripples on a Blank Shore

Hail to the Thief was Radiohead’s last album with the record label EMI. This is probably good, seeing as EMI are a massive conglomerate, one of the biggest record companies in the world, and that doesn’t really suit Radiohead’s image. It’s not like they needed them to get big anymore.

With that lack of contractual obligation to make new music, the band was able to spend a fair bit longer on the next album, as well as do a few things on the side. Thom made The Eraser, Jonny did some soundtracks. They went on tour between recording sessions, because they weren’t really getting anywhere, and tried some of their material live. It sounds like it was a lot less stressful than the previous, label-driven work. While they would eventually resign onto XL Recordings, that’s a much smaller, independent company, and the band’s next album would be self-released anyway.

In Rainbows had a very interesting release. Much like what many a Bandcamp artist does now, the album was released as a pay-what-you-want online download, with paying 0 dollars being an option you could take. This wasn’t really a thing back in 2007, so it stirred up quite the fuss. It also helped that it was an excellent fucking album, which many hail as equal or greater than OK Computer at the top of the Radiohead Totem Pole.

I suppose, then, it’s only fair to actually talk about the album.

The album opens with 15 Step, and what a way to open an album. We’ve got the mix of real and manufactured percussion, we’ve got calming falsetto and we’ve got those absolutely lovely guitar chords. The handclaps are back, and unlike We Suck Young Blood they’re genuine and optimistic rather than sarcastic- in case the kids going “yaaaay!” wasn’t obvious, though it’s not hard to be in a higher mood than WSYB. Considering how melancholy Hail to the Thief, not to mention the other albums the band’s made, have tended to be, this feels light, airy, and refreshing.

A mix of electronic and acoustic that is a great way of introducing the album- considering the constant comparisons the record gets to OK Computer, opening with a track that demonstrates everything the band has learned in the 10 years since is just great. I’m just going to get this out ahead of time, this album is very good, and held in such high esteem for a reason.

The second track is Bodysnatchers, one of the rockier songs the alleged Rock band released in the 2000s. It’s a pretty significant contrast to 15 Step, a bass-driven, driving rock song that screams paranoia. It’s one kept moving at a forward pace by its uptempo percussion and acoustic strumming, while the other instruments just chug along in quite the satisfying manner.

Bodysnatchers’s energy feels really unique on this album, to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if people thought it didn’t really fit. It’s harsher and edgier, somewhat reminiscent of a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard track at times, manic and energetic and layered. I’m not going to agree with the idea that Bodysnatchers doesn’t belong on In Rainbows, because the song fucks, but there is a fair case to be made for its difference.

Anyway, next up is Nude. It’s not quite as fun as it sounds. The effects on this instrumental opening make it feel almost film-soundtrack-like, somewhat reminiscent of Motion Picture Soundtrack (that might be a bit of a stretch, though). The bulk of the track is largely built around the vocal track, ethereal and dominant, with the instrumental being a relatively simple guitar/drum piece to back up Thom’s impeccable falsetto. The song rises a lot for it’s bridge, crescendoing just like back in the old days with strings and effects, with lyrics that almost chide the listener for poking fun at the song’s name, like I just did. I’m sorry to disappoint you, lads!

Nude is not a song I often find myself in the mood for, to be frank. It’s unquestionably gorgeous, but also simultaneously too much and not enough? Too much as in like, that vocal track is a little overblown sometimes as is the intro, and not enough as in, the bulk of the song is a touch boring? I don’t know, I’m ready to be strapped to a wall for that one, but I’m sticking with the take.

On the other hand, I’m basically never not in the mood for Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. I’ve always found this track extremely soothing, an absolute unparalleled vibe. The simple but sweet guitar lines just feel nautical in a way I can’t describe, comfortable in a way the actual ocean very doesn’t get me. The bass is extremely subtle, but it helps a lot to keep the track moving between modes as it builds and builds and builds and builds and just falls away…

I’ve gotten some pushback before when describing this song as “chill”, and considering the way it builds up so much in the middle third, I guess I can see how one would disagree. But I can’t describe how or why the song makes me feel the way it does, it just, does. Something about those clean drums piercing through the haze of the track, the lyricism, the vibe. It’s the vibe.

Next up is All I Need, a smooth, slow, dark track with a much lower mood than the songs we’ve heard so far- even moreso than Bodysnatchers. This is the album’s low point moodwise, pretty much inarguably, and some might argue also as far as songs go.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from a bad song. The piano chords are simple but effective, contrasted against the��.xylophone, I think, but that only happens for a relatively small portion of a pretty long song. Which is largely just low percussion and vocals. I will say, the bridge is excellent, a rising cry of keys and drums against the void, which wouldn’t work nearly as well if the rest of the song isn’t the way it was. But as a whole, the song isn’t the best Radiohead has to offer, if you catch my drift.

I think the next song, Faust Arp, is kind of underrated. I mean, I know it’s the least listened to song on the album on Spotify, I’m looking at the numbers, it’s not close. That’s kind of to be expected with a song that, at least for Radiohead’s scales, very short, at just over 2 minutes long. But it’s a beautiful little acoustic/string piece that I really enjoy. Short and sweet, I suppose. You can call it interstitial all you want, and it’s not going to compare to song number 7, but it’s a good song, dangit.

Oh right, song number 7. Reckoner. A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I didn’t think Radiohead captured quite the beauty of Pyramid Song again for a few more albums. Reckoner is that lightning captured in a bottle once again. This song is incredibly emotional, and undeniably excellent.

The song feels like it’s on separate layers, spaced and airy drums with a very light guitar strum, Thom’s vocals meandering somewhere in between, struggling to be heard. And then you get to 1:20, and the piano kicks in, and it brings the tracks together, giving the song an incredible fullness as the lyrics “You are not to blame…” begin. The song keeps going like this, adding in background vocals for a bit, before dropping almost entirely, for the bridge. The rising string, the backing vocals singing the album’s name, and the way the song’s mood subtly shifts afterwards- it’s so beautiful.

Anyway fun fact the bit where the background lyrics start singing “In Rainbooooows” is apparently exactly 61.8% of the way through the album, and that’s the golden ratio, baby. It has apparently been confirmed to be accidental, but it’s still really fun. I do enjoy when silly maths things end up in songs- Lateralus by Tool, for example, is pretty much completely written around the Fibonacci Sequence, from its lyrics to its chords to its time signature.

Tangents aside, our next song is House of Cards, a song I’ve kind of fallen off of as of late. It’s a lot like a less melancholy All I Need, or a less tightly wound Faust Arp (but without them strings), though the reverb on this song gives it a much spacier feel. There’s something really tense about the ambient noise in the background as well, making it hard to truly settle into the song’s groove. I don’t know, I used to like this song, but I’m not sure what it is about it that’s missing now. Sorry to disappoint, I suppose.

By contrast, Jigsaw Falling Into Place is one that took me a while to get into, because I think I just never gave it a chance. I dunno, I think much like with In Limbo it just kinda slid out of my brain every time I heard it. Well, it’s bloody clung on now, hasn’t it? This song is loads of fun! It’s a real groove, fun lyricism and great drums and Thom very notably not singing in falsetto for like half the song before it shifts gears and oh there it is! It’s another one of those great songs with a slow build, what with the backing vocals slowly getting louder and rowdier and the guitars getting more intense and yeah.

Oh also, that video is fun, if a little disorienting. I still can’t believe how many of these music videos I just…missed entirely.

Our final song, Videotape, is significantly less fun. Let me put it this way, lots of people think it’s a suicide note in song form, and it’s not, it’s just someone’s last message as they pass away after a long long life. On the other hand, it does fit the word Mephistopheles into the lyrics, and I think pulling that off is pretty fun.

Videotape has relatively simple instrumentation- piano chords, with a syncopated percussion coming in about a third of the way through. Much of the soundscape is dominated by that piano and the backing vocals. The song is tragic, undoubtedly, but it’s a warmer kind of tragic than previous albums have gone out on- the soft piano giving it a heart that tracks like Street Spirit (Fade Out) and Motion Picture Soundtrack somewhat lack. It’s sad, yes, but peaceful, and comforting. The closing line is beautifully haunting- I know today has been the most perfect day I’ve ever seen.

Not so much on my end, weather was shit and my brain decided to have a depressive episode in the afternoon.

Thus ends In Rainbows. Unless you count the bonus disc, something I desperately need to acquire in CD form despite the fact that it appears to barely if ever have been released in that format. I brought up comparisons to OK Computer earlier, and I’m not entirely certain that they’re that justifiable, conspiracy theories about a threaded playlist notwithstanding. Yeah, it’s deliberately the 10 to OKC’s 01, but the style and tone are just so utterly different. 10 years is a long time for an artist, let alone a musician, and let alone a band that did Kid A.

I’m not going to comment on whether I think In Rainbows is better or worse than OK Computer. It’s the eternal question, seemingly, and you’re not going to find an answer here. They’re not really comparable, in my eyes- apples and oranges. The cold technology of a late 90s PC and the natural beauty of a cascading rainbow.

But if In Rainbows is OK Computer, then The King of Limbs must be Kid A. This comparison I think I can understand better, which I suppose we’ll discuss next Tuesday. Adios?

[bookwormdeen]

Love 101 (Aşk 101) Theories and Connections

Hi! I am back again! This time I have theories. I was reading some theories about the TV show and guess what? I played Sherlock and investigated some of them. Follow me! 

I did a playlist to you listen while reads my crazy text.

--------------The playlist -------------  

I put there some 1990-2000′s songs + covers + songs from the show

I don’t know turkish songs, if you know share.

SOME FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

1. Eda is the source of problems

Don’t judge me. Eda is a good person and character, I love her draws and attitude. I want to prove another thing here. Let’s focus in three big confusions that happened: the debate one (EP1), the broke up of their early friendship (EP3) and the laboratory fight (EP7). All of them had Eda involved in the first moment or as a catalyst that only made things worse. 

In the debate she messed with lights and threw a sticker in Kerem’s face. When Sinan panicked with Işık act, Eda said “We were not friends anyway” and she hurt Kerem’s feelings too. She burst and everyone went sideways. And she played with Burak, that later provoked that huge fight in the laboratory. 

“Troublemaker is you middle nameeeeee” - Olly Murs song. 

I think that Eda is a match to where is the fire. This can explain why she feels guilt of something. She was the center of another problem. 

Also, the older Eda feels sorry for what she became: what her parents wanted. She lost her attitude, angry and fire. Something happened to her prefer marriage and children. Remember when Sinan told her that she prefers someone making her decisions? This happened because she was running away of something, a problem that hurt her feelings. She ran away from who she was. Heavy.

2. Something surely happened to Sinan

Now don’t cry thinking he is dead. I will present some things to push that away. First: Love 101 is a comedy-romance. Meaning: they don’t go really deep into mind problems, they make it a trait (like eating disorder, depression, mania). So, Sinan did not commit suicide or died, because is too heavy to let the story proceed.

Second: Is love 101. How to love. How love create, ruin and heal. Is admiration, passion, entertainment.  If he dies the episode will be named after what: Lost, Hurt? I will not even come closer to it.

Third: Is a kid’s show (PG-13 rated). Do something big as a death will hurt the plot’s drama quality. And, suicide can’t be portrayed, so chill out kids. A thing that is possible is accidental death (Sinan, the guy that was hospitalized in the fight, Kemal or Burcu). 

Fourth: He is the narrator big love. Sinan appears a lot because Işık likes him the most and wanted to know him more deeply. Even if something really bad happens to him (STOP), we will not know now but very later in the show. She would crash with his death and she seems quite calm now, not crying or grief, just nervous to see them and not lose the house. She even sits in his bed, upstairs. So they were quite a romance. 

YES. I AM HOPEFUL. Stop saying that Sian dies because I will not take it. I will hate Netflix and the world.

Sinan is a good person reader. Is impressive actually. He hides his emotions but read it very well. He has scars. They eventually will come between him and Işık. Surely.  

If he is not dead, then what?

Something, maybe his grandfather’s death or university mixed with group fight and love problems will make him go away and never look back (that house for him is a sad place guys). Maybe he left without talking to anyone and Işık couldn’t contact him, but, for love, she stayed looking his house. Or maybe they were not a thing anymore (runs away).

Oh, and the prison choice (cringes). Seriously? He spend all his life alone and then, maybe, more 20 years alone? Unacceptable. 

People told me that his name appears in the prison scene but I really couldn’t see it. Does anyone have it? In my opinion, would be unfair make a person so lonely like this all his life. The show wants to end it with hapiness, how it would be possible after all this pain? If Sinan was in prison, no one visited him? that hurts.

The thing is, we will know what happened to him slowly because it is a result of what made the group went sideways and don’t talk for 20 years. What I mean: big huge separation situation --> Sinan leaves or dies.(no,no,no). 

So his abandoned house is a proof that something surely happened.

3. The show may have a format to keep interest

Cliffhanger = More seasons, more public. Smart move. The show is simple but want it to get attached emotionally and mentally. I learned with Sinan, yay.

The plot may go: (counting 8 episodes)

Take in count that the house is dangerous to stay in. So, they might take it to another place and see each other’s lives closer. This is excellent to the plot. I don’t think they will cry and hug in front of the door. 

We will also supose that is 5 people. 2 we already know.

1 --> More story, solve some mysteries (who is at the door); things get good at first moment (love and self acceptance); 

2 --> Things get bittersweet (love but parents and more problems). For me is by the end of the Ep 2 and on. 

3 --> (if only one more season, a forth person appears by S2E4, then a fifth by the end or S2E7). This person (for me not Sinan yet), will clarify somethings and contribute to the story with more details. Problems that start to hurt them. So, EP 5 - Ep7 will hurt.

4 --> Things get really bad; if they have a third season, we will not have the forth person, will end up just like S1E8 or, as I said, he will appear in the S2E7. 

If only a second season, EP 7 - EP8 the fifth person appears and they finish the story together, end.

Following all my theory it will go like this: Osman - Kerem or Sinan. I am not sure who will take up all the heavy stuff and end up being the last. For now they put this weight in Sinan and maybe is to play with us. 

4. What bound them, can destroy them

The thing is, they are a thigh fit as a group. Emotional and explosive. They lash at each other and have some friction along the way. Osman is more neutral. In the episode 3, where they cry and do crazy things after their fight, Osman is simply not there. He is simple, only said: You got what you wanted Sinan. Done. 

So, they can fall apart actually without big evens like death and murder. Somethings hurt deeper, like words, misunderstandings and separation. Their parents evil powers for example. I mean, in their first fight they were arguing about a test. Simple things + emotion = BOOM

5. Character development 

Here we go. Remember I said that Osman doesn’t have emotional outbursts? 

He goes on with his business and things. We see him crying with his father and being upset about his business fail but he always get over with using a plan. Unfortunately, his leadership will not keep the group bonded but he is the healing remedy, surely. I hope he open up more. Be more more emotional besides his carisma and soft friendship. He is a good boss, good son, good friend, bad student; what else more? He is such a good leader. Will he sacrifice himself for all them?

And, who is Kemal really? He is a sweetheart with an armor but what happened to him, besides being an ex-basketball player? Will his romance really last? The characters in the show are deep, they have personality. Kemal seems simple to me sometimes. His relationship with Sinan can develop and we can see more of his demons (besides his attitude) and story.

All they got better but we have a way to go. Kerem has to be less violent, Eda has to try being herself again; Işık has to be more mature because Sinan will need her a lot and if she can’t stand up her mother it can go really wrong. Sinan has to confront his parents more, get less lonely somehow. He is the only one that is slowly healing himself but nothing changed: he still lives alone, this still hurts. 

We will see they get much better, but, again, they end up not really good 20 years later. We will see a regression in so many points.

 6. They maybe can be students still

Words matter. A lot. Before the boarding Karakis (the principal) said that a friend of his would call the Minister and make that a majority board. Maybe he rushed it to grab the teens and the expulsion is not valid. Also, for me, Işık was only suspended. Why burn her uniform? (Her mother will kill her, I would too).

The scholar year in Turkey ends around June. Why expel them so close to the end? And, I think that are finishing the 2 year of High School, not the third. If not, they lose the hole Burcu-Kemal arc and their common place.

Maybe they can all move to a nearby school, even with bad records, and have another challenges. This is unlikely, even if I think that school conflicts got saturated. 

The other part of this theory is my home-made timeline. In 19th May, the would have an event that is important in Turkey (the red umbrella ones). They were close to finish the year and go to summer time (I want this really, would be fun).

7. No earthquake okay!

I saw some theories about it. Nobody will die in the 1998 and 1999 earthquakes. They were far away from Istanbul and the only one that got to the city were far away (geographically) from the school and Sinan’s house. I made a post about the locations, see here.

I received more of Burcu dying in a earthquake. In my CURIOSITIES post I said that Sinan was taking Işık home after being in Eda’s house. Eda lives in   Kadıköy in my opinion, so Burcu does too. This neighborhood is in the Asian side, while the earthquake affected the European side. Very far away. For me is kinda impossible to make this a bid thing. Why Burcu would be so far away from her house, the school that she teaches? Strange.

8. New challenges

Burak told Eda: You don’t get to play with people lives. Ouch. Is true. Not only him had his chance being the “villain”. We have...  The english teacher that likes Kemal; the professors; the parents being mad about the speech thing and even a few classmates (if they come back). 

Their parents seems to be in a contest of who is the worse, maybe not Osman’s father, that’s why I think that he is more calm and centered, despite being money drived. Society pressure (college, money, marriage) will get to them too.

9. The true always comes out

Well, well, well. When one makes a plan, in the movies and TV, they always confess it, but in Love 101, this moment is not entirely solved. Sinan told the group that now Kemal knows about the set up? Probably no. Eda finds Burcu’s behavior strange but it ends there. Oh-ohh. Ops.

 Maybe their teacher now will not stick out for them anymore. She was afraid of deciding their lives but they were deciding hers. If they come back to school and do something wrong again it will be worse. 

What if Karakis discover about Burcu’s bold move with the fire alarm? He is pissed more than never now. No laboratory; he didn’t get to humiliate the group. He will be worse than ever if they come back;.

10. Yes. 5 plates, cups and chairs. 

The camera angle wants to play but if you pause, you can see two times the same thing, inside and outside the house.

11. The guy in the farm is Osman. End.

Now, Sinan may be in prison or a successful person (the one that is eating). If you consider that the one that has his letter in the pocket is Osman again, Sinan is the only one that is hidden. He did not appear yet. Pick one and Kerem is the other.

If you have questions like me, see HERE.

Leave comments so I can investigate your theories, haha!

See my first edit here (Sinan x Isik). With HALSEY’S SONG, BE KIND.

XOXO. 

[ammapreker]

AINSLEY TATE 18 / dance student at juilliard

be the best, or die trying / daughter of a diplomat who spent her childhood up until she was ten jumping around from place to place / her one constant was always ballet, the one passion she’s never given up / at ten, she was sent off to boarding school in california and saw her grandfather more often than her mother, who was sent off to japan / her instagram’s filled with photos of all her travels, mostly due to her mother’s posts / smiles so brightly that you can’t read the bitterness in her gaze / once “accidentally” caused her competitor to injure herself right before a competition at the age of sixteen, but that’s secret’s nothing compared to her mother’s / turns out, when her mother divorced her father (a man who she’s never met), he got her twin, who’s her brand new roommate at juilliard / if you think she’s not going to fuck shit up with this information, you don’t know her very well

connections » hadley windsor [twin sister] / the it girl group

needs » more juilliard dance student frenemies / the nancy kerrigan to her tonya harding

CECILIA FOWLER 20 / student at columbia / the rook of the order of the veil

[ content warning for arson, manslaughter, blackmail, and murder ]

a reclusive bibliophile with too many secrets hidden beneath her pleasant smiles / spent a lifetime seeking the appearance of perfection; like mother, like daughter / witnessed the destruction of her parents’ marriage year by year until it collapsed at the age of sixteen / watched that summer as her mother and her aunts fought over her grandfather’s wealth, tearing each other down at every chance / in retaliation, cricket and her cousins burned the main house in their grandfather’s private island down - without realizing their grandfather was still inside of it / kept the secret until being admitted into the order of the veil / fought for the position of the rook in order to strike her truth from the records, but waited too long / did she kill richard brennan, believing that he was blackmailing her over her secret? she’ll never tell 

connections » the order of the veil / all other suspects in the societies subplot / lily slater, leo kitson, and mathilda giroux [cousins]

needs » her last cousin / more members of the order of the veil

HAYES EVANS 21 / student at pace university

[ content warning for implied alcoholism ]

a poor little rich boy with no future he can imagine past graduation / becoming an english major (aka going to college with no idea what he wanted to do and flipping a coin after reading the brochure) was the worst financial decision of his life / actually, no; ordering a stretch limo for himself after getting black out drunk likely won that prize / has never wanted anything bad enough to go after it, so he goes after nothing and gorges on everything / tends to black out from drinking a little too often for comfort and always wakes up with his pocket full of shit that does not belong to him / rather than deal with any of that, he’s trying to (as always) clean up grady’s mess for him and convince the two girls he got pregnant to have abortions / will he succeed? not likely 

connections » grady evans [twin brother] / the pregnancy pact plot

needs » some fun ex-relationship that still haunts him / the rest of the pregnancy pact / current hookups / drinking friends and/or regular friends

JUDAH FOX 23 / student at nyu

[ content warning for stalking ]

hello, you / grew up in a shameless-inspired family with no one to give a shit about him, so he doesn’t give a shit about anyone else / alright, except for like three people; give him a break / lives more in his head than in reality, but that’s slowly changing (for the better for him, for the worse for everyone else) / doesn’t “believe in social media” because he’s discovered how easy it is to learn so much about someone from it (thanks, catfish, for the tutorials) / has taken an “unhealthy” interest in certain persons that’s bound to go badly / part of an anonymous forum where he’s pretending to be someone else, but will judge others for doing the same / talented photographer, but that just means he’s always got a camera handy / catch him hiding behind some trees, please

connections » jonah fox [twin brother] / willa fox [younger sister]

needs » people to chat to in the anonymous group [request probably coming soon...] / people he’s sort of stalked in the past mb / fellow photographer “pals” (loose term)

LUCAS CROSS 29 / account executive at an ad agency

[ content warning for alcoholism ]

a man destined to repeat history / the product of an accidental pregnancy with too-young parents and an alcoholic father / so what does he do? knock up his high school sweetheart in their senior year, of course / defers pace for a year to get a job and support his new wife and new born daughter / leaves them after six months once he can feel himself turning into his father / graduates pace, financially supports his kid, but keeps his space to keep his sanity / gets a job at an agency thanks to his college best friend, then steals said best friend’s girlfriend / married her, had another daughter, and now sees his ex-wife at their preschool when they both drop their toddlers off / thinks everything’s okay because he apologized, but too bad life doesn’t work that way

connections » ara cross [wife]

needs » some siblings / his ex-wife!!! think madeline mackenzie vs. nathan carlson from big little lies / his former best friend / more parents in the preschool plot [coming soon]

NADIA DANG 19 / nyu student & drug dealer

a bitch in sheep’s clothing / seeks power and feeds off of it, falling into second in command with ease until she recognizes the truth: she’s only getting scraps of the real deal / she’ll burn it all down before she moves on, seeking a new flame / grew up poor and contributes to her own tuition, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that from her credit card statements / a chronic spendthrift, unable to help herself from temptation when surrounded by the wealth of her sorority sisters / becomes a green angel in order to pay off her credit card debt and feel financially secure / it was only supposed to be for a couple times, but the money’s too tempting / who is she to resist?

connections » georgia west [green angels ringleader] / maisie stone and spencer van lith [best friends] / nu epsilon alpha sisters!!! / other green angels

needs » more green angels / more nu epsilon alpha sisters / PLEASE give her some clients to deal drugs to

SAMSON GLASS 22 / student at columbia / member of the circle of teeth

the most manipulative asshole you’ll ever meet / a virgin who takes pride in his “purity” and will shame girls who try to fuck him while doing everything but having sex / the boy with a bright future that’s too far away for his liking / a circle of teeth legacy, courtesy of his father whose pride depended on all his children being admitted / unlike a certain sister, samson succeeded in getting into columbia and the circle of teeth, and it was everything his father promised / for almost four years, sam’s been a king and he’ll be damned if he goes off to become a pawn while more unworthy fuckers are crowned in his place / his only option? burn it all to the fucking ground 

connections » luna glass and stella glass [sisters] / the love hexagon / the circle of teeth

needs » girls he’s “dated” or “fooled around with” / other members of the circle of teeth / some pals

[boredout305]

Vitus Mataré talks Jeffrey Lee Pierce, The Last and DIY Production

Vitus Mataré is a Los Angeles-based musician, producer and architect.

           Mataré was a founding member of The Last, Danny and the Doorknobs and Trotsky Icepick. As a producer, he recorded some of the earliest and most coveted Los Angeles DIY punk records, including The Urinals’ first three 7”s and the Keats Rides a Harley compilation. Mataré would later produce The Leaving Trains and Savage Republic.

            The focus of this interview was Mataré’s brief tenure in Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s pre-Gun Club band, The Red Lights. Short-lived and with a revolving membership, Mataré played The Red Lights’ summer 1978 debut show. Two years later, he became the Gun Club’s first producer—recording the band on his portable Dokorder 4-track reel-to-reel.

           Recently, Mataré released a new Trotsky Icepick record, I Haunted Myself (2019). The Last’s ill-fated and obscenely expensive sophomore LP, Look Again (1980), will finally get a proper release in 2020.

Interview by Ryan Leach  

Ryan: Do you recall where you first met Jeffrey Lee Pierce?

Vitus: I met Jeffrey Lee Pierce at the Capitol Records Swap Meet. Jeff was there selling records and hanging out.

Ryan: That’s where Larry (Hardy) first spotted him.

Vitus: Right. Jeff was always roaming around the Capitol Records Swap Meet in his typical style. Over the top, excited about this and that. When Jeff found something that he was interested in, he got into it one-hundred percent.

Ryan: Did you meet him in 1978?

Vitus: Yes. I met Jeffrey in 1978.

Ryan: Being a big fan of power-pop and ‘60s groups, it makes sense that Jeffrey was a Last fan. How did he enter The Last’s orbit?

Vitus: There was a gig (September 18, 1979) at Gazzarri’s and The Last played with Jeffrey’s band, The Cyclones. Pleasant Gehman was the singer. We put it on. The show was a disaster. It was hard to get a draw. It was The Go-Go’s first real show and the first time The Urinals played in Hollywood. We put our favorite people in bands together for the bill: Jeff with The Cyclones, The Last, The Urinals and The Go-Go’s.

Kjehl Johansen (The Urinals) punched me in the nose while we were dancing to The Go-Go’s set, so I had a bloody nose for the rest of the night. But before I got punched, I sat down with Jeff at soundcheck. He showed me the chords to “Jungle Book,” a song he had done with The Red Lights. “Jungle Book” is one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar. Jeffrey was teaching me the song and guitar at the same time. That was really cool. We were just killing time. (The Last’s) Joe (Nolte) was there and had already suggested that we start incorporating “Jungle Book” into The Last’s set.

Shortly after the Gazzarri’s gig, we played a show with The Plugz and Jeff came up and sang “Jungle Book” with us. Phast Phreddie also came up that night and sang The Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard.” There were several other gigs where Jeff sang with The Last.  

Ryan: How did you and the late Jack Reynolds (drummer of The Last) end up playing with Jeff and Anna Statman in The Red Lights?

Vitus: Jack Reynolds was a whole different story. Jack passed away (in December 2009). I liked Jack a lot—he was great—but he was a tough guy. He enjoyed getting into fights and drinking and perhaps taking drugs to excess. Jack didn’t drive, so I was his driver. We’d be cruising in my beat-up sedan, his drums thrown in the back with no cases, and we’d go by a construction site at 7:30 p.m. on our way to a show at the Starwood. He’d say in his British accent, “Woah, woah, pull over!” He’d find a chunk of concrete with rebar sticking out of it at a jobsite, throw it in my backseat—there goes that bit of upholstery—and he’d walk into the club with it. It’s 8:00 p.m. at the Whisky or the Starwood, so there’s no one there but the bouncers. They’d say, “Hey, fella, where are you going with that?” Jack would respond, “Have I got to stick it up your arse? Out of my way.” Even the bouncers would leave him alone. He’d use the concrete to weigh down his kick drum. After the set, he’d abandon the 200-pound concrete chunk up on the stage. I remember we played a show with 20/20 and the guys in the band were getting their guitar cables snagged on the rebar sticking out of Jack’s concrete block. The three of them couldn’t lift it whereas Jack brought it up there himself.

           Greg Shaw brings in a band from New York called The Boyfriends. I don’t know what they ever did—apparently they were really good—but I never got a chance to find out. The Last was opening up for them at the Whisky. It was a night Greg Shaw put together and promoted. We’re late; Jack’s in my car and he had forgotten his cymbals. The Boyfriends had done their soundcheck and they’re gone. We get to the Whisky and someone walks past us. Jack says (affects British accent), “Hey, can I borrow your drummer’s cymbals there?” The guy responds, “Sure. Help yourself.” Well, he had nothing to do with The Boyfriends or their equipment. Jack breaks his drums sticks as usual, so he’s out there playing with beer bottles on the guy’s cymbals. The Boyfriends’ drummer is not pleased about it.

           We got an encore. We’re in that little black corridor that’s up the stairs at the Whisky, towards the backstage. The Boyfriends’ drummer grabs Jack as we’re headed back to the stage. I guess the message he was trying to convey was, “Hey, who said you could use my cymbals?” Jack responds by pummeling this guy’s head into the wall. That’s all we heard: “Thud, thud, thud.” The Boyfriends’ drummer went to the hospital that night and they never played. I can give you ten other similar Jack Reynolds stories. So, when Jeff (Pierce) asked, “Hey, would you be willing to play Farfisa with me and do you know someone who can play drums?” I just figured, “Well, Jack’s drums live in my car, so why don’t I bring him too?”

           I only played one show with The Red Lights (July 14, 1978, at the Whisky benefit for Lobotomy fanzine). The lineup was me on Farfisa, Jack Reynolds on drums, Jeff on guitar and vocals and Anna Statman on bass. It was rather unrehearsed. We had one practice at a place called The Jungle. Jeff was really fun, but he was unsure of himself. He could get cranky and difficult.

We played The Red Lights show and Jeff did great but he was embarrassed about it for no reason. There were only a few people there and most of them didn’t get it. Nevertheless, it was awesome.

Ryan: The Red Lights only played a handful of shows. Was Jack Reynolds their permanent drummer?

Vitus: Jack wasn’t. Jeff had to use other people. Jack may have played two or three gigs with The Red Lights. I only played that one and I do not know how many more gigs followed.

Ryan: There’s a photo and review of your Red Lights show at the Whisky in issue #9 of Flipside.

Vitus: I remember Al (Kowalewski, founder of Flipside) asking us our names for the show write-up. He asked Jack Reynolds his name. Jack was drunk, possibly stoned and angry so he said, “I’m Jeff Fucking Beck.” Al’s like, “Okay, dude.” And then Jack points to me and yells, “The keyboard player, his name is Keyboard Player!” That’s why Al’s review credits me as Keyboard Player and Jack as Jeff Beck. I remember a lot of nights like that with Jack.    

           On the other hand, Jeff (Pierce) was never belligerent or impossible when he was drunk. I know other people will tell you totally different stories. I only had great experiences with Jeff.

           Later on, I did some preproduction with The Gun Club. I arranged with this guy Patrick (Burnette) over at Quad Teck—it was Hank Waring’s studio—to record The Gun Club. I had everything lined up but then I accidentally drank some gasoline. I got very, very sick and I had to go to the hospital and wasn’t available for that session. They went with Tito (Larriva), which was a great choice. Of course, that later became Fire of Love. But I was originally scheduled to engineer and produce that at Quad Teck.

Ryan: So, you were going to record the Gun Club tracks for the 12” split release that was supposed to come out on Fatima Recordz? The Gun Club was going to get one side of the LP; no one seems to recall the band who’d get the other side. When Fatima went belly-up, those tracks later appeared on Fire of Love (1981).

Vitus: Right. It all worked out for the best and I fully recovered. There were so many incidents back then where something took a wild left turn because of some issue or emergency.  

Ryan: Do you remember recording The Gun Club tracks for the Keats Rides a Harley (1981) compilation? Obviously, those recordings predated Fire of Love.

Vitus: Of course. We recorded those tracks at a horrible rehearsal space next to Hollywood High School. I can’t recall the name of the place, but I do remember it was named after the street it was on. I recorded The Gun Club on my cheap, 4-track Dokorder. It was a pretty low-budget, multitrack recorder.

Ryan: Digressing back a bit, to my knowledge the first releases you produced were the Urinals 7”s.

Vitus: I did stuff way earlier when I was a little kid. There were two guys who got kicked out of The Seeds. I recorded them when I was 13 years old. I was using my parent’s reel-to-reel and two fabulous electrostatic mics. They were amazed I could do sound-on-sound recording.

           But coming back later, The Urinals Self-titled EP (1978) was the first vinyl record I had recorded by a band other than The Last. The Last was recording (L.A. Explosion!) at Village Recorder in West Los Angeles. There are four studios at Village Recorder. At the time, Fleetwood Mac is in there doing Tusk (1979). They’re tucked away with their cocaine and other vapors. Frank Zappa is in another studio where the air is clean and he’s doing parts of Joe’s Garage (1979) and Sheik Yerbouti (1979). The other studio has a high turnover rate; the Stranglers used it while we were there. And we’re in this dingy little room known as The Royal Scam. All of the equipment in there belonged to Steely Dan. John Harrison, the first bass player of Hawkwind, got us in there. Harrison was the engineering guru for what was happening in the Zappa sessions.

When I got a test pressing of the first Urinals single I was so proud to have it that I gave my copy to John Harrison. Harrison ended up passing it on to Frank Zappa. The next night when I came in—we’d start at around midnight—John Harrison says to Zappa, “Hey, Frank, this is the guy who produced that record I gave you last night.” Zappa is lying down in this little step-down conversation pit on the couch. He can’t see me; I can barely see his shoes sticking out. He doesn’t get up but says, “That’s the worst damn record I’ve ever heard. But with a name like that (The Urinals), they should go far.”

Ryan: Considering Zappa was a big fan of The Shaggs’ Philosophy of the World (1969), that’s saying something. John (Talley-Jones), Kjehl (Johansen) and Kevin (Barrett) really outdid themselves.      

Vitus: (Laughs). Yeah. The Urinals singles predated The Gun Club stuff.

Ryan: I was under the impression that you were more interested in producing bands than playing in them. And that those early recordings you made with your 4-track were out of necessity—for groups just starting out or that were too left of the dial to get a recording contract.  

Vitus: That’s right. And I never thought about major releases. For example, I never thought of recording The Go-Go’s. I would be hampering their progress. Same thing when The Bangles asked me to record them, back when they were called The Bangs. That’s not really what I did. I wanted to make records that sound like you’re in the shower and the water is beating on your eardrum. I would record bands so they’d have tapes to bring to clubs to get bookings. The recordings didn’t need to be overly clean.

Ryan: It easy to forget nowadays, but back in the 1970s you had different-tiered studios. Places where people would cut demos to pitch to Club 88 on one end and 24-track studios on the other end.

Vitus: Exactly. I was helping bands get their songs recorded. I wasn’t working under some delusion that I’d be in a 24-track studio, cutting tracks with these bands a week later.

Ryan: How did the Keats Rides a Harley compilation come together?  

Vitus: There are two different versions of that story. John Talley-Jones has one version and I probably have another. The compilation was sort of my idea. Initially, The Urinals’ record was going to come out on Backlash. And there were two issues that came up at the same time. The Last’s manager, Randall Wixen, had started a publishing company called Backlash. He just took the name and then asked us to stop putting out records under the name Backlash. The other issue was that I played the first Urinals single for Joe Nolte when he wasn’t in a good mood. Joe ended up loving The Urinals, but at the time he said, “Hey, don’t put that crap out on our label, please.” That kind of jettisoned everything. I remember The Urinals were a bit disappointed when I told them, “Dudes, it’s not going to come out on Backlash, so let’s make up another record label name.” They came up with Happy Squid and put it out themselves.

           Joe and I always had our differences. I was drafted into The Last to play keyboards, but what I wanted was to be the Magic Alex—the guy who did sound effects and produced stuff. I wanted to record bands. I didn’t want to be on stage. I hated that. I didn’t get to do that with The Last, but I got to do it with The Gun Club and The Urinals which was great.

           I wasn’t doing whole records, just demo tapes, but I thought the sampler concept was a good idea. I wanted to put together a record that was a snapshot of what was happening in that particular garage on that street at that point in time. We just pulled all these bands together. The Urinals came up with the title of the record and actually put it together and got it out.  

Ryan: It’s an exceptional comp. Living in Arizona, The Meat Puppets mailed their recordings in. But you recorded the rest of the album and the bands are exceptional. Human Hands, Gun Club, Leaving Trains, 100 Flowers…

Vitus: All of those groups had people in them who were interesting to hang out with. They weren’t idiots or burnouts. To this day, the ones who are still alive remain great people to chat with.

Ryan: For Gun Club fans, Keats is a must have. As you mentioned, the recording is raw, but everything is mixed well. You can hear Rob Ritter’s bass and he remains the unsung hero of the early Gun Club.  Fire of Love (1981) and Miami (1982) are great records, but their mixes aren’t the best.  

Vitus: The tracks on Keats have poor frequency response, but great atmosphere.

Ryan: There’s another Last connection to Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Red Lights. “Jungle Book” appears on The Last’s ill-fated sophomore record, Look Again (1980). Only test presses were made of that record, correct?

Vitus: I’ll tell you the whole story if you have ten minutes.

Ryan: Absolutely. I remember around 2004 seeing a copy of Look Again at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles selling for several hundred dollars.

Vitus: It’s not a good investment. It’s about to be reissued. I think it’s coming out on a label I’m not allowed to mention. Jonny Bell is doing the remixes right now. We baked and transferred those reels. But what needs to be told about that record is that we were not to produce it ourselves. Joe (Nolte) was to stay out of Jo Julian’s way. He was from the band Berlin. Julian co-engineered and produced the record even though he apparently had zero interest in doing so. There was a studio called Audio Arts. I believe Julian needed to get some sessions in and out and collect some money, so that’s what we were about.

Ryan: That’s a horrible situation to be in.

Vitus: Yeah. We were totally unimportant. Joe (Nolte) quickly realized that there was a bad vibe. Joe had a lot of input into L.A. Explosion! That was Joe’s record. It’s about Joe as a songwriter. I had one song (“A Fool Like You”) in there that made fun of A&R people. The second record was supposed to be a closer split between me and Joe. I would write one-third of the songs, and I would have more say about the production because it was supposed to be more pop. So I get locked out of the control room when it was time to mix. Jo Julian does direct injection on a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, a Rickenbacker bass and a Farfisa. So, you have all this lovely 4,000-cycle signal with no life to it. John Frank, The Last’s new drummer, couldn’t hear us as we were playing. The mixes were terrible even though Joe’s songs are great. At the very least, it should’ve been interesting, but it wasn’t. Today we’re going back and re-amping the signals. Not adding anything, but getting a clean mix. The record should be out in late spring (2020). And “Jungle Book” is on there. It’s also on the new Trotsky Icepick record that is called I Haunted Myself (2019).

Ryan: Listening to you describe the Look Again situation, I’m able to put the pieces together. At least locally, The Last were really popular around the time of L.A. Explosion!

Vitus: The Look Again debacle killed it.

Ryan: You guys even had a billboard on the Sunset Strip, right?

Vitus: Yep.    

Ryan: That’s a real shame.

Vitus: All of that is fine. We got to play some great shows and events. There were wonderful experiences. And we never got dragged on the road and stiffed by some bar owner in Arkansas.  

           We played a Gronk and Jerry Dreva art exhibit Downtown with The Screamers and The Bags in an art gallery. What an experience. Ray Manzarek autographed my keyboard. David Bowie was in the audience, wanting to produce The Screamers. There was a whole energy to that night. It was better than having a number-one record.

[growingstronglikeahighgardenrose]

The Greatest Gift

The last part of my ‘The Holiday’ series, and with it also my last entry for the 12 Days of Sanditon challenge (albeit four days late). It’s been a wild ride between past and present, I had a blast exploring all characters in all kinds of settings, and I hope you did too!

Pairings: Charlotte/Sidney, Esther/Babington, Georgiana/Crowe

Characters: Charlotte, Sidney, Esther, Babington, Crowe, Georgiana, Susan, James

Prompt: The Gift/Tis the season to be jolly, for the 12 Days of Sanditon hosted by @sanditoncreative​

Synopsis: Charlotte finally arrives to the holiday home as everyone is preparing for the New Year's Eve Party. She realizes with shock she has much catching up to do.

Available on AO3 (please drop a like if you enjoyed)

Over mountains cold, and rivers frozen, lay a house amidst the woods. The house was neither large nor small, it was just perfect for the amount of occupants who spent their days there. Before they’d entered the house, they’d been two separate groups of friends, acquainted but not familiar with the other. But after spending days together filled with fun excursions to Inverness and the surrounding woods, and nights drowned in alcohol, friendships were established, and relationships blossomed underneath the star filled sky.

When the missing link, one part of the reason as to why these friend groups had come together, Charlotte Heywood arrived on the thirtieth of December, she had a lot to catch up with. In just eight days, Esther, who had always been keen on keeping her personal space, had shed her old habits which had been developed through years of living in a cold household devoid of love, and was now always touching Babington in some way. She rarely sat on a chair anymore, finding the lap of her newly acquired boyfriend much preferable. Charlotte had sometimes wondered how her friend would be if she were to enter a relationship, but never had she thought that she’d dive into a relationship after just a couple of weeks of knowing someone, and get comfortable with being in a relationship so easily. But then again, no one was aware of how Esther and Babington had regarded each other with certain fondness and interest since Esther’s first year at Sanditon Uni.

James, Georgiana and Crowe boasted it had been their ‘Mistletoe Madness’ scheme which had brought the mom friend and dad friend together. Babington and Esther didn’t care to tell them anything about how it had actually happened.

But then Sidney and James laughed how Georgiana and Crowe had used their mistletoes a lot as well, always accidentally finding themselves underneath them, and regularly disappearing together. Susan smirked that James, despite mocking the four new lovers, had actually appointed her as the official proof-reader of all text messages he sent towards a girl she was interested in.

Sidney had sorely missed his girlfriend, and couldn’t be parted from her for any prolonged period of time. Now nine, the group revelled in the haze of the period between Christmas and the New Year, happy and relaxed despite the approaching finals.

It was the season to be jolly, and no sadness or dark thoughts were allowed in their holiday home.

December thirtieth passed, and everyone was looking forward to celebrate the start of the new decade. Was it to be the sweet ten years in which the world would recover from the past decade? Would stocks reach record peaks, and Wall Street boom a steady golden roar as everyone celebrated life?

The next decade was as much a mystery as the paths their lives would take after this year. Within less than a year, they would all graduate. They would never be students again. The era of absolute freedom came to an end. The real world was quickly approaching. The twenties were the decade of their twenties, and they would end ’29 in their thirties: they would find employment, get engaged, get children and pay taxes. It was a bittersweet day as they accepted the prospect, and some were more heavily affected by nostalgia for years gone by than others. But united they stood strong, encouraging each other with smiles, hugs and words of kindness.

They had no clue what would happen to their friendship in the next decade, but they were determined to at least celebrate the last day of the year, sliding into the new year Gatsby style, clanking crystal and dancing with reckless abandon. The day was spent with ice-skating, a snowman competition and preparing appetizers and desert for the festive meal. There was little work to be done for the main meal since they’d all be using the electric grills on the table to bake their own pieces of meat and vegetables, yakiniku style, the only thing they had to do was to chop some vegetables and prepare a pot of pasta salad.

After all was prepared, the girls took two bottles of fizzy martini to their bedrooms to prepare for dinner together. The men remained behind, deciding to watch the new Witcher series and start drinking as well. If the preparations for the Christmas dinner were anything to go by, the girls would take up to two hours to get ready.

 Make up your mind sweet baby, right here, right now's all we got

A little party never killed nobody, so we gon' dance until we drop

A little party never killed nobody, right here, right now's all we got

 In the largest bed chamber, The Great Gatsby soundtrack was playing. Esther was in the shower, Susan was doing her makeup, and Georgiana was doing Charlotte’s hair. Esther returned, starting to paint Susan’s nails a deep red, but putting a golden topcoat over her ring finger. Afterwards, the favour was returned. They all kept changing places, drinking martini and laughing, until they were all washed, their nails painted and their hair was done up in some kind of 20s style with decorative glittering hair combs and lacey headbands.

The playlist was switched to one of Georgiana’s after the album was done.

  We go together

Better than birds of a feather, you and me

We change the weather, yeah

I'm feeling heat in December when you're 'round me

  ‘Oh, that’s our song’, Georgiana sighed happily as she plopped down on the bed, Esther crying out that she had to be careful with her hairdo.

‘That shall be one hell of a opening song on your wedding’, Susan laughed.

‘You have a song already?’ Charlotte asked with amusement.

‘Of course, don’t you?’ Georgiana asked, turning onto her belly to look at Charlotte.

‘Well, we’ve only been together for a month.’

‘And honeyboo and me have only been together for a couple of days, yet we have one. Was there never a song you two had a moment to, or which reminded you of your relationship?’

Charlotte bit her lip. Was there a song which reminded her of him? She could still remember the song they first danced to years ago. But it wasn’t representative for their relationship. Yet, yet she couldn’t help but think of him every time she heard it in the years since.

‘I have one’, Susan admitted to give Charlotte some more time.

‘Oh, which one?’ Georgiana asked.

‘It’s a bit cliché, but it’s Waterloo. It’s the song I chose as my swan song on the evening my achievements as a student representative were celebrated. It’s always been one of my favourite songs, and well, he was always there with me when it was put on. And, after all, he did have a hard time conquering me.’

‘How long have you been together with Alexander?’

‘Almost my entire studies. I think I can expect an engagement before I turn twenty-five at the pace we’re going.’

‘And you’re of course going to accept’, Georgiana smiled.

Susan nodded.

‘How… do you know? It’s easy to know you love someone, but when do you know it can be forever?’

‘When, even way past that first sweet period has passed, you still feel butterflies thinking of them. But that’s not all, that’s how you know you’re still in love. But I knew we had a real chance at staying together when, amidst all the craziness of the year in which I combined seven councils, simply receiving a text or a hug from him felt like a good night’s rest after a particularly exhausting day. All my worries and all my burdens still lay heavy on my shoulders, but he made me feel calm and strong.’

‘Oh, that sounds so wonderful. He sounds so sweet’, Esther breathed.

‘It does’, Charlotte admitted.

‘He isn’t sweet by no means. He never says everything will be alright, he never says it’s okay if I fail. He tells me what I have to hear instead, but  he’s a good, supportive and capable man, and he understands that I need someone who encourages me, not someone who tells me sweet things. But I love him.’ She shook her head, as if, after all these years, she was still amazed by the love she felt.

‘I have a song, by the way’, Charlotte admitted.

‘Tell!’

‘It’s the song that played at least thrice the evening we first met. Halsey’s song: Closer.’

‘Oh, that’s cute! And it fits as well!’

‘It does?’ Charlotte asked as she put on her red velvet dress. Esther snuck to her room to get her dress and shoes.

‘Yeah! You look as good as the day I met you. I forget just why I left you, I was insane… And four years, no call… And then you met and hit it off again!’ Georgiana smiled.

‘Well it’s only been about three years and we only hit it off again after a month of weekly meetings.’

‘Details!’ Georgiana cried before finishing her glass.

‘So, Esther, how bout you and Babbers hmm?’ Georgiana asked as Esther entered the room again, glittering 20s style Mary Janes and blue flapper dress in hands.

‘Why so curious?’

‘So you have one’, Charlotte smiled.

‘Maybe I do.’

‘Oh come on Esther, you already keep secret how you two have gotten together, you can at least tell us the name of the song.’

‘Fine. I Want To Know What Love Is, satisfied?’

‘Why Esther, I never took you for a Foreigner fan’, Susan exclaimed.

‘Coincidence. Can we now stop discussing love, I’m not planning on being emotional before midnight.’

Georgiana laughed and handed Esther her glass once she’d finished zipping her dress.

‘Alright then ladies, let’s go to the living room and have some fun.’

    In dark suits the men sat gathered on the couches, hair groomed and smelling good. But their preparations didn’t compare to the flurry of glittering glimmering festival to their eyes the girls presented as they descended upon them with their curled hair and sparkly jewellery and bright red lipstick. Their cheeks and beards were covered in bright lipstick, and champagne was popped.

‘You all really came prepared’, Princey laughed as he trailed his fingers down Susan’s long white gloves.

‘We agreed upon celebrating Gatsby style. We simply did as agreed upon.’

‘I’d say you did more than just that’, Crowe breathed as Georgiana rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. He wasn’t sure he’d make it till midnight without a short heated intermezzo.

She jumped upright with a smile. ‘Excuse me as I try to capture the moment.’

She photographed him like that, sat in the couch with arms raised in question, a glass of champagne filled with water in hand – he wanted to remember every minute, at least until midnight.

‘Do you like it?’ Esther purred softly as the others were occupied.

‘You have no idea.’

‘Enlighten me.’

‘You look extraordinary… Magnificent.’

‘Do I?’ she smirked as she traced his stubble with her gloved hand.

‘Miss Denham, I must beg you to spare me. I’m not afraid I’ll last the night otherwise.’

‘Who says I intend you to?’ she laughed as she readjusted her weight on his lap. He could only just supress a groan and press his lips against hers.

A flash went off, the screen presenting a figure with flaming red curls with her arms around the brown haired man she sat on top off, his hands almost reverently placed on her upper back.

Another flash captured James and Princey pointing their tongue at each other in mock disgusted of the kissing.

  There's glitter on the floor after the party

Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby

Candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor

You and me from the night before but

  ‘I’m still so confused as to how it all happened. I don’t know what to think about it’, Charlotte confessed to Sidney as they gazed at their friends.

‘I think this would be a so called… Christmas miracle’, he laughed.

‘I believe the entrance of this house must have been a portal to a Hallmark movie. It all just went so quickly.’

‘Didn’t we go quickly as well?’ Sidney asked, burying his nose against her sweet smelling neck.

‘It was different.’

‘How do we know they’re not different as well?’

‘Well, with Esther and Babington I dare not judge, but Georgie and Crowe?’

‘Hmm, two dramatic extroverted personalities seeking enjoyment together? I don’t think they’re that odd together.’

‘Perhaps not.’

‘Let us not worry. Before we worried it would be awkward introducing our friends to each other. Our fears turned out to be utterly unfounded. Let’s just enjoy this.’

Charlotte agreed, pressing her lips against his.

‘Let’s. I just can’t believe it all. I’m so happy, this is perfect. I just… Look at everyone having fun and being happy and laughing so much! And it isn’t just because they’re drunk. I’ve never seen all my friends in such a pure state of happiness for so long. I haven’t seen any of them smile so much. I think no one has gone half an hour without smiling once I arrived.’

  Don't read the last page

But I stay when you're lost and I'm scared and you're turning away

I want your midnights

But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day

   The night was filled with laughter, and the hours slid past at record speed.

Heels were kicked off and dancing took place. It really wasn’t good, and they would be divided between loathing their embarrassing postures in the pictures, and loving the photographs because of the memories they contained.

 You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi I can tell that it's going to be a long road I'll be there if you're the toast of the town babe Or if you strike out and you're crawling home

 Midnight was approaching. Shoes were put back on again, and the girls were provided with the blazers of the men. The Final Countdown was put on – James’ final joke of 2019 – as the group started counting down. The new decade was approaching, and they all stood outside united in the snow, bottles of champagne in hand.

Ten seconds to go and the bottles were shaken, ready to be popped at midnight. They screamed and laughed their way through the countdown, and then the moment was there.

 Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you And I will hold on to you

Corks went flying and lips were kissed as firework shot into the sky. Streams of champagne reached for the sky as friends embraced. They could see the explosions of gold, red, purple, green and blue from the nearby city perfectly above the lake, it was even reflected on the lake. Champagne  was drunk from the bottle, and group pictures were taken of all of them in the snow, with fireworks artfully exploding in the distance.

All loneliness and heartache of the past years, and all insecurity about the future was left in the old year, obliterated by the happiness of the past few days.

A new era in their lives was approaching, and they were ready for it, together, united.

 Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere

 They would always remember the first New Year they celebrated together. Even as responsibilities started entering their lives, they always fought to keep the week between Christmas and the New Year free for each other to capture the feeling of old, and create new ones.

Slowly, people were added to the celebrations. Susan and James brought their partners with them the following year, and Princey his first serious girlfriend the year after. And then, a ring was added to the company around Susan’s finger. Esther and Babington were up next, at the ages of twenty-seven and thirty, to tie the knot.  Then followed a round belly for Charlotte, who was surprised when Susan announced her flat belly contained a baby as well. And at the end of the decade, Esther announced her pregnancy and Georgiana and Crowe who hadn’t been meant to last the first time around, reunited after finally accepting all that came along with growing up, and this time they decided to put in the serious work. Crowe admitted himself to an AA program the day after New Year, they were wed the day after he got his One Year degree.

They exited the decade with a big Gatsby Party, and though they had indeed had a bigger financial strain on their backs and uncorked non-alcoholic champagne like they would’ve had it been the 1920’s, they were all still just as happy and rich in friends as they had started the decade. Their friendship had been the best gift they could’ve ever received.

 ____________________________________________________________

71263 words, 12 works, you guys! I'm 4 days late (10 if we count the official deadline of December 25) but I've finally wrapped up the 12 Days of Sanditon.

I want to thank everyone for reading, liking and commenting! It has been such a delight and your words of encouragement kept me convinced to persevere and wrap up the challenge even as I found myself uninspired or tired. It hasn't been my best work, I probably skipped over a lot of typo's and grammar mistakes, and the wordings and stories probably weren't always as good but I haven't written as consistently as this since I was 15! I could've probably spared myself a lot of trouble by not making my works as long (some are well over twenty pages on word), but I had a blast and I hope you did too! I love this fandom, tiny and young as it is (and it won’t get a lot better since the show’s been cancelled) and all the active people in it <3

Much love, Lynn

[ultsracha]

Soulmate Chan (skz)

Request: Maybe could it be an Imagine where you are soulmates with Chan and like switch bodies randomly? A/N: Thanks for requesting love, I know that this kinda of went off the request but I got carried away heh, its super long and I’m sorry but I hope you enjoy! Thank you to the wonderful @trixareforlix for helping me with ideas! <3  Summary: everyone has a soulmate and everyone has a different experience when they finally touch their soulmate. Yours just happened to be a little more extreme than everyone else.  Warnings: Swearing, very, very, very mild angst for like .2 seconds

soul mates were always a mystery to you

most people on earth had one

and the stories you heard of how they knew the other person was their soul mate were always strange 

the majority of the people you met who’d found their soulmate had pretty normal experiences 

like hugging the other person and feeling the entire world heat up for 3 seconds before fading away

or your parents story when your mum was working at a cafe and handed your father his change and ever so gently touched his hand with hers

and the feeling of electricity that flowed between them that they both said lasted for what seemed like weeks 

but there some stories that were more extreme than just a feeling

a story broke the news of a young pair who both flew 6 feet in the air when they nudged hands while walking down the street 

or the soul mates who’s eyes changed colour when they bumped into each other on the street 

sometimes people knew as soon as they found each other

other people had to use social media after realising they must have accidentally touched their soul mate on the street and not felt anything

you had yet to find your other half 

not that you minded all too much

the idea of what could possibly happen when you meet them makes you,,,, nervous

chances were you’d feel some kind of amazing feeling in your whole body and then you’d know who you’d be destined to be with forever

everyone else in your family had similar whole body feelings of warmth of electricity or like being full of water 

Even your younger sister found her soulmate during a sports day relay race in school 

So now you just go about your business trying your best not to touch people as you go 

It’s a boring Friday evening when everything decides to changes

Your phone rings halfway through a movie and it’s your best friend

“Hey, there’s this really cool group that’s performing at work tonight please come and see them” they whine through the phone 

You internally sigh and agree because well

it’s time you saw the real world not just work and your apartment 

So you get dressed again and walk to the bar, signs plaster every wall and lamp post for a group called ‘3racha’ 

When you get there the stage is all set up and people are already filling up the from of the stage 

you just walk over to your friend and linger around the bar until they have a spare moment to come talk

“so, did you hear them do soundcheck or anything? are they good?” you ask over a vodka lemonade

“Yes!” they literally squeal, “there’s three guys, one of them has this super sexy Australian accent. You’re gonna love him” they’re practically bouncing at this point 

So maybe this night wouldn’t be a total bust because cuties on stage

You really thought it would be some old guys with guitars but after another 20 minutes waiting and 2 more drinks

3racha were on stage and well

let me tell you something

fucking incredible 

they had so much energy and passion and every song was powerful

all three boys were undeniably handsome 

but the leader was something ELSE 

your friend was right about the accent, it was beautiful 

and that angelic face that goes from smiling to deadly serious in a second 

holy shit someone was one lucky person to have him as their soulmate

You learned their names, Changbin, Jisung and finally Chan

by the end of their songs and some surprisingly funny dad jokes from Chan

you were going to follow them on their social media because they were so, so good 

When they finally said their goodbyes you were right at the front of the crowd by the stage 

Chan waving and smiling while hopping up and down 

Until the moment he missed the edge of the stage 

and fell 

everything happened in slow motion and the look on his face as he flew to the ground was priceless

No one could catch him before he landed 

Right on top of you 

His whole body crushing into yours in a second

You would’ve screamed if it weren’t for the strange feeling that filled up your whole body

Like you were filled with sparkling water 

Or how TV static must feel 

You closed your eyes as the feeling crept up to your head and braced for what would follow

Honestly it just seemed like Chan killed you and this was what death felt like 

And then you were being yanked from the floor and heard a female voice groaning on the floor

“Chan mate what the fuck are you doing trying to kill fans?” a very, very angry Jisung is holding your shoulders and shaking

“I think you picked up the wrong survivor” you mumble, raising your arm to brush through your hair 

You hand quickly passes through the amount of hair on your head

Hang on a minute

With a heart full of dread you turn to look at where Chan was supposed to be lying on the floor from where he fell and see 

Yourself

You’re looking down at yourself with wide eyes

You are also looking back up at yourself with wider eyes 

“Is this what it’s like to be dead?” You ask, turning back to look at Jisung

“Chan what are you talking about, also help the poor girl up” He growls, walking round you and helping your other self up 

“No, I’m Chan” your other self says while looking you up and down

“And I’m Y/N” you reply 

Everyone in the bar is just standing around looking at you with shock and confusion 

“Let’s go. Now” Changbin appears from nowhere and grabs you and your other selves arm and drags you to a backroom

As you walk more things seem different than before

Everything seems slightly lower down than usual 

Your clothes feel, loose 

So, naturally you look down to examine your outfit because when you left the house it was NOT this baggy 

even more panic sets in when you see a plain tshirt and baggy tracksuit bottoms 

When you get into the room Changbin forces you and other you to sit down on a sofa next to each other

“Right. So what in flying fuck is going on here then?” Jisung asks 

“It’s pretty clear what’s happened, they body swapped” Changbin sighs back 

“Hold on a minute..” You start saying before clasping a hand over your mouth

That accent 

Slowly removing your hand from your mouth and looking at it in more detail it finally sinks in

You’re not in your own body 

your own hands were not this big, and you certainly didn’t have the money for these nice rings 

Which means you swapped with Chan

“OH MY GOD THEY’RE SOULMATES” Changbin yells while slapping Jisungs chest with excitement 

This means 2 things: 

1) Chan is your soulmate and you’re not about to complain

2) You, for the time being, are stuck in Chan’s body

“Holy shit...” Chan whispers from next to you 

“Uh, it’s nice to meet you I guess” you sigh twisting to face Chan 

“Nice to meet you too.... I don’t mean anything by it but when do you reckon we can get our own bodies back?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck nervously 

“I’m not going to lie, I have no idea how to solve this problem, I guess it’s just how long the universe wants to keep us like this” You reply, looking at your own body 

That outfit really was cute 

“How long did you family members take for their match to finish?” Changbin asks cautiously 

“My parents had a feeling which lasted for like 3 weeks...” You mumble awkwardly knowing that this would not be a popular answer 

They all groaned and Jisung stormed out of the room moodily 

“He’s just worried about out shows and new music we need to finish it’s nothing personal” Chan explains, patting your knee sympathetically 

That’s when the whole situation dawned on you

Your job, your family, you friends 

You’d have to explain what was happening 

Which would mean explaining to your family you’d finally found your soulmate 

The entire situation was just proving more and more stressful and just as you were getting caught up in your thoughts

Chan patted your knee again this time keeping his hand there gently 

“It’s okay, there have been worse matches happen before. Remember the couple on the news that caused a fire in a bus stop a few weeks ago?” 

You snort in reply before looking up at him 

It was weird seeing your own face looking at you

“Maybe we should do some research on if this has happened before and how they managed to get back in their own bodies” Chan explains as he stands up and grabs his bag before grabbing his phone and sitting back down

He doesn’t seem to mind touching because he sits with his leg pressed against yours on the sofa 

It was nice and comforting despite only knowing him for a few minutes 

After some digging and whining about not having a thumb print on his phone from your thumb 

You found a website which explained a couple from New Zealand had swapped bodies for 5 days before returning to their original body when they found their soul mate 

“So I guess we just have to wait this out then...” You sigh, standing up 

“How are we gonna do this? Do we need to see your parents?” Chan asks 

“No no no no no, not yet, this will be too weird to explain right now especially because we met today...” You quickly rush to explain 

Chan quirks an eyebrow but doesn’t argue

“Well can you at least stay at my place tonight? I want to get to know you more” he asks 

If it had been any other person, any other day you would have said no but this is your soul mate

The person the universe knows you’re perfect for 

So you agree and part ways briefly to get your things to stay over and then walk to his apartment 

Which is just down the road from yours 

His apartment is messy but empty all at the same time

His bedroom consisting of a mattress on the floor and a desk with recording equipment 

“I just moved in like 3 months ago and we’ve been super busy with music and performing I haven’t had a chance to like get any furniture” He mumbles, placing blankets and pillows on the sofa for you

You just nod in reply and sit down

The reality really has sunk in 

This is your soulmate 

You’re in his freaking BODY 

And you have no idea how to get OUT 

The evening goes pretty smooth 

Talking about where you grew up, favourite foods, movies you enjoy 

The universe must know what it’s doing because the more you talk the more you realise Chan is really a genuine and kind man

With very similar interests and thoughts as you

You both fall asleep on the sofa together watching a movie 

Sadly as morning came about you were both still trapped inside each others bodies 

You made breakfast for Chan out of the very limited food in the fridge and vowed to buy him some decent food before you had to plan what was going to happen tonight 

3racha were performing tonight 

It was the biggest venue they’d ever played before and well, it was important 

You knew none of their lyrics, had no rapping skills and well couldn’t think of anything more terrifying than performing on stage

“Look, I can teach you lyrics and Changbin and Jisung can do the majority of it and if anyone asks its because you’re ill” Chan repeats again

“But Chan, I can’t rap, I suck at this.” You sulk, lying on his bedroom floor

“You’re in my body Y/N. You have my mouth and my voice. You can do it! It’s just confidence and knowing the lyrics” 

And so, you let him teach

It was hard, very very hard but by the end of the day you knew enough lyrics to pass as Chan 

But that didn’t change the rock in your stomach and the feeling of terror as you paced back stage waiting 

“Y/N it’s okay you can do this just remember the stuff we learnt and keep smiling” Chan was rubbing your arm reassuringly 

“Don’t mess this up, please. You have no idea how big this is for us.” Jisung snarks as he stands next to you 

He has done nothing but make you feel more nervous all day 

“Look. It’s not my fault I swapped bodies with Chan okay? I didn’t ask for this and I’m sorry we couldn't fix it but being an asshole isn’t going to make me perform any better. You’re lucky I even bothered to try.” You reply with as much conviction as your shaky voice would let you

Jisung looks amused and replies while smirking;

“Chan, she’s fiery. I’m glad your soul mate has some sass to her” before walking away

As much as that makes you smile you can’t shake the nerves 

“Chan I’m so scared, I don’t want to mess this up for you” You’re nearly crying at this point

Your hands wont stop shaking 

“Even if it’s not good I don’t care, I found my soulmate and that’s way more important to me than a show. If you’re feeling that worried we can say that I got food poisoning or something” Chan explains, taking both of your hands in his

“No no no I’ll perform because I don’t want to let you down or do anything to damage your career. It’ll be okay but thank you for caring so much” 

Tears are streaming down your face as Chan brings you into a hug 

He just holds you there in his arms in a super weird hug that’s kinda uncomfortable because you forgot you’re in Chans body so you’re like a head taller than yourself 

He obviously forgot he’s a head smaller because he’s in your body and you ended up weirdly holding each other

But it was nice and you could feel your heart beat racing

A warm feeling spreading through your body making you never ever want to let go

It felt like an eternity before you pulled away and opened your eyes 

To see Chan’s face in front of yours 

You look down and see your own body 

“Did we just?” Chan asks in disbelief 

“We did” You grin, wrapping your arms round his neck for another hug

Which works out perfectly this time

“GUYS WE SWAPPED BACK” Chan screams 

“Thank fuck for that” Jisung gasps, hugging Chan tightly 

“We have to go Chan quickly” Changbin rushes before pushing them both 

“Let’s go on a date when this is over yeah?” Chan grins as he’s being pushed by Changbin 

“Of course!” You have to shout because he’s so far down the hallway 

The performance is amazing, as expected 

Chan sends you winks and pulls cute faces the whole time 

When they’re done you meet him back stage 

He pulls you into a sweaty hug and kisses the top of your head 

And despite only knowing him for a day you loved the feeling

Changbin and Jisung were buzzing with happiness over how well they did 

“Chan let’s all go out to celebrate!” Changbin beams 

“I can’t tonight, I said I’d take Y/N on a date...” Chan explains, draping an arm around your shoulder 

“Let’s all go out together, we should definitely celebrate.” You interject, the last thing you wanted was to take Chan away from his best friends after such an important milestone for them

His smile told you everything you needed to know about his feelings as you all got ready to go out together 

Chan was perfect, polite and sweet to you and every single thing he did made you smile 

The universe knew whats up when it gave you your soulmate 

[writingmyimagines]

Shot Through the Heart - Pt 1

Billy Hargrove X Reader

A/N: Hi all, this is my first imagine on this blog and it will in fact be a series. I am still playing with the title, so it may change, but as of now it is from You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi. This chapter introduces you as a character and establishes where the plot is going, let me know if you have any feedback!

Warning: cursing

Word Count: 1.9k

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You watched as the sun rose, a sleepless night behind you. Your radio hummed in the background, quietly playing Bruce Springsteen, and you turned your attention back to the speckled ceiling waiting for the inevitable. Today was January 10th, the first day of school since you had recessed for winter break. ‘Stupid school,’ you muttered.

Moments later, the alarm blared, signaling your normal 6:20 AM wake up time. And you rolled out of bed, before quickly getting into action. Rolled up jeans, adidas sneakers, hair spray, your fur lined jean jacket, and a bit of lip gloss later and you were ready to go. 

Hurriedly, you ran downstairs as your mother called, “(Y/N), breakfast is ready!” Taking two steps at a time, you hopped down and reached for the plate of eggs and french toast being presented to you. It seems your dad had already left the house given his empty coffee cup and syrup smothered plate. Your younger sister on the other hand was already gobbling down eggs, staring at you before blathering, “Impf alrady rally late.” Distantly, you processed what was said, and began to eat violently fast, glancing at the clock that read 7:03, “Shit.”

“Language! Although you two do need to get out the door.” You couldn’t help, but roll your eyes before inhaling the rest of your plate and running up to kiss your mom on the cheek, a bit of syrup sticking to her skin. You snatched your bag off the hook by the doorway, calling, “I was going to hang out with Britt and Robin today, can you take care of Cassie?”

You hardly waited for the response, swinging open the door and being met with a sharp breeze of cold Indiana air. Distantly, there was some kind of approval and Cassandra ran past you, heading straight for your ‘79 Chevy. She was a bit old and didn’t always run great, but she was yours, and god you loved her. You followed suit, accidentally slamming the door, and immediately revving her up.

The radio hummed on your way to the middle school, dropping Cassie off. Hardly stopping, you ushered her out and yelled, “Have a good day! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!”

She ran off and you glanced at the clock again, 7:20. So you put the pedal to the metal, screeching into the parking lot at 7:26 like a bat out of hell, your tires having burnt some serious rubber on the turn in. Several shocked faces glanced at you, everyone making their own way to the first day of school this calendar year. You hurried out, knowing that your 7:30 AM chemistry class was at the very end of the building and you would have to hurry up. But by some stroke of luck, one of your dearest friends Brittney caught up to you as you ran into the bustling halls of your high school. She bumped into your shoulder aggressively, “Good to see you too. Don’t tell me that screeching was you in the parking lot?”

You gave out a guilty laugh, before confirming, “Yeah, I guess I was running a little late. New year, I wanted to make sure my hair looked nice.” You gently messed with your carefully styled hair, before she oooh’d at you, “Trying to impress anyone, are you? You know, Damien in your biology class is pretty cute, Robin says he can play guitar too.”

You winked at her, before waving her off, “Nah, gotta focus on finishing college applications! You think I want to be stuck in Indiana for the rest of my life? No thank you.”

“Well with your grades, you should be fine, Miss Soon-to-Be Valedictorian.” You laughed at her, lightly punching her shoulder and whining, “You don’t know that! Don’t put those far off dreams in my head.” 

So yes, you were good at school, very good at school; so good in fact, you were applying to Stanford, Brown, Yale, and Harvard. They were distant dreams, but if anyone in this god forsaken small town had a chance, it was you. This also meant that yes, you guys were nerds, but luckily not outcasts. The three of you didn’t bring enough attention to yourselves that you got bullied, but you weren’t exactly popular either. Or really, anywhere near popular. The closest you had gotten was Tommy H has made a passing comment about Britt’s “rack” once, so yeah, not really your scene.

But you were dragged from your thoughts as the one minute warning bell rang and you and Britt sat down in the dusty chemistry lab room, sadly knowing Robin had band first thing in the morning. And it didn’t take your graying, wheezing instructor but ten seconds to start droning on about balancing chemical reactions and the proper way to go about it. Seems like it would be another exciting day at Hawkins High.

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The school day had quickly come to a close and you began making your way to your little trio’s meeting spot; the music room. Your last class was Literature, and you shared it with none of your friends, so you were quietly humming to yourself, making your way to the adjacent arts building when the vice principal stopped you. Mr. Eldridge gave a small smile, before inquiring, “Mrs. (Y/L/N)? Yes, I need to see you in my office really quickly if you have a moment, nothing bad of course, just a little something.”

You tried not to raise your eyebrow at the careful lilt in his voice towards the end of the phrase, almost as if he was hiding something. You pushed a smile onto your features and nodded, quietly following him into the musty office of his. There, a puke green carpet cushioned your steps as you fell into quite possibly the most uncomfortable neon office chair you had ever had the displeasure of being in. 

He rested his bony hands on the oak desk and you watched him questioningly, nodding almost as if urging him to tell you what was going on. He started loudly, “As you know, I am in charge of all student’s academics and well-being here at Hawkins High and as such, I want every single student to do well.” You nodded carefully, wondering why he was telling you all this. “Well, I wanted to try a new program of sorts. You are an exemplary student Ms. (Y/L/N), top of the class, involved in several clubs, engaged in volunteering, and an all around sweet girl.” You smiled a bit more proudly, not hating hearing your own praise. “As such, we figured you would be the best candidate to lift others up with you.” Here is where you started getting suspicious, what on Earth did he mean by that?

Your eyebrows lifted and he continued, “As I mentioned, I want all students to succeed, and unfortunately, some students here don’t take their studies as seriously as you do. So some of the faculty and I thought to do a Student-to-Student program of sorts. Essentially, we’ll be pairing you with a student that is struggling and you will meet with them a couple of days a week. You can study together, offer them tips, perhaps encourage volunteering or extracurriculars? Your job is to try to encourage them to be a better student, and more importantly, a better person.”

Gears in your brain were slowly cranking as you deciphered what this meant. So he wanted you to mentor someone? As if the dead-beats at this school would give a shit, none the less agree to this. It was clear that higher education wasn’t the uhhh, right path for some. 

Yet, he went on, “We wanted to test out this program with you and one other student given your absolutely stunning record. If it goes well, then we can further this program and hopefully improve the lives of all youth that walk through these hallowed halls!” He glanced proudly around his office, glancing longingly at his own high school graduation portrait before glancing back around. He let out a heavy sigh, but perked back up, waiting for your answer.

You weren’t exactly convinced though, this sounded like a lot of effort and to be rewarded with what? You knew that this wasn’t going to be transformative for anyone and was more than likely a waste of time. “I’m sorry sir, but I am not sure I have the time to do this. As you mentioned, my schedule is quite packed and I am in the process of applying to quite a few colleges, as well as balancing my clubs and spending time with family…”

You trailed off, but he interrupted, “Ah, but perhaps I can help that. We can put on your resume that you helped this program get off the ground, mentored another student, proving yourself as a leader. You would be the first student to do something like this in all of Hawkins, maybe even all of Indiana. Aren’t colleges always looking for leadership and initiative?” He had a glint in his eye and you sighed. This would look stellar, and unfortunately, you were lacking a bit in the leadership department. But you would be missing a lot. But none of that would matter if you got into the college of your dreams. ‘Well, it might be for the best.’

“Sir, how often would this be?” And he laughed boisterously, knowing that he had gotten you in. “But a mere two days a week and every other Friday afternoon. Just an hour in the library, nothing you aren’t capable of. And we wanted to run this for a month or two, just to see how it goes.”

You nodded slowly, mulling things over. You would be missing time with your dear friends, but this could very well be the edge you need to get into an Ivy League. Another sigh escaped your lips, and you nodded. “Well sir, sign me up, I’ll do it.”

He nodded, his lips breaking into a large smile and his hands clapping together. It seems that he was more worried about this than he had let on. He chortled, “Amazing, simply amazing Ms. (Y/L/N), you don’t understand how great that is to hear, and I will be happy to write any recommendation letters or help in any way I can. Can you start tomorrow, Tuesday afternoon?”

Well that was quick, and your features showed your surprise, but you nodded. Seems that your schedule was about to change quite a bit. 

“Fantastic! Just go to the library after school and we’ll send in your mentee.”

You nodded again and began to reach for your bag as he was getting up as well. You made a mental note to write this in your planner as your feet lead you to the door. And your heart beat faster, getting nervous at the thought of basically being responsible for another student’s life when you turned back towards this thinning man, and you questioned, “Oh I nearly forgot sir, who should I be looking for tomorrow? Or rather, who will I be working with?”

He took a moment, heading to the door as well when he pursed his lips and you became suspicious immediately. Surely it was gonna be some druggie or someone who just didn’t care, nothing too hard to deal with, you knew the type. But the words that left his mouth stunned you, “You’ll be working with Mr. Billy Hargrove.” And his door slammed shut.

Billy fucking Hargrove. Unbelievable.

[incorrectheartbreakers]

20 things I learned before I turned 69.

By IHB Tom Petty

Tom: According to my birth certificate I'm turning 69 today, which is odd because part of me still feels like 30 while the other part of me feels 149 but my current age (until the clock strikes 12) is actually 68 and it's 2019, people have said that sharing is caring so here's 20 lessons that I've learned.

One: I learned to read contracts carefully.

It was one of life's hardest lessons about being a musician that I have come to learn is reading a contract carefully and understand what everything means. Understand what publishing is, know how much you should be paid to make your record and when in doubt, file for bankruptcy, write a song about it, go on tour to pay for legal fees, don't give into the big business guys, if you're recording a record during this whole ordeal and the court they start to imply that they have the right to come and seize anything you're working on, get someone to switch the names on the master tapes and have them hide it where no one can find them after you get done recording. So if you're asked in court where the tapes are..you don't know. And be sure to have drills to see how fast you can get them out of the studio.

Two: Being a snakecharmer to dogs comes in handy. From carrying treats on you to learn how to read the body language of a dog. Being a dog charmer is quite the catch.

Three: Playing pranks on your kids is the best form of entertainment. When one of your daughter's ex boyfriend's accidentally leaves a pair of his underwear at your house, It's a free for all. Put them on her car, put them in a box, wrap it up and leave it under the Christmas tree for them to open on Christmas morning. It'll be talked about for years and years to come. Trust me.

Four: Payback from your kids is the worst. Sometimes the result of pranking your kids is the worst you could experience. Okay that's a little far fetched but it definitely isn't pleasant. I couldn't tell you how many times AnnaKim bugged me about buttless chaps...all chaps are buttless AnnaKim.

Five: Know the difference between fin and not fun. Being on a tour bus and mooning people while they drive by with your drummer as the rest of the band looks on in shock? Fun. Getting chased by your bassist's cat while your trying to eat because they want your dinner and everyone else is laughing? Not fun. Buying a bunch of hash in a country where it's legal? Fun. Getting pulled out of line while you're trying to get to your flight on time because they found some residue on the pipe your drummer has in his suitcase and then missing rehearsals for a TV  show you're supposed to be on? Not fun. Seeing your bassist eating a whole chunk of hash while customs is questioning said drummer? To be honest I'm not even sure where to put that one. For me? Not fun. For him? Fun. Lighting fireworks on the fourth? Fun. Putting a bunch of bottle rockets next to each other in a straight line and then lighting them all off? Not fun. We almost burned down our old house.

Six: If you're moving, get a U-haul. We would have had way less trips to make between our current house and our old house if we just rented a U-haul.

Seven: Recently, I discovered command tape and Blu-tack, and I would definitely have less holes in my walls if Howie mentioned it sooner. Thank you Howie, thank you command tape. And no this isn't paid advertisement, they're just great products.

Eight: There are times where tough love doesn't work, and you lose the people you care most about because of it and there are times where it does work but that's not always the case.

Nine: Don't get too close to the front of the stage. After getting ripped down the first time I've learned the hard way not to get too close.

Ten: Climbing on top of the roof isn't a good idea either, after we got done doing that episode of incorrect heartbreakers it took almost four hours just to get me down from the roof. We had to call the local fire department.

Eleven: Some modeling clay can be put in the oven while others are not made to be baked all together. Earlier this month Howie wanted to test some random modeling clay he ordered off of Amazon, so he handed me a piece and had me put it in the oven to see if it would bake. Needless to say when I checked on it not even five minutes later it turned into a puddle.

Twelve: Take your driving lessons seriously, back when I took my first driving lesson I didn't take some things the instructor was saying into account. I didn't pass the first five tests. I'm still not good at driving after all of these years either.

Thirteen: Just because you don't think it's a good idea to put a new song on a greatest hits album doesn't mean it won't do well. When the greatest hits album was due I really didn't like the idea of doing it let alone putting new songs on it. But the album sold 12,000,000, was certified 12x platinum in the US and the only single released from it went number 1 on the US Billboard album rock tracks, so what do I know?

Fourteen: Breaking your hand is not a way to resolve things you're struggling with. During the recording process of Southern Accents, I broke my hand out of frustration due to my own fault. I wasn't in the right mind and if I was I probably could have avoided the whole thing.

Fifteen: Fashion is all about playful experimentation. If you don’t look back at pictures of some of your old looks and cringe, you’re doing it wrong. See: Marcus Amphitheater, 2001 and Bridge school benefit, 2002.

Sixteen: Everyone deserves to be treated equally. From a very young age I was always enraged with injustice. As the years went on and I learned more and more I took every chance I got to stand up, voice my opinion and I think every person should.

Seventeen: A very more recent one, always have band-aids on you, in every room possible, in every suitcase and in your pockets in general.

Eighteen: Never judge someone until you talk to them one on one. I took this one from a friend after having a two hour conversation over the phone. You never judge someone until you talk to them one on one.

Nineteen: Love isn't forever, I've had my fair share of breakups and heartaches. But the one thing that I have learned from it all is that love doesn't last forever. People grow apart, feelings change and so do people. And sometimes it's for the better.

Twenty: if you see it bubbling after you get done heating something up, don't touch it. Another recent one as I just made myself my own birthday cake, I decided to put caramel on it and I touched it, thus burning my fingers. At least it tastes good.

Bonus: if the instructions say 3 tablespoons add more, if it looks well still like nothing but powder keep adding what the recipe calls for until it looks right. And if you add too much. Pour some out, it'll be fine. Or add in more flour or mix.

[decandantfics]

I Trust You

Ant had been practicing for weeks, working so hard to perfect his skills. Ever since that production meeting when the BGT team had so casually told them what they wanted him and Dec to do, Ant had been working feverishly to make sure he knew what he was doing. You see, this wasn't just any old skill like singing or learning a dance routine, this was knife throwing. And he would be throwing a knife at his best mate. Well, not directly at him, but in his immediate vicinity. Which meant there was a chance of accidentally hitting him. Swallowing hard as a nervous knot formed deep in his belly, Ant pushed down the mental image of a knife stuck in his best friend's chest, and focused back on the board in front of him. Partially extending his left arm in front of him, he grasped the blade of the knife in his right. Right, one...two...three! He counted silently in his head as he brought his right wrist down to meet his left in time with each number, letting go of the knife on the count of three. He had hit the bullseye perfectly. Now that he felt he'd warmed up by getting a feel for where the bullseye was located, he removed the knife from the board, stepped back to his mark, and placed the blindfold over his eyes. Repeating the process, he threw the knife again. Apprehensively, he removed the blindfold. A bit too far to the right – better than to the left, he reminded himself – but the knife had still landed in the outer edge of the circle.

He should have been in bed ages ago, but instead found himself in the games room of his home, standing in front of the knife throwing board yet again. It had been a long, hectic, but very fun, week – he and Dec had presented four of the 2019 BGT semi-finals so far, with just tomorrow night's show left to go until they could have a rest on Saturday to prepare for Sunday's big final. And Ant was so, so tired, but he just couldn't rest. Tomorrow afternoon, he and Dec would be recording the opener for semi-final number five, which involved him throwing a knife at Dec while blindfolded. His Adam's apple bobbed with another nervous swallow before he paced back to the board and repeated the whole throwing process again. This time, the knife landed straight in the middle of the bullseye. That was more like it! He repeated the throw 20 more times, silently chanting the mantra his knife throwing instructor had instilled in him to ensure he remembered to do everything necessary to complete a perfect throw. Finally satisfied that his throws were as good as they possibly could be, Ant shut off the lights and climbed the stairs to the bedroom he shared with Anne-Marie.

He had told Anne-Marie not to wait up for him, that he had some work to do. She had nodded at him knowingly in mock seriousness, while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. She knew exactly what he was going to be doing, and it certainly wasn't going to involve him sitting at his desk doing paperwork for his and Dec's production company. Ant had grinned sheepishly, knowing he'd been caught out, and let out a small laugh at her cheeky antics. "Go on, away with you!" he shooed her up to their bedroom, chasing after her like a mischievous child while her merry laughter rang out ahead of him. Sharing a passionate kiss, they had said goodnight, and Ant had made his way back downstairs to the game room to do that "work" he'd mentioned earlier.

That was over an hour ago, and as Ant snuck into their darkened bedroom, he could just make out Anne-Marie's golden hair flowing over her pillow, framing her beautiful face. He loved her so, so much – he really couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her and her two daughters in his life. They reminded him every day to live his life to the fullest and to find the positives in everything. He honestly couldn't imagine a life without the three of them anymore. Having quickly changed into his nighttime boxers, Ant let out a deep sigh as he relaxed into the mattress, gently taking Anne-Marie into his arms. His mind wandered to the one other person – other than his family – whom he couldn't imagine life without: Declan. That man – slight of frame but massive of heart – owned such a large piece of him that Ant knew he would never recover if he lost him. Dec had been Ant's one constant – the only unchanging detail in the ever-changing fabric of his life. Out of the whole mess of the past two years, Dec was the one part of his life – the one part of him – that had never changed. Well, perhaps he had changed a bit – Dec was now a dad, after all, and that had certainly changed him. He was way more tired than he used to be for a start! But now Ant had moved 8 miles away from the street where he and Dec had shared so many memories. It still ached to live so far away from each other, but he and Dec had found a way to make it work. Because of course they had – they were Ant and Dec, after all – and he cherished the time he spent with Dec every week outside of work when they would meet up for lunch or dinner, or would simply hang out together, talking about life, NUFC, basically anything and everything that came to mind.

Conversation hadn't always flowed so smoothly over the past year as it did now. Ant had to admit that they had stopped being Ant and Dec for a short period last year, the tensions caused by his inexcusable actions weighing heavily on their relationship. But they had talked it through as only they could – not shying away from difficult discussions that sometimes resulted in tears and/or angry tirades at each other and life in general. Ant felt terribly guilty about everything he had put Declan through over the past couple of years – 2018 in particular – and it hurt to think what his only friend had suffered because of his actions. Dec had always been such a sensitive soul, always showing empathy when those around him were upset or hurting – sometimes to the point of choking up on live telly and having to blink away tears before they could roll down his cheeks. Dec hated it when Simon or another of the judges on BGT was particularly harsh to a contestant on the live shows. He had caught Dec surreptitiously wiping his eyes a couple of times this week in the brief moments between camera shots when he thought no one would catch him in the act. Perhaps that was the biggest change in Dec over the past year, Ant mused: he had become far more publicly emotional.

Dec had been self-conscious about his short stature and slightly effeminate looks for as long as Ant had known him, and had therefore often felt the need to play himself up as a tough guy while on screen. He was extremely private – he didn't want others to see his deepest emotions, didn't want to expose his incredibly vulnerable side to the world. Ant had always been more comfortable with showing and expressing his emotions in public, but he understood why Dec preferred to hide that intensely private side of himself behind a shield of tough resilience. And he was a tough guy, to be fair. He was fiercely competitive – to a fault, Ant thought with a wry smile – and had a fiery temper that you definitely didn't want to be in the firing line of if he had entered his Scrappy Doo mode. An affectionate, amused smile curved Ant's lips as the nickname he had coined for Dec so many years ago came to mind. But truthfully, Dec was one of the strongest people he knew, beaten to that post only by his mam, Christine. Which, he supposed, made Declan the strongest man he knew. But as Ant so well knew himself after the past couple of years, being strong didn't come without a fight. And he knew Dec had struggled mightily in his absence last year.

Months ago, probably against his better judgement, Ant had requested the official tapes of the final two episodes of last year's Takeaway from ITV. It had broken his heart to see Dec looking so lost and upset, and he had wept when Dec nearly broke down on stage in that first solo show. Oddly, it wasn't as difficult as he had thought to watch Dec on his own – it was pure torture seeing him with Holly Willoughby – perhaps because observing Dec's broken face and weary body made him realize just how much he was needed by Dec. Even just thinking that made Ant feel a bit ashamed – what sort of sick person would want to see their one true friend suffer just to make themselves feel needed? But in a strange sort of way, he knew Declan would understand exactly where he was coming from – it was good to feel like your presence in someone's life meant so much to them. It gave your own life an extra bit of value to know that someone was so dependent on you that they couldn't be truly happy without you. Perhaps the sign of an unhealthy relationship? Nah – they'd lived like this, always in each other's pockets, for nigh on 30 years now, and it had worked for them so far!

His brain came full circle again as he remembered how Dec had broken down during rehearsals for the first semi-final on Monday. Brian Gilligan had chosen a song called "Lost Without You" – Ant had never heard of it before – which had utterly heartbreaking lyrics. As he and Dec had sat back in the audience section – they liked to watch the acts rehearse from the audience's perspective since they were almost always backstage during the live performances on the night – he became aware of Dec's body shaking. They were sitting side by side, a little way back in the theatre, arms and shoulders pressed up against each other. Ant was enjoying Brian's performance – it was a hauntingly beautiful song – but wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the lyrics, his mind whirring with nerves – he was about to make his first live return to television that evening. As he glanced over at Dec, though, noting the tears trickling down his face, his ears picked out the words as Brian continued singing:

'Cause I've been strong for so long, I never thought how much I needed you, I think I'm lost without you....

With the sudden realization that Dec was crying because the lyrics described how he had felt last year, Ant felt a huge lump forming in his own throat as he wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders, guiding Dec's head onto his shoulder. This really, really hurt. Ant could feel Dec relaxing into his hold, but the guilt welling up inside of him was overwhelming. He just had to say something. In the end, all he could come up with was a heartfelt, "I'm so, so sorry, Declan." Dec had lifted his tear-stained face from Ant's shoulder, raw emotion gleaming in his eyes, and replied, "It was all worth it, Ant. I've got you back." It still blew Ant away that Dec would consider the immense stress and heartache he had suffered – all alone – to be worth it just because it meant that he had his friend back by his side. But Ant knew he would have done the same for Dec in a heartbeat – they loved each other, they would do anything for each other, and it was as simple as that. Dec had forced Ant to be selfish last year – refusing to even mention work whenever they met up – making him think of nothing but himself and his recovery. It was what Ant had needed, but he still felt awful for having caused his best friend so much pain. Shoving the feelings of guilt back into their corner in his mind, knowing that as soon as he let them have free reign he'd never get any sleep, Ant snuggled closer to Anne-Marie, breathing in the soft scent of her perfume. He knew he was loved despite what he'd done – Dec had always passed on multitudinous messages, tweets, and letters of support from the public every time they met up last year – but while the public's support meant the world to him, it was the love within his own, tight-knit circle that meant the most. As long as he had Dec and his new little family by his side, he knew he'd be able to get through whatever life threw at him. And with that thought, Ant finally dozed off, getting some much-needed rest before another hectic day of BGT madness.

                                                        ~~~

Rehearsals were well underway for the fifth semi-final of Britain's Got Talent 2019, and Ant and Dec were in the midst of a quick discussion with the production team regarding the opener for tonight's show. They had run through it all before on paper, but now it was time to iron out the final details. Ant exuded nervous energy, his fingers twitching and his body seemingly unable to keep still, while Dec...Dec seemed quite relaxed about the whole thing, nodding calmly as one of the team showed him exactly where to stand in front of the knife throwing board. Ant was unbelievably nervous, and he was seriously wishing that they had shot this idea down the moment it was suggested to them. To be fair, they had both protested quite loudly when the production team had first laid out their idea for tonight's opener. But in the end, they had reluctantly agreed to do it – although Dec was vehement that he would not be the one throwing the knife. He wanted nothing to do with the responsibility of throwing a weapon at his friend, and said he trusted Ant to do a better job of it than he ever could. His belief and blind trust in Ant was quite touching, really, but Ant wanted nothing more than to be the one leaning up against that board today. Despite how well his practice had been going, there was still a latent worry in his mind that it could all go terribly wrong. He was more than thankful that they had put their foot down when it came to the type of knife he would be throwing. The producers had wanted him to use a "proper" knife like the ones you saw professional knife throwers using – marked by a wide, dangerously sharp and deadly blade. No, he had refused to go along with that, and said he wanted as small and innocuous a knife as they could possibly manage without it looking ridiculous. He could sense Dec's gratitude as the producers finally caved to his demands. Ant knew how terrified Dec had been last year when that magician had thrown a knife at him – Ant had been so scared himself that he'd let out a yelp when the knife went flying through the air towards his friend – and he was glad he could put Dec's mind at ease, even a little bit, with this small victory. But that was then and this was now, and now was when he had to throw a knife at his best friend for the first time ever.

There wasn't long to go before they went on air – only a couple of hours - and he and Dec were already in their suits, ready to record the opening sequence. The hope was to do it all in one continuous take, but if Ant's throw wasn't great, then they could just re-film that part and meld it into the rest of the opening sequence with a bit of a continuity shot. But before running through the entire scene from the top, he and Dec were going to do a bit of rehearsal for the knife throwing bit. And Ant was so nervous he could feel his hands shaking – certainly not ideal when he was supposed to be throwing a knife at someone. Ant felt Dec's eyes boring into his skull, and turned to see him gazing at him with a small, warm smile on his face. It was obvious he could sense Ant's inner turmoil. The next thing Ant knew, he was being smothered in a full-blown Declan Donnelly bear hug, with Dec's hot breath ghosting past his ear as a whisper became audible, spoken so softly that only Ant could hear it: "I trust you." Ant's heart swelled with gratitude and love for the man currently wrapping him in a tight hug – Dec always knew how to make Ant feel better and wash away his nerves, and now was no exception. Ant could feel himself take a deep breath as Dec gave him one final squeeze before pulling away. Then, "I guess now's when I'll find out if you want to kill me!" Dec observed cheekily, giving Ant a playful wink and lining himself up in the middle of the X on the board. Ant couldn't help but grin as his friend gave him another encouraging smile. Okay, then, Ant thought to himself, this was it. He lined himself up with his mark on the floor, then stared at the board for a moment, orientating himself. Lifting the blindfold from the table, Ant saw Dec lip his licks nervously out of the corner of his eye. Of course Dec was a bit nervous – he had never enjoyed any of the dangerous stunts they had pulled over the years on their shows – but his trust in Ant was still evident on his face as their gaze met one last time before Ant's eyes were covered by the blindfold. "All right, then, after three...." Ant rasped out, nerves making his voice sound croaky. "One...Two...Three!" As he let the knife fly out of his hand, Ant winced, half-expecting to hear Dec cry out in pain. Instead, an amazed, but decidedly mischievous, "So you don't want to kill me, then! Good to know!" rang through the air, as Ant took his blindfold off to see Dec standing there, staring with wide eyes at the knife that had landed perfectly on its mark, a few inches from his head. Ant let out a relieved laugh, while Dec stuck his tongue out at him, an impish glint in his eyes as he stepped away from the board, jokingly clutching at his heart as if he'd been hit. Ant playfully whacked Dec's shoulder as his friend let out a giggle, before enveloping him in a quick hug – more than relieved that it had gone well. They practiced the throw a couple more times, now acting out the scene as well, before Ant decided he felt ready to try filming it for real.

As they got into position to start filming, Dec reached out and squeezed Ant's arm gently, meeting his gaze with eyes that spoke of total trust and gleamed with love. Ant smiled gratefully, and as the cameras started rolling, he switched into professional mode, acting out the scene with Dec. The words flowed easily between the two men as if they were just having a normal conversation, not filming a scripted segment for a TV show. As they neared the knife throwing area, Ant felt the nervous knot re-forming in his stomach, but he kept his face impassive, continuing with the scene as if nothing was wrong. Ant and Dec were walking so close to each other now that their arms were touching, the contact helping to soothe both of their nerves. Grasping Dec's upper arm gently, Ant pushed him towards the board, as Dec pretended to be puzzled. Right, this was it. Letting out a little chuckle as Dec acted utterly terrified and quoted the line that had followed them for decades, "He cannae see, man!" Ant put on the blindfold. Nerves getting the better of him, he fumbled blindly for the knife, muttering, "Okay, right. Here we go, then...Where's the knife." Readying himself, Ant straightened up, facing the board, and pushed down the panic creeping up his spine. It was fine, he was on his mark, he'd made sure of that. "All right, then, after three..." Trying to disguise the tension in his voice, but failing miserably, Ant began the countdown (or count up, as it was in this case). As he half-shouted the number three, his voice rising as his hand catapulted forward in a calculated throw, he felt the knife leaving his hand. But it felt wrong, like it had flown out of his hand at an angle rather than straight forward like it was supposed to. His heart in his throat, Ant reminded himself the cameras were still rolling as he hurriedly removed the blindfold. And there Dec was, looking thoroughly shocked – remember, we're still filming, Ant reminded himself...but completely uninjured. Ant's mind had been playing tricks on him, the panic of the moment making him think he had messed up the throw – it had actually been just as perfect as the one in their very first rehearsal of the day. But he couldn't celebrate quite yet, they still needed to finish the scene. The hard part over now, Ant focused all of his mental energy on making sure he didn't mess up his lines as they acted out the remainder of the opener. Finally, the director called "Cut!" while Ant and Dec high-fived each other excitedly. They had completed it all in one take – no mistakes, no flubbed lines, and, most importantly, no one had died.

"See? I told you it would be fine," Dec teased. "I nearly lost it for a moment, there," Ant admitted, running a shaking hand over his forehead as the adrenaline rush kicked in. "Yeah, but you were great – wasn't he fantastic, everyone?" Dec raised his voice as he addressed their crew, "I think Ant here deserves a round of applause for that performance." As the crew clapped and added in some whoops and cheers of their own, Dec turned back to Ant with a naughty smile and quipped, "Never knew you were kinky like that, by the way – I quite like the blindfolded look on you, love!" before winking and wandering over to the huddle of crew members watching back the scenes they had just recorded. Mouth hanging open in mock outrage as he let out a scandalized guffaw, Ant could only thank his lucky stars that he had found Declan all those years ago. They trusted each other, understood each other, and could always make each other laugh, no matter the situation. What they had together was precious, and as he followed his friend over to the crowded monitor, Ant felt like he was the luckiest man in the world – and with a true friend like Dec, Ant thought to himself, he probably was.