#and i've been asking him since nov for him to give me a list of things he wants and he has given me NOTHING

[deathsconsort]

my dad is so hard to buy gifts for i've been struggling all month and i plan to finish my christmas shopping tomorrow and i still don't know wtf to get him

[whenwordsmakesense]

I've got another!!! "Sometimes, I seriously can't read you! You're always so hot and cold, what are you trying to say here?" Uh, enjoy the writing process?

Okay, okay, so, I've been having these late-night visions of a Sterek that go back in time before Claudia dies/the Hale fire happens (Nov. 2005/25 Jan 2005, resp.) which is mostly me imagining bamf!sterek whom their pack (Claudia becomes a werewolf/is in the know, as is the Sheriff) kind of hates. Because, y'know, Stiles and Derek aren't really... kids. They're different people. (They're the post-canon version of themselves, who saw billions die because of the full on supernatural vs. humans war, and are basically hardened soldiers given one mission by the Nemeton of the world: save the world, something that coincidently starts with saving their very own families). It's all, um, very confusing because Stiles is 7 (in the beginning, when they come back, and Derek is 13 because they are 6 years apart in the canon timeline version that I have deciphered) and you know what... never mind. Maybe I'll make another post detailing my headcanons about this time travel fix-it fic if people are interested, but right now let's just manage this... it's basically Laura eavesdropping on Derek and Paige's conversation (which he knows because Laura is out of a beta's hearing/senses range, not an Alpha, which Derek is).

That Time Travel AU Excerpt

[Not putting this on ao3, since this is something that I'm still very determined to write to completion]

"Sometimes I seriously can't read you! You're always so hot and cold, what are you trying to say here?"

Paige's voice is mildly angry, and mostly resigned. It irks Laura; she's been brought up on the idea of power, and that power means earning what you want through hard work, or the respect that comes with power.

If it was her in Paige's place, she would not be begging for answers like this. Least of all from someone like Derek, but this isn't about her—it's about her younger brother who feels more like a ghost now than a real person she used to know, as if somehow, without anyone knowing, Derek has grown up and he is beyond Laura's grasp. The only real chance to confirm if he's changed is now: he's been particularly interested in Paige these past few months, and it's one piece of teenagedom that Laura thinks could let her know if it's her baby brother in there after all. Or not.

Derek's voice is a soothing whisper, a curious question as he asks, "What do you mean?"

Laura stifles a snort. One thing will never change; Derek has, and always will be, an awkward introvert in social situations, lost in the hazy world of social cues and well-versed in the Hale eyebrows that have been gifted to him.

"Everything! You talk to me like I'm your friend, Derek, like you care about me and what I want, but then I try to kiss you and you—"

"You said it yourself, Paige. I like you. As a friend," Derek says like it's no big deal, turning down a girl as gorgeous as Paige like turning a page. But his chemosignals give him away; in the past year, when Derek has seemed all but lost to them all, her mother has confided in her that she's grateful for the werewolf senses, a sentiment that Laura agrees with: Derek, and Stiles, both seem like winter, cool and distant, but they smell like the summer, sharp and full and of memories best left in those months itself.

Laura doesn't understand why Derek smells of grief and guilt even though he is the one who turns Paige down, and it's just another thing to add to the list of abnormalities that surrounds her baby brother.

One day, she will find out what's changed; she will figure it out. But as she watches Paige walk away with tears in her eyes and an awful sort of understanding on her pale, dotted face, she has to concede that maybe today is not the day.

Today is not the day, but tomorrow will be. She hasn't lost her hope yet.

[pineapplesunsetkiss]

Birthdate Coincidenc & Names

Since it's Nov. 18th, I thought I'd share the story about the connection between to my beloved grandmother (and her twin sister) and my beloved child. I grew up extremely close to my maternal grandmother. We lived with her during part of my early childhood and then she lived next door to us. I was the oldest of her grandchildren. We always had a very special bond.

Later when she developed Alzheimer's Disease she moved into my bedroom while I was in college. I've always been open to the supernatural and had extremely vivid dreams that sometimes have given me great insight to the present and the future. When my grandmother passed away, I prayed fervently that she would visit me in my dreams to say goodbye.

I did have a vivid dream with her in it, but it was very brief and fleeting like she was literally in a hurry to get somewhere else. In the dream she told me: "Tell Erica I'll be there when she has her baby."

Erica was my sister in law and we were both looking forward to trying to start families in the next year or two. Honestly, the dream visit felt real to me but I felt like it must be a mistake. My grandmother had never even met Erica and I was like a daughter to her -- closer even. Why the heck would she be there for Erica and not for me! I was insulted. That said I did pass the message on and the reaction was pretty much "Thanks, I hate it."

Fast forward a few years and my brother and Erica are pregnant but I am not. However, I had the honor of being asked to be their Plus 1 at the birth. The day of the planned induction, I was closing up my work station and suddenly I got this feeling like there was a presence standing right behind me and I vividly smelled my grandmother's perfume. I had completely forgotten about the dream until that moment.

Sure enough, my sister in law had complications and had to get a C-section. I wasn't there for the birth after all, but rest assured I know my grandmother filled my duty for me.

Fast forward a few more years and my great aunt (the twin) also passes away. A couple years after that and I realize that the reason that my grandmother didn't pledge to be with me at my baby's birth was because I was never going to be able to have a child of my own despite it being my BIGGEST desire.

Eventually, my husband and I start the very long process of adopting a baby girl from China. I wrote a top ten list of baby names -- first and second -- as my huand and I were having a terrible time agreeing on anything. Notably none of the second names I chose were common. My own middle name is Marie after by beloved grandmother (and a whole other story). And I vividly remember telling my husband that I hated it because it is so common, but right as those words were leaving my mouth a very strong feeling came over me that our baby might be born on my grandmother's birthday and I immediately blurted out -- Unless she's born on Nov. 18th then her middle name has to be Marie for my grandmother.

As it happens (a story I've told before) a beloved friend of ours died right around the time our adoption dossier finally shipped off to China. In honor of him, we announced that we were giving our child his middle name and it meant the world to his family.

It tool a long five and half years before we were finally matched with a baby. Imagine my shock when the birthdate listed on the paperwork was Nov. 19th. I was torn. It was SO CLOSE. I even pointed out to my husband that due to time zones half of Nov. 19th is Nov. 18th where we live. But we'd already committed to the other middle name and he said close wasn't good enough, so legally Marie was never on any paperwork.

In the meantime, ever since my great aunt (the twin, who I also grew up with as was close to) died, I'd been having recurring dreams where she willed her house to me and it was filled with all sorts of interesting treasures and secrets that I was struggling to sort through. The dream was extremely persistant and puzzled me because while we were close, she was much closer to her own grandchildren and had certainly not given me her house.

Then one day I woke up from the dream and clarity finally hit me. The house full of so many treasures and secrets that always left me feeling connected was just a symbol. I woke up and asked out loud, "Is E the house? Are you trying to tell me that you sent E to us and the birthdate was to let us know she was meant for us?"

In the meantime, it had occurred to me that there was an adorable name that I could have chosen for my child instead of just Marie. My grandmother's nickname was Mye and she called her sister (Madeleine) Leine. Put them together and you've got a Southern sounding name: Myleen which also could have a similar Chinese counterpart Mai Lin.

After the epiphany I had with the dream and the name, I talked to little E and explained the situation and asked them if they would like to add Myleen (or Mai Lin) to their name as an unofficial second middle name and they loved it. They've used it as part of their name ever since.

[nottooldforthisship]

Hi! Can I ask what are your top fics of 2017 so far? The fics I've been reading for the past week(s) were all from 2015/16.. So I've been wanting to catch up with the new ones. :) Thanks looove

Oh shit, that’s a hard question ^^

(I’ll update this until the end of the year)(last update on Dec.14th 2014)

(also this is mostly in chronological order of my reading) (and fair warning, I haven’t read a Larry fic since Nov.17th)

- Fall At My Door , by @fullonlarrie : A-list actor Harry Styles and award-winning musician Louis Tomlinson have an acquaintances-with-benefits relationship, so whenever their busy professional lives happen to land them in the same city, they meet up. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.And that’s all it is. Until it isn’t. (30k, E)

- Feels Like Coming Home, by @phd-mama​ : The last thing Harry Styles expects when he’s hanging out at the Someday Cafe in Somerville one rainy October day is for his ex, Louis Tomlinson to walk through the door, but that’s exactly what happens. After a spectacularly ugly break-up three years prior, Harry hasn’t heard one word from Louis, and he’s moved on. Gotten over him. But having Louis back in his life, not to mention working at the restaurant where he’s a chef, isn’t easy, and the feelings that Harry thought he’d left turn out to be not so easily forgotten. This is a story about love and the power of forgiveness, and how the hard choices we make define us, and change our lives.(60k, E)

- Saved Tonight, by objectlesson : Harry is the world’s most persistent seduction-baker, a questionable dog-sitter, and Louis’s biggest fan. Louis hasn’t written in years, is trying to pass loneliness off as cynicism, and absolutely hates his fans. It’s probably destiny. (30k, E)

- Just Breathe, by @a-writerwrites and @dimpled-halo: Louis pops his head into the kitchen, “You alright?”Harry smiles shaking his head, “Just my clumsy arse at it again,” he says laughing.“I oughta put you over my knee and give you a good spanking,” Louis mutters, chuckling.Harry freezes.  His pulse races so hard he can feel the blood rushing fast and hot throughout his body, like a livewire, zinging through him in a delirious rush.  His mouth goes dry, and his eyes are wide.  And when Louis turns around to look at him after being silent for so long, it’s like Louis just knows.  He understands.  Harry loves him so fucking much.  **** OR the one where Harry and Louis are on a journey through life together — one that includes discovering dark, hidden parts of themselves that only the other can find. (50k, E)

- Then We Talk Slow , by @letsjustsee : (…) A famous/non-famous AU in which Louis banters back and forth with his new record company on Twitter, only to find out that Harry is the man behind the tweets. (20k, E)

- Riptide , by FlyingAlwaysInColor : AU in which Louis loses his amazing mum, and is sent on a forced holiday to a luxury spa resort where he meets a green-eyed butterfly-angel and an adventurous Irishman who help him start to heal by administering equal doses of love and laughter. (91k, E)

- Reduce Me To A Pleading Cry (Break The Skin and Tantalize), by @taggiecb : As the CEO of Styles & Styles, Harry Styles cuts a brooding and handsome figure at the helm of a very successful business. His reputation for intensity is well known, but you would be intense, too, if you had to work numbers all day, give countless orders, and conduct endless meetings. When all you really want to do at night–ache to do–is give away the reins, let someone else make the decisions, be ordered around for once, just–let go. Harry has reached his breaking point when one touch from a man whose very stance commands attention leads him back to a place he thought he’d never return. Or Harry is a broody submissive boss, Louis is a natural dom who works in the mail room at Styles & Styles, Niall is a matchmaking oracle, and a slender, dark haired man stands mute at the coffee stand encouraging others to spill their secrets. (33k, E)

- Resist Everything Except Temptation, by @domestic-harry :   (…) The one where Louis is the commodore’s son who is forced to become a part of Harry’s crew when he is captured. (100k, E)

(more under the cut, this list is gonna be so long …)

- Them Butterflies , by @gaycousinlarry  : To sum it all up - Louis is beautiful. Breathtakingly so. And Harry can’t find it in himself to even question the fact that he thinks so. Louis is mesmerising, nearly magnetic with all the energy bouncing off of him. Harry doesn’t know what to make of it, but he knows he doesn’t want this night to end.  This is the extraordinarily ordinary AU where Harry falls in love for the first time and Louis learns how to fall in love all over again. (68k, E)

- When We Were Younger, by @dinosaursmate: About a week after Harry started visiting this particular chat room, he was watching some kid argue with the whole room about football, personally disinterested as he tipped a bag of crisps into his mouth. He happily chomped on the crumbs, taking a swig from a glass of Ribena to wash them down, glancing at the screen and very nearly spat the squash back out again. His heart was pounding wildly. The display icon of the argumentative newcomer had caught his eye, and not in a good way. He gulped as he clicked the picture, and when it popped up in full resolution, his heart nearly fell right out of his arse. - Sixteen year old Harry Styles’ world turns upside down when he logs on to gay teen chat to discover somebody has stolen his photos and used them as their own.  (76k, E)

- Fool’s Gold , by @freetheankles : Or the Arnacoeur AU in which Harry is scheduled to be married to Liam in 10 days and Harry’s mother hires Louis and his team to break them up.  (55h, E)

- Dance Me (to the End of Love), by @phd-mama​​ : You would think that it’s a simple process - you meet, you fall in love, you get married. But when you add one lawyer and one overly-competitive high school teacher to that equation, it’s no longer a straight line from beginning to end. Or the story of how a simple proposal becomes a competition where no one loses in the end. (19k, E)

- Life Was a Song, You Came Along, by @rainbowninja​ : It’s embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them. It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.  Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend’s career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan’s newest album. A modern retelling of Singin’ in the Rain.(37k, E)

-  Wholehearted, by TheMagicWord : AU. When superstar singer and winner of The Voice Louis Tomlinson tweets “Nothing worse than waking up with no milk for a cuppa !! Gutted” he doesn’t expect someone to bring him some. And he really doesn’t expect that someone to have bright green eyes, long curly hair, and (fucking) dimples. (77k, E)

- Looking Through You, by @allwaswell16 : Just as Louis and Liam were starting out in the music industry, writing and producing for up and coming artists, a fateful meeting with new pop singer Harry Styles changes everything. Four years later, just as Harry is set to embark on his next world tour, a drunken confession causes a rift between once inseparable friends. As Harry tries to make sense of his feelings for Louis, he begins writing his next album to express them as it may be the only way to break through the walls that Louis has built between them. (41k, E)

- Love’s Truest Language , by @smrwine :  The first part was meant as a joke. He didn’t really expect Harry to buy anything. It was just Louis’ way of softening the ‘get the fuck out’ blow.  “Where’s your order forms, then?”  “I don’t want your flowers.” Louis chided before directing all of his attention to the arrangement in front of him.  Harry laughed under his breath as he stood to his full height, “Who said anything about them being for you, love?” (48k, E)

- got the sunshine on my shoulders , by @hattalove : five years ago, harry styles left his tiny home town to make it big as a recording artist. he didn’t have much regard for what he left behind - a life, a family, and a husband, who woke up one morning to find him gone.now, harry has everything he could possibly want: he’s rich, famous, and adored by everyone he meets, including his boyfriend. but when said boyfriend proposes to him, he’s forced to face the uncomfortable facts of his past - and louis, who’s spent the last five years returning every set of divorce papers harry sent him.(or, an au based on the movie sweet home alabama.)(124k, E)

- Never Let Me Go, by @loveisalaserquest17​ : Harry and Louis have been friends forever, but they couldn’t be more different. One night, with a little too much alcohol, they make a pact to marry in ten years if they’re both still single.Now, one month before the deadline, Louis is willing to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up with his best friend. But is he, really? | Loosely inspired by The 10 Year Plan  (55k, E)

- Don’t Want Shelter , by @fullonlarrie : Louis and Harry have known each other all their lives. Friends as children, they danced around each other as teenagers, and have spent the last twenty-five years either screaming at each other or not speaking at all. Except for that one time ten years ago…When Hurricane Nicole threatens the coast, they end up stuck together in their families’ old vacation home that they begrudgingly co-own.During the storm, and in the months after, they’re both forced to reevaluate their history and what they mean to each other. (76k, E)

- Turning Page, by @daisyharry : AU: Harry Styles tries to get lost in a place he’s never been.  Louis Tomlinson has been perfecting the art of being lost for years. What they don’t expect to find is each other. (67k, M)

- No One Like You   , by @myownsparknow : Where Liam and Niall are art historians discovering the truth about two nineteenth century painters on opposite sides of an artistic divide. (20k, M)

- Paint Me In A Million Dreams  , by @greenfeelings : Harry’s one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, has made a name for himself in prestigious films and lives the life of a superstar. There’s just one thing missing to make it picture-perfect, but the one Harry’s in love with is completely out of reach for him. Enter Louis, one of Hollywood’s biggest actors himself, who just came out of the closet and taps new genres in the industry. When Louis sacks the role Harry auditioned for in Scorsese’s next big film, their irrational feud starts. Who could have guessed it would get even worse when for promo season, their teams decide to present them as a couple for publicity?  (110k, M)

-(Take Me Home) Country Roads, by @a-writerwrites : OR a Northern Exposure AU featuring Louis as the big city doctor, Harry as a natural healer, Niall as a secretive barkeep, Liam and Zayn head over heels for each other but they don’t know it and a lot of hurt, comfort and moonshine in between. (86k, E)

[ask-aurachnid]

I feel that. I've been pretty bad at celebrating the Hellenic holidays since my dads were vanished. 90% of the time I just light some incense and cover my hair (which I'm technically not required to do, since veiling is a traditionally female thing, but whatever. It just vibes)

Here, have some more info (even though you didn't ask), because I'm trying to get back into honoring my faith. The list below the cut is just the Greek holidays, and totally out of control. I figured also adding on the solstices and the important Roman holidays would just be... far too much.

Since Πυανόψια (Pyanopsia) just passed, maybe I'll post a picture of me in my chiton from a couple years ago.

🏺 Anthesteria, held in Anthesterion (Feb-Mar), is one of the festivals honoring Dionysus. My family made lots of food and drank wine (non-alcoholic for my baby self) to celebrate.

🏺 Lenaia, another Dionysian festival, held in Gamelion (Jan-Feb). In ancient times, it was celebrated with a lot of competition. My dads would just hold a small party and we'd play board games with my honorary aunts and uncles (friends from my dad's time in the Army)

🏺 Dionysia, this one is actually a combination of two related festivals. Rural Dionysia and City Dionysia. Taking place in wildly different parts of the year.

>Rural Dionysia is held for most of the month of Poseidon (Dec-Jan), and like a lot of Hellenic festivals, involves a lot of phallic imagery. Well, when you're the young afab child of two gay men, that can be a little awkward, so we celebrated with movie nights and a few offerings to the god of revelry. A couple years I can remember us doing movie "brackets" to find the best one, since theatrical contests were one of the celebrations in ancient times. >City Dionysia is held through Elaphebolion (Mar-Apr), three months after Rural Dionysia. It's like a harvest festival and an end of winter celebration, and it also usually involves a lot of phallic imagery. Again, we just celebrate with movies and offerings.

🏺 Thargelia, held on the 6th and 7th of Thargelion (May-Jun), it's the celebration of the birth of Artemis and Apollo. This one... Hasn't made much of a comeback, on account of the violent human sacrafices. We just use the month of Thargelion honor the celestial twins.

🏺 Arrephoria aka Hersiphoria, there's no real modern equivalent, since NYC isn't that close to the Athens Acropolis. My family would just pick a day (usually the 3rd) in Skirophorion (Jun-Jul) to do some "spring" cleaning and eat a big meal afterwards.

🏺 Kronia, in Hekatombaion (Jul-Aug) is like a combo of new years and a celebration of the first harvest. My family just wished one another "Io, Kronia."

🏺 Aphrodisia, also in Hekatombaion, is just what it sounds like. A celebration of Aphrodite. My family would celebrate by setting up a small altar for Her and making small offerings.

🏺 Panathanaia, this is a "once every four years" thing. We just watch the Olympics. It's the same for other Panhellenic Games. We lump them all together like the blasphemers we are.

🏺 Herakleia, a festival for Herakles, or as most know him: Hercules. It's held in Metageitnion (Aug-Sept). It hasn't really carried through to modern times. My family would just set up an altar like for Aphrodisia.

🏺 Pyanepsia aka Pyanopsia, held on the 7th of Pyanepsion (Oct-Nov), passed me just recently. The name translates to "bean-stewing" and honors Apollo. Bean stew is one of the sacred offerings made during the holiday. My family would spend all day making the stew for dinner, and we'd share with our neighbors. We'd leave a bowl of it on the altar, as well as an eiresione (a special olive branch).

This year, I just bought a couple cans of Campbell's black bean & vegetable soup to eat and give as an offering. I can't carry an eiresione anymore because it can only be carried by children with two living parents

🏺 Thesmophoria, also held in Pyanepsion, is a holiday I literally am not allowed to celebrate, and the only one I don't veil for. The festival and rituals are strictly limited to adult women. Had I been cis, it would have been my responsibility research and perform those rituals (though hardly anyone chooses to perform the ritual animal sacrifices anymore). The festival honors Demeter and Persephone, and it's basically a huge fertility thing. Both for people and crops.

🏺 Khalkeia aka Chalkeia aka Chalceia, is celebrated on the final day of Pyanepsion. It celebrates Athena and (to a lesser degree) Hephaestus as the patrons of Athens. Like Arrephoria, we can't really celebrate, because there's no Acropolis here. We just make offerings on the altar to both deites.

🏺 Haloa aka Alo, another harvest festival, is held in Poseidon (Dec-Jan), around the Gregorian new years. It honors Demeter and Dionysus, and a lot of the traditions are inherently... less than safe for work, and/or strictly limited to women. Our celebration just included a dinner of "gentle" foods, which means no red meat, and no pomegranates.

🏺 Elaphebolia is observed on the 6th Elaphebolion (Mar-Apr), at least for modern Hellenists. It's when we honor Artemis, usually making special stag-shaped honey and sesame cakes as offerings. Sometimes we would try and get venison to make for dinner.

Those are just the ones that I can name from the top of my head. The ancient Greeks had a lot of festivals. I try an honor a different Θεοί for each specific Gregorian calendar month like mentioned in my first reblog. (Jan.-Hera, Feb.-Poseidon, Mar.-Athena, Apr.-Aphrodite, May.-Apollo, Jun.-Hermes, Jul.-Zeus, Aug.-Demeter, Sept.-Hephaestus, Oct.-Ares, Nov.-Artemis, and Dec.-Hestia)

Some other, less commonly celebrated holidays (in Gregorian chronological order) are Theogamia, Asklepeia, Dioscuria, Heraia, Maimakteria, and Triespron. For me, most of these just involve various offerings, and saying a short prayer. Some have specific hymns/prayers and that is pretty much the only Greek I know.

@ask-aurachnid I’ve probably asked before but what holidays do you celebrate… it is almost the autumn equinox…