#and yeah i definitely think louis likes the chase

[pynkhues]

Look at you are getting name dropped on Reddit..

i'm like.. I KNOW HER!!!!! ( well, kinda) 😁🥰

You're all very lovely 😭😭 Thank you so much.

(I'm beside myself though @nullington changing your spouse's contact to saucisse allemande, hahahah.)and

[jqafterdark]

Seeing S/O in Lingerie Reaction

From a request in my main blog, this has no smut but VERY SUGGESTIVE so... yeah ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sebastian Moran, William James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes, and Louis James Moriarty

Tag/s: Historically inaccurate lingerie

Sebastian Moran

The man whistled as soon as you entered his field of vision.

He looked like a kid in a candy store.

Straight up GRINNING from ear to ear.

If you're showing him a variety, he'll inspect every single one of them.

It's almost alarming how focused he looks.

Little do you know, he's thinking about how to use whatever lace or strings your outfit has to his advantage in the bedroom.

The minute you're within his reach, Sebastian pulls you to his lap to get a closer look.

He takes his time to take in your figure while his hands roam through your body.

Even as you walk away, his eyes never leave your figure.

Like you were one of his targets on missions.

He would definitely tease you, wanting you to get riled up as much as he is.

What's more annoying is he wants you to say that you want to do it before he continues.

He's torn between taking it off or just doing the deed with it still on you.

Whatever position you're in, he definitely has a good view of you.

A mirror might be involved.

"I'm back-" Sebastian abruptly stopped as your eyes met in the mirror, wide in shock.

His eyes traveled down to your new short silk nightgown and stockings, going up and down before smiling.

"You could have just said so," he chuckled, removing his coat as he walked up to you.

You quickly grabbed whatever was closest to you, in this case, a hairbrush, and pointed it at him as you kept a distance.

"Oh no, you don't! Last time, I chased the target through the city with a limp!" you muttered, keeping your distance as your eyes never left him.

"Do you have a mission tomorrow?" Sebastian innocently asked, making you pause.

"...No...?"

"Then that settles it," he smiled, quickly hugging your waist.

"SEBASTIAN!"

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle. Wouldn't want your pretty outfit to rip, now do we?"

William James Moriarty

When you asked him to come with you to go underwear shopping, he was shocked, to say the least.

But he quickly recovered and agreed.

You definitely have his attention now.

While his eyes kept following you while he drank his tea, his smile was different than it usually was.

It was more... devious, so to speak.

While he keeps his composure, a lot has happened in his mind.

While you were picking some things, William acted like a perfect gentleman.

Holds the clothes you picked, heartfelt compliments to boost your confidence, over all the best boyfriend you could ask for.

Almost too good to be true. And it was.

He might have thought of a few scenarios on how the two of you could get away with it in the store.

It helped that it was a pretty private dressing room, considering the store was made just for the nobles, where it was just you and him.

Even the workers were far from earshot, attending to the other customers at the front.

But he didn't continue since he saw you enjoying your little date and didn't want to ruin your good mood.

It didn't help that you would ask him for help to put some of them on, though... Or take them off.

Besides, he has the whole night planned just for the two of you, and he's making sure no one would bother you two.

You hummed happily as you swung the bags in your arms, satisfied with your purchases.

"I'm surprised you agreed to go shopping with me, Will!" you mused as you turned to William, "Didn't you have a meeting later with everyone? Wouldn't you be late?"

William gave you a smile as he grabbed your hand, "The meeting was moved since some of the professors were out sick,"

"Is that so..." you trailed off, shrugging off his response.

William quietly chuckled, remembering the surprised expressions his comrades had when he said the meeting was canceled and assigned a new mission to everyone.

The manor was now empty until morning.

"Well, whatever! I can't wait to try these at home," you beamed, looking down at your new haul.

"Indeed," William agreed, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Sherlock Holmes

He never saw the appeal of the lingerie until he saw it on you.

Now, lace is his favorite thing on your body.

The first time he saw you in lingerie, it was like he shut down.

He didn't say a word, but his eyes were glued to you as he reached his hand out to you.

When you walked up to him, he eyed every inch of your body, engraving the image of you in his mind.

To him, you looked ethereal.

Like beauty personified.

When he did speak, it was soft and breathless, as if you rendered him speechless.

And when you did it, the sight of you in lingerie and covered in hickeys he left is now his favorite thing.

He gets more possessive whenever he sees you in lingerie.

And surprisingly more gentle and slow, wanting to enjoy every second of it.

Now, every time you buy a new set, he likes having a private fashion show.

When you bring him to a lingerie store, he is not embarrassed at all.

Hell, he'd even pick out a few things for you.

You can tell his compliments are genuine with how serious his expression is.

"Sherlock?" you called out, slowly walking up to him.

His eyes were completely wide as he looked at you.

"Sherl?" you called out again, but no response as he continued to stare at you.

You bit your lip as you covered yourself, feeling self-conscious wearing nothing but a bustier with matching underwear.

"Don't,"

"Huh?" Sherlock quickly grabbed your hands, pulling them down to your side.

"Don't hide it. You look beautiful," Sherlock breathed out, mesmerized by your outfit as his eyes slowly looked up at you.

You felt your face flush as you looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"You're staring too much,"

"I disagree,"

Louis James Moriarty

You almost gave the man a heart attack.

He was not expecting to see you in lace and sheer one night after a long day of house chores.

Was it an unwelcomed surprise? No. Definitely not.

That night, he was just hoping to have some downtime with you after working the whole day.

So when he saw you by your dresser half-dressed putting on stockings, it was like the man turned into stone.

Minutes later, Louis came back and saw you in your robe, relieved to see he was okay.

His face became completely red when he remembered what happened and apologized for walking in on you.

Even though you forgave Louis, he's still scolding himself for liking what he saw.

What's more, his eyes would gaze over your robe when it would slip.

Explaining why he slammed his head on the table was interesting, to say the least.

So when you told Louis it was okay for him to look, he was still shy. But you would catch him stealing glances your way.

He tries to compliment you, say anything coherent for that matter. But he just mutters something while looking at the ground.

However, the moment he got more confident, his hands would not let you go.

Suddenly, he's fluent in dirty talk and knows just what to say to get you in the mood.

And he makes sure you know just how beautiful and alluring you looked that night.

"I truly apologize..." Louis muttered, a cold towel over his head as you chuckled, tying the robe tightly around your waist.

"Don't be. I'm just surprised," you reassured as you removed the towel, making Louis meet your eyes.

You weren't sure, but you swear you saw his eyes tracing your robe down to your chest.

His face turned completely red instantly, making him turn away.

You breathed out a smile as you hugged him tightly, kissing the top of his head.

"I'm really not mad, Louis!" you giggled, swaying side-by-side.

"Besides, that was for your eyes only, you know?" you grinned, making the man freeze as steam came out of his face as you snickered.

"Please don't tease me..."

[timbit-robin-art]

good sir and master of goobers can we get the official top ten timbit robin comic book headcanons (not clickbait) (gone wrong) (shocking)

Baha, I sure hope this isn’t a “gone wrong” ask. That would be terrible. I’m also not sure how I would rank these, so they’re in no particular order. Sorry if I misunderstood the ask.

Some of these might not make sense to you guys, and that’s okay. You can probably tell I’m heavily projecting with a lot of these. If I have a problem, so do my favorite characters. It’s our problem now, fellas.

Tim Drake has the flavor of autism that makes him like rhythm games. When it’s a slow night at the cave, he’ll sometimes play a couple of songs with the sound off (and all Bruce can hear is the aggressive tapping of Tim’s thumbs; he is very confused).

Gambit isn’t a huge fan of dogs. I can see him being chased or bit by one or when he was younger, making him wary of them ever since. He also just doesn’t like how high energy they are. Or the oils their coats have (hint of autistic Gambit?).

Dick Grayson is very good at spotting neurodivergent people. I love headcanons like autistic Bruce and Wally with ADHD, so Dick hanging around them gifted him the Neurodivergent Radar(TM). He definitely knew Tim was autistic the moment they met. I’d also like to think Kori has some autistic and ADHD characteristics (as in if she was an earthling, she would 100% be diagnosed with autism/ADHD), so it’s funny to think that Dick is surrounded by autism and ADHD on all sides.

Bucky Barnes has SM (selective mutism). People used to give him grief for it when he was younger, but now that he’s the Winter Soldier, he gets away with it easier. Many people think it’s just a quirk he has post-conditioning.

Louis Lane is dyslexic (this is actually inspired by every time she’s misspelt something in her articles). I don’t think she would be diagnosed, but everyone around her 100% knows. Clark and Jimmy have been trying to find nice ways to bring it up to her.

You’ve heard of autistic Scott Summers, now get ready for ADHD Jean Grey. I’d like to think being a telepath is already a very ADHD thing to be, but Jean definitely had it before her mutation began to show. This made her telekinesis a nightmare to train, and even to this day, she’ll accidentally pick up random objects and have them float behind her while she’s trying to complete tasks around the Institute.

Jaime Reyes fidgets with everything. He has a habit of accidentally touching things without asking permission, and everyone around him has learned to watch Jaime very carefully when they’re dealing with things that shouldn’t be touched. Tim has been startled on many occasions by Jaime fiddling with his cape. But Tim has learned to adjust to it, as long as Jaime doesn’t tug or anything. Edward gave him his very first fidget cube.

Storm’s major hyper-fixation is plants. She knows everything about botany and has to keep her excitement contained whenever someone asks a plant-related question. I think people like Jean and Gambit have picked up on this, so they decide to prompt some botany discussions with her because they like how happy she looks when she subconsciously unmasks to talk about plants.

Hal Jordan can’t sit through meetings at all. Everyone initially thought he was trying to be difficult on purpose (it especially annoyed Bruce), but when Barry (someone who also has trouble with meetings) admits he has ADHD, they all kind of connected the dots with Hal. I don’t see him having it nearly as bad as Barry or Kyle, but it’s definitely there.

Peter Parker likes film cameras with the film advance lever. He likes the clicks and how the tension feels when he cranks it back. And then the click of the shutter button is a nice bonus. It’s like a fidget toy to him. He’s kind of worried he’ll one day break a camera from how often he does it, but he still catches himself doing it a lot.

So… yeah. 10 Timbit Robin headcanons for you. I’m sorry these all turned out with some sort of autism or ADHD thing, that’s just how I connect with characters. My headcanons are always either “this character listens to (band)” or “this character has (insert problem here).” I hope someone out there can see my vision.

[lunarheslwt]

28th appreciation fic recs: February edition

Hi! Welcome to the February fic rec list! I wanted to put together all the fics I've read and loved over this month for the 28th appreciation, so here they are! Click on the links for full tags and summaries. If you read any of these make sure to show the authors some love by leaving kudos and comments, and sharing any fic posts!

☁️To you I can admit, I'm just too soft for all of it by @starryhaze28

(28k / not rated / non traditional a/b/o)

“Harry?” Louis asks when he hears the frantic crying coming through the speaker. “H, darling what's wrong?” Concerned, Louis puts on his shoes as he keeps hearing the sobs. It’s the middle of the night and the phone call has definitely pulled Louis out of his deep slumber, but Harry is crying, and Louis has to be with him. “It’ll be okay, baby, I'm gonna come over, okay? You just- Haz you have to send me your address, yeah? Can you do that for me?” Louis asks, trying to remain as poised as possible as he presses his phone between his ear and shoulder so he can grab his jacket. “No.” Harry cries out. “It's all wrong, Lou- It’s-” Another sob. “I hate it, Lou, I hate it so, so much, make it stop.” the nesting shop au

Thoughts: the softest dearest thing you'll read, characters I would die for, a true comfort read

☁️While you're figuring it out by @silverstuff50

(4k / E / wholesome bdsm)

Harry is in a rut and his mood is getting lower and lower. Louis helps him with love and kink.

Thoughts: if you love kink, and if you love the softness and emotions that come with established relationships, then this is for you, its the perfect combination!

☁️On that note by @allwaswell16

(6k / E / pen pals, getting together)

Louis’ office job on an omega only floor would be absolutely fine, if not for the alphas he and his friends have to deal with in the building. But although they’ve never met face to face, the friendly notes sent between him and Harry in Purchasing help him get through the day.

Thoughts: this was so cute, and Louis' character esp is so endearing, and the way they get together is so precious !

☁️(drippin' on me) till my feet are wet by @justanothershadeofblue

(3k / E / watersports)

They’ve known each other so long, is the thing. More than a decade, at this point; their entire adult lives. They know each other with a deep and abiding familiarity, know each other's ins and outs, hopes and fears, secrets and kinks. There’s nothing hidden between them, and little that escapes each other’s notice. All of which is to say, Louis knows exactly what Harry’s up to, making this huge pitcher of lemonade and waiting until the lads were out the door to bring it outside and press a cold glass into Louis’ hand. He’d poured the liquid carefully, sunglasses concealing his gaze as he filled it to the top. “Drink up,” Harry had said, and Louis had, tipping the contents down his throat in one long pull, letting a few drops slip free and run down, chilled and sweet, into his short beard. He’d caught Harry’s eye and held out his glass for more. “Good,” Harry had said, voice deep, and filled it again.

Thoughts: so. fucking. hot. And bonus: the tenderness that comes with established relationship. Best of both worlds really, so it's perfection.

☁️We don't fight fair by @hellolovers13

(2k / E / chase, non traditional a/b/o)

“What, you think I'll just roll over for you now?” The smirk on Louis’ face was almost devilish. “Yes,” He breathed against Harry’s lips, cocky and sure, like it was a fact of life. It sent all kinds of shivers through Harry. God, but he wanted to. Wanted Louis to have him right against this wall, let everyone see how he fell apart under him. But not tonight. Harry fixed his posture, standing up straighter and trying to get himself under control. “I don't think so, omega.” Or: Nothing like a little chase to start off Louis' heat.

Thoughts: *muffled screaming*. Genuinely was so hot I was speechless for a good while. If that's not convincing: there's a chase. And it's O/O. I'm begging y'all to go read this.

☁️Man spreading by @red-pandaaa

(2k / E / pwp)

“Manspreading is such a bad habit,” Harry said, mainly because he felt like he was obligated to. “Is that so?” Louis said, in a tone that challenged Harry to disagree. Harry nodded as firmly as he could. “I think you should try to tone down the manspreading a bit.” “Maybe I should spread out my man instead,” Louis mused. OR Harry complains about Louis manspreading, Louis makes a joke, and rimming ensues

Thoughts: short and sexy, i loved it sm, this ones for the uh...rimming enthusiasts!

☁️Trippin', Stumblin' by @itsnotreal

(4k / M / friends to lovers fluff)

Harry was falling for Louis. No, really. He was literally falling for Louis— well, okay, maybe it was because of him. Technicalities. Or the one where Harry is super clumsy but still manages to catch Louis’ attention.

Thoughts: nervous awkward harry is so precious to me, this was so fucking cute and PRECIOUS

☁️You can try to hide by @itsnotreal

(6k / E / cnc, hunter prey kink)

Harry has managed to keep his innermost thoughts at bay when he’s around Louis, but what happens when he shows up unannounced one night when Harry’s at his most vulnerable.

Thoughts: read tags! cnc done WELL, so gripping so thrilling, so hot. The mind reading is SUCH a nice touch ahhhh

☁️Shut your mouth, baby by @larry-hiatus

(3k / E / new years smut)

While fooling around in a closet at a New Year’s Eve party, Louis can’t seem to keep quiet. All he needs to do is hold off until midnight, when Harry will finally uncover his mouth and let him come at full volume.

Thoughts: Em never misses with the smut so this is another banger, bonus: desperate overwhelmed Louis. So. 10/10 in my mind.

And that's it! Yet another short list bc I've been so tired and falling asleep before I could read sigh. Also yes literally almost all are smut but in my defence it's because I didn't get time to read long fics and short ones are usually smut. But then again we love and support smut in this house so you're welcome. Send some love to the authors if you check out any of these!!

[louisisalarrie]

Hello—I’m happy to see you here!

You sounded pretty sure in some recent posts that Harry and Louis will eventually come out—either together or separately, with the latter less likely for Louis.

Coming out may not be as appealing to them as it was when they were much younger, because of the success they are both experiencing now, and maybe not wanting to take that risk to their popularity or earning potential.

I’m curious about your thoughts about the possibility of coming out. Or maybe what might lead up to it (you mentioned “seeding” the process).

I realize that this question assumes they are not straight; that is where I am starting from.

Thanks very much!

Hi sweet anon!

Yeah… look. I can understand exactly what you’re saying. As they’ve gotten older, they might even prefer their relationship to not be out to the general public for now, so they can both have their careers without it being overshadowed by Larry. They can actively chase what they want, and understand that coming out right now isn’t ideal for their relationship, or their careers.

However, they’re both very smart and I believe they’ll do it when they feel the time is right/when they are okay to do so. After being shoved down for so long, the feeling of freedom is definitely appealing to them, but coming out isn’t simple. It requires a million interviews after that, cleaning up stunts, trying not to break NDAs, scheduling, legalities and lawyers, and figuring out how best to do it all. It’s a long process so they both don’t get sued and break contracts and essentially lose their careers. I don’t think they would lose everything, per se, but while the industry is still full of old school bigwigs who think they know what’s best, Harry and louis can lose a lot. And while the thinking is “oh but we’d still love and support them!”, which we would, it’s a matter of then finding a team to help them further their careers and also continue to succeed. They would need managers/PR folks who KNOW what they’re doing, and while we don’t agree with a lot of the people who’ve represented them, those idiots unfortunately are very good at creating, and maintaining, successful careers for artists. Not having the big bosses behind you… well… it’s gonnna be very different, and a lot harder. And the music industry just isn’t far enough ahead yet to have managers/teams who are both extremely good at their job and able to handle the biggest stars in the world, and simultaneously are open minded.

Harry and Louis don’t wanna be managed by people who don’t support their love/lifestyle/who they are, but they have little choice right now to have a good team behind them. I know one of their Tour Managers who worked with one of them over the past little while, and that person is in their like… late 60s, and is rough around the edges, with very little care for the people they work with. This person gets the job done, brilliantly, makes sure everything is smooth and the tour goes great, but is very old school thinking and doesn’t care too much about the artists themselves, and what they want. It’s really sad, but unfortunately, that TM is chosen for these tours because of their experience. Not because they care about the artist themselves.

This TM fought tooth and nail about everything, said some really choice words, and actively thought this artist was ridiculous for what they wanted (which truly wasn’t that wild, but as an old school thinker, he doesn’t care for ex boyband members). Anyway, I’m actively watching all this go down in the industry right now. With the next generations, hopefully it’ll change. Just gotta let the old losers move on, and trust that H and L will do what’s best for them.

[eofaquitaine]

what’s so funny to me is that almost all of the things conservative “men’s men” chase are inherently rooted in homosexuality.

STEM? Yeah so the guy who invented the computers is Gay. the dude who discovered Calculus was probably gay or asexual. All of backbones of mathematics from ancient greece were discovered and named for gay/bisexual dudes. Doctors owe a lot to famous twinks Da Vinci and Hart and to a lesser extent the queer Florence Nightengale and Sara Baker.

Thinkers? Cos you know straight men are so smart or whatever? Please. I hate to bring up the Greek guys again but cmon Aristotle, Plato, Sophocles? Voltaire King of the Enlightenment (allegedly)? all swung with their bros. Modern Western Philosophy can be attributed to the bisexual Ludwig Wittgenstein.

“Masculine Dress” Historically is dressing like a dude that these type of twitter guys would call a slur.

The Glory of War? Englands most famous Crusading kings (Richard Lionheart for example) were gay. Alexander the great, Julius Caesar and other classical generals/kings were gay/bisexual. Frederick the Great one of the most celebrated war figures in western history? gay as hell. If we assume these Dudes aren’t racist it opens up so many more like the Emperors of China particularly during the Han Dynasty, aka one of China’s greatest dynastical periods and a time of its empire growing, who were so gay that this period of chinese history is synonymous in some circles as being the great bisexual period of china. Sparta, which these guys love to flaunt, was famous for their female army division which frequently had female orgies (and ofc because it's greek the guys were doing it too!)

Their obsession with World War II? don’t even get me started. Alan Turing won that war and then was convicted of homosexuality. Margaret Chung who took care, healed, and rehabilitated over 2,000 US soldiers becoming one of the most influential members in the US Army was a well known lesbian. Nadine Hwang was a queer spy for the French. Hans Scholl who was a founding member of the white rose resistance in Nazi Germany was gay as well.

Influence over arts and culture? Again Mostly queer driven. Sappho of Lesbos pretty much invented musical theater. Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists were insanely gay so much so that being from italy was synonymous with liking dick. Turn of the century artists like JC Leyendecker or Louise Breslau helped contribute to the rise of consumerism and modernism. Being a theater kid is equivalent with being “gay” now but they seem to forget that theater was literally the original form of media through traveling bards, amphitheaters, storytellers etc making it older than books and definitely movies. Speaking of which a lot of celebrated authors were also famously gay! Like Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, J. M. Barry, Hans Christian Anderson, etc. Actors and Musicians? Forget it that’s mostly gay are you kidding me? If you want go look up Actors who died of aids, there’s a lot of them. If you think we are in a “gay pop golden age” you clearly haven’t been listening for the past ~3000 years.

Freedom Fighters. They are obsessed with free speech aren’t they? Well let’s look at some queer activists/revolutionaries who actually walked the walk when it comes to freedoms that these dickheads probably enjoy! : Alexander Hamilton baby. Deborah Sampson, Jane Addams, Thomas Hall, John Laurens, Angelina Grimké, Maximilien Robespierre, Camille Desmoulins, Louis Antoine Saint-Just, Christopher Isherwood, Ludwig Wittgenstein. you can go ahead and thank them for your right to vote btw.

THIS IS ALL JUST WESTERN CULTURE. go ahead and triple this for all the innovated and influential queer people that went unmentioned and importantly in other cultures who made huge advancements as well (tho for the purpose of this post i’m focused on refuting the presumably racist people who believe that western glory is the peak of heterosexual masculinity)

so yeah to these illiterate idiots you’re welcome because yall couldn’t survive with even half the things that queer people have contributed to this world. (And for icing on top that documentary was a about a gay man, the language english in the tweet was half made up by a bisexual and he is typing it out on a device that originated from a gay man’s mind) 😘

Tell me you know nothing about history without telling me you know nothing about history

[myckicade]

@motleystitches left me this lovely, thought-provoking comment, and I wanted to take some time to answer it throughly:

"But was there at any time genuine affection between Louis/Lestat? That’s the part I feel is really awkward. Ep 5 seems to be asking to reinterpret all the previous episodes. Yeah, it’s abusive, violent, but ep5 made it seem like *everything* was just fake to Lestat, so they never went into a “pattern” at all. instead, it was just a game/hunt to Lestat…"

First, I apologize for taking multiple days to answer this. Second, let me clarify that I will make mention of things that I feel explain each character's shitty behavior. Explanation does not equal excuse. There is simply no excusing a great deal of what has gone down here.

So, to dive right in: Yes, I absolutely believe there was - and, still is - genuine affection and love between Louis and Lestat. That love is, quite understandably, not sitting around in plain view during the events of 01x05. Things have spiraled so far out of control between the two of them - lying, cheating, manipulating - that neither party seems to like the other, all that much, right now. While this is the first time the two of them have clashed to such extremes, it is hardly their first time at-odds. Love can survive a lot, and there's something about twisted, fucked-up, these-two-should-not-be-together love that seems to lend a little extra elasticity before the break.

To look at each character, I guess I'll begin with Public Enemy Number One. When the two initially met, I would agree that Lestat was on the hunt, both vampiric and romantic. The thrill of the chase was alive and well, as I should think most beings experience when they have a goal in-mind. And, as much as Lestat tries to separate vampire from human, he is still victim to basic human nature. He wants love. He wants companionship. I just don't think he's terribly fond of the idea of that he needs it.

Lestat, if you should ask me, is a terrible liar, even to himself. This, I think, is where a lot of the manipulation comes from. It looks ugly as hell, at face value, but I think a lot of it is rooted in insecurity. He either doesn't know how, or - for my money - doesn't want to ask for the things he shouldn't need. The things he should be strong enough to do without. Things that, in the past, have probably come back to bite him in the ass. So, he comes up with other ways to get them, to entice Louis into giving him what he wants. Again, manipulation is manipulation, but I don't think it comes from a place of falsehood when it comes to Louis. He wants from Louis, but he doesn't want Louis to know that he holds that kind of power over him. Unfortunately for him, it slips out when he feels that he's faced with no other choice to get what he wants.

Monogamy is my favourite example. His assurance to Louis that other people are acceptable is so terribly, obviously transparent, only to have a complete, unsurprising meltdown in the face of Louis taking advantage of their agreement. While there is definitely bullshit to be called in the double-standard, Lestat also comes across as genuinely heartbroken. And, who could blame him? (I'm sure many could, but, I'm speaking to the heartbreak, not the actions that followed). Here is his partner, who - by said partner's own admission - has little sexual desire for Lestat, only to take up with an old friend at the drop of a hat. I can tell you from experience, that is a shitty feeling. To have your partner show no desire to do something with you (not necessarily sexual), only to be all too willing to give it a go with someone else. That said, I firmly believe that Lestat wanted to believe it would be fine with it, to know that Louis was with someone else. Otherwise, he's in it too deep. He's jealous. That jealousy and heartache become weakness, and those weaknesses can be exploited at Louis' will.

And, Louis… This is what I love about this series, is that everyone is feeling this story in so many different ways. Personally, if I was to find anyone's love to be in doubt, it would be Louis'. He's so caught up in resentment of Lestat, for turning him, for killing to survive, for all of the basic things that Lestat is... He clearly has difficulty in getting around that. Louis has a very mild way of showing affection. Granted, a great many beings in this world are not affectionate, and that is just fine. In his case, it makes sense that at least some of it comes from a lifetime of being told that his feelings were, to quote, "a crime against nature". He doesn't owe Lestat affection, and he's not obligated, but... A lack of attention doesn't tend to work very well, when paired with a needy personality. Again, I'm not saying Louis should give Lestat everything that he wants. But, he knows what his standoff-ish ways do to Lestat. There's no way that he doesn't. Threatening to leave, and then walking out, only to turn back up once his point has been made. Or, even better, when he has need of Lestat, again. (See: Claudia).

Speaking of Claudia, this is a fine example of the things Louis knows, and how best to use them to his advantage. He's far more subtle about it than Lestat, but Louis is guilty of manipulating his lover when it suits him, too. When he needs Lestat's help to save Claudia, he knows just what buttons to push. He knows that Lestat loves him, and will do anything for him. A daughter means that he'll stick around for a family. Coming to him in the first place doubles as a stroke to Lestat's ego, letting the scales of power tip to his favour for a time. Even with that, it still gets Louis what he wants. He wants to save Claudia. He wants to atone for his own sins. He wants to be a good person. And, yes, I do believe that he genuinely wants to fix things with Lestat in the same move. (Four birds, one bite).

That's where the love (and the co-dependency) shows the most. Louis wants to fix it. He cools off, and comes back around, and gives it another try. Ill-advised? Fuck, yes. But... You can convince yourself of a great many things when you're in love. Otherwise, in theory, you'd probably walk away. He knows Lestat. He trusts him, trusts in his love, and in the good of him that certainly does exist. Again, if it was all bad... Well, something attracted him in, in the first place.

Fast-forward to 01x05... Violence is definitely not the answer, but I am not one bit surprised that such is where they have landed. Lestat has lost all of his hold on Louis, in all forms, be it love, attention, or power. And, he lost him to Claudia. His weaknesses have come back to bite him, and he's doing the only thing he seems to know how to do: bite back. Biting back against Claudia, though? Wrong move. Trying to harm Claudia, the only redemption that Louis may feel he has left in the world, his child, is worse than taking on Louis, himself. There is no way Louis lets that slide, even if that means taking on an older, faster, stronger adversary. Even if that adversary is his own lover. To protect his family, yes. But, in some truly fucked up way, I feel like this is the only way Louis is going to bother to protect himself. Where this leaves them, now? It's not pretty, not by any means, but it will be interesting to find out.

That was... a lot. (And, sadly enough, I have so much more that I could add). All together, yes, I feel that there is love between them, but they suck at showing it. Love isn't their problem. They're a personality mis-match, to say the absolute least. Incompatible. These two fail at communication. They really might have benefited from a long, involved, check-your-ego-at-the-door type of a conversation. It didn't have to come to this, but no one was willing to get to the root of it. Ego. Ego, ego, ego. (Mm, I love it). This relationship feels very real, where so many other on-screen portrayals are lacking. Now? Now, the road back to love will be treacherous, if even passable, at all.

After all, Louis may have said told Lestat to let him go, but he never said he didn't love him.

P.S. This is just my opinion, and I may very well be biased. I have been in this type of relationship before. We shouldn't have been together, but we were oddly perfect for one another, and that thought still surprises the shit out of me.

[persephoneflouwers]

hey hey angie 💞 please bless us with your fanfic top 5?

Hello! 🌸

I'm sorry if I reply so late, but I wasn't home and didn't have access to my computer. Thank you for asking this question. I've been wanting to write a post about my favourite fics for ages now. There are too many. That's why I can't pic 5 favourites, but I will make a run out of my bookmarks for now, if that's okay 👉👈🥹. This was fun and I have so many more fics that I love. Like all the ABOs and really so many others, but I don’t want to add them all in a post because they will get lost and they deserve ALL the attention. So let’s tag this as a LARRY FIC RECS - PART 1. Please, if you read any of these, let me know and let’s discuss them! <3

I'm very excited! Alright, let's go in no specific order:

Mirror Touch by pinky_heaven19 (59K): synesthesia AU that made me all soft and melting. Easily, one of the first fics I'd recommend.

The Changer and the Changed by homosociallyyours (60K): Hands down the best Girl direction AU for me. Lots of lesbian and feminism talk. Very very good. I saved it on my phone and re-read it every now and then. 

No pressure, no diamonds by karamelised (71K): Another fic I would read in loop. It’s just fun and hot but also angstyyy. Louis is a menace and Harry CAN’T (can he?) have any of it. They got me all in the first scene. The description of Harry got me like “alright yeah, that’s it. that’s the one”. Venice x Larry is always a good idea.

Love After the End of the World by mercurial-madhouse (writing_practice) (162K): This one is the dystopian-soulmate AU you need to read. Louis is such a pain in the ass in this one, I swear. You can't not love it lmao

Sodalite & Aventurine by forreveries (81K): Give me all the pirates fics, because I will drink them up like water in the desert. 

Fading by tothemoonmydear (202K): please read the tags of this one. It's a tough one, I read it long ago, so I don't remember much of the writing style, but I think the ED is depicted in a very thoughtful way.

Time Passed by coffinofachimera (66K): this broke my heart. I rarely cry with fics, but I sobbed at the end. Like the tags say... heavy heavy angst.

Our Lives, Non-Fiction by indiaalphawhiskey (@indiaalphawhiskey) (114K): I will defend this fic til my last breath. It's mature, it's complex, it's metaliterature at some point. Definitely NOT canonical, loved it!

For As Long As I Can Remember (It's Been December) by green_feelings (116K): the amnesia AU that got under my skin because it made me sooooo mad!

And down the long and silent street by whimsicule (86K): This fic just came back in my mind yesterday in chat with @lt2hoe! Victorian London, wherein Louis and Harry are on the opposite ends of the social ladder. More of these please!

Chasing Empty Spaces by Lis (domesticharry) (79K): even though I remember complaining with my sister about the fact that it contains few historical innaccurancies, I loved the story! Very emotional til the very very very end.

Dance to the Distortion by Lis (domesticharry) (97K): speaking of annoying Louis... this author never disappoints, trust me!

Let's Fall in Love in a Place You Want to Stay by embro (134K): this was cute and got me pouting all along cause I didn’t know if I was sad or just emotional. Oh, this is the Tarzan AU!

Take My Breath Away by RealityBetterThanFiction (154K): Top gun AU. One direction as pilots was what I needed. Narry is magical here!

With The Strength To Carry On by lovelarry10, therogueskimo (113K): I read it for my professional bias. Doctor AU. They cute cute cute. 

The school of extraordinary lovers by stylinsoncity (168K): I think I consider this one a classic. It’s simply a beautiful read. 

Maybe down in lonesome town by resurrectdead (45K): I don't quite remember this one, but it's in my bookmarks so I'll trust past me and rec this too. Farm AU are my guilty pleasure.

Let me separate my favourite authors from the rest because I’m on my knees for these two angels: 

The agony and the rapture by @thedevilinmybrain (venomedveins) (79K): you have no idea how much I love this fic. I would dare say I love it as much as I love pistacchios. And I love pistacchios A LOT. 

I want to be just as close as the holy ghost is by devilinmybrain (venomedveins) (35K): As Dj Khaled would say... ANOTHER ONE. This is my love letter for @thedevilinmybrain I’m not sorry. 

Babydoll blues by devilinmybrain (venomedveins) (111K): my comfort fic. I read it when I wanna feel something. Hottest one on AO3. So hot it’s dangerous. They have this great ability to create this fantastic dynamic between Harry and Louis. I can’t get enough. 

And the other fave must be @larrydoinglaundry <3 

Love is a word, you gave it a name by CuckooTrooke (158K): this fic is everything. Smut, fluff, serious talk, gender talk, adventure, mental health. Waiting for the sequel like a kid waits for Christmas morning. 

This chemistry like candy to me by CuckooTrooke (35K): If you have ever asked me for an omega Harry fic rec, this one is the first one I mentioned. 100% recommended by me to literally anyone lmao. it’s the fluffiest, most endearing, I like the way the author explores and navigates some events.

[winterbeautyees]

People only want to believe in the idea that a character should be flawless and perfection in their eyes like yeah it's unrealistic, but it's good to like something and I'm glad that they have something they like. But then they would call realistic characters boring or evil just because they can't believe that a character is actually a human.

But I also feel like their liking to perfectionism doesn't play too much role here either because before reading iwtv, I also tend to like character who is all perfect and lovely and all but once reading that book, I just goes 'Oh my gosh, this is beautiful'.

I think some are mainly saying that because of their bias to the show and mind you I got introduced to the movies and books through the show (because they remind me of Achilles and Patroclus in one edit lol) and I still like the book best.

Also, how can Louis be boring, this man who almost drinks himself to death because he can't handle his emotion of losing his brother like yeah if you can't grasp the idea of the pain of losing a sibling, just imagine your loved one dying or like losing a child because I assume Louis was raising Paul and the sister like his own children as the head of the household. He probably spoiled them rotten because he love them so dearly. They're his whole world.

Also, don't people read the part where Louis frickin chased a priest and kick his ass for saying something stupid about Paul?

Did.... Did they also skip the line where he talks shit about Lestat?

Does they even know that he's really funny?

That man is the top definition of 'Talk shit with elegance✨'

I straight up don't understand not liking Louis from the book, he's a classic byronic hero archetype which is precisely what makes iwtv a great gothic novel in the mould of all the classic gothic novels... do you like books?

[delicatebrat]

Ghosted.

Paring: Adrian Chase x gn!Reader

Summary: The last year with Adrian had been great, but you don’t understand why he disappeared all of the sudden.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of violence, cursing, its angsty but there's some comfort, abrupt ending bc i lowkey lost motivation im so sorry

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: This fic originally was inspired by a song, but it morphed into something else. I might like this a bit better.

Wanna send me a prompt? Look at the prompt list Here!

It’s funny how you never expect someone to be such an important part of your life when you first meet them. Something that starts out as an insignificant meeting, maybe just pleasantries that were exchanged, can bloom into something beautiful. That is exactly what happened when you met Adrian Chase.

You met Adrian at Fennel Fields last June while you were at dinner with your best friend, Louis. The two of you had just gotten back from a day trip in Seattle and decided to eat out before retreating to your separate apartments. Of course, Louis was the first to notice the cute busboy who was staring at you. And like the great best friend he is, he had to point it out.

“Y/N,” he said, “You’ve got a fan.” You rolled your eyes before you turned to see what Louis was talking about. To your surprise, you were met with the prettiest set of green eyes. “Oh,” you say softly, a smile forming on your lips. You give the cute boy a small wave before turning back to Louis. After that, you didn’t think too much into the busboy, assuming that nothing would come out of that.

You were wrong. As you and Louis were walking out of the door, you were actually stopped by the busboy. “Hi,” he said, rather awkwardly, “Uhm hi, I was just-fuck, phone number?” You blinked at the man, then looked at Louis (who looked like he was about to die laughing), before cracking a small smile. “Do you want to try that again?” you asked softly.

The busboy took a deep breath. “Hi, I’m Adrian,” he said, “I think you’re hot- I mean, pretty. Yeah, can we exchange phone numbers?” Your smile grows as you pull your phone. “Okay, Adrian,” you say as you hand him the device. You put your number in his phone as well before parting ways.

“Y/N,” Adrian said as you left the restaurant, a goofy grin on his face.

It didn’t take too many dates with Adrian for you to realize how interesting he actually was. Adrian was not only the one of the funniest people you had ever met, but ended up being one of the most thoughtful as well. You quickly started to adore the way Adrian would ramble on and on about nothing- he just had so much going on in his brain all the time, and you just wanted to unravel all of the cords of thoughts.

One thing you did learn early on about Adrian Was his admiration from Christopher Smith. You didn’t know Chris yourself, but you definitely knew of him. Everyone in the small town of Evergreen knew who the infamous Peacemaker is, especially who his dad is. It was strange to you, Adrian’s fixation on Chris, but you chose not to question it. After all, your boyfriend didn’t question the things you liked.

“Wait,” you said, stopping Adrian from his ramble. He had his head in your lap so you could play with his hair as you guys watched Clueless. “He called your brother Prince Charming because of his penis shape?” you question, looking down at Adrian while scratching his head gently. He looked back up at you and shrugged a little bit. “Yeah, he called me Thimble,” Adrian said casually, “I didn’t hit puberty until I was like, 23, I think.”

You slowly rubbed Adrian’s cheek. “Well, Chris definitely was wrong,” you say with a small smile, “You’re definitely not a thimble, honeybear.” Adrian studied your face for a second, analyzing you for any hint of insincerity, before smiling back at you. You couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss Adrian.

You didn’t really think you had to worry about Chris since he was sentenced to 40 years of prison time. It irked you out, the way Adrian described Chris. You just didn’t like the way Chris didn’t respect his friends, but you didn’t want to insult someone Adrian liked so much. And you didn’t think you had to worry about him coming back.

One interesting thing you noticed about Adrian was his odd sleeping schedule. Not that you really cared that much, but you did pick up on it. Plus, it didn't seem like something Adrian tried to hide, especially not with the random cryptid text messages you’d wake up to. It was another thing you chose not to question, just assumed he stayed up playing video games like most other guys did.

You and Adrian were laying in bed, his head against your arm as you typed at your laptop. He was focused on watching you work on some report you were doing for your job. “What do you think about that Vigilante guy?” Adrian asked you casually. You hum, not looking away from your laptop. “The guy in the mask? Like, the one who kills the criminals?” you ask, getting a nod from your boyfriend, “Mmm, well, I can’t say I completely agree with his antics.” You could feel Adrian tense next to you, so you kiss his head.

“I mean, the streets of Evergreen are a lot safer now, which is cool. I’m not as scared to walk out of a grocery store and to my car,” you say thoughtfully, “But I don’t think I can agree with killing teenagers for some petty little crimes. I mean, didn’t we all drink wine coolers in abandoned buildings when we were 15?” Adrian jumps up to look you in the eyes. “D-did you?” he asks, and you laugh. “A few times,” you say, pulling Adrian back to you. Adrian grumbles something incoherent, but you just shrugged it off.

Somehow, a year of dating Adrian went by faster than you thought it would. It was a year of his rambles, jokes, and impulsive ideas- and you were more than happy to continue that for the rest of your life. Sure, you had your fair share of disagreements like every other couple in the world, but they were never anything lethal. Most times, it was just words that were misunderstood, so taking a bit to cool down before regrouping to talk about the issue. No one ever went to bed upset, that was the main rule.

However, a few days after your one year, something in Adrian changed. He had called you about the return of the Peacemaker, and he sounded so happy. Honestly, you didn’t know if you have ever heard him be that happy about anything else. So, you told him you were happy for him, and let him talk your ear off. But after that conversation, you didn’t hear from him for a day and a half, which really fucking worried you. What was even more worrying was when Adrian came to your apartment limping.

“Honeybear, are you sure you’re okay,” you asked, worry thick in your tone. He shrugged you off, sitting on your couch. “I’m sure, Y/N,” he said, wincing a bit. “Please, just let me check that it’s not broken-” you started, but were cut off. “Y/N, please, it’s fine. Can we just- fuck, can we watch Fargo?” You gave Adrian a worried look, but eventually just obliged.

You put Fargo on the TV before crawling onto the couch, cuddling into Adrian. You took in his breathing, listening to make sure he wasn’t having breathing pains or anything. “You’re not hiding anything from me, right?” you asked Adrian, your voice cracking. Adrian takes a deep breath before playing with your hair. “No, babe, I’m not. I promise,” he whispers before kissing your head. You decided to believe him

That was the last real time you saw Adrian. You had texted him, asking to make some dinner plans, but he kept responding with rain checks. It didn’t make any sense to you, did something happen? You knew he wasn’t dead, because he was responding. Was he mad at you? You kept replaying the last few days in your head, trying to remember if there was something that could’ve triggered Adrian to go ghost. Then you remembered.

Christopher fucking Smith was back in town. You wanted to believe that your boyfriend wasn’t ditching you for Peacemaker, but you knew Adrian too well at this point. He just adored Chris too much for that to not be who he was with. Which, ultimately, you couldn’t do anything about, but you wished Adrian would have just been honest that’s where he was. That’s all you wanted.

You ended up at Louis’s house soon after this realization. You just needed to vent, and he was the only person available.

“It’s not like him,” you said to Louis, “He always sends me a bunch of texts throughout the day. But this week? He’s just been… silent! It’s like he forgot all about me.” Louis patted your back as let out a distressed sob. “It’s really not in character for him,” Louis said back thoughtfully. You leaned against your friend, wiping your eyes with your sleeve. “I just… All I want is for him to talk to me. If he’s mad at me, can’t he just tell me that? We’ve always had the ‘don’t go to bed angry’ policy.”

Louis hummed in agreement. “Maybe he’s Vigilante,” he said. You sit up fast and push your friend gently. “Yeah, right! Adrian is definitely not Vigilante,” you say, crossing your arms. “Are you sure?” Louis asks, “Like, okay, have you ever met Vigilante?” You shake your head. “Right, and you’ve always said Adrian had a weird sleeping habit right? Are you completely positive he’s not?”

You left Louis’s house that night with a lot on your mind. You were almost positive that Adrian wasn’t Vigilante, but there was that tiny amount of doubt. It wasn’t impossible at this point, but why wouldn’t Adrian tell you about his ‘second job?’ Well, actually, you had a guess as to why he wouldn’t tell you. It was because you were just indifferent towards the self titled hero. But it wasn’t that you hated the idea! You just didn’t vibe with the morality of it, that’s all.

The more you thought about the possibility of Adrian being Vigilante, the more your stomach churned. In all honesty, you weren’t sure if you could handle that life- that side of Adrian. It was scary to think about all the trouble the mask could get him in, which could follow into getting you hurt. You knew it was a selfish thought, but you couldn’t help it. And now, you started to terrify yourself. What if Adrian was seriously hurt? There was nothing you could do to save him if he was, you’ve never shot a gun before! Or killed anyone! You jumped from your thoughts when your phone started ringing.

When you saw the caller ID, you answered as fast as possible. “Adrian?” you basically yelled into the phone. “Uh, no,” a male voice said into the line. You didn’t recognize it. “Is this his girlfriend? Like, you’re real, right?” You felt anger boiling in your stomach for more than one reason. “Who the fuck are you and why do you have my boyfriends phone?” you snapped. The man on the other line started laughing. “Come on, Tiger, I was just making sure you were real,” the man said, “I’m Chris. Adrian passed out in the hospital, I was just calling to let you-” “Evergreen Hospital?” you say, cutting him off. “Yeah-” You hung up before Chris could finish- you needed to get to the hospital.

The entire drive there was a haze, and you spent the drive begging God to let Adrian live and cursing Christopher fucking Smith for letting him get hurt. When you get to the hospital, you march up to the front desk. “What room is Adrian Chase in?” you ask, desperation on your voice. You didn’t even hesitate to speed walk to Adrian’s hospital bed. When you saw him, you felt your heart crack. He looked so… beat up, and you’ve never seen him like that.

You quickly kneeled at Adrian’s bedside, grabbing his hand and kissing it. He was asleep, but it didn't stop you from whispering to him. “Come on,” you say softly, “Come on, Adrian, please don’t leave me like this.” You let the tears fall as you continued to press kisses into Adrian’s hand. “Don’t be dramatic, babe,” Adrian said, his voice coarse. “I just needed a nap.”

You jumped at Adrian's voice, looking at him before climbing to give him a kiss. You held his face in your hands as you pulled away. “You have some explaining to do,” you whisper, sniffling a bit. He presses his forehead to yours. You were mad at him for leaving you alone for a week, for not telling you about his second life, but you could figure that out later. Right now, you were just happy he was alive.

[halfoftwelve]

Fic-O-Ween day 3!

This is mostly dialogue and chaos but it’s fun dialogue and chaos.

A Potter family trip to the apple orchard wasn't complete without Uncle Padfoot and Loops, and therefore Jules. And also Dumo and his kids, including Logan and his boys. And one of their brothers and his two. And Thomas.

So a trip that was meant to be three became eighteen, and Lily couldn't find it in herself to care. This was her family and she couldn't be happier. The boys were busy chasing the kids and lifting them up so they could reach the tops of the trees. Pascal was picking apples to bring home to Celeste so she could make a pie. James, Sirius, and Remus were busy keeping both Harry and Jules busy, which was far too endearing.

Adele had been practically glued to her and Natalie all day, and honestly, it was making Lily think about more children.

"Corn maze! Corn maze! Corn maze!" Katie shrieked, running to her father.

It was the only thing she'd wanted to do, after seeing the ponies. 

"Sirius said it's time!"

Pascal, and everyone else, looked to where Sirius was biting back a grin, while also hanging Harry half over his shoulder. Remus, Lily noted, had never looked so fond.

"Did he?"

"I've told you before I can't say no to her, Dumo, it's your fault," Sirius said, placing Harry back on his feet.

Harry had started chanting with Katie, Marc and Louis joined in, and then Jules. 

"Alright, alright, to the corn maze children."

Remus didn't know that a corn maze was meant to be a competition, but according to the O'Hara brothers, it meant war. This was how Remus found himself on a team with eight others. While it made sense to split into groups, as eighteen people trying to go through a maze would be chaos, he wasn't sure about the competition part of it.

There was only one way to go, so wouldn't they just keep running into each other?

"Loops, that's the point! Where's the fun without a bit of trash talk?" Finn told him after Remus said as much.

"There's kids here, O'Hara," Natalie commented.

"So we keep it PG, and we do the little scavenger hunt. That's where the real fun is."

Remus was a little disappointed that his own brother hadn't wanted to be on his team, or his boyfriend. But the O'Haras and Dumais children had reminded him that sibling rivalry was as good a motivator as any.

"Wait I think we should go that way," Lily said, pointing to the path towards the left.

Finn stopped next to her, "it's definitely to the right. You always go to the right."

"And that is how you lose, little bro," Alex said, walking past with his own team behind him. They went to the left

"Shut up, you idiot," Finn said back. Remus heard Logan laugh from where he was walking past, and Leo snicker from behind him.

"Yo, Harz, don't talk to my man like that," Kasey said, reaching forward to grab Alex's hand.

Natalie jumped in, "yeah, don't talk to our man like that."

"We're on the same team, Nat," Finn said back.

"I don't care."

This was already far too much, and they hadn't even gotten into the maze. 

Remus had been hoping, secretly, that he would have been able to sneak off with Sirius and get some of the hot cider that was being sold. Sirius, however, seemed to be too far gone to pull him away from this.

"How does it feel to be on the losing team, Re?" He said, walking past.

"Yeah, Re?" Julian parroted. 

Remus there his hands up and let them fall back with a slap against his thighs.

James and Pascal both laughed at him. Thomas jostled his shoulder and snickered.

Alex wouldn't admit it, but they were definitely lost. The goal had been to get to the closest checkpoint, but well, he was fairly certain it was supposed to be right where they were standing.

"Alex..."

Alex looked at Kasey slowly, who was obviously holding back a laugh.

"I have no idea where we are."

"What?" Three voices echoed. Logan, James, Sirius.

It was almost comical, the way their heads turned to him, and each of the children's that followed. Harry was on James shoulders, an action mirrored by Katie and Logan. Julian was on Sirius' back, but dropped down to pull out his own map. Marc went over to look at it with him.

"I joined your team because you said you always won, don't tell me I left my lovers just to lose," Logan said, leaning over to look at the map in Alex's hands.

"We're not losing. We don't know how to lose," Sirius said.

"What Cap said," James announced, using Harry's little finger to trace a path on their map.

Marc and Jules walked past all of them, drawing their attention, "this way," Marc said. So they went.

Lily was going to rip that red hair right out of Finn O'Hara's big head.

"Are you blind?" 

"He does use reading glasses," Leo called from the back of the group.

"Baby we're on the same team," Finn turned to him. "I told you though, always go right."

"O'Hara, if we go left it takes us straight to the third checkpoint."

Thank god for Natalie Darcy, at least someone could see some sense. Adele agreed with them too, though that was likely more to just agree than anything.

They'd already got to the first two checkpoints, punching out the little numbers on their card, and reading the little story for Louis, who didn't actually seem that interested. Granted he was ten, but he was the only child with them. Except for Adele, who definitely wouldn't admit she found it fun.

At every turn they had a debate, and every time Finn said to go right, and he was only correct half of those times.

Remus and Thomas were making jokes each time, Leo and Pascal were trailing at the back of the group, and Louis was playing on his father's phone.

And yet, Lily loved it. Every minute of it.

Sirius wouldn't admit it, but there was no possible way they were winning. They'd been in this maze for nearly fifteen minutes and hadn't checked any of the boxes. The kids were beginning to whine, and they were staring at a wall of corn.

"You said this way, little Dumo," Kasey said to Marc, who just shrugged.

"Alright team, I'll be honest. We kind of suck, so any ideas?" Alex said.

Sirius huffed, "that was a shit pep-talk O'Hara."

"Kids, Padfoot, seriously," James said, hands over Harry's ears.

"Not all of us can be the youngest captain, Black," Alex turned to him, "feel free to help out any time."

"Actually, I think you've got it O'Hara. Never been so inspired in my life," Sirius said, falling back next to Logan. He'd never done a corn maze before, and honestly was losing the appeal of it quickly.

"I feel like this would be more fun with alcohol."

"You are absolutely right, T," Remus replied.

"As if we don't have enough entertainment from the redheads up there," Leo said from behind them.

Finn and Lily had both declared themselves team leaders it seemed, which had definitely become the chaos Remus had imagined. 

They were over halfway through the maze, and making pretty good time. Though, that was likely more to do with the fact the Finn was practically running. Well, that, and the fact that it wasn't really Lily or Finn leading them, it was Leo and Pascal.

Each time the group at the front disagreed, Leo or Pascal became the voice of reason. It was usually a quick, "alright, this way." Or, "I'm going this way, follow or don't."

Remus was also pretty sure he'd heard them betting against their own team. Really, Remus agreed with them. But there was also a part of him determined to beat Sirius and Julian.

They were on track again, had even completed two of the ten checkpoints. Though, it had already been more than twenty minutes, so they weren't really on track. Kasey had taken over for most of that, his calm helping them.

Now though...

Alex was struggling to keep calm himself.

There was three ways they could go, and everyone was talking at once.

"Left. I say left." Logan was looking wistfully down the pathway.

"No, Tremzy!" Katie yelled.

Jules and Marc were talking to each other at the back of the group, momentarily forgetting about the maze.

"Pretty confident it's straight," Kasey said.

"You're certainly not," Sirius chirped.

"Like you can talk, Black," Alex responded.

"None of us are," Logan quipped.

James spluttered, "are you forgetting about me?” His hands splayed in front of him, child giggling on his shoulders.

The other four men looked at each other, then said together, "no."

James squinted at all of them, shrugged, then stepped forward into the middle path. Straight it was then.

Finn was going to win one way or the other, and he would absolutely not admit that it was because of Lily Evans-Potter. Maybe she was right, so what? He'd never said he was good at corn mazes or following directions. And the other guys certainly were no help. He was fairly certain Leo had bet against him.

But, on the bright side, all there was left to do now was get out. After one small stop.

"We have to find them," he announced.

"What, why?" Lily responded immediately.

"To scare them."

"Oh!" Natalie's face lit up as she said it.

"Now this I can get behind," Thomas announced.

"I'm in," Remus said.

"Can I scare Marc?" Adele asked.

"No I want to scare Marc!" Louis said, actually looking away from the game he was playing.

"Cool, let's go."

Yeah, they were definitely losing. There was no possible way this team was getting anywhere. The kids had started complaining early on, and it was beginning to become sad. Sirius had already taken off his jacket and hoodie, the sun bright and no breeze to cool them. They'd gotten maybe five of the checkpoints, Sirius wasn't sure, he'd stopped caring long ago.

He was carrying Harry now, James' shoulder had started acting up again, and frankly, he needed some entertainment. His eyes flitted between Jules and Marc and the path they were walking down. 

It wasn't all that bad, though. He hadn't had time to just be since summer, and he was doing it with all of his people. Of course, half of them were somewhere else in this godforsaken trap, but they were still here. 

This was nice, and even if the kids weren't enjoying it anymore, at least he got to spend time with them.

"Hey Jules, what are we going to tell Remus when we get out?" He said over his shoulder. 

There wasn't an answer, se he glanced back, "Jules?"

Except Jules wasn't there, and neither was Marc. Sirius' heart dropped, his hands got just a little tighter around Harry's. "Jules? Marc?"

The others stopped where they were in front of him, James walked over.

"Sirius?"

"They were just right behind me," he whispered.

There was an uneasy silence that followed, as Sirius scanned the area.

"Maybe they just went down a different path..." it was Logan.

No, that wasn't right. Neither of the boys would do that, not without saying something. Had he missed it?

"They wouldn't—”

"AHHH!!" 

There were shouts all around them, bodies running out of the corn. There was Jules, right next to a laughing Remus. And Marc with his own family. Despite being startled, Sirius was relieved. 

Then, all at once, the other team took off in a full sprint away from them, leaving Sirius' own team shaken.

Slowly, after realizing what had gone down, and ignoring Marc and Jules laughing on the ground, they looked to Alex O'Hara.

His head tipped back and he groaned, then said, "oh thank god."

Again, they all looked at one another. Kasey spoke up, "babe?"

"They've finished it. We can get out of this fu-- freaking corn."

A collective sigh went up, and they turned on their heel and walked the same direction the others ran.

Lily hadn't laughed this hard in a long time. Her, Natalie, and Adele were still giggling together when the others came out of the maze.

Alex went over to Finn, putting him into a headlock and rubbing his head, "finally beat me, little man."

"Get off me," Finn yelped, grabbing for Leo. Logan was laughing as he went over to them.

Kasey pulled Natalie into a kiss, which made Adele grimace. Alex shouted for them, which made them both smile.

Pascal gathered his children up, insisting they take a selfie for their mother. Adele rolled her eyes but was still the one to hold up the phone.

Thomas and Remus were still talking together when Sirius walked over.

"You've had my boyfriend long enough, T, time to get your own."

Thomas mocked offense, and Remus grinned, "how does it feel to be on the losing team, baby?"

When Sirius scowled Remus pulled him down for a kiss.

"Little Loops, how does it feel knowing you almost made the Captain cry?" Thomas said.

"That's not fair, T, he was worried."

They were laughing together, in their little group.

James came over, Harry holding his hand and smiling at Lily. 

"Hi Mama!"

"Hi baby," she knelt to pick him up. Then leaned in and kissed her husband, "beat you."

"No, I'm definitely winning," he kissed her again, again, again.

There was laughter around them, and love surrounding their little group, which was certainly not so little. She's never been happier to have such a big family.

[jlf23tumble]

Hey Jen! What are your fave underrated ~hidden~ larry fics. I feel like there’s such good ones out there that I and others haven’t even found read

Hello! Okay, I spun out into overthinking land on this one because I'm not sure what all anyone else is rec'ing (aka what's visible). Like, I have solid faves that have a shit-ton of kudos/comments, but they're from a few years ago, so are they hidden? Hmmm!!! I'm going to put in a cut and do a little breakdown of all the ways I interpreted your ask lmao, and if you want some more or if I missed the mark, come back, I have a TON of treasures in my all-star canon and all-star AU collections if you want 'em, or if you want to ask about faves from certain years (again, not sure what's hidden or not), I'm happy to help!

Welcome! I figured out a way to break this down a touch, and I hope it helps!

1. Kudos

Kudos are definitely NOT the best metric for judging "hidden" fics, but these ones all have fewer than 100 kudos each, and given that a lot of fics have TONS, it's a good indicator of things that people might not have seen (plus, I loved 'em, I'll keep it at 15):

Shot, sashinalash, 700 words. Harry's camera roll!

I'm a Mess Right Now, so Baby Help Me Out, madddi13, 1.2k. Frustrated Harry!

captivity, momentofclarity, 1.4k. Criminally underrated!

wash my hands clean in your holy water, HappyPrincess, 1.8k. Gift for me!

Let's get physical, kerasines, 3.5k. Alien Harry!

I Know My Arithmedick, yeah_alright, 3.7k. FAVE AUTHOR ALERT!!!!

they shake, you conquer, butidontreallycare, 4.2k. Body appreciation!

There's something I want to try... series, TheMagicWord, 4.6k. Kink exploration via tiny fics!

I'm Not Over You (But I'm Trying), TinyGiant, 4.8k. Angst city-ish!

no love like your love, orphan_account, 6.5k. Outstanding set of tumblr ficlets!

Let me be yours, louhearted, 6.6k. Girl direction!

I've got you, always, Louslittlelife, 7.6k. Dom Louis!

Baby Blues, kingsofeverything, 11k. Pregnant Harry collection!

tonight, these streets are heaving, with young hearts on the chase, orphan_account, 22k. Alternative history!

Fictober 2019, flowercrownefemme, 30k. A set of cute Halloween fics!

2. Authors

Here are five of my faves, but yeah, I think they're gone? I don't know if they're regularly rec'd by anyone at this point, though, but yeah, love 'em:

sarcasticfluentry

mercutionotromeo

blankiexrry

crybaby

ballsdeepinjesus

3. Random fics I sometimes think about

Is as it says, ha, 17 faves o' mine that aren't super huge, I don't think??:

Watermelon Sugar High, rosemarianthyme, 2.2k. It's about the female orgasm!

no control, thegirlwthekittentattoo, 2.6k. The bra has a name!!

Want It Tonight, lovingstheantidote, 3.4k. Daddy lessons!

it's you i want to take apart, orphan_account, 5.9k. Gender from 2012!

only thing that can quench my thirst, eyesofshinigami, 6.5k. World's best pubes fic!

remember you well, fondleeds, 8.5k. Cops and robbers!

beneath the suits, someonethatsfunny, 10k. Award show rituals!

Laundry Room, beautlouis, 10k. FAVE AUTHOR ALERT!

Make Me Feel, bananaheaten, 10k. Sculptor Louis!

A Slow and Steady Rush, godots, 11k. Gorgeous achey beauty!

Tuxedo Dress-Up, SirTranscelot, 11k. FAVE AUTHOR ALERT!

lover of mine, boadiceas, 13k. Sybian fic!

Alien Roadtrip!, helloamhere, 16k. Is as it says!

Won't Get to Space Because I Haven't Got a Rocket, sunsetmog, 22k.

no pressure, no diamonds series, karamelised, 71k. Thieves and grifters!

dancing in the dark, clairdeloune, 74k. Gettin' back together!

Untangle Me, suicxne, 100k. Like watching a movie!

...like I said above, if you want more from a certain year or theme or what have you, let me know, and I'll sift these bookmarks again!

[cbrownjc]

Hi, anon (and @nalyra-dreaming)!

So yeah, Nalyra's and I's thoughts don't quite match on this. What we both do agree on though is thinking that The Chase between Daniel and Armand happened in the past. I thought it long before now and I still think so. And, for me, this now boils down to one simple thing:

There is no way in hell you can have Armand turn Daniel out of love unless it did happen in the past. And yes, having Armand turn Daniel out of love is critical if you want to keep the heart of their story together and in any way keep it on the same level as other deep Marker-Fledgling pairings. Which is something I laid out in this post here. To not have Armand turn Daniel out of love would actually downgrade their relationship not only from what it was in the books but even wrt the show itself IMO; given that the show actually went out of its way to upgrade how Lestat turned Louis vis a vis the books to make it way more romantic that it originally was. And make it very clear that not only did Lestat turn Louis out of love, but that Louis loved Lestat back when Lestat did so.

So until I see it with my own eyes, then no. Armand did not turn Daniel out of spite. Or to make amends with Louis in some way. Or for any other reason other than he loved Daniel. Period. If the show really did that -- have Armand turn Daniel for any other reason than that -- then, quite frankly, Daniel is no better than Claudia. Turned not out of love and a desire for that person to be with them forever, but for some other reason that has them very lonely wrt their vampire life.

And hell, didn't we just get a talk about vampire loneliness, and what it's like, in episode 2x07?

Daniel deserves to be made into a vampire out of love. Just like Louis was, and a host of other Makers and Fledglins we're going to meet further along in the story (particularly when we get to the Prince Lestat era). Even if, at the moment, Daniel doesn't remember that love for himself.

And no, you can't do any sort of satisfying Devil's Minion story about Armand and Daniel falling in love with each other after Daniel is turned IMO. You undercut the Marker-Fledgling bond of being made out of love if you do, which yes, Armand and Daniel were very much right behind Louis and Lestat on wrt that in the books.

I mean sure, you can have Daniel pissed off at Armand after being turned, and take time as Daniel slowly remembers the love that was there before, in the past, and have him come to love Armand again over time as he did before. I personally think their story loses some weight if you do such a storyline after Daniel is turned and is not still human, but it can be done.

But if Daniel doesn't love Armand and never did in the past either? Then that means The Chase never happened, which means Armand never loved Daniel at any point in time . . . but turned him anyway.

And so you just wave bye-bye to Armand's character development wrt the whole reason why Armand was even against making a fledgling in the first place. Which yes, is a consequence wrt Armand's backstory with Marius. But Armand's love for Daniel was so overwhelming that he decided to risk going against what he believed for centuries and decided to turn Daniel anyway. Because losing him to death was more unbearable than possibly losing him in a Maker-Fledgling bond. (Which he did. For a number of years. But then, after that healing period, they came back together again. For good.)

And I refuse to think the show's writers are that sloppy and lazy. Not after the deft way they've handled so much in Seasons 1 and 2.

Now, a few other points:

Last point: Armand definitely turned Daniel in Dubai, Louis’ expression ”I shouldn’t have left you alone with him” doesn’t make sense otherwise. He wouldn’t have put it that way (language wise) if he meant that Daniel was left on his own after Dubai.

Actually, it can make sense otherwise because there is no indication that this means Louis immediately saw Daniel after he was turned the next night or something. We actually have no idea when Louis and Daniel saw each other again after Daniel was turned at the moment. I think all we can guess right now is that Armand disappeared with Daniel after Louis told Armand to be gone by the time he got back.

That when Louis came back, they were both gone.

That's all we can really guess about at the moment. But we have no idea where might have Armand taken Daniel, or how long Daniel and Louis didn't talk before Daniel was turned. That is one of our main mysteries regarding this.

And see, the fact that we didn't see Daniel's turning is another point why something feels off to me about it. Because yes, while I know very well what Daniel and Louis said about who Daniel's Maker was? That is all we have to go on right now. We didn't see it. At least the 1994 movie showed Lestat biting Daniel on the neck, drinking his blood, and then beginning to make him the offer of turning him. Here? We didn't even get that little bit. Not even a glimpse.

IMO right now the show is hiding Daniel's turning. Purposefully so. Maybe for some reason as simple as not wanting to reveal the full truth as to why Armand turned Daniel (love), or even for maybe bigger reasons.

As to Daniel being a chronicler, I can see that happening one day, but not right away. For starters, I actually don't think Daniel is going to be writing Lestat's story. Yeah, really. I see them telling Lestat's story in a different way than just a simple interview, at least for right now.

And yes, Devil's Minion is going to take seasons to do. Heck, even though I saw Daniel getting turned coming, (and even then said it was too soon when I did), I should have paid more damn attention when Rolin Jones himself said at a recent Q&A (with Assad) that Devil's Minion was a Book 3 thing. They are really, really, restrictively sticking to only what was revealed about things by the end of each specific book. Which mean, I think Season 3 will give us a little more context when it comes to Daniel's turning, but still leave us with more questions than answers.

It's okay to have mixed feelings about this anon. As you can see I too have very mixed feelings about this. Because it sucks being left with so many questions and not knowing what to make of all of this. I mean, I at least never expected them to have a love scene or anything this season, though when I figured out -- even before the spoiler leak talk about it started -- that Daniel was going to get turned I at least thought we'd see that. And that would be how it would be revealed that they had been lovers in the past, even if Daniel didn't remember it all still.

So when Daniel whipped off those glasses, and his eyes changed to yellow-orange (and NOT violet!) oh man oh man. And hell, at least I've calmed down some to what my immediate reaction was to that. Because this is very much a long-game thing. And while I have been burned by shows before (I mean hello, I was in GOT fandom as a Jon-Dany shipper at that!), the writers haven't really lost my trust yet. They've shown me way too many times, so far, that they do have a plan and seem to know what they are doing and going with this.

So yeah, the wait is going to be the hardest thing wrt this. And I've been waiting since the mid-90s for Devil's Minion to even be close to being adapted, so . . . all I can say is, it's okay to feel how you do. But just keep whatever faith you can, as this is truly going to be a long-haul thing, for certain now.

I’ve loved reading yours and @cbrownjc thoughts about DM, I’m a big fan of the pairing but now I just feel a bit worried and disappointed following the finale. Would you be okay to hear me out and state what you think? I would gladly be convinced to be more optimistic!

During the season I’ve been leaning towards believing that they would do an exclusively present-day DM. I never found the Alice theories fully convincing cause that scene seemed to me better explained by other stuff. It showing how Armand is incredibly powerful with his mind gift (knowing of the proposal) and that Daniel was getting the flashback PTSD-style because Louis ”read” his mind similarly to how Armand did in the 70’s. Further I never felt that Armand was being kind with revealing that Alice didn’t trust Daniel. I do understand why other’s sees it as such but I just didn’t feel it came across as kind during the episode. It felt more like Armand trying to quickly intimidate Daniel to back off, which he basically stated the episode before was his plan. He did make an effort to stop Louis from pushing further in that scene however, so there’s that to be fair.

If they didn’t show any more flashbacks for Daniel this season I knew I was going to be more inclined to believe that there aren’t more memories. Because it arguably becomes too convenient that Daniel would only be getting flashbacks from those horrific days in San Francisco. That plot line and S02E05 thus far has seemingly boiled down to serving the plot in showing the extent of of Armand’s capability of deception + motivating Daniel to aggressively question Armand (as it relates to Daniel and Armand). I loved(!) the episode, but the lack of emotional fallout for Daniel and Armand disappointed me a little. Louis being awake the week following them abandoning Daniel and not knowing that Armand was out chasing/developing a relationship with Daniel also strains incredulity a bit. Like they could easily have had Louis state that he did sleep underground for a few years (if that is how/why Armand went after Daniel in the 70’s) in an episode - but they didn’t. I would love DM to have happened in the past - just to be clear. And yes, some of these points can be explained through a DM framework. I just feel the show hasn’t made an effort to purposely hint at it, which has made me doubtful. Because if they are going there shouldn’t they actually hint at it in a more substantial way?

When I heard of Daniel getting turned by Armand in the finale I thought that maybe Armand would do it as a form of revenge but fuelled by fascination and we would see the start of some sort of enemies-to-lovers-plot. I do think that during the series they are both checking each other out during a few different moments. So I thought that could develop into an interesting dynamic, them becoming fascinated with each other but also kinda hating each other. Which resulted in me looking forward to seeing the turning and the revelation of such a dynamic. Cause the fascination part is key IMO if this was to work, couldn’t just be hate.

However then I was completely floored by the fact that they didn’t show the turning at all! Frankly that was an extreme anticlimax! Why wouldn’t you show the scene of the tertiary main character being attacked and turned??? Given Arman’d comments about finding it repulsive to turn someone I do sincerely hope that this means that there is more to it, and that’s why we didn’t get to see it. But if that’s not true and they just skipped it cause it wasn’t important I’m honestly really sad about it, as a DM fan, but also as a Daniel and Armand fan (respectively). I also hate the idea of Armand turning Daniel just out of spite (and not caring that his fledgling will hate him cause that’s what fledglings do according to him). I’m generally worried now that they are just setting up Daniel as a vampire-chronicler at this point (and that he was turned cause it’s convenient for the plot going forward). And that maybe in the far distant future they will just have Daniel and Armand have a simple enemies-to-lovers-plot… which if that was the plan, I really feel they should have showed the turning already at least!

Last point: Armand definitely turned Daniel in Dubai, Louis’ expression ”I shouldn’t have left you alone with him” doesn’t make sense otherwise. He wouldn’t have put it that way (language wise) if he meant that Daniel was left on his own after Dubai. I saw some speculate about this and just wanted to point this out. I can be wrong about a lot of things, but about this I know I’m right. Also, Daniel saying ”make it up to me” does seem to affirm that he at least believes Louis to be right about Armand turning him to be spiteful (however he could just not want to share with Louis if there’s more to it). I’m really hoping there is more to it, but I’m a bit scared to hope now frankly. I’m hoping his curiosity about Armand means there was something more to the turning.

I have such mixed feelings now. I am very open to being told I’m being too pessimistic, so please share what you think is going on/what will happen. Thank you - and sorry for long post!

🤗 Okay so… for one I know my feelings on this don’t quite match cbrownjc‘s which is only logical. Just as a note.

There is no way Daniel was turned out of spite. And I have the suspicion that Louis is fully in on it. We‘ll see.

I personally do think the chase happened in the past. Alice and Armand got mixed. There were lots of hints and deliberate hooks and as we have seen this show is aware of its hooks.

And while Daniel most certainly will be the chronicler there will be a lot more to it all, I would bet real money on it. They already laid out the corner stones there with the Talamasca and Raglan. Lots of corner stones actually. ^^

I know the turning not being shown is disappointing rn. But it was very much intentional.

I just think… that with Loustat… DM is going to develop over the whole of the show.

The waiting will be the hardest part. :/

[blueskrugs]

Airport Shenanigans | Matthew Tkachuk

this was @broadstbroskis​‘s request! I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t really feeling either number you asked for, but I decided to have some fun with this! I also wanted to have something new for his birthday today, so here we are. not my best, and also minimally edited, but I hope you guys still like it!

20. stuck in an airport in a snowstorm

length: 1.1K

Matthew had insisted you get to the airport early, for some fucking reason, which is why you’ve already been sitting around for an hour when he gets back from checking the flights board. You look at him expectantly, but he just shakes his head.

“Snowstorm back home, they’re not letting any flights into Lambert,” Matt says, and Brady groans from the floor next to you. The Sens had been in town for the last game before break, so he was flying back home to St. Louis with you and Matthew. You think he was already beginning to regret that decision. 

The airport was crowded, being only a few days before Christmas, but the three of you had claimed a small corner of the terminal for yourselves, spreading out all your bags– which there really were a lot of. There was an entire large suitcase just dedicated to all the presents the three of you were having to lug across the border. (Matt wouldn’t let you just have them delivered to his parents house, claimed he didn’t want Taryn snooping.) Matt flopped onto the floor next to Brady.

“I call not calling Mom to tell her,” Brady says, still staring at the ceiling.

Matt groaned. “Fuck.” He tilted his head to pout up at you. 

“No way, I love you, but she’s not my mom,” you told him. He groaned again.

You pulled out your phone to check the weather. Snowstorm was right; it covered most of Missouri on the radar, and definitely didn’t look like it would be stopping anytime soon. Except your flight had just been delayed, not cancelled, which meant you were stuck in limbo for the foreseeable future (and couldn’t go home, either).

“What’re you doing?” Matt asked, hauling himself into a chair next to you and resting his head on your shoulder.

“Checking for flights to Chicago instead. Maybe we could drive down,” you told him.

“No way in hell am I driving five hours in a car with you and Brady.”

“Then what’s your big plan to get us home for Christmas then?” you snapped. Matt sighed and didn’t respond.

“I’m getting food,” Brady announced.

“Bring me back popcorn!” you yelled after him.

Eating your popcorn turned into throwing it to Matthew because he wanted to catch it in his mouth, which turned into him and Brady just pelting it at each other. It only ended when they accidentally hit some woman carrying a baby. Boys. 

“Cards Against Humanity?” you suggested. You knew Matthew had thrown it in his backpack.

“Boring,” Matt said.

“You’re boring,” Brady shot back.

“Hide and seek?”

“Sardines?”

“Yeah, and who’s gonna watch our stuff?”

All three of you turned to look at the only other person near you, a college-aged girl who had been engrossed in her book the whole time you guys had been in the airport. The girl definitely recognized Matthew, but she agreed to keep an eye on your bags.

The boys decided that you would be “it” first and wandered away while you tried to figure out where to hide. You dug out a Flames hat from Matt’s bag, and a book from yours before settling in a chair at a different gate, texted Matt that you were ready. You watched Matthew and Brady walk right past you no less than three times, trying and failing to look casual, and not like they were hopelessly lost. 

Sardines lasted almost half an hour, until someone reported the boys for looking suspicious, and you got to watch them try and talk their way out of being chased by security. 

You broke out TikTok around 11:30, lost yourself to the mindless scroll. Matt watched with you for a little bit, and you laughed at the crease between his eyebrows as he tried to follow the dances. 

“Wanna do one?” you asked, waving your phone in Matt’s direction. 

“Yeah, no.”

You hadn’t forgotten the meltdown the internet had had that time Taryn had gotten him to do a TikTok with her. You scrolled for a second. “Here, look, this one is easy,” you said, handing your phone to Matthew.

“I think you and I have different ideas of what’s easy, babe,” Matt said, unimpressed, but he watched the video three times. 

Twenty minutes and more attempts than you could count later, Matthew collapsed on the floor with a groan. You nudged him with your foot; he swatted you away but didn’t open his eyes. You were rewatching the last clip you had taken. It wasn’t perfect, but you had hardly expected it to be.

“I’m posting this,” you told Matt. He waved his hand at you.

You filmed another one, too, of the two of you attempting the koala challenge, but on those moving sidewalks. It didn’t end well. (You weren’t sure it would have gone any better on solid ground, either.) 

It was 1 AM, and the airport was deserted. You were in that weird space where time didn’t feel real, and you couldn’t honestly have said what day it was or how many hours you’d been in the airport. Brady was half-asleep on the floor, and Matt was stretched across three chairs with his head in your lap. Your flight had finally actually been rescheduled, and would be leaving in another hour or so, which meant you’d be getting in at an ungodly hour of the morning. You were trying to decide if it was worth it to try and sleep and destroy your sleep schedule, or to stay awake and suffer. You and Matt were people-watching, amusing yourselves by making up the life stories of the other poor souls stuck in an airport in Calgary at 1 AM. Most of Matthew’s were completely ridiculous, but you were so tired you weren’t making much sense either. The only sign you had that Brady was still awake was that he occasionally snickered at something one of you said.

Before you knew it, they were finally calling your flight to board. There weren’t many people left, between the long delay, and it not being a crowded flight to begin with. The three of you were in a row together, but there was no one in the row next to you, so Brady claimed it and sprawled out across it. You and Matt spent five minutes arguing over who got the window seat. (You won.) It didn’t really matter, because it was the middle of the night, and you were pretty sure you would both pass out not longer after the flight took off. 

Matthew held your hand from the seat next to you. Sure, you hadn’t planned on being stuck at YYC for hours, but at least you’d had some fun in the process. You kissed Matt’s forehead when he rested his head on your shoulder. Yeah, there were worse people you could’ve gotten stuck with.

[lilliganmusic]

Hello and welcome to my final post! Here I’ll be talking about my Top 10 Favourite anime EDs. I was more excited to make this list than the OP and OST combined, and I’ll be a lot more emotional for this list. I think it’s because I know exactly what EDs I’m listing and what place I would give them that gives me that excitement. As for the OP list, there will be spoilers ahead, so skip to avoid if you don’t wish to see any. Enjoy!

I made all the gifs in this post!

Honourable Mentions for EDs that didn’t make the cut (extra!) :

Attack on Titan - S2 ED3, S4 ED7

“Yuugure no Tori”, “Akuma no Ko”

Carole and Tuesday - S1 ED1

“Hold Me Now”

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - S4 ED4

“Scandal”

Inuyasha - S1 ED2

“Fukai Mori”

The Seven Deadly Sins - S1 ED

“7 -seven-”

Blood Blockade Battlefront - S1 ED1

“Sugar Song to Bitter Step”

Now onto the chosen ones!

10. Beastars - Yasashii Suisei

My god, they took the budget for the second season OP and gave it all to the ED. What an amazing ED it is. The animation is stunning, and I love its sketchy, watercolour style, making it one of the more unique EDs on the list. Yoasobi’s here to claim her stake on both the OP and ED, and she more than delivers for both. It’s such a heartbreaking ED as well, foreshadowing the kind of monster Louis forces himself to become, and Ibuki watching as his young master begins to lose himself. We see him also coming face to face with his carnivorous biology, unable to change anything about his nature or DNA. It also foreshadows his death! Wow! Thanks for making me want to die! Father figure Ibuki rest in peace my king.

9. Dr. Stone - Voice?

WOW!!!! I LOVE IT WHEN ANIME CHARACTERS RUN!!!! The song is an absolute bop, I was tempted to skip this ED when I was watching but I was curious to listen to the song, so I stuck around and I’m glad I did! It was stuck in my head for ages. This definitely isn’t the most impressive ED on here but I love how it foreshadows Senku running with his flash grenade to blind Homura, what a thrill!

8. My Hero Academia - Datte Atashi no Hiro

Yeah!!!! LiSA!!!! The iconic fantasy AU ED!!!! This ED unleashed so many fanfic ideas and artwork, I think they should just make another anime with the same cast in a fantasy world. I say that’s much more interesting than hero society. But enough about that, THE SONG!!! THE COLOURS!!! THE FUN AND WHIMSY!!! They just want you to enjoy this ED, and maybe go WOOOOOAAAAAAAH when you see Midoriya swinging his Ex-All Might-ibur.

7. Violet Evergarden - Michishirube

Wow. The way this ED made me sob during the mother daughter letters episode. Hearing “Michishirube” being sang has me screaming and wailing. I used to skip this ED but after that episode, I made it compulsory to listen to it. I don’t have much to say, because I’m listening to the ED while writing this, and if I continue I’m going to be unable to do anything else for crying too hard.

6. Ouran High School Host Club - Shissou

[dies] WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE THAT GUITAR RIFF IS RELIGIOUS. YES YOU DON’T GET TO HEAR IT IN THE ED BUT GO AHEAD AND LISTEN TO THE FULL SONG!!! I like this song over the OP, I don’t give a shit about your “kiss kiss fall in love” this is the true best song. This song is just such a nostalgic song, it’s the perfect song to run to. Or chase a certain blond anime boy to…. Get up and dance to it when you hear it! I can’t say I like the artwork in the background but who cares when you can just dance around or sing along without paying attention. The Japanese and the English are both phenomenal in their own way, but don’t get me started on “Just as long as you move you’ll be okay!”. I will throw up and cry.

5. My Hero Academia - Heroes

ANIME! BOY! RUNNING!!!! And another MHA ED! Imma say it: I prefer all the MHA EDs to the OPs. I love them so much!! But let’s talk about this ED. This song has that nostalgic, emotional thing going for it already and MHA isn’t even finished yet. Knowing how far Midoriya has come, and that once obtaining his dream seemed as impossible as reaching a star, I want to scream and cry knowing that his dream is so close now. I love when he wipes away his tears and at the very end we see the beach that he cleaned gleaming in the morning sun. The song itself is just so catchy and I can’t think of a better ED for the show than this.

4. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Uso

Haha, I made a post about this song before! I was screaming over the lyrics! BOKURA SAYONARA!!! The first time I saw the very simplistic, childlike animation I was shocked. Hang on, why is Studio Bones slacking? Where’s my sexy sakuga ED? Then you get to the end and see why it’s so simple because it’s literally drawn by child Ed and Alphonse. Hear that? That’s the sound of my heart crumbling to dust. Love this song to bits, and I love singing along whenever I hear it come on, amazing first ED for FMAB.

3. Hunter X Hunter - Hyori Ittai

I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that this isn’t the most gorgeous ED you’ve ever witnessed. You get to see the original four standing in that anime sub space that all other anime characters can be found in. Then you get to see the most gorgeous celestial events reflected in the water as time passes by impossibly fast, our main four hardly bothered. Then the sun rises once again, and Leorio looks back at us — or Kurapika maybe. We then are rewarded with one final shot of the four of them at the start of their journey, caught in a picture framed on Leorio’s wall. Enough to have me choking back a sob. Absolutely devastating Thinking harder about the OP, you can see Gon is further ahead than Killua and Leorio who seem to be at an almost equal distance. Kurapika, who is set further back than them, shows how much distance has grown between the group that was as close as family at one point. Quite literally, both Killua and Leorio are unable to reach Gon or Kurapika. Kurapika being behind the group, suggests he is stuck in his past, incapable of moving forward to rejoin them. Gon being further ahead shows how he has fixated on his future - trying to reach his father and obtain all the power that he will ever have in his life.

2. Toilet Bound Hanako-kun - Tiny Lights

As I said before in my Top 10 OSTs list, I would put on a piano rendition of this song and sob uncontrollably in my maths class. I basically Pavlov dog trained myself to cry on command when it hits a certain point. This song kills me with its symbolism. Having read part of the manga, knowing that Nene is so close to death, toeing the line between the shore of the living and dead breaks my heart. When Mitsuba died and his and Kou’s paths crossed in the ED, leaving only a camera behind, I simply shattered into fragments. Don’t get me started on when Hanako fails to capture fish-ified Nene, managing to rescue her while falling deeper into the water. Absolutely devastating. This song is so beautiful and so emotional, it really is a thing of wonder in it’s simplicity. It would have easily been in first place, but there was always one ED that was going to take that spot. Excuse me while I sob dramatically for the next hour.

1. Hunter x Hunter - Hyori Ittai

Wow, the same ED in the same tier list? Yes! This. This is a masterpiece. I have added at least 500 views to Yuzu’s YouTube video. Go listen to this song so we can give it the views it deserves. I couldn’t put the second half of the whole song before the first half, the first half of the ED was what hooked me in the first place. This is my all time favourite song ever. This song changed my life for the better. It erased all the problems I had at that time. Nothing comes close to this song, this is in a league that transcends this world. Mere emotions aren’t strong enough to convey what this song does to you. When I heard them sing “Hyori Ittai” for the first time and saw those Gungi pieces flip, I fell so damn hard, that I’m still falling without any signs of stopping. I would happily rewind time to go back and listen to this song for the first time.

[teawaffles]

There’s No Business Like Show Business: Chapter 2

The next day.

After finishing his work at the mansion, Bond headed to Whitechapel’s Leman Street, where Maya and her company normally held their rehearsals. [1]

Walking down the noisy street was not just Bond, but also three other employees of the Moriarty household. One of them was Fred Porlock.

“It would’ve been fine if only you came along, Fred…… But thanks for joining us anyway, you two.”

Bond directed that to Jack Renfield and Sebastian Moran, who were walking a little behind him.

As Fred was a master of disguise, Bond had asked him to contribute his opinion on the performance too when Jack and Moran decided to tag along. Now the four of them were on their way to the rehearsal — with Louis’ permission of course.

Jack roared with laughter.

“No, you don’t have to thank me. I’ve watched my fair share of theatre, so I thought I could help them out, even if it’s from an amateur’s perspective,” said the old butler, nodding as he reminisced about those good old days.

“You’re probably just after the young girls from the theatre company, aren’t you old man?” Moran said, half in disgust. “Bond said this Maya chairwoman is a dashing lady in her own right, so I came along to feast my eyes on—— Ow, that hurt!”

Jack had clapped Moran on the head, as a warning to not shoot his mouth off.

“The only one here chasing women is you. Really, you didn’t even finish your chores properly before coming here.”

“I did my part just fine. For once, I’m not skipping out on work.”

“Rubbish — I did a check before we left and found some cigarette butts in the hallway. Don’t you dare annoy Louis any further.”

“……W-Well, the more the merrier, right?”

“…………”

Listening to their usual argument at the back of the group, Bond smiled wryly, while Fred was silent.

Finally, they had reached their destination. Waiting in front of the theatre was Maya, and her little sister Mae.

“Mister Bond!”

“Hey, haven’t seen you since yesterday.”

Mae waved her arms up and down in excitement, while Bond greeted them with a smile.

“S—sorry. Normally, she would play with the other children near our place, but today she insisted on coming with me…… By the way, um, who might these, d—dignified gentlemen be?”

“Ah, they work at the same household as me. The short one here is Fred. The somewhat scary-looking one is Moran. And this dandy old gentleman is Mr Jack. If you’re alright with it, I thought you could use their input as well.”

As Bond introduced them, the three men also greeted their host. But Maya seemed a little perplexed.

“……Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come here in a big group,” Bond admitted, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“No, no.” Maya hurriedly waved her hands. “I—I’m really grateful to be able to, hear valuable feedback from, so many people. For now, let’s not stand here to talk, please come in……”

Maya guided them into the theatre, stooped in a self-abasing posture. Her faltering voice was much as the same as from their previous encounter, but today, nerves seemed to have crept in as well.

“She has a sort of shadow about her, but that has its own charm. Like the transient beauty of a young widow, don’t you think?”

“She’s pretty, for sure, but not really my type. More like the kind of woman who complicates things when you break up with her.”

“Um, sorry you two, but if you could just keep your voices down,” chided Bond, as Jack and Moran whispered about the chairwoman behind her back.

Right after the entrance was a cramped space. The box seats above them looked hastily constructed; in truth, the interior decorations made it seem more appropriate to call this place a playhouse, rather than a proper theatre.

But their guide had only praise. “The manager here is, a really nice person; whenever we say we want to practise, he’s always happy to lend it to us. There are performances held at night, so we can only use it during the day.”

“He trusts you, doesn’t he.”

Hearing her speak with such sincere gratitude, Bond was quietly impressed by her character. Perhaps her dark aura easily invited misunderstanding, but she was definitely genuine at heart.

“Speaking of which, Miss Maya, you said that you’re the director for this performance, but surely someone else is responsible for the sets and the arrangements at the other theatre during this time?”

“Another member is in charge of the sets, but the negotiations and the like, w—were handled by me. Even so, the manager of the larger theatre — a nobleman — had actually approached us to be the opening act for another company, and I just accepted his invitation.”

“Still, isn’t it great to be invited to perform on a bigger stage, even if it’s just as an opening act?”

“Yes; for people like us — a theatre company from the slums, we don’t have many chances to show the world what we can do, so everyone’s doing their very best.”

Saying that, Maya secretly clenched her fists. Surely the one working the hardest was none other than Maya herself.

There was no audience in the stalls, and on the stage were a number of men and women — likely the company members themselves — doing light warm-ups and vocal exercises. A few of the children he’d met yesterday were also frolicking about on stage.

One exceptionally tall man on the stage had noticed Bond and the others enter the hall, and spoke up.

“Oh, is that the rumoured theatre master?”

Moran whistled at this unusually grand title.

“Theatre master, eh. A fitting name considering your experience, Bond.”

“Fufu, I’m honoured.”

Bond accepted it with his innate courage and composure. Then, he went onto the stage with Maya, while the other three sat in the stalls at the far end, so as to not stand out and interfere with the rehearsal.

The company members each stopped what they were doing and lined up in wait.

“Everyone, this is Mr Bond, who will be watching our performance today,” introduced Maya.

Right then and there, her voice had become clearer and stronger. A little taken aback by the sudden change in her attitude, Bond took a quick look around the room.

“Hello to you all. I’m looking forward to what you have for me today,” he said solemnly, as he bowed.

“We’ll do our best!” The company members bowed their heads in unison.

From their greeting, Bond could feel the the quality of their bearing, and the strength of their cohesion. Not only that, the tension he himself once felt when he stood on stage came rushing back in waves.

He switched his frame of mind from that of a special agent, to that of an actor, and looked over Maya and her company with an earnest gaze.

“Well then, without further ado, please show me what you’ve got.”

“Yes!”

Even though his instructions had been given with no introductory remarks, they asked no unnecessary questions, and jumped straight into preparation. Even though they had only put up plays in cheap theatres, Maya’s company already displayed the high level of professionalism they had developed.

“Miss Maya, what’s the programme for today?” Bond asked, as he moved to the row of seats right in front of the stage.

Maya was also directing Mae and the other children to sit down. “We’re starting with ‘The Red Shoes’, followed by ‘The Little Mermaid’, and lastly, ‘The Little Match Girl’.”

“Hmm, fairytales, I see.”

The unexpected subject matter piqued his interest.

In a time when Shakespeare was all the rage, to perform children’s literature in a proper theatre, and a serious scripted play at that — now this was a bold move.

But as someone who liked to do things unconventionally, that was precisely why their play intrigued Bond. Yesterday’s playful rendition of “The Little Match Girl” was probably inspired by it as well.

Then, the tall man who noticed Bond earlier spoke up.

“Ain’t it interesting? Maya always makes sure to write plays that even us poor dumb folk understand. Today’s script is also entirely her work,” he said cheerfully.

“Weren’t you in charge of creating the play too? You should be able to write at least one decent line of dialogue.”

At the man’s self-satisfied tone, a woman beside him sighed. But he ignored her pointed comment and carried on.

“There were a bunch of people who’d always thought ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Macbeth’ and the like were plain boring; but after Maya broke them down into something easier to follow, they’ve gotten hooked onto Shakespeare.”

“Being able to interpret works in a way that everyone can understand…… A wonderful talent indeed.”

But if you were to put on a proper production of Shakespeare in an unregulated theatre like this, you would be caught by the censors. To avoid that, incorporating music and the like into their productions was a brilliant adaptation on their part.

Bond had said that last part out loud, and the man thanked him for his words of praise. The members of the company had shown their admiration for Maya, but the woman herself took in a deep breath, as if to hide her embarrassment.

In other words, in order to put on a play that everyone could follow, the answer she'd arrived at was “fairytales”. Although it may be the best choice given the short length of the opening act……

“I’m sitting next to Mister Bond!”

“Hey, no fair!”

Bond had been absorbed in thought about the contents of the play. Nearby, the children were scrambling for the best spots. Having won the seat to the left of Bond, Mae asked him a question.

“Mister Bond, do you like ‘fairy tales’?”

That pulled him out of his thought process for a moment, and Mae smiled.

“Yeah. I read them when I was a child.”

“I like them too, because Maya and the rest always read them in a fun way—”

“Me too!” The other children raised their hands and shouted. Reading stories aloud while acting out the roles was indeed a theatrical way of reading to children.

However, Mae immediately pouted in frustration.

“But I really hate that story.”

“……Why is that?”

“The little girl always looks so sad. I tried asking Maya to give it a happy ending, but she just said that we have to ‘respect the intent of the story’ and didn’t listen.”

Her words helped Bond discern the true nature of the incongruity he'd felt.

As Mae had said, all three stories had their protagonists fall into unfortunate circumstances and perish. It was true that many fairytales were cruel, but there were others with happy endings too. Was there some hidden intent behind these choices?

As Bond pondered the new question that surfaced in his mind, Mae leaned in towards him.

“Mister Bond, do you also think it’s important, what Maya said? No matter how sad a story is, can’t we make it happy on our own?”

She asked that question with clear eyes. Bond thought for a few seconds, before responding.

“It’s true that it’s important to understand the intention of the original story. If you change its contents haphazardly, the fans of the story would be upset. I think your sister is the type who would take that very seriously.”

Mae glanced down in disappointment at his level-headed answer, but Bond continued.

“However, if we were all afraid of criticism, then nothing new would ever be made. If you have something you really want to tell others, then I think it’s possible to add a new interpretation to a story. After all, one form of respect is to show the world how you would’ve done it.”

“……Oh I see!”

Mae brightened up, and Bond smiled. Her question was one that had always, and would continue to vex all interpreters of stories. But at the very least, he didn’t want to make a decision on which way was right.

Just as their conversation had come to an end, it seemed the preparations for the performance were now complete.

“Without further ado, let us begin.”

Standing on a platform, Maya gave a bow, and with that the curtain rose.

Footnotes:

[1] Leman Street is a little to the north-east of the Tower of London and St. Katharine Docks, and within walking distance of both.

T/N: Is this chapter some meta-level commentary on the series itself?! omg