#but i will spare my followers <33333

[scattered-winter]

marvel soundtracks really peaked with black panther and that is a fact that remains undisputed even 4 years later

[killingsboys]

🌹 unclench your jaw i love you!!!

oh i NEEDED that thank you arwen ilysm <33333

Grantaire slams the door shut and follows Enjolras into his apartment. “Please, do come in,” he says grandly, opening his arms wide. “Make yourself at home, o fearless leader. Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee, a spare key? Christ, take off your shoes at least, heathen. Have you been up here before? I’ll give you the tour. Couch, bathroom, coffee machine, salt lamp. Do not lick the salt lamp, except if you do, it’s fine, everyone else has. Do not go beyond the closed door, do not pass ‘go,’ do not collect two hundred dollars. Should I put on pants? I can’t tell if this is a pants-on sort of conversation. Feel free to just murder me if I’m babbling.”

for every "🌹" received in my inbox i'll post one random sentence a snippet from a random WIP i'm currently writing!

[allsassnoclass]

Hi hazel!!! Congratulations on 500!!!!!!! Could I ask for cashton with "The intimacy of noticing someone’s nervous habits" maybeeee. all my love and my hand in marriage if ashton is the one who's nervous <33333

@lukemichaelcalumashton: Hello hello hazel! congrats on the followers, you deserve each and one of them! i'm here with the prompt "the intimacy of "how did you know that?" "Because I know you" for cashton maybe? love you, congrats again! -monse

hello hello!  I hope you don’t mind that I combined these two prompts.  They go together perfectly

this particular fic is part of the first responders au, although I think it’s passable to read as a standalone

cashton: the intimacy of noticing someone’s nervous habits, the intimacy of “how did you know that?” “because I know you”

Calum sighs in relief when he finally pulls into a parking space, carefully maneuvering the car between a huge truck and a family van with room to spare on either side.  Ashton’s apartment building stands squat and imposing in front of them, the shiny, modern building blotting out the sun.  Mali surveys it from behind her sunglasses.

“It’s a bit of an eyesore, isn’t it?” she remarks while Calum rounds the vehicle to join her on the sidewalk.  He barks a laugh.

“Ashton thinks the exact same thing,” he says, ushering her forward.  “He only lives here because it’s affordable and surpasses all of the earthquake safety regulations.”

“Smart man,” Mali says, stepping aside so Calum can put in Ashton’s door code and let them in.  The lobby is uncomfortably sterile and white in the way that modern designs seem to favor but Calum hates, but at least the elevator is smooth and functional, not like the one in Calum’s building that lets out a terrifying grinding sound every time it moves.  This one is silent as it takes them up.

Ashton keeps telling Calum that he should move.  Calum will only do so if Ashton moves with him.

“Promise me again that you won’t give him the shovel talk?” he requests, watching the lights on the buttons change with each floor they pass.

Mali slides her eyes over to him, amusement twinkling in them.

“If you keep asking me that, it’s going to make me think something’s wrong.  You mean you don’t want me to defend the honor of my one and only baby brother?”

Calum knocks their shoulders together, rolling his eyes at the sarcasm.

“My honor is fine, thank you.  I just don’t want you to be mean.  I want you two to get along.”

“If he likes you half as much as you like him, I think we’ll be fine,” Mali says.  The elevator dings, announcing their arrival, and he gives her a smile as they make their way down the apartment corridors to Ashton’s door.

Calum isn’t actually worried, not really.  Ashton and Mali are both extremely likable.  He doesn’t know of anyone who can resist their natural charm, and he loves them both.  He can’t fathom a situation where they would come out of tonight disliking each other.

“Ready?” he asks her as he approaches the correct door and the cute, lemon-themed welcome mat that Ashton keeps outside of it.  Mali nods, and he takes that as the cue to knock.

The door swings open after a few muffled thumps sound from inside, revealing Ashton with a wide, dazzling smile.  He’s wearing one of his printed button-ups, the red paisley one that shows off his arms as he gestures them inside, and his earring glints off the light in the hallway under his curls.

“Come in, come in!” he enthuses, closing the door behind them and skirting back to the front of their little triangle with a light brush of his hand on Calum’s back.  “You can leave your shoes here if you’d like.  It’s so nice to meet you, Mali-Koa!  Calum has told me so many wonderful things about you!”

“He’s told me a lot about you, too,” Mali says, undoing the straps of her sandals and returning his smile.  “Just Mali is fine.”

“Right, just Mali.”  He claps his hands together.  “Can I get you guys anything to drink?  Water, oat milk, soda, lemonade?  Dinner will be ready in a moment, it’s just finishing up in the oven.”

He flutters to the kitchen, checking over his shoulder that they’re following.  Calum puts his hands in his pockets and tries not to pout because he didn’t get a hello kiss like usual.

“Water would be lovely,” Mali says.

“What about you, Cal?” Ashton asks, reaching for the glasses.  The timer on the oven chooses that moment to go off, and Ashton fumbles the glass.  Calum winces at the clatter it causes as it lands in the sink.

“I’m so sorry,” Ashton says, reaching for the cup and looking at the timer.  “Let me just–”

“I’ve got it, Ash.”  Calum takes the glass from his hand, ignoring the crack in it.  “I’ll do beverages, you do food.”

Ashton purses his lips together, but grabs the oven mitts without protest.  Calum hears the timer shut off, then feels a wave of heat at his back when the oven door opens.

Usually Ashton welcomes Calum’s help in the kitchen.  Calum is almost always roped into cooking with him when he comes over for dinner, because Ashton never wants him to be bored waiting for the food to finish and the kitchen is his happy place.  Calum loves that Ashton wants him in there with him.

Apparently not today, though.  Calum tries not to let it sting, but he has the worrying feeling that this might become a pattern for the night.

He gets new glasses of water for all of them, with ice for Ashton and without for him and Mali.  Ashton sets a delicious-smelling vegetarian lasagna down on his little wooden table off to the side between the kitchen and dining room.  The apartment doesn’t have a great space for a dining table, but Ashton doesn’t like to eat at the kitchen island when he has company, because he doesn’t like having to fully turn his head to see and talk to them.  The table is already laden with their plates and silverware, as well as apple slices, rolls from the supermarket down the street, and a small garden salad.

“This looks wonderful, Ashton,” Mali says, hovering by one of the chairs.  Calum chooses the one at the head of the table, and Ashton loops around to pull out Mali's chair with a flourish.

"Thank you," she laughs, taking her seat.

"My pleasure," Ashton says with a wide smile.

He insists on dishing everyone up, apologizing profusely when he drips sauce on the table transferring a slice of lasagna to Mali's plate, noodles and sauce sliding into a steaming lump with the ricotta cheese instead of maintaining a neat rectangle.  He fumbles the salad bowl while he passes it, too, immediately apologizing again.

He's more of a klutz than Luke tonight.  Ashton is usually the steadiest person that Calum knows, always focused and calm on calls and grounded whenever they hang out.  Calum has never seen him like this, and he's never heard him apologize so much in such a short amount of time.  He can feel the frenetic energy coming off of him in waves, can see it in his wide, frozen smile.

Calum presses his foot against Ashton's under the table, hoping to settle him.  Ashton glances at him, then returns his gaze to Mali.

"So, Mali, tell me more about yourself!"

Conversation flows relatively smoothly after that, with Ashton leading most of it and laughing loudly.  Calum ensures that Mali knows most of the vegetables in the salad were grown by Ashton on the apartment's rooftop garden, and Ashton quickly brushes off Mali's compliments on it and turns the conversation back to her.  Mali can barely get her own questions in edgewise, even though Ashton usually loves to talk about himself.

Calum catches him squeezing the space between his thumb and forefinger, something he does when he's anxious or has a headache.  Calum gently presses their feet together again.

Ashton is wearing socks.  Calum has never seen him wear socks in the apartment, not even during winter.  He only ever wears them in the firehouse because he needs to keep his boots on in case they get a call.

Somehow, they make it through dinner without a major incident.  Mali doesn’t seem to have picked up on the weird vibe in the air, but maybe she thinks Ashton is always like this.  She doesn’t know Ashton like he does.  Calum can see every nervous fidget and the effort behind his wide smiles.  It’s making his shoulders tense.

Mali, thankfully, excuses herself to the bathroom before dessert.  Calum turns to Ashton the second he hears the door close behind her.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, laying his hand on Ashton’s forearm and brushing his thumb across his skin in a gentle back-and-forth motion.

“Nothing’s wrong!” Ashton says, smile still fixed in place.  Calum wonders if his face aches.

“Ash,” he says evenly, continuing his thumb’s back-and-forth.

Ashton is one stubborn motherfucker, but he’s too brittle right now to keep this contained from Calum.  He watches him waver, then crack like concrete under a sledgehammer, slumping back against his chair.

“I’m fucking everything up,” he mumbles, frown quivering.

“Hey, no you’re not,” Calum says gently, shifting closer.  “Mali likes you, I can tell!”

“Why?  I’m obviously not hiding my nervousness well.”

“You’re doing fine,” Calum assures him.  “Just because I noticed it doesn’t mean that she did.  I’m your partner, Ash.  I’m supposed to notice these things.”

“What gave it away?”

Calum sighs.

“Your clumsiness, for one.  I’ve never seen you fumble anything, but you’re dropping things left and right today.  You’re using the smile you give to people when we’re on calls, not the one you use with me and the rest of the team.  You keep pressing the pressure point on your hand.  Also, you’re wearing socks.”

Ashton frowns.

“Lots of people wear socks.”

“Not you.”

Ashton sighs, pulling his hand away to squeeze his pressure point again.

“Some people get really weird about seeing feet.  Like, they hate it.  I didn’t want to make a bad impression.”

“Ash, sweetheart, we live in LA,” Calum says, exasperated.  “No one here owns socks.  Mali isn’t going to dislike you just because you don’t like the feeling of cloth on your feet.”

The space between Ashton’s eyebrows wrinkles, just barely enough for Calum to notice.

“How did you know that?” he asks.

“Know what?”

“About the socks,” Ashton says.  “That I don’t like them because I don’t like the feeling of it.  That it’s a texture thing.”

Calum tilts his head.

“Because I know you,” he says.  “You always take a deep breath when you put them on, like you’re steeling yourself to head into an emergency, and you grimace in the same way when you eat something you don’t like.”

For a split second, the image of Ashton grimacing over sludgy hospital coffee over a year ago leaps unbidden into his mind.

He’s been observing Ashton for a long time, first as teammates so they would be able to read each other in the field, then as someone hopelessly pining over a distant crush.  As much as there’s still more to learn, he knows enough.  He knows Ashton in the same way he knows how to put his gear on once the bell rings, or the cracks in his ceiling that he studied night after night when he first moved into his apartment here.

“I know you,” he repeats, hoping that Ashton can read everything he doesn’t know how to say within these syllables.

Ashton smiles, because he knows Calum, too.  He hears it.

By the time Mali returns to the table and they eat dessert, Ashton’s socks have been abandoned underneath the table, and his smile has softened into the one that Calum is used to seeing in this apartment, not the mask he pastes on when necessary in public.  Mali meets Calum’s eyes over her slice of cake when Ashton lets out a genuine giggly laugh, her eyes sparkling.

Calum knows Ashton, but he knows his sister, too.  He recognizes that look.

Ashton has nothing to worry about, just like Calum knew from the start.  He leans back in his chair and watches the beginning of their friendship unfold, happy to bask in the presence of the two people who know him best.

[throughtrialbyfire]

Saber cat, lavender, Hargrave claws, and Morthal from the skyrim asks ? :3

hi!!

Sabre Cat: Favorite food?

HMMMMMM that changes a lot, depending on the day. my main comfort food rn, however, has been rice and yellow curry! it's easy to make and extremely comforting, i use chicken in mine but i wanna use shrimp sometime. <33

Lavender: Character you like that everyone hates?

i like delphine a lot! i think she deserves more credit for what she's gone through and is now currently going through. yes, she wants us to kill grandpa paarthurnax, yes, she's not adhering to the blades code of "follow the dragonborns orders" but idk man, she's like, one of two blades agents we know of that are still alive. maybe we should cut her a little slack.

Hagraven Claws: Favorite Daedra quest/weapon?

DAWNBREAKER <33333333 one of the best weapons in skyrim, hands-down. i also love the sanguine rose, i send dremora to fight the dwemer centurions all the time. as for quests, sanguines, hircines, nocturnals, and vaerminas. i always spare erandur though.

Morthal: Who was your first OC?

my first skyrim oc was hyron aedther, altmer last dragonborn and thief! he doesnt have a lot of development, but i want to work on him more. he's fun!

thank you so much for the asks!! <33333

skyrim themed asks

[dyed-red]

Recently stumbled on your S5 non-con fic where Meg forces them and I'm in awe of your writing. Your depiction of Dean -- his anger, his guilt, his possessiveness -- is phenomenal. It's totally IC too because we know Dean will do anything to "save" Sam, wouldn't care about his autonomy or consent. And the way you write Sam is both provocative and thoughtful, it's a delicious combination that I have never seen before.

I'd give anything to read Sam pov/aftermath but even without that, the story is perfect. Thank you so much for writing and sharing your talent with us❤️

Dear anon,

thanks so much for this lovely message omg <33333 it's so lovely to hear that my characterization rang true and that the emotions were coming through well :)

i'm fundamentally drawn to messy noncon narratives in part because i'm fascinated by the ways people (characters) act when placed under extreme situation constraints.

dean violating sam's autonomy as a function of protecting/saving him (for certain values of the words "protect" and "save") is also my jam. most of my fics on that are actually much more focused on how sam copes with those violations though, so oddly enough Lesser Evils is the outlier in that regard.

meaning, of course, that i've mentally walked through the sam-aftermath pov and like, i can write it, but i haven't figure out the "to what avail" piece yet.

rest is under a cut because both spoilers for if i ever write this potential sequel as well as some major trigger warnings (check this post's tags).

with a sequel, i can walk through all the pieces that happen next, but where does it lead and what is the end and what does it meaningfully and purposefully add to this narrative? what point does it get them to which is different either from the point they're left already at the end of part 1, or the point they land in canon anyway?

(not that enjoyment itself or the joy of writing/reading require a purpose, but most of the time when i write there's a central 'something' i'm getting at, whether i know what that is when i start writing or not. and if i lose what i'm getting at along the way, or can't figure it out along the way, i don't end up finishing the piece. so the potential sequel is 'stuck' because i haven't figured out where i want it to go)

where i'm struggling is that in my head so far, i haven't determined if the rape in part 1 would lead sam and dean closer together or farther apart (and if neither, what's the point?).

i know the themes and tension and sam's pov though, like i have mentally drafted it with words. it explores sam's headspace and pain and emotional devastation and all the very messy feelings related to the timing of that fic because this is, again, still happening just a few days, like 48 hours? (canon timeline unclear) after killing lilith and lucifer coming topside. so he was already mired in guilt and shame and then that happens and there's a very real internalized self-blame happening there, a sort of sense of penance and deservingness that stop him from accessing his also very real anger over what happened, anger directed at dean that sam needs to give space to in order to process it properly.

much like part 1 which has this refrain of dean's sleepless exhaustion as a steady driver of desperation, part 2 has a refrain of sam's sense of not being clean, a consistent callback to how badly he needs a shower but there hasn't been a second in which to have one.

because this headspace is unfolding as they get bobby to the hospital, as they find out about the michael sword being dean, as they rush back to the hospital and cas brands their ribs. there just isn't a moment to spare for luxuries like washing up after being assaulted.

so that's part 2 and it's really this sort of heavy piece. but i don't think it's enough to sit own it's on as a follow-up, not in a way that satisfies me.

something i know i would need to play around with, potentially in a part 3 depending on length, is whether what happened changes the decision for sam to go his own way (5x03) for a while or not. if they're still together when lucifer starts appearing in sam's dreams in the guise of a dead lover, when zachariah drops dean out of bed and into the future, when they realize simultaneously that sam is lucifer's vessel.

i think yes because that's more interesting than following canon, but does it mean lucifer's plan here backfired and what meg did to them brought them closer, or is it worse than ever between them? do hunters still track down sam and try to force him to drink blood? would dean be there to see that, to help? does cas still ask dean to help with raphael and dean remembers what having fun is like, or is he too full of self-loathing? would sam be there when raphael drops the line 'god is dead'?

or maybe i skip over that because ehhh, not actually central to the narrative here and wouldn't be the same if they were together. maybe i just focus on the lucifer piece, fast forward to it. but then what?

on the one hand, there's some truly heavy stuff i have thought about for the start of s5 and whether or not sam ever tried to call lucifer's bluff -- sam said he'd kill himself before becoming lucifer's vessel and lucifer said he'd just bring him back. sam knows an angel can do that, but sam's also got enochian sigils on his ribs now that hide him from angels (from lucifer), and at this point he might still assume that even if the angels aren't trustworthy they should in theory not want lucifer to get his true vessel, so wouldn't necessarily hand him over without a fight if lucifer came to try and grab his soul out of the afterlife. maybe taking himself out of the game is the safest move for mankind. at least worth trying, right?

or maybe rather than dean reappearing in the present day with zachariah only to find sam's corpse and blame himself, maybe the narrative takes itself somewhere else, somewhere easier, like dean appearing in their motel room right after seeing lucifer in sam's skin in the future at exactly the moment that sam wakes up from his dream of lucifer where he finds out he's the devil's vessel. and maybe after banishing zach and hightailing their way outta dodge, both brothers cling desperately to one another in the face of the cruelty of everything coming at them, and maybe that's the softest epilogue i can give them here, the one they earned.

hmm. there might be something to that.

[katsukiboom]

👀👀👀 could you do chubby chaser Mirio and how he found out/met reader please? Either way I adore your writing and you’re really good at it 💖❣️💕💝💞💓💗💟♥️

Hello my dude! First of all, thank you for the compliments, I really appreciate them ;;;; her stuff as well

Hope y’all enjoy this!

Ko-Fi || Commissions

———————————————————————————————————–

The first time Mirio laid eyes on you was truly something out of a fairytale. You were out by the main gates under the rain while everyone was leaving school, you had your umbrella in your left hand and your right was reaching up to the skies as you waltzed around like no one was watching. He suspected you were also humming a catchy tune, but he didn’t want to move from his spot at the entrance of the main building just in case getting closer meant losing sight of your moving figure.

It was as if everything he looked for in a partner was right there in front of him – figuratively, since you were actually several feet away. He had been called a ‘chubby chaser’ before, given that almost everyone he felt attracted to had this particular trait, but he knew better than that: Togata Mirio didn’t think that outer appearances were a big deal, and that was the short version of it. The long version included various reasons that deviated into some deep-rooted memories that made him feel fond of that specific body type, yet it was only mere coincidence that he had decided to try and date bigger people. It didn’t matter at all to him, as long as everyone got along just fine. Now, as he stared at your dancing form, it felt as if it was love at first sight. Something strange and foreign to him. 

- Looks like the rain brought dancing whales, - he heard a lighter, taunting voice say to another as they pointed at you in the middle of the crowd and laughed on the low, stopping only when he shot them a deathly stare. They only stared back with dumbfounded expressions on each of their faces before opening their own umbrellas and making their way down the short flight of stairs. He watched them open their way through the mass of students until they reached your side, the closest one to you abruptly reaching out and pushing you to the ground – as expected, no one seemed to want to help at all, passing by you with ease and only sparing you a glance or two.

That was the one thing that flipped a switch inside Mirio’s mind; the blond ran to you as fast as he could, not caring whether he got wet and even lightly pushing people out of his way until he reached your side, and once he saw you picking up your now wet stuff and the way your uniform had a few brown stains filled him with anger. - Are you okay? – He asked, kneeling down beside you as he tried his best to shelter you from the rain with his jacket. You looked up to him, smiled then went back to your things. – Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you? I can talk to the teachers if you want, let them learn their lesson; you can’t let them get away with…

- You talk too fast, Togata-san, - you cut him off, your voice gentle and your round cheeks were now a slight red. . Mirio could’ve sworn it was the cutest thing he had ever heard. – I’m okay; you don’t have to worry about… something like this.

- You… know me?

You stopped and looked at him again, your eyebrows raised in confusion, letting out a giggle at his question.  – Well, Togata Mirio, third year, one of the Big 3… kind of hard to miss if you ask me. – Mirio’s mouth was left a bit agape in awe, but you did have a point after all. Your eyes suddenly opened up, letting out a few stutters as you picked whatever was left on the floor as you avoided the few people that were still leaving the place from stepping on it. – Oh, I’m sorry! I was being too straightforward. Please, don’t let me keep you from whatever you were planning on doing, - you said, but when you reached for the very last thing, your small pencil case, he did as well, your hands touching as he placed his on top of yours. It was adorable for him to witness your whole face lighting up, suddenly it felt as if the day’s temperature had suddenly risen.

- I wasn’t really doing anything important, - he spoke slowly, his sweet, gentle voice making every hair on your body stand up from how intimate the whole situation felt even when he really didn’t know you. – I just saw a cute person in the pouring rain, who seemed like they needed help, - and with that last part you buried your face on your hands, something that he interpreted as a bad sign and that made him feel instantly regretful. – Oh, did I make you uncomfortable? I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry.

Almost immediately, you looked back at him and he could see a small glint in your eyes. – No, please don’t take it the wrong way; it’s just… I’m nothing special, I’ve never had… anyone like you tell me that… - you trailed off and he took the chance to pick up the pencil case you had left on the ground, placing it carefully inside of your bag after drying it with his pants. Mirio waited for you to say something else, but he couldn’t contain his own words before they left his mouth; after all, he had planned to approach you in a calmer manner, but he wouldn’t refuse the opportunity when given to him.

- I mean it when I say you’re cute and I mean it when I say I’d really like to get to know you, - he spoke, his usual cheery self now back and his best smile on. However, it was when his legs started to hurt a bit that he noticed you were still crouching in the middle of the sidewalk, although he felt lucky that the rain had started to stop as well. – There’s a café down the street I like to go to with Tamaki sometimes; they have the best cheesecakes around and their lattes are to die for. - He got up and reached out for you to take his hand, and when you followed his actions he realized just how soft you felt and the gentle scent of roses that surrounded you. All in all, you felt like a hidden garden to him and it was delightful. – What do you think?

- A-ah, - you muttered shyly, still looking flustered as your sight fixed on your feet. – I… I’d very much like to go with you, Togata-san, - you added, and his heart began to bit a tad faster. 

- Just Mirio s’okay, - he corrected happily, and he calmly linked your arm with his. – Can I ask you one more thing? – You nodded, and he let out a small sigh of relief that everything seemed to be going just fine. – I still don’t know your name, missy. – The second you told him, , he repeated it twice, one to you so he made sure he had gotten it right and one to himself because he liked the way it sounded when he spoke it.  He would make sure to speak it more often and he could already feel the excitement rushing from his head to his toes, as just imagining the way he’d introduce you to his friends gave him more energy than he thought he had in him. – Well then, - he added, - shall we go?

You gave him a hearty smile and it was his time to blush like mad; your plump cheeks seemed perfect to kiss, but he’d have to wait for that. It didn’t matter as long as he was the one to do so, and as you started to talk about each other it was clear as day to him that it had been the right choice to approach you that day – he had the rain to thank for that.

[omniswords]

Chronicles of a Parisian Dumbass 4

here’s the next installment! hope you enjoy. thanks in advance for the likes and reblogs <33333

[Read Chronicles on AO3!]

so i’ve been working on a new song recently. watch this space for a clip.

i think.

Well, he meant it when he said he wanted to play a song that matched her eyes. Marinette’s eyes. He’s just lucky he can find so much inspiration in color.

It’s just that every time he sits down with his guitar or his music notebook, it feels like no note or chord can do that color justice. It’s been like this since the day the met, after band practice dispersed and he holed himself up in his room with his guitar. It’s not that no music comes to him; no, he can pick up on that easily. He’s been playing people’s hearts by ear for as long as he can remember. It’s just that no matter what he tries to play or scribble down, no matter how much he tries meditating to clear his mind, it doesn’t sound perfect. Even if he tries to match the tempo to that spark he saw and the sweetness of her voice, even if he tries to make the music swell for the richness of the color, none of the melodies sound like just that right shade of blue. The unreachable kind.

Maybe that’s the point.

Even if it is, he doesn’t want to stop trying. Her eyes are worth the effort.

In fact, Juleka’s the one who finds him lying flat on his back in bed, still holding his guitar as he stares up at the ceiling, playing out every blue song he knows because even that’s better than trying to make it up in the silence. “Wow,” is all she says. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What?” he mumbles, half-wanting to say Sunday? instead. “The day I’d have it this bad for a girl?”

“The day you’d actually find music hard,” she says. “But that, too. Usually I’m the one who’s supposed to be this bad.”

Never mind that Juleka and Rose have been dating for years, and practically inseparable for even longer. Luka puts his guitar aside, grabs his pillow, and promptly groans into it.

“You know,” Juleka says; he can feel her looming over him, just like she did when they were both still teenagers and she wanted her turn on their shared handheld console at the asscrack of dawn. “I think you’re the one who needs the pick-me-up this time.”

Under the pillow, Luka rolls his eyes. “I’ve spent enough money there this week, trust me.”

“What’s this?” she teases. “You’re passing up the chance to meet eyes with Cute Bakery Girl?”

God, he forgot she followed him online. Why wasn’t there a way to edit posts so that your sister, who apparently only ever graced you with her snark, couldn’t see them?

When he pulls the pillow away, Juleka is smiling, toying with the ends of her hair. “Get out of here,” she says with a nudge. “You’ll feel better if you walk away from it for a little bit.”

She’s right, but he doesn’t say so out loud. “Is that code for, ‘The sooner you feel better, the sooner you can help me re-dye my hair?’”

Juleka snorts. “It might be.”

The first time he ever went to Tom and Sabine’s… it had to be months ago. Back when he’d found Juleka at her desk, crying and stressing over some exam or assignment and PMS-ing all at once, all during her first year in university… God, it was terrible, seeing her go through that. Not as bad as actually going through it—he’d probably never know what any of that felt like. She’d broken at just the first touch of his hand on her shoulder, broken when he hugged her through it and murmured that it was all going to be okay, and here he was, doing the quickest search he could manage of nearby pastry shops that sold pear tarts. The best ones.

Juleka always did deserve the best; that went without question.

Tom and Sabine’s was the first result to show up. Stellar reviews—nothing below four stars. It was the obvious choice; he didn’t need to look anywhere else. He biked the whole way there, and the instant he walked in and removed his helmet, he was all but walloped with the smell of freshly-baked bread, the classical music wafting through the shop, the display cases of sweets—and then the kind lady at the register, waiting for him to approach. She’d packed the tart with such care and affection as soon as he’d told her who it was for and why, and he felt it. All the  she felt for every creation in this space. All the love for every person who had the honor of tasting them.

He didn’t need to go anywhere else after that. They spoke his language, in food instead of music, so they had his patronage on lock.

And now they extra had it on lock—he’d admit it to himself and a few hundred sort-of strangers, at least—because of Marinette. Whose wit isn’t exactly firecracker, but is still warm and quick enough to keep him on his toes. Who seems to know how to hold her own and look like she wants adventure in the great wide somewhere all at once. Who read his note, and smiled, and might not have thrown it away. Who just might have let him in.

Who, of course, is working the register today. (Seriously, he knows the bakery is open every day, but does Mr. Dupain really not give her any days off?)

And who, of course, is watching him with those sparkling, unreachable blue eyes as soon as the door opens. “We really have to stop meeting like this,” she comments, the threat of a smile at the corner of her mouth and a faint lilt in her voice. The kind that tells him she probably watches a lot of sitcoms in her spare time, because you don’t pick up that kind of teasing wit from nowhere. “At this rate, you’re gonna be seeing the dentist as often as you see this place.”

Luka balks a little, but tries not to show it. “I mean,” he says, jerking a thumb behind him, trying to make a joke of it all. “I can go…”

“Don’t.” Marinette says the word like she means to spit it out—like she regrets her own joke, even—then pauses as if to assess herself. “Sorry,” she sighs. “It’s been a long week. What can I get for you today?”

She looks… apologetic. It’s actually kind of sweet.

“Hey,” he says; it comes out more gently than he meant it to, but it certainly doesn’t seem to do any harm. “Don’t worry about it, really. Can I just get an eclair to go?”

Marinette nods, seemingly unconvinced, and sets to work. It’s while she’s reaching into one of the display cases that Mr. Dupain’s voice comes seeping under the door to the back room. “Marinette! Are you out there?”

“Coming, Papa,” she says without so much as looking up, her voice all too musical as she lays the eclair in the box—

Wait.

Papa?

He must be staring, because when she looks up, the first thing she says is, “What are you looking at?”

“You…” Luka clears his throat. “You’re Mr. Dupain’s daughter?”

Marinette’s brow furrows. She doesn’t look upset, simply confused—as though the answer should have been obvious to him. “Um… yes?”

“Oh. Well.” He pauses. “Huh.”

What is he doing? What the hell kind of reaction is that?

“I mean, I get it,” she says. “I look more like my mom than my dad, but…” She shrugs, smiles faintly. “At least I’ve got his eyes.”

This time, when Luka stares, it’s intentional. Over the music, he’s putting the pieces of her parents together—her father’s eyes, her mother’s hair, all of their joy in the smiles he’s seen. The more he looks, the more she looks like them, and the more he wonders if he’s trying to traces something in him, too. There’s… something in her that looks like she might know him, but he can’t possibly place where.

From the back room, Mr. Dupain—Marinette’s father—calls her again, and she jolts to attention again, makes for the door. Just before she opens it, she gives him one last meaningful look. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she says, “at your service.”

“At least until Mrs.—until your mom gets back,” Luka says. “Right?”

Something hopeful flickers in her eyes, or maybe he’s just hoping that it’s hopeful, before she disappears behind the door, and Luka strolls on out with her name buzzing behind his teeth. Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Something about it sounds so friendly. Something about it sounds so… familiar.

He’s about five steps around the corner when he realizes, among all the repetition and trying to place just who she inherited those gorgeous eyelashes from, that he left the eclair on the counter.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng isn’t laughing when he comes dragging his feet back into the bakery, but those blue, blue eyes are. “Forgetting something?” she asks, nodding to the lone beige box on the counter.

Luka wonders if his are laughing, too. He hopes they are. He gives a two-fingered salute, and this time, just before he opens the door, she’s the one to call to him.

“Thanks,” she says. “For the note.”

There’s a scream that wants to rip its way out of his chest and explode with excitement and relief, and he channels every bit of it into how tightly he squeezes the doorknob. There’s something else that wants to turn him back to her, to get one last look at those blue, blue eyes, but he doesn’t let himself. If he does, he’ll never leave, and then he’ll never hear the end of it when he gets back home. “Anything to make somebody’s day a little brighter,” he finally says.

Which isn’t entirely wrong. It’s just that instead of somebody’s, he wants to say, yours.

(He wanted to get away with it. Saying her name one more time.)

plot twist of all plot twists: Cute Bakery Girl is Wholesome Bakery Couple’s literal daughter.

they have an entire daughter.

and she’s cute as fuck

and i’m so dead

and p.s., i think she’s been giving me macarons for free.

[weilongfu]

HAHAHAHA leaving you a prompt :33333 So I was thinking about an AU - How about CEO TY getting threats from a competitor or jealous board member or something + SF being dispatched to protect him as his bodyguard & TY ends up falling in love with SF? XDDD Thank youuuuuu you're the best!

Merry Christmas @stebeee! Please accept this humble offering!

——

“This is unnecessary.” Jack refrained from rolling his eyes too hard as Tang Yi continued ranting in his (thankfully) soundproof office. “It wasn’t even a proper threat! That bullet missed by a kilometer!”

“It was only five centimeters from your head, boss.”

“If you’re sniping at someone, then five centimeters is more than a kilometer.”

Jack contemplated Tang Yi’s argument for a moment. “I would normally agree with you, boss, but Miss Zuo is insisting that we keep the investigation… In house. So we’ll have to… outsource your protection detail.” Tang Yi raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been assigned to investigate which board member is pissed at you, boss. In the meantime, we’ve kindly asked… the police for a bodyguard for you.”

This time, Tang Yi’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t.”

Jack’s expression failed to be innocent. “I didn’t have a say in the matter.” 

“But you know someone on the force who could have a say on the matter.”

To his credit, Jack managed to look scandalized. “Why I would never leverage my relationship with Junior Officer Zhao to make sure that Officer Meng would be assigned to your protection detail by talking to Captain Li! That would be manipulating the police! A criminal offense!” Jack often prided himself on toeing the line. The throbbing vein on Tang Yi’s forehead told him the mission had been accomplished. “And I definitely wouldn’t do it just to annoy you into learning to negotiate with the board in a less hostile manner! No way, boss!”

“Fang. Liang. Dian.”

“Hey, only Zhao Zi gets to call me that!”

Tang Yi rubbed the bridge of his nose, his cell phone already ringing wildly. “Sometimes I wonder whose side you’re on.”

“No need to wonder boss.” Jack smiled and Tang Yi frowned as he looked at the number on his phone. “I’m on my own side.”

——

After a long and exhausting phone call with Captain Li, or mother as Tang Yi begrudgingly acknowledged, Tang Yi had anticipated the sound of luggage wheels on his recently polished wood flooring. He did not anticipate the volume at which Officer Meng Shao Fei shouted, “Tang Yi!”

Tang Yi maintained a cool expression while eyeing all the dirt and scratches on his floor. Shao Fei realized what Tang Yi was looking at and bowed sheepishly. “I’ll clean it, I promise!”

“If I had known the police were offering a maid service now, I’d have called sooner.” Shao Fei looked up long enough to shoot Tang Yi a glare. Tang Yi ignored it and motioned to one of his maids. “Show Officer Meng to his room. Then show him to the closet where the cleaning supplies are.”

Tang Yi allowed himself a small smile at Shao Fei’s groan as he walked back to his office.

——

Tang Yi considered his life cursed the moment Senior Officer Li Li Zhen entered his life and announced she was his long lost mother, years after CEO Tang Guo Dong had already adopted him off the streets. This startling realization was immediately followed by an introduction to her then junior officer, Shao Fei. Shao Fei was bright and earnest, having only seen the righteous and diligent side of Li Zhen. Tang Yi, rightfully feeling wronged and out-of-sorts, had rejected Shao Fei’s friendship out of spite. 

The words he had spared for his mother were no less scathing.

From then on, Shao Fei was everywhere, calling on Tang Yi to understand his mother. Tang Yi refused, saying he had no mother. Tang Guo Dong and Li Zhen would shake their heads. Rinse and repeat. 

Four years later and a begrudging peace and equilibrium had been reached. Shao Fei and Li Zhen stayed on their side of Taipei in the police station and Shi Hai Corp on the other side would keep Tang Yi and Tang Guo Dong. 

Tang Guo Dong’s retirement plan turned restaurant was considered neutral ground.

Tang Yi stepped over the threshold, Shao Fei nearly stepping on his heels, while the hostess directed Tang Yi to his reserved table. Tang Guo Dong managed to extricate himself from the kitchen, dirty chef jacket and all, to greet them. 

“Xiao Yi, Xiao Fei, so nice you could come in tonight.” Tang Yi looked at Tang Guo Dong beneath furrowed brows. Shao Fei’s smile was only a little bit strained. “Xiao Yi, what did I tell you about the board members? And now you’ve gone and troubled Xiao Fei.”

“You said every man under Shi Hai is an ingredient. And I would have to learn how to manage them all properly.” Tang Yi swirled the water in his glass. “You never said anything about throwing away rotten food.”

“Uncle Tang, don’t worry!” Shao Fei pounded his chest. “I’ll protect Tang Yi, no problem!”

“Xiao Fei, I would never question your skills. I’d question the man you’re protecting.” Tang Guo Dong felt Tang Yi’s glare intensify, but did not acknowledge it. “Chef’s choice tonight?”

“Yes, thank you Uncle Tang!” Tang Yi kept his lips sealed. “Tang Yi says thank you as wel-OUCH!”

——

“Tang Yi! Wait for me!” Shao Fei ran after Tang Yi as he headed for his run around the park. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going out today?!”

“Officer Meng, I’m already forced to live with you. If I’m forced to exercise with you, I’ll go insane!”

Shao Fei managed to catch up and keep pace with Tang Yi before smiling. Tang Yi raised an eyebrow and increased his pace. Shao Fei followed and his smile became smug.

“Go as fast as you like, I can keep up, Tang Yi.”

“Oh can you? Good.” Tang Yi’s spared Shao Fei a small smirk before sprinting off.

To Tang Yi’s surprising delight, Shao Fei was true to his word. Regardless of the speed and winding path that Tang Yi took through the park, Shao Fei kept up. It was almost like playing tag, with Shao Fei nipping at Tang Yi’s heels. Tang Yi could feel his mouth moving, a ghost of a genuine smile. Shao Fei turned to face him, his eyes narrow in delight started to widen. 

“Get down!”

Shao Fei tackled Tang Yi into the grass as the gunshot echoed across the mostly empty park. Tang Yi could feel two racing heartbeats in his chest as Shao Fei pressed him down into the field with his body as he scanned the area for the shooter. 

A moment passed. Then two. And Tang Yi had had enough of the blood rushing to his face, even if Shao Fei couldn’t see it.

“Get off me, aren’t you done acting cool?” Tang Yi shoved Shao Fei off and was answered with a squawk.

“Tang Yi! Stay down, what if the shooter-”

“Then he would have shot you already.” Tang Yi pushed himself up. “I’m going home.”

“Wait! I’m coming too!”

——

“Tang Yi, this is the fourth incident this week,” Li Zhen said as she attempted to scold Tang Yi in his office. It was moderately successful. Li Zhen, in full uniform, was intimidating, but Tang Yi distracted himself by staring out the window instead of at her face. “Stop egging the assailant on! And stop trying to avoid Ah Fei!”

“I’m not avoiding him. I’m just capable of taking care of myself.”

“He’s pulled you out of the way of each assassination attempt this week.”

“Well all the better to leave him alone, I wouldn’t want you to lose your star junior officer.”

“How old are you now, Tang Yi?” Li Zhen stepped closer to Tang Yi’s desk. “And you are still acting like a jealous teenager!”

“Don’t I have the right?” Tang Yi finally stood up to face his wayward mother. “I didn’t choose to be born your son! You chose to give me away, abandon me! And yet you’ve taken another child in with a less tainted lineage. Was it so disgusting to give birth to the child of Chen Wen Hao?” Tang Yi finally stood straight, making himself taller than Li Zhen. “Was it all you could think about? How tainted I was? And you went and got yourself a clean child to tutor and mentor.

“How shallow you are. To know I was living a better life with Tang Guo Dong and then to come running back to claim me as your child. How disgusting you really are, behind that facade of the law and truth.

“You are not my mother, no matter how much you force me to acknowledge you.” Tang Yi said firmly. Li Zhen staggered backwards. “And I do not want your concern. Or protection. I’ll handle the board members the way I choose. The police need not concern themselves.”

Tang Yi moved to storm out but when he opened the door, Shao Fei fell into the room. Shao Fei opened his mouth to explain, but Tang Yi stepped over him and left.

Hours later, Shao Fei found Tang Yi sitting in the dark and the cold, gently rocking back and forth in the old swing set Tang Guo Dong had installed for when Tang Yi and Zuo Hong Ye were children. Tang Yi’s gaze was distant. Numerous cigarette butts surrounded him. Somewhere, off to the side and behind a few trees, Shao Fei could just barely make out the red color of Jack’s hair. There was a glint of something sharp shortly after and Shao Fei took a deep breath to steel himself. 

“Tang Yi.” Shao Fei stepped up and slowly put a gentle hand on Tang Yi’s shoulder. It was not immediately brushed off. “Tang Yi, I’m not a replacement for you. I never will be.” Tang Yi remained silent, his aura as chilly as the air around them. “We both have places in Li Zhen-Jie’s heart, and I would never-”

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to find out you weren’t wanted, Officer Meng?” Shao Fei’s mouth snapped shut. “It’s not about being replaced. It’s about knowing you never had a place to begin with. It’s about starting with less than zero. All for it to change in an instant after you grew up knowing that you’d always bear that burden.” Tang Yi gazed at Shao Fei with cold eyes. “Could you do it? Could you let go? Open up a heart that didn’t pass the standard for someone who left you before you could put a face into your memory?”

“I don’t know…” Shao Fei fell into the swing next to Tang Yi and swung back and forth a few times as he composed his thoughts. “But I know one thing. I never held you at less than zero.” Shao Fei stood up and dusted himself off. “And I know deep down, Li Zhen-Jie never held you at less than zero either.”

------

When Tang Yi returned to his office, Li Zhen was still there. Her gaze did not leave the music box prominently featured on Tang Yi’s desk. 

“I’ve always wondered, if you hate me so much, why you kept it.” Li Zhen did not turn around. Tang Yi did not answer. “A trinket, for a child I never knew. A promise without words.”

“It was the only acknowledgement you’d ever given me.” 

Li Zhen traced the edge of the music box. “I’m not very good at being a mother. I don’t quite know how.” Li Zhen sighed. “The law is easier. The law has rules. Being a mother, loving a child, is so much harder.” Tang Yi walked up to stand next to Li Zhen. Li Zhen finally turned to face him. “I only have one regret. That I could not watch you grow into the young man you are today.” Li Zhen took a step back. “If you ask it, I will leave you alone. I won’t nag you again. I only ask that you let Ah Fei protect you until the danger is passed.”

“Why the change in heart?”

“Because your heart won’t change.” Another step back. “It was wrong of me to try and insert myself back into your life like this.”

“So will you abandon me again?”

“It was never so simple as that.” A step forward. “I left you, but I never abandoned you. Not here.” Li Zhen touched her chest over her heart. 

“A small difference.”

“Yes. It is small. But for me it means a lot.” Li Zhen took one more step forward and cautiously reached out to cup Tang Yi’s cheek. Tang Yi allowed it. “I have always stayed away, but I never forgot you. 

“I never regarded you as less. But I didn’t know how to love you, Ah Yi. I don’t want to abandon you again. I want to learn how to love you, how to be your mother. 

“But you’ve already abandoned me. So I will go.”

As Li Zhen walked away, Tang Yi heard the echo of Shao Fei’s words and he found himself saying, “Stop.” 

Li Zhen turned around. 

Tang Yi straightened out his tie. “Dinner is tomorrow at eight tomorrow, Tang-Ye’s restaurant. Don’t be late. Bring Officer Zhao if you really must.”

It was not much of a smile, barely a twitch of the lips, but when Li Zhen walked away, the difference was clear in her footsteps. Outside the room, Shao Fei smiled to himself before leaving as well. 

------

The dinner was a success. A good time was had by everyone. Tang Guo Dong even sat with them to chat and reminisce. If Shao Fei and Tang Yi had sat just a hair closer than normal, neither would admit it. 

And then the next dinner happened and Tang Yi continued to put dishes in Shao Fei’s bowl.

And the next dinner, Shao Fei filled Tang Yi’s teacup.

The dinner after that, Tang Yi took a sip of Shao Fei’s coke.

The following dinner, Shao Fei drank Tang Yi’s tea.

The pattern continued, driving everyone but the pair mad. 

At least until Shao Fei took a bullet for Tang Yi. 

Tang Yi was returning fire with Shao Fei’s gun before he could even blink. The shooter was hit in the shoulder and knee before others could tackle him to the ground. 

A rage, white hot and searing, filled Tang Yi’s vision. But before he could move on it, he felt a grip on his arm, steady and strong.

“Don’t go to him,” Shao Fei croaked out. His other hand covered the wound on his shoulder. After a second of hesitation, Tang Yi tossed aside Shao Fei’s gun, pulled off his jacket, and pressed it into the wound. “Don’t go over there.”

“Meng Shao Fei, you’re not in any position to make a demand out of me.” The tear in the corner of Tang Yi’s eye betrayed his steady voice.

“Never thought… I’d hear you say my name properly.” Shao Fei gave a bit of a dopey grin. “It sounds nice.”

“Meng Shao Fei!” Tang Yi shook him slightly as Shao Fei’s eyes started closing. “If you want to hear me say it again, then... you better stay awake!” Tang Yi looked around. “You! Call an ambulance!”

“It’s okay… I can’t die yet…” Shao Fei mumbled, even has his body drooped. “Only a... canon can kill me….”

------

True to Shao Fei’s prediction, he lived. 

Barely.

Tang Yi did not leave his side. Officer Zhao and Li Zhen drifted in and out. Tang Guo Dong paid visits to leave better food. Zuo Hong Ye sat silently beside Tang Yi for a minute before storming out with Gu Dao Yi following in her wake. 

But as Shao Fei finally found the strength to get out of bed, Jack provided additional good news. He’d found the board member responsible. With Officer Zhao, he had been taken into custody, a little less peacefully than preferred, but done all the same.

“It’s nice to be outside,” Shao Fei said as the breeze rustled his hair. “And you’re safe for good now. Even better news.” Tang Yi was silent, staring only at Shao Fei’s figure. “Tang Yi?” Shao Fei turned to look at him. Although he’d lost weight during his hospital stay, there was something about the way the daylight hit his face. “You’re so quiet, I didn’t die by coming here, did I?”

“Don’t joke about that.” At last Tang Yi’s silence was broken. Tang Yi huffed and crossed his arms. “You nearly died for good already.”

“That won’t happen for a long time. Zhao Zi’s grandma said so.” A biting retort was on Tang Yi’s lips, but he settled for silence again. The effort was obvious and Shao Fei poked Tang Yi’s forehead. “So you’ve learned some grace, huh?”

Tang Yi grabbed the hand that had poked him. “Treat your life a little less casually. Even if someone’s grandmother predicted you wouldn’t die so easy.”

“I’m doing what I know I should do.” Shao Fei sat down next to Tang Yi carefully. “I won’t have any regrets.”

“And what about the rest of us? Will you leave us with our regrets for you?” Tang Yi’s voice was surprisingly soft. Shao Fei found himself leaning closer to hear him. “If you had died…”

“But I didn’t. And I made sure you didn’t die either.”

“Meng Shao Fei.” Shao Fei fell still at the tone of Tang Yi’s voice. “Shao Fei.” The hand that Tang Yi had caught was gripped tightly. “If I had lost you on that day… I would have many regrets.”

“Regrets?”

“I want…” Tang Yi looked away. “I want you to live well from now on. And be happy.”

“What do you think would make me happy?” Shao Fei turned Tang Yi’s face to look him in the eyes. “Tell me.”

“To not get shot.” Tang Yi’s voice was deadpan. 

“That’s low hanging fruit!”

Tang Yi stood up and Shao Fei followed. “I wouldn’t be able to bear it if you were hurt again. Go back to the police station. Do your job. Jack will be able to protect me from now on.”

“What if I don’t want to let Jack protect you?” Shao Fei put his hand on Tang Yi’s shoulder. “What if protecting you, watching after you, eating meals with you… what if those are the things that make me happy?” Tang Yi turned to face Shao Fei and Shao Fei cupped his face. “Being with you, around you, is what makes me happy, Tang Yi.” Shao Fei’s face drew closer. “Let me be close to you.”

“It will be bitter and painful. I don’t know how to-”

“Like mother, like son,” Shao Fei interjected before kissing Tang Yi. 

Tang Yi’s lips moved over Shao Fei’s easily. Sensations burst and faded, but the thrill and pleasure did not die. Shao Fei sighed and pulled Tang Yi closer. Tang Yi’s hands were gentle as they moved over Shao Fei’s shoulders to the nape of his neck. 

“Last chance,” Tang Yi whispered. “If I have you in my hands, I won’t let go.”

“I’ll just have to risk it,” Shao Fei said with a smile.

[always-la-belle-epoque]

UM I followed Harlots tag into your blog. I was something about you writing Harlots fanfic and I was wondering if you did? I don’t mean to stress you out or anything! I just need more of Isabella and Charlotte and it’s a small fandom! (Also if you’re feel like answering it: what do you think will happen in next season?????)

i would love to @sallyandherclarissa (love the name btw). honestly this made me go back and rewatch all the Charlotte/Isabella scenes last night. I really do want to write it, and I know exactly how I want it to be. Sadly I’m having a bit of trouble writing these days so idk. But I would love to get something up before July (though I’m waiting with baited breath to know how things progress between them given where things ended. DAMN). 

Also that pic of Liv poppin out of her trailer in full Lady Fitz won my life and made my year. A joy. I honestly thought we’d seen the last of her and

Also remember that time Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam straight up told her viper of a brother how Charlotte Wells had gone down on her and spared little detail just to twist that particular knife. Remember how that canonically happened?

I lived.

[howling--fantods]

i was tagged by @parkliferobyn THANK YOU!!! <33333 i’m gonna leave out the big 3 (blur [including gorillaz and graham], u2, bruce) bc i feel like you all know the answers anyways :)

Rules: List ten bands that you like and then answer the following questions. 

1. Happy Mondays/Black Grape 2. The Fall 3. Pavement 4. Noel Gallagher 5. The Replacements 6. The Jesus & Mary Chain 7. Echo & The Bunnymen 8. Kraftwerk 9. The Wedding Present 10. The Chameleons

Questions:

What’s the first song you heard by 6? (The Jesus & Mary Chain) I think the first song I heard and consciously knew was them was probably “Sidewalking” bc John Peel played it a lot, but I am sure I had heard “Just Like Honey” before that. It honestly might have been their cover of “My Girl” bc I heard that on John Peel too.

What’s your favourite song by 8? (Kraftwerk)  I have been in love with “Europe Endless” since the moment I heard it, and it will always be special to me bc of Ellis. Also “Franz Schubert” is gorgeous and I’m currently in love with “Ohm Sweet Ohm.”

What kind of impact has 1 had on you? (Happy Mondays/Black Grape) I actually think they had a huge impact on me subliminally. When I worked at Starbucks, one of our regulars, Louis, also loved U2 and I would burn him copies of all the remastered U2 albums and he would burn me CDs of bands he loved in high school in the 80s, which included the Waterboys, Joy Division, the Stone Roses, the Wonder Stuff, and Happy Mondays. At that time I pretty much only listened to Bruce and U2. I was immediately intrigued by Happy Mondays bc they sounded so unlike anything I’d heard and just so odd. When I think back on it now, they were the first band I got into that is like a lot of the stuff I still find the most interesting today. They also were included on The World’s End soundtrack and I was so excited that I listened to it a lot, and that kinda set the foundation for me getting more into britpop and Blur. :)

What are your favourite lyrics by 5? (The Replacements) Umm god, all of “Androgynous” and “Alex Chilton” hmmm but also “hold my life, until I’m ready to use it” from “Hold My Life” and god, “the ones who love us best, are the ones we’ll lay to rest, the ones who love us least, are the ones we’ll die to please” from “Bastards of Young.” Yeah, those are good ones.

How many time have you seen 4 live? (Noel Gallagher) Three times! Once on the Chasing Yesterday tour and twice for Who Built The Moon?

What’s your favourite song by 7? (Echo & the Bunnymen) SPARE US THE BUTTER!! sorry, um “The Cutter” and also “Gods Will Be Gods”

Is there a song by 3 that makes you sad? (Pavement) YES! ALL OF THEIR SONSG MAKE ME SAD!! nahhh just kidding. “Here” makes me really sad bc it feels very emotionally real and also bc there is a cover of it at the end of the movie about David Foster Wallace. Also “Gold Soundz” bc it sounds like the ache of happier times and shit. Idk why their songs make me really emotional.

What’s your favourite song by 9? (The Wedding Present) UMM right now I’m obsessed with “Once More” but some other faves are “What Have I Said Now?” “Crawl” “Kennedy” and “Brassneck”

How did you get into 2? (The Fall) JOHN PEEL!!! Actually that isn’t true!! I got into them bc Mark E. Smith is on the Gorillaz song “Glitter Freeze” and I guess I heard something about them from research I was doing for that mod project bc that was when I watched a BBC documentary on them bc youtube suggested it. But I didn’t hear any of their songs until I started listening to John Peel. The first ones I heard were “Guest Informant!” “Kurious Oranj” and “New Big Prinz” I believe and I was already in love by the time I got halfway through “Kurious Oranj”

How did you get into 10? (The Chameleons) Greg told me to listen to them bc they are probably his favorite band ever. He said if I liked early U2 and Echo & the Bunnymen I would like them and that all three albums they made are perfect and he was right! :)

I’m gonna tag @beachsequence, @bonojour, @whitedeadflower, @the-achtung-babe, @themagicwhip, @lukelibrary, @dis-co-the-que, @left-the-porch, and @puttheghostinwriting, @shakingalltheway, and @explorerof-theunknown 

[asolitaryrose]

I'm a big fan of your blog, you definitely strengthened my love for Anora ever since I followed! I recently finished a playthrough where my Cousland married Anora, and now that I finished Awakening, I'm left wondering Assuming The Warden and Anora had a healthy and loving marriage, how would Anora react the moment The Calling came upon her husband? Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Never in my life have I executed Loghain nor put someone other Anora in the throne Mac Tirs for the win

waking up to this made my day! how can you wish me a wonderful day and make me think about the Calling tho how dare you. word of advice: do not think about the Calling. do not. it’s too painful. i refuse to acknowledge it even exists, Anora deserves some happiness and a spouse going to the Deep Roads to die prematurely is definitely not part of that happiness >.>

the Mac Tirs are fascinating characters and i’m always so happy to chat with people who spared Loghain and gave Anora a shot at the throne. it kills me that the fandom misunderstands their motivations and why they do what they do because they’re the most interesting characters in the game, to me. i just love female characters who are tough to love and hard to get but once you start peeling the layers Anora is so wonderfully complex that it’s a delight getting to know her. as for Loghain, he’s so much more than the archetypal villain he’s painted to be in Origins. both of them require you make a little extra effort to truly understand them, and not many among the fandom do. 

so yeah. Mac Tirs for life 🤘

[percent9]

Hello! Once you get this you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly, then send this on to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is super cool!) (this is huangjstn hehe)

@fluffypcy: Hello! Once you get this you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly, then send this on to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is super cool!) (caixukunkun here btw 💕)

anon: Hello! Once you get this you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly, then send this on to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is super cool!)

i got three of these wow thanks guys!!! super flattered that i’m one of ur fav followers!!!!!

anyway (this got p long so it’s under a read more)

my mind - i rly pride myself on my ability to step back and think of things from a more logical standpoint, + as a lit & music major i gotta do a lotta analysis & i pride myself on my ability to break down pieces of work. i rly like logic puzzles & have a pretty high iq (not that a high iq really means anything in the real world; just because you have the logical & spatial skills doesn’t mean you’ll put them to good use, i just like knowing that i have the potential to be great) & i just…… generally like to actively use my brain lol. i have a bunch of astrophysics books i read for fun in my spare time bc it’s fascinating. i’ve also had near-death experiences in my life, but i remained perfectly calm in response to them so i pride myself on my levelheadedness. and i consider myself fairly creative, which i like as well.

my features - i have heavy brows, fairly large eyes, a small nose, decently full lips, a sharp jawline, and shapely ears; i like my brows, eyes, nose, lips, jawline, and ears. there are also things i dislike about my physical appearance, but i’ve grown to like the actual individual features on my face.

my adaptability - this is something one of my exes actually hated about me; he said he couldn’t figure out who the real me was, but tbh i was never rly being a “fake” me around him he just couldn’t handle that i’m a multifaceted human being who expresses different parts of myself in different situations and around different people. i actually really like this about myself; i’d hate to be stuck acting one way all the time. plus this is really helpful when u need to diffuse tension, think on ur feet, etc.

my compassion - i talk a lot, and i mean a lot, around people i’m comfortable w irl, but friends also come to me for advice or just to vent and often comment on how i’m a good listener as well. many of these friends have also stated that i’m the only person who rly understands either what they’re venting about or what they need in terms of support at that point in time. i really like that i can be both a speaker & a listener without problem. i also have a tendency to go outta my way to help people, simply bc i want to & i feel good doing it.

… i don’t take shit from bullies anymore - the only time i got sent to the principal’s office during high school was when i fought a bully, i used to constantly put myself between other kids & their bullies, and i ran anti-bullying workshops for elementary school back when i was in high school. i used to get bullied, pretty badly actually, to the point where i had to move schools, but then i learned how to ignore what others said about me & focused on trying to help others in that situation instead. i may have grown a thicker skin, but that doesn’t mean everyone does & i know what that shit feels like.

thanks so much again for the ask!!!!!

[writefasttalkevenfaster]

!!!!!!!!! Series Announcement under the cut!

Well this is just crazy....

I can’t believe there are over 400 of you guys following me?? When I started this blog it literally just going to be archiving all of the Rafael Barba and Jack McCoy fanfiction I had written for myself in my spare time. I still can’t believe other people all over read and enjoy them?? 

Every like, reblog, comment, anything I get literally makes my day. Hell, I’m just glad if I can write something that brightens someone’s day because that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was a kid. 

I love every single of one of you, and each of you are amazing and special and wonderful, and I could go on forever, but you guys have lives. But! I do want to do something special! I LOVE YOU GUYS!! <33333 

Is there anything special you guys would like to see? I’m taking requests still so send me anything you would like! But let’s move onto the announcement. 

400 Follower Series Announcement Time!

Snipped (Tentative Title): Barba and Hotch Soulmate AU

She had been born without a soulmate. Each person has the red string of fate connected them to another, a light line around their ring finger, the finger rumored to be connected directly to the heart. As she grew older, her friends’ lines grew darker, eventually turning red once they came face to face their soulmate, but her own never changed. She watched her friends get married, have kids, and move on with their lives, while she remained stagnant and unchanging. Most find their soulmate by their twenties, even early 30s, but not she. She was different, an anomaly, a curiosity to others. Some even considered her bad luck. 

She resigned herself to a life without love, fulfilling it with her family, friends, and her career. And that was enough. That was, until she joined the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Over time, she began to have feelings for her Unit Chief, whose own string had been cut short by a cruel twist of fate and one of the very monsters they hunt. It was then she began to think that, perhaps, just maybe, she could shape her own destiny. 

However, fate is never kind.

When the BAU takes a case to Manhattan to track down a serial killer and rapist targeting thirteen year old girls, problems arise with the local NYPD, a battle over jurisdiction begins with an arrogant ADA who infuriates her from the start. 

Not to mention, she comes find that the ever white line on her finger begins to darken, forcing her to come to grips with the fact that her soulmate exists and was now closer than ever.