#god this is so stupid how is this not the most intuitive vote ever

[artistformerlyknownasbutttrumpet]

you wanna know a fun trick? no one can see your ballot. if you understand that harris has to win if we want to like, preserve democracy in our country and also save millions of lives, but optics also matter a lot to you, and you're torn between doing the right thing and telling ppl on your tiktok that you "stuck to your morals" and voted third party or whatever... you can just lie. there's no law against it. no one will know. just check that harris box and then post your little video in your little internet echo chamber about how even tho a third party candidate will never win, and any vote not to harris is a vote for trump, at least you had the courage of your convictions to refuse to do the thing that will actually help people. you can have both. it can be your dirty little secret. you get to maintain your image, and the country also gets to not be on fire. win-win!! hashtag lifehack or something god plz vote for harris you guys i am fucking on my knees begging at this point

[heartsofminds]

Starry Hearts

Description: The one where Shawn’s a dad and crying at 3 AM.��

He's not sure if it's his undiagnosed insomnia that keeps him awake, or the fact that he's been a musician for far too long.

Truth is that flying from country to country where different time zones plague the area gets tiring, and hotel room are always so white.

The sun shines through the blinds and it makes everything so blinding. Most of the time, he can't seem to sleep very well because slivers of light peek their way through the closed curtains. More than often, it keeps him wide awake.

But he’s never a dick; no matter how cranky he feels and he often has to premeditate his actions and choose his words wisely.

If anyone was asked to sum up Shawn Mendes, unkind remarks and diva like actions were never brought up. Besides, he's never really liked pesky paparazzi and nosy reporters up his ass they way that they wanted to be.

But Shawn isn't in a hotel room and he isn't not tired, but he can't sleep. And he thinks maybe it's the fact he's an undiagnosed insomniac or quite possibly the idea that his little girl, his sweet little Gabriella, was down the hall.

Shawn never wants to close his eyes for too long when he’s home because he never wants to miss it. He never wants to miss his baby's first words or her first tooth or even her first little cold that he knows will be hell, but he'll never mind it.

He'll do anything for her. He’ll move heaven and hell into the same realm, run through fire, and even end his career if it meant he could spend time with her.

Although little Gabriella Elise Mendes was here for only 7 months, she had her daddy wrapped around her finger. He can't see himself not having her around and it's crazy, he thinks, how you could love someone who isn't even aware of it.

She's ruined his social life and Shawn doesn't mind in the slightest. He hasn't had more than half a beer in the seven months her eyes had been open and he never comes home later than 7:00 so he's sure he can sing her to sleep and yeah, it's boring, and yeah it's tiring, but Shawn’s never required lots of sleep or entertainment so he's satisfied.

Niall's invited him over for drinks and Brian has offered to pay for all the shots he can down, but Shawn never takes the offers. He feels guilty making his friends pay for him; especially if he knows he’ll end up going home early anyway.

Most of the time he puts on a Blues’ Clues episode (it was his favorite when he was tiny) and sits on the couch in his family room with his little girl on his knee. She often babbles away and sometimes Shawn thinks he puts on the show for himself rather than Gabriella, who can't quite comprehend what's happening yet.

A lot of the time he winds up going to bed shortly after she does, but he never sleeps. It's always been hard for him to get a good night's rest and apparently he's passed that trait of himself down to his little love.

Gabriella doesn't cry a lot and unknowingly to her father, she's awake for most of the night as well. His mother swears he and his daughter are alike in so many ways that it's scary.

She came out with starry eyes and singer's lungs as well as a knack for attention like her father. She was a spoiled princess from the minute she left the hospital, and that hasn't changed at all.

So his damn insomnia and father's intuition drives him up the wall until he gets out of bed and tries to walk as quietly as he can around his house. He swears he hates himself for getting all hardwood floors because they're insanely cold during the fall and winter months. He can’t even bother to wrap his thoughts around the fact that they’re stupidly dangerous.

Maybe he's just clumsy, but Shawn’s almost fallen down his own damn stairs and broken his neck at least ten times in the past two months, so he can only imagine the nightmare it'll be when little Gabriella starts to walk.

He finds himself on his couch with the lights off and the stiff suede that encases his body makes him itch. He wonders who the hell let him buy that uncomfortable couch, but then he realizes he used to do everything for style and now at twenty nine, he quite frankly, doesn't give a fuck anymore.

For the first time in years he went out in some sweats and Adidas and God, did he think it felt good.

Shawn hears soft babbles a short distance from where he is seated and as he gets up, he makes a mental note to put new furniture on his ever growing shopping list. His bare feet make a soft slapping noise against the hard floors and he peeks his head into his little girl's room.

The glow in the dark stars that decorate her ceiling were Teddy’s idea and the lavender walls were voted on by a three to one ratio with Shawn being the latter who wanted pink for his baby girl.

"It's my fucking house," he had said months prior to her arrival, but no one seemed to care.

"Well don't ask us to help decorate if you don't want suggestions, dumb fuck,” either Brian or Geoff had said, but he doesn't quite remember.

Everything had to be perfect for his little Gabriella or Ella, as close friends and family knew her as.

Her daddy opens the door and walks in quietly not to disturb her even though she was wide awake. She's starting to stand up by herself now, and Shawn is briefly shocked when he looks down at the white crib to see her tilting her head and looking at him with wide eyes.

He holds his arms out and she reaches up. His body is exhausted and he feels his muscles and bones aching but his mind is pacing ten thousand miles a second. He doesn't really know where to take her because he doesn't want to be too noisy in case she's grumpy and he just wants the calm of the night to wash over him.

He figures he spends a God awful amount of time in his living room because that's the only place he can think of where there would be an equal balance of quiet and awakeness. Ella sits on her daddy's lap and she coos at him as if she is talking.

Shawn just eats it up.

Sure, he's a godfather to three other children but something about his own child makes the blood in his body warm again. He's been a cold, calloused pop star for so long that he's forgotten what it's like to love someone with your whole heart.

Sure, he loves a lot of people and yeah, he loves a lot of things, but they'll never compare to his child.

He giggles as she grasps his hand and grabs at his middle finger. Her bright eyes investigate the tattoos that litter her father's hand. Shawn thinks her favorite, by far, is the thin figure eight inside his finger that he had gotten during a drunken brainstorm as a dumb nineteen year old. She loves tracing it with her little fingers and to him, it’s in a horrible spot and looks pretty stupid now, but as long as it makes Ella happy, it can stay.

She pushes up on her father’s torso and tilts her head to the side to get a better look at the defined muscle. Ella leans forward so her little eyes can see, but leans too far to where her tongue makes contact with the skin of of her dad’s abdomen.

She laughs like it was the funniest thing on Earth and she does it again and again, making Shawn laugh out loud in the process.

"You're so silly, Angel. You're my little angel baby, huh?" he asks more to himself than to her.

He enjoys these moments because she can’t talk back but looks at him with eyes that say she understands. He knows that soon she’ll be two and talking back. He’s not ready for her to turn five and question every word that leaves his mouth and he’s especially unprepared for her to turn fifteen, and think everything he says is bullshit.  

He's desperate to be a good dad, but there's something so scary about a child being your own. He's watched Zubin’s kids and Teddy’s daughter loads of times before and even stayed overnight with them for a weeks once or twice.

When his god daughter, Laïa, started having an allergic reaction to peanuts at Christmas a few years back, she was handed off to her parents who had rushed her to the hospital. When Brian brought his son over on Halloween when he was first born, Shawn held him and when the little bugger started getting fussy, he was passed back to his dad.

Shawn usually liked having no ties to anything because it was much easier that way and he doesn't know what comes over him, but he starts crying and it's almost like he's drunk.

He's been told he's quite emotional and philosophical when he's drunk, and he hasn't had a lick of alcohol in ages but he feels kinda loopy and it could be the fact that's it's 3 AM and he's running off of four hours of sleep and a cup of raspberry tea from earlier, but he's almost full on sobbing.

"Don't want you to get older. Want you to stay my baby forever, yeah? Soon you'll be off to school and dating boys. Or girls. Daddy doesn't really care, pumpkin. And, Jesus Christ. You better stay away from Emmett. He's just like your Uncle Brian and I know how he used to treat girls back in the day, but that's not the point and I'm - I'm rambling so much right now but I love you,” he wipes his eyes with his hand and adjusts the baby on his lap, “I want you to be my little Ella forever and I know that you're gonna get older and you're gonna hate it when I call you Gabby Ella in front of your friends, but I'm not gonna care. Daddy's not gonna care, angel."

Gabriella’s attention turns from her daddy's hand to his torso and the defined muscles that make ridges on his stomach.

This is her favorite place to rest, and she turns her head to the side to lay on his torso. Her breathing becomes even and she bats her big eyes to rest. So Shawn pulls the blanket over them that he keeps nearby on the couch, and decides to head to sleep too.

He doesn't care if his undiagnosed insomnia continues to keep him awake like this or if jet lag keeps him bouncing off the walls in the wee hours of the morning.

All he cares about is his little baby resting on his stomach, and really, that's all that will matter to him forever and always.

@fourtristattoos

[afjakwritesarchive]

NWC 25

Aaaaand this concludes my November Writing Challenge! Thank you all for the encouragement and support! I will betaking a small break for a few days to chill before returning in early December to start up the contest/theme month. If you haven’t voted for these things, PLEASE visit this post and then vote!! Now onto the fic: 

Title: Cursed Pairing: USUK Words: 3,854 Rating: T AU: Demon/human Genre: Romance Summary: The Jones family is cursed, but Alfred doesn’t view his demon as much of a problem. This fic is based off of the comic Cursed by the lovely charminglyantiquated, who gave me permission to post this. :) If you haven’t seen the comic or any of their other stuff, I highly recommend you check it out! 

Alfred is seventeen when the demon first visits him. He is older-looking, but not too much—probably in his mid-twenties. He has choppy blond hair, green eyes, pale skin covered in freckles, and some of the thickest eyebrows Alfred has ever seen. He's perched on the edge of Alfred's desk, arms folded across his chest and smirking teasingly at Alfred. He's wearing a green sweater and tan slacks, which Alfred finds odd for a demon, but he doesn't dare say anything.

Instead, he fiddles with the ring on his finger. Each member of his family has one, as every member of his family is similarly affected. The Jones family line had been cursed for as far back as anyone could remember—anyone with Jones blood would be haunted by a demon from their seventeenth birthday on. While no two demons were alike and no other member of the family could see another person's demon, everyone was well aware of them, and everyone seventeen or older wore a ring which protected them from the demon. As long as they wore it, the demon could never touch or physically harm them.

"Hi," Alfred says somewhat nervously, "I'm Alfred."

The man rolls his eyes. "I know who you are, boy." He says in a thickly British-accented voice. "I see they gave me a stupid one. I thought your family was known for their intelligence?"

Alfred smiles, amused by the comment. He'd always had a rather thick skin, and his confidence in himself prevented him from being offended by petty comments. "Guess you drew the short stick, then." He replies with a shrug.

The man frowns grumpily at Alfred. "Anyone who interacts with your family has."

"Yeah, well, whether that's true or not we're stuck together, so. What's your name?" Alfred questions.

The man's thick brows were pulled downward and he fixed Alfred with a dark scowl. "You know, it's not very traditional for us to make idle chit-chat. I'm here to make your life a living hell, you know."

Alfred seems even more amused and grins at the demon, bright blue eyes sparkling. "Geez, you guys really do take this seriously. My family told me you guys weren't nice, but I didn't think you were really gonna make my life hell."

"Well, it's your family's fault some witch decided to curse your ancestors. Now a demon is randomly selected every time one of you idiots turns sixteen. You would think your family would simply stop reproducing, but apparently the primal urges of your nature far outweigh the emotional toll it takes on your offspring." The man scowls.

"Hey, man, you won't have to worry about that with me. Trust me, I wouldn't ever subject a kid to the sight of eyebrows like that." Alfred teases, grinning at the man in front of him.

The demon pauses a moment, seeming surprised by Alfred's response. Then, his face turns red with anger and embarrassment and he snatches a pencil cup off of Alfred's desk, throwing them in the American's direction.

Alfred watches the pencils and their container hit the wall and then fall to the floor, scattering around him. A few bounce off the floor, a pink mechanical pencil landing on his foot. He looks up at the man, blue eyes searching his face for a moment. Then, he shrugs his shoulders and flops down upon his bed.

"So, tell me about yourself," Alfred says breezily, propping his head up on his elbow and grinning at the demon.

The demon slumps back against Alfred's desk looking exasperated. "Christ, I hope you die quickly." He huffs.

Alfred laughs.

The demon throws a notebook at the wall above his head.

The demon follows Alfred most places he goes (aside from the bathroom and the shower). They fall into a simple routine; the demon tries his hardest to make Alfred's life a living Hell and, despite his "demon" label, fails. It quickly becomes clear that this particular demon isn't all too interested in the idea of hurting Alfred, and while he clearly dislikes the man, he rarely does more than cause minor inconveniences in Alfred's life, which the American takes in stride and often taunts him for.

A year passes this way. For the most part, the demon doesn't speak to Alfred, despite the American's frequent attempts to speak to him. Alfred tries to make conversation several times each day and is consistently shot down by the demon. Even so, every day Alfred begins by asking him how he slept. Then, he leaves breakfast out for the demon—they don't need to eat and Alfred knows this, but the Brit eats it every day despite claiming his indifference toward the meal. Afterward, he heads to school for the day; he's eighteen and a senior. From there, it's home to change, and then to his minimum wage job at a fast food restaurant. Finally, he reheats whatever dinner his mother makes for him and his demon, and the demon listens as Alfred recounts his day, often making snarky commentary regarding Alfred's intelligence (or lack thereof), or whatever else he can think to insult at the time.

It's after a particularly draining day when Alfred is laying in bed, his dinner cold and untouched on the nightstand, that the demon speaks first.

"Your food is getting cold." He says, scooping the peas off his plate and into his mouth afterward.

Alfred doesn't look at him. "I'm not hungry." He mumbles, his voice tired.

The demon frowns. "You're never not hungry." He argues, thick brows furrowed.

"Yeah, well, I'm not hungry right now."

The demon stands up and moves to stand by Alfred's bed, peering down at the American with a disapproving frown. "What's wrong with you today?" He huffs.

Alfred stares up at the demon, his eyes tired. The demon has never seen him looking so upset before, and it awakens a painful pang in his chest. He ignores it and kicks at one of the American's bedposts, attempting to get a response from the man.

"What the hell do you care?" Alfred snaps in response, glaring up at the man. "Just leave me the fuck alone for once, okay? God. My life was hell even without your help today, so give it a fucking rest."

The demon falters, looking guilty. He closes his mouth and sits on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

Alfred turns his head and looks at him. "Seriously, dude, why do you care?"

The demon flushes. "I don't!"

Alfred perks up, staring at him with interest. He seems to know that the demon cares more than he lets on, and decides to try his luck. "Tell me your name."

"What?" The demon is looking at him like he's crazy.

"C'mon. I've known you for a year now and I don't know your name. That's ridiculous."

"How do you know I have one?"

Alfred pauses then, seeming somewhat surprised. "Truth be told, I hadn't thought of that. I guess I just assumed you'd been human once since you have a human appearance."

The demon eyes him warily. "Well, your logic is ridiculous but your intuition is correct. I was a human at one point... And my name was Arthur Kirkland."

Alfred practically shoots into a sitting position, leaning forward with interest. His golden hair is falling into his face and he's beaming, his smile brighter than the sun itself. His bright blue eyes are wide with surprise and they sparkle wonderfully. Very suddenly, the demon is struck with the beauty the young man possesses.

"Dude, holy shit! Did you really just tell me your name?!" Alfred cries, astonished.

Arthur's face flushes. "Y-You asked for it, you dolt! Besides, you've been pestering me day and night for it—I was sick of your foolish antics, that's all! D-Don't think it had anything to do with wanting to cheer you up, because that is the absolute last thing on my mind!"

Alfred is laughing now, his head thrown back as lovely bouts of laughter escape him. "Haha, okaaaay, Artie!"

"Sh-Shut up, you arse! I swear, if you weren't wearing that ring I'd throttle you—!" Arthur huffs, cursing himself for the redness spread across his pale cheeks.

From there, friendship comes easy. Alfred is relentlessly persistent, and manages to coax more and more information from Arthur each day. Within six months, the pair are familiar with each other; they've recounted their childhoods to the other, spoke of their friends and acquaintances, and gotten to know the basics of the other person.

Arthur explains his capabilities to Alfred; it is required that he spends at least twelve hours with Alfred per day according to the curse, and Alfred must be awake for at least five of these hours. Other than that, though, he is free to roam the Earth as he pleases, however no one can see, hear, or feel him. He also has the option to return to Hell to visit, and he tells Alfred that this is where he spends most of his time. He tells Alfred of his few friends, speaking particularly of a demon named Francis whom he is particularly close with (though Arthur claims to hate the "obnoxious French frog" with a passion).

Another six months passes, and Alfred considers Arthur to be his friend.

His family doesn't approve. They think Arthur is fooling Alfred somehow; his mother warns him that Arthur could be tricking him in order to make him remove his ring. His father tells him that demons will do anything to harm members of the Jones family, including emotional manipulation. His half-brother, Matthew, does not mention the shortcomings of the Jones' demons. Instead, he tells Alfred that it is important that he trust himself above all others, and make the right decision, no matter what anyone else says. He encourages the American to exercise caution, but reminds him that he is the only one on Earth who truly knows Arthur, and therefore the only one who can judge what is wrong and right regarding their relationship.

Alfred heeds his brother's words and remains wary of Arthur despite his growing affection for the man. Another six months of casual friendship fly by and he's nineteen, living in an apartment in a city two hours from home with a part-time enrollment at a cheap local college and a full-time job as a data entry worker for a law firm.

There is less to distract Alfred and Arthur from each other now. Because Alfred lives alone, they spend most of their time together. Alfred becomes accustomed to cooking enough for two, and they take turns watching TV. They start a list of movies they both want to see, and once a week Alfred rents one off the list for them to watch together. Arthur feeds Alfred's cat, Hero, and tends to the plants Alfred purchased for him. When the American is too tired from work and school, Arthur tidies up the apartment for him. Alfred even buys a futon for Arthur when the Brit mentions the awkwardness of staying up all night while he sleeps and gives the spare room to Arthur.

They go shopping together, Arthur picking out what he wants and Alfred adding it to the cart. Sometimes, Alfred gets takeout for two and brings it back to the apartment. On Alfred's twentieth birthday, Arthur attempts to bake a cake and almost starts a fire in the apartment.

Their relationship has moved from tense, to strained, to easy, to happy. Alfred's family thinks he's crazy, but he swears his demon is amazing. He tells his brother that Arthur is less a curse and more a blessing. Arthur's visits to Hell become infrequent; even in the time he isn't required to be with Alfred, he spends most of his days in the apartment which both he and Alfred refer to as "home." When he does visit Hell to visit Francis, he speaks mostly of Alfred.

Alfred still doesn't take his ring off. Neither he nor Arthur acknowledge the barrier between them, despite their awareness of it. Arthur doesn't ask why Alfred doesn't trust him; he knows why. No matter how close they grow, Arthur is still a demon, and his primary mission in life had once been to make Alfred's life miserable. While they both know that is no longer the case, the ring remains settled upon Alfred's finger.

Arthur resents that ring. The more time he spends with Alfred, the more he craves Alfred's touch. The more he wishes he could run his hands through Alfred's hair, down his body. He wants to explore Alfred's gorgeous form; cup Alfred's face in his hands, run his palms down the American's muscular chest... He wants Alfred to touch him, too; to take him into his arms and kiss him roughly, hold him tight. He wants to kiss every inch of Alfred's body, and he wants Alfred to do the same. He wants to feel Alfred everywhere, wants to feel the American pressing into him, ravishing him. Yes, he resents that ring.

Unbeknownst to him, Alfred resents the ring, too.

Alfred tells Arthur he's been invited to Matthew's birthday party. He invites Arthur along, but Arthur declines; large parties have never been his forte, especially those where no one can see, feel, or hear him aside from Alfred. He's perched on the living room couch with Hero in his lap when Alfred leaves, and he's still there when he hears the doorknob twisting.

He can hear Alfred outside humming something while he fumbles with his keys, so Arthur gently pushes Hero from his lap and goes to the door, opening it for Alfred.

At the sight of him, Alfred beams and stumbles into the apartment. Arthur shuts the door behind him and raises a brow as Alfred staggers toward the couch, leaning against the back of it. He grins at Arthur, his smile dopey and his eyes glossy.

"Hi, Artie," Alfred slurs, smiling at the Brit as if he knows a secret.

"Hello, Alfred. How was the party?" Arthur asks, humored by the blond's demeanor.

Alfred giggles as if Arthur has said something funny and nods his head rapidly. "Ooooooh it was pretty fun, Artie. Pretty damn fun if you ask me. Had a lotta drinks."

Arthur can't stifle the chuckle that erupts at the younger's statement. "Yes, I'm well aware of that, love. How much did you drink?"

"Does it matter?" Alfred asked before standing up.

He staggers toward Arthur and reaches out, as if wanting to cup the Brit's face. Of course, his hand slips through Arthur; the Brit stares, bewildered, as Alfred waves his hand around in the space where Arthur's face should be and shakes his head.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asks, feigning a teasing smirk despite the horrid pang in his chest that reminds him that he'll never have the pleasure of feeling Alfred's touch. He's sure those hands are warm and strong, and begins to speak once more to distract himself from imagining the feeling of Alfred's arms around him. "You know we can't touch each other, love."

"Yeah, we fucking can," Alfred growls out, looking annoyed. "I wanna touch you, Arthur. D'you wanna touch me too?"

Arthur stares at him, incredulous. Deciding Alfred is too drunk to remember it the next day, he nods. "Yes, I want to touch you, Alfred." He answers, his throat constricting painfully as he says it.

"Then fucking touch me," Alfred says.

He reaches down, wrenching the ring off of his finger without a hint of hesitation. Arthur's jaw falls open and he gapes at Alfred, but doesn't get the chance to speak before the American has reached out and grabbed his face in his hands and, oh, they're better than Arthur could have ever imagined.

They're calloused and warm and strong and shaky and they wrench his face forward and then the plush lips Arthur had long fantasized about are on his and Alfred is kissing him and it's more than everything he'd ever wanted. Alfred is drunk and sloppy but even so he takes charge of the kiss and Arthur melts in the heat of his passion, hardly able to keep from slumping to the floor with how weak his knees are. Alfred walks him backwards until they hit the wall and Arthur's hands find Alfred's hair, tugging at it.

Alfred rocks his hips against Arthur and Arthur follows in suit, rolling his body forward in order to create friction between them. He moans into the kiss and Alfred pulls away. His hands fall from Arthur's face and he takes Arthur by the wrists, shoving them backward into the wall. He's holding Arthur down and Arthur is breathless, gasping as Alfred's lips latch onto his neck. He's moaning and whimpering Alfred's name, dissolving weakly between the wall and Alfred's body.

Alfred releases one of Arthur's wrists in order to grip the Brit's waist and Arthur takes the opportunity to grab Alfred's belt buckle. It takes longer than it should have to get it done because Alfred can't stop himself from grinding against Arthur, and the Brit only has one free hand. He finally manages to get it undone and leaves it hanging open, unzipping Alfred's jeans. Then, he's got a hand down the front of Alfred's pants and Alfred is moaning and biting down on Arthur's neck, and—

"Um... Al?"

Arthur jolts and Alfred lets out a startled cry as he leaps away from Arthur, stumbling a step. Arthur reaches out and grabs his arm, steadying him before he can fall.

Matthew is standing in the doorway, looking back and forth between Alfred and Arthur. "...Who's this, Al?"

Alfred blinks rapidly. "...You can see him?" He asks, surprised.

Matthew frowns. "Of course I can see him." He replies, confused.

Arthur clears his throat and steps forward. "E-Erm, hello... I'm Arthur Kirkland." He says, flushing from the embarrassment of being caught.

Matthew freezes, eyes bulging. "Arthur Kirkland? As in, Alfred's demon?"

The Brit's face goes even redder, embarrassed. "Er, that would be me, yes."

Matthew glances to Alfred's hand, noting the absence of his ring. "...You didn't kill him." He said simply.

Arthur glances at Alfred. "Ah... No. I didn't kill him."

"Well, that's good. Al has always had good instincts. He said you wouldn't hurt him." Matthew says, nodding approvingly. Then, he glances down to his hands, jolting at the sight of a coat held in his hands. "He forgot his jacket in my car. Um... Do you have him from here, or should I stay?"

"No, I'll, er, I can take care of him if you like." Arthur replies sheepishly, accepting the jacket Matthew hands him.

Alfred grins as he looks between them. "Does this mean you're real now, Artie?" He asks.

Arthur looks to Alfred and then to his brother, shrugging. "I'm not exactly sure. Perhaps we can test it tomorrow when you're sober, love." He suggests, taking Alfred's arm.

Alfred grins dopily at him. "Man, Artie, you're sexy when you're all messed up. 'S like a map of all the places I touched you," he mused, running a hand along Arthur's neck where spots of reddened skin were beginning to appear.

Arthur's cheeks burn red and he gazes pointedly at the floor, far too embarrassed to look Matthew in the eye.

"I'll see myself out," says Alfred's half-brother before leaving the apartment.

"Bye Mattieeeeeeeeeee!" Alfred hollers to his brother as Arthur drags him to his bedroom.

"Ooooh, sweet!" Alfred grins, scooping Arthur up and tossing the Brit easily onto the bed.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Arthur cries, and Alfred pauses in his movements to clamber atop of the man, frowning in confusion. Arthur sighs. "As much as I would love to, Alfred, we shouldn't. I got caught up before, but you're far too drunk." The Brit says.

Alfred stares at him for a moment before a goofy smile takes over his face and he nods, falling down onto the bed beside Arthur. Arthur plucks his spectacles off the bridge of his narrow nose and sets them on the nightstand. Alfred hooks an arm around the Brit's waist and tugs him closer, holding him tightly as he falls asleep.

Alfred wakes to a warm body pressed against his and jolts.

"Shit," he says loudly, cursing himself for the sudden movement as his head begins to throb.

The figure beside him begins to stir and he looks down, only for his jaw to drop. The green eyes he's grown to love flutter open and then land on Alfred. To the American's surprise, Arthur smiles sweetly at him, his eyes full of what Alfred could only describe as blissful happiness and affection.

"...Arthur?" Alfred whispers, shocked at the sight of the man laying beside him. "Holy shit, am I touching you? Is this real?"

Arthur's smile turns into a smirk. "I take it you've dreamt of this, then?" He chuckles.

Alfred pauses. Then, he grins. "Did I take off my ring last night?"

Arthur raises one of his thick brows as if to ask are you really that daft? "Obviously."

"Well, that's pretty fucking cool," Alfred replies, a wide grin splitting across his face. After a moment, he looks down at Arthur with mischief shining in his blue eyes. "Dude, did you put your hand in my pants? Were you gonna give me a handjob right then and there?"

As expected, the Brit's face bloomed a brilliant red color. "Oh, belt up! Y-You were kissing my neck and—"

"And you were so fucking sexy, god damn. It's a little hazy, but I don't think I could ever forget the way you sounded when you moaned my name like that. Damn."

Arthur looked up at him, a small frown coming to his face. "Are you sad that we didn't do anything last night?"

"No. It was nice just to hold you." He murmured gently.

Arthur smiled and laid his palm on Alfred's face, caressing it gently. The American smiled, and Arthur ran his hand across the American's lips, sighing dreamily.

"Alfred?" He asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Alfred grinned. "I love you too, Arthur."

[omgktlouchheim]

Word Vomit Wednesday - 30 Things About Being 30

Welcome to Word Vomit Wednesday! A series of blog posts about a specific topic from current events that I, and sometimes the rest of the Internet, ruminate obsessively about. All thoughts/opinions/experiences are my own; I don’t claim anything that I write to represent anyone other than myself. 

  Hello lovely people! Today’s WVW will be a departure from the usual content because 1) it’s suuuuuper late (I meant to post last week and not this week) and 2) I turned 30 last week (hence why I did not post)! To commemorate this new decade and because we live in the Buzzfeed era, I’ve decided to do some personal reflection and make a list of 30 of some of the more important things I have learned up to this point. Some lessons took a very long time to sink in, some I had to learn quickly and unexpectedly, and some I’ve always had with me. In no particular order, here they are:

 1. If you say you’re going to do something, do the best you can. You’re allowed to take your time. You’re allowed to change your mind. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad or flaky person if you’re not always able to follow through.

 2. Manage your damage. You deserve healing and people in your life who recognize you as human instead of punish you for it. It is the hardest, least selfish, and most rewarding work you will ever do. Give yourself that gift.

 3. You have a lot to offer. Don’t feel pressured to only give what people may want of you, but figure out how and what you want to contribute on terms that make sense for you.

 4. The most important relationship you have is with yourself. As cliched and overly-simplistic as this statement is, it’s also true. No one is going to be with you as much or as long as you will be with yourself. Figuring out how to be the best you for you makes things feel a lot easier and can even help make approaching your other relationships more manageable.

 5. It’s ok to be vulnerable and it’s imperative to be selective about who to be vulnerable to. Feeling vulnerable is all about feeling safe and can also very much be about context. Not everyone can or should be entrusted with your heart and your experiences, so paying close attention to picking up on who is safe and who isn’t is an important skill to develop. Which brings us to...

 6. Listen to your body. For pain, red flags, pleasure. You may not understand exactly what your body is telling you in the moment, but it’s important. We get so many messages about how we should be and what we could be doing. While a lot of this messaging is meant to help us to be our “best selves” all it really ends up doing is making us distrustful of our own experiences, instincts, and intuition regarding what is actually best for us.

 7. Trust yourself.

 8. People will treat you like shit. Sometimes it’s systemic based on who you are and other times hurt people hurt people. Either way, dump those people and situations.  They will only hold you back.

 9. It’s ok to be angry and to show it. In some circumstances it’s absolutely necessary. Anger and rage are basic human emotions and are not indications of the kind of person one is, but who would know that based on how our relationship to anger is so fucked up in our society. Women aren’t allowed to express it and men are expected to express it frequently and violently neither of which are healthy for individuals or the community at large. Healthy relationships to our anger (and other emotions) can let us know when a boundary is crossed and can give us the energy necessary to assert ourselves.

 10. Be curious. Ask anything and everything. The less mysterious the world is, the less fear is controlling the steering wheel in our lives.

 11. If you can, travel as much as possible. You’ll learn things about the world and about yourself by getting out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, just going out in your own backyard can be enough of an inspiration or adventure. 

 12. Stop feeling bad for wanting and needing things. Toughing shit out just because that’s what we’re told to do is terrible advice. All you’re doing is suppressing important information about yourself.

 13. Friends will come and go, and with them many gifts and insights into different moments from your life.

 14. There is nothing wrong with you. Even if you’re suffering, it may not have anything to do with who you are or anything you have done.

15. There might be something wrong with you. Sometimes if you’re suffering there might be an underlying condition that warrants investigation.  

16. Take your medical health into your own hands. Don’t settle for medical professionals who don’t actually help you find the answers and treatment you need and also make you feel like shit about it. Your health is more important than their God-complex. 

17. Things that once held the most importance to you may change due to unexpected circumstances. Embrace the change and reevaluate your priorities by putting yourself first.

 18. Mourn the person and dreams you thought you would be and have accomplished by this point. Just because things didn’t come to fruition the way you once imagined they would, doesn’t mean those dreams were stupid or a failure. Those parts of you and the space they occupied deserve to be honored. 

 19. Throw societal expectations out the window and learn about who you are instead. The world, and you, will benefit more from showing up as your authentic self than what you think the world wants you to be.

 20. It’s none of your business what other people think of you.

 21. Use your privilege to make space for other marginalized voices and allow others to make space for you to use yours. But, and depending on what space is being occupied, don’t wait to be invited to use your voice.

 22. You will face very difficult and sometimes traumatic situations in your life. You may struggle with decisions in the moment or for years afterward, but there is no right solution. There is only what will be the healthiest for you, sometimes on a moment to moment basis.

 23. Ask for help. As a being that is human, you have limits. It’s ok to know what those are and ask for assistance. No one expects you to be able to do everything yourself and if you find yourself surrounded by people who do, you may not be surrounded by the healthiest people and/or you’ve somehow infiltrated a robot army. So, back away s l o w l y.

 24. Spend time with the people who are most important to you. This seems like a no-brainer but can often feel like a huge challenge. We come up with all kinds of excuses not to be together: too much work, not enough money, who will watch my cat, etc. Sometimes we really can’t get away, but a lot of times we just need to get off the grind.

25. VOTE AND CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

 26. You may have people you admire and works of art that you love for all kinds of reasons. Creativity can unite us, help us empathize with one another, and speak truth to power. Once a person wakes up to the power structures that affect and oppress us in daily life, they will also realize that no matter how much joy someone, a song, or a film can bring, it does not mean that it may not be problematic AF too.

 27. Allow life to happen, but not too much. Be more proactive in your own life lest you get too swept away in other people’s decisions.

 28. Figure out your boundaries and set them. If others don’t respect them, that’s a reflection of them not you. And take that as a cue to dump those people as fast as possible. You can’t change anyone so don’t continue to kowtow to people who think your feelings/needs are not as valid as theirs.

 29. People will surprise you. Just as you are changing, so is everyone around you. Sometimes these surprises will hurt and other times they will move you to the happiest tears. 

 30. Allow yourself to acknowledge all the good things in your life, everything you’ve accomplished, and the love you get from others. It’s ok to accept and be recognized for your awesomeness without deflecting or self-deprecating. Because you’re great, no excuses needed! 

  Katie Louchheim could not be offered enough money to EVER want to relive her 20s. She has a feeling the best  is yet to come. 

[ahmerjohnny-blog]

Attitude Quotes And Status (Latest Collection)

https://www.aswadwrites.in/attitude-quotes-and-status/

Attitude Quotes And Status (Latest Collection)

Attitude Quotes

A style is a reflection of your attitude and your personality. If you don’t like something, change it. I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you’re grateful, you’ll see God open up new doors. A positive attitude quotes can really make dreams come true – it did for me.

Attitude. Being sexy is all about attitude, not body type. People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude. Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Each day, I come in with a positive attitude, trying to get better.

Read This:

A list of the best attitude quotes and sayings, including the names of each speaker or author when available. This list is sorted by popularity, so only the most famous attitude quotes are at the top. The authors of these historic attitude quotes are displayed next to each quote, so if you see one you like be sure to check out other inspirational attitude quotes from that same writer.

This list answers the questions, “What are the best quotes about attitude?” and “What are inspirational attitude quotes?” This list includes notable attitude quotes by various authors, writers, playwrights, speakers, politicians, athletes, poets, and more. Vote on your favorites so that the greatest attitude quotes rise to the top, as the order of the list changes dynamically based on votes. Don’t let your favorite attitude sayings get to the bottom of the list.

Best Attitude Quotes Collection

“How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking.”

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

“I am a part of all that I have met.”

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”

“If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality.”

“Be an independent thinker at all times, and ignore anyone who attempts to define you in a limiting way.”If you build the guts to do something, anything, then you better save enough to face the consequences.”

“Keep a little fire burning; however small, however, hidden.”

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”

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“People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect Its successful outcome.”

“I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”

“A ‘positive attitude’ is definitely one of the keys to success. My definition of a positive attitude is a simple one: Looking for the good in all circumstances.”

Attitude Quotes For Boys

Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

ATTITUDE is everything.

Follow your heart but don’t be stupid.

The best thing about being me, I’m a limited edition and there are no other copies!

Mistakes are proof that you’re trying.

I love my job only when I’m on vacation.

Fashion is something that comes from within you.

I never make the same mistake twice. I make it five or six times, just to be sure.

My parents should be proud of me because I’m addicted to Facebook, not to Drugs!

I always dream of being a millionaire like my uncle…He’s dreaming too.

Phones are better than girlfriends, at least we can switch off.

My words are like a china phone. They have no guarantee!

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Dream big and dare to fail.

I love to walk in the fog because nobody knows I’m smoking.

I talk to myself because I like dealing with a better class of people.

Not all men are fools, some stay bachelor.

I might not be someone’s first choice, but I am a great choice. I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not because I’m good at being me. However, I might not be proud of some of the things I’ve done in the past, but I’m proud of who I am today. I may not be perfect, but I don’t need to be. I am the way God made me. Take me as I am or watch me as I walk away.

Love me or hate me I’m still gonna shine.

There can be no positive result through negative attitude. Think positive. Live positive.

Like me for who I am and not for who you want me to be. Take it or leave it. That simple.

Attitude Quotes For Girls

I am so damn poor that I cannot even afford to pay attention to stupid people.

If you want a girl to treat you like a King you have to make her a Queen first.

Honest girlfriends are rare to find, hard to be abandoned and impossible to forget.

The saying “Behind a successful man is a surprised woman.” is quite wrong; so I corrected it and made it “Behind a successful man is a supportive and smart woman.”

Rivals of a jealous boy come and go but rivals of jealous woman remain and continue to build up.

A woman can deal the unbearable stress and lift heavy burdens. She gives her sweetest smile even if she feels like screaming and she sings in an angelic voice when she feels like crying. Tears fell from her eyes when she is happy and laugh when she is scared. Her love is priceless and unconditional. There is only one thing wrong with her; she always forgets what she is worth.

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Never ever dare to underestimate the power of a woman’s intuition and instinct. She can recognize a game before you even play it.

A little black dress is one of the girl’s best friends.

I am smart, I am lovely, I am strong and I am enough.

The greatest thing a woman can do is to love herself, be herself and shine amongst those who never believed that she could.

If you want to have a good body then stop wishing for you to magically have it. Work hard for it.

Every time you put yourself down, you are causing damage to your confidence to try harder not to.

Do whatever makes you happy so that you will not have any regrets on your deathbed.

Attitude Quotes For Facebook Status

“I don’t hate Peoples, I just love Peoples who love me.”

“A bad attitude is plane tire if you not change it you can never think positive!”

“I am not a special Person, But I am just limited edition.”

“Stop checking my Status, Go and love your Girlfriend”

“Life is too short Don’t waste it updating status!”

“Status Unavailable! Check Later!…” “I’m not insulting you. I’m describing you.”

 “Be happy and smile when you’re around people who hate you. Your happiness will kill them.”

 “People always say that nothing is impossible. That’s not true. I do nothing every single day.”

 “I was cool – until global warming made me hot.”

 “No positive results can come from negative attitudes. Always think positive and always live positive.”

 “Love me for who I am – not what you want me to be. Take me or leave me. It’s that simple.”

 “If you face the sun, you’ll never see your shadow.”

 “Look – I’m only responsible for the words that come out of my mouth. I’m not responsible for you not understanding them.”

 “I really don’t care what you think about me. Unless you think I’m awesome. In that case – you’re totally right. Carry on!”

A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.

The funniest thing in class is when the teacher cracks a joke and no one laughs.

When your ex-asks if you can still be friends right after a breakup, it’s like having a kidnapper tell you to keep in touch.Bad Attitude Quotes

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The soul does not absorb negativity by accident, always by choice.

Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.

If you are not enjoying the journey, you probably won’t enjoy the destination.

Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations.

To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.

Nothing is interesting if you’re not interested.

A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You can’t go anywhere until you change it.

“Protect your good image from the eyes of negative viewers, who may look at your good appearance with an ugly fiendish eye, and ruin your positive qualities with their chemical infested tongues.”

“It would be easy to become a victim of our circumstances and continue feeling sad, scared or angry; or instead, we could choose to deal with injustice humanely and break the chains of negative thoughts and energies, and not let ourselves sink into it.”

“A negative attitude drains, a positive attitude energizes.”

“You have the ability to control your thoughts.”

“There is too much negativity in the world. Do your best to make sure you aren’t contributing to it.”

“I’m half good and I’m half bad. My mama is a very good girl and my daddy is a very bad boy. And I guess that leaves me somewhere sort of…here.”

“You’re a bad girl, trying to force me over the edge But you don’t have to. I’m already there. I’m already lost in you.”

“A bad attitude can literally block love, blessings, and destiny of finding you.”

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

Attitude Quotes For Whatsapp

Being this fabulous is a full-time job.

I’m afflicted with Awesome. There’s no curing it.

You can merely hope to be me.

Of course, I’m only pretending to like you.

Nice try, but you’re still not ME.

It would just be ‘awesome’ without ME.

I hate it when I’m hugging someone amazing and my face bangs into the mirror.

Of course, I’m odd. I’m Number One, you see.

I love you. But I love me more.

Diplomacy is for those who aren’t witty enough to be sarcastic.

Sugar coating just ain’t my style.

If I don’t remember it, it didn’t happen.

Don’t know. Don’t care. Never will.

Well, hello there WhatsApp stalker! How go the frequent status checks?

I really am ruggedly handsome, aren’t I?

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I solemnly swear I’m the best!

It ain’t happy if it’s not my birthday.

You make it difficult for me to be nice.

An ugly personality destroys a pretty face.

I don’t need to explain myself because I know I’m right.

If people are trying to bring you ‘Down’. It only means that you are ‘Above them’.

When you care about someone, their happiness matters more than yours…!!

Beauty is like Moon, looks much better at Night…

The greatest pleasure in life is doing the things, people say you can’t

The only disability in life is a bad attitude.

Life will give you exactly what you need, not what you want

The biggest slap to your enemies is your success.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.

I don’t have time to hate people, who hate me. Because I’m too busy in loving people who love me.

Attitude Quotes In Hindi

सही को सही और गलत को गलत कहने की हिम्मत रखता हूँ… इसीलिए आजकल रिश्ते कम रखता हूँ 😏

मयखाने का दौर गया जनाब ! लहू का दौर चल रहा है …..😎 😏

attitude का वो नशा चढ़ा है मुझपर जो ना उतरेगा , शख़्सियत भले ही मिट जाए पर ये बन्दा किसी के आगे नहीं झुकेगा 😎😎

दिलों में मतलब और ज़ुबान से प्��ार करते हैं, बहुत से लोग दुनिया में यही क���रोबार करते हैं 😏 😏

ज़रा सी कोशिश करूँ तो मेरी उमीदों को हौंसला मिले और ज़रा सा attitude में जीऊँ तो पता नहीं दुनिया क्यों मुझसे जले 😏 😎 😏

मेरा जो रुतबा कल था , वो आज भी है और कल भी रहेगा , कैलेंडर नहीं attitude है मेरा जो साल के साथ बदलता नहीं 😎😎

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हमारा #Style और #Attitude ही कुछ #अलग है,

#बराबरी करोगे तो #बिक जाओगे

तेरी अकड़ की रस्सी जल जायेगी क्योंकि मेरी पकड़ में आग है.

जब तक आप ऑक्सीजन नहीं हैं, हां, मैं आपके साथ रह सकता हूं

जीवन हिट तुम मुश्किल लेकिन यह आपको तीन सेकंड लेता है अगर आप सुपरहीरो हैं या नहीं मैं हूँ ।

बदसूरत व्यक्तितव सुन्दर चहरे को नष्ट कर देता है।

उस लड़के को ढूंढो जो आ���को अपने माता-पिता से मिलने के लिए घर ले जाएगा, न कि उनके बेडरूम

लड़के के 80% लड़कियों के दोस्त हैं .. सबसे कम 20% मस्तिष्क होने हैं 😉

मैं जीवन में एक बिंदु तक पहुंच गया हूं जहां मुझे लगता है कि किसी को भी कोशिश करने और प्रभावित करने की आवश्यकता नहीं है। यदि वे मुझे पसंद करते हैं, मैं अच्छा हूँ, और अगर वे नहीं करते, यह उनका नुकसान है

कुछ लोग इतने नकली हैं कि यदि आप ठीक से देख रहे हैं तो अपनी गर्दन के पीछे, आपको “मैड इन चाइना” कहकर एक टैग मिलेगा 😀

Quotes On Attitude And Love

“Our future cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the actions of the American people.”

“Some men have Hundreds of reasons why they cannot do what they want to when all they need is one reason why they can.”

“Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost in Life.”

“I don’t have an attitude! I have a personality you can’t handle at all.”

Love is like war… Easy to start, difficult to finish and impossible to forget.

 The spaces between your fingers are meant to be filled with mine.

Love is like a bar of soap, once you think you have it, it slips away.

Somewhere there’s someone who dreams of your smile and finds in your presence that life is worthwhile, so when you are lonely remember it’s true somebody somewhere is thinking of you.

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I m a puzzle, which u can’t solve

I don’t need to #show_off

Because they know what I’m and what I have.

Tom N Jerry taught me that life is boring….without ENEMY’S

No time for Fake and Negative People’s.

Take me as I am, not as you wish me to be.

I don’t wanna perfect life. I wanna happier life.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous.”

“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.”

“Don’t wish for a good body, work for it.”

“I am strong, I am beautiful, I am enough.”

“Who is a girl??? A girl is the most beautiful part of God’s creation. Respect every lady in your life. You will never know what she has sacrificed for you.”

“I am a crafty girl, I make things, lots of things.”

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