#honestly I didn't know who could be Christine

[omnxnom]

Have a messy sketch of Amy and Infinite as Christine and Erik from Phantom of the Opera! (Part 2 of my Phantom!Sonic Series)

hnnnrrrgngng the 2004 costume designs were so peak

[venmondiese]

COME TO ME, ANGEL OF MUSIC

‎‎masterlist ✧works in procress ✧ AO3

-ˋˏ| summary: On a costume party, you meet Aemond, a strange man who seems to lurke your thoughts. Soon enough, you'll find he is more than what he seems.

✧| Pairing: modern!Aemond Targaryen x Reader

✧| word count: 4.2k

✧| Warnings: MDNI 18+, possible dub-con, p in v sex, oral sex (f receiving), Aemond is very weird, and this contains dark contents.

-ˋˏslightly based on the phantom of the opera + my contribution to halloween

You wish you knew how you ended up in a rich party, honestly. It was a costume party, and everyone had rich costumes. You went for a classic one; Christine from Phantom of the Opera.  Your friend was dating the younger son of this family, throwing a party in the whole damn state they had, as if it was some kind of Saltburn. You didn’t comply when she dragged you to ‘meet one of his rich friends so you and him can be together’ because honestly you had nothing better to do.

Seeing people do heroin and ecstasy was not your style, so you separated from your friend soon enough, as she told you her boyfriend and her would spend quite some time on that. She had promised to invite one of your childhood friends (and crush); Ben. Even if it had been ages, you still thought about the chance to meet him. 

Dancing on the dance floor was something else. They didn’t play some of the usual party songs played on discos or bars. It was somehow more refined, but it didn't stop you from dancing.  You danced with some dudes; with a mummy, with Beetle juice, with Pennywise and even with the typical one dressed as the Joker. You made out with them a bit, but soon enough you pulled away.

Once you were sweating through your costume, you went to the backyard, seeing all the stairs you had to get down to touch the grass. Instead, you walked to the chairs in the balcony and stayed there. 

“I lost my… fucking piercing…” you murmur, feeling your face and not feeling your nose ring. Did you even…?

“Hello, didn’t expect you here” 

You turn to see the voice by your side. It was dark, or perhaps you weren’t using your glasses, but you could swear there wasn’t a man there. 

“Hey” you murmur softly. 

“Who are you supposed to be?” He asks softly, smoking his cigarette as he was against the wall. 

You weren’t one for small talk, truly. But here you were.

“Christine Daaé” you tell him softly looking at him.

“Hm.”

“From the phantom of the opera��

“I know, it is rather obvious coming from you” he says softly, another puff as he speaks. 

You frown slightly, confused by his words. What was he on? Maybe your face is familiar with someone he knows. You are sure you know him. He is oddly familiar as well, and you definitely couldn't shake the feeling of knowing him. He was like a distant, misty memory, as if from a dream.

“And who are you?” 

“Nosferatu” 

You take a moment to watch his costume, seeing the formal clothes he used. He had long silver hair, and it looked silky and it was very eye-catching. As you saw more and more of him, as the dim lights from the garden gave him a sombre aura. His skin was pale, not rosy-like pale, but straight out white, cold tones. He had a purple eye, and he wore an eye patch to the other.

“I Thought Nosferatu was bald”

“I thought Christine Daaé could sing.” 

“You surely wear tons of makeup” 

“You should see my brother” he says, looking at you “He came as Edward Cullen, Tons of glitter”

You chuckle “I can see it”

He was handsome, leaning on the wall as he inspected you. Gave you goose bumps, that, and the cold air too. 

“What’s your brother’s name?” You ask softly, looking at him as the skirt of your costume had been caught on some leaves.

“Aegon” he says, as if testing your knowledge on the name.

“And yours?” You ask, smoothly. You wanted to know his, in truth, and he smirked as he puffed on his cigarette.

“Aemond” he says softly, looking at you. “Yours?”

You tell him your name, and he hums watching over you. There is something about the way he looks at you, making your skin have goose bumps and you turn slightly more conscious about yourself. He was intimidating, yet at the same time, you were attracted to him as moths are to light. 

“You fit the costume” he says, puffing on his cigarette again. 

“It is my favourite costume. I found a white corset, and a white puffy dress. I did the star pattern on it, and it took me a while to style my hair.” 

“Hm. I see.” his voice is sultry, watching you closely. 

“I have seen the Phantom of the Opera since I was a child. I love it” you admit with a smile “Seen it like a hundred times. I doubt there is someone who has seen it more than I”

He raises an eyebrow at your nerdiness, yet he shrugs, throwing his cigarette on the floor to stomp on it. His shoes had dragon patterns on them, and looked as if they had never been worn. 

“I doubt it” he says smugly, moving to sit in another chair next. One of his legs lazily going above the other as he leaned back. “I have seen it for years and years”

You roll your eyes amused, as if he was trying to fight who was nerdier. “Yeah, right”

“I mean it. They always play it in the theatre” he says, looking at your face as if trying to see your reaction. He isn’t very expressive, you notice, as his face almost doesn’t move as he speaks. 

“And so you happen to visit the theatre always?”

“Well, in fact I do.” He shrugs, moving to take another cigarette out of his pocket, to lighten it up. You roll your eyes as if you don’t believe him. “I own the place.”

It is a moment of silence, as you watch him brag about it. Men and their audacity. He was extremely rude, apart from off-putting. And he was arrogant, you knew an arrogant man when you saw one, how his chin is titled up, as if looking down at you. 

“Yeah, right”

“I mean it” He says, surely. 

“Are you rich?” You say in disbelief, not believing one word of what he was saying. 

“I live some states away” He says, referring to the mansions. “It’s older than the damn country”

“I do not believe you one bit”

“Don’t” he shrugs nonchalantly, his face barely changing as he takes another puff. “You could have had free entry to see the phantom of the opera every night” 

You narrowed your eyes to his words, you do not believe him. How rich can you be to own one of these houses AND own a theatre? Makes 0 sense in your middle class mind. Yet, Aemond, for some reason, is different. You cannot explain it… and it bugs you. Yet you are curious as a cat. 

“Okay, Mr. Billionaire” You say mockingly, leaning closer as you watch his face. “If you do own that, you must be an aristocrat” you point out, seeing how his eyebrows raise and he nods slightly.

“Yeah”

“So your family has been around for centuries?”

He nods, and he says “Yeah, more than centuries”

“Every dynasty falls, you know. Sooner or Later” 

“Or they evolve” He says, taking another puff. He has a calm way to speak, almost sultry. He speaks as if he had all the right opinions on the world, and doesn’t leave room to question him.

Aemond was handsome, perhaps too handsome. Though the white makeup was too much (and you can imagine how full of glitter his brother should be), he has a mystery surrounding him. He was a billionaire, yet he doesn’t tell you his family name, which doesn’t surprise you, since rich people are full of fake friends. You doubted that half of the people in this mansion even knew the hosts personally. And Aemond seems the calm type, stoic, silent and observant. You can notice it just by the way he stares at you, no expression on his face, not even boredom. 

“And you are friends with …” You ask, moving a hand to point at the castle. 

“My brother is more social than I am” his tone is quiet. 

“And he dragged you here?”

“I dragged myself here” he says. Even if he is very expressionless, you were getting tired of him.

You didn’t even notice how awkward the whole conversation was. He was so clearly uninterested in you, only bragged about his luxuries and spoke in a condescending tone. You were confused, no doubts. The alcohol had been too much.

“I will go to the dance floor then…, Aemond” you say standing up, and he doesn’t do the courtesy to look interested. 

As you leave, you just try to sneak away from his little corner, and you try to find your friend. The meeting with Aemond left you a sour taste in your mouth, no doubts. Lisa was certainly more of a social butterfly, and if she was next to her boyfriend she would probably be like his trophy, anyways. 

You walked through the corridors, and tried to check your phone. It was almost one in the morning, 00:58. You sighed, checking your messages as you tried to stay against the wall; the music was loud enough to drive you insane.

Where are u??? Ben is here…

You cursed yourself, muttering a great deal of insults as you answered, asking where the hell she was with Ben. You came with a purpose, and you certainly couldn’t leave without it. 

Ben was handsome, and his blonde hair fell from his face as he was dressed as some superhero you didn’t recognise. Yet he was lean, and handsome as hell. He has some beard, not too rusty, but you liked it, suited him well. It reminded you of his dad, no doubts. 

“Ben” you say smiling

“Oh, look at you” he says, standing up to hug you. “It has been ages!”

“Too long” You say smiling, hugging him back. “How have you been? I mean… What have you been up to?” It was almost impossible not to want to ask Ben about all the amazing things he must have been up to. 

Between chatting, drinking and dancing, it’s nearly three am when you are still dancing on him in the dance floor.  It was less crowded than before, yet it still was hot as hell. You were sweating slightly, and still with Ben, dancing together and having so much fun.

“Hey, Christine” 

You turn a bit confused. Oh, it was this guy. The Nosferatu guy, Aemond.

“Hey” You say to him, cringing a bit. His expressionless face looked from you to Ben, who stopped to dance to introduce himself. “Ben, this is Aemond… Aemond, Ben”

Whereas Ben extended his hand with a smile, Aemond watched him with a hum, acknowledging him with a raise of eyebrows. You wanted to die, he was so fucking rude and hard to swallow, and you didn’t even know why he was bothering you.

“You are friends?”

You try to answer, yet you find yourself mumbling nonsense as your cheeks get red slightly from shame. It is Aemond who answers.

“Yeah. Long acquaintances” he says, and his face finally changes. His lips curled in a smirk, his arms crossed on his chest as he was very much interested in Ben now.  “Isn’t it right?”

You look at him, and then at Ben, blinking a bit confused. “Yeah, we know each other… and we are so close” 

“Oh, I see. Didn’t mention that” He says, his smile confused as he looks at you. 

“Well, I didn’t remember” you say, a bit confused, frowning. 

Where did you exactly meet Aemond? 

“Ouch” Aemond says, looking at you. His voice still cold, and detached “Didn’t you tell him all the times we have gone to see the Phantom of the Opera?”

It takes you a bit to speak. “Yeah, tons of times… Aemond owns a theatre, and they play it all the time.”

Ben looks at you a bit confused. His hand is on the small of your back, and still close to you. 

“Maybe you could come with us” you babble, words out of your mouth hastily. “I’d like you to” you add, words you like to say finally coming out of your mouth.

“Sure thing” Ben says smiling, giving you a reassuring nod. 

“We could arrange it for the next season. Now it is all about more new musicals” Aemond says shrugging “Even if the Phantom of the Opera is quite new, still”

“It’s old as fuck, dude” Ben laughs it out, but his laugh is met with no response. 

You looked at him, eyes wide. You found it funny, why didn’t you laugh? 

“Either way…” Aemond says, his tone unwavering as always. “We have to leave, darling”

It is then when you look at Aemond again. You were attracted to him like a moth is to light, and he was like a drug. He was handsome, tall and definitely hot. He made you feel alive. 

Yet you didn’t want to leave Ben. Why would you? Lisa had especially invited him for this purpose, to get you two together, to reconnect and with some luck, hook up. Even if you weren’t the type to hook up with guys you have met the same day, unlike Lisa. She joked that maybe Ben was worth the exception. 

“Wait, I thought we were staying…?” Ben says, confused, since Lisa’s boyfriend had no problem in lending one of the guest rooms to you two. 

“No” you say, almost automatically. 

“Come on” Aemond says, pulling you away from Ben, grabbing your elbow with a self-sufficient smirk. 

His touch was cold, unwelcoming and uncaring. Even with that, you followed his lead out of the mansion, not caring to wave goodbye to Ben. 

It is when he opens his old car, probably expensive as hell, when you ask him. “Where are we going?”

He smiles “Oh, my darling. We are going to my state”

Your mind has problems remembering how you two exactly arrived at his state. You have had too much alcohol, either way. 

And as you went away from the party, you started to ask yourself more things. Why did you ignore Ben? You were an ass to him, and you didn’t care about it. But in truth, you did, and you felt awful about it. 

It made zero sense; you couldn’t understand your change of heart. As if sorcery was inflicted upon you, or mind control. When you take out your phone, to send him a message, to apologise, and to also tell Lisa where you are, you find yourself with no signal at all. You barely had any battery on it too.

“Do not bother” Aemond’s cold tone comes as he drives. The car was so old, the gearshift was like a lever next to the steering wheel. Damn, this shit didn’t even have a radio. “There is no signal around here”

“No technology either…” you murmur between your teeth, and try to look out in the darkness of the night. It was all mist, from miles and miles in the field. 

“Do not worry yourself” He says, and with that, you shut up. 

Your walk is almost automatic, following his lead into his house. It was a mansion, more like a Victorian one. Maybe even older, this truly seems like centuries old. You couldn’t imagine how old his dynasty was to inherit something like this. 

Aemond could be as sultry as he was cold, because soon enough you were on his bed, sitting as he talked softly, about your appearance or how perfect you were. You truly didn’t take a look around his home, or his room. Surely, there were a lot of stairs, and a lot of floors. But you only cared for Aemond.

“Dressing up like Christine, hm? Suits you” He murmurs, his hands cupping your face as if you were dear to him, yet there was no tenderness in his tone, only that detachment you despised. 

“Hm” it was all you could say. 

“So perfect for me. I knew I was right on you”

His lips devour yours as he kisses you, and you can do anything but return his kisses, perhaps not with the same fervour, but still you are a bit enthusiastic with that. 

If he was cold, he made it up by being addicted. Kissing him was addictive, and the taste of it was making you lean closer and closer to him. And it was as if he thought the same about you, by the way he was acting the same, if not more desperate. 

You feel his kisses travel down, as his hands lower down to move the skirt of your dress, feeling your bare legs and going upwards. His face nuzzles your neck, and you can feel how he leaves hickeys, bites and wet kisses on the skin. 

He was insane with lust, like an animal as he pressed kisses on your collarbone, pulling you back in his bed. Kissing Aemond was like being in heaven; you could barely feel your own body. 

“You are perfect” He murmurs “No need to be nervous” his tone is sultry, almost too enchanting for you. 

You weren’t even nervous, to be honest. Your heart was racing like crazy, and your hands were sweating. Still, you didn’t feel nervous. 

“I’m not” you murmur softly. 

“You are” he says, his eyes turning to look at you. “I know it. You can’t hide anything from me”

As his hands move to take off your clothes, and his mouth relishes on your breasts, clavicle and neck, you start to wonder. Was he stalking you? You remember him too dizzily to connect dots, but he was starting to… 

Scare you. Arouse you. You weren’t even sure.

Aemond was especially good with his mouth; his kisses pressed lower and lower as his hands caressed your thighs softly, looking up at you. 

“I’ll make you feel better” he promises, his tone sounds ever sweeter. “I know what to do to cure you”

If the remark was oddly strange, he doesn’t give you a moment to think about it, as his mouth goes to your cunt, his tongue moving expertly along your folds to taste you, like a man starved does. He was, in a way, starved. You could see it in his gaze, looking up to you to see your reactions and if trying to see right across your soul. 

He accommodates your thighs on his shoulders, as if hugging your back to press you further to his face, and mouth. He was groaning on it, delighting himself in your taste, as you could only whimper and see with half lidded eyes, biting your lower lip as you feel your head starting to drop back in delight.

His mansion was cold, and Aemond was even colder, yet everywhere he touched, felt warm. It was magnificently paradoxical, yet it made every sense in your head. If you could form a logical thought, that would be, because when Aemond touched you it was as if your brain melted completely, being nothing as he touched your body.

“Will you let me?” He asks, his mouth and chin shiny from your arousal, gods, you were leaking wet. You haven’t noticed until now, you were really wet. And he only seems to be happy about it. 

He glances up at your face, watching you closely with his careful eye. You were right on his mercy, and he liked it. He could tell that you were loving it, the way he gives you attention and takes care of you, and yet he isn’t pleased when you nod as a way to answer him “I want you to say it out loud”

“Yes” you say, your breath almost stuck in your throat as you speak, nodding. Your cheeks were red, and you could feel your blood going everywhere in your body, especially where he had touched you, and kissed you.

“You are all mine, hm?” He says, seeing the hickeys on your neck and legs. 

His cock was hard, and he was as excited as you were to have you. You didn’t quite get what he was after, sex? Taking care of you? An odd, distorted and sick pleasure of… doing what he does? You couldn’t get it. 

He doesn’t use protection, and you also don’t try to ask about it. You just don’t care about it, you want him. You need him. You craved him. 

Aemond hiss when he enters you. Your pussy is warm, wet and welcoming to his cock. Seeing you in display to him, moaning as his cock starts filling you is too much for him. It’s too overwhelming, and he has to curse out loud, moving to grab your thighs to pull you closer, your body moving as if you were a ragdoll. 

“Fuck, princess. That’s it” he mutters, his hips going back, before harshly going forward, starting to pound into you as if he was a feral animal, grunting and groaning, 

Your body welcomes his harshness, feeling his cock pound again and again against all your sensitive spots. He knows what he was doing, surely, and he knew how to please his partner in bed. His dick slides effortlessly into her cunt, you could feel his balls slapping against your skin. 

“Aemond” you moan is more like a whine, the same tone wounded animals used emit when in pain. Oddly enough, that turns him on more. 

“That’s it” He murmurs, his hips being harsh as he thrusted, and you could only imagine how much it would hurt to stand up next morning. "Sing for me...."

Aemond reaches with his hand to find your clit. Most men would be blind, but Aemond had experience. His wet fingers rub your clit, as he made sure his thrusts were overwhelming enough to have you made a mess for him. Moaning loudly, he feels your legs shaking a bit as he leans to whisper in your ear.

“Come for me” His tone is many things, a plea, an order, a fact.  "Come to me"

You didn’t know how, but he knew. You were coming hard, as you felt his cock deep inside and his wet kisses all over. It was intense, and he had you all disoriented. Maybe you squirted, maybe he came right with you, and maybe he came inside you. But the truth? You didn’t care. 

You fell asleep soon after, almost unconscious from such a night. Alcohol, crazy sex, and going to a stranger’s home. 

It all hits you by the morning. 

If you could call that a morning, honestly. You wake up, in the silk bed sheets, feeling colder than ever, and naked. You turned around, and everything was dark, as if it was night. The tall, heavy curtains in the windows were old enough to be thick, and not let a single ray of sunshine inside. Yet, it was badly closed, because one ray hit right in your neck, and in your left eye, waking you up. 

You don’t know how long you have slept, as you stand up. You feel panicked, because you went home with a stranger. And then you start remembering. Leaving without telling Lisa, leaving Ben just because Aemond said so, and you were stupid enough to follow him.

And you had sex with him. You can feel your body aching from how feral he was with you, and you sit up in bed, whining, as your whole body is sore and burning you.

You check your thighs, red and lots of bruises there. And your stomach, and your forearms. You stand up carefully, moving closer to the window you had seen in the hallway, not minding your nakedness, or who might see you wander around. 

You are more worried by the blood coming out your neck. You see yourself in the mirror; your neck has dry blood, bruises and hickeys. Your face? Intact. But your neck and collarbone were… destroyed. Your breasts are saved, just a little bit, bitten and full of hickeys, but no blood there.

You try to move the dry blood, trying to see what you were injured. You didn’t hear a sound in the house; it was dark, and quiet. The most light that entered was from a skylight in the stairs, which seemed to be endless.

You see two dots, deep and scarlet in your neck. And another pair, and another. You had to check more than twice to try to make it sense. Aemond had bitten you. It was all Aemond.

“I see you have woken up” He murmurs, leaning on the hallway, with a cup of tea, and some cookies. 

You turn to look at him, and you regret not having something to cover yourself with.

“You are a monster” You say, turning back to the room, to try and go find your clothes and your phone. “Biting me like a… a… a vampire” you say, just to test the waters. Hells, you didn’t even believe he was a vampire.

Aemond chuckles, following right behind you as he leaves the tray in the cabinet. He looks at you, covering the door unconsciously, as he crosses his arms. “So you figured it out then” he says. “I thought it would take you less”

“You… drugged me”

“No” He says, crossing his arms, offended. “I did not need to.”

He was attractive, but it wasn’t him. It wasn’t his charm, and how handsome he was. Of course, you think, being an idiot. You had seen twilight a million times, and you felt like Bella when she discovered the same about Edward. 

“Vampires aren’t real” You remind him, putting on your clothes. They were dirty, yet you just wanted to get out of there. Gods, you were an idiot. An idiot. And you didn’t even know what you would tell Lisa, or Ben, or your parents…

“Aren’t they, really?” He asks, almost mockingly. “And where are you going, darling?” He asks amused, seeing you grab your purse and pull your clothes fast as day. It took you a bit to close the corset of the dress, but whatever. 

“Away” you mutter, which causes him to laugh.

The only, genuine and loud laugh you have heard him do. Maybe the most genuine he has ever been in the time you have meet him.

“You are adorable, my sweet” he says, his tone as detached even with his amusement. “I thought it was clear. You are not going anywhere”

You look at him, as if confused. He wasn’t a vampire, it was ridiculous. It felt like a crappy movie that they passed through forgotten channels. 

“Yeah, right” you say, passing through him and going into the hallway. “I am leaving” you tell him, trying to look brave, as you try to decipher the fucking mansion. 

“You are scared as a kitten” Aemond says, more amused than anything “Your heart is beating like crazy, darling”

“Whatever!” You scream, finding some stairs and going down. 

“And how will you ever leave? The closest town is far away for leaving on foot.”

“I’ll call a tab” you say, stubbornly, taking out your phone. 

Seriously? 11%? You sighed. Aemond didn’t stop you, but let you figure it on your own. There was no signal here.

If you go, with how cold it was, you were going to die of hypothermia. And going out without a map, without a direction, you will be also dead, if not found by him. You really, really were trapped. You had to think of something else, surely, but not now…

“I see your pretty head has figured it out” Aemond says, from top of the stairs. “Now, will you take the cookies and tea I had you? I bought them just for you” he says, almost annoyed. “I can’t let my pet starve”

That was what he wanted you for. If he was a vampire, he needed blood. And he had his fill, and he had his next meal. It was you; he wanted you as food, and to fuck. 

"I want my pretty angel to keep on singing for me" his tone is deep, smiling, as he teases you with those words. "My angel of music"

You want him to shut up, but at the same time, you don't.

You remember, for a moment, when he bites you with his fangs. You had thought it was with the costume, but he didn’t dress up. He surely invented he was Nosferatu, and you believed it like a fool. Those fangs weren’t fake, and they dig into your neck to draw blood from you, multiple times. 

It was painful, and it stung like a bitch. You didn’t want him to feed on you.

"You have come here with one purpose and one alone" he says, as he lure you into his whims "I have needed you with me... to serve me. "

Yet when you see him smile, guiding you to eat, you feel calm, even if your mind knew he was using his dirty tricks on you, just like before. He seduced you, into his will. And gods, if you didn’t feel like you wanted just that: be his forever. To feed, to fuck, to devour. 

It was surely going to drive you insane one day, yet you had to get used to it. It didn’t seem as if you were going to be out anytime soon. 

[wasawattpadkid]

Housewife

Part - 5

Summery: Billy and Stu have been planning these murders for quite some time. Everything is going to plan until you show up. What happens when they meet someone who is just as mentally deluded as they are?

Pairing: poly!ghostface x fem!reader

Warnings for this series: murder, blood, smut (will be more in depth on smut chapters), power dynamics, a dash of sexism, knives, stalking, perverse behavior, cheating,

Part 1

"You know you boys look amazing in an apron." You wolf whistled at them both. Billy acted annoyed but he secretly loved the attention. Stu shook his ass at you making you laugh. Stu offered to do the dishes but for some odd reason they both fought over who would do them. Now there they stood aprons covering thier clothes. You and Stu practically had to hold down Billy as you tied the strings around him.

"I'll fix the popcorn!" You cheered hearing a groan from both men. "We just ate please..." Stu whined holding his stomach. "You two are party poopers. Well, while you do the dishes I'm going to change into my pajamas." Both their heads snapped towards you. "And I'm locking my door." You shouted down the hall.

You weren't really sure what to wear. You didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to yourself but in a way you did. They had girlfriends you knew that. The way they looked at you however was addicting. You weren't going to sleep with them so what's the harm in looking good? A voice in your head screamed male validation but you ignored that. You pulled the silky nightgown from your closet debating on wearing it. "Too obvious." You muttered putting it back in the closet.

Leaning your head out of your room you shouted. "How cold is it supposed to get tonight?" Within seconds you hear them both answer. "Very cold, extremely cold, even freezing, it might snow." You know damn well in the air of California it wasn't going to snow. You grabbed a pair of silky shorts and pulled out the matching top. That would have to do. Once you were changed you went back to the kitchen seeing the dishes were all done. "Thank you guys."

"Thank you for dinner." Billy said honestly. "Yeah what he said." Stu was laid out on the carpet as Billy glared at him. "Anytime boys." Stu looked at your new outfit trying to figure out how you looked so hot in pajamas. "Why didn't you wear what Bil- what we got you?" He corrected himself. You plopped down on the couch next to Billy. "Because I knew if I did, you two wouldn't want to watch a movie." Stu nodded as he shrugged knowing you were right. "Who said I wanted to watch a movie now?" Billy said dangerously close to your ear. You jumped up going towards the TV. "Alright! What are we watching first?"

Christine was pretty good, not as good as Stu made it out to be though. "The coolest car ever!" Stu shouted which you quickly shushed him. "I don't live out in the country like some people, keep your voice down." Stu covered his mouth in regret. "Yeah Stu keep your voice down." Billy repeated and you slapped his chest. "Ow!" He laughed. "My turn, put on Ferris Bueller's day off." Stu groaned sliding off the couch and over to the VCR.

"You'll love it. If you liked Dazed and Confused you'll like this." Billy cocked his head. "You never told me you liked that movie?" Stu ignored his friend's eyes focusing on the tape. "I saw it once." He played it off which confused you. "Once? You said you went to see it at the movies 4 times." Stu silently begged for you to shut up. "You never told me that." Billy said once again a calmness to his voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd care." Stu bit back. "What else are you not telling me?" You realized very quickly this could get worse somehow. "God you two fight like a married couple. Just put the movie in and get up here I'm freezing."

The arguing stopped immediately. Once the movie started Stu sat at the end on the sofa leaving you in the middle. Carefully you wiggled down laying your head on Billy's lap. "This doesn't bother you does it?" His eyes glanced down and back up again just as fast. "No you're good." Stu grabbed your legs laying them on his lap. Ever so often he'd drag his hands up and down your legs mindlessly. After a while he genuinely started to like the movie. "Those two are so banging."

"That's what I was thinking." Billy responded to Stu. "You think Ferris and Cameron are a couple?" Stu made a noise shaking his head. "Did you see the way they look at each other or how no matter what bullshit Ferris drags him into he goes along with it?" The room grew silent with a unanimous acknowledgment of the current similarity. The movie continued and so did Stu's commentary. "Oh no, all three of them are fucking." You laughed and Billy took notice. "What's so funny about that?"

"Oh nothing it's just I can see it." The movie continued with Stu laughing his ass off at some parts. Billy's hand found it's way into your hair playing with what he could grab. Slowly your eyes fell shut. "She reminds me of you almost." Stu said turning to look at you. "Man she's asleep." Stu loudly announced, annoyed you both didn't finish the movie. Billy looked down watching your chest slowly go in and out. "Then why are you yelling?" Billy snapped. "Sorry." The boy mumbled. "Cut all this off while I take her upstairs."

"Why do you get to put her to bed she barley even trusts you awake?" This Billy found particularly funny. "That's rich coming from the guy that's done nothing but hit on her since you met her." Stu moved your legs standing up off the couch. "I do that with everyone it's charming." He laughed until he saw the way Billy was looking down at you. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being replaced?" Stu paced on the shag carpet. Billy sighed not wanting this shit right now. "We'll talk about this later."

"No I think we'll talk about it now. A year ago you came to me in need and I did everything I could to help. It was month after month of "I was drunk" or "I don't even remember it." I put up with it hoping once this was all said and done with, we'd run away and have our sequel. That was the plan wasn't it Billy?" You wavered in and out of consciousness barley piecing together what was being said. "She's different Stu and you know that. You feel it too. I need time to think to plan around this." He looked down at you noticing your eyes twitch. "We'll talk about this later."

Stu knew that was the end of the conversation. "Y/n..." He gingerly whispered trying to wake you up. "Mhm?" You stirred swearing they were fighting. "What's wrong?" You asked trying to look around. "Nothing's wrong we were trying to figure out if we should pause the movie or not. I'm going to take you to bed and me and Stu will head there shortly." You just rolled over burying your head against his stomach. Billy slowly moved off the couch, picking you up bridal style. Stu followed making sure Billy followed your rules.

Billy placed you softly in bed hoping to just look at you for a bit. "If it's too cold on the floor you can climb in here." You mumbled. You weren't in your right mind Billy knew that and so did Stu. That wasn't stopping them however. "Go cut the lights and everything off then bring your bag up here." Stu like the good little soldier he was, he did as told.

"Here." He handed Billy his sweat pants. "We're sleeping in our shirts." Billy said as he unbuckled his belt. "What why? We never sleep with our shirts on." Billy folded his pants sitting them on the chair in the corner. "Because if she wakes up and sees us half naked beside her she's liable to freak thinking we did something. So please, just do as as I say for once." Stu had to give Billy this one. He was the smartest piece of shit in town.

Stu was the first one in bed with you. Making you roll over and wrap your arm around him. "Billy look!" He whispered like you were a cat in a cute position. You tossed your leg over him next making it impossible for him to move. "Billy help! Her feet are fucking freezing!" He whispered once more earing a laugh from Billy. "She looks so peaceful doesn't she?" He taunted as Stu struggled against your restraints. Before getting into bed Billy cut off the light making the house seem earily dark.

Billy climbed in, his back towards you and Stu. Without warning you rolled over putting Billy in the same position Stu was. "She makes a good big spoon don't you think?" He taunted back but deep down Billy had never felt more comfortable. "Shut the fuck up." He mumbled holding your hand that rested over his waist. His thumb traced little circles on you hand. Stu scooted behind you. He snuggled up knowing damn well all three of you would wake up in a cold sweat from just being around each other all night. "Goodnight boys." Your voice was dangerously clear. Stu was already half asleep but Billy however heard you. He wasn't sure how much you knew but he'd have to quickly figure it out.

(If your name has a line through it Tumblr wouldn't let me tag you.)

Part 6

Taglist: @katie-tibo @danodoll21 @agustdeeyaa @bowlofceral @gonnapermashift @tati-the-fangirl @kozumewhore @tatijoestar @illyanam1011 @c4rved-pumpk1n @msghostface @gojosbucket @sammanna @lokigirlszendaya @reneki @fetusharryluvr @kadu-5607

[bewarethewolfarmy]

Things Better Unshared

(A follow-up to A Celebration for Two partially because so many people seemed to have liked it and partially because I happen to have had one of those days. And yes what is described in this story is how I suffer through migraines, which I get on occasion (I am a chronic headache sufferer though). My friend Ash, may her soul rot in the shared POTO hell we are destined for, technically gave me this plot bunny when I told her about my migraine today so hope you guys at least enjoy)

Erik was 1000% certain that you were angry at him or something and thus already rehearsing a thousand different apologies, with flowers and music and begging and crying. Actually he was already crying because again he was more than absolutely certain that you were very much angry at him.

Admittedly he was not sure why you would be mad at him though. He had not killed anyone recently, or honestly at all in the time since you told him you loved him to now and he had sort of wanted to, especially when it came to those guys who sometimes talked to you and especially that one who had actually tried to ask you out and that was certainly not acceptable in any way. But he had held himself back, remembering how murder was one of Those Things that had made Christine run from him and that you had indeed told him that you did not want him hurting anyone. What helped him to remember and internalize it was that you had voiced it as a worry that he would be hurt or taken away from you if he did anything like murder someone again and thus made it into how much you cared about him, and Erik could never bring himself to do something that could upset someone who was willing to say they loved him. He also had been holding back his wish to make you a star and trying to convince you to that effect, and he'd behaved himself with the operahouse managers and he'd even tried to do nice things for them like fix up broken props and ripped costumes. He'd loved listening to you giggle as you had recounted to him how the other performers were convinced they had some sort of guardian angel running around, a nice change from the story of the Phantom; he didn't care about their thoughts and feelings about the situation as much as he loved to know you were happy about it. And actually he was also certain you had been happy just the night before, kissing him gently goodbye before having to return to your usual days in the choir.

Yet he knew you had to be angry at him because why else would you be acting so strange? You were listless and not really talking to anyone, grimacing and holding your hands over your ears as if hating the sound of music that as always filled the operahouse. He'd only been doing his usual thing, watching over you when you couldn't physically be together, and had been looking forward to watching rehearsals, but you had this strange unhappy look on your face and he was certain it was because something was wrong and of course to his mind the only thing that came to him was that you were upset with him and thus he needed to figure out how to fix things. He couldn't bear to have you upset and now he just had to wait until everyone else left and you were alone so he could try to see if he could get to you. You'd already snapped at a few people who tried to bother you though and Erik was now just fiddling with everything he could get his hands on, his cape, some rope, a broken piece of furniture, his scarf, feeling more and more anxious.

It all came to a head as some lights went on and you practically winced, turning away. But not fast enough for your angel, attentive as he was, saw the tears in your eyes and his heart fell like a ton of stones into his stomach. He watched you slip away into a room, getting away from everyone and everything as if to flee, and finally he decided enough was enough. Quickly he made his way there, slipping through passages and hidden ways, through an opening in the wall of that room to grab you.

You flinched, you never flinched with him, and his heart raced to think he might have hurt you, but you looked at him, squinting and then buried your face in his chest. His mind raced but you whimpered and in a small voice, weak and unsteady, spoke, “It hurts so much...”

You were in pain? Physical pain? He didn't understand at first but you clung to him and he instinctively wrapped his cape around you, holding you and feeling all the more panicked.

“What hurts?” He felt so confused; he had been so sure you were.

“It's too loud, too bright, please.” You pleaded, in that sad trembling voice. And Erik, Erik never could reject a request, not from you.

It was easy enough for him to bundle you up and carry you away; walking corpse he might be, he was still strong and you fit so easily in his arms. If the surface was too loud, too bright, too anything, then he would just take you back to his home, to the darkness, to the quiet. He had no hesitation, especially as your arms looped around his neck and held onto him and lord did that make Erik want to know what was so wrong so much faster.

He did his best to bring you back though the rowing of the boat was made a little harder by the fact that you still didn't let go even in the boat. But at the same time he wouldn't complain; you were close to him, you were there in his arms, how could he possibly complain when you were right where he loved to have you so much. And you didn't seem to be angry or upset with him at all but he still didn't know what was wrong and that was somehow even worse because you said it hurt and that things were too much and he hated seeing you in pain, not to mention cry because of it.

The dim lighting of candles and the silent peace of his home by the lake seemed to bring you some peace though still you held to him. He carried you inside and took you to the bed, the easiest to keep holding you; that was what he wanted, that's what you seemed to want, and he curled around you somewhat awkwardly. He wasn't used to being the big spoon, he wasn't used to being the comforter instead of the comfortee; he still didn't know what was wrong and that was starting to make him feel panicked the longer you were silent and clinging so tight.

“Erik's sorry, please tell us how we can help,” he half whined, having brought you this far but having no idea what to do was starting to lose himself to his usual concerns, “Songbird, please, you're worrying Erik, please.”

“My head....”

“Your head?”

“It hurts so much, Erik, it feels like a needle in my eye, like sharpness in my skull, radiating back and forth and back and forth but only part of me, only part of my skull.” Your voice was small, so small, smaller than you, smaller than anything. “I can't focus, I can't see, and everything just makes it worse: the light, the sounds, movement, eating, I can't think about anything but how much it hurts. It all just compounds and makes it throb more.”

Oh. He realized, recognizing what you meant. “Do you see lights, ones that are not truly there, whether after looking at light for a second or simply out of nowhere?”

You nodded without word. He bit a swollen lip. “Then it must be hemicrania, migraine. Erik too has suffered such; the pain is....”

Impossible to truly describe, he knew that well. To think you too were undergoing such pain, unexpected, unwanted, unfair; he could not remember days in which he had one, for the pain took most memory and reality with it, leaving only the haze of existence and the depths of emotional and physical voidness. But he could remember pain, sharp, centralized at first before moving along the divide of his head; for him it was always the right side, the same as his deformity, and maybe it was connected but it never truly mattered. The pain was what did and your pain, that you too had to feel it, was what he cared about.

You whimpered again, a meek sound more suited to a child than the beautiful soul you were to him but he held you close and did what he had always wished someone had done for him in such a state: he covered your head in his cape, kissed you upon the head and spoke in the softest whisper he could muster, “You will be alright, songbird, I promise you.”

“I just want to sleep,” you mumbled.

“Then sleep you shall.”

“I should eat though.”

“Are you hungry?” You shook your head; he was not surprised. Appetite seemed to flee from the pain of the half skull. “Then do not force yourself. Rest; I will blow out all the candles and you will slumber and once you feel hungry then I will make sure to bring you all the best things to help you recover but it would worry me all the more if you had to suffer what happens when you force yourself to eat when your mind is such pain.” Though he'd be ready to hold your hair back and gently rub your back, wipe away your tears and give you water to clear the taste from your mouth. Still he never wished that suffering on you, any of this.

“Erik....” You clung tighter and he kissed you again. How strange it felt to be the one to give the gentle kisses, the love, the care; normally you were the one to comfort him and he had been so prepared to cry and beg your forgiveness before but now he knew what was really going on and all he wanted was to hold you and take all your pain away.

He took off his cape to keep you covered but found it hard to get you to let go of him. Normally he would have been delighted by this, he was before, but in light of what was going on.... “Songbird, sweet love, I need to get up.”

“Please don't leave me, it hurts so much.” You sounded like you were on the verge of tears again and how he hated it, loathed your pain.

It was his turn to whimper, because he was nothing if not weak to you and your pleas, but he had to be strong to some degree and he kissed away your tears. “My beloved songbird, I promise I will return as quick as I can, but I need to darken the room for you, all for you I promise. That way you needn't hide under my cape while you rest.”

Another whine from you but he did manage to break free enough to get up. You curled into a ball, a sad weak ball, and he was quick to move, snuffing out each candle, plunging the room into utter darkness. But he was used to darkness, he had lived in it for years, and to him you were like a beacon in the night anyway; he would always find his way back to your side. He settled into bed beside you again and pulled you close, stroking your hair as you clung once more to him. In the darkness all that could be heard was breathing, yours slightly labored as your body had a hard time adjusting to the pain; he started to hum, softly, careful of all sharp notes, careful of being too loud; it was even and gentle, a lullaby he made up on the fly. But slowly, surely you started to slip off into something resembling sleep and he knew this by the way your grip loosened, your breathing evened, you relaxed from tension you never even knew you'd been holding from the pain.

All the while the phantom held you, humming his slow warm melody, and wishing for all the world he could do more to make you, his beloved songbird, never feel such pain now or ever again.

[everydayyoulovemeless]

Ulysses, Joshua, Dean, Christine, and Follows-Chalk Reactions To Destroy Dick December

➼ Word Count » 0.5k ➼ Warnings » MDNI ➼ Genre » Romantic, NSFW ➼ A/N » Actually kicking myself for adding quotes to this series

Ulysses will actually agree to this scarily fast. He's a very physical person and adores the idea of spending that much time with you sexually. Besides, he feels that this is the perfect time to try a few different things out on you, just to make your time together a tad more interesting. You'll find that he's very passionate when it comes to your pleasure and will fuck you in all sorts of places to ensure you beat this month, especially if you lost in November. 9/10, depends on how busy the month is, but he's putting in some crazy effort for the both of you.

"Shh, just lay back."

Joshua is not only disgusted with you but amazed you think he could actually do all that with how many burns he has on his body. The first thing he's doing in the month of December is baptizing you. The fact that you even tried to ask something of this from him during the month of the Lord's birth baffles him and he will instead be doing a challenge of his own where he goes over one story of the bible every day until the month's over. 0/10, it just leads to another month of no sex.

"No."

Dean will get drastically more flirtatious with you as the month goes on. He'll plan out romantic, candle-lit dinners at random locations in the Villa, tilt your head to meet his gaze and play all sorts of records he's managed to salvage just to get you into the mood. He has tons of experience and would love to demonstrate it for you during these 31 days. It's honestly the friendliest Dean has ever been throughout the entire year, he just likes getting laid. 11/10, he is an animal.

"My dear~ How could I say no to a request like that?"

Christine will just shrug when you mention it. Sure, you guys can try it. She's aware of her limits and already knows she won't pass at all.. but you will. She'll make sure of it. She's not that into overstimulation, but throughout this month, she'll be doing her best to ensure you actually pass this time. Besides, she likes women who don't quit, even when put under all sorts of pressure. 9/10, you said you were going to do it, didn't you? She's just making sure you keep your word.

"You're tired? Already? C'mon, we can get one more in for you."

Follows-Chalk understands the rules of this one a lot better than he did in November, however, he doesn't pass it as easily. He finds that after the 9th or 10th day, he gets incredibly exhausted. He still needs to go out and hunt for his tribe, especially during the colder months. 4/10, he tries but, logistically it just wouldn't work out.

"Sorry... I.. I'm too out of breath."

[leader-of-grandys]

Okay it seems like rlly unpopular opinion in this fandom. I mean I saw a lot of fics, hdcs and posts where leroux!Erik is bi, pan or straighty and always very like VERY horny and very into all that stuff

but

BUT

I'll duplicate some of the thoughts that I wrote earlier. I personally see leroux!Erik as 1000% asexual because c’mon. This man is afraid of touching esp touching women. For him the biggest joy was INNOCENT KISS on the forehead. And judging by his wishes about his marriage where all he does is going for walkies while holding hands, singing and showing magic tricks is….. you know….. This speaks volumes. I bet he doesn't even think about other more physical aspects, for him it is just a fluffy romantic fantasy (and he's prob read hell of a lot snotty romantic novels while kicking his legs and screaming in pillow). He seeks romantic love and he wants to be loved and accepted as he is, but I see it as purely platonic feelings, not physical. And honestly how he treats Christine and calls her my angel, my saviour and all that stuff????? He idealises her to the core and sees her almost like a divine being - pure and kind. Do you really think that he would project his fantasies on her????? (but I highly doubt that he even has them and I see him as a castrato but its a whole different topic for another day) Do you think he would even allow himself to do that???? I bet he would just roll on the floor like sopping wet cat and scream that he's not allowed to touch this pure being with his disgusting cadaverous hands. Erik was SHOCKED that someone WILLINGLY touched him without running away, showed him compassion and understanding even despite his abuse and threats. All that because he thought he didn't deserve it, that he is so ugly that he can't be treated like a normal human being.

Also about that marriage stuff. I think Erik didn't desire the marriage as most ppl do. For him its just a way to prove that he is like everyone else because wakie wakie, it is a 19th century's heteronormative society where if you are single and were never married at almost 50 years old, then something is deeply wrong with you. Erik didn't want to marry in a first place - for him it's just an instrument to fit in in a strict society that rejected him. Honestly its sooooo autistic coded for me (I'm autistic btw). Dude just went too hard in attempt to fit in but failed miserably. Another thing for me that strikes is that the marriage for Erik could be seen as a guarantee that the person he loves will never leave him (bc divorces at that time were an awfully difficult procedure, you know). He was so insecure about himself, scared to death that he would be abandoned, betrayed, and rejected again and then boom, there's a guarantee drop, a wonderful idea that everyone praised and romanticised in all books. Marriage. You don't have to handcuff anyone to the battery and cry on the floor praying not to leave you because the law will do it for you. I think you see where I'm going. I also have high suspicions where's Erik really felt love or he was so lonely and depressed at that point of his life that he accepted an ordinary friendship and politeness as a pure and beautiful love to the grave (literally) and the only chance for happiness. When Christine didn't suspect a thing, he already drew in his diary himself walking with her in the park and framing it with hearts while lying on the bed like a schoolgirl. Again very autistic trait that I've noticed in myself. To think that you are a genius and have thought everything 10 steps ahead, that the person will act according to your plan and that the regular good word (said purely out of politeness by the person who is not interested in you) is the beginning of a great unbreakable friendship for the ages. If you know you know. I rlly see it as Erik imagined himself castles in the air and saw his deep desire for friendship and acceptance as true love. Because all pll are saying that love is great so it 100% must be it, right? ...........................right? The problem with interpreting your true emotions and feelings are unironically hard. Phew, okay. What I'm trying to say is that I see leroux!Erik as an asexual autistic individual. I don't say that it's canon and theres the only way to view this character because what I say is based not only on my unbiased analysis but also on my neurodivergent experience and kinda similar life problems (but much, MUCH LESS serious and with access to therapy and treatment). Pls don't write mean things to me if you disagree, you have your right to do so but do it outside my askbox. I’m open to discussion but not conflicts. Thanks

[basedkikuenjoyer]

When the Clock Strikes

Hey hey, 1125 gave us a lot of fun stuff to ponder. Starting with this. Here, we don't need to overdo it...

I'll let that speak for itself, certainly leaves us with a lot of nice intrigue around Stussy going forward which I am in favor of. There's one key thing about this chapter I have to get to and she surprisingly ain't it. Though I still love you Stussy, enjoy your ambiguous fate after an arc of a divided heart. Let's get to the main attraction:

Well well old friend, we meet again. For a good time, and a great taste...slap Garling into the open Gorosei slot. This presents a great opportunity to learn about both him and the elders. We still don't really have a clear picture of how much the average citizen really knows about these upper echelons of the government. Like...do you know who Christine Lagarde is? It's public knowledge, she's a powerful global figure. Head of the International Monetary Fund. Just because there is a fair amount of info about her available doesn't mean most people really think about her much. You probably didn't even know or consider the possibility when reading the previous sentences that...not who's in charge anymore. Her successor took over five years ago.

Point being, Garling represents an interesting shakeup. Most importantly that I will get to pester y'all with Mac Tonight jokes for many chapters to come. Emplemon has a great video on YouTube about the former MacDonald's mascot, he's a treasure that we can hopefully pull out of his brief corruption by internet racist dweebs...or make a lot funnier if Garling predictably ends up a genocidal maniac. Which, in conjunction with Dragon puts forward a really good note on Vegapunk's broadcast. This has a high likelihood of kicking off a lot of conflicts over higher ground. Speaking of Vegapunk...

It was a choice between badass Edison and the hall of Vegaparts. A very tough choice. Gets us to the title, a callback to a motif for our humble genius. What does death mean for him? Turns out not a whole lot. They don't mention Lilith having a connection like York still would, so I do wonder if hers has been fully cut. Either way, very cool final flourish for Punk Records. It floats away to go dormant until it's needed. Honestly...not unlike Toki's plan with the time fruit. And that gets me to the other big connection to those core aspects of Wano.

This fascinates me. The spoilers obscured how active Saturn was in this decision. But that's what makes it interesting. A last note of how our decisions ripple. Even ones that made perfect sense at the time.

Ultimately, hard to tell what this chapter represents. We cut away from the main cast, but that's normal to see one or two between arcs. We're still unpacking Egghead though so I can't fully say it feels finished here. If nothing else, we could bring it home by ending with SWORD finally getting to Drake. Who knows? But I'll see you next week, thankfully we won't have to wait long.

[cassidy273]

What different Ao3 tags mean

This post is for people who are starting to read fics on Ao3, or just people who don't get some of the tags.

Fluff - Basically just nice and fuzzy feels

Lemon/Lime - I don't think I see these tags too much on newer fics, but I used to see them all the time when I still used Wattpad. Lemon means that the fic contains graphic sexual stuff, and lime means that the fic contains sexual situations without being graphic.

Watersports - This is one of the freaky tags. Do NOT make the same mistake I did when I first went on Ao3, and assume that this is for fics about actual water related sports. This tag is for fics with piss kinks.

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat - This tag is for fics with themes that may be considered problematic/not morally okay, and it's basically a warning to readers to mind the tags. I didn't know what this meant a while ago, and I read a very graphic fic about a guy murdering his boyfriend during sex...consensually.

Angst - Just angsty/sad feels.

Whump - If I'm being honest, I didn't know what the fuck this could even mean when I first went on Ao3. It's basically just hurt/comfort, but emphasis on the hurt. I'm honestly too scared to read fics with this tag just in case I cry lol.

Crack - A fic that was written as a joke/parody that is not meant to be taken seriously. Like, you wouldn't leave genuine criticism on a smutty Shrek/Christine Daaé fanfic with the tag Crack/Crackfic.

Hurt/Comfort - The title kinda speaks for itself, but it's basically a fic where a character gets sick or feels bad emotionally, and another character comforts them.

Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics - This means the fic contains stuff from the omegaverse such as alphas, omegas, and betas. I remember forgetting to read the tags a while back, and when I started reading the actual fanfic, I was so confused as to why Christine was talking about Erik's pheromones and stuff like that. I'm not gonna explain too much about the omegaverse, but y'all can google that stuff yourselves if you want. There might be some sexual stuff, though.

Vore - This is basically just a fetish where someone wants to eat someone/be eaten by them.

I might make a follow-up to this but idk.

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Light Up the Lamp by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

Kit Oliver can do no wrong, I guess. I figured I'd like this one a lot given that I loved her other two novels, but hockey books usually aren't five star reads for me. Along comes this book! Unrelentingly lovely, and even though I knew it was going to have an HEA, I still found myself worried that Gil wasn't going to figure shit out.

The Faerie Hounds of York by Arden Powell - 5/5 stars

Gorgeous book that read like a dreamy, dark fairy tale. The first book by Arden Powell I read was really funny, and this was like the complete opposite. Powell has range! This one is sad, but still has a happy ending. If you like Emily Tesh's Greenhollow Duology, I highly recommend this one. They're definitely in the same vein.

Deosil by Jordan L Hawk - 4.75/5 stars

I was SO SAD to get to the end of this series. Whyborne, Griffin, Christine, Iskander, Persephone, Maggie, Niles...I could go on, I love them all. It's hard to say good-bye but they all got a wonderful ending.

The Inside Edge by Ashlyn Kane - 3/5 stars

The Taste of Desert Green by Kim Fielding - 4.25/5 stars

Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass - 1/5 stars

Crushed Ice by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James - 4/5 stars

Roustabout by Morgan Brice - 3/5 stars

Prince in Disguise by Tavia Lark - 5/5 stars

Loved this one just as much as the first in the series. I expected the Draskorans to be...idk, like stereotype fantasy barbarians, so it was extremely refreshing that they weren't.

Old Time Religion by EH Lupton - 5/5 stars

Ahhhhhhhh I love this series!! I really really enjoyed the first book, and I loved this one even more. Really good, really original. I can't recommend this one and Dionysus in Wisconsin enough!

A Thief and a Gentleman by Arden Powell - 3.5/5 stars

The Devil to Pay by Katie Daysh - 4.75/5 stars

If you like Patrick O'Brian but find yourself thinking, surely this could be more gay? Then Katie Daysh's books are for you. This is the second in the series and I was delighted to learn yesterday from her newsletter that she's working on the third, because I definitely am not ready for the series to end! The first book was from Nightingale's POV (there might have been some bits from Courtney's POV? But not many), and this one is entirely from Courtney's. Courtney and Nightingale didn't actually get to spend much time together in this one so I hope they catch more of a break in book 3.

Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson - DNF at pg 6

The Engineer by CS Poe - 4/5 stars

The Larks Still Bravely Singing by Aster Glenn Gray - 5/5 stars

If you're not reading Aster Glenn Gray yet, why not? Why not??? Seriously, if you like Cat Sebastian, PLEASE give Aster Glenn Gray a try. I have yet to read a book by the woman that isn't gorgeous. This book is set right at the tail end of WWI and into the interwar period and is about two young English men who were injured and invalided out of the army. They're both disabled (Robert, the POV character, is missing a leg, and David is missing a hand) and have PTSD.

Also recommended if you like KJ Charles's Will Darling Adventures trilogy. The Larks Still Bravely Singing is just straight historical romance, not romantic suspense, but it deals with similar themes.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S Jae-Jones - DNF at pg 24

Mr Warren's Profession by Sebastian Nothwell - 4.75/5 stars

LOVED this book. I think it's the only historical romance I've read that uses the Industrial Revolution so heavily in the plot, which I really enjoyed. Plus, gorgeous cover.

Honey Mead Murder by Dahlia Donovan - DNF at pg 5

A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey - 3.25/5 stars

String Theory by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James - 3.75/5 stars

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny - 5/5 stars

I honestly don't know why, when I received this book in like, November, I didn't immediately put it on the top of my TBR pile. I knew I was going to love it; I was super excited to get my copy. Every time I've shuffled my TBR (like, my actual physical TBR...it's a whole thing...it's actually been mistaken for my full book collection but haha no that's just 200 books I haven't read yet sitting on my stairs...), I've lamented that it's not closer to the top. And then I realized, this is literally my TBR and my own weird fake rules that I've made up about it, so I can actually just pull it from the stack and read it now. So I did!

And yeah, I loved it. So much. Raff and Penn will probably live rent free in my mind forever, not to mention Ash and Lily. I loved the medieval setting (another setting you don't see much in queer historical romance!) and how it really felt like a different world than ours. Plus I'm a sucker for road trip romances. And daddy issues. And horrific scars.

And ugh, the training scenes. The sexual tension. The PINING. Masterfully done. Chef's kiss.

Also we're going to find out who Oliver was, right? RIGHT??? And what happened to Penn's brother?

Out of Touch by Michael Sarais - DNF at pg 7

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves - 4.25/5 stars

Always enjoy a mystery that's well-paced and well-written. I've never actually read anything by Ann Cleeves but I'm going to pick up the rest of this series.

The Death I Gave Him by Em X Liu - DNF at pg 284

[fandomsmeantheworldtome]

2023 Character Wrap

Share your top ten characters of this year

Tagged by the lovely and huge talented @the-20th-century-girl thanks dear❤️

Furfur - Good Omens series

An obsession for a character and actor that came out of nowhere and i didn't even asked for it😂i was so in love with Aziraphale even before season 2 was out and then this little demon showed up and change everything, i tried to fight back this obsession for him at first "who is that character?"i remember asking myself and why i feel so attracted to him?( You already love Aziraphale you don't need another good omens distraction i replied to myself 😂)" but i could see also the actor behind the character and that actor got me more than intrigued,i needed to know everything about him.The rest is history for me but i am glad i answered the call of my heart

All Reece Shearsmith characters in The League Of Gentlemen,Inside no 9, Psychoville and every other project he's been in and i had the chance to discover and watch it

(please be patient of me i am head over the heels for that man so of course i will add here all his characters 😂)

Choosing an Ollie gif though because he honestly deserves the world

Aziraphale - Good Omens series

Even from the start of this year February i think i was so excited we would have season 2 of Good Omens in summer and i was waiting to see my beloved Aziraphale again,i have an undying crush on Michael Sheen since 2019 and good omens s2 restored that flame to the fullest😂

Renfield - Renfield movie 2023

I am sorry i am not so active now in the Renfield fandom but i still love Renfield and Nicholas Hoult with all my heart

Stede Bonnet - Our Flag Means Death

Stede Bonnet is my sunshine,my sweet baby my fave from Our Flag Means Death but he also evolved so much this season i am so proud of him

Izzy Hands - Our Flag Means Death

Tbh i didn't like Izzy Hands in first season as much as i do now but oh god he had the best character development this season, i love him so much😭

Spock and Christine Chapel- Star Trek Strange New Words

Choosing both of them because their chemistry and arc this season was everything to me and was the main reason i got back watching the second season of Strange New Worlds

Dale Jennings - The Newsreader series

Still in my heart always in my heart,i love Lestat too but Dale is the sweet bi disaster of my heart, Sam is so precious as Dale i can't hardly resist

Tim Laughlin - The Fellow Travelers series

I already had a crush on Jonathan Bailey when Bridgerton first aired but in Fellow Travelers he looks so different,hotter? and so cute i love Tim so much

Ouroboros- Loki series season 2

I will never stop loving Loki and Mobius as characters but Ouroboros was for me the highlight of S2,there were lots of moments where Ke Huy Quan was stealing the scene with his quirk,nerdy sweet funny persona as Ouroboros it would a crime not to love a character like this one

Tagging some lovely mutuals @edscozyblanketfort @neverswungonswingingstars @eames-with-two-roses @almost-born-in-1893 @a4chocolate @amalthea9 @whizbang-cap @gavetheflamingswordaway @lilac-paeonia @parnagfegg @haras24 @9leaguesofmirrors @ollieplimsollsgf @lapis-lazuliie @sherlockig @merry-andrews @coiled-dragon @mandycantdecide @its-all-ineffable and everyone who wants to do it

[dross-the-fish]

So why do you think Erik wanted Christine? Also, what do you think Erik saw in Christine?

I think he was infatuated with her. I think he wanted someone to look past his face and love him and he hoped it could be her. I think he loved her voice and the idea of having his living bride and I'm sure there were even aspects of her personality he found endearing but he almost never interacted with her from a position of equality. It was always as a mysterious angel, a teacher, or her kidnapper. It's hard to really know and fall in love with someone with such a huge power imbalance because you can never be certain if they actually love you for you.

Erik may even have convinced himself he was in love with her because she seemed like someone who might have compassion for him. I think there may also have been an opportunistic element to him picking Christine. I didn't pick up on it until I got older but Christine really was a perfect target, a lonely grieving child who needed to believe in angels. Maybe he saw something of himself in her loneliness and thought she might pity him where others hadn't.

Honestly I think a huge part of why Erik is so tragic is because no one has ever loved him he can't imagine anyone could love him if he didn't force or trick them, then when the illusion inevitably falls to pieces its too late for him to turn back and he wants to keep whatever pale imitation he managed to get, no matter how broken or twisted it is because its better than being alone. Even if it comes at Christine's expense. That said, I believe in the end he does feel remorse and even regret and that's what ultimately leads him to redeem himself.

[nevis-the-skeleton]

Black Bird Fazbear Fright : Why it's a bad representation of school harassment

Hello everyone, today we are going to talk about one of the Fnaf Fazbear Fright stories: Black Bird. Well, I would like to warn you, I didn't read the story, because it is not available in my country, but I saw Dawko's summary, and I documented myself as best I could to have the best vision as clear as possible. And, from what I've seen, this story is frankly… Not bad, but it has a very bad moral! Not about apologizing and forgiving, but about the representation that is made of school bullying.

For the summary, a boy named Noel, who has harassed a girl in the past is pursued by a demon bird who haunts him and plunges him into the guilt of his actions, and the only way he has to escape release it and apologize to those to whom he has harmed. Well, that's a very rough summary, but it's so that those who haven't read the story can follow, because I think it's important that as many people as possible know what's wrong with this story.

Bullying is bad, yes I know I'm not learning you something, but apparently the author doesn't think so, or presented it in a very bad way! First, when Noel tells his friend Sam that he bullied a girl, he laughs about it, and it's only because Sam tells him that it's not funny that he questions himself a little. Come on, I can understand that, if he wasn't aware that what he did was wrong, why not. But, I think that from the moment you put a dead mole in someone's locker, it's not to make them laugh! It’s clearly meant to do harm!

Already, this point prevents me from becoming attached to Noel, but even then it is not that problematic, as long as the character questions himself, which he seems to do. The problem is how he questions himself, why he does it. Basically, he's being chased by Black Bird and his girlfriend is telling him that he should apologize to the girl he bullied. He says he's going to do it, but the second Black Bird is absent, he withdraws, like: "oh come on, I'll check that he's really there, because frankly I don't want to apologize." He didn't say it like that, but that's really how I felt it.

And it’s only because Black Bird comes back that he decides to apologize to Christine! Man, you can't be more selfish! He only apologizes for his own well-being, because he is afraid for his life! If my bully came back to me, with someone holding a knife to his throat, and forced him to apologize, I would not consider his apology valid. Since he's fucking threatening imminent death! So that’s already a very big negative point, but it’s not the worst!

When Noel goes to Christine, who seems to be doing very well (she is in good health, she has lots of friends and everything), she does not recognize him. Like, bruh, no actually! That's not how it works! A bullied person generally doesn't forget their bully, and certainly not the one who called her fat and shoved dead f*cking moles into her locker! This is basically not possible! But it's not just that, and honestly that's what triggers me the most, she thanks him for bullying her, because it made her stronger, opened her eyes, and allowed her to get better.

…

Really, I don't have the words… What kind of bullshit is this? What kind of morality is that?! What it teaches the reader, indirectly, is: “Bullying is good, it allows people to improve!”, “Come on, tell this shy kid that he’s fat and ugly, so he’ll start playing sports and take care of his health!” NO! NO! and NO! Sorry, but I'm angry right now! There is nothing more destructive than school bullying! This shit kills people every year, it doesn't help anyone, and it certainly doesn't make you better! It's not a funny thing, it's not a joke! This is truly the worst moral I have ever seen in a story!

Remember one thing: apologizing is good, forgiving is liberating, but bullying is the worst creation of humanity. That's all I have to say about this story, I'm sure some will disagree with my opinion, but I really needed to get this out of my mind.

[glassprism]

It's been said that Webber Christine shows the most strength and fierceness, more than other any other versions. But when watching 2004 movie Webber Christine that same feel isn't there. Why did they insist to have her be a bit more weaker than the stage? Did that look better to do for movie purposes?

Oh, I don't know about being the strongest and fiercest, plus it really depends on the actress. (Meghan Picerno? Very fierce. Sarah Brightman? More dreamy than fierce.) Like, I think Leroux's Christine, who slams a door in Erik's face, wields a pair of scissors in case Erik should "stop acting like a gentleman", lies to Erik's face for two weeks, bashes her own head against a wall - that's pretty strong. Not to mention Claude Rains's Christine, who ditches both men in favor of her own career, or Robert Englund's Christine, who literally sets his lair on fire, both badass in different ways.

I think the best way to say it is that ALW's Christine experiences the most growth and change, since she starts off naive and passive but becomes independent over the course of the show, while others, like Leroux's Christine, are quite strong to begin with but do display less growth as a consequence. (And then there's Kay's Christine who just doesn't mature at all. Just a flat line of character development.)

But anyway, one thing about the movie is that they cut off scenes that show more of Christine's defiance. The big one for me is 'Notes II', a scene in the musical where Christine 1) yells at Carlotta, 2) yells at the managers, 3) yells at Raoul, and 4) yells at everyone before running off. The movie, however, removes most of the scene, leaving only Raoul's plan and 'Twisted Every Way'. This is part of the adaptation process, of course, where scenes get shortened or removed to bring the runtime down, and it makes some sense because 'Twisted Every Way' is moved to after the graveyard scene, not before as in the musical, but it does mean that a moment of Christine actually speaking out for herself is excised.

Another aspect is just the direction given to Emmy Rossum and her acting, such as in 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again'. In the musical, most actresses use this scene as Christine's big growth moment - Christine is finally moving on from her grief, she's ready to stand on her own feet, etc. In the 2004 movie, though, Emmy Rossum is just... sad. She's sad. It's honestly a bit funny because it seems like nobody actually listened to the lyrics of the song ("No more memories, no more silent tears, no more gazing across the wasted years!"), as if the director was just like, "Oh, 'Wishing'? It's the sad song, right? Just tell Emmy to play it sad, that's all we need."

And a third factor is the blocking of some scenes. 'Final Lair' is the big stand-out to me, because in the musical Christine is everywhere in that scene: she's trying to free Raoul, she blocks him from the Phantom, she is sometimes actively fighting the Phantom or making him back down or yelling at him, and it really shows how active and defiant Christine has become. But in the movie's 'Final Lair', Christine just stands there, again looking sad ("about as useful as a mannequin" went one review). Maybe she didn't want to get her dress wet, I don't know. The overall effect is that Christine comes off like an observer, not an active participant in the scene.

As for why they did this, there are some possible reasons. I think a big part of is that the movie was made to appeal to a younger, more mainstream crowd, teenagers to very young adults, and one way to do that is to strip the audience surrogate (the character that people will project themselves onto, in this case Christine for young women) of her personality traits. This is something that Stephenie Meyer did with her Twilight series, where Bella was written "so that the reader could more easily step into her shoes", to the point of leaving out even a description of her appearance.

That being said, this isn't necessarily confined to movies for teenagers; it's a fairly common thing to do in romances too, and one thing about the 2004 movie is that it really upped the romantic aesthetic, humanizing the Phantom, making him much more an object of sympathy, and so on.

And of course... maybe that's just how the filmmakers see Christine! Maybe that's just how they see the story overall, as a love triangle with a passive girl being fought over by two men; unfortunately, I think love triangles in pop culture in general come off that way. Heck, women in media are still being written that way, and Phantom is far from the first or the last to have that happen. After all, stripped of blocking and staging and actresses, the story can be seen in that sense. It wouldn't be the first time someone has misinterpreted the musical (ahem restaged tour).

So there you have it.

[annakie]

This was the first episode of Strange New Worlds that was just a huge miss for me. Spoilers below.

I have no strong feelings one way or the other about Pike's girlfriend. She's fine. She seems like a competent and smart person but we've gotten so little of her that I feel like we have no stakes in their relationship, but honestly that part was fine. Maybe this was supposed to be us becoming more invested in it, I don't know.

Pike being basically unmasked as hyper emotional and ready to kill before he remembers himself was... I mean I guess they were going for wanting to show us a bit more of the Pike we'll eventually see in The Menagerie but honestly I feel like the entire part on the planet was just kind of... boring. I wanted to care, but it was the first time I found myself reaching for my phone during SNW.

But that's all okay, I can live with an episode that just didn't hit the right notes for me. The very big problem I had with this episode was... Ortegas.

Last season, everyone in the main cast had an episode focused on them, or a storyline threaded through the season focused on them, and/or big moments that focused in their backstories and who they were outside of their jobs on the Enterprise. Ortegas got a few fun moments, but then took on the Stiles role from "Balance of Terror" in "A Quality of Mercy" and so maybe the most memorable thing she did was be an asshole in an alternative timeline.

There was a small fan outcry and a promise that there'd be an Ortegas-centered episode this season.

And I really, really hope I'm wrong when I say... I think this was it!?!?

She gets a log entry at the beginning, a quick scene where she gets rejected from doing something she wants to do, not really anything to do in the middle, and then at the end basically she gets a meme of "I'm Erica Ortegas and I'm the Pilot!" Yep. That's what we get for her. She gets to save the ship, which is cool, but we learn absolutely nothing about her backstory, her life off the ship, any more depth about her character. We see her quarters and there's nothing distinctive about them in ANY way except "Oh she has a few model ships!" Then she memes herself into saving the ship, and gets a quick log entry at the end to wrap it up.

Yep, she's Erica Ortegas and she flies the ship. That's what we knew of her at the start of the episode and that's what we know of her at the end of the episode.

Melissa Navia did a great job with what they gave her. But really it was a storyline anyone could have had. "I'm Christine Chapel and I'm a nurse!" "I'm Spock and I do science!" etc. We were promised an Ortegas episode and we got an episode where she was in it a little bit more than normal, got a couple dozen more lines of dialog in it than normal and absolutely no depth at all.

Melissa Navia deserves better, and Ortegas fans do, too.

I don't know why SNW seems to serve all its other characters so well and is failing Ortegas so badly.

[purposefully-lost]

Jack,

School is starting again soon. Its crazy to think that the whole summer is over already. I went on that camping trip I told you about. It was only for a night, because Steph and Claire weren't really interested in making it any longer and our parents agreed we shouldn't be out by ourselves for so long anyway. I don't know, I think we'd have been fine for another night. The day we went home, there was this rain storm in the late afternoon, and I'm sure the woods would've looked real nice in the aftermath of it. You know, when the sky is kind of gray, but everything else is a little more vibrant?

I did still get some cool pictures though! I'm sending a couple to you. I flipped over this log at our campsite and found it crawling with beetles and stuff- I think the colors in the picture look so bright. I don't think I've identified everything that was under there, yet. I was hoping maybe you could.

I hope you're doing okay. The talk about you seems to have died down around here since school ended. Which is kind of a good thing, people were being really mean, but I don't know, it kind of makes me miss you, too. I don't want you to get left behind, or something. I'm a little worried about getting back into school, but I'll let you know how it goes.

Your friend,

Chris.

-----

Jack,

You'll never believe who I got as a chemistry teacher. It's Miller. He's still over the swim team, too, but it's a lot smaller than it was last year. I can see why you stuck with it if he was your coach, though, I really like him. He's been really lax about when we turn things in, which has been really nice. I know we're only a couple of months in, but I've been having trouble keeping up. They just keep piling more on top of us.

I actually spoke to him about you. I got pulled back after class because of a stupid fight- I'll tell you the details later- and you just kind of came up. He says he hasn't heard from or about you, either. Which I didn't really expect, but he did seem curious about how you were doing. He still seems sort of shocked about everything that happened.

I'm sending you a few more pictures. I haven't gotten back out to the trails, yet, but I've been taking a lot of walks past the park after school, and I've snapped a few photos of the birds there. My favorite is of the bluejay. Give it a look.

Oh! Do you remember that book I told you about, The Left Hand of Darkness? The author has this fantasy series, too. It starts with A Wizard of Earthsea. If you can, I think you should check it out. It makes me think a lot of you. I guess it's kind of more of a kid's book, but I still really like it.

I hope things haven't been too bad. I'll write again soon.

Your friend,

Chris.

-------

To whom it concerns,

Hi. My name is Christine Prescott, and I'm a junior at Greendale High School. I've addressed this to Jennifer Stanton, who I believe is a case worker for Jonathan Stone, but honestly, all that matters is that this reaches someone who knows him. It's very important. Jonathan was arrested almost eight months ago and, as I understand it, now resides in the city juvenile detention center. I've been trying to write him since then, but I don't know if he's been receiving my letters. I need you to tell me that he has. And if he hasn't, I need to know why.

I understand that his case and his trial were highly publicized and that, as a result, reaching him might be difficult. But he is my friend. I don't even really care if he writes back, I'm sure he's having a rough time, but I want to know that he at least knows that I've been trying to reach him.

Thank you for your time. Please write back. I have also provided a phone number.

Christine Prescott

[forkanna]

NOTES: Yep, this is really the end! We have one or two side projects in mind for this little universe of ours, but this is THE definitive end of this storyline. Frui and I would like to thank you for your patience in waiting for this fanfic to finally come to light; a lot of editing, real life annoyances, and various economic situations have made it more difficult than we wish it was. We hope you can enjoy it with a "better late than never" attitude. And who's to say? Maybe we'll see the characters from this universe again sooner than you think.

This chapter is dedicated to the memory of the late great Christine McVie. Those who know will spot the tribute to her.

See you around! Where we're going, we don't need roads!

Jessex and Frui

[AO3 LINK]

EPILOGUE

"And that's a wrap!"

Anna McFly wiped the sweat from her brow before she returned her Gibson ES-345 to the stand by the drumkit. Every day for the past year, she had regretted the decision to get the Pink Heels back together for a reunion tour — especially when most of them hadn't seen each other for five years before that. But that was only because she was getting older, and putting in the work of getting back in shape, both musically and physically, was no easy task.

"Gobshite," Merida groaned as she rolled her shoulder, setting her bass down. "The whole thing was gobshite."

"Oh, relax," Jane snorted, cracking her knuckles. They missed her drum skills, but she was always better suited to keyboards in the first place – and getting older meant she didn't hit those drum skins as hard as she used to. "It's all going to come together, loves. Already sounds brilliant, you ask me."

The two redheads grunted, "Who asked you?" But they were smiling, and the smiles remained even when Jane tossed an empty water bottle at Merida's head.

"We need to tighten up those solos," Anna said. "They're going to run over if we keep doing that, and you know old ladies like us can't handle that kind of extended show anymore."

"Old ladies?! Feck, you an' Jane might count yerselves, but I'm a sprightly forty-seven if ever I were a day, I am! Full of vigour and vitality!"

As they laughed, their new touring drummer stood, hand stuffed into her dark tresses and scratching nervously. "So… are you guys sure I still have this gig? I mean, I keep feeling like I'm bringing the tempo down, but it's because I'm listening; like, I'm such a huge fan of the Heels, I can't even-"

"We know, Moana, we know," Merida sighed.

Anna and Jane didn't have the heart to point out how the fangirling was the only real downside to hiring her; other than that, she was incredible. On par with Imelda, who had been severe but passionate before they lost her to cancer at the end of their final tour. That had been the true reason the band drifted apart; they all needed time to heal.

Time was also, in the end, what brought them back together. Life was too short to waste it, to not spend it with the people they cared about, doing what they loved. It had taken a bit of persuasion with Merida; she had moved all the way back to Scotland and "given up touring", as it turned out because she had been harbouring a secret fear of flying for many years. So to get her back to Dell Valley had been a bit tricky. But it was worth the effort – and all of Merida's hours of therapy – in the end.

Or at least, Anna hoped it would be. It felt like it would be already, but age truly was catching up with them. At least when she got home, she could relax. Her wife seemed to do nothing but work lately – though she was coming to the end of her 'project', as she called it. As though it wasn't a culmination of years of work and waiting and patience.

Before she had even realised it, Anna had a dreamy, dozy expression plastered on her face. Her mind tended to wander when she was tired, and she should probably have been concerned but she often daydreamed anyway. Honestly, the worst thing was when Merida snorted at her expression. She rolled her eyes, but there was affection there, honed by decades of friendship.

"Ah, go'n home," she said, making a shooing motion with her hands. "We've been 'ere all day an' we'll be 'ere all day tomorrow."

"Oh, Mer, the least I can do is help you clean up," Anna said, waving her away. It only lasted a brief second because Jane let out a snort that sounded as if it came from a gorilla, not the petite woman.

"Oh, you think we'll clean up? You're very funny, Anna dear. No, we just arrive before you do so you don't notice."

"Not blimmin' hard, either," Merida grunted under her breath. Anna let out a sound that may have been an "oi!" imitating the both of them, but it was really hard to tell under all the laughter.

Once the two old heads said they were taking the fresh meat out for drinks, despite Moana's insistence that she was barely 21 and had never so much as tried a sip of beer before, Anna bowed out gracefully. There would be plenty of time for getting to know the new girl another night. For now, she just wanted to make her way home.

Traffic was pretty ridiculous, but Anna was able to avoid the worst of it by bypassing the skyway – which was always jammed. Backstreets helped with that. She used her vocal shortcuts to place a virtual order and picked up some Thai food on the way home.

"Welcome home, Anna," announced the computer voice as she kicked the door shut.

"Thanks, EVE. News."

"Tension growing in the rural regions of-"

"Happy news."

"A litter of puppies was born in a teacup ride at a Disneyland. Sources say the mother wriggled into the park through a gap in the fence, previously thought too small for anyone to come through."

Anna smiled sappily as she set the bag of food down on the kitchen table. Those stories worked on her, every time. "Awww…"

Once she set out the food, and no one else had greeted her, she set off down the hallway. "Always working…" she muttered under her breath as she came upon a plain white door, save for the flickering LCD screen of a sleepy face, complete with little cartoon 'zzz's. Smiling softly, Anna ignored that status update and knocked gently on the door before pushing it open.

"Hey, sweetheart? I got some takeout for dinner…"

"Ggrmm."

Elsa's voice was barely a sound; it was obvious she had been sleeping, even without the screen telling her what she had been doing. Hunched over her desk, paper marks pressed into her skin and her hair a mad tangle, it was entirely likely that Elsa hadn't had a solid night of sleep for a week.

"Hey, what did we say about sleeping in here?" Anna asked. Her voice was reprimanding but still gentle as she came to rub Elsa's back in slow, soothing circles. Elsa gave a yawn, and then another, before she could answer.

"I know, I just… this deadline is really coming up and it's nowhere near done, and-"

"And it will be waiting for you after dinner and after sleep. Come on…"

"Mmmhh."

With a mixture of leading and pushing, she finally got Elsa into the hall and heading towards the kitchen. "Have you eaten today? At all?"

"Don't talk to your… mother that way," she said, interrupted by a yawn. When Anna laughed, she smiled blearily. "Alright, alright. Yes, I had a hydrated bagel with instant lox this morning with my coffee. Is that better?"

"It would have been better if that had been after you had a good night's sleep. But yeah, I guess I'll take it for now."

Once at the table, they set about tucking into dinner. Her mother had bags under her eyes, but even with those, she still looked very vaguely younger than Anna. That was thanks to the treatments, of course. They all lived healthy lifestyles, but Anna had never gone into the future for a treatment that wasn't available yet; it was an abuse of the power of time travel. Maybe eventually, when they got to be elderly, they would partake again. For now, their timestream-hopping days were at an end. And they had exactly the results they wanted.

When Elsa glanced up from her plate, rubbing at one eye with her fingertips, she blinked in surprise to find Anna watching her. "What?"

"What-what?"

"You're staring."

"So?"

"Why are you staring?" she said impatiently with a slight smile.

"Why not? Can't I just want to watch a perfect face?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, rolling the noodles around her fork. "What a weird way to phrase that. But… I suppose you may."

"Oh, thank you for the permission, Your Highness," Anna sassed. Elsa pointed her fork, dripping with noodles, at Anna.

"That's 'Your Majesty' to you," she said, grinning before finally taking a bite. "What time does Jennifer's flight come in?"

They both turned to look at the clock, even as Anna said, "Just before midnight." She heard Elsa put her fork down, ready to speak, but she beat her to it. "And no, you're not coming with me to pick her up."

"But-"

"Nope, no 'buts'. You need sleep, Elsa - real sleep. Not just a nap in the car."

She huffed, but there was a slight smile on her lips as she said, "You sound like me."

That was enough to break the tension, if it had ever truly been there in the first place. They ate dinner in peace, Anna telling her about the changes the band had made, what they were up to in gearing up for their big reunion tour. Elsa shared the progress she had made on her novel, the changes her editors wanted that she didn't agree with.

"Just don't change it," Anna suggested, shrugging. Elsa gave a long-suffering sigh; they'd had this discussion before.

"I have to. I don't have any… what's the term? Cred?" Anna snorted, and Elsa glared. "If I want to start building a portfolio, I need to write what the publishers want."

They didn't stay on that topic long – there was no need to rehash an old argument. Elsa had not been writing nearly as long as her ex-husband and didn't have unrealistic expectations, Anna thought she should reach for the stars… rinse and repeat. At least they both agreed that the work was worth doing.

After dinner, they had a quick dessert of fruit salad and cream before hopping into the shower. They took a little longer than if they hadn't shared, but that also would have been the boring option. There was still plenty of time before Anna had to go and pick up Punz, but she refused to entertain Elsa's suggestion of queuing up a movie before she had to leave.

"Nope, you need rest, Elsa," she said sternly. Elsa scowled at her, and it would have been effective had it not been broken by a yawn.

"But I never see you anymore…" It wasn't completely true, but it wasn't exactly false, either. With their individual projects and differing schedules, they often only saw each other at breakfast as Anna ran out of the house, and at dinner. That may have been a very common trap many couples fell into, but it didn't make it any better that they missed each other so much.

So to help remedy that, at least for the day, they came to a compromise. Sleep for Elsa, and a catnap for Anna until she had to go and pick up her wife. At least this way, they got to lie together for a little while.

"I wish you weren't going on tour."

"I know," she sighed softly. "But I have to; I owe it to the girls, and to the fans. And you need to focus on your book, anyway."

"It's almost finished." But it was a weak protestation. Playfully, she whispered, "You're my daughter and you'll do as I say."

"It's because I'm your daughter that I won't." They both shared a laugh about that.

The time flew by once the chatter subsided and they simply enjoyed each other's closeness. Finally, Anna sat up and pulled her jeans up over her purple panties, a bra around her trim frame that used to be a little trimmer once upon a time. Elsa didn't seem to mind if the way her arms slithered around her middle was any indication.

"Come back soon. I'll sleep until you get here, I promise - so I can save up my energy for when you get back."

Anna melted completely into the touch. "Stop. I gotta run…" But the kiss against her neck made her sigh. "You're terrible."

"I'm in love."

"Yeah." Then she turned and got a handful of Elsa's face, shoving her back to bounce against the mattress with a little surprised laugh. "Me too."

"Alright, alright! See you soon, sweetheart."

In mere minutes, Anna was on the highway with her speakers blasting a steady stream of oldies from her usual internet radio choice. Most of them were from the 2000s, but a few from the 80s slipped in there. Tears For Fears cropping up brought a huge grin to her face that didn't fade until she was taking the exit for the airport.

Jennifer was already waiting for her along the terminal line. Her hair was getting long again, and she had gone back to blond; Anna knew she was going to miss being able to muss it up, even though she always got smacked for doing so. Despite the dim light of the lamps and a hundred other cars' headlights, her wife looked tired – or perhaps it was because of such light washing out her pale features. Either way, she perked right up when she saw their familiar car pull up alongside her.

"What's a gorgeous girl like you doing out alone at this time of night?" Anna asked when Punz stuck her head in through the window. She got a soft, if tired, smile as a response. She didn't actually speak until after her bags were safely stowed and she was in the passenger seat, kissing her wife soundly on the mouth.

"Oh, geez, I've missed you," she said, once they broke for air. "Told myself I wasn't going to say a word until I got my hello-kiss."

"Well then, hello."

"Goof," Punz laughed as they shared another brief peck. Putting her seatbelt on, she glanced around. "Elsa at home?"

Anna made a vague noise of annoyance. "Yeah, her dumb ass has been staying up too late and getting up too early trying to meet these editor's demands." Her grip tightened briefly on the steering wheel before she forced it to loosen. "You can ask her tomorrow. But how was your trip?"

"Not as exciting as it could have been," Punz answered wryly. "I think Los Angeles would be more fun if I weren't stuck inside the whole time with a band that's getting a little big for their britches. But that's what they pay me to do."

Anna pulled a face, releasing the wheel so she could hold Punz's hand. "Well, you're home, safe and sound."

"How is the reunion planning going? How is the new girl, uh… Mona?"

"Moana. She's… nice. Good at what she does, which is all anyone can ask."

They fell into more casual conversation after that. There would be plenty of time to debrief in the following days; for now, it was late and both women simply wanted to appreciate the others' company. It wasn't as though they hadn't gone without one another before; they had, many times. But each time it felt longer, seemed to suck a little more out of their sails. With Anna's reunion tour looming over their heads, and the potential for book tours in Elsa's future, their stable home life was somewhat uncertain.

"So have you been rehearsing?"

"Yeah, of course. Every day. I swear, Jane sounds better than she ever did in the old days; must be all those concertos in London. And we got…" Catching the look in Jennifer's eyes, she cringed. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"You mean rehearsing THAT."

Swatting Anna's arm, she said, "Yes, THAT! It's only a few days away now. And you have to get every word exactly right, or we might not-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. And I have been rehearsing. It's just…"

"Just?"

"Well…" Sighing, she pulled off the highway and began driving into Dell Valley proper. "I still feel bad. I know we're not really gonna be lying to her, but it feels that way. Since everything is rehearsed."

Jennifer's hand came up to pet along her arm. "Hey, I know. But it's so important you get this right! Or else… we might lose everything we've come to love about our lives over the past couple decades."

"But look at us! Are we really happy? Always running around, barely seeing each other? Sometimes… sometimes I wish I'd never gone into the past at all!"

The silence was long and heavy. "Do you?"

"No. But I'm just stressed, okay?" Turning on the self-driving and slumping down a little further in her car seat, she let Punz tousle her hair a bit. "Thanks for putting up with my cranky ass. And you're the jetlagged one, too."

"Not that jetlagged," she laughed lightly. "Just ready to be home."

"And we're ready for you to be home, too," Anna assured her. "Even if Elsa is probably asleep because she really has been running herself ragged."

Punz smiled softly. "I'll try my best not to wake her. Sounds like we could all use a good night's sleep tonight."

"I know that I always sleep better when I have both of my favourite girls with me, not just one of them…" Anna said, shooting Punz a sidelong glance. Her wife's grin lifted her spirits considerably.

Luckily for the both of them, they lived on the side of town closest to the airport; instead of having to drive the extra twenty minutes, they were home barely half an hour after leaving the terminal. They snuck in like two teenagers who had just played hooky, leaving the suitcases by the door to be dealt with tomorrow. Punz wasn't sure whether to have a shower or forego it. Fortunately, she didn't have to decide because Anna simply shepherded her towards the bedroom. She didn't smell at all; it was just that she had been flying all evening, and the warm water would do anyone a world of good after travel.

That turned out to be the right call, because no sooner had she crawled into the centre of the bed about thirty minutes later when a second pair of familiar arms wrapped around her from the other side.

"Hey, Elsa," Punz whispered softly. She got a grunt for her trouble, but Elsa's arms still tightened a little more around her. Scooting closer so Anna had some room to join in, she kissed Elsa on the cheek. "Go back to sleep," she urged gently.

"No," she shot back petulantly, which made the other two chuckle.

"Elsa, has Anna been practicing her lines?"

"Hey!" Anna burst out. But Elsa's answer was kind enough that she didn't have to stay upset for long.

"She has. And she has the spirit of the message down. There's sometimes one or two words of variation, but past-me is going to eat it up regardless."

Punz settled in between them, and Anna felt Elsa curl around her other side more tightly. She reached across to clasp their fingers together as they both nestled their faces into either side of Punz's neck, earning a little hum of satisfaction from its owner.

"I missed this," she breathed.

"Me, too," Anna agreed. There was a long pause.

"If you're waiting for me to say 'me, three', it's not going to happen. Ever."

Grinning, Punz whispered, "Except you just did, Elsa."

When Anna laughed, the hand squeezed hers a little tighter for one second but she made no further comment. All three of them were swiftly dozing off, but none actually wanted to take the leap into dreamland. They just wanted to enjoy this tender moment a little while longer.

"When was the last time we were all together like this?" Anna asked. The reply came in unison.

"Your birthday."

There was a brief silence before Anna let out an ungodly snort. "That was an adventure and a half."

"Mhmm," Elsa sighed in agreement. "I didn't know a human adult was capable of making the noises you did."

Punz giggled. "Oh, and your breath smelled for days afterwards!"

"Whose bright idea was the chocolate-covered pickles, anyway?"

Both Elsa and Punz's voice rang through the late night. "Yours!"

Once more there was silence, though this time it was broken by a soft, "Oh yeah…"

As they tended to try doing when they were reunited, all three of them pushed their faces in together for a three-way kiss. It was a lot more comical than it was romantic, but they persisted, and always ended up grinning and giggling into the contact. Then they settled in again to relax.

"Ever think we would all end up in a cuddle puddle?" Punz whispered.

"Not I. Who wants to be in a cuddle puddle with their daughter and her wife?"

"Elsa McFly, duh," Anna joked.

"Hey – that's Cyndi Lorraine Mann to you, and any legal authorities who ask, thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Mommy." The slight poke into her ribs made her grin. "Okay, okay, we know how you feel about that."

Punz leaned up just enough to kiss the tops of both their heads. "Come on, you guys. I know we joke but we have a great life. Don't pretend we don't."

"You're right, Jennifer," Elsa whispered as she clasped Anna's hand again, resting the both of them on Punz's stomach. "I wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China. Even with all the twists and turns and time travel, I just love you both so much."

Anna sighed contentedly as she settled in again. "Yeah. It's been… educational."

As they drifted into dreamland, Anna McFly had the world's biggest smile on her face. With those two women beside her and the future looking brighter than ever, she felt like she was on top of the world. And her future had room to get brighter still; they had nothing but time.

~ THE END ~