#i also miss elle a lot but i think she's better off not on the job

[philtatosbuck]

seven seconds is my favorite early seasons criminal minds episode because it's immaculate it's right between gideon leaving and rossi coming. everyone absolutely did great they didn't NEED another person to solve the case everyone was on their shit. hotch and prentiss looked like they were going to beat the uncle's ass when they took him in that back room. emily looked like she was gonna swing on the aunt. jj and derek were on their shit at every turn. reid and garcia were doing their thing. it was perfect. my friend and i were talking about it the other day and like. the team up in the later seasons is good BUT this is the perfect team because they're frankly the only ones who can tolerate each other at their worsts (later additions were good but they never saw the rest of them at their lowest imo the only other person who did was alex and i think she was the only other good long-term addition as far as emily's replacements went + tara luke and matt at least saw reid at his lowest arguably) so like. it could've remained the six of them. no one else could be the leader of this specific group but hotch. derek and jj serve as the big guy / media liasion but also the more empathetic ones who make people feel safe and heard. reid and garcia are irreplaceable geniuses in their own right but emily is also?? not exactly replaceable. she has a very specific set of skills and hotch chose her to be his replacement when he left for a REASON. if i had to pick a line up it'd be these six (hotch, prentiss, morgan, jj, reid, garcia) and then alex, tara, matt and luke (i'm VERY biased)

[txttletale]

hey what DO you watch on youtube? seems like you'd have some neat recommendations :3

i really loathe the like super-highly edited sound effect post-mrbeast slop most of youtube is now so i mostly like stuff that's like... calm and sedate. stuff i've been watching lately in no particular order:

northernlion vods and clips. he's an OG. i especially like his react court series, i must have watched all of them like five times.

speaking of OGs i've been watching zero puncutation (now fully ramblomatic) for like ten years and if anything it's only gotten better. best game review content on the internet. been really enjoying his more recent, slightly longer and more thoughtful 'extra punctuation/semi-ramblomatic' series too.

any austin's skyrim unemployment rate videos. instant classics to me, it's just a guy going around in skyrim trying to figure out the unemployment rate in every town. it's a very dry kind of humour, he plays it admirably straight, and it's weirdly calming.

kitten arcader's foot the bill videos. in a kind of similar vein, he watches the saw movies and then produces an itemized bill for everything jigsaw needed to buy to make his traps. it's kind of like... if cinemasins was fundamentally curious instead of fundamentally incurious, it scratches a similar sort of nitpicky detail-oriented quantifying itch but without inimical to the concept of art.

shuffle up and play. it's a magic the gathering play series that has enough editing that the gamestate is actually legible but not enough editing (or at least, not enough obtrusive in-your-face editing) that its annoying. i also like that they reguilarly play non-edh formats like cube and pauper.

spice8rack. i'm pretty picky about video essays but spice8rack has very obviously actually read books and has interesting things to say about the topics it discusses (mostly magic: the gathering). sometimes it has a kind of grating Theater Kid Energy but the fact that it actually meaningfully structures essays and analysis to earn the silly long runtimes is a rare delight from a video essayist.

jenny nicholson is a long-time favourite and another permanent fixture in my rotation. she's just extremely, remarkably funny which makes her the only 'basically just summarizing a thing' youtuber i think is worth the time of day.

i watch some sketch comedy, mainly wizards with guns and aunty donna, who both consistently put out really funny stuff that's kind of ITYSL-adjacent in its barefaced absurdism and contenmpt for concepts like "stopping a joke at the logical punchline". i also really like alasdair beckett-king and binging the old clickhole backlog for short-form comedy on youtube.

wolfeyvgc is right on the edge of the level of editing i find tolerable but as a long-time fan of multiple esports he Has It, he's absolutelyt fantastic at t elling the narrative of a tournament, explaining plays clearly, and generally making competitive pokemon esports thrilling and interesting ti someone (me) who#s never played it and doesn't care about pkoemon that much

i religously watch every elliespectacular/dathings YTP, the absolute best in the game right now, top tier snetence mixing and really good at actually setting up and paying off jokes in a way it feels like a lot of ytp doesn't. verytallbart is also pretty good.

trapperdapper is a channel i recently binged, it's a really fucking funny parody of minecraft challenge content that veers slowly from obvious angles of parody into pure absurdism with tons of blink-and-you'll miss it subtle visual gags.

too much future is a great youtube series where the two guys from just king things/homestuck made this world play through every fallout game and analyze them in that context. extremely funny and also just top-tier very sharp analysis. really good

another one of the rare good video essayists is jan misali. they're really funny and will go into topics that kind of seem narrow or strange to begin with in such depth and make them so interesting that it's consistently astonishing.

oh and finally sarah z makes pretty good videos. 'the narcissist scare' is an absolutely brilliant deconstruction of one of the most annoying pop-psych phenomena of the last couple years. and remarkably well script supervised i think did anyone else watch it and think 'wow the script supervisor on this must have been, a mind geniuse'

ok i think that's all i've been watching lately. hope you like whcihever of these recs you check out :)

[hllywdwhre]

Long Time Coming

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x fem!reader

Summary: When each of the family members noticed you and Tommy falling for each other

Warnings: arranged marriage, mentions of heroin (talks about how Tommy used it and the Chinese selling it - nothing graphic, only mentions), let me know if I missed any!

Word Count: 1.7K

Notes: THANK YOU for all the love on Revenge! After many comments and requests asking for more of the pairing, I decided to delve deeper into the development of Tommy and her’s relationship. Up next is moments reader and Tommy fell for each other!

Can technically be read as a stand-alone, but is meant to pair with this Tommy fic I wrote.

Polly

Polly was the second to catch on. She knows her nephew far too well to not notice the small changes. Grace’s death changed something deep inside of Tommy and she didn’t think she’d ever see the day when Tommy, not only fell in love but allowed himself to love again.

Then you came along.

He started smiling more and drinking less. You got him to stop using dope to self-medicate. He also didn’t look nearly as tired.

She always said Tommy had his mother’s smile when he truly smiled, and it had been a long time since Polly had seen her sister’s smile on his face. You made a sarcastic comment in the private booth at The Garrison once though and there it was.

She noticed you falling for him when you came to her with way too much anxiety over an innocent, and adorable, request.

You were picking at your nails as you sat on her sofa while she lit a candle in her living room,

“Tommy mentioned you were the only one who had ever been able to replicate his mother’s raspberry tart recipe. I was wondering if there was any way you could teach me to make them?”

Polly froze for a moment, surprised at the request given your anxious state. It was then that she realized why you were so nervous. Even if you hadn’t realized it, you were falling for Tommy.

You two spent the rest of the day in her kitchen perfecting the recipe.

Arthur

Arthur, bless him, can be pretty blind when it comes to romance. Like. Really blind. Lust? He can spot it a mile away. Hell, he was the first to notice that you and Tommy were sleeping together. But love? Gods help him.

It took until you killed Sabini for him to notice the two of you were in love.

The next day neither you nor Tommy wanted to leave your bed, but an emergency family meeting with the Shelbys and your father had been called because of your actions.

When you told everyone what you had done, Arthur was the first to break the shocked silence.

“Why the bloody ‘ell would you ‘ave done that?” He’d shouted in a mix of shock and anger.

“He’s been intimidating my father and me for over a year now, and then yesterday I learned what he had done to you lot… My anger got the best of me and I was tired of him,” you’d replied with a deep crimson blush spreading across your face.

The rest of the family and your father wore knowing smirks at your explanation, but you could see the moment it all clicked in Arthur’s eyes. His smirk spread across his face and his tone went from shocked and angry, to proud.

“Well, love, remind me not to piss you off.”

John

Since he’d had an arranged marriage of his own, John knew better than most what you and Tommy were going through. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Tommy had actually come to John for advice before the wedding on how to help things go more smoothly and make sure that you were comfortable.

After a couple of months of being married, John had gotten Tommy alone and checked in on how he and you were doing. It was when Tommy had seemed surprised that things were going so well that John noticed his brother was becoming fond of you. He didn’t question Tommy on how he felt, he knew better than to think his brother would spill his heart to him, but he could see that Tommy felt something for you.

Esme & Ada

Once again, since Esme’s own marriage into the Shelby family was an arranged one, she went out of her way to make you feel included and make sure you knew that she was an open, non-judgmental, and private ear you could turn to.

Ada walked in on you and Esme having a more vulnerable conversation when you were first married and you and Esme both immediately changed the topic. When Ada later asked Esme in private what the two of you had been discussing, Esme answered as honestly as she could without giving away details.

”I know what she’s going through, to an extent. I got lucky with how quickly I was accepted since John and I immediately clicked. Not to mention the way I saw every inch of you on our wedding night,” Esme said, both her and Ada laughing lightly at the memory of Esme not seeing her own husband naked on their wedding night, but instead his sister as she gave birth to Karl.

After that, Ada made sure to include you in any shopping trips she went on and opened her house in London to you in case you ever needed to get away.

”I know how my brother is. He can be a right twat when he wants to be. Just let me know if you ever need an escape. We’ll call it a girl’s night.”

The two women noticed you falling for Tommy when you were included in one of the shopping trips and they asked how things were going. You’d tried to brush the question off far too quickly, and when they couldn’t pry out of you that anything bad had happened, they quickly pieced together that you were catching feelings.

Michael

Michael noticed as Tommy’s jealousy and protectiveness over you grew. The Shelby family knew you were capable of handling your own, but that didn’t mean Tommy wasn’t going to be protective. Especially after Grace.

Michael watched the way Tommy went from simply glaring at any men who tried flirting with you, to approaching the men and wrapping his arm around you while questioning whatever unfortunate man had angered him if "he had spotted the ring on your finger and was simply stupid, or if he was blind."

Jealousy was what gave it away for Michael.

Finn

Finn noticed after a particularly dangerous job involving you didn’t go according to plan. You and Finn were the only two who wouldn’t be immediately recognized, so it was up to you two to find out if the Chinese had been selling heroin even after Tommy had threatened them with a bomb.

The two of you had been separated and you hadn’t returned yet when Finn made his way to the betting shop where everyone was waiting.

Tommy’s rage when Finn dared show up without you was something Finn never wanted to be on the receiving end of again.

Charlie

Charlie was the first to notice. Granted he didn’t realize what he was seeing, but he had noticed.

You had convinced Tommy to build a stable at The Arrow House. He, Charlie, and you all loved horses, and it would be a fun way for you and Charlie to bond.

Tommy was away on business and you and Charlie had decided to take the horses for a ride. Charlie sat in front of you and you were letting him guide the horse as he hammered you with various questions about the world.

“Why do horses eat grass? Where do horses come from? Why can’t they eat human food?”

It was during this conversation that he pointed out that Tommy liked you.

“When will Daddy be back?” Charlie asked you.

“In two more days. He’s handling some business in London,” you answered easily.

“I miss him,” he said wistfully.

“I’m sure he misses you, too,” you reassured, “but he has to work so we can have our house and horses,” you told him, hoping to comfort the child some more.

“Do you miss him?” Charlie questioned, turning his head to look up at you.

“I do,” you answered easily. It wasn’t a lie.

By this point, you had grown to care for Tommy. You thought it was only as a friend and nothing more, but Charlie seemed to notice it was something different. You and Tommy didn’t feel the need to explain to Charlie what an arranged marriage was. The two of you had talked about how you were going to explain your marriage to Charlie, and you had both come up with a way to explain it to him without potentially causing any insecurities in the child or exposing him to what an arranged marriage was. It was a delicate balance of lies and truth, but neither of you wanted to tell Charlie “Well, sometimes marriage isn’t love, it’s business.” He was going to deal with enough at the truth of his mother’s death, and neither of you felt it was necessary to add a potential insecurity about whether the new mother figure in his life actually cared for him.

“He misses you, too,” Charlie said, breaking you out of your thoughts.

Your eyebrows furrowed together and you looked down at him,

“I’d hope so since we’re married, but what makes you say that?” You were still walking that delicate line of truth and lies, but his comment had piqued your interest.

“He watches you a lot and smiles a lot.”

His simple explanation could easily be explained away and you explained it away internally, but Charlie had noticed what you and Tommy hadn’t noticed yet.

Alfie

Alfie and you had always had a cheeky and joking relationship. You got on like old school friends more than sometimes-ally-sometimes-pain-in-the-ass.

However, when Tommy and you came to him to see if you could rally his support in the inevitable war that was going to break out with Sabini’s men, he noticed the dynamic had changed. Typically meetings with Alfie were tense with the atmosphere only broken by your sarcastic comments and Alfie’s borderline flirting with you.

Alfie was taken aback when you shot down his flirting and Tommy sent a glare his way.

He recovered quickly though and soon went on to teasing the two of you about your “newfound happiness”.

”Was wondering when the two of you were going to pull your heads out of your asses and smell the roses.”

[justjams2003]

Fast Pace- 7

Also a very Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate! And Free Palestine.

Summary: You're a hard-working Chef in Paris and after a freak accident run-in with Carlos Sainz, your life makes a 180. Let's just say with a certain agreement, you get your bills paid and in return stand in as Carlos' girlfriend for the press. But will you be able to handle the pressure and ensure the lines don't blur?

Pairing: Sugar Daddy!Carlos Sainz x Sugar Baby!Reader

Warnings: I've aged up Carlos, he is 33 in this fic.Smoking, smut, sexual themes, age difference, manipulation, control, slight obsession, tell me if I missed any

Dividers by: @firefly-graphics and @s-silk

Taglist: @httpjeonlicious, @f1lov3r, @messersandmesses, @hollie911, @oriconde08 @thehufflepuffavenger1 @fanboyluvr @thatgirlmj @whyamireadingthis @oriconde08 @depressedriches @roseseraj @skepvids @sain55wifey @distinguishedvoidlady @amatswimming @sachaa-ff @lightdragonrayne @lazybot @dark-night-sky-99 @formula1mount @fangirl-dot-com @saintslewis

Word count: 3,4k

Masterlist

Part 6~Part 8

Us Weekly:  

“Carlos Sainz seen with a new girl on the paddock.”  

People Magazine:  

“Carlos Sainz’s new girl proves to be a fashion icon.”  

Elle Magazine: 

“Carlos Sainz seen dancing in the rain with his new girlfriend.”  

Cosmopolitan Magazine:  

“Is this new girl just a fling or here to stay?”  

You can see the news articles flash before you in full HD on the new phone Carlos got you. Fully signed in on everything. Not only that but your Instagram has blown up already. Ten thousand new followers since you last uploaded a picture with you standing by the paddock. You haven’t had time to reply to any comments or new dm’s, because you were on a flight 6 am Monday. 

“So, how was your first F1 weekend?” You know its Charles talking to you, but you’d much rather not even open your eyes right now. Eventually, you decide to be courteous, and you see he looks more than excited to talk to you. You gather up all your strength and put on the best smile you can. “It was a lot more fun than I expected. But there was also a lot of sitting around.”  

He nods and continues. “Yes, Alexandra usually stays home for most gp’s. She usually only comes for the important ones, like Italy where were going now. It’s strange that Carlos brought you to Zandvoort for your first time.” Your mind feels foggy and thinking of a reason why seems almost useless. Where is Carlos, can’t he do all this for you?  

“Yeah um, he was just so excited,” it seems good enough but thinking feels like such a chore. “Are you okay?” He asks, going closer to see if you’re okay. “Yeah, I’m uh fine...It’s just...” just then your saviour comes. Carlos sits down beside you, unaware of the conversation. “Are you not feeling better yet?” Almost instinctively you wrap your hands around his arm.  

You wouldn’t usually do this. Normally you’d be more aware of your relationship and making sure Carlos is ready. But right now thinking feels above your capacity. “Is she sick?” Charles asks and Carlos can feel the jealousy grow in his stomach. It takes everything in him not to glare at his teammate or tell him to back off.  

“Yeah, smoking withdrawals. I just don’t know what to do to help.” He pulls your hair out of your face. Charles sighs, “I’m sorry mate,” he pats you on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you then and get to know your girl later on.” When Charles is gone, Carlos takes you under the arms and pulls you closer into his arms, cradling you.  

“I got you something,” that gets you to look up but what is in his hands disappoint you. It’s a green smoothie and a big sandwich. “You brought me healthy food? You monster,” you groan taking the sandwich from him and taking a big bite. He chuckles but continues to rub circles on your back.  

“I don’t like Charles talking to you.” He mumbles, you know he’s talking to himself mostly. “He’s going to talk to me, Carlos. You take me everywhere, and where you go, he goes.” You chuckle, thinking back to the weekend. He only hums as a reply. “I’m sorry that I’m like this. I know you don’t want this.”  

You mumble, still enjoying your sandwich, taking sip from your fresh drink. He sighs and shakes his head. “You keep saying that. What on earth do you mean?” There is annoyance in his voice, you can hear it and it makes you stiffen. He’s never been annoyed with you before. “I read a few articles about our...agreement. They all say you daddies want stress-free, low-maintenance always happy girls.” 

He scoffs at you, “Siempre tan terca. Do you believe everything they say on the internet?” He asks, now regretting giving you the new phone and unlimited data plan. “So far what they’ve said about you and me has been true.” You shrug, finishing your sandwich as you think back. There were even TikTok's.  

“Oh yeah, and what do they say?” He asks, peering down as you finish your drink. “Well, that I’m incredibly fashionable and also a gold digger.” You chuckle watching as he rolls his eyes at you again. Then he stares you down, taking your chin between his fingers. “Didn’t I tell you, mi querida, you and I are more.”  

You can see his eyes flicker to your lips, and you’re entranced by his. The silence between you is deafening and you can feel your head spinning. “Can I kiss you?” the words are on the tip of your tongue, but you just don’t have the guts to ask. “I’m sorry you had a bad weekend.” He licks his lips and then takes your empty cup and paper and places it on the table.  

Carlos then takes you in his arms again and holds you tight once more. His smell almost seems to get rid of your headache. “It’s alright, this weekend will be better. I’m sure, because then you’ll feel better and you can be by my side. And with you by my side, the world championship will be mine in no time.”  

You giggle and curl yourself closer into his side. “Call it my 50%. Being your good luck charm.” He laughs and then pulls you closer to him. “I must warn you my dear, Italy is the home of Ferrari. The Tifosi are...enthusiastic to say the least.” His cheeks almost go pink at the thought of just how excited some of them can be.  

“They can’t be that bad...” you mutter, languidly making small circles on his thigh. He laughs, “I mean, without them we wouldn’t have met.” You turn on your back so that you can look up at him. “Was that the screaming I heard that day?” He smirks and nods. “Why were you running from them? And why didn’t you want to tell me then?” You ask, watching his eyes intensely like always.  

He leans back, now his hands are in your hair. You can feel your headache dissipating as his big strong hands untangle any knots that hid from you. “Sometimes, I just want to roam the streets of Paris without being bombarded to take photos. And I didn’t tell you because I was scared you might be one of them and have a... similar reaction.”  

You can’t help but let out a laugh. “Did it disappoint you when I didn’t fall to my knees and kiss your shoes?” He lets out a sigh at your shenanigans. “It was nice for someone to show me kindness because they are human not because of what I do.” This does make your heart melt; you can’t help yourself.  

You let your hands reach up and touch his cheek, letting his scruff tickle your hands. “Tell me, how can I be that person for you? What more can I do for you?” He takes your hand and holds it close before he places a kiss on your palm. “Don’t ever change. Not for me, not for your family, not for your future. Don’t ever let the world take away that smile, or that sprakle in your eyes.”  

His words bring tears to your eyes, and you can’t help but use the sleeves of your (his) hoodie to wipe away the forming tears. “Why do you cry, mi amor?” He asks, his brows furrowing to a point between his brows. You can just shake your head. “I’m just emotional, is all.” He shakes his head and the continues massaging your scalp.  

“Get some sleep, mi amor.”  

You’re awoken by a door opening. Not a plane door, a hotel door. It takes a few moments to realise, but you’re tucked in deep into the soft comforter. The room is dark, and it doesn’t take long for your eyes to get use to the light. Then, you see Carlos coming closer and then squatting down next to the bed.  

“Good morning, sleepy head. I was starting to get worried that you’d gotten sick.” He says, pushing the hair out of your face. “Good morning?” You ask, starting to sit up, confused by the dark room. He smirks along with a chuckle. “Shall I open the curtains?” He then stands and you watch him as he walks across the hotel room to the window.  

The light floods in and you peak your head back under the covers. “What time is it?” You ask, listening as he walks about. “It’s about 12-ish.” This doesn’t seem so bad, but Carlos said you’d go to the gym as soon as you landed. The realisation causes you to throw the comforter off. 

He tsks, coming over and smoothing the furrow between your brows. “Why would you let me sleep that long?” You ask with just a bit of a whine in your tone. “Because you are sick and need the rest.” You huff and push out your bottom lip. “I missed our first gym session,” you whine. For once you were looking forward to it and you can see by his wet hair that he already went and already showered.  

After all, you did see the Instagram story he posted on Friday morning. The thought of seeing him hot and sweaty is enough to get your workout shoes on. Again, he tsks and shakes his head. “Not while you’re recovering. You can take a walk, get some fresh air but that is it until you start to feel better.”  

Carlos’ voice is stern and leaves no room to argue. For now, you’ll just have to continue keeping a close eye on his Instagram. “I bought something for you.” He smiles, walking over to the bag he had placed on the couch in the hotel room. There is a pep in his step. He brings over two boxes and two bags, both from name brands that you’ve only ever dreamed of owning.  

He looks so excited to see you open the boxes and honestly you too are gleaming with elation. The first box is flat and you open it to pull out a beautiful hand spun white boho maxi-dress. “It’s hotter in Italy,” he explains before you open the next box. Its beautiful brown woven sandals to match with the boho effect. Lastly, the bag.  

The shopping bag has the unmistakable Prada logo. “You shouldn’t have,” you mutter feeling your heartbeat rise. His glare makes you want to eat your words. You take the bag out as if it is ancient Chinese porcelain. The bag matches perfectly with the sandals. The same brown with the same woven effect.  

“Oh, it’s gorgeous Carlos, thank you so much.” You reach over and pull him tight into a hug. You can smell his musky deodorant and it makes you never want to let go. “I saw all these and instantly thought of you.” He smiles and then continues. “Lastly, they made special Ferrari merch for Italy.” He explains, taking out the red, yellow and black shirt. Along with a cap with the same colour theme.  

“You like them? They make me think more Spanish flag than Italy. It suits you,” you smirk with a raised brow. Once again reminded by his strong accent. He only shrugs, “Doesn’t really matter if I like them or not. Wear or don’t wear, that’s up to you.” You gasp and this time it’s your turn to scold them.  

“No, Carlos. You must stand up for yourself.” He smirks at your reaction and raises his brow. “Is that so? I’ll keep that in mind next time you push out that bottom lip of yours.” He replies, giving your lip a swipe and then going on. “Now go get dressed. We’re going out for brunch; you must be hungry.”  

“The view is really beautiful, hold on let me send you guys a photo.” You take a picture from the balcony. In clear view is a beautifully crafted, over 500-year-old church. Not only that but you have a perfectly clear view of the circuit. If you wanted to, you could watch the race from the balcony. Knowing Carlos, he would prefer it so.  

“Woah, girl. Isn’t that so cool? In a five-star hotel in Italy right next to the formula one track.” Jasmine says over the phone. You can’t help but chuckle. “How are you feeling?” Ilsa asks, not as impressed by the fancy location. “Better, he’s really been taking good care of me.” You explain thinking back. “Oo, do tell.” It’s Jas again.  

“He let me sleep in his arms on the plane and even tucked me in and let me sleep more. He woke me up with gifts,” you can’t talk more before Jasmine demands to know what the gifts are. “He got me this beautiful dress, and brand-new shoes. Both name brand. And you’ll never guess what.” You begin but don’t even allow them to guess. “He got me my very first Prada bag.”  

You can hear screaming through the phone while you send them a photo. As well as the Instagram photos Carlos took for you. “He took these photos for you?? Damn girl, he knows all your best angles.” You blush at Jas’ words. “It seems all too good to be true...” Ilsa seems to speak your thoughts out loud.  

“Yes, there are some small things that seem a bit odd.” They both go a bit quiet. “Like?” Ilsa asks, and you know this might ring alarm bells for them. “He has these two bodygaurds to follow me everywhere.” You get two wildly different reactions. Jas coos and Ilsa gasps. “And I feel a bit like he’s babying me.”  

Ilsa asks for you to explain. “Well he’s working with a dietitian to make sure I get all my daily vitamins, and once I get better, he got me a personal trainer.” They both are dead silent. “That is a bit strange...” This time it’s Jasmine talking. “That doesn’t seem normal at all,” it’s Ilsa talking, and you know she’s right.  

“But it’s the terms I agree too so I can’t really say anything about it.” There isn’t much else to be said. “I suppose, but as soon as he crosses a line, you’ll leave him, right?” Ilsa asks and you bite your lip. “That’s the thing. He hasn’t tried to do anything to me, even once. He’s been nothing but kind to me. He keeps saying he and I will become something more but so far it’s only been words.”  

They hum as a reply, “Maybe you should make the first move?” Jas suggests and Ilsa scolds her for it. “That’s the thing, I don’t know if I want that. What if it makes things weird between us? What if I do make the first move and that’s all he sees me as after? What if I do make a move and he just wanted someone to talk to and he ditches me?” You can hear your friends roll their eyes at you. “You’re overthinking it, Y/N. If it’s meant to be, it will be. For now, just enjoy the lavish life and look hot. That’s your job.”  

The conversation plays in your head over and over. Who is right? Jasmine or Ilsa? Should you just enjoy the luxuries he gives you, or question his actions? Why is he doing all this for you? You read online that Sugar Daddies like to spoil. Take their babies on trips and buy them anything and everything. But do they form diet plans and make sure you get a full 8 hours of sleep?  

Do they tuck you into bed at night, and get you medication to help with smoking withdrawals? Do they hire a personal trainer to make sure you stay in healthy body? Do they tell you, you’re their person and promise to visit your family? Are there lines being crossed? Should you be more wary? Or should you just shut up and enjoy it?  

You toss and turn at night. It’s already 2 in the morning, Carlos had you going to bed at ten. Like you said, he wants you getting a full night’s rest. You just can’t sleep. Likely due to the withdrawals but also due to the storming thoughts in your mind. And you remember feeling this same way all of last weekend.  

The only other thing that got you to sleep last weekend, was Carlos. Being wrapped in his arms and surrounded by his scent. Now that you’re sleeping in separate rooms, would it be weird for you to ask for him to hold you? How weird is that? Would that be considered making the first move? You know for a fact that Carlos would be seething if he found out you didn’t sleep at all.  

You open the door, there are different bodyguards here. Likely the night shift and it feels so eerie to have them standing there. There aren’t even any by his door and you know other drivers are staying here and you haven’t seen them have any bodyguards. “Um, excuse me?” You grab their attention, but they don’t seem to notice.  

“Do you maybe have a keycard for Carlos’ room?” The taller of the two reaches into his breast pocket, pulls out a keycard and then hands it to you. “Thank you,” you smile up at him but get little reaction. You keep across the hall and open his door with a click.  

His room is the same as yours, but reversed. You can see from here that he is sound asleep. You can feel a pang of guilt hit you at just the thought of waking him up for something this silly. He looks so peaceful, not stressed, or anxious about his future. No he seems entirely at content to be drifting away in Dreamland.  

Do you really have to wake him? Can't you just return? It's a nice thought, but you can't help but remember last weekend. You were too exhausted to even enjoy the energy and the surrealism of the moment. You spent most of the time as a zombie in Carlos' room. And when the actual finished, you had been sitting in the garage and only registered when Carlos came up to you.  

Needless to say he was furious when he found out truly just how little you slept. And how well you hid it from him. You'd gotten use to putting up a smile and hiding the exhaustion from the people most important to you. He told you that your health was on the same level of priority as his racing to him. Which, honestly, blew your mind.  

Your health has always been on the back burner. Something you'll worry about when you have more money and more time. Now you have an abundance of both and still can't help but ignore it. Because if you adress it, it makes it real.  

Now, as you stand besides his bead, you can't help but feel like a child. Is that how he sees you? As a responsiblity he's here to dress and take care of? Is that why he won't kiss you? Why his touch is soft and gentle and never show anything more than worry?  

If you leave now, you know for a fact those goons outside your door will definitely tell him. Likely, they would tell him that you didn't sleep too. Just do it! You had practiced the words so well before. This is the first time you've truly wanted for something. He's taken care of everything else before you could even think about it. But now you have to ask him for something.  

You gently tap his arm, no reaction. He must be a deep sleeper. This time you shove a bit harder, it's difficult to see exactly what you're shoving especially with the black out curtains. This time, however, he does stir and you can only assume awoke when words spill from his mouth.  

“What is wrong, mi dulce chica?” He asks, already his hand gently caressing your arm. You take a deep breath in and try not to think of your next words too much. “Daddy, I can't sleep.” You can't see his reaction but soon after he opens up the duvet and his arms. Queuing for you to join him.  

This. This is exactly what you needed. He cradles your head between his arms. Your knees pressed between his legs. You body perfect matching his. That small. The smell of a hot summer day. Of his musky deodorant and what you can only describe as a day in the beach. If you could bottle his scent, you're certain you'd make millions.  

You had so many questions that you wanted to ask him. But now as you're cuddled in his arms, your thoughts just melt away. Into a nice and warm sheen over your body. Sleep comes easy.

My tag list is open!

[flower1622]

Years later:

There was a little girl with blonde hair and green eyes playing with her sword toy around a chair, which has another young girl seated on it with black hair and gray eyes. She was reading about greek mythology, a book she received as a birthday present from her grandma Sally, whom she also received the name from. She was reading about the god Poseidon, but she couldn't concentrate due to her sister running and making noise with her mouth while playing with her toy. Sally gets frustrated at her.

Sally: Elle, could you stop it?

Her little sister Estelle or Elle, how people like to call her, just looks confused at her sister.

Elle: Stop what?

Sally points to the toy with her finger angry.

Sally: This!

Elle: But i like to fight with my sword.

Sally only rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.

Sally: Yeah? So, fight somewhere else. I'm reading right now.

Elle: Okay!

Elle leaves Sally alone and goes to play in another part of the house.

Sally sighs and continues reading her book.

Sally: Finally!

Then, two people appear in the leaving room arguing with each other.

Annabeth: Percy, i told you i wanted chocolate cake!

Percy: And i wanted a strawberry cake!

Annabeth rolls her eyes, sighs and crosses her arms.

Annabeth: Sally doesn't like strawberries.

Percy crosses his arms too.

Percy: And Elle can't eat chocolate now or she won't let me sleep. Everytime she cries or does something at night, i end up being the one to handle things.

Both stare at each other serious with their arms crossed. Sally only looks at them and sighs.

Sally: You must be kidding me...

Then, the bell rings. Percy and Annabeth keep staring at each other. Sally rolls her eyes and goes to answer the door. She opens it and sees Nico in front of her holding two presents.

Sally: Uncle Nico?

Nico gets a little shy.

Nico: Hey.

Then, someone screams making Sally protect her ears with her hands. Nico winces from the sound. Percy and Annabeth continue staring at each other, not caring about the noise.

Elle: UNCLE NIC!

Elle runs to hug her uncle, making both fall to the ground.

Nico says under Elle's body, almost out of breath:

Nice to see you too, little hurricane.

Sally only sighs and crosses her arms.

Sally: Elle, get off uncle Nico. Let him breath.

But, Elle doesn't move. So, Sally thinks another strategy.

Sally: There are blue cupcakes in the fridge.

Elle stands up quick and runs back to her house to get some blue cupcakes.

Nico takes a time to breath on the floor and Sally reaches her hand for him to take. Sally helps her uncle to stand up.

Sally: Sorry for Elle.

Nico: No problem. She wouldn't be Elle if she didn't do that. She really reminds me of your father.

Nico says and daydreams a little bit. Sally only looks at him confused and snaps her fingers in front of Nico's face, getting his attention.

Sally: Are you alright, uncle?

Nico: Oh...yeah, i'm good.

Sally: So...uh...where is uncle Will?

Sally missed her favourite uncle a lot. He was always teaching her things...like how to save a person in cases of heart attack, drowning or another thing. Sally also likes to hear uncle Will sing. Sally finds uncle Will's voice very beautiful.

Nico says while he gets his presents from the floor and looks at Sally:

He is very busy in the hospital right now. He may arrive later.

Sally nods and motions with her head to inside of her house, asking her uncle Nico to enter. He nods at her and both enter.

Nico sees that there were some decorations of princesses and fishes around the house. Inside the living room, Nico also notices "Happy Birthay" written on the wall and Annabeth and Percy looking at each other with angry faces and their arms crossed.

Nico: Hello?

They don't answer. Nico sighs.

Nico: Chocolate is better than Strawberry.

Annabeth celebrates and gets close to Percy with a mocking expression on her face while she points a finger to him.

Annabeth: Take that, Seaweed Brain!

Percy: That's not fair!

Annabeth and Percy start arguing again with each other. Nico sighs, puts his hands on his waist and yells frustrated.

Nico: WHY DON'T YOU GUYS USE THE TWO CAKES AND HIDE THE CHOCOLATE ONE LATER?!

Percy, Annabeth and even Sally get shocked with Nico's outburst. Percy and Annabeth look at each other with thoughtful expressions on their faces and nod their heads. Then, they smile and kiss each other.

Elle appears in the living room with a happy face.

Elle: Did someone say chocolate?

Nico, Sally, Percy and Annabeth look at Elle and sigh.

[blackbird-brewster]

CM Unpopular Opinions

Just a couple of weeks out from the new season, the new trailer just dropped, and people are getting hyped. For last season, I made a CME predictions post (which mostly came to pass, bc this show is so predictable) -- but this season, I'm going to post some unpopular opinions going into S17. Don't like, don't read.

WILL. Since we know Will won't be in this season, there have been speculations that JJ/Will will be getting a divorce, or that Will is going to die. I do NOT want Will to die. I hate that guy, I've never liked his character, but you know who I do love? JJ. She has already been through SO much, I do NOT want Hotch 2.0 in S17. I don't want Will to die, because that would be like ripping half of JJ's soul out of her chest and she deserves better. What I actually think will happen -- is just that Will is going back to being an off-screen partner like he was for most of the series.

JEMILY. I've already written my thoughts on Paget's Jemily hints on social media and why I think that's simply queerbaiting. There's no way Jemily is going to be canon, and I am HAPPY about that. I don't want Jemily to be canon!! Look at how this show treats canon relationships!! How many female romantic interests have been tortured and killed???? Why would I ever want Jemily in that crossfire? Also, as a fanfic author who has been writing Jemily for the past decade -- I don't want them to become canon, because that will squander so much creative potential. Fic authors fill in the gaps and subtext of canon, that's our job, when a relationship becomes canon it really loses it's appeal. That being said, I would love to actually see Emily and JJ interacting again. S16 really ignored their decade-long friendship altogether. Shit, I would love to just see them in the same fricking scene again.

REBECCA. All I want is for Rebecca to survive this season. As mentioned above, the way this show treats romantic interests of main characters is HORRIBLE. I'm forever furious with how the show handled Tara/Rebecca's relationship last season. I know fans hated Rebecca for getting pissed at Tara, but I still don't agree. What I do hate is how as soon as Tara's queerness served it's plot point (getting the inmate to admit he's gay too) -- the show nuked Tara's relationship altogether. I seriously love Rebecca, I think she adds a lot to the show. And since we already know Rebecca is in S17, I would LOVE to see Tara/Rebecca sit down and actually talk through their issues (like real adults!). I would LOVE for them to get the happy ending they deserve.

GARCIA'S ROMANCE. For real, I do not care about any of this love triangle bullshit with Garcia between Tyler and Luke or whatever tf is happening. I seriously hated what they did to Garcia's character in S16, it felt like they completely erased the prior 15 years from her character and replaced it with the most basic hetnormative romance plot. I don't ship Garvez (nor her and Tyler), so I don't really care about that side of things. But I would LOVE to get our Garcia back. I miss her so much.

RETURNING CHARACTER RUMORS. If one of the past cast members comes back in S17 I do not want it to be MGG. CME already focused an entire season on Rossi's man-pain (literally the only reason they killed Krystal was for him to be angry 🙃). I do NOT want another season of white-male centric plot lines (even though that's clearly what's gonna happen with Voight) If anyone actually comes back to guest, I want it to either be Matt or Derek. Alternatively, I do have a crack theory that the unsub/Gold Star is actually Elle Greenaway. A trained government assassin, she became a vigilante after leaving the BAU and she's been operating for all these years without detection. Now THAT would be a good twist.

Listen, overall, I'm not looking forward to another season of Evolution. I think they're trying way too hard to turn CM into some edgy, gritty, Norwegian-type crime drama and in doing so, they've ruined some of my favourite characters irrevocably. I don't have high hopes for S17.

[rapunzelforlorn]

Ep6

Nick is so brave introducing Charlie to his dad

Two more years of high school?? I thought Nick was like a junior

Seeing the style on Nick's face, meeting his dad already seems difficult but he wanted to tell him about Charlie so bad

Are they playing find Waldo?

I love that the boys & girls had the same reaction to E&T's kiss

Sneaking around the hotel 🙈

Issac looks left out 🥺

Everyone sneaking to smooch town

Charlie needs to listen to Nick

Ajayi is trying his charms

Faruk IS gay!!

Clocked him 👀👀👀

"You flirting with me?"

Oh, happy birthday Tara

Imogen being part of the gang makes me so happy

Isaac is in book heaven

Charlie's a little hoodie thief

"I'm just recharging" - Nick 💜

There's a lot of underage drinking for a relatively wholesome show

Why isn't Isaac with James???

Who the FUCK let Ben in?

Kiss the boy Isaac

Paris is so gay 🏳️‍🌈

Isaac??

Hey babe let's go to a party just to escape it and enjoy each other's company, that's Nick & Charlie's relationship

Harry is trying...I think genuinely

But I'm pissed Ben is there much his church ass out too

Tao is always a ham

Who is this sour ass, shaved head ass, biiiiitch bringing down the vibe of the party??? Uhh...kid 1 that's who! Not even relevant enough for a name

Ben's bitch ass shouldn't have been there

Nick is a boss! And bi, actually

Why did they ruin to the teachers and not the bathroom if she was gonna get sick

Not sure if I want to be carried or carry someone like Nick "strong man" Nelson

Sharing a bed, how scandalous 😏

The revenge of the hicky

Oh Nick is so sweet & innocent, despite the hicky allegations

Darcy is having a time

Teachers getting scandalous now too 🙈🙈

Ep7

Nick seems so bummed not noticing or maybe not talking to Charlie sooner about eating habits

Go Elle!!

Tao's mom is great we love supportive mothers

Nick's mom fucking ROASTING David

Tori better go to this dinner party too

Congrats Elle!

What's with the purple smog at Darcy's?

Isaac seems off

Will Ben just FUCK OFF!!!

No matching suits?? Outrageous!!

Darcy doesn't have a good home life did she 😒

Issac actually ACE?

Fucking slay Elle 😍😍😍

Tao is so bad with change

Clocked Isaac

So glad he met someone to explain it to him

Imogen is trying, really

Prom is tomorrow?!?!

Elle's art 💜💜

Tao maturing

Ben is stalking now???

Don't make us feel bad for Ben, fuck him

Oh so he's ALWAYS been a predator

I'm here for you "mate"

Tori in the house!!

Fuck David!!

GETTEM TORI!!!

NICK 🥺💜🥺💜

Stephane 👀 no, no Stephane

He's always got mom

Tori's about to go away for murder if David doesn't shut the fuck up

Charlie's mom cares, just wants him to do well

Nick is always so proactive with the Google machine

Oh Darc ☹️

Ep8

No way this man woke up and didn't have his phone on a charger

The (I'm bi, actually) ig post 💗💜💙

The ig comments 🤢

Everything's prefect except you aren't eating Charlie boy

And they were official T&E

Tara sending out the prom SOS

The squad rolling up

That's a waste of paint

Coach wingmate

Nick opening up to Tao about Charlie

Tao opening up to Nick 🥺

Charlie needs to open up

They look so good for prom!!

I miss prom

Charlie's little prom fantasy was so cute

Darcy needs some help

Isaac is also on the struggle bus

Elle's dad, is exactly what I hoped

She always looks stunning 🤩🤩

They all look so great!!

Why did Sahar bring a guitar?

I want to believe Henry is trying

The rugby mates for sure are trying

Nick giving Tara advice that's actually for himself too

Oh she's in the band

I wish my school put this much effort into prom

These high schoolers are having so much growth

Tori at prom too 🥳

"That night in Paris..."

"Next time 😉"

Is Imogen...bi?

Neither can dance? I doubt that

Oh no 😨 Tara went to Darcy's

Her mom's such a bitch!!!!!

Sit down at Nick's

SEVEN

Big group hug 💜

Poor Darcy 🥺

We love disasters

Playing pong with normal cups 😂

Isaac looks so much happier knowing who he is

Best Team Player 🏆

Charlie 😭😭

"Promise to tell me, if it ever gets that bad again? "

Just hold hands through it all 💜💜

"I love..."

Gets me everytime Charlie gets on his tippy toes to kiss Nick

Wait...have they not said I love you too each other??

What a cliff hanger!!

Were both ready for season 3 😁

[lackadaisy-headcanon-supply-unit]

Hi👋♡.

May I request one-shots Serafine Savoy and Nico Savoy with teen fem!Reader (Platonic) the Reader is a delivery girl she helps them all the time and of course they have to get her something for her hard work she do for them.

[ money maybe?]

{Love your blog by the way♡}.

Don't know how this turned into a spin-off, cat episode of something that feels straight out of Peaky Blinders, but here you go!

Get a job, Mother said. The world is changing and girls need to pull their weight, just how I did during the Great War.

However, when Y/N finally got one of course she wasn't too happy.

"An unpaid delivery girl? You could have aimed slightly higher, especially with that mind of yours."

Well, perhaps she wouldn't have been so picky if she realized her daughter didn't have much of a choice in the matter. No one accidentally ran into a criminals hunting ground and got out completely unscathed, in reputation or otherwise. Her own price to pay was becoming an uncompensated errand girl for a couple of no good kitties with sharp gazes, smiles and knives. A lot of knives, and guns too.

The option to refuse wasn't really on the table. That was a couple of months ago now.

Maybe Y/N should have realized sooner something about her job was shadier than she first thought. At first there seem to be nothing amiss. Y/N was asked to post letters, carry tattered and lightly but suspiciously stained clothes to and from the tailors. Small things she had no problem doing for free. They weren't too out of the way either; most of the shops and post boxes were on her way to school.

Her suspicions only really started when she was sent to pick up a suspicious-looking package from a derelict riverside cafe. It was just the one, and she delivered it without a hitch. Looking back she probably should have failed to do so; it would have certainly avoided the fear and stress that came when she was sent on a similar errand the week after.

Then it became every three days and sometimes even twice in one.

Mother was right: Y/N had a good head on her shoulders. She didn't need to peek into the boxes to know what she was carrying was less than legal. She was also well aware that if anything happened to the cargo inside she'd be dead, but she was also smart enough to know she could hand it over to the cops at any time. Who knows, she could end up taking down a major crime ring in St. Louis. She could become a hero!

Or…

She could beat her generously-loaded employers at their own game.

Y/N burst into the hotel suite, waving the letter high in her hand. "Delivery!"

The cloud of smoke hanging around the divans parted, and a carefully manicured, clawed hand beckoned her closer. "Merci, now give it here, cher."

For once, Y/N stayed put. "No."

"No?" The hand cleared the rest of the fog, and Miss Savoy's amber eye watched her, widening.

Those stares didn't scare Y/N anymore, not after working for them for months. She even took a step back. "No."

"Elle se prend pour qui?" Miss Savoy's brother growled, raising himself up from his seat. His cigarette hung limply from the corner of his mouth.

"Nico, laisse-la," Miss Savoy tutted. "Elle a du culot, c'est presque impressionnant."

"I'd like it if you didn't talk behind my back," Y/N bit out.

"And we'd like it if you hand over the letter like the good girl we know you can be."

Again, Y/N held it out of reach. "And I'd like to be compensated."

"Your compensation is us not killin' you for messin' up our gig," Nico pointed out.

"You gangstas might want to think of marking your territory better so a teenager doesn't fuck you up."

"She swears too."

They seemed almost surprised. Y/N decided to skip the rest of the pleasantries.

"Money."

"What?"

"I want money."

Nico and Serafine looked at each other. Then, he smirked. She grinned. They both fell about laughing, leaving a confused Y/N to ping-pong between them and scowl.

"What's so funny?"

They only replied to each other in quick snippets of French she couldn't understand.

"What is it?" she repeated.

"T'as perdu, c'est toi qui paye," Serafine smirked to her brother, again ignoring Y/N's questions.

Nico rolled his eyes and rummaged around in a nearby tin. "Bien joué…"

He held out a wad of cash—and by god it was more than she had ever seen in her life! He was essentially offering her her own small fortune, most of it likely made of blood money.

She didn't take it right away. "What's all this about?"

Nico shook the money in front of her eyes. "Bettin' to see how long it'd take you to man up and ask."

Y/N was dumbfounded. "Ask?"

"For payment."

So, they were saying everything she had done for free, every risk and every broken law…

"All I had to do was ask?!"

Nico cracked a sickening grin. "Yes, cher."

Yes. That was all he said, the only confirmation. She wanted to scream, she wanted to shout, she wanted to take that rifle off the wall and—

She snatched up the money with a frown, shooting daggers from her eyes. She handed over the letter. "I hate you both."

Nico's grin softened. "Hate you too," he said with no real conviction or the previous bit she knew he could give.

Almost as if he was trying to be her friend.

They could try all they liked, but they wouldn't get far.

Not now.

[thestylesfamilysblog]

𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐞’𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰

𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐱 𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: it’s not just the first snowfall of the year in boston, it’s also the first snowfall for little bee and little bear, and who doesn’t love the sound of baby giggles in the morning

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: none very fluffy and sweet🥹🥹

𝐚/𝐧: thank you B for letting me write another blurb for these two and trusting me with writing little teddy😭 i think these two are so cute and i hope everyone enjoys @boston-babies 🩷

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

There was nothing better than the first snowfall in Boston, the chilly air, christmas lights finally being strung up and lit, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg filtering out from the bakery’s around the neighbourhood, nothing was better than this.

Well maybe except seeing little Elodie walk down the path towards the park Ro regularly took her too to meet Mama Evans and little Teddy, which is exactly where they were headed now.

“Elle be careful please baby!”

Calling out gently to the very rambunctious toddler as she takes off into the park, her little squeals of delight only amplifying as the snowflakes fell around her

“Snow, mummy snow!”

“Yes lot’s of it petal, it’s pretty huh?”

Elodie looked to her mother with a gummy smile on her face, her teeth still slowly coming in

“I think I see someone waiting for you over there Elle”

That caught the attention of Elodie who turned to see Teddy and Mama Evans standing just a few feet down, having arrived at the park not long after they had

“Bear! Mummy Bear!!”

At the sound of Elodie’s excitement, you watched Teddy look up from grabbing some snow to clap

“Bee!! Hi Bee!”

Ro couldn’t catch Elodie even if she tried, the little girl taking off towards her bear, their friendship only getting cuter the older they got. It was a relationship both families cherished in their own ways, the two toddlers being attached at the hip.

“Oh Elle be careful!”

Ro yelled out as the little girl pulled Teddy down to the snow covered ground with her, Mama Evans biting back a laugh at the scene, silence filling the air until their shared giggles filled both mothers ears

“Well I guess we can say they missed each other” Mama Evans stated, a smile on her face as she pulled Ro in for a hug, spending a few minutes catching up as the little ones played in the snow

“Thank you!” Came Teddy’s voice as Elodie passed him a snow ball she messily made, a smile on the girls face watching Teddy take it from her

“Welcome! Share!”

Ro laughed nodding

“Yeah my love, you’re sharing so well with Teddy baby”

Elodie smiled at the praise before turning to look at Mama Evans

“Hi! Hi!”

The other mother laughed, Elodie always taking a loving to her

“Hi sweetheart”

Once Elodie was pleased with her greetings she returned her attention back to Teddy, opting to follow him around as he got up and began to explore. Both mothers only hoping their friendship would only continue to keep them as close as they were right now.

And watching as Teddy held his hand out for Elodie to hold, they both knew deep down the two of them would be together for a very long time, and nothing would change that.

“Bye bye mummy! Bear bye bye!”

Letting out a string of giggles Teddy followed through with the laughter

“Bye bye mama! Bee bye bye!”

It was quite comical how the two kiddos thought they could realistically get very far from their mom’s but who wants to spoil the fun anyway, let them think they’re running off on a holiday adventure.

There really was nothing better than the first snowfall in Boston, especially when it came with little bee and little bear.

[stormyoceans]

100 plots are waiting for you. Do you want to elaborate on the topic of murders in a closed school?

I DO MISS MY VERY BAD ATTEMPTS AT THE 100 JIMMYSEA SERIES

i actually did try to come up with a vague plot inspired by the elle photoshoot here, but im not too convinced about it tbh, it just feels very predictable and unoriginal ;;;;;;; i do find the boarding school murder mystery subgenre really fascinating tho, and i know the setting gets linked a lot to ya literature and dark academia, which don't have a very good reputation, however i think there are elements of it that are so interesting if done right, like the school also being a home, the characters’ isolation from the real world, the hierarchical structure and the inevitable rebellions against the teacher and clashes between students that come with it, the unorthodox education, the knowledge of a dark past that lurks amidst the hallways........

that's why i was very into home school the first few episodes, because i still really love the idea of a boarding school where wealthy and privileged parents send their (most of the times) unwarrantedly-labeled 'bad kids', the ones who have fallen from grace or embarrassed their rich families by partaking in some behavior that violates those families' social mores. and i wasn't much into what turned out to be the mystery in the show, nor do i know how would i like to change it for that matter, but i would LOVE a series like this for jimmysea and namtanfilm

like you have the very first episode with, say, jimmy being the new student and coming to this school which is a small society with already very defined groups he does not care to fit in. he dodges namtan's flirting, he shares the same space as film but they don't really talk because she is just like him, he clashes with sea, and during their fight the viewers find out that the school is just a place for the rejected and the unwanted ('you act like you're so much better than everybody else, but you're just trash that was abandoned by your parents like the rest of us'). and the thing is, the students don't really know why the others are there. like some are easier to guess than others, but no one knows for sure, and you have kids who are there just because they're different than what their parents wanted them to be, and there are kids who are there because they robbed a place, or were involved in a drug case, or even murdered someone, and their parents bought off the police and then sent them there to get rid of them

and so when the murders start to happen inside the school, it makes sense for the students to start investigating, because their parents don't care about them, the teachers don't care about them, the police doesn't care about them, if they're dead society just thinks 'good riddance', so if they want to survive they're the ones who need to do something about it

AND THIS IS SO UNNECESSARILY LONG WHILE ALSO SAYING NOTHING AT ALL IM SHUTTING UP NOW

[dont-post-after-midnight]

So far, we've got two contenders on who we think Stripe will be: Claw and Riley Greene

I thought it would be fun to make a really long post with all the reasons I think either one of the two could be Stripe.

Of course, this is all my speculation, and a lot of this is just me going "hey that sounds like something Stripe would do/say. Also, if there's something I missed or forgot, feel free to reblog with any of your ideas!

All the reasons I think Claw is Stripe:

Greene does refer to her as the leader, and the gremlins do follow her without question. Unlike Greene who doesn't seem to want that role (just wanted to use them temporarily to achieve his goal) Claw was very clearly the leader from the start just like Stripe. And if the show follows the movies and how the leader is predetermined from the start, then Claw simply being the leader might automatically make her the same as Stripe/Mohawk if that makes any sense.

The other gremlins have way more respect for Claw than for Greene. There's multiple scenes of them laughing or mocking him but I don't think any of them would dare disrespect Claw, even by accident. Like in the night club scene when the one gremlin accidentally hits her and everyone goes silent, I feel like if the same thing happened to Greene they'd all just laugh at him.

Her personality and the way she acts is very similar to Stripe. She's very cunning and, aside from Noggin, appears to be the most intelligent out of the bunch. While the other gremlins were off wreaking havoc, Stripe was the one who started and orchestrated all of it. Similarly, Claw was the one who escaped and kick started all the mayhem on the ship. Claw and Stripe both enjoy chaos as much as the next gremlin, but they're both a little more reserved and tend to think things through and plan ahead better than the rest.

While Claw doesn't have a mohawk or tuft of hair like Stripe does, she does share one likeness to him:

Both Claw and Stripe are seen squinting one of their eyes in some scenes. That's about it for similarities they share but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Stripe shooting the gremlin cheating in the bar scene sounds a lot like something Claw would do if she got mad (though to be fair, Greene would do the same I feel 😅). She basically the same thing when she got mad and turned that one gremlin really tiny.

I can see Claw disliking Gizmo as much as Stripe/Mohawk do. Gizmo clearly doesn't like her and share the same feelings, so I can imagine she'd harbor some resentment for him if she ever found out. Maybe this is why Stripe/Mohawk in the movies hated Gizmo so much (Mohawk even more so), if Claw is the same gremlin as them then their hatred of him makes a lot of sense. I feel like this is more proof that Claw is Stripe rather than Greene since he doesn't seem to dislike Gizmo at all. Sure he wanted his immortality, but he ended up finding another mogwai to eat so I find it less likely for Greene to view Gizmo as his enemy than Claw.

All the reasons I think Riley Greene is Stripe:

He's literally got "green" in his name. I think it would be funny if his last name was Greene and he ended up turning into a green monster. 🤣

Has been called a "monster" multiple times. This might be a sign that he's more monster than human deep down, like he'd fit in among monsters better than humans.

Greene seems to have a fascination with weird/mystical things and the macabre, which feels like something Stripe would also be interested in. There's his room on the ship with all his weird little oddities and things in jars, his knowledge of black magic and courts of hell, and the line "if you do amputate I want the arm."

His blatant disrespect towards his henchmen and other people. He only refers to his henchmen as numbers and doesn't care if they get hurt. He also doesn't seem to care about things like entering the Wing family's shop when it's closed, or making Elle scared and uncomfortable around him.

Call me crazy, but I feel he kinda has features that resemble a gremlin, plus the tuft of hair on his head like Stripe:

Aside from that, his beard and the way it curves forward is similar to how most gremlins chins look. His eyebrows are curved upward like gremlin "eyebrows", and his nose is pointy and curves downward like a gremlin. Also his outfit and ship are all colored green with red highlights similar to gremlin colors, though this could just be referencing him working alongside them.

The mogwai he ate not only gave him immortality, but it also had a tuft of fur on its head. Of course, that mogwai could have just been a reference to Stripe, and not that Greene is going to turn into Stripe. But I feel like this is the biggest piece of evidence going for him becoming Stripe than all the others.

[byler-makemewanttobelieveitsokay]

Chapter Two - fic

here's the second chapter to make up for the lack of drawings. I'll start the drawings again once I've found my bloody pencil!

The afternoon sun reflects off of the lake. Under the shade of a tree lie Will and Mike. As predicted, El and Max have pulled a disappearing act. They said hi, ate cookies and left. Since then, Will had maybe fallen asleep… he's awake now though and Mike takes this opportunity to attempt to make conversation.

"Where did Jane and Max go?" 

Will's eyes snap open.

"Oh uh…"

He doesn't really want to know what they're up to. Whatever it is, it's bound to be irresponsible.

"They're probably causing trouble somewhere." He replies, rolling his eyes.

On the other side of the park, El stands on the platform over the lake. Suspended in mid air is Max. El is hovering the red-headed girl dangerously close to the railing. One wrong move and Max will get an unplanned bath. But Max isn't worried. She can feel the breeze in her hair, this is probably the weirdest sensation on earth.

"This is sick!!!" She yells, flailing her arms and legs a bit.

El stares up at her with a grin of adoration. She isn't supposed to use her powers in public, but seeing Max in this state of exhilaration makes El forget all about rules. If she can make Max laugh then it's worth risking her secret.

"Do you think they have realised yet?" El asks as Max rolls over in the air.

"Mike and Will? Of course not." 

"But how can you forget your best friend?" Asks El, she could never forget Max, the feeling of being someone's best friend is so special.

"They were only kids El, then Will moved schools, and we never saw him again." Max reminds her. 

"But they were best friends!" El repeats. She just doesn't understand.

"They were also five years old, and the lab interfered with Will's memory." 

El supposes that's a valid reason. The lab did mess with them a lot. She's glad she and Will took care of it. El will be eternally grateful to Lucas Sinclair’s dedication to finding his missing friend. If it weren’t for Lucas, she and Will would still be 011 and 012. Abducted. Test subjects.

"The lab's full of mouth-breathers."

***

"So, what's your family like?" Mike asks Will, sitting cross-legged on the grass. "I know Jane a little bit, but like, who else is there?" 

Will sits up, this is a bit of a complex discussion. The Hopper/Byers family is far from normal, despite the appearance from the outside. Will takes a deep, calming breath, if he’s going to lie his way through this, he needs a clear mind.

"Well there's my mom, Joyce, she's getting married in a couple months." Will begins. He leaves out the part where his mom was a part of a top-secret government project.

"Then there's Lonnie. He's my…" Will pauses, despite what his birth certificate says, Lonnie isn't related to him really at all. Maybe you'd call him a stepfather? "He's Jonathan's dad." Will decides not to elaborate. Lonnie Byers doesn’t deserve elaboration. He was far from a nice person, he sold his legal kid to an evil government program and that’s only the tip of the iceberg!

Mike frowns, why do those names feel familiar? Lonnie? Joyce? 

"Then there's Jim Hopper, chief of police, he's… Jane's dad." Will decides this is an adequate description. He conveniently leaves out the part where Jim is also his father. Will Byers will just have to remain fatherless. That's probably okay, considering he’s had three different “fathers” and he’s not even fifteen yet.

"Jonathan's my half brother, technically, but he's the best big brother in the world. He's four years older than me." Will smiles as he tells Mike this. Man he really loves Jonathan. Will couldn’t ask for a better older brother.

Once again Mike's brow furrows. He knows this name too and he's the right age. Maybe… no, surely not. His childhood best friend was long gone.

"Jane's my… step sister…" He trails off. That's an outright lie. Jane Elle Hopper, known to few as 011 and fewer as simply El, is his twin sister. She's also a month older than him. Thanks Hawkins National Laboratory! Will's family tree looks more like a family plate of spaghetti.

"I thought you and Jane were twins!" Mike exclaims.

Shit.

"Um… no. Ha ha… it's just a weird coincidence." Will attempts to brush Mike off. That's enough about his family. It's too difficult to try not to accidentally leak top secret FBI information. He really doesn’t feel like dodging murder today. He’s had quite enough of that for one lifetime, thank you very much! 

"What about your dad?" Mike will not be brushed off. He's determined to find out more about Will. He doesn't know why, but Mike seems to be drawn in by this odd, cute boy. And if his crazy hunch is correct, he knows more than he thinks…

Mike wonders if Will's anything like Jane. Although, judging by the fact he fell asleep in the middle of the park, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Mike would guess the step siblings' likeness ends at looks. Jane seems to be a ball of energy, always up to something. 

"Umm… I don't really know." Will mumbles. Is he aware that's a half assed excuse? Yes. Can he be bothered to do mental gymnastics to try and explain his existence? Absolutely not. He’s tired. Sue him.

Mike shrugs, whatever then, maybe it's a sensitive topic to Will. He decides to change the subject. Mike launches into describing his own family to Will.

"My parents are divorced. I spend the weekdays at my mom's house and the weekends and school holidays at my dad's." Mike begins. His mom is definitely his favourite, she’s distant, but at least she doesn’t sigh at every choice Mike makes, unlike his dad.

Will looks at him with interest, perhaps his own story isn't quite so unbelievable after all. If Mike's a child of divorce, surely he understands how many different kinds of families there are. Mike goes on to tell Will more about his mom's place.

"My mom's house is my favourite. Dad's place might be bigger, but it's colder, less welcoming. My Mom's house is close to Dustin’s. Dad's is next-door to Lucas's." 

Next door to Lucas's? Will knew he'd visited the house next-door to Lucas's as a child. It was one of the few things he remembered from before the lab. Mike continues to tell Will about his background.

"I have two sisters as well, Nancy and Holly. Nancy's a senior at Hawkins Grammar and Holly's starting at Hawkins elementary soon."

"Nancy?" Will mutters in thought, he definitely knew that name. Nancy was his friend's older sister, the same age as Jonathan. He screws up his face in an attempt to fill in the gaps of his fractured, tampered memories.

“Nancy’s a detective extraordinaire, she just started working at Hawkins Post! And Holly’s–” 

Will isn’t listening anymore. It’s not that he’s not interested in Mike’s sisters, Will’s sure he’d love to hear all about them, but he’s just had a major realisation. This is actually groundbreaking! If Will’s correct at least. 

"Mike, are you… is your last name Whe… Wheeler?"

Mike's face lights up! He looks relieved.

"Yes! And you've gotta be Will Byers!"

Mike stares at Will in anticipation. He hopes to God he's right! But Mike's sure he can't be wrong. The green eyes. Joyce, Lonnie and Jonathan. 

"Will Hopper in a couple months," Will begins, "but yes, technically Will Byers." 

Mike can barely contain the excitement! After ten long years, he's reconnecting with his first friend. Who knows, maybe after a decade of wondering and searching, he'll finally learn about the Vanishing of Will Byers!

Will can remember! He can actually remember something from before that year he spent with El and the other kids in the lab! He remembers a whole person even! Oh man, this is incredible! The most he’d ever been able to remember was fractions, half memories, pieces of his past. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, trying to remember the first six years of his life. If he can remember who Mike is, maybe he’ll even be able to remember other things too. 

“Oh my– hi Will!” Mike giggles, as though they haven’t been sitting next to each other for the last half hour.

“Hi Mike.” Will chuckles back.

Links:

Chapter One fic Next

Chapter One Comic

Current Comic Update

[watching-pictures-move]

Put On Your Raincoats | Wild Things (De Renzy, 1985)

Like I did with my review of Ball Busters, I present to you some stray observations in scattershot form, not unlike the vignette structure of the film being commented on:

I didn't watch this to make a "We have Wild Things at home!" joke, because I haven't seen Wild Things (1998) and this was released first. I'm innocent of all charges, your honor.

This is bookended by a pair of roughie-style scenes. I think the first one is better, in that the female aggressors make it stand out against the usual genre dynamics and the latter has John Leslie doing some weird bear growl noises I found a bit distracting. Both also have neat twists at the end that go a long way in alleviating the sleaze factor that normally comes with these things.

Between the organ music on the soundtrack, the pointed shot of the cross dangling Kimberly Carson's breasts, her desire to make love as a means of procreation and her devout nature ("I'm talking to God here"), the segment where Herschel Savage tries to impregnate Carson plays like a middle finger to the moral majority types, although one could argue it's a bit more subtle than the usual evangelical characters in more overt porno satires (Spitfire, Friday the 13th: A Nude Beginning). This is also the only time I can recall off the top of my head seeing Savage with a beard, and combined with the leather jacket he's introduced in, it's a pretty good look. (Much better than the Gene Shalit 'stache he had in Skin Flicks.)

As someone who's made that same awful sitcom double date joke in too many reviews, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Elle Rio for following through on it. You see, the problem is that "there is so many men and how you say, so little time", and maybe she "should get a little book or something", so she "accidentally date two guys at the same time!" (For the record, I love her accent and her mellifluous voice. I'm not making fun, I promise.) And rather than suffer any embarrassment, she takes charge and resolves things in the most elegant manner possible given the circumstances. (Hint: it rhymes with "free gum.") Apparently this was added after the fact (the breaking of the fourth wall feels more in line with Ball Busters) but is arguably a highlight, making this not unlike a Heaven's Gate situation where a later release is supposed to be the superior version. Or maybe like the Snyder Cut. Definitely not like Apocalypse Now: Redux, where the additional footage kills the pacing. Bonus points for Tom Byron's terrible mustache and his insistence on kicking rocks at Jon Martin's car. "A lot of men, they don't have the kind of sense of humour like we girls do."

Maybe I'm still high off a rewatch of Body Double, but there's one shot where the husband is masturbating in the foreground and the wife is masturbating in the background that looks a little bit like a composition from Mr. BDP himself. Now if you just switched out the rack focus for a split diopter, we'd be in business. (This scene also starts with the wife looking at magazine layout with *shudders* Ron Jeremy, and thankfully that's where he stays.) And before you think I'm giving the movie too much credit visually, there's some pretty nice use of lens flare and shadows throughout. This is not without a decent amount of style.

Lots of great music throughout, probably a little heavier on the rock side of things (psych rock jams, garage rock, funk rock, maybe a little doo wop), but my favourite bit of scoring has to be the fluttering synths in the first scene.

While I missed the knockoff Troy McClure shtick John Leslie was doing while hosting Ball Busters, Jill Ferrar is not without her charms and has some fun interplay with the crew. Also, unlike Leslie she doesn't try to push a heretofore unheard of definition of the title, so definitely wins some points there.

Now, as for whether this is any good: if you like the performers, I can report they are in fine form, and if you are not yet sold on any of them, a strong case is made for all. (MVP: Elle Rio, for the record.) There's enough variation in the premises of each segment, the energy level is consistently high, and the film is not without a good amount of humour (and doesn't feel mean spirited the way I've found De Renzy sometimes can be). I'm assuming Howard Hawks never saw this (because it was released after his passing, unless he came back a decade later like Bruce Lee was prophesied to in Ng See-Yuen's Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth), but it meets his criteria for a good movie and then some.

[purecommemasolitude]

Chucked all my thoughts while watching le rouge et le noir for the first time here so have them without show context

Also while missing a good chunk of the show cause I accidentally went on another page without saving the draft schwoopsie

so ding dong is bonheur de malheur with more inexplicable doorbell noises

this man is a MENACE

ohhhh the way the lighting only illuminates mme de rênal half the time during this time is excellent

and then she's an immobile doll for him to position and place bouquets in her hand?? wonderful

the way julien sounds so edgy every single time he talks. king relax

this use of the turntable is quite good but is this man literally climbing a mountain right now

NAPOLEON????

oh putting julien on the top section for the musicians as the first (i think?) actor to do so as he sings about wanting to ascend in his life position... sublime

a) why is his napoleon locket HUGE. couldn't you find a smaller one b) "like you, I'll be the eagle... and she'll be my prey" girl. as far as i can tell at this point in the show you do genuinely like her. why are you describing her like that

NOOO NOT THE MAID

also it's been so long only watching zuka shows that seeing people actually kiss instead of stage kiss is genuinely shocking

"julien... whose portrait are you hiding in your locket?" "i can't tell you... but know it's a man" omg bisexual king 🤩🤩😍😍

I really can't tell if it's a choice here or if he's just really off-time

his gritty voice is fine for solos but i do wish it wasn't present in the love song duet :/ UNLESS it's a hint that he doesn't really love her in which case phenomenal

(Okay now at DLNJVR and it appears he did actually love her and it wasn’t a clever galaxy brain moment. Shame)

glad to see the good old "your character Does Not sing this song but here sing it for the cast recording" trick of french musicals again

ahh the fancy home crumbling once he learns of the affair >>

HE'S GONNA FUCKING KILL HER????????

Okay okay I thought we were going for an INTENSE genre shift right there

Gotta admit I’m not the hugest fan of any of the men’s voices

The house rebuilding itself as he composes himself >>

No Louise :((((( let me tell you if I were her husband I would treat her right

He is SO edgy. Salieri Mozartl’operarock better watch out

DLNJVR actually goes ways harder live than I would’ve thought

His voice works really well for it and her section is very nice

“Admit it, father, you only laugh when you’re with your moody little priest of a secretary. And he’s not even funny.” You’re so real for that queen

Also that line is a very nice way of establishing the timeline

Anyway I love all the women characters this musical should be about them only

Ohh when everyone is still except for them on the turntable >>> I love staging

I forget their names but this couple is also acceptable they’re so fun (it was the Valenods)

Why?? Does she flip pages with both hands???

“Do they surround me because they see me as their prey?” You’re one to talk sir.

Also I thought Sans elles was a breakup song for sure but this does make sense

Misogyny 🤩

The song does translate quite well to stage though I am enjoying it

Wait why is he going to meet her anyway. You just sang about how much better off you were without her

This is such a silly scene I’m a fan

IL AURAIT SUFFIT YEAHHH

LOUISE DD:

LOUISE SINGING THE OUR LOVE WON’T BE AFFECTED BY THE SPACE BETWEEN US LINE AUGHHH

That probably could’ve used more buildup to be effective but I love il aurait suffit too much to care it’s probably my favourite le rouge et le noir song

The way I wrote so much and then it got deleted because it didn’t save. Sigh

I don’t care enough to retype alas

The ones I remember clearly enough will be turned into separate posts

The main gist of it was that I liked Geronimo Mathilde and Louise and not much else

Recontinuing

Mathilde’s dad looks so familiar I must have seen him in something else

Why does Côme always look so sullen

Tbf I assume a lot of it is not being able to see his facial features that well due to the low video quality but like

Girl the way they skipped Geronimo in the cast countdown??

NOÉMIE GARCIA??? I DIDN’T KNOW SHE WAS IN THIS

Aw I like how they’re having people applaud the techies and band as well as the actors :)))

Reprises of the biggest songs at the end of French musicals :)))

Lesbians real

I joke but if Mathilde and Louise had just loved each other and forgotten julien everything would’ve worked out Fine. It definitely would not have but I can pretend

All in all it did slightly disappoint my expectations but overall it was a good time

The music slapped, as expected

And the set design & staging was really neat, and far surpassed my expectations after i saw it was mainly screens

[keithyzz]

Since I was asked, I figured I should make this a post or wtv

Sorry for the wait @tired-writer-in-progress

I'll start by making this completely clear: First, I'm still friends with Rookie, Ell, Dash, and Roxy. That won't be changing any time soon. Second, I wasn't on tumblr when a lot of these things happened, but despite this, there is proof of majority of the things I will talk about.

I've heard from both sides about the whole thing. I'll start with what I saw about J before the "accusations" came out and tell you what I thought about it.

When I found out he romanticizes/is into abuse and sexual assault, I thought it was really weird. I normally don't care too much what people are into but idk,, that was thin ice.

I couldn't ignore him being into loli/shota because (as was said before) it literally normalizes people who look like children being in sexual situations, which is absolutely disgusting to me. I honestly thought everyone was against it, so I'm shocked by the current response to that.

It completely rubbed me the wrong way and felt very distasteful when J called a cultural food disgusting. I can understand being grossed out by something, but I think it was unnecessary to post about it.

So as you can probably tell, I had a not so good opinion of J from before everything. Now, about the accusations, I'll tell you my thoughts on that itself and the responses I guess.

Starting from the accusations itself, I think it had a good base, just,, drastic wording ? Like rather than saying pedophile, lolicon/shotacon is a much better descriptor. I can't speak to the homophobia, transphobia, or the insult accusations, but everything else does have proof behind it.

As for the response, I found it a little weird how there were no apologies for the things he admitted he was wrong about. For example, in the second point, he literally says the slur again and doesn't apologize for saying it. Didn't apologize for misgendering Rookie either.

There are more things I didn't mention, but I'm tired of typing. I forgot who, but I saw someone say every one of those accusations was either false or turned around, which is,,, not true. I think both sides of this argument could've done things better, but I am completely shocked by the amount of hostility from the other side.

I was called immature for blocking people who make me uncomfortable. All of us are suddenly toxic and manipulative. I was called gross for supporting my friend and literally told I deserve to die. Even when Dash tried to defend herself again the random hate, she was met with such rude words in return. The only bit of an apology I got for this was deleted two seconds after being posted.

And people are bringing up how this affected them mentally, but I think they should consider how we're also being affected. I don't talk about it, but this shit sets off my anxiety so fucking bad, and being told you deserve to die isn't really encouraging as someone who's severely suicidal. This whole time, I've only come to people with respect for you guys as humans at the very least. I just don't find it fair to be talked to in such disrespectful ways, literally behind my back.

That's all I'm gonna say about it, but there's probably lots I missed. Hit me if you've got questions or something, asks and dms are open.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Are there any other hockey romances that live up to Heated Rivalry I know you don't read a lot of contemporaries but I'm a little desperate

I have yet to find any, tbh! I've liked some Game Changers books (that's the series HR is a part of, of course) but nothing has hit me quite like HR, in part because I think they often feature one hero who is a hockey player and one who isn't?

Imo, part of what makes HR sooooo good is that Shane and Ilya are both at the top of their game, and so extremely competitive. It adds to the angst because it does make their relationship that much more scandalous (all the questions about them letting each other win in The Long Game), it makes it much easier for them to be discovered... and it adds to the sexual tension because they're both like, top of the line athletes that both like to win. They are very equally matched.

A lot of the times, I feel a bit uncomfortable with m/m books that are written by women because it feels as if like... one of the guys (usually the bottom) is basically just there for the female reader to project onto. Imo, while Shane and Ilya have very defined top/bottom roles in the bedroom (which is fine and normal--not everyone is going to be verse) the relationship very much reads as one between two guys, and two guys who in many ways are super alpha in their "jobs". Yes, Shane has more visible anxiety and is less aggressive outwardly than Ilya, but he's very dominating in his sport. Not that men are all ~alphas~, nor should they be--but I think this is part of what makes HR work (for me). Shane doesn't seem like someone remade their heroine as a guy in order to sell a m/m book. (In fact, Shane has many of the emotional traits you see in many closed off, withholding contemporary heroes, lmao.) Ilya doesn't read like a fantasy hero who's actually hooking up with a girl that got remade as a guy for book sales. Yeah, Shane may even enjoy being sexually submissive at points, beyond bottoming--but that doesn't read like Rachel Reid giving a version of a man who is just there for women to project onto. It reads like Shane being a super tightly wound guy who likes to relax by submitting sometimes. As people of all genders often do.

I've heard good things about Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy's Him, but I haven't read that yet and I need to... give it a while before I do so because I'll compare it to HR/TLG at this point.

Oh, I will say, if you haven't been to Rachel Reid's website, she does have a few short stories/cut scenes from HR/TLG that are real good.

--One is like, a Halloween short story about Ilya's first Halloween in Ottawa where he basically dresses up like Shane and Shane overhears him handing out Halloween candy and understandably wants to have five kids with him.

--One is an in between story about their first dinner with Hayden post Hayden finding out about them. Hammers home that Hayden is bi and doesn't know it, FOR SURE. Also, hot.

--One is a long cut scene wherein Shane, post-HR "catches" (he is not hiding) Ily watching ~content~ featuring a woman... counting backwards from 100... and trying to hold out. Shane is like "WELL I COULD DO THAT BETTER" naturally (he cannot). This is both a hot one, and imo, a good little bi rep discussion moment because Shane literally asks Ilya if he misses girls and they discuss that a bit. Also, Ilya just waiting for Shane to come out of the shower by watching ~content~ and being like "look, she's cute" is very, very funny to me.