#like i GET IT ive been there but when we’re all well into our 20s its like

[thievesway]

💆‍♀️.

[unreleasedwrites]

Bike Riding

“Hold onto me tight, that way you’ll be less scared.”

summary: Your boyfriend offers to pick you up from your workplace. Sure, this wouldn’t be the first time he’s done this, yet you cant help but be quite surprised whenever you receive a text or two from his number just a quarter till your shift is over, offering you a ride home or to his place. Knowing both of your busy schedules, the both of you tend to spend a lot of time apart from one another, so upon seeing his text pop up into your phone notifications, you happily accepted. Usually, you’d see him parking his car upfront, just around 5 minutes away from the end of your shift. But today was a little different.

character(s) included: Jonggun Park x fem!reader

cw: SLIGHTLY suggestive, Gun being pretty soft towards reader, a curse word or two, Gun and reader have been dating for a while, use of y/n, pet names, backpacking iykwim, the 1st part is more on first person pov but it switches to second person pov once gun arrives, this whole thing is surprisingly and unintentionally long, there are a few linked words you should click to get a better understanding of whats going on, and this is the first ever fic ive written 👍👍

unwrapped on: Tuesday Evening, July 18 2023

wrapped up on: Thursday Afternoon, July 20 2023

published on: Thursday Afternoon, July 20 2023 (at around 4 PM)

“Alright, would you like some napkins with your order, Sir?”

I kindly asked the customer standing in front of our pickup counter as i carefully secured the two frappuccinos he ordered in a beverage carrier then put it in our signature paper bag along with two straws and his receipt.

“Oh uh, no thanks, but you have a good night!” He replied as he grabbed the paper bag.

“Alright then, You have a good night too, Sir.” I said with the sweet smile i usually give the customers.

He smiled back at me right before he walked out of the store.

Taking a quick look at my watch, I realized its 8:27 pm. Theres about an hour till closing time. I give one of the baristas a heads-up before i leave my station to do some cleaning.

Before I got to cleaning, i turned the “We Are Open!” sign to its other side in order to signify that we’re closing up for the day. Normally, I would wait until there are only around fifteen to twenty minutes left, but the store was filled to the brim, and it’d be hard to accommodate any more customers. For as long as I can remember, its always been this way whenever its Friday, considering its the second busiest day of the week for us.

I’m tidying up some of the empty tables, while the remaining three employees of today are shuffling from working the register to making drinks, and serving orders.

*bzz bzz* Despite my phone being in my pocket, I felt its sudden vibration, which was strange, considering i have “Do Not Disturb” turned on most of the time. However I can recall a certain someone, which is Gun, who found out about how i always have that feature on as well as how my notifications are always turned off. Which is why, push notifications have been turned on for all of his messages, and all possible digital connections he might have with me ever since.

I took my phone out of my pocket, and i saw that it was 8:42 pm.

“Dang, time really does feel like its at it’s slowest when you’re having no fun..” I thought to myself.

I quickly unlocked my phone so that i could view the notification.

Notifications —

🔫 sent you a message. 8:41 pm

🔫 sent you a message. 8:42 pm

🔫 sent you an attachment. 8:42 pm

🔫 sent you a message. now

🔫 is currently typing… now

I looked at my phone with slight confusion, which was very visible from the look on my face. Gun isn’t usually the type to keep sending messages, he’d normally wait till i answer the first two or three then we’d keep the conversation going. But to my surprise, he still hasn’t stopped sending text messages, and he has even sent a few more pictures. I thought there’d have to be some sort of emergency or there might be something he needs, but upon reading his text messages, that wasn’t it.

🔫

8:41 pm you done working yet?? :(

8:42 pm Can I pick you up from work so we can spend the night at my place? ;)

8:42 pm *picture of a slightly beat up and angry goo sitting on what looks to be the couch at his and goo’s place, holding an ice pack to his nose, because him and gun don’t always manage to make the dreamwork in their teamwork*

8:42 pm u there??

8:42 pm i beat up goo to make sure he wont bother us again like last time

8:42 pm so u better not be upset abt that anymore

8:42 pm if u still are, i can and will make it up to you

8:43 pm if yk what i mean

8:43 pm *picture of your shared bedroom at their place*

8:44 pm *picture of a bunch of your favorite snacks on top of their kitchen counter, with goo visibly sneaking up to the said counter*

8:44 pm *picture of goo taking one of the said snacks*

8:44 pm *picture of goo making a run for it*

8:44 pm *picture of what looks to be gun’s point of view as hes chasing goo*

8:48 pm dw abt him

8:49 pm [now] its 8:49 in the evening, can you get off of your so called shift at 9:10 instead of 9:30 ??

“Y/N, are you alright? You’ve just been staring at your phone for the past few minutes, with an occasional smile while you’re scrolling through your screen..” One of the workers who is my friend said.

“Yeah, sorry, my boyfriend was just texting me.. I appreciate your concern though, f/n.” I quickly looked up from my phone as i spoke to her with a nervous yet sweet smile.

I was a bit startled when she approached me, holding a broomstick. But, she’s right, I’ve been staring at my phone for the past 7 minutes now, just waiting to see what hes typing and what chaotic pictures he’ll be sending. To make it worse, I wasn’t even responding to his messages, just staring. Although upon seeing the four minute gap between the last picture he sent and the message he sent at 8:48 pm made me wonder what might’ve went down between him and goo in those few minutes.

The employee who approached me is one of my close friends, she’s very sympathetic and trustworthy towards most people, especially her friends. Normally, I wouldn’t mention whether it was my boyfriend who i was speaking to or not, as it isn’t any of their business nor is it their concern. But since I’m close to the person who approached me, I did.

However, I don’t want to be the kind of person who makes their entire life about their relationship, and i wouldn’t want to be the one rubbing it in peoples face that i’m in one. But this specific friend of mine has been in a healthy relationship since we were both fifteen, meanwhile we are both turning nineteen soon. Therefore, I’m very comfortable talking to her about Gun, she seems to give pretty good advice anyway. So i don’t see any harm in doing so.

She approached me while I was cleaning the table in the corner, so we walked back to the counter together, while we chatted about our boyfriends.

Once we arrived, I took a few steps closer to the other employees,

“By the way, would you guys be alright with me leaving a bit earlier today, at around 9:10?” I nervously asked. Sure, this wouldn’t be the first time i’ve asked them if it were alright if i left early, yet i still get nervous doing so every time.

Among the three of them, none of them seemed to mind, instead, they were teasing me about my boyfriend, Gun. They even told me how I was starting to blush at even the slightest mentions of him and me together. I was a bit flustered but i just laughed it off and left the counter to finish up cleaning.

More customers were starting to exit the cafe few by few, however there were still plenty of people in the store. I started cleaning up the tables that were recently used by customers, aswell as tidying up the chairs and sweeping crumbs off of the floor.

Once I finished cleaning all the empty tables, I assisted my friend by serving a few more orders to customers in the pickup area, then i put away my cleaning materials into the workers closet, untied my apron, folded it neatly, then placed it inside of the workers closet.

Only now did I realize that i never responded to any of my boyfriends messages. I quickly grabbed my phone out of my pocket and started typing. I wasn’t really sure how i was supposed to respond especially since i only now realized its already 9:06 pm after leaving him on seen for so long, so i decided to just keep it simple.

You

now sure, oh and fyi i’m still upset

Gun only reacted with a “😒” to my message, so i ended up responding with a “😒😒” as well. Just about a few seconds later, he ended up sending me another few messages saying,

“ive been omw since like 12 minutes ago”

“even if you were rude and left me on seen for so long”

“but ill be there in like”

“2 mins”

“bitch”

I think he might be a lil angry about the fact i left him on seen for so long, considering he knows i don’t like being called a bitch.

Because of that, I just left him on seen again!

But he was quick to realize that I’m just gonna ignore him because of it, which is why he immediately sent a few more messages again.

“no wait im sorry”

“I didn’t mean it i swear”

“don’t ignore me”

“hey”

“:(”

I felt kinda bad but i just kept on ignoring his messages cause i’m petty asf.

Just about a minute passed after that, and he sent me another two messages.

“I’m here, come out”

“hurry up unless you want me to leave you”

I informed my co-workers before i left the store and waved them a small goodbye with a smile. They smiled and waved back, and i walked towards the door. I looked around the parking lot while I stood in front of the store, but I couldn’t see any of the cars i knew Gun owned. So I took my phone out to call him, but before I could even unlock it, I heard a familiar voice.

“Y/N? Do you seriously need me to come find you every time?” Gun scoffs as he walks closer to you.

“Hey, that was one time, let it go already, would ya?” you argue while putting your phone back inside your pocket.

“Well then, why is there a second time happening as we speak?” Gun states with that confident smirk on his face again.

“Well-” But before you could even finish whatever it was that you were going to say, Gun grabs your hand and looks at you.

“Never mind your stupid excuses, its late so we should get going.”

You guys walk while holding hands, which isn’t a very common occurrence when you’re in public considering Gun doesn’t want to put you in danger because you’re easily a great target for his enemies because of his “work,” which in this scenario he doesn’t tell you much about. But what really surprised you was that he was wearing gloves. “Why would he need gloves when he’s driving a car?” you thought to yourself.

You noticed that you guys are walking towards the parking area for motorcycles which confuses you, but knowing how unpredictable your boyfriend can be, you choose not to question it. That was until you noticed a familiar motorbike you knew Gun specifically owned. You didn’t think much of it, you simply assumed it could be someone else’s.

That was until Gun let go of your hand when you stopped in front of that same motorbike. He handed you a helmet with your name on it. It was matching with the helmet that he would typically wear when he’d hop on his bike. He quickly put his helmet on then got on the motorbike and looked at you. You were just standing there, holding the helmet with both your hands, nervous. Gun’s eyes moved from your eyes to the helmet you’re holding.

“Do you not like it or something? I can get you a new one if its that bad, but I really thought you’d like the design. I had it custom made to what I knew you liked, or atleast I thought so.”

“That’s thoughtful” You genuinely thought to yourself before hesitantly speaking.“Its not that, its just..”

Your boyfriend’s brow rose in confusion, knowing his very limited patience, he’s obviously waiting for a continuation of your response.

“Well?”

“I’ve never rode on a motorbike before, and its been a good while since i’ve even rode an actual bicycle..” You said. You’re quite afraid of what his response might be, as your boyfriend tends to have drastic mood changes from even the slightest of things that don’t please him.

Yet surprisingly, he got off of the motorbike and went to the other side of it, leaving the motorcycle in between the both of you. He reached his hand out to you. Not knowing a thing about motorcycles or what your boyfriend might do, you grabbed his hand. You weren’t sure how the hell were even supposed to get on the motorcycle, so you just tilted you head at him.

“Get on, I’ll hold you so you won’t fall.” “Hell, I’ll even guide you if you’re that clueless.” He added.

His words seem like they have genuine sympathy in them and even some patience left, but his tone? ehh, not so much..

You carefully but quickly examined the bike, its big. Seems hard to even get on. You saw the stick looking thing near the bottom on the side, you have no idea what its called. But what you do know is that it’s what someone usually steps on to get on a motorbike. You were too afraid to do anything so you just look back at your boyfriend. You’re genuinely surprised he managed to keep his cool up until now.

“Hey” Gun spoke outta nowhere which kind of startled you.

“Hm?” You hummed.

“Ever heard of backpacking on a motorbike?” Gun asked and you could see his usual smirk growing on his face.

You just shook your head in denial.

Gun let go of your hand and walked over to your side, he took the helmet from your hands and carefully put it on you, “That good?” he asked. “Yes, thank you” you replied. Then outta nowhere he got on his knees beside you.

You moved from facing the motorcycle to facing him who was by your side, and just stared at him. “What the fuck?” You blurted out. “Why the hell is a man with an ego higher than the steepest mountains on his knees?” You thought.

“Get on my back.” “Just crouch behind me and hold onto my shoulders, then when i stand up, I’ll lift your legs along with me.”

( note: kinda like the one in the video EXCEPT gun is on his knees and you don’t jump on his back, you just crouch behind him and hold his shoulders, then he’s holding you like how the guy is holding the girl in the video then yall get on the bike, i really hope yall can imagine and understand what im talking about 😭😭 )

People walking by were starting to give you guys weird looks, maybe they thought this guy was desperate for you or something. You just decided to go with his request anyway. Reluctantly, you walked behind him, crouched and grabbed onto his shoulders. Then he stood up, and you were basically piggy-back-riding him. Which you found quite strange, but you’re tired from work, so you don’t bother asking him anymore questions.

Next thing you know, you were on the motorbike, still holding your boyfriend’s shoulders, practically falling asleep. That was until he started the engine which startled you and you moved you hands to his waist, but you didn’t want to hugging onto him like a bug, so you thought it’d be fine for you to just barely hold his waist and keep your back and his chest apart from each other by a pretty big distance.

“You ready?” Your boyfriend asked as he looked back at you.

“Yeah, thank youuu” You reassured him despite your slightly shaking figure and gave him a smile.

“Alright then, but i’d hold on tighter than that if i were you.” He chuckled. You weren’t sure why he did but you decided to ignore it.

You noticed he kicked the side stand up which kind of distracted you, making your grip even more loose than it already was. Right then and there, he started the motorcycle but not even half of a second later, he immediately hit the brakes, hard. Which causes you to flinch like hell as it fell like you were about to fall and you’re pretty sure you almost did. You immediately hugged him tighter than you ever have before, wrapping your hands around his waist and holding onto his back like there’s no tomorrow.

“GUN!!” You screamed through your helmet.

He looked back at you, “What? I warned you~” He had a smirk spread across his face and you could tell he did on purpose, he then looked back at the road and chuckled.

You got flustered and held onto him tighter as he kept on laughing while you guys were still in the parking lot.

“Sorryy babyyyy” He looked back at you. “I’ll make it up to you later.” He was still smirking and he had a flirtatious tone on that last line. Which got you even more flustered and had you blushing like hell. Yet you were also terrified of what just happened and were shaking like crazy.

“Geez, was it that much of a scare? Your body is shaking like a speaker turned up to the highest volume.”

“If you weren’t such a dork, I wouldn’t be shaking!” You highlighted.

“Hold onto me tight, that way you’ll be less scared.”

And you did, you held on like a pet with separation anxiety towards their owner.

Then off you both went, riding through the city, making your guys’ way to his place.

notes: I don’t know if anyone is going to be reading this section or this fic even, but hello to whoever might be doing so!! 😭😭

I really hope all of my spelling and grammar isn’t f’d up but if you notice any mistakes in them, mb but I’ve read the whole fic already but i might’ve missed some mistakes 😔

This is also my first ever story/fic that i’ve written for any character, which is why i’m sorry if you didn’t like how i made Gun to be, and how i created this overall fic, but I tried my best 😔😔

Btw I made this on my phone so i hope it looks normal for any other device user out there, I might open up my laptop sooner or later to see if it does

It took me a while and as i’ve mentioned in the content warnings, i know nothing about motorcycles so if you’re a biker/rider i’m sorry if this might offend you in any way, but i ran to google back and fourth for about a million times, so i truly hope that the way i wrote about motorcycles in this fic wont bother you too much. Also, I’m sorry if yall are bothered about the fact that 35% of the fic was just reader at work 💀💀 Oh and sorry for the amount of linked pins and tiktok videos, I just wanted ppl to be sure of what was going on LMAOO

- With or without proper credits, please don’t try to steal or claim any of my works as your own

I genuinely appreciate opinions, feedback, likes, and reblogs, as this is my first ever post on this blog.

Once again, I hope this isn’t too bad for my first fic, and i’ll probably be doing more characters in lookism 🫶🫶

[camojacketfag]

when do you stop feeling like you're waiting for your life to start? im 22 and ive accomplished nothing, it feels like im at a standstill.

Well, for starters, I had a breakdown in a meijer parking lot at 8:15pm yesterday, sobbing to boygenius as I was telling myself that I’ve paused my life for the past four years to try and heal from crippling childhood trauma and therefore I haven’t really had the chance to truly have fucking fun and live life man.

My 20s have been a lot of healing and slowing down as life continues to move past me so fucking quickly. I told myself I was gonna have fun this year and instead I got my heart broken, I relapsed in my OCD, I cut ties with a shit therapist who invalidated me time and time again and I played far too many video games. Through out it all I also lost so many friendships who don’t fully understand how debilitating OCD truly is and my current social life consists mostly of imaginary conversations I have inside my head. But hey, we’re still fucking kicking! What really defines an accomplishment man? Whose timeline are you comparing yourself too? Most of the lives constantly being lived so publicly are led by neurotypical people with such big opportunities very different from lives like ours man. Therefore you’re doing yourself a disservice to try and compare your life to theirs. Acceptance is the hardest pill to swallow. I truly despise patience. Yet I also have to come to terms with the fact that I move at a much slower and methodical pace than everyone else around me. I know in the long run I’ll be grateful I decided to heal now as opposed to later but I still feel so fucking robbed man. Of time. And opportunities. And life. Time that I may never get back. Time in which others my age spent developing their careers or social relationships, I was stuck in my little room listening to sad lesbian music and having no one around but my dog and the obsessive thoughts that felt intensely unavoidable. I’d say life, or at least the life you’re talking about, will never truly start man. That life is just a piece of fiction. I guess what I’m trying to say is that life has already started, it’s just waiting for you to notice. Your perception is just warped, much like mine, but I know that although I can list all of these awful things that have happened over these past four years, I know that nudged somewhere in between it all, I’ve still lived. I saw some sick ass concerts, I gave myself my first stick and poke, I got drunk and shared to much, I allowed myself to question love and it’s mechanisms and meaning, I started a photo blog and have steadily worked towards creating what I see everyday in to something others can relate or come back to, I got punched in the face, I busted my lip trying to open a bottle of vodka, I drank to much caffeine and felt like I’d ascended to a higher state of consciousness. After I relapsed, I felt broken man. So much new trauma I’d have to go back to and stitch up all caused by trusting a professional who only made me believe that my own personal experience of the things I’d gone through was actually wrong. Yet somehow, it ended with me finally believing myself once more. And vowing to never let anyone make me feel like she did ever again. 11 years of trauma and hard work doesn’t deserve to be so easily destroyed just because you have a degree and I don’t. Still, I believed myself again. I believe myself now. And I know going forward that if we continuously compare ourselves to lives being lived that will never cross paths with ours then all we’re gonna do is spend eternity wondering when it will ever finally fucking begin. I promise you, it already has, and although I don’t know you, and you might believe that it’s been more bad than good, or that it’s not as valuable when compared to others achievements at your age, it’s still yours, and there’s still time, and it’s always been there, it’s just waiting for you to notice.

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 13: Budding Spring - Episode 33: Budding Pink

Towa: …

momo has entered the chat shiki: wb! is it over already? Iv: how was it? momo: i’ve decided Kar: you’ve decided? uwu (1) Iv: it’s ugly af when you do it shiki: what did you decide?

-

Kumon: 5 minutes left till the ranking’s announced…

Juza: 5 minutes and 14 seconds to be exact. 

Muku: Every minute that passes feels longer...! 

Yuki: Calm down. 

Azami: Are you going to do this every single time… 

Izumi: The announcement will be on the official site, right? 

Kazunari: Should be. 

Homare: Have some tea and take some deep breaths until then. 

Izumi: Thank you very much! 

Sakuya: Any time now... 

Tsuzuru: I’m gettin’ scared... 

Itaru: Now that we’re here, the results are already decided. 

Citron: We’re at the marriage of fate~ 

Tsuzuru: That’s kinda romantic, but no. 

Masumi: We’re at the mercy of fate? 

Muku: Oh, the site has been updated!? 

Kumon: Eh? Eh? My screen’s blank, though...!? 

Itaru: Are the servers down? 

Chikage: Everyone’s trying to get in at once. 

Kazunari: I’m in! MANKAI Company is... 

Juza: 70... 60... 50... 

Kumon: Still nothing? 

Muku: Maybe we went under 70... 

Tenma: Don’t jinx us. 

Sakuya: 30! MANKAI Company is 30th! 

Izumi: Really!? 

Chikage: Although we didn’t make it to 10th, it’s a big improvement from 70th. 

Tsuzuru: What a relief… We really dodged a bullet this time.

Itaru: Now we can safely pass the baton to the Summer Troupe. 

Juza: Hyakka and GOD-za's ranks increased, too. 

Sakyo: The theater companies with real skills likely sold a lot of tickets. If we’re neck and neck with them, that’s all the better for us.

Kazunari: The influencers’ newly established troupes have also made it to the top 30 tho~ 

Juza: Can’t let our guard down. 

Izumi: Well, how about we pat ourselves on the back for increasing our rank for now...? 

Citron: Let’s all celebrate together~! We should start the Citrun side shift~! 

Tsuzuru: Side show. Oh, you mean the thing I wrote during the training camp? 

Citron: It’s the perfect time to show it off! 

[Bell rings] 

Manager: Yes, yeees? 

Tsuzuru: Hello, good eveniiing. We're Citrun~

Citron: I'm Tororo~ (2)

Manager: You’ve got a guest, Minagi-kun. 

Tsuzuru: Eh? 

Towa: Pardon the intrusion! 

Izumi: Hm? Towa-kun? 

Towa: *inhales* ... Tsuzuru Minagi-sensei!! I want you to write a script for my troupe!! Please!! 

Tsuzuru: Eh? ... EHHHH!?

previous episode | masterpost | to be continued...

NOTES:

(1) kar says the same thing towa said (決めた) but in katakana as opposed to kanji (キメた)... but because of iv's reaction when kar does it, i didn't really know what else i was supposed to do with this

(2) (see chapter 20's notes) citron here says his bloocha screen name, but because he actually says it out loud, i typed it properly

[evupdates]

GuitarWorld: “I did everything by working my ass off. I played in bars six nights a week, 300 shows a year, three one-hour sets every night for eight years with no record deal”: Evanescence’s Troy McLawhorn on his guitar firsts, favorites and embarrassing moments https://trib.al/khFs88q

Interview Behind The Read More

In this Inquirer column, we reach out to Troy McLawhorn of Evanescence to answer the essential questions in any guitar player’s life. We’re talking first songs learned, first guitars played, and what would McLawhorn do if he had a time machine?

Well, maybe we know the answer to that – he’d take that damned trench coat back to the store…

What was your first guitar?

“My mom and dad had guitars in the house, and though they didn’t play them that much, those were the first guitars I grew up playing on. The one I really started to learn how to play on was my mom's nylon-string classical guitar.

“I played that for years before they bought me my first guitar, which I picked out in a music store down the street from my house. It had a black Gibson Explorer-style body with a maple neck and was made by a company called Lotus.”

What was the first song you learned to play?

“House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. I figured out the chords and then gave a little concert to my mom and dad. I was around 12.”

Do you remember your first gig?

“My first gigs were playing at parties. In my hometown, older kids would have what they called keg parties, where they’d buy a couple of kegs of beer and have a band play. So my first gigs were in people’s backyards, playing at parties for older people who were getting drunk. One of the earliest bands I can remember being in at the time was Hellrazor. By default, our only payment was beer.”

Ever had an embarrassing moment on stage?

“I can't think of anything in particular that occurred in Evanescence, but I do remember one embarrassing moment back in the early ’90s when I was in Still Rain. Whenever I performed, I’d wear snakeskin boots and a leather trench coat that went all the way down to the ground.

“One night, I was playing a solo at the front of the stage and totally rocking out. When I was done, I took a step back, but because my trench coat was so long, I stepped on it and couldn’t stand up straight.

“Each time I tried stepping back, the trench coat got shorter and shorter, until I fell down on stage on my back into the drum kit. I rolled around for a second so I could get my shit together, and I finally got up.”

What’s your favorite piece of gear?

“One piece of gear that I regret letting go of was a Mesa Boogie Mark IV. It was a combo that had a beautiful tweed front. As for my favorite, it’s my 1985 Gibson Les Paul Custom that was given to me for my birthday by a good friend.

“It was used when I got it, but it’s a beautiful guitar that’s got this amazing piece of leather artwork on the front. I’ve never seen anything like it and it just sounds and plays great.”

Suppose the building is burning down; what one guitar from your collection would you save?

“My wife gave me a really great American Telecaster for Christmas a few years back. It’s one of my favorite guitars to play when I’m at home, and it means a lot to me because my wife gave it to me.”

When was the last time you practiced and what did you play?

“It would’ve been last night before the show. I warm up before every show, playing guitar for 20 or 30 minutes. I will usually go through some exercises, and maybe a couple of things in the show that I may have fucked up the night before.

“I don’t really have a routine, as I don’t actually sit down and practice all that much when on tour, as I concentrate on maintaining and getting ready for the show I’m about to play. But when I’m home, I practice a lot and like to learn new things.”

What aspect of the guitar would you like to improve?

“I’d love to have more of a knowledge of music theory. Growing up, I learned everything by ear. I just listened to records and tried to figure out what I could. I think it would be great to have more of an educated knowledge of theory and scales and all that stuff.”

What advice would you give to your younger self?

“I’d say invent a time machine so it can take you to now, where you could watch YouTube videos! I think it’s amazing that kids have YouTube now, because it would’ve been a whole different thing for me if I had all the knowledge that’s on YouTube."

“I did everything I could by working my ass off. I played in bars five and six nights a week, playing 300 shows a year, playing three one-hour sets every night for about eight years with no record deal. The experience was amazing. I don’t know what more I could have done outside of what we did in that time.”

Fallen (20th Anniversary) is out now via Craft Recordings.

[sixofsol]

@johaerys-writes tagged my main (@heypax) for this, but since ive talked about my fics more on this blog i decided to do it here instead !

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

26!

2. What is your AO3 word count?

151,778

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I mean, I haven’t written anything for anything but six of crows since like year back… But! I do miss writing patrochilles, and tsoa is the fandom i’ve written the absolute most for! If we’re looking back, I’ve written hadestown, steven universe, haikyuu!! and a bunch more years ago.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

we were shotgun lovers // I’m a shotgun running away - six of crows, wesper, 772 kudos

like moss climbs a tree - song of achilles, patrochilles, 446

i want someone to try, and let me down easy — six of crows, wesper, 405 kudos

from the outside looking in - the song of achilles, patrochilles, 371 kudos

twisted roots and sunny days, the song of achilles, patrochilles, 363 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

YES if i dont miss when i get them (i dont have the email motifs on) i always do ! it means so much someone commented and i always love having a lil conversation about this thing that i wrote.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

as much of an lover i am of hurt no comfort i very rarely write it lmao but a lot of my tsoa fics had sad endings. autumn’s coming around is the first one that popped into mind, but that’s at least slightly open ? i’ll hold your hand while you drown, less so.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I feel like a lot of my fics have equally happy endings haha, the one that came to mind was our hair tangled in the breeze, simply because its a happy ending canon complaint tsoa fic which is a feat lmao

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nope the closets ive ever come was when i was 12 and people were like nice story but god your grammar and spelling is terrible! which was fair!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nah I’m a fade to black kinda girlie

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I never anymore but well,, Once upon a time i was 14 and obsessed with glee and sherlock and well….

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not as far as ik

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope !

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

nope, but I would enjoy trying!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

…this is hard because wesper has been running around in my head for a year but simply cause ive been obsessed with patrochilles longer im still gonna say them

15. What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will?

I’d love to continue for everyone im about to prove wrong, and I think I even have a mostly finished chapter lying around somewhere, but I’ve just not had the inspiration rip.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m good at writing characters in general, especially when it’s from their pov. first person pov my beloved.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m not really a person who uses a lot of metaphors of writes flowery language, but i wish i was!! i love very beautiful language and poetic writing but i just don’t do that that much im pretty straight forward, which isn’t a bad thing but I wish i could expand a bit more.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

takes me out the story way too much, it’s fine if it’s like one word every now and then but nah. ive read a couple of young royals fics, and as a swedish speaker its a bit jarring to suddenly have swedish words there lmao

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If non published count, harry potter. if only published, glee!

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

i’m gonna be fair to myself and choose one for soc and one for tsoa.

autumn’s coming around for tsoa and a fire died last winter for soc, which ironically are my least popular fics in the respective fandoms!

thank you !! and im tagging @leglesslouie @jackwolfes @wesperbrekkered @deathless--aphrodite

[faofinn]

Day 29 - Head Injury

A follow on from a Whumptober fic - here

@mediwhumpmay

Fao’s head spun as they settled him inside. At least it was warmer, though he was still cold. He gripped Sheila’s hand tightly as they fussed, though he could feel himself slipping. He didn’t want to pass out, but it was beginning to feel inevitable, his vision blurring into black. 

Fao drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the trip to hospital, struggling to stay with it, despite the people talking to him. When he was aware, he fought against the people touching him but he didn’t have much energy to do anything. Everything hurt, he felt so weak, and every jolt made the dizziness worse. They weren’t far from the hospital, though, and Fao fought to stay awake as they got him inside and transferred across onto their bed, groaning as they moved him. 

This is Fao, he's 23 years old. He was playing rugby when he was tackled at his shoulders around half an hour/forty minutes ago. Took a significant hit to the head and was knocked unconscious on impact, though came to quickly, initially GCS 12 rising to GCS 14. Obviously deformed collarbone so query fracture there. No c-spine tenderness, but boarded for MOI. He's been agitated with us, but lost consciousness again during transport, GCS 3 for about four minutes. Became unable to maintain his own airway and had a respiratory arrest. We ventilated him for about 2 minutes before a spontaneous return, tolerated OP and NP during. He's had a gram of IV paracetamol - has a 20 in left ACF. Obs are as follows - Resp at 18, Heart rate 134, sats 97% on air, now 100% on 15L. Bp 103/62, did drop to 89/45 during his unresponsive episode. BM was 5.1, GCS as before, pupils equal but sluggish. He is allergic to morphine, but other opiate derivatives are okay. Do you need anything else from us?”

The consultant shook her head. “That’s great, thank you.” She said, then moved to speak to Fao. “Hi Fao, I’m Grace, I’m one of the doctors here. Looks like you’ve taken a bit of a hit. There’s going to be loads of people around you for a minute, whilst we get you all set up and make sure we know all of what’s going on, alright? It can be disorienting, try not to worry. We’ll tell you what we’re doing as we do it.”

Fao struggled to listen, but just about managed, trying to focus on the doctor’s face. “‘Kay.” He mumbled. “My mum?”

"She's around, just letting us do our checks first."

“Can I have her? Please?” He whimpered. 

Sheila pushed through, her son's request breaking through her want to follow the rules. She gripped his hand, squeezing in to press a kiss to his forehead, trying to avoid the blocks and tape. 

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm right here."

He managed a smile. “Mum.”

"I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm staying with you, I'm just gonna let them do their things they need to."

“Headache.” He complained. 

"I'm not surprised."

“Feel shit.”

"Again, not surprised. Was a shitty tackle."

“Don’t remember.”

"Illegal, they knocked you clean out."

“Oh.”

"Yeah, that's why they're a bit busy around you."

“Feel… fuzzy.”

She swallowed thickly. It was just the concussion, that was all. "You will, you're gonna be fine."

“Yeah. Gonna be fine.”

"Course you are."

“Got you, but don’t feel well.”

"These lovely people are gonna fix you up."

“Mm.” He was quiet for a moment, part of him trying to understand what they were saying. He wanted to know what was going on. His brows pulled together as he focused, but didn’t manage to get anything useful to register in his brain. 

Sheila recognised the look in his eyes. "Hey. They're wanting to take you for a scan, see if any damage is there."

“No thanks.”

"You don't have a choice." She said gently. 

“I don’t want it, though.”

"You need it. You might have hurt yourself more than we can see." Sheila murmured softly. 

“No thank you.”

"Fao, you've got to. You currently can't make that decision."

He whined, and although he protested endlessly, he didn’t have a choice. They took him through to the scanner, and he wasn’t sure if he was tired or they’d given him something, but it was harder to focus and stay awake. About halfway through the scan, he’d drifted a little, but almost jolted awake in fear, nausea suddenly overwhelming him. 

“‘M gonna be sick.” He said, panic rising. 

"We're nearly done, Fao. Take some slow deep breaths." The tech said.

"If he's said he's going to be sick, he's going to be sick." Sheila snapped. "He's not stupid."

“Gonna be sick.” Fao repeated, swallowing thickly. “Help?”

They finally listened to him, and staff came in, helping him onto his side as he was sick. He felt so horribly out of control, held up and in pain, trying desperately to breathe through the nausea. Everything was hazy and horrible, the room spinning, and once he’d finally finished they settled him back on his back. They’d need to do the scan again now, but at least they’d given him some antiemetics. 

They’d started to help and he was able to drift again whilst the scan happened, letting the hazy darkness pull him under. They got through the whole thing without any drama this time, and then he was moved back to resus to await the results. 

They let him and Sheila know quite quickly that they couldn’t see any significant head injury like a bleed or fracture, that it was likely nothing more than a severe concussion, but they’d need to wait for the more detailed scan report. They could, however, get him out of the blocks and sat up a little, which helped him to feel more awake and oriented. He still struggled to keep his eyes open, and his collarbone was absolutely killer, the painkillers hadn’t really touched it. But at least he was okay.

[aestheticvoyage2023]

Day 159: Thursday June 8, 2023 - “This was 23 Months”

Play, travel, and potty training - the benchmarks of William’s last month before turning two.   From here we stop measuring his growth in months.  He’ll just be “two” for the next 12 months and it causes some reflection on how much I’ve enjoyed these little monthly check ins to show the more mundane, day to day inching forward of William’s little life.   Its amazing to look back even on just how much he’s grown and changed in the last six months when he was just starting his climbing phase.

In this past month, William got a new pair of big boy tennis shoes to help him keep up with all that energy and being on the go and we spent much of this 23rd month, out rambling. He spent more than a week in Phoenix with his cousins, and then put his 20th state on the map with Wisconsin before spending Memorial Day under the Arch in St Louis.  He’s now been to five big league Zoos and Baseball Parks (8 MLB games).

He is starting to eat a wider variety of foods, but anything that involves a dip in ranch is the easiest to go down - that is if we can get him to settle down long enough to eat.   This little boy wants to keep going from one thing to the next.  A very busy, and independent bee on our hands.  He sure does love a good playground!  And I think imaginative play will be one of his stronger areas going into his twos.   

We’ve been a decision here to not label anything as terrible twos and whats nice is that with that perspective, we’re not seeing anytihng all that terrible yet.  Thats not to say he isnt a DFK (Deeply Feeling Kid), we’re just expecting it and rolling with it when those big Actingham emotions come.  We’re letting him explore and meltdown and supporting him in that knowing that his tides very quickly break in the other direction and that overall he is a very lovable and affectionate sweet boy.  He’s sleeping well on his own now, napping real good, and communicating well and is an energetic bundle of joy and entertainment in our house even with all the UtOH messes that come with naked time and potty training.   We have a vibrant happy and secure two year old in our house and with closing reflection on the 23rd month, I can also share that I am pretty proud of where Ive come as a Dad, and where we are as a family.   We’ve made it through these complex, trying first 23 months with only a few bumps and bruises to show for it.  We’ve built a family system, and our little lion is thriving in it.

Favorite Food: Cup of Ranch Dippa from BWs or especially Mod Pizza.  

Favorite Song:  Laurie Berkner Band - Moon Moon Moon

Favorite Book: Goodnight Baseball

Favorite Show: Miss Rachel on Youtube

Favorite Toy(s):  Race Cars - He got plenty of new cars and trucks as potty prizes. Lining them all up like trains.

Favorite Word:  Daddy! or Mommy! at the top of his lungs to get your attention, no matter how close you are.

Favorite Favorite: Riding Choo Choo and Trains -> all things trains

Least Favorite: Being touched when he doesn’t want to be touched (independence starting to shine through - really great when stuck in a middle seat on an airplane together!) “William Do It!”

Song: Leah Blevins - First Time Feeling

Quote: “our jobs don’t stop at protecting our children’s physical safety—we are also their emotional caretakers. This is where two other important job duties come in: validation and empathy. Validation is the process of seeing someone else’s emotional experience as real and true, rather than seeing someone else’s emotional experience as something we want to convince them out of or logic them away from. Validation sounds like this: “You’re upset, that’s real, I see that.” ― Becky Kennedy

This was 22 Months This was 21 Months This was 20 Months This was 19 months This was 18 months This was 17 months This was 16 months This was 15 months This was 14 months This was 13 months This is 12 Months This is 11 months This was 10 months This was 9 months This was 8 months This was 7 months This was 6 months This was 5 months

[pwblogarchive]

August 2004

August 9, 2004

“Dear Queen Of Hearts Killer”

we finished shooting the video- i dont want to give it away but it is our darkest video yet, see: basement face punches and playing cards. youll be able to see it soon. we have more suprises in store. cruise over to the alternative press site and tell em thanks for putting us on the cover or that you hate them and us and the world. oh yeah, another installment up over at the fueledbyramen journal- im not gonna put up too much more because i dont want to give it all away- peterpan

ps- as much as you wish you were me, i wish i was you so much more

August 9, 2004

for all the trophy boys and sleep over princes - for all the bruised thighs and smokedout eyes:

i am a zombie who doesn’t want to live, a corpse bored with my own funeral. we live like gypsies only with less gold and maybe more curses. people say you can’t run away from your problems (we are the problem). well thats just shit. cause i’ve spent 20 years on the run and i can’t remember most of the problems that started this (maybe thats been the problem all along). it’s funny. you become a different person when you don’t have a home. you take for granted sleeping in the same bed, looking at the same clocks, waking up with a rug underneath your feet. the world looks different from the back of a van- and rest stops and hardwood floors. we are ghosts with addresses in ghost towns. no matter how much you clean yourself, your clothes and your pillow it never really gets clean, neither does your memory. it never lets go of that smokey, cold/wet feeling. if there was a word for what i am looking for right now it would definitely sound like her name. at some point you wanted her innocence for your own. to breathe in every single breath that she breathed out, to taste her spit- to feel how she feels to fall asleep next to you and to be let down for the first time. 

when i leave could you please say your sheets would never be the same and that maybe you even missed my smell just a little bit?

- petey

August 11, 2004

“Sugar We’re Going Down Swingin”

we are having a blast on warped tour so far. it is hot. french canada is awesome cause there are all kinds of weird candy bars and sodas and girls are pretty. come out and tell hey chris he is a hottie with a body at our merch tent. for realz.

call me up and tell me you are doing okay.

that would make my day.

me plus you 4 eva.

peterpan

September 2, 2004

noone ever fell in love with anyone because of empty pockets or red splotched eyes. drove around for hours tonight just to keep myself from feeling anchored. weighed down. to keep my mind off thinking about what kids like me deserve. desperation isnt a strong enough word (but it will have to do). my wrists are only black and blue cause i don’t got the balls. nothing gets you ready to have every single word dissected and put under a microscope. i got ringing in my ears but none on my fingers. i got sunsets in the veins on my wrists. we’re not just falling in love anymore, we’re demanding it. im the latest bloomer (dried out my wet dreams and saved them for a rainy day). i can still see you standing on my front porch- slowed my own thoughts down to a single blade of grass. you couldnt catch my eye cause i was too busy rolling them. the buttons on one side of your coat that wouldnt snap on the other side. they were just for fashion not for function you told me. you were pretty for a boy. it made me laugh when i thought of it, im sorry i wasnt laughing at what you were saying. it makes me laugh still- when im driving around for hours at night. id love to swerve off and blame it on the fog, but ive been talking on these roads too much lately. theyd spill all my secrets. this city won’t let me go. im sure theyd lock me up somewhere if anyone saw me at 23 sneaking into cemetaries. taking pills to make me feel okay sleeping in the grass just above you. the sirens find me at the first light. my lips cracked and dried from the tears, i'll probably die a cliche. flash the lights to kissing boys. provocative. i promise you i wont ever have another afternoon like when we used to sneak out of school and drive the lakeshore. noone will ever sound as cool as you. we built cool. we made up style. we set the standard and theyre all just trying to live up to it. if theres nobody who thinks like us anymore. untouchable is unlovable. you always have me humming in my head just out of key. i bought an alarm clock just so i could hit the snooze button. whats the point in getting out of bed anymore if you only get out to say you did. if you could love the biggest fraud or the best liar- then im your prince. i was made just for fashion not for function.

- petey

[torilynnedestef]

The closing chapter on my 20’s

I wrote one of these approaching 25 so I feel like its only necessary to write another approaching year 30. There are still a good number of months; 8 to be exact. But I need to start winding down and really setting firm goals for the road ahead.

Happy to say I found someone amazing to spend my life with. We’ve been together for 9 months and it’s been blissful. He teaches me new things every day. And has us to listen to audiobooks each place we go. We’re always adventuring somewhere new and sharing new things with one another. Mostly him to me, and I love it. Ive always been drawn to smart men. Those full of facts and witty. He’s smart and charming and super sweet. Very empathetic with the way he treats me and others. He’s understanding and kind. It is so beautifully simple spending time with him. Effortless. It felt natural when he came into my life, almost as if I’ve always known him. Soon enough I was spending all of my free time with him. And walking his dog when he’s working and Im off. Ive grown to adore her too. My little banana loaf, seal girl, potato, Lullybeans. She’s my little shadow when im over his place. It’s adorable, but can get annoying.

Besides my love life Ive been noticing that I havent spent as much time reflecting as I should. So Im slowly getting back into that. Cooking for myself more, buying flowers for myself when I’ve had a bad day, overall just honoring myself. I need to start eating healthier so my body can feel stronger. This weekend Drew and I are in the Catskills and I was having a really hard time going uphill on one of our hikes. I don’t know if it’s just me and uphill climbs but my body and my asthma do not agree with me. We had to stop numerous times during the hike. Maybe I should just stick to swimming. Which I so badly need to go back to in the winter months. But other than that self care is also putting more of my money into my savings, opening up a 401k and cashing in my stocks so that I have them if need be. Finances are huge and will continue to be huge going into year 30. In year 30 I also want to be in a better position with Scotch & Soda, where im salary paid and Im able to set my own price and location preference. There’s thoughts about settling down and next steps for that as well. 30 is a huge period of transformation that in the next 8 months I have to mentally prepare myself for. Im ready for all that comes next, its just honestly shocking to me that Im turning that old.

But I will say this. I have an amazing support system. I was able to weed out the toxicity this past year and really focus on those who are loyal, have the same moral compass as me and accept that with growing up there is more responsibility and accountability. My friends and family are all growing with me and around me. We are strong, we are stable and we all push each other to be our very best. We lift and empower each other. One of the last things Dad said to me before he got sick was that I could do anything I put my mind too and I was never too late to start anything. Ill live by that, until the day I die.

[pancakes4two]

combined dunkirkrry & hs1 omg ahhh this is a special one bc i have SUCH a soft spot for these two eras

previous parts from this series can be found here!

harrysfinsta

Liked by yourinstagram, gemmastyles, and 7 others

harrysfinsta Y/N graduated and I had to take her on a trip to celebrate. Don’t know anyone else who would’ve been able to double major and graduate with honors, all while following their silly boyfriend as he chases his dream across the world. She’s just too smart for her own good; I never stood a chance.

I’m so lucky to love you, and to be loved by you. I’m so lucky to get to exist in a world where you constantly grace me with your infinite wisdom, knowledge, and wit. Proud of you everyday, but especially on a day like today.

Congratulations, sweet girl.

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yourinstagram you’re literally watching me cry at this caption right now this is so unfair i love you the absolute most!!!!!!!!!!! you know i wouldn’t have been able to do this without you by my side 😭 ily ily ily forever forever forever

gemmastyles Who knew my brother could be this sweet? Congrats to the lovely graduate and have so much fun on your trip! So well-deserved for the both of you 🤍

yourbff ok stop playing harry you made me cry… our girl is a GRADUATE 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

yourbff also is that a haircut i see????

yourfinsta

Liked by harrysfinsta and 10 others

yourfinsta h’s new haircut HSHDHSBSBWBENHDHDHEHWBWNWJWJSJSBSBWJDJSJWJWBEJD

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bffsfinsta HIS FACE

yourfinsta IVE BEEN DYING FOR THE PAST 30 MINS

harrysfinsta Alright, chill out!!!

yourinstagram

Liked by yourdad and 88 others

yourinstagram when will my boyfriend return from war

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yourdad Still can’t believe H is going to be in a Chris Nolan film! We’re all so proud of him!

yourbff respect our troops.

yourinstagram so true 🫡🫡🫡

yourfinsta

Liked by harrysfinsta, bffsfinsta and 8 others

yourfinsta excuse me for a moment while i

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 💗💗💗🥺🥺💞💗🌟💞🌟💞🌟💗🌟💞💞🌟💞💗🌟❣️❣️❣️❣️❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❣️❣️🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤💞💞🌟😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

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bffsfinsta WHY ARE U NOT THERE WITH UR HOT ASS MAN AT HIS MOVIE PREMIERE.

yourfinsta I COULDNT GET OFF MY INTERNSHIP IM LOOKING AT UPDATES ON TWITTER GOING CRAZY

harrysfinsta I look good don’t I?!

yourfinsta CONGRATULATIONS YOU’VE FINALLY DONE IT. YOU’VE KILLED ME

yourinstagram

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yourinstagram what a joy it’s been to be by your side as you go back to doing the thing you love the most, on your own this time!! harry styles (the album, not the boyfriend) will officially be out everywhere at midnight tonight and i couldn’t be more excited for the world to hear this beautiful boy’s art 💞💞💞💞

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harrystyles It’s all for you, you bring me home, thank you.

yourbff oh good we’ll finally get to hear the songs you won’t shut up about

yourinstagram and i’m not even the tiniest bit sorry about not shutting up this album is perfect in every way

yourinstagram

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yourinstagram diva on tour

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harrystyles Why are you posting on Instagram? Go get my coffee

yourinstagram ahhhh shiver me timbers🙄 you can wait for your coffee sir

yourmom My babies back out on the road! Stay safe!

[the-king-andthe-lionheart]

The Fundamentals of Gendrya

So I just want to establish the possible foreshadowing Arya and Gendry have that hints at a possible romantic relationship in the future, as well as the romantic undertones present in their story.  I’m not really going to focus on symbolism in this meta (although it will come up a couple of times in a minor way), as that will be a focus for future meta.  This is only meant to establish the fundamental basics.

First I want to say that when I’m talking about the romantic possibility of Gendrya, I mean future Gendrya, as in once Arya is older.  However I will posit and say that because we are viewing this in the world of Westeros (in a pseudo Medieval world that GRRM exaggerated and sensationalized from real Medieval sources as well as rumor) and because GRRM has established he has no problems with placing his younger characters in romantic or sexual situations (see Mercy TWOW) I think it would be remiss to think GRRM would not take Arya and Gendry here if that was his plan all along.  After all, there is plenty of precedent.  

This also leads me to remind everyone that Gendry is not an adult when he meets Arya, and the age gap between the two is one of the least egregious age gaps in the books as most of the age gaps are between adult men in their 20’s and 30’s with 12-16 year old girl’s.  I think a lot of people think of the age gap as Arya being 9 the whole time and Gendry being 16, but this is in fact wrong.  According to the timeline, Arya and Gendry meet at the beginning of 299 AC, right around Arya’s 10th birthday.  In 299 AC Gendry was only 13/14 years old.  He was born in 284 AC and is not the same age as Robb and Jon, like Ned surmises.  Gendry is just big for his age, and it’s highly likely Gendry doesn’t even know how old he is.  When Arya and Gendry separate in ASOS Arya is almost 11 while Gendry is 14/15 years old.  

Regardless, this is fiction, and doesn’t reflect real world morals.  So what I’m getting at is that if anyone disagrees with this meta because of their ages I suggest you don’t read any further.

Foreshadowing

Our first hint of foreshadowing happens in Arya’s very first chapter:

She frowned down at them with dismay and glanced over to where her sister Sansa sat among the other girls.  Sansa's needlework was exquisite.  Everyone said so.  “Sansa's work is as pretty as she is,” Septa Mordane told their lady mother once.  “She has such fine, delicate hands.”  When Lady Catelyn had asked about Arya, the septa had sniffed.  “Arya has the hands of a blacksmith.” - Arya I AGOT

This quote is later followed up with:

[...] “I ruined that gown Lady Smallwood gave me, and I don't sew so good.”  She chewed her lip.  “I don't sew very well, I mean.  Septa Mordane used to say I had a blacksmith's hands.”

Gendry hooted.  “Those soft little things,” he called out.  “You couldn't even hold a hammer.” - Arya VII ASOS

In the same book Lem Lemoncloak says this to Gendry:

“You must be a lackwit, boy,” said Lem.  “We're outlaws.  Lowborn scum, most of us, except for his lordship.  Don't think it'll be like Tom's fool songs neither.  You won't be stealing no kisses from a princess, nor riding in no tourneys in stolen armor.  You join us, you'll end with your neck in a noose, or your head mounted up above some castle gate.” - Arya VII ASOS

At this point Arya is indeed a princess, but Lem also makes an obvious reference (to the audience) to the Knight of the Laughing Tree, which I think we can safely say was Lyanna.  The fact that Lyanna is Arya’s literary mirror, tells me we can connect Arya to Lem’s comment, not to mention the inclusion of “princess” just kind of seals the deal.  We also know that Arya is the spitting image of Lyanna and Gendry the spitting image of Robert Baratheon.  I think it’s worth noting also that after Acorn Hall, Lem takes it upon himself to make sure nothing untoward happens between Arya and Gendry (he thought Gendry was taking advantage of Arya after they wrestled) as he starts sleeping in between them, which is seen in Arya V ASOS when they are at The Peach.  Lem saying “Don’t think it’ll be like Tom’s fool songs neither” is also interesting because at Acorn Hall we specifically get Tom singing a love song directed towards Arya and Gendry.

Speaking of Lyanna and Robert being reflections of Arya (in both appearance and personality) and Gendry (in appearance for the most part) this is said in Eddard I AGOT:

We were meant to rule together. If Lyanna had lived, we should have been brothers, bound by blood as well as affection. Well, it is not too late. I have a son. You have a daughter. My Joff and your Sansa shall join our houses, as Lyanna and I might once have done."

Now this quote may be referring to Sansa and Joffrey, but I do think it’s foreshadowing for Gendrya and this is just a misdirect.  After all, Joffrey is not Robert Baratheon’s son by blood, but Gendry is, even though he is illegitimate.  To me this also sounds like a promise.  When you think about it, the story truly begins at the Tourney of Harrenhal with the events that broke the betrothal between Lyanna and Robert, so it would be very cyclical for the ending to do what the beginning could not, binding a Stark and a Baratheon together in marriage.

There are also several references about Arya marrying an apprentice/blacksmith:

“[...] Or if it is marriage and children you desire, tell me, and we shall find a husband for you.  Some honest apprentice boy, a rich old man, a seafarer, whatever you desire.” - Arya II AFFC

We also have a comment made by Jaime:

“Not all,” said Jaime.  “Lord Eddard's daughters live.  One has just been wed.  The other...”  Brienne, where are you?  Have you found her?  “...if the gods are good, she'll forget she was a Stark.  She'll wed some burly blacksmith or fat-faced innkeep, fill his house with children, and never need to fear that some knight might come along to smash their heads against a wall.” - Jaime I ADWD

Now I know what you are going to say, that Jaime is referring to Sansa possibly marrying a blacksmith or innkeep, but if it weren’t for Jaime’s thought’s in the middle towards Brienne, you’d never guess which Stark daughter he is referring to because Sansa was only just recently married as well.  Also it’s Arya who is associated with a blacksmith (Gendry) and a fat-faced innkeep (Hot Pie).  So while Jaime is referring to Sansa here I think we are meant to actually look at the reality behind this and reverse the foreshadowing back onto Arya, because it wasn’t Arya who was recently wed, that was Sansa.  It’s also Arya who is legitimately trying to forget she was a Stark (Sansa isn’t trying to forget, she is only pretending to be Alayne to ensure her protection) and like I mentioned it’s Arya who had a blacksmith and future employee at an inn as companions for two novels.  So I think it’s a foreshadowing switcheroo.  And I think it’s also worth mentioning that while Jaime sent Brienne out to save Sansa, Brienne spends her whole journey almost exclusively hearing news and following leads about Arya.

There is also a reference in Brienne VII AFFC that makes mention that Arya may marry an apprentice boy:

Gendry was the closest thing to a man grown, but it was Willow shouting all the orders, as if she were a queen in her castle and the other children were no more than servants.

If she were highborn, command would come naturally to her, and deference to them.  Brienne wondered whether Willow might be more than she appeared.  The girl was too young and too plain to be Sansa Stark, but she was of the right age to be the younger sister, and even Lady Catelyn had said that Arya lacked her sister's beauty.  Brown hair, brown eyes, skinny...could it be?  Arya Stark's hair was brown, she recalled, but Brienne was not sure about the color of her eyes.  Brown and brown, was that it?  Could it be that she did not die at Saltpans after all?

*

“One day that little girl [Willow] will make some man a frightful wife,” Ser Hyle observed.  “That poor 'prentice boy [Gendry], most like.”

Willow is very obviously a Arya stand-in which makes this specific quote about Arya and Gendry, not Willow and Gendry.

Arya IV ASOS has the strongest case for future romantic Gendrya.  Not only does Gendry follow after Arya and invite her to look at the forge, Gendry opens up to her about his life right before he was uprooted, and does this:

Gendry reached out with the tongs as if to pinch her face, but Arya swatted them away.

Gendry is being playful and open with Arya during most of this scene in the forge, teasing her in a manner that verges on flirting, telling her a story about his past, laughing and having fun with Arya.  And then this happens:

Gendry put the hammer down and looked at her.  “You look different now.  Like a proper little girl.”

“I look like an oak tree, with all these stupid acorns.”

“Nice, though.  A nice oak tree.”  He stepped closer, and sniffed at her.  “You even smell nice for a change.”

“You don't.  You stink.”  Arya shoved him back against the anvil and made to run, but Gendry caught her arm.  She stuck a foot between his legs and tripped him, but he yanked her down with him, and they rolled across the floor of the smithy.  He was very strong, but she was quicker.  Every time he tried to hold her still she wiggled free and punched him.  Gendry only laughed at the blows, which made her mad.  He finally caught both her wrists in one hand and started to tickle her with the other, so Arya slammed her knee between his legs, and wrenched free.  Both of them were covered in dirt, and one sleeve was torn on her stupid acorn dress.  “I bet I don't look so nice now,” she shouted.

Gendry compliments Arya’s looks and scent, only for Arya to think he’s teasing her about her appearance due to her intense insecurity when it comes to highborn conformation (Gendry’s laugh when he first saw her didn’t help matters in her insecurity even though Gendry most likely only laughed out of being startled at her transformation).  This insecurity leads Arya into getting angry and starting a wrestling match with him.  This wrestling scene also directly follows Jaime and Brienne’s very sexually charged sword fight, and could also be interpreted as foreshadowing a romantic and potentially sexual relationship in the future, like theirs did, when they are older.  

Now I’m not saying that I think Gendrya is going to go NC-17 in the books, but I do think it’s likely to go PG-13 by the end of ADOS, considering we have precedent that GRRM has no qualms about writing these types of things as I mentioned above, and we know Arya is going to be 12 in TWOW and may be at least 14-15 when the series ends depending on how much GRRM can spread out the timeline in the next two books.  But considering the amount of stuff that needs to happen, I think the next two books will span 2-3 years before the epilogue begins.

Then there is the love song GRRM specifically wrote for Arya.  A song that has only appeared in one chapter, Arya’s chapter:

“My featherbed is deep and soft,

and there I'll lay you down,

I'll dress you all in yellow silk,

and on your head a crown.

For you shall be my lady love,

and I shall be your lord.

I'll always keep you warm and safe,

and guard you with my sword.

“And how she smiled and how she laughed,

the maiden of the tree.

She spun away and said to him,

no featherbed for me.

I'll wear a gown of golden leaves,

and bind my hair with grass,

But you can be my forest love,

and me your forest lass.”

Now we know this song is about them because when Tom O’Sevens is singing it, he winks at Arya, and later Lady Smallwood specifically says to Arya “I have no gowns of leaves”.  The song specifically mentions yellow – a Baratheon color – and depicts the free spirited “Maiden of the Tree” who wants love on her own terms, which sounds like what an older, flowered version of Arya would want if she fell in love.

Romantic Undertones

Arya’s Crush

As she passed the armory, Arya heard the ring of a hammer. A deep orange glow shone through the high windows. She climbed to the roof and peeked down. Gendry was beating out a breastplate. When he worked, nothing existed for him but metal, bellows, fire. The hammer was like part of his arm. She watched the play of muscles in his chest and listened to the steel music he made. He's strong, she thought. As he took up the long-handled tongs to dip the breastplate into the quenching trough, Arya slithered through the window and leapt down to the floor beside him. - Arya IX ACOK

It’s very subtle but this paragraph tells us everything.  Arya unintentionally reveals in this quote that she watches Gendry blacksmithing enough to know that the world falls away when he’s in his element.  She watches the play of muscles in his back and notes how strong he is and even attaches poetic language to his work.  Arya has a crush on Gendry.  It’s not acknowledged and it’s likely she doesn’t understand it herself, but this seems to be the truth of it, especially with the way GRRM worded this.  I don’t know how many times I’ve read a romance where the protagonist studies their love interest while watching the “play of muscles” in their back or their arms.  It’s also interesting to note that Arya always mentions specifics about Gendry’s looks and notes details about him:

He blinked at her, startled. Strands of thick black hair, still wet from the bathhouse, fell across his deep blue eyes. "I'd hurt you." - Arya II ACOK

"It's me they want," Arya whispered back. His ear smelled of soap. "You be quiet." - Arya II ACOK

When she spied Gendry, his bare chest was slick with sweat, but the blue eyes under the heavy black hair had the stubborn look she remembered. - Arya VIII ACOK

"She's not alone." Gendry rode out from behind the cottage wall, and behind him Hot Pie, leading her horse. In his chainmail shirt with a sword in his hand, Gendry looked almost a man grown, and dangerous. Hot Pie looked like Hot Pie. - Arya II ASOS

Now most of these I’d normally chalk up to the author just being descriptive, but if that’s the case, why don’t we know more about Hot Pie’s looks, who Arya spent nearly a year with at the same time as Gendry?  Why does she take special time out to describe Gendry so much?  Honestly I think part of it is to keep reminding us that Gendry is a secret Baratheon bastard, but that doesn’t explain the first quote about Arya watching the “play of muscles” in his back and noting how strong he is.  So I think it’s a combination of GRRM wanting to remind the audience that Gendry is a Baratheon and to also subtly show us that Arya has an innocent crush on him, but doesn’t know or acknowledge that this is the case out loud.

Their Mutual Jealousy

Starting after the events of Acorn Hall in Arya IV ASOS, it’s obvious that something shifts in Arya and Gendry’s relationship.  One aspect is that Gendry can no longer ignore that Arya is indeed a highborn girl after seeing her for the first time dressed up as one.  He knows what class differences will mean for their friendship.  And another aspect, is that Gendry acknowledges that he may be romantically interested in Arya, or at least acknowledges the potential for those feelings to emerge in time.  And because of this, combined with their class differences, Gendry knows that if he follows Arya to Riverrun where her mother and brother are, he would end up watching Arya grow into someone he could romantically love, only for her to be torn away from him due to an arranged marriage.  Both of these aspects play a factor in why we see Gendry become more outwardly scathing towards highborns in the chapters following this and why his behavior seems to become one rife with jealousy.

In Arya V ASOS the Brotherhood Without Banners travel to The Peach and both of the above aspects I spoke of are present in this chapter:

"You don't even know what a brothel is."

"I do so," she insisted. "It's like an inn, with girls."

He was turning red again. "What are you doing here, then?" he demanded. "A brothel's no fit place for no bloody highborn lady, everybody knows that."

And when Gendry protects Arya from a pervert by saying that she’s his sister, this is what goes down:

"Why did you say that?" Arya hopped to her feet. "You're not my brother."

"That's right," he said angrily. "I'm too bloody lowborn to be kin to m'lady high."

Arya was taken aback by the fury in his voice. "That's not the way I meant it."

"Yes it is." He sat down on the bench, cradling a cup of wine between his hands. "Go away. I want to drink this wine in peace. Then maybe I'll go find that black-haired girl and ring her bell for her."

Arya doesn’t really understand the intentions of the pervert, despite knowing of sex, and is confused on why Gendry would say that he’s her brother, but when she asks him, he takes it the wrong way since he is already so sensitive about their class differences at this point in their story.  That last paragraph is what makes this exchange really interesting though.  Why would Gendry say this, when it’s already made clear and established in this chapter that Gendry has no intentions of sleeping with any of the girls, even when it’s offered to him for free?  He is very obviously lying to try to get a rise out of Arya and the only way this makes sense is if we put it under a romantic lens.

Then we have this:

Arya whirled and left him there. A stupid bullheaded bastard boy, that's all he is. He could ring all the bells he wanted, it was nothing to her.

Now considering Arya’s defense mechanism (the mechanism that has her calling things or people stupid when she’s hurt or feeling inadequate by them to try to make the pain and hurt not seem so severe) the fact that she calls Gendry a “stupid bullheaded bastard boy” and proclaims Gendry ringing the bells of any girl was “nothing to her” tells us that it matters to her and that she’s upset.  This is further reiterated in Arya VIII ASOS:

Arya wished she had another crabapple to bounce off his face. "My father had honor," she said angrily. "And we weren't talking to you anyway. Why don't you go back to Stoney Sept and ring that girl's stupid bells?"

So here we have Arya mention this three chapters later, likely weeks if not months later.  If Arya didn’t care about Gendry ringing “all the bells he wanted” then why is she still so hurt and jealous?  She’s obviously been stewing about this for a while.

In this same chapter we also see gems from Gendry that clearly proclaim that he’s still plagued about his class differences to Arya.  It also clearly shows that Gendry is jealous of Edric Dayne once Arya befriends him, especially since she befriended someone highborn, like her, who just so happens to be a boy who we know has nearly the same coloring as Rhaegar Targaryen, which evokes the history repeating motif that is present in Arya’s arc of the Rhaegar/Lyanna/Robert love triangle.

"You have a knife," Gendry suggested. "If your hair annoys you so much, shave your bloody head."

He doesn't like Ned. The squire seemed nice enough to Arya; maybe a little shy, but good-natured. She had always heard that Dornishmen were small and swarthy, with black hair and small black eyes, but Ned had big blue eyes, so dark that they looked almost purple. And his hair was a pale blond, more ash than honey. - Arya VIII ASOS

And

"My lady?" Ned looked embarrassed. "I'm Edric Dayne, the . . . the Lord of Starfall."

Behind them, Gendry groaned. "Lords and ladies," he proclaimed in a disgusted tone. Arya plucked a withered crabapple off a passing branch and whipped it at him, bouncing it off his thick bull head. "Ow," he said. "That hurt." He felt the skin above his eye. "What kind of lady throws crabapples at people?"

"The bad kind," said Arya, suddenly contrite. 

Gendry continues to encapsulate “ours is the fury” during Arya’s whole exchange with Edric Dayne.

I do want to add that I know Gendry’s class issues have always been there, and it’s definitely been made even more apparent to him during the War of the Five Kings during his time in the wartorn Riverlands with Arya, so it’s not exactly that far-fetched that Gendry may become even more sensitive and/or bitter about it.  However, this extremity of his behavior only happened after Acorn Hall where he saw Arya looking like the highborn girl she is.  And while I do believe part of Gendry’s increase of bitterness about their class differences does have to do with potential romantic feelings, I also think it has to do with Gendry also coming to terms with the fact that Arya’s family is also directly responsible for the carnage they have seen and experienced (even though he doesn’t blame Arya, as she seems to be one of Gendry’s exceptions when it comes to his dislike of the nobility).  If it weren’t for the blatant flirting on his behalf in the forge at Acorn Hall and the jealousy, I would honestly chalk it up to Gendry trying to reconcile his own trauma and anger regarding highborns, including Arya’s family’s sins, but alas, that is not completely the case.

Post Separation

When Arya is kidnapped by the Hound and witnesses the Red Wedding, Arya contemplates where she may go and this crosses her thoughts in a very romanticized light:

She could stay with Hot Pie, or maybe Lord Beric would find her there. Anguy would teach her to use a bow, and she could ride with Gendry and be an outlaw, like Wenda the White Fawn in the songs.

But that was just stupid, like something Sansa might dream. - Arya XII ASOS

The fact that Arya follows this thought up with “that was just stupid, like something Sansa might dream” tells us specifically what type of fantasy this is.  Arya isn’t fantasizing about an adventure, she’s fantasizing about love and romance, considering those are the types of flights of fancy Sansa always loses herself in.  Now Arya isn’t outright rejecting the possibility of romance here, because there is more to that second paragraph:

But that was just stupid, like something Sansa might dream. Hot Pie and Gendry had left her just as soon as they could, and Lord Beric and the outlaws only wanted to ransom her, just like the Hound. None of them wanted her around. They were never my pack, not even Hot Pie and Gendry. I was stupid to think so, just a stupid little girl, and no wolf at all.

She rejects the possibility because she remembers that Hot Pie and Gendry abandoned her as soon as they could, and that all the Brotherhood did was use her, according to her perspective on the matter.  And her perspective is entirely skewed because of her abandonment and low self-esteem issues, as well as not fully understanding the class issues as she honestly didn’t think that bringing Hot Pie and Gendry to Riverrun and Winterfell would cause any issues with their friendships, which is understandable for a kid to think.  Especially one that hadn’t been in the highborn world for the past year and a half.  In fact, Medieval children in the real world and in the books, weren’t reprimanded for playing together regardless of class, usually the highborn children played with the children of those who worked and lived within the castle walls, from other lords children to stewards children to the helps children.  It’s just something children did until they reached a certain age where it just wasn’t allowed anymore.  So it’s only natural for this not to really factor into Arya’s plans.

When Arya is about to walk into the House of Black and White, Arya comforts her fear with a memory of Gendry:

Suddenly she was somewhere else . . . back in Harrenhal with Gendry [...] - Arya I AFFC

Which indicates that Gendry is still very much on her mind at this point.  I think it really says something as well that Arya takes comfort from a memory at Harrenhal of all places.  I think this indicates how much comfort she took from their friendship.  I also think she doesn’t think about Gendry with the Brotherhood to take her comfort because while ASOS has the most romantic foreshadowing for them and the two shared some nice moments, it was also the start of them truly fracturing, or so her unreliable narration interpreted it as.  After all, she actually thought that Gendry was making fun of her looks at Acorn Hall, and she thought Gendry didn’t want to be her friend anymore as he “abandoned her” for the Brotherhood.  So while Harrenhal was awful and they had their disagreements there, Arya still felt reassured with his companionship and likely found it uncomplicated in comparison to her other problems at the time.

*

When we next see Gendry in Brienne VII AFFC we see a drastically different Gendry.  While Gendry has always been guarded and sullen with a chip on his shoulder, with little love for the nobility, this change is drastic enough where it’s unsettling to read at first.  Not only is Gendry just flat out rude in a very mean way but he is filled with rage.  Gendry joined the Brotherhood because he liked how they handled justice, but under Lady Stoneheart there is no justice and he doesn’t seem to mind.  His beliefs have shifted as well.

And though his eyes had been that same deep blue, Lord Renly's eyes had always been warm and welcoming, full of laughter, whereas this boy's eyes brimmed with anger and suspicion.

Septon Meribald asked if he might lead the children in a grace, ignoring the small girl crawling naked across the table. "Aye," said Willow, snatching up the crawler before she reached the porridge. So they bowed their heads together and thanked the Father and the Mother for their bounty . . . all but the black-haired boy from the forge, who crossed his arms against his chest and sat glowering as the others prayed. Brienne was not the only one to notice. When the prayer was done Septon Meribald looked across the table, and said, "Do you have no love for the gods, son?"

"Not for your gods." Gendry stood abruptly. "I have work to do." He stalked out without a bite of food.

Gendry was at his forge, bare-chested beneath his leather apron. He was beating on a sword as if he wished it were a foe [...]

What would a knight be doing working at a smithy? "You have black hair and blue eyes, and you were born in the shadow of the Red Keep. Has no one ever remarked upon your face?"

"What's wrong with my face? It's not as ugly as yours."

Lord Renly was ahead of her, her sweet smiling king. He was leading her horse through the trees. Brienne called out to tell him how much she loved him, but when he turned to scowl at her, she saw that he was not Renly after all. Renly never scowled. He always had a smile for me, she thought . . . except . . .

While some people chalk up Gendry’s behavior as a result of trauma about what he experienced in the Riverlands, and I don’t deny that is a factor, I don’t believe it’s the only factor because we didn’t see Gendry like this post Harrenhal or even with the Brotherhood in ASOS.  Yes he embodied “ours is the fury” at times and was jealous and bitter, and rude at times as well, but he wasn’t flat out cruel to people, nor filled with rage and vengeance.  The Gendry before Arya was taken would never have led Brienne to Lady Stoneheart for the slaughter after she tried to save everyone in that Inn against Rorge and Biter and co.  We can also see another difference in Gendry:

Lightning cracked to the south as the riders swung down off their horses. For half a heartbeat darkness turned to day. An axe gleamed silvery blue, light shimmered off mail and plate, and beneath the dark hood of the lead rider Brienne glimpsed an iron snout and rows of steel teeth, snarling.

Gendry saw it too. "Him."

While there is no emphasis on the “him” when Gendry sees the Hound’s helm, it’s an abrupt and emotionless statement.  It’s one word without emphasis but it conveys a lot.  Gendry recognizes the Hound’s helm and it’s apparent he’s not happy, thinking that it was indeed the Hound for a minute.  And while I’m trying to avoid discussing symbolism, I just can’t ignore how the lightning that cracked in the south could also be symbolic of Gendry’s true mood.  He is, after all, a bastard Baratheon, connected to the storm, the fury - thunder and lightning - as well as sharing a connection to the god, Thor in our mythology.  This lightning could symbolically be linked to Gendry’s anger and vengeance.  So why does Gendry act like this when he sees who he thinks is the Hound again?  He had no issue with the Hound during his trial by combat, so what changed?  The Hound kidnapped Arya.  And while he knows Arya didn’t die at the Red Wedding, he and the Brotherhood aren’t entirely sure if the Hound sold Arya to the Lannister’s and if she is now Arya Bolton.  So it makes complete sense why he would have issues with the Hound.  In fact I think a lot of this behavior we are seeing from Gendry is the direct result of the Hound kidnapping Arya and not knowing if she’s dead or being brutally raped and tortured in the North.

Why do I think this?  Because this behavior began between Arya being kidnapped in ASOS and Brienne VII AFFC.  Only a few to a handful of months have passed since then.  This, I believe, is the inciting incident.  Another reason why I believe Arya is the reason is because of what he is doing.  He is staying at the Crossroads Inn, one of the last known places Arya was sighted, and he’s helping take care of orphaned children.  Arya took in strays as well and cared for them, like Weasel.  And considering how Gendry in ACOK wanted to leave Weasel and Hot Pie and Lommy behind, it’s interesting to see that he’s helping by taking in strays himself now, as if he thinks he may be able to atone for not saving Arya.  Another reason is because the Brotherhood is actively searching for Arya as well.  She is ever present on their minds.  So yes, I believe part of Gendry’s change has to do with losing Arya, which goes to show how much he really cared about her.  Not to mention (a tiny bit more symbolism, oopsie!), Gendry’s stay at the inn, waiting for Arya to return (I believe Gendry and the BWB are hoping that Arya is alive and will return to the inn) is a romantic aspect to the mythology of Weyland the Smith and his Swan Maiden/Valkyrie, and the aspect about the Brotherhood + Gendry searching the realm for Arya is also a romantic Cinderella motif, hence why I feel Gendry’s behavior here is supposed to have romantic subtext.

*

Extra:  Another interesting aspect that I think foreshadows this future relationship is the meaning of Gendry’s name.  Gendry is a nickname type of surname for a person who has inherited his family estates from his father-in-law, deriving its origin from the Old French word “gendre,” which meant “son-in-law.”  And as we know if Arya and Gendry married when they were older, Arya wouldn’t be taking his name, but he hers, due to her higher status.  So by marrying into the Stark family, he would be inheriting from his father-in-law Ned so to speak, even if it’s just inheriting the surname.

So this is everything I’ve compiled so far about Gendrya, that relies on just their foreshadowing and romantic undertones in the texts we have available but I’m positive I’ll be adding more to this list once TWOW officially releases.  However, I still have a lot more to share that focuses on their symbolism and motifs throughout the story, so I’m definitely not done making Gendrya meta, far from it and I can’t wait to share it with you all!  

And if anyone is interested in Arya’s and by extension Gendrya’s Cinderella motifs, you can find it at this link:  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

[tarosin]

the great adventures of y/n tommy jack and tubbo

requested: yes/no

an: part 4 of the great adventures series

pairing: platonic y/n/tommy/jack/tubbo

warning: cursing

It was the afternoon before your new adventure with your friends. you had no idea what to expect, however everyone else knew even ranboo, and he wasn’t even joining you all. you would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous, especially after hearing some of tommys plans for future uploads. tubbo had been trying to drop hints about what was going to happen. You honestly couldn’t tell if he was excited or nervous, either way you could tell it was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and boy were you excited. the sound of knocking pulled you from your thoughts.

“hi y/n! sorry for the unexpected visit, i tried to call you but it wouldn’t go through.”

“oh god sorry, tubbo, my phones on charge upstairs, ive just finished babysitting my friends twitch chat.”

“that’s okay, tommy wanted me to see if you want to stay the night as i can take you with me now. he said something about it saving time tomorrow as jack won’t have to go as far and we can get there earlier, i honestly just think he’s slightly nervous and wants to spend time with someone.”

“i’ve not prepared a bag or anything as i was just planning on grabbing everything i needed in the morning, but i’m down to go with you. i’ll pack a bag real quick, make yourself feel at home. you can stay down here or come upstairs with me.”

tubbo followed you upstairs, and helped you pick which outfits would be the best to wear for the trip. around 10 minutes later you finished packing your bag and turned around to see a very pale tubbo, dropping your bag to the floor you pulled a chair up to your bed sitting opposite him.

“you feeling okay tubs?”

“just nerves, I'll be alright, are you ready to go?”

“ready if you are!”

the journey to tommys was relatively quick, you spent it talking about group plans for when ranboo comes to the uk.

tubbo: almost here!

tommy: yes! want to stream for a bit later, just something small could do laugh and the stream ends. i’ll go talk to my mum now!

•••

tubbo: please open the door

tommy: on it

the pair of you stood at the door waiting for tommy to unlock it

“TUBBO! Y/N I'M GLAD YOU COULD BOTH MAKE IT!”

not too long later, you and tubbo had put everything away and sat with tommy planning out a small stream.

“so i was talking with my parents and we can do an outside stream, and set fire to marshmallows!”

“as much as i love fire tommy i don’t think your parents will appreciate arson in the garden.”

“it’ll be fine now grab a jacket, we need to go walk to the shop.”

the three of you set off determined to get to the shop and back before it got dark, tommy and tubbo walked on either side of you as they want you to feel safe. thankfully the shop was only around the corner so you were all only out for about 20 minutes maximum, you probably could have made it back earlier but you stopped every time you saw a pretty rock.

“y/n come on we still need to stream!”

“did you tweet that you were streaming?”

“no he didn’t.”

“then come and look at this pretty rock!”

tommy and tubbo couldn’t help but laugh at how many rocks you managed to pick up.

•••

“guys i think i’d rather just spend time with you all rather than stream.”

“that’s fine, tommy!!”

the three of you sat around the fire updating one another about plans and opportunitie, coming. the conversation swiftly came to an end when tommy had set fire to a stick claiming it was to make the fire grow. you laughed as you heard his mum yelling at him to stop trying to set you and tubbo on fire.

“sorry about that everyone, but look the fire is big again.”

it got colder as the sun went down, so the three of you sat with a blanket draped over you all. his mum offered to take photos for you and you happily accepted, the pictures looked amazing and you posted it to instagram with the caption ‘i am cold and no one is telling me what’s happening tomorrow.’

it was around 11pm when the three of you agreed it was time to go back inside and sleep.

•••

you and tubbo stayed downstairs and tommy stayed in his room. the sound of tubbos alarm woke the pair of you up.

“turn that fucking thing off!”

“this is the fourth time it’s gone off and you’re still not up?”

“that’s because i’m tired.”

“please get ready jack will be here soon enough.”

realisation finally hit today was the day you were finally about to find out what this once in a lifetime opportunity was. tubbo advised you to wear sensible clothing and not wear the zodiac necklace you always wore, so you decided to wear the hoodie ranboo sent you a week ago and leggings.

“y/n you might wanna tie your hair up.”

“tubbo are you sure you’re feeling okay? you genuinely look ill."

“i’m fine.”

jack: right i’m outside so whenever you’re ready

lani: we’re making our own way later on as the hotel we stayed at is closer

y/n: will someone tell me what we’re doing

ranboo: no

y/n: you’re not even joining us how did you get in the gc

ranboo: magic

y/n: fuck off give me a clue

ranboo: i’ve said it since you dyed your hair neon f/c you’d be able to see from way up in the sky

y/n: what the actual hell is that supposed to mean

•••

soon enough you met up with everyone else and lani started recording.

“we’re skydiving, you ready tubbo?”

“WERE DOING WHAT? HOLY SHIT!”

you honestly couldn’t wait to do this. it was something you had wanted to do for a while, tubbo on the other hand clearly didn’t agree, which was evident through his whining.

you stood with tommy laughing as tubbo sat alone questioning why he agreed to this.

“look at him.”

“he’s is not happy.”

you sat next to jack and tubbo watching the video demonstrating what you will all be doing soon. you let out a nervous laugh, as although you were excited, you couldn’t help but be a bit nervous.

“you could fall into the engine and get chopped up.”

“tommy stop scaring tubbo!”

“what if the parachute doesn’t work?”

“free fall to your death.”

“y/n you’re not helping!”

you stood recording tubbo laying on the floor once again whining.

“tubbo there are so many people behind you!”

“i’m sure the parachute won’t fail tubbo, but if it does it was lovely knowing you!”

“uuuuuuugh!”

“i fully agree bo.”

soon enough you tommy and jack joined tubbo on the floor.

“look at the clouds.”

“we’re going to be in them soon.”

“hell yeah!”

“ughhhh!”

you tried not to laugh trying to calm tubbo down a bit before you all jumped out a plane, which worked until you left him alone with tommy whilst you spoke to jack for a while.

“to be fair that looks quite fun.”

“and dangerous!”

“STOP!”

“well sounds like tubbos thrilled to be here.”

the four of you sat on a bench talking about what’s going to happen, and laughing at tubbos nerves trying to make light of the situation.

“look it’ll be fun, tubbo, provided we don’t die there’s a chance we’ll be in more vlogs.. okay so ignore the black cloud of smoke!”

“that’s not a good omen.”

“shut up!”

you wrapped an arm around tubbo trying to make him feel comfortable and reassure him it’ll be fine, only to be interrupted by jack and tommy bickering about eating before jumping from the plane.

•••

the four of you went to the briefing, at this point you were struggling to contain your excitement, and couldn’t help but laugh out of pure joy.

“no, they are listening, they're just excited.”

after doing training for the jump, you stood with tommy whilst someone questioned him about how he got 9 million subs.

“I just went around being incredibly cool.. doing minecraft.”

you and jack burst out laughing whilst tommy went on to make jokes about how much money he was earning.

•••

it was now almost time to jump out a plane. it was around now nerves were kicking in, so you all went around messing about till you were told it’s time to make your way to get ready.

“let’s go gamers!”

•••

“are you a skydiver enjoyer?”

“i am.”

“well that’s always good... please, don’t let me die!”

“y/n are you scared?”

“no, my ranboo merch will protect me, but if i die can we blame tommy for coming up with this?”

“ranboos not going to believe that you’re wearing the jumper he sent you to jump out a plane.”

a few minutes later you over heard a worker say they’re nervous causing you to tilt your head and blink again, trying to process what was said.

“heh???”

it was now time for the four of you to put the equipment on, so you were ready to jump. jack started talking a lot more than usual at a quicker pace due to the fact he was getting nervous. tommy pointed it out and jack trying to argue he wasn’t made you laugh.

“y/n keeps making a lot of jokes about my parachute being shit.”

“sorry manifold should be fine...more than likely...hopefully. only time will tell really.”

“how you doing buddy?”

“i’m feeling okay. i feel my insides doing inside bits.”

“wonderful!”

you were now all waiting to go as a worker jokes about forgetting something.

“y/n you’re going with him!”

“okay, but why?”

“well you said your ranboo merch will protect you..”

someone went by going rather fast causing you to stare in awe.

“we don’t go that fast, do we?”

“no not unless something goes terribly wrong.”

you all stood there laughing.

“stoppppp!”

“y/n, i’m now thinking you should go with them instead!”

“are you trying to kill me off jack?”

•••

you all set off towards the plane, a mixture of excitement and nerves began kicking in.

“tubbos on a lead.”

“oh i’m really nervous jack.”

“look at y/n!”

lani began to record you, who was now way ahead of the others, so you stopped and waved at lani.

“BYE LANI! HOPEFULLY ILL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE!”

the others caught up and everyone had their equipment checked again.

“oh dear.. should be fine.”

“i’m alright, don’t worry my ranboo merch will protect us!” you got on first and that when you realised they set you up, so you jumped last as you were more confident and tubbo was jumping first so he could get it out the way.

you all sat on the plane and waved at the camera.

“hi there!”

“hello!”

“hi!”

“please don’t let us die!”

“we’re really jumping out a plane with a dream stan.”

“this is the highest we’ve ever been.”

“gamers in a plane whatever will they do...hopefully not die!”

“Y/N!”

“sorry tubbo!”

you were currently at 2,000 feet and sat looking out the window waiting to reach 14,000 feet. jack turned to you and tommy, “i can’t believe you’re jumping out the plane in philza merch and y/ns jumping out in ranboo merch.”

“if i die at least ill look great doing it.”

12,000 feet later it was now tubbos turn to jump, he looked back at you all.

“YOU GOT THIS TUBBO!!”

you watched as tubbo went.

“GOOD LUCK TOMMY!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOOD LUCK? Y/N?”

“BYEEEEE!”

you laughed as tommy went.

“see you later jack!”

you gave jack a high-five and watched as he went.

“holy shit they actually did it!”

“are you ready, y/n?”

“hell yeah, let’s do this!”

you laughed as you jumped, you couldn’t believe you actually got to jump out of a plane, you waved at camera.

lani met the others as they landed and began telling them about it.

“wait where’s y/n?”

“there they are!”

“Y/N!”

the others ran up to you as you landed.

“i’m glad you didn’t die!”

“thanks jack!”

•••

“would you all do it again?”

“yeah.”

“no.”

“maybe, i’m not sure.”

“i reckon so.”

not too long later, you were all given certificates to celebrate the fact you had jumped out a plane.

“yay it made nearly dying worth it!”

“you’re so dramatic!”

•••

you thought the day was over and that you were going home, little did you know that wasn’t the case.

“were not done for the day.”

“what?”

“heh?”

“you’re tilting your head again.”

“i know it’s because i’m confused!”

“anyway, what do you mean we’re not done?”

“you know george, he’s arrived!”

“gogy!”

“GOGY!”

“can i have a nap in the car please? i’m so exhausted."

taglist:

@l0ver0fj0y

[jalboyhenthusiast]

Hot take, but I’m starting to think that a lot of these people just aren’t Harry fans anymore. Everytime he does anything career wise, they’re mad. If you’re just here to see Harry do gay things and bitch everytime he doesn’t, you’re not a fan. Go support an out artist. He’s not coming out because your fandom experience would be better when he’s out. He’s a real person. In fact, if people can’t conceptualize the idea that he man not even be out for another 10-20 yrs, they should just leave fandom.

oh we’re getting spicy tonight 😳 but yep… ive been saaaaying that if you’re only here for a CO then you’re wasting your time and you might as well move on. he could come out tomorrow or he could choose to never do so, making peace with that and actually recognising the real reasons you’re here/supporting him is going to be a much better use of your time. and if you don’t like him anymore ? cool it’s whatever! but i mean it from the bottom of my heart when i say spending all your energy focusing on things you don’t like is only going to make you resentful. life is sweeter when we focus our energy on what brings us joy x

[marktuansvevo]

got7 reacts to something theyve never experienced before in a relationship

warning(s); slight cursing, sexual content in bam’s part

mark; being jealous

mark understood why his past partners could be jealous of him in his line of work. as long as it didn’t get out of hand, he thought it was cute. he was never the jealous one in the relationship. he didn’t even know what jealousy felt like....

....until tonight.

you were mark’s entire world. you excited him, you built him up like no other. never before could he see himself spending his life with someone before you came along. you made the world brighter to him.

but now he was only seeing red. 

you had been a trainee and never debuted, which you weren’t too upset about, you had a boyfriend you loved and a career with less physical and time demands than being in the entertainment industry. this meant that you knew a lot of other bands, stray kids being one of them. chan was, quite frankly, your best friend during your trainee days, so when you saw him at this afterparty you were attending with mark, you threw yourself into his arms.

mark just watched you from afar.

and his blood boiled.

chan spun you around in his arms, the biggest smile on his stupid, handsome face. “yah!! y/n! mark didn’t say you’d be here.”

you giggled, trying to keep your tears at bay. you put your hands on his face, poking his dimples. mark scoffed at the blush that was forming on his friend’s face. “god, chan i missed you so much.”

“bro, you look constipated,” bam snuck up behind him. “dude, your face is so red right now.”

mark rolled his eyes. “these parties are so annoying.” he didn’t take his eyes off of you as you caught up with chan, who still had his hand around your waist.

bam followed his line of vision. “shit, you’re not constipated, you’re jealous. yugyeom, come look at him!”

mark walked away from his intoxicated friends and up to you. you smiled at him before returning to your conversation with chan. 

“y/n, we have to go,” mark said lowly, smiling a sickly fake smile at chan, who immediately dropped his hand from your waist. 

“why, baby, we just got here? are you not feeling good?” you asked. he wanted to feel bad, your voice was laced with concern.

“something like that. see you, chan.”

as you got in the car, you smiled at him, poking his cheek. “somebody’s jealous, huh?”

“huh? of chan? i don’t know what you’re talking about,” he clenched his jaw, not making eye contact with you as he steered his car out of the parking lot. you were giggling now.

“you’re cute when you’re jealous. maybe i should make more time for chan.”

“y/n!!!”

jaebeom; wearing disguises in public

jaebeom never thought he would have to dress up in a disguise to go out in public. and jae would never want to put you in such a position. it was draining, and you, as his girlfriend knew that he despised it.

but you wanted to go to a concert with him.

and you wanted to stand in the pit with him and be part of it. don’t get you wrong, you loved when he bought you suite seats or could watch his shows from backstage, but you wanted to sway to ariana grande in th pit with your boyfriend.

“cmon, jae, i think everyone is going to be paying attention to ari. we can skip the opening act?” you suggested.

“y/n, i don’t want to take a chance...im sorry,” he pouted at you. you sighed, trying to figure out what to do.

“what about disguises?” he said. “like, we could wear our halloween costumes?” you were giggling to yourself, but your boyfriend seemed like the idea.

“i could wear my jesus wig and you could paint a beard on me?” he said with serious eyes.

“jae, you hate going out in disguises.”

“true...but, babe, this will be fun. you could wear your sailor mars wig, it’d be cute,”

okay, this was a really cute idea and you were warming up to it...if it made your boyfriend more comfortable to be out in a crowd of so many people, you were down to try it out.

“this really feels like halloween in july,” you giggled as you used mascara to draw a beard on his chin.

“do I look like jesus??” he asked childishly.

“well, you don’t look like im jaebeom of got7, that’s for sure,”

“you look like an egirl,” he laughed at himself. “don’t hate, you know you love it,” you said. “we look so cute, let’s take a mirror selfie and post in later,”

“no, then people will be on to us,” your boyfriend sent a pout in your direction as he looked at his makeshift beard in the mirror. “I look sexy as fuck in a beard,”

“super sexy aegyo please?”

the two of you arrived at the arena, not be noticed by anyone, but jae was still on edge, so you held his hand tight as you made your way into the pit.

“im so excited!!” you shouted over the noise. he shook his head before leaning in to kiss you. the two of you danced the whole night away to arianas crooning, his arms around you as you swayed to her pretty, soothing voice. the two of you let the world fade away while ariana sang honeymoon ave in the background.

jackson; his significant other saying ily first.

it was no secret that jackson was stock full of love and kindness. he had had other partners before you, all with him ending up getting too attached, or scaring them away when he said “I love you” too early.

he did not want to scare you away, and honestly, he had known he loved you two months into dating, but he didn’t want to scare you away, so he never outwardly said those three little words to you.

he wasn’t expecting you to say it, first though.

you had invited him over for dinner and a movie, just wanting a chill night in with your boyfriend. he brought the wine and promised to give you a back massage, so really, what more could you want on this chilly thursday night?

“what’s been going on, honey? you know you can tell me anything,” jackson whispered into your ear as he helped you out of your clothes.

“I feel like I deserve to oversee my department at work. i have the most education of all of them, more experience than them, and generally, I am more optimistic than my superiors….,” you sighed, letting him rub just under your shoulder blades, which had been itching all week.

“mmm?”

“i think they might be scared of powerful women who like to wear hot pink fendi suits to work,” you smiled, knowing he would be offended at your joke. you could almost feel him pouting.

“so the reason you can’t get the job is because your superiors don’t like the suits your boyfriend buys you? wow, what a way to hurt a guy’s pride…,” he followed your lead on the joke, trying to make you laugh because he knew this was really getting to you. “baby, I think you should go to their boss and see if you can get a promotion…tell them everything you told me, okay? i know you’re not only the best woman for the job, but the best person for the job…period,” he said, making you feel so overwhelmed with emotion. none of your previous partners had ever revered you the way jackson had. you felt so incredibly blessed and in love, you couldn’t help yourself.

“god, jackson, I love you so much,” you whispered.

the movement of his soft hands on your back stopped abruptly at your words. ‘oh god, was it too early to say that?’

“j-jackson…im sorry-“

“ive been waiting to say that to you,” he breathed against your lips, closing the distance that was between them.

“jackson wang….you love me?” you could feel the tears building. the man of your dreams was in love with you, too.

“i love you,” he whispered reverently.

“say it again,” you begged. he said it like a mantra.

“i love you, i love you….i love you..”

jinyoung; moving in together

jinyoung thought you were so cute. you were ecstatic to move with jinyoung. you had been living in your shared apartment with your mom your whole life and we’re excited to start a new chapter of your life. jinyoung didn’t think you were taking in the fact that moving is one of the most stressful things a person can go through.

he didn’t want to rain on your parade, though.

the two of you got settled into your new apartment after a long day of unpacking. jinyoung kissed you as you laid onto your new king sized bed. “im gonna grab takeout, you want your usual?” he asked sweetly, squeezing your hand. you just nodded, squeezing his hand back.

you watched as jinyoung walked out of your shared bedroom. that’s when the dam broke. you were so overwhelmed. you didn’t know how to make warm water happen in your shower, you didn’t have your wifi set up, and you forgot your favorite teddy bear at your moms. you missed teddy and your wifi and your mom.

“hey, i ordered you two egg rolls and they gave us three - hey, baby, are you crying?”

“no,” you replied lamely. “I miss teddy,” you wailed miserably.

“teddy...the...stuffed bear?” he asked.

“i slept with him every night for the past 20 something years.”

“baby...we can get your bear in the morning...,”

“we don’t have netflix set up so how am i supposed to sleep tonight?”

“y/n...,” he chuckled. you frowned harder now that he was laughing at you. “moving isn’t as exciting as it looks. tomorrow, we will fix the wifi, okay? and we can visit your mom and rescue teddy.”

“okay...okay. im sorry, im just a bit overwhelmed,” you confessed.

“its gonna be okay, honey. it’s a lot to take in, i know. but you can hold me instead of teddy, and ill sing you to sleep,” he whispered, the takeout now long forgotten. before you could fall asleep, he pulled his iphone out of his back pocket and pulled you into his chest to take a selfie. “there. now we have a picture of us in our bed for the first time.”

“i love you, you sap.”

even though you called him the sap, the next day you went to the pharmacy to get the photo printed and frame it. when jinyoung came home from the market that day, he eyed the frame on your bed stand, smirking at you.

“oh, so im the sap, hmm?”

youngjae; picking up the tab

it was the first date the two of you had been on since youngjae had been on tour. he told you to get dressed up and that the two of you would go out for a fancy dinner and catch up on everything. this is why you loved him, because while you wanted to hear all about his stories of life and tour abroad, he always wanted to hear about everything that was going at home, to see if you were alright.

youngjae looked dazzling in a black checked suit, while you matched him with a little black dress that made him groan when you stepped out of the bathroom. “can we skip dinner?” he’d ask cheekily. you rolled your eyes at him before kissing him on the cheek. “we aren’t skipping dinner, and we definitely won’t be skipping dessert,” you winked before leading him to the car.

the two of you ate dinner together, him holding your hand and looking at you with stars in his eyes as you told him stories that had happened while he was away. you ordered appetizers, drinks, shared an entrée, and youngjae even ordered you a slice of apple pie for the two of you to share.

“baby, I’m going to go use the restroom,” youngjae said before kissing your hand. “’kay, don’t get mugged, please,” you teased him. he shook his head at your playfulness. you watched as he left before frantically waving your arms at your waitress. she ran over to you, checking if you were alright.

“I just wanted to wonder if I can pick up the cheque really quick? I wanted to pick it up for my boyfriend as a surprise,” you spoke in a hushed tone, making the waitress giggle. she nodded her head before handing it to her. you handed her your credit card, thanking her before your boyfriend had any suspicions of what you were up to.

youngjae came out of the bathroom as soon as the waitress set the cheque down. you were applying your lipstick so you couldn’t snatch it in time. you watched as his pretty brown eyes scanned the receipt, looking confused as ever. “is this a joke? what kind of waitress lets the girlfriend pay?”

“jae,” you giggled. “you don’t always have to pay for dinner. I wanted to treat you…I missed you so much,” you confided, watching his expression from anger into warmth.

“oh, thank you honey, you are so sweet and thoughtful, I love you so much,” you let him wrap his suit jacket around your arms before planting a kiss to your forehead. “but that will be the last time you ever do that.”

“shut up, i like doing nice things for you,” you pouted.

“since you paid for dinner tonight, i have to put out, right?”

he ran to the car before you could slap him in the chest.

bam; his s/o borrowing his clothes

remember how joey never shared his food? well that’s how bam was with his wardrobe. he was very particular about his clothing, not letting people borrow them at all. yugyeom used to steal his clothes just to be petty and piss his best friend off. he had never let past partners borrow his clothes, and nothing was going to change, it wasn’t his fault, it was an obsession. if you were sure of one thing, it was to not steal your boyfriends clothes.

but one day, while he was gone from work, you thought you would take pictures of yourself in only one of his blazers to tease him.

you weren’t expecting him to walk through the door while you were trying to take self timer pictures of yourself.

“baby? what are you doing?” bam asked, laughing as you let out a squeal of surprise.

“i..i wanted to surprise you...,” he tsked, pulling away to look at his blazer. “i know you don’t like me wearing your things..,” you stammered as he circled you.

“you have such pretty things, though, bam,”

“you look so sexy in this,” he purred. “you were trying to get me worked up while im trying to work?”

“u...uhhh,” you couldn’t think coherently with you boyfriend acting so domineering. you gasped as he slid his hand up to your cunt, rubbing your clit in little circles. “bam...please...,” you groaned. 

“keep the blazer on,” he said as you writhed in his grip.

“its gonna get all sweaty though and then you’ll yell at me,” you teased him as you followed him to the bed. 

bam just groaned. “baby, im sorry I haven’t let you borrow my clothes before but you look better in them than me. now, let me fuck you and i promise you can have anything you want in that closet.”

he knew exactly how to shut you up.

yugyeom; his s/o buying him flowers

yugyeom was always so stressed during comeback season. you always scolded him when he forgot to eat, or wasn’t staying hydrated enough, but you were so proud of him. seeing the smile on his face and the way he walked a little taller was so worth it.

he was still busy during comeback season, coming home late after all the videos he had to shoot for publicity.

one night, yugyeom had gotten home around midnight to a bouquet of pink roses and a handwritten note from you. it read; “I am so proud of you, my love. congrats on breath… I can always feel your love,” he blushed and giggled to himself, thinking, “isn’t the guy supposed to buy the girlfriend the flowers?” he wandered into your shared bedroom to see you sprawled into his side, with your book in your hands, a soft snore leaving your lips. he nudged you, not intending to wake you up, he could thank you in the morning. but he did accidentally. “yeom?” you whispered. 

“shh, baby go back to sleep,” he shushed, changing into his pjs. 

“did you like the flowers?” you asked, suddenly awake now. 

“theyre really pretty, baby, but aren’t I supposed to buy you the flowers?” 

you narrowed your eyes at him. “not my boyfriend being a sexist,” 

“yah! y/n stop it, I didn’t mean it that way!! I love them, you remembered I said I love roses,” he was pouting now, pulling you into his chest to spoon you. his voice got quieter now. “no one’s ever remembered my favorite flowers…much less bought them for me,” he paused, kissing the back of your neck before closing his eyes and falling fast asleep.

he was whipped.

[thehopeofitalll]

"How am I attracted to you?"

read it on ao3.

I.

“I’m studying!” Percy announced.

Annabeth looked up from her book. “That’s good!” she said. “I’m proud of you.”

“But you know what that means,” Percy continued.

“What does it mean?”

“You-” he pointed to her for extra emphasis. “-have to stay away from me.”

Annabeth scoffed. “That’s a stupid rule.”

“What can I say?” he said. “You’re very distracting.”

“Is that a compliment?” she asked, smirking.

He shrugged, leaning forwards and kissing her forehead. “If you want it to be.” Annabeth watched as her boyfriend stood up and disappeared into their room. She sighed, standing up to get her laptop and opening it up to start on an essay she had to write for her Architectural Design History class

She had been working on it for a while when she noticed that she hadn’t seen Percy around for a long time. Annabeth stood up, curious, and walked into their room to find Percy asleep on their desk.

She stifled a smile, and shook Percy’s shoulder. “Perce, wake up,” she said softly. “Percy!”

“I’m awake!” Percy yelled, jolting up. “I’m awake,” he repeated, rubbing his eyes.

“Studying, huh?”

“I was studying,” Percy said. “It’s just that this desk began to look like a really good place to sleep.” He yawned.

“I could help you if you want,” she offered.

“Nope,” he said, firmly. “You’re distracting.”

She rolled her eyes at him, smiling. Her eyes scanned the desk, and she furrowed her eyebrows at one object. “Why is there a stuffed animal on your desk?”

“He's not a stuffed animal, he's Bob and he keeps me from losing my mind,” Percy replied, in a matter-of-factly tone.

Annabeth let out a soft sigh. “You know what, I’m not even gonna question it. Now, come, let’s go grab something to eat then maybe I can help you study, okay?”

II.

Annabeth’s eyes flew open, and she lay near Percy, staring at the ceiling and wondering why she woke up. Then, she heard her stomach grumble.

She groaned, getting out of bed to scrummage their kitchen for something to eat. She wasn’t exactly the best cook, but she knew enough to make something that looked edible. Well, most of the time anyways.

Pulling out a box of mac and cheese, she set some water to boil.

“Wise Girl?” came Percy’s voice, as he entered their kitchen. He ran his hand through his messy hair. “What are you doing up at what time is it?” He glanced at the clock. “Uh...3:30 in the morning making...mac and cheese?”

“I’m hungry,” Annabeth replied. “Duh.”

“And you decided to come and cook with what confidence?” Percy asked, trying hard not to smile.

“Look, I don't ask for much in life, but just this once, could you not question my madness for like 10 minutes,” She said, rolling her eyes at him.

“Wise Girl, I love you from the bottom of my heart but I don't trust your cooking. Stay out of my kitchen.” Percy said sternly. “You remember the last time you ‘cooked’ right?”

“Uh…” Annabeth recalled the time she tried to bake blue chocolate chip cookies to surprise Percy, after getting the recipe from Sally. To put it simply, it had not gone well. “Yeah, I do.”

Percy walked towards her. “So, maybe it’s best if I take care of this, okay?” He said, softly.

“Ugh okay,” she said, smiling at him. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Anything for you, Wise Girl.”

III.

Annabeth flipped through the pages of her book, her eyes scanning the words. She felt a tug on her hair, and glanced over her shoulder to see Percy freeze, caught in the act of playing with her hair.

She raised her eyebrow. “Percy, what are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Go back to reading.”

She stared at him, then turned her head back to her book. She felt another tug, and glared at Percy. “Percy, don’t touch my hair.”

“Ssh! Stop fussing. I’m braiding your hair.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I don’t need my hair to be braided.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t even feel me braiding it,” he said. “Just turn around.”

She groaned, then continued reading, while Percy continued to braid her hair. A lock of her hair fell over her shoulder and she suppressed her annoyance. “Percy….”

“Yes?”

“You interrupt my reading once more, and this book will become a lethal weapon,” she warned him.

Percy scoffed. “At times, I think you love your books more than me.”

“Well, it isn’t a lie,” she said.

IV.

Annabeth played with a few strands of Percy’s hair, glancing down at his concentrated face—which consisted of him sticking his tongue out—as they watched a mystery movie.

“Quit staring at me, Chase,” he said, teasingly. “Eyes on the TV.”

“I wasn’t staring at you,” she said, even though it was extremely obvious that she had.

“Sure,” he said.

Annabeth smiled at her boyfriend. Percy’s phone chimed nearby, and when she glanced to see what it was, her heart nearly melted. She laughs softly, causing Percy to look up at her.

“What happened?” He asked her.

She held up his phone. “Am I your lock screen?” she asked.

Percy froze. “You weren’t supposed to see that,” he replied, trying to reach for his phone.

“Aw, Seaweed Brain, it’s fine!” Annabeth said, smiling. “It’s cute that I’m your lock screen, ‘cause guess what?” “What?”

Annabeth searched for her phone, then held it up for him to see: they had the same picture of each other as their lock screens.

Percy grinned. “Maybe we are made for each other.”

“You’ve been spending way too much time with Piper.” Annabeth turned her attention back to their TV. “I bet you, Jim killed them.”

“No,” Percy said, shaking his head. “It’s definitely Vanessa.”

V.

Annabeth groaned, walking into their apartment. “I could die.”

“Well, I certainly hope you don’t,” Percy said, glancing at her from their couch. “What happened?”

“Long exam,” Annabeth mumbled. “I can’t speak.”

He raised an eyebrow, then patted at the seat beside him. “How long?”

“Three hours,” she said, taking off her socks before collapsing next to her boyfriend. “So exhausted. Can I snuggle up to you?”

“Sure,” he said, putting his arm around her.

“What if we’re all just living in a simulation?” Annabeth asked.

“Oh no,” Percy pulled away from her. “We’re getting to Existential Crisis Annabeth.”

“It makes sense though!” she exclaimed. “Like, it makes sense, what if our life is an experiment?”

“I highly doubt that,” he said. “Alright, maybe let’s get you to sleep before we reach Giggly Annabeth.”

“Hm,” Annabeth glared at him, pulling her feet up, resting her head against his chest.

“Wise Girl, quit touching me, your feet are cold!” He whined.

“I. Sleepy.”

“Uh...how long have you been awake for?”

“32 hours, 20 minutes and 45 seconds.”

VI.

Percy groaned, shuffling through his clothes. “Annabeth?” he yelled, finally giving up his search.

“Yeah?” came her voice from the other room.

“Have you seen my hoodie?”

“...Nooo.”

Percy sighed. “You’re wearing it, aren’t you?”

“What makes you think that, Perce?”

He rolled his eyes, and walked towards her. “Give me the hoodie.”

“It’s mine now!”

“Sharing is caring, now give me the hoodie!” He said, reaching out for her.

“Nope,” Annabeth said, smirking. “You should’ve hidden all your hoodies before you decided to let me in your life.”

VII.

“Perce?”

“Yeah?” he asked, craning his neck to see her.

“This is serious, okay?” Annabeth said, focusing her eyes on him. “Am I...too competitive at Monopoly?”

“...No,” he said.

She rolled his eyes. “I can tell you’re lying, you know. Be honest, am I too competitive?”

“Maybe...maybe just a little bit,” he said. “And-ouch! Wise Girl!”

She looked at him innocently, like she hadn’t just smacked him with a pillow. “What?” Then she smacked him again.

“YOU SAID TO BE HONEST STOP HITTING ME!” He yelled.

VIII.

Percy walked across their apartment nervously. He called Annabeth when he was a few feet away.

“Percy?”

“Hey, so, um...totally random question here, but what would you do if I dyed my hair?” Percy asked.

“...Did you dye your hair?” Annabeth asked in turn.

Percy gave a fake laugh. “No! What makes you think that?”

“Percy…” The door to their bedroom opened up, and Annabeth peeked out to find a blue-haired Percy Jackson. She groaned. “Percy!”

“Surprise?” He said, giving her jazz hands.

“I think we need to have a talk, mister.” She folded her arms. “You dyed your hair blue?”

“I mean, you should’ve known it was coming,” he protested weakly. “I waste time trying to find blue maple syrup, how did you think I wouldn’t dye my hair?”

“You never find blue maple syrup! I thought you were gonna give up on your obsession one day or another.”

“How am I attracted to you?"