#like obviously it’s different with close friend and again like 10-20 reblogs at a time idm!!!!!!! this is the fun site where we play with

[wisecrackingeric-2]

I didn’t wanna say anything cuz I didn’t wanna be rude at first but then it started crashing my phone NDMEJDNDJDN I know this is the fun spam reblog site and don’t get me wrong I get S O FLATTERED when people spam reblog a single/recent post but like. In moderation man. Don’t do it to the HUNDREDS cuz not only does that fill up my notifications but it also force-crashes my (already dying) phone and just kinda makes me feel really awkward

[princessplantasaurus]

Sponge AU Masterlist (for drabble requests and more!)

Alright so I literally just realized that I’m out here asking people for drabble prompts and vaguely mentioning my AUs but...a lot of newer sponge followers found me after the proshot and therefore weren’t around for these AUs?? So here is a masterlist of my Sponge AUs! I’m currently accepting any and all drabble prompts for any and all of these AUs and I’m also willing to answer questions or give some headcanons about them should anyone be curious! I’m also willing to do AUs of these AUs, such as, say a soulmate AU taking place in one of the AUs listed below, for example. 1. Regular Humanized Musical AU Basically exactly what it says on the tin. Based on the musical, all the characters are/appear human. Wrote quite a bit for this before, can be found here. 2. Regular Humanized Musical AU except Karen’s a robot Same as above, except while everyone else is a human, Karen appears human but is a robot. Sheldon built her originally as an assistant for his (then) new restaurant, and somewhere along the way she developed romantic feelings that she never expected him to return (but obviously, he did). Typically a little more angsty or in the hurt/comfort genre than the regular humanized musical au, often drabbles took place much before the musical, in the early days of Plankton and Karen’s relationship. Wrote quite a few of these, can be found here.

3. College AU Ah yes, the one that started it all. Basically a humanized college AU but this was the main one I wrote for. There was a fic posted on ao3 and also several drabbles. First year student Edward started at college in Bikini Bottom with his high school boyfriend as his roommate. When his roommate cheats on him during frosh week, he eventually works up the nerve to request a move. He ends up rooming with fellow first year students Bobby and Patrick, who were best friends from day one. Bobby works at an on-campus restaurant as fry cook, and eventually gets Edward a job as cashier, replacing Sheldon, the former best friend of their student manager, a fourth year student named Eugene Krabs.  Eugene and Sheldon were best friends since elementary school, and went to the same college with the plan of graduating with degrees in business and food science and opening their own restaurant together. When Sheldon stated dating Karen, however, it through a wrench in their friendship. Eugene knocking up his girlfriend and now having to worry about being a father on top of graduating and managing the restaurant has put a lot of stress on him. Meanwhile, Sandy Cheeks, a first year student, just got kicked out of the sorority she only got into since she was the daughter of an alumni. There’s so much more I could say about this AU since this AU is the most “my baby” of all of them but I’ll leave it at this. 3a. Coffee Shop AU An AU of the College AU that featured Bobby as the campus’ resident barista, who deemed himself cafe cupid as he tried to pair up both Sheldon and Karen, and Perch and Edward. Wrote a small handful of things that can be found here. 4. Battle of the Bands AU Team of Tres, 3 twenty something best friends (Bobby, Patrick and Sandy) who have been playing as a pop rock band for a few years, and are finally entering the Bikini Bottom Battle of the Bands, where the winner gets signed to a major label. They think they have it in the bag, until they realize last year’s runners up, Chum Bucket, who toured with the Electric Skates as their opening act, are back to compete again. Chum Bucket is a duo, fronted by leading man vocalist Sheldon Plankton, who considers himself a bisexual sex god rock star and likes to maintain this image, often bringing fans backstage to make out with them. Doing literally everything else for Chum Bucket is the second member, Karen, who writes, produces, and arranges all their songs, while also live mixing and DJing behind Sheldon during sets. What no one knows is Sheldon and Karen have actually been dating for close to 10 years, something they’ve been keeping secret in order for Sheldon to keep up his ‘image’ with the fan base. Feeling the need to add a little extra edge to the band, Bobby recruits Pearl, the teenage daughter of his day job’s manager, after hearing her sing one day and realizing she’s a better lead vocalist than he’d ever be. Pearl’s dad doesn’t exactly KNOW they’re doing this. And why, pray tell, is Bobby’s next door neighbor always complaining about their music? What could Edward possibly know about music, anyway? (When I was initially going to write this as a fic I kept Edward’s role in this a secret and tbh I still kinda want to unless someone requests a drabble prompt that involves his involvement.)   I did write a little bit for this au, all of which can be found here. And now onto the stuff I never got around to writing! 5. Monsters and Aliens AU This one’s gonna be vague as hell because this started as a vague pitch of “Spongebob Universal Monsters AU” that me and my friend Bella kept snowballing in DMs (specifically while I was in the stock room at the place I worked at the time one day, I remember this vividly for some reason??). So basically you got Sheldon who’s a vampire, Sandy who’s a weresquirrel, Squidward as a Phantom of the Opera type, and Patrick who’s a Frankenstien’s Monster type. They are all basically being held in a house arrest type situation, free to live in their little house on the outskirts of town but not wanted by Bikini Bottom as a society since they’ve all wreaked havoc on the town before. Spongebob is town’s local hero kid. Ever since he was young, his upbeat unbreakable positivity and unwavering stick-to-it-iveness have been utilized by the town to stop disaster, including sending him to save them from the monsters multiple times. When a race of alien robots invade and threaten to not just destroy and conquer Bikini Bottom, but the world, the town decides it’s best to send the monsters at them like a little monster army. Spongebob, worried for his monster friends,  decides to spearhead this process so that he can help them plan and train. (Karen is also involved in this AU, as one of the alien robots who “defects” to the “good side” because Plankton “sucessfully” “secudes” her, but that’s a whole separate side tangent)  6. Girl Group AU I LITERALLY FORGOT THIS EVEN EXISTED UNTIL I WAS GOING THROUGH OLD DMs AND IT CAME FLOODING BACK TO ME. Sandy, Pearl and Karen started as a group of high school friends posting videos of themselves singing on YouTube who eventually got big enough to be signed to a major label. Sandy is the lead vocalist and doesn’t really want to BE a musician anymore. Singing was fun when it was just a side hobby she did with two of her friends, but she hates the fame and doesn’t want to pursue music as a career. She’d really rather dedicate her life to science, but she doesn’t want to ruin things for Pearl and Karen Pearl is the youngest (was 15 when they started making videos as opposed to Sandy and Karen who were almost 17) and feels like she’s constantly stuck in Sandy’s shadow. Wants to prove to the world (and her dad) that she’s more than just Sandy’s back up singer. Karen writes all the songs and mostly stays out of the spotlight. Has highkey been sleeping with their manager since day one, despite Sheldon claiming he treats all of his clients equally and doesn’t play favorites. (should be noted that Karen and Sandy were 19ish by the time they were signed and Sheldon would’ve been 20 or 21 since I picture him as an intern who got to surpass his mentor by finding and signing ‘the next big thing’ so like...the Sheldon/Karen relationship is at a healthy age difference don’t get that twisted) But yeah those are the AUs!! And I may think of more!! But I’m back in Sponge mode and want to write more drabbles so feel free to send literally anything into my inbox!! It can be just a little idea of your own, and I’ll also be reblogging starter prompts a few times a week if you’d rather send something from one of those! Feel free to specify an AU! Or not and I’ll pick the one I’m feeling! But thank you very much to everyone who read this monstrosity of a post I owe you my life.

[7-wonders]

As Above, So Below Ch. 21

Summary: Your average, mundane life as a college student is flipped upside down when the man you thought you knew as your next-door neighbor turns out to be the God of the dead. When Michael lures you down to Hell, everything that you thought you knew about the world is proven wrong.

Word Count: 2523

A/N: Hello, hope y’all enjoy this new chapter! If you did, likes and reblogs are extremely appreciated, as are comments :)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6| Chapter 7| Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21: Of Heaven, Hell, and All In Between

In all of your wildest dreams, you would have never imagined getting to show your love your favorite parts of being a human would be one of them, let alone your reality. Now, Michael’s hand clasps yours as you walk down the streets of . He had given you the option to go anywhere and, while there’s so many places and things that you want to show him, you had to first go to where it all began. The situation almost feels mundane, were it not for the fact that Michael’s the literal God of the Dead. 

“What’s going on in that head of yours, darling?” Michael mutters into your ear.

“Just...thinking about how weird this is, that we’re together Above.”

“Is it a good weird or a bad weird?”

He’s teasing you, the quirk of his lips betraying his cautious words, so you play along. “A bad weird, obviously. I had hoped to parade through the streets after successfully returning from the land of the dead. Unfortunately, I seem to have fallen in love with the ruler of that land.”

Michael smirks, stilling when you smile at him and kiss his neck. “What was that?”

“Uh, me kissing your neck?” Michael nods. “Because I think you’re cute, and I can show you my affection when we’re not fighting, fucking, or on the verge of death.”

He stares at you for a long moment, making you nervous that kissing his neck was the wrong move. “Do it again,” Michael commands.

Biting your lip to stifle your giggles, you oblige and kiss his neck once more. Michael hums contentedly, pulling you closer to his side. Everything about you clashes with him. Michael’s skin, pale as new snow, while your skin has weathered years of being under the sun. He’s clad in nothing but black, which makes your sweater stand out even more. He refuses to show more than a minuscule smirk in public, but the wide smile on your face more than makes up for his lack of one. On the outside, you’re two completely different people. Your souls, however, are another story.

If souls could have colors, Michael’s would be the darkest shade of black. It’s the type of soul where, if anyone were to get too close, they would come away with hands stained the same color as his soul. You’re not sure what color yours would be, but certainly lighter than Michael’s. While your soul no doubt bears the mark of Michael, just as his has your lightness, a stain’s something that you want to get out. You would never want to remove Michael from any part of your life. No matter the differences you may share, your souls are in perfect harmony with one another, each drawing light from the dark and vice versa.

“This is the best that your mortal life has to offer?”

You shoot Michael a playful glare. “Well, I didn’t exactly have much of a forewarning before arriving at Violet’s, which makes it a little difficult to come up with a way to fully celebrate my last day as a mortal.”

“We can do whatever you would like, darling. This is your day; I will follow you anywhere and do anything as long as I’m with you.”

“Including just standing around, waiting for me to decide what to do?”

Michael laughs, pulling you closer to him and kissing your forehead. “Especially that.”

You continue walking through a park, no destination in mind as you think about the possibilities of the day. You could go to Paris or Milan. Greece would be nice to visit, although you’re not sure Michael would be too excited about that. Somewhere tropical, maybe? The mental image of Michael, dressed in his long sleeves and slacks and sitting under a black umbrella to keep out of the sun, makes you laugh.

“Wait,” you say suddenly, an idea forming. “Can you give me like half an hour to get some things together? I know what I want to do.”

“What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”

You shrug. “I don’t know. Go help your sister? Or I’m sure there’s business to attend to back home, if you think you have the time.”

“Half an hour,” Michael says after a moment, “and no longer. Then I’ll have to hunt you down and it will spoil whatever you’re planning.”

“Deal!” Kissing Michael quickly, you glance around to make sure nobody is looking your way before you transmute to where you need to go. Michael sighs while looking at the spot where you once were, your excitement getting the best of your conversational skills.

“Love you too.”

//

Exactly thirty minutes later, you track Michael down with very simple divination. You’ve kept good on your promise of never using a mirror for divination again, the experience of being sucked into a living nightmare one that you’d like to never repeat, but divination using objects like pebbles comes in handy. He’s not at his sister’s apartment, nor is he in the Underworld. Instead, Michael’s in a location that you’re both familiar with; the location where you first met.

The Murder House doesn’t hold the same dread within its walls that it once did. After battling the literal Devil, you don’t think anything could scare you like it used to. Traipsing through the house like you own the place (maybe you do--if Michael owns it, then that means it’s technically yours, right?), you find Michael standing in the unfinished living room.

“Feeling nostalgic?” You wrap your arms around him from behind, leaning your head against his firm back.

“Just reminiscing.” Michael lifts your arms from his torso, turning around so that you’re face to face with him. “Did you accomplish what you set out to do?”

Humming your affirmation, you look up at Michael. “When was the first time you saw me? Was it when I snuck in here to go ghost hunting, or were you up to some stalker shit?”

“It was not ‘some stalker shit,’” Michael quotes with a scowl. “I had simply come Above for some business, using the Hellmouth under this house as my portal, when I saw you struggling to carry all of your groceries into the house at once.”

“Wow, and you didn’t bother to help?” you quip sarcastically.

“If I remember correctly, I heard you saying that ‘multiple trips are for amateurs.’ Didn’t want to diminish your accomplishment.” Your face heats up at the quote, but you can’t help the smile at the first time Michael saw you.

“That’s when you knew you loved me, right?”

Your teasing tone is lost on Michael. “No. I knew I was in love with you the first time you met Cerberus and you immediately managed to become best friends with him.”

“How do you manage to make my jokes into something sweet and sentimental?”

“A millennia of practice.” Michael looks out the window, towards the house that you used to occupy. “Do your roommates know what’s become of you?”

“I told them I’m studying abroad in England next year, and that I wanted to leave early to travel through Europe. My belongings are still there, but I can worry about getting those later.” You can tell that Michael is starting to feel guilty about what he believes is himself forcing you from your mortal life, so you grab his hands. “Are you ready to see what I have planned now?”

“Lead the way, my queen.” Closing your eyes tightly (the sudden change of location still makes you a little nauseous), you transmute both you and Michael to your so-called “secret” location.

It takes Michael a moment to adjust, the sunlight so bright that his eyes squint to avoid being temporarily blinded. You giggle, waiting patiently as he becomes accustomed to being in nature. When he’s finally able to open his eyes, he looks around in confusion. 

“Is this--”

“The meadow that you recreated for me in Elysium when you took me on a date. I decided that I wanted to show you the real version of it.”

Michael’s at a loss for words as he looks around at the wide open space, and the best response he can come up with is “why did it take you thirty minutes if you knew where you were going?”

Gesturing to a spot beneath a large tree, Michael sees a large blanket set up with a variety of foods spread on it. “I figured I would return the favor and take you on a date this time.”

“That’s quite backwards, isn’t it?”

“It’s the 21st century, Michael. Women can take men on dates if they want.”

Michael knows you’re joking, but still holds his hands up in mock-surrender. “I’m not complaining, I’m just not used to this.”

You lead Michael over to the picnic you set up, sitting down and attempting to keep your excitement contained as he joins you. “Pick your poison, baby. What speaks to you?”

“What are those?” Michael asks, pointing to a plate.

“They’re cupcakes.” He tilts his head in confusion, reminding you of a puppy. “It’s cake, but in cup form so that you don’t have to eat it with a fork.”

Hesitantly unwrapping one, he sniffs it before taking a cautious bite. Michael looks at you with an indecipherable expression, his lips sporting the remains of the white frosting.

“Oh, I really like that.”

You laugh, surprising him when you kiss the frosting off of his lips. “You have to be careful though, because they can be pretty sweet.”

“Just like you,” Michael fires back, making you roll your eyes. 

“Wow, how original. There must be a universal playbook or something.”

“Or every other man in history has learned that line from me, because I’m pretty sure I was the first to use that line,” Michael points out, making you begrudgingly nod.

“I didn’t think of that possibility.”

“Your turn.” Dipping his finger in the frosting of a cupcake, Michael holds it up to your lips and watches intently as you lick it into your mouth. You know exactly the game that he’s playing towards, and you refuse to give in.

“What’s it like?” you ask suddenly.

“What’s what like?”

“Being immortal.”

Michael thinks for a moment. “There’s a certain...power that comes along with knowing that you are one of the privileged few that get to live forever, but I can tell that’s not what you’re curious about.”

You smile slightly, shaking your head. “I’m scared to watch my family and friends grow old and die, while I remain the same.”

“I can’t pretend that I know what that’s like,” Michael sighs, “but I can attempt to offer you comfort. While that must be difficult, the upside of being the Queen of the Underworld--”

“Not yet,” you chime in.

“Not yet, but you will be. Anyways, I suppose that’s the beauty of our realm. Life does not end with death; it continues, just in different forms.” At the mention of ‘death,’ Michael looks down at the wilting flowers around him in disdain. “Well, life does not end with death when it involves you.”

“Here, give me your hand.” Michael looks at you suspiciously, but you just hold your hand in front of his face. “Hand.”

Michael complies, placing his large hand in yours. You breathe deeply, ignoring how he looks at you like you’re going a little crazy. 

“Now look.” Michael does as he’s told, looking down at the ground. The flowers around him are now fully blooming, each a variety of colors that have Michael bending down to get closer.

“You’re spectacular, (Y/N).” Michael beams at you. “I cannot wait until you’re my wife.”

“Your wife?” you say, choking on air.

“Yes? That’s typically what comes along with being a queen.” Michael hesitates at the look on your face. “I mean, unless that’s not what you want, in which case exceptions can be made.”

“Michael,” you call, stopping his rambling. “It’s--you just surprised me, that’s all. We’ve never talked about marriage before, so I wasn’t really expecting it.”

“You...would want to be my wife, though?” Michael asks cautiously.

“Is this you asking to marry me?”

“Would you accept if it was?” 

You shrug, stringing him out just a little longer. “I don’t know, I suppose you’ll have to ask and find out.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), I love you. As a man who did not believe I was capable of being loved, you’ve shown me how to love and be loved unconditionally. For that, I give you my word that I will love you until the end of days. I can only hope that you will do the same; that I have left the same indelible mark on your soul as you have mine.

“I am sure you are aware that our union would not be the traditional one that you have in mind. No white dress or elaborate ceremony, no ‘I do’s or wedding marches. However, I can promise you that you will be mine, just as much as I will be yours. We will be married for all intents and purposes as according to the customs of the gods. I will move mountains for you; hang the stars in the sky and then take them down, solely because you asked me to do so. So, (Y/N), will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

You grin, desperate not to cry as Michael spills his feelings to you, ending it with a declaration that’s just as surprising to him as it is to you. He knows what you’re going to say, he’s been able to read you like a book since the day you met, but he still waits patiently to hear you say it.

“Yes, Michael.” You whisper it so quietly that you fear it may get lost in the wind, but he hears it. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

He takes your face in his hands. “Yes? Really?”

“Yes,” you laugh. “Really.”

Michael surges forward to kiss you, eagerly touching any piece of you that he can. You giggle as he lays you back on the blanket, hovering over you and kissing your cheeks, nose, neck--everywhere.

“My wife,” he says in awe. “You’ll have to forgive me for not having a ring at the ready for this spontaneous proposal.”

“I don’t need a ring, love,” you stroke his hair away from his face. “Having you as my husband is all I’ll need.”

“Your majesty,” a voice says suddenly, causing you and Michael to spring apart. Cassius, the demon who had helped with your plan to dispose of Satan, stands above the blanket.

“Jesus Christ,” you mutter, still getting over the shock of having somebody interrupt an intimate moment. “Look, I know you shun modern advancements, but everybody should seriously consider investing in cell phones to give some forewarning.”

Michael huffs a laugh under his breath, kissing your hand that he holds. “Cassius, what brings you here.”

“I have a message from Hermes, on behalf of Hera. The golden apple has been procured. Hermes will be bringing it Below henceforth.”

//

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[shadowed-dancer]

SVTFOE Season 4 Rewrite

Long, long ago I hinted that I’d make this and then I didn’t post it. It’s been sitting in my drafts for months so I figured “hey, maybe it’s time.” Some of you may recall this rewrite I did back in May which changed the events of Cleaved, but I wanted to go further. In an ideal scenario, we never get to the point where Cleaved is a necessary episode because the build up of the season was designed in a way that any resolution ends up being unsatisfying.

For this little writing exercise I’ve decided to undertake, I’d like to establish my ground rules. I will be working with the amount of episodes already allotted to season 4 (21 episodes) and I’ll be writing under the idea that they are aired the same way (two every Sunday, with the finale being aired alone. I’ll put a “-” in between episodes so you know which would have aired together). Some episodes will remain the same, some will be similar but will have changes, some will borrow ideas from real episodes, and others will be the same as episodes we actually got, just shifted to a different point in the season. Some of my episodes will be 10 minutes, others will take the whole 20.

As always, this is just for fun, I still have the greatest respect for the svtfoe team and what they created.

It’s a super long post, which is why it’s under the cut. I worked really hard on this, so any likes and reblogs are appreciated! Alright, without further ado, season 4!

Episode 1: Butterfly Follies

I found that this episode was a lovely reintroduction to the characters, so I wouldn’t change anything about it.

Episode 2: Escape From Pie Island

Honestly, it was fine. I think it tied together the “finding Moon” plot from Butterfly Follies pretty well. I’d include a little more about Festivia if anything.

-

Episode 3 A: Moon Remembers

A nice episode as is, I wouldn’t change anything

Episode 3 B: Swimsuit

Also an awesome episode! One of my favourites actually, so it stays (don’t worry, we’ll get to the juicy changes soon enough)

Episode 4 A: Ransomgram

Ransomgram was a cute episode. It helped us take a break from the plot driven drama of the past few episodes. HOWEVER, I would change 1 thing. At the end, when someone has to stay in the ab dimension to repair the damage, I’d have Star do it (like she tricks Marco into leaving, closes the portal behind him, then comes out a few seconds later in Mewni). This way her age evens out with Marco’s. The way it’s currently written actually makes the age gap worse! So yeah, have Star stay behind without Marco.

Episode 4 B: Lake House Fever

A good episode, I loved seeing more of Dave and Wrathmelior, but I would start really foreshadowing that Star and Tom are about to break up. Don’t have the cute “are you an angel” exchange at the end. Instead, let them have the awkwardness of a couple who’s fallen out of love. We want to break people off their desire for Tomstar early, not super late.

-

Episode 5 A: Yada Yada Berries

Who doesn’t love a good detective episode? Plus, the events of this will be important later. It stays the same

Episode 5 B: Down by the River

Similar to the original, but now have Moon actually excited to start a new Kingdom. It’s in her nature, she’s been trained to be queen her whole life, so show the establishments of the new kingdom, but with a queen who really wanted it (have her be excited when new people show up, have her eagerly establish living quarters and such).

Episode 6 A: The Ponyhead Show

Same title, different plot. Ponyhead’s new show is set to premiere with it’s first celebrity guest, Eclipsa, but someone cuts the connection. The show was supposed to be Eclipsa’s first official address to her people. This episode’s plot is the characters trying to get the connection back before their allotted time runs out. They end up succeeding and Eclipsa gets to sing her song. Also, cut all the Kelly and Marco interactions, or at least make it super obvious that they are just friends (why not give Kelly a boyfriend? One that isn’t Tad)

Episode 6 B: Surviving the Spiderbites

Perfect episode, wouldn’t change a thing. Absolutely amazing.

-

Episode 7: Curse of the Blood Moon

Yeah, I cut the entirety of the original episode 7 and shifted this one up a bit, but can you really blame me? Those episodes were pointless! This episode was good, I wouldn’t change to much, however, make it really obvious that, after the curse is broken, Marco still thinks everything about Star is adorable. She could also feel the same way about him. To make room for this, cut that weird couch segment.

Episode 8 A: Princess Quasar Catepillar and the Magic Bell

This was a fun episode, and since we’ll just be coming off of a plot driven episode, let’s do something cool with Ludo!

Episode 8 B: Ghost of Butterfly Castle

Same as the actual episode, but now we learn that Mina was not only behind the Yada Yada berries, but she was also behind cutting the connection at the Ponyhead Show.

-

Episode 9 A: Cornball!

Same as the actual episode we got, but without the whole “Break up buddies” thing between Marco and Kelly (remember how we cut that whole episode?) Now, we just have Marco and Kelly being friends, maybe with Marco hinting that he really likes Star and Kelly giving some relationship advice?

Episode 9 B: Meteora’s Lesson

Same title, but it’s been rewritten! So, the episode plays out the same up until they meet Toffee. In this new episode, they don’t meet Toffee at all! Instead, they travel to Skywynne directly after she destroyed the dimension. Turns out the lesson wasn’t for Meteora, it was for Skywynne. Glossaryck reassures Skywynne that everything will work out between her and her crush and, as proof, he brought her great granddaughter from the future. Skywynne is super confused and attributes the whole thing to being a hallucination caused by her dipping down for the first time (because remember, Skywynne thinks Glossaryck is dead at that point in her life). Glossaryck tries to explain that he’s real and, to prove he’s fake, Skywynne grabs her wand and is about to blast him. Meteora reacts to this and dips down to protect him (like the way it’s described in the book, out of the protection for another). Glossaryck and her go back to their own time, leaving Skywynne really confused. It ends the same way the real episode does.

Episode 10 A: The Knight Shift

I didn’t like this episode, but I like the relationship building between Marco and Star. It ends similarly with Marco saying that, no matter what, he’ll be there for Star and will visit her often. He then gets a call from his parents, leading us to...

Episode 10 B: Mariposa

A completely new episode! Marco and Star learn that his new baby brother is about to be born, so they return to Earth. Maybe there’s some trouble getting there or whatever. It would just be a cute episode, so I won’t go into huge details since they don’t matter, but it would obviously end with the baby being a girl and being called Mariposa! Star decides to stay on Earth for a few days, realizing that she feels more comfortable there than on Mewni at the moment.

-

Episode 11 A: Britta’s Tacos

Pretty much the same episode we actually got. I liked it.

Episode 11 B: Beach Day

Again, same episode as what we got in the actual season. However now there is the obviousness of them slowly wanting to be a couple.

Episode 12 A: Gone Baby Gone

Pretty much the same episode because I love getting to see the teen designs for Mariposa and Meteora. However, this time it’s not Heckapoo who leaves a portal open, instead someone (doesn’t matter who) accidentally cuts a rift to the abs dimension. Also, now we’d actually get to see adult Star from when I aged her up back in ransomgram!

Episode 12 B: Sad Teen Hotline

Tom comes to visit Star on Earth and breaks up with her. It’s basically the same as the original episode, but the portals are actually being affected by their emotions (not by Heckapoo closing the portals). It ends with him coming to terms with it and is able to make a proper portal to leave.

-

Episode 13 A: Pancake Day

Similar to the episode “A Spell With No Name” from the actual series in the sense that we get to hang out with the spells again. Star’s spells are in a bit of a panic because ownership has transferred from Star to Eclipsa and they fear they may never be used again! To help ease their minds, Narwhal and Spider go out to the other rooms and interview spells from past queens (specifically spells we actually read about in the book) and they get to realize that, even if another princess doesn’t use them, they still can lead good lives inside the wand! To celebrate, the invite their new spell friends back to their room for a pancake day.

Episode 13 B: Junkin Janna

Star needs to accompany Eclipsa to a meeting with the MHC, while Tom needs help keeping his mind off his breakup with Star. Janna tags along with Star to Mewni and offers to take Tom boot sledding. Eclipsa and Star learn that there are readings of magic being emitted from the destroyed Butterfly castle (not the monster temple). Eclipsa and Star say they don’t know who it is, since neither of them had gone back. Meanwhile, Tom and Janna get attacked by the bird and we learn that Mina is creating a giant suit of armour for... something.

Episode 14: General Loveberry

A flashback episode! Yay! This episode starts the same way “Pizza Party” starts, with an introduction to rag peddler Mina meeting Solaria and the promise that Mina will be the fiercest warrior Mewni ever knew. It cuts to a scene at the meeting table (the one from “Moon the Undaunted”) with Jushtin yelling at Solaria that the idea is insane. Mina says she’ll happily risk herself to defend the kingdom, and that perhaps Mewni is lucky Jushtin never became queen. Jushtin stands up and takes Eclipsa from Solaria, saying that it’s his sister’s choice on how to proceed, but that it’s no place for a baby.

We then go through a series of cuts to the different Queens at the table. At each cut, Mina becomes a little more unstable.

We start with Queen Eclipsa and Shastacan arguing about whether to deploy the Solarians. Mina reassures Eclipsa that her armies will destroy every last monster, making Eclipsa squirm. She says that she’s the queen and her decision is final, they will not use the Solarians.

Cut to Festivia and the MHC. True to Festivia’s chapter, Rhombulus is suggesting war, Omnitraxes says to wait, Glossaryck isn’t there, and Heckapoo is being super supportive of Festivia. She decides they will go to war and Mina says her army will fight just as hard, if not harder, than when Solaria had first made them.

Cut to Dirhhennia doodling balls on a piece of paper while Festivia introduces Mina and describes all the valiant things she did. Dirhhennia looks up and shrugs, making some comment or whatever. Festivia and Mina exchange a look and it cuts to the literal same scene, but now it’s Crescenta excitedly listening to the victories of Mina. She says that, with her plans for the kingdom, Mina and the Solarians won’t need to fight, and that they can take a break, but it’s good to know they fought so hard.

Cut to Rhina asking if it’s possible for the Solarians to protect her on a trip to the Underworld. Mina explains that not many Solarians are left, and besides, their job wasn’t escort missions, they were made for battle.

Cut to Celena comforting Mina, as we learn that she is the last Solarian left.

Cut to the MHC arguing again with Estrella drawing instead of paying attention, while Mina tries to explain the benefit of another war.

Finally, we cut to Queen Comet explaining her idea for a peace treaty. Mina tries desperately to change her mind, but Comet refuses and explains how the tension between monsters has been going on for too long. She tells Mina a detailed plan for her trip to make he deal, and is then called in by Moon, who needs help figuring out a pie recipe. Comet leaves and Mina is left to think.

Under the cover of night, Mina goes out to the Monster camp. The Monsters freak out as she walks in, but she explains that she means them no harm... yet. She demands she speaks to the general (Toffee) and she gives him all the details of Comet’s travel plan. She says that a peace treaty won’t benefit either side, and he says he agrees. She tells him to do whatever he wants with that information, before she runs back into the woods.

We then get a cut to the present, where Mina is standing in the garden at night, facing statues of the previous queens that we just saw. She apologizes to Comet, saying that it was the only way to end the war once and for all. She hears footsteps behind her, and Moon appears. She says “I’m ready to help” and Mina smiles.

-

Episode 15 A: A Boy and His DC‑700XE

Again, same episode. This was a really nice, fun episode. However, any and all jokes about Tomco are removed, and instead Tom says that if Marco wants to date Star, he can.

(I want to deal with this now, because I know someone will ask. The reason I don’t want any Tomco hints is because, in this fake season, Starco is already under way. I want to minimize the shipping drama and just build as healthy a relationship as possible for Star and Marco, one that the fandom would hopefully be ok with).

Episode 15 B: Return to St. Olga’s

Eclipsa comes to Star and says that Meteora won’t stop crying and she’s not sure why. She gives Star a drawing that Meteora did, which Star immediately recognizes (it’s just a bunch of scribbles, the audience isn’t meant to know what this is but somehow Star gets it). She tells Eclipsa she knows what Meteora wants, and goes to get Marco. They then go back to St. Olga’s and we get to check in with the girls over there (they’re doing well). The details don’t really matter, but in the end they find Meteora’s old car parked out front (the one she used to live in) and in the trunk they find the dolls of Eclipsa and Globgor. They return with the dolls and Meteora begins clapping before hugging them close. Eclipsa expresses her shock, stating that she hadn’t seen those dolls in 300 hundred years. It ends with Eclipsa looking at the Globgor doll and smiling.

Episode 16: The Monster and the Queen

Similar to the real episode, but longer. It ends with Star proclaiming that Eclipsa will receive a proper coronation, and then will become the proper queen of Mewni once again.

-

Episode 17 A: Doop Doop

Same title, altered plot. Moon goes to Star and tells her to go on vacation to Earth because the stress of planning a coronation is clearly starting to get to her. Star agrees, saying it would be nice to take a break from planning. Star and Marco go through Mewni and say good bye to all their friends, ending with Doop Doop, before actually leaving for Earth. Once they’re back on Earth, Star says she forgot something and tries to open the portal, but it doesn’t work. She questions if it’s because she’s emotional, like what happened with her break up with Tom. She attempts to call Tom with the intention of having him bring the thing she forgot, but it goes to static. Her and Marco realize something is wrong with the portals.

Episode 17 B: Jannanagins

Same episode, but now Tom isn’t here.

Episode 18 A: Mama Star

Same episode, but Tom isn't here.

Episode 18 B: Ready, Aim, Fire

Similar to the real episode, but Globgor is not free yet. Star, Marco, and Janna all wake up in different places on Mewni (Doop Doop, lint catcher, and Meteora’s nursery). Marco learns that the MHC plans on freeing Globgor, then having the Solarians attack while he’s still disoriented from being freed. Moon is shocked that Star has returned, and Star goes to help Eclipsa, whose castle is under attack. Janna is staying with Meteora while Eclipsa defends her castle and her people.

-

Episode 19 A: The Right Way

Star and Eclipsa defeat the one warrior (not with the total annihilation spells, just with something else). Moon shows up to help but slips up and reveals she sent Star to Earth knowing this attack would happen, and that she wanted Star away from the danger. She’s then forced to explain herself and reveals that she (Moon) made the new Solarians with the intent of getting rid of Globgor once and for all. Moon speaks of the horror stories she was told about Globgor, leading Eclipsa to speak up with the truth.

Episode 19 B: Queen of Darkness

A flashback episode, very similar to “Moon the Undaunted” from season 3. This would be the story of Meteora’s kidnapping, Globgor eating Shastacan, the attack on Spiderbite village, and Globgor’s crystallization. The whole episode would end with Eclipsa being crystallized.

Episode 20 A: Here to Help

Moon tries to reason with Mina, explaining that she was wrong about Globgor and that he was just a parent looking out for his family. She takes away the powers of the Solarians, leaving Mina as the only one left. Moon tells Mina that Eclipsa will leave with Meteora and Globgor will stay crystallized forever. Mina complains that they are all being let off too easy and tries to attack, but is held off. The group of heroes fall through a portal like they do in “Pizza Party”, and they meet Heckapoo.

Episode 20 B: The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse

Heckapoo reveals that Rhombulus and Mina are going to destroy Globgor and there’s nothing they can do, so they might as well stay safe until this whole thing blows over, then Moon and Star can return, while Eclipsa and Meteora stay in hiding. Moon is mad until she realizes this is exactly what she did to Star, and suddenly understands Star’s conviction to fight for her beliefs. Star is freaking out over the whole thing and sees Glossaryck, forcing herself into his eye. From there, she tells him she needs advice and he takes her to the grandma room. The ghosts appear similar to the actual grandma reunion scene, but this time Star asks them for help on what to do. A few of them motion to Moon’s tapestry, revealing Toffee can speak. He and Star have a civil conversation which leads to him revealing that Mina gave him the information on where to find Comet. Star turns to ask the ghosts if that’s true, but they’re gone. She sees her tapestry though, it’s her and Marco holding hands while standing on a stage. They are facing away from the audience. Facing towards the audience is Eclipsa, Globgor, and Meteora, being cheered on. Star realizes this is the coronation and that she needs to make this happen. She returns and explains that Eclipsa needs to be the true queen again. When Moon protests, Star reveals that Mina helped plot the murder of Comet. With that, Moon prepares for battle.

-

Episode 21: Cornonation

The episode begins with the group of friends all backstage while Eclipsa gets ready. It’s not as huge of an auditorium because they’re trying to keep things pretty quiet so they don’t attract any unwanted attention. (At some point here, Marco can point out the typo of “Cornonation”). Eclipsa learns a string on her guitar broke and runs to go fix it. Star goes after her and finds that Globgor has escaped. It was Mina who convinced Rhombulus to let Globgor out, but they didn’t anticipate he’d be so fast and he escaped. In a panic, he crashes into the coronation stage (rather than running to the swamp) and Mina goes for the attack. At some point, we show Moon returning to Butterfly castle to get her armour, and there can be another scene where she looks at her mother’s tapestry, smiling before going out to avenge her.

At this moment at the Coronation, Eclipsa is being crystallized but suddenly breaks out her butterfly form and dips down for the first time. She and Moon join forces to do the spell with no name but now it's effects are less deadly, it simply destroys Mina’s armour (rather than flying out and melting everything else). Moon can have a cool moment where she confronts Mina about Comet.

The MHC is still fighting Globgor and we get a similar cool fight scene. Tom suddenly flies up (he was back stage with Marco) and summons the dead queens (remember how he did that with Mackie Hand?) Mina is about to deliver the final blow on Globgor, who’s been reunited with Meteora, when Solaria intercepts the blow. Mina asks her why she’s doing this and she just holds Mina’s face in her hands. “You’ve served me valiantly, Mina. But it’s time to rest.” Mina returns to her normal form and looks around and sees how innocent Globgor looks with his family. She runs off into the forest.

The dead queens take a moment to look at their family. Solaria has a touching moment with Eclipsa and her family, showing she accepts it. Jushtin can swoop in and ruffle Eclipsa’s hair, causing them all to laugh. Maybe even Festivia and meet with Eclipsa (just a silent scene), perhaps with a hug from Eclipsa to Festivia. Meanwhile, Star and Moon reunite with Comet. Star finally gets to meet Celena and apologizes to Festivia for destroying her legacy. Star then makes amends with Skywynne, to whom she confesses that she was her favourite grandma. All the queens wave goodbye and are about to leave when Eclipsa stops them. “I know that some of you aren’t my real family, but we were all Queens of Mewni. And this kind of reunion doesn’t happen every day so... will you stay for my coronation?”

It ends the same way the real episode ends, but now we see all the character’s we’ve come to know sitting in the audience (including the queens and including some earth people like Marco’s family). The credits roll as Eclipsa and Globgor continue singing an extended version of their song. The last shot of the show is Star and Marco kissing backstage, with Marco’s cheeks glowing.

-

Some Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed! Since I have your attention, I thought I’d justify and explain some of my reasonings for making the changes that I did. If this doesn’t interest you, feel free to click away now

Ending With Globgor’s Freedom

Some of you may be wondering “Why would you free Globgor at the end?! Don’t you want to show how cute he and Eclipsa are?” I do, which is why I extended “The Monster and the Queen” and why I added another flashback episode about them. I want you to think really hard though for one second. After his freedom in the original series, what did he do? He was injured, sure, but that didn’t lead to anything. He was just sort of... there. Did you know that Globgor doesn’t say a SINGLE word in Cleaved? Yeah...

Ending With the Coronation

Think about it. Svtfoe has always been about Star being a magical princess. This is the physical proof that that point in her life is coming to an end, just as the show is coming to an end. When I first watched season 1, I kind of assumed the series would end with Star becoming Queen. After we learned that Eclipsa was still the true heir, it only felt right to end it this way.

Adding “General Loveberry”

This fan made episode was honestly just a way to give the queens voices, but it also helps flesh out Mina’s character and show her descent into madness. She has seen all her fellow solarians die, she has served every queen, give her this recognition!

Making Mina Responsible for Comet’s Death

I had seen this theory floating around, but unfortunately I don’t know who created it. However, I think it adds a valid reason for Moon to turn on Mina. In the original, Moon flips sides too much, and her only reason for betraying Mina is “I didn’t know she would go so far”. HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW THAT? In mine, Mina DOESN’T go that far. She’s ready to do her duty to get rid of Globgor, and that’s all. It’s her past actions that catch up to her.

ALSO it would show Moon that her monster bias wasn’t completely right. I didn’t elaborate too much in the above section, so I’ll do it here. I would make it very clear throughout the series that Moon kind of blames all monsters for Comet’s death, so learning it was actually a Mewman, her trusted general no less, that was truly behind it makes her rethink everything.

Swapping Toffee for Skywynne in “Meteora’s Lesson”

Reason #1 is because I want to hear her voice, and she wouldn’t be in the “General Loveberry” episode. Reason #2 is because I want to see moments of the book addressed in the show. The fact that a queen destroyed a dimension is oddly glossed over in the series. I also think that visiting a past queen is more relevant than visiting Toffee, especially in my rewrite. Originally, Toffee’s appearance felt like fan service, but it kind of reminded people that Toffee wanted magic destroyed. Well now we don’t want to destroy magic, so Toffee can have his appearances in “General Loveberry” and “The Tavern”.

Not Destroying Magic

In my opinion, destroying the magic was NOT a satisfying way to end. Magic had always been a part of this world, so to come to the decision to destroy it  ONE episode in advance, it felt awkward. Keep magic, keep the queens, but now it’s a new generation. A generation where a queen will rule hand in hand with a monster.

Changing “The Spell With No Name” to “Pancake Day”

Is it just me, or did the original episode “The Spell with No Name” feel super over hyped? Like, they foreshadow this horrible destructive spell, and then Eclipsa uses it a few episodes later but nothing happens! There’s no “Oh my corn we need to stop it!” It just flies off, doing who knows what, and it’s never addressed! With my shift to a lighter episode, we get to address something that I assume would be a very real concern for the spells (not being used) and we get to meet some other spells. This also helps ease the audience into the idea of meeting the past queens, so it doesn’t seem as weird when they pop up at the end.

Why not break up Tom and Star even earlier?

I considered breaking up Tom and Star right after the Bloodmoon curse thing, but it felt too rushed. I felt there needed to be time where they're in a relationship, but it’s clear they aren’t super pumped about it. The way I have it, we still get lots of time between their break-up and the finale, plus Star and Marco never actually confirm they are dating. It ends more on the promise of “Let’s see if this works”.

[let-it-raines]

Betting on the Bullseye (23/30)

Summary: Emma Swan loses a drunken bet that means she has to ask her celebrity crush - if you can call him that - to be her date to her office’s annual fundraising gala for Boston’s Children Shelter. Killian Jones is that celebrity. She expects all kinds of humiliation and for her dignity to be completely lost all because of the ridiculousness of the situation. 

What she doesn’t expect is for him to say yes.What she truly doesn’t expect is to actually like the man.

Rating: Mature

A/N: I can never thank you guys enough for loving this story so much and letting me know whether by click, kudos, comment, reblog, or hiding out in your comfort zone and simply enjoying! It’s been an absolute thrill to write, and some of my favorite chapters are coming up! 💙

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“So can you tell me again why I’m going apartment shopping with you today instead of Killian being here?”

“Because,” she begins, pulling on a jacket to fight off the early-October chill that’s really coming in this year, the temperatures dipping much lower than usual. All of September was like a blazing inferno until the calendar changed and suddenly a flip was switched for all of Boston to turn into a snow globe…just without the snow. Though, she wouldn’t be surprised if it decided to come early this year with how things are going. “Killian is meeting with the producers of his movie again so that they can do some screen tests with some other actors, so he can’t be here.”

“Okay, but, like, if he’s buying the place, shouldn’t he be here?”

“I mean, obviously Rubes,” she sighs, opening up her front door and holding it open for Ruby to walk through before she can lock it, “but he’s busy and I figured you could give me second opinions. Besides, we’ve already narrowed it down to these places anyways. He knows that he likes them. He just hasn’t physically seen them yet.”

“Well, my dear,” she begins, wrapping her arm around Emma’s shoulder as they walk toward the staircase, “I can be Killian for a day. Just don’t expect me to help you christen any of these places.”

“You know, some things that you think about, they should never be said out loud.”

“But I just love my darling Emma,” Ruby mocks, adding in what has to be the worst British accent she’s ever heard as she kisses her hair. “She’s just so damn pretty and has hair like gold. And my God, I want to marry her and let her have all of my beautiful babies so that we can be on billboards together.”

“Billboards?”

“Out of all of that, your focus was on billboards?”

She shrugs as much as she can with Ruby’s arm on her shoulder as they exit her building and walk to where her car is parked a few buildings over since she couldn’t get her usual parking spot last night. “Kind of seemed like an outdated thing. Figured you’d go with viral videos or something since we’re already so good at making those.”

“If I didn’t know you were talking about the Christmas video thing, I’d swear you were talking about a sex tape. Something to keep in mind if you ever say that out loud again.”

“You have issues.”

“Ooh,” Ruby gasps, moving her arm, “you two could be in Vogue. There we go. That’s where you and all of your pretty, pretty babies can have your pictures taken.”

She snickers underneath her breath, words escaping her for how to even respond to that as they load up into her bug. She is one hundred percent not ready to seriously think about babies right now, but she can indulge in the thought when Ruby is messing with her. She and Killian have casually talked about kids before, but it’s never been anything definite. They just know what they need to know for when their lives come to that point…sometime in the future. Right now they’re simply trying to find somewhere to live.

Plus, if she thinks about giving birth too much she really freaks out. Some shit goes down.

Sometimes literally.

Nope. No. not thinking about that.

“Whatever you say,” she laughs as she sits down in her seat and closes her car door, “but I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be seeing my face on any billboards.”

“Eh, I could always rent one out myself. Anything is possible when you don’t care about wasting money and going into loads of debt just to mess with your friends.”

-/-

“Damn,” Ruby whistles as Emma trails her fingers along the marble countertop, tracing the gray line that moves throughout the island to break up the monotony of the white. “This is fancy. You’ve even got a view of the water out this window.”

“That would be all Killian’s preference,” she admits, walking away from the kitchen and through the living room to stand next to the open windows that look out onto the water, the docks filled with boats. “His house is on the beach, you know? And he likes to be near the water. I figure he should have at least that.”

“I mean, it’s not like the rest of this place is too shabby.”

“I know, I know. It’s just – ”

“What?”

“It’s so modern, and neither of us are very modern people, house wise. I mean, I’ve never really had the option to do anything other than thrift store ‘oh that’s kind of a cute chair,’ but I do like the traditional stuff. I think the clean lines kind of throw me off. It’s like it’s not lived in.”

“Well, it’s not. It’s new. Didn’t the realtor lady say that when she was showing us around? What was her name again?”

“Dorothy.”

“Like in the Wizard of Oz?”

“Yep,” she sighs, turning back around to go explore the kitchen now that they have free range of the place with Dorothy standing outside very obviously faking talking to someone else so that Emma thinks there’s another buyer. Sometimes she wonders if real estate agents know just how transparent they are. Not that she would ever tell Elsa that. She’s not about to mess things up there, and she’s sure that Elsa is fantastic at her job. Well, she knows she is. Elsa set them up with Dorothy’s agency and helped them find some of these places when they were in California last month. It’s like she’s sucking up even though literally no one can hear her thoughts. “She’s really sweet, but she kind of makes me nervous if only because I think I’m disappointing her whenever I don’t like a place.”

“Well, in all fairness, you probably are. She doesn’t get paid until you pay the big bucks.”

“True,” she admits before opening up the cabinets, checking their depth as if she knows how much space kitchen appliances take up when she owns the bare minimum. “She was flirting with you, you know?”

“Oh, I know,” Ruby agrees, her voice rising in pitch. “That’s why I felt so bad that I couldn’t remember her name.”

“Did her beauty just make you forget everything?” she teases, leaning back to smile at Ruby who’s got her bottom lip between her teeth while her fingers tap across the countertop. “Oh my God,” she gasps, closing the cabinet a little too loudly, “you like her.”

“Possibly,” she huffs, rolling her eyes before she hops up on the counter, legs swinging and heels clicking against the cabinets. She sits on counters a lot, and the white will likely get scuffed. That’s probably something to keep in mind. Apartment shopping is so damn overwhelming when you have to think about things like your friend’s heels scuffing the counters or Brody spitting up on the carpet when Mary Margaret brings him over. And literally a million other things. “I mean, I’ve spent about forty-five minutes with the woman as she shows you apartments in Boston I’d never dare step into on my own, but yeah, I don’t know. I felt a spark.”

“Did you actually just use the word spark to describe it?”

“Yes, don’t judge me. So this place is a no go?”

She nods her head, looking around one last time. “This place is a no go.”

Despite the fact that she and Killian mapped out every one of these places online before requesting a showing, she goes through seven of them hating nearly every one. One of the apartments literally had a bathtub next to a window that could be seen by anyone walking by on the sidewalk, and a home they walked into honestly made it feel like she was on some kind of old Naval boat. Seriously, there were a million different levels that were not shown online and the staircases made her feel claustrophobic. They keep striking out on things, and it’s starting to get a little disheartening.

There’s about a ninety percent chance Ruby is going to have a date after today, though, so at least one good thing has come out of this, especially because she knows that Ruby hasn’t dated much since she and Victor broke up, just a few nights out with people she’s met online that have not turned into anything.

At least those people weren’t murderers. Dorothy doesn’t seem like the murdering type, but you never know.

Such a fun thing to think about.

“So are you familiar with the area?” Dorothy asks as she lets them into another apartment, their last one on the list before they drive to Back Bay to look at a house that Killian likes that’s next to the river. The pictures online looked nice, but she wasn’t completely sold on how close the bedroom window was to a public park. At least it’s not like the bathtub thing.  

The risk of murderers being Tinder dates and peeping Toms looking into bedroom windows is not one she’s willing to joke around about.

Her mind is a wonderful place to live sometimes. It’s too bad there’s no real estate there.

No. Wait. That’s weird. She’s really got to stop looking at listings. She might be going a bit mad.

“I’ve been around here to eat a few times,” she admits, walking inside and immediately noticing the floor-to-ceiling windows that she loved online, the view of the harbor in this apartment even prettier in person as miles of water stretch out before her, “but I’ve never looked at the apartments over here. This is gorgeous.”

“Isn���t it? The views are great, and you’ve got to see it at night when all of the lights are turned on. You’ve got a great patio out there with a firepit that’s great for a date or hosting company or even just a quiet night in. You’d also have room for a small garden or something if you wanted to bring a little life in. I think the people who live below here have a nice little vegetable garden.”

“Yeah,” she sighs, walking past the living space to look through the kitchen. It’s modern, but it’s got these wood and copper accents that she really likes that make it feel a little more homey. Killian will love the counter space too. And the appliances. He’s got a thing about the appliances. He’s got a preference about a lot of things, but she doesn’t blame him. She does too. Just not about her appliances. “How many bedrooms is this one again?”

“It’s two technically, but there’s a spare sitting room that can easily be used as a guest or a nursery. I’ve seen that a lot lately.”

“Ems, I think Dorothy might be John Mulaney’s realtor,” Ruby whispers in her ear, and Emma has to stifle her laugh at the reference.

“She also said a guest room.”

“Well, if it’s going to be a guest room, I need to see it for when I come to visit.”

“You live twenty minutes from here.”

“Details.”

She continues to walk around the apartment, snapping a few pictures and sending them to Killian like she’s been doing all day so he can see things a little more clearly. She wishes that he were here, but work is work and no matter where they’re living, they’re always going to miss some things. It just won’t be everything. It’ll be better. Besides, he’ll be able to look on another day because this definitely isn’t a decision she should be making on her own when this is going to be their place.

Damn, that’s still a weird thing to think about after a month of knowing that this is real and that this is happening.

After their initial conversations and telling their families about everything, the excitement of the move and over moving in together wore down a bit so they could seriously think about the practicality of it all. There were a few times where she felt like her heart was actually in her throat while they were talking, but that never lasted long. She loves him, she wants to be with him, and she’s ready to make this step that should be a giant leap but kind of feels like she’s simply walking up to the Nolans’ house, like it’s natural.

That’s terrifying.

It’s also exhilarating.

They’re good, she and Killian. They fit. She knows that they do, and she’s not going to question the good things she has going.

Okay, she’s not going to question them anymore. She’s already done that, and she doesn’t need to continue to do that. She loves him, and this is going to work. They’re going to have a place that is theirs. There’s not going to be as much traveling or as many plane rides. She’s no longer going to need to worry about always having her neck pillow or about time changes when Killian’s at home and not working. She’s not going to get a ticket for speeding to the airport because she’s running late for a flight, and when she wakes up in the morning, there’s going to be the man she loves next to her.

And he’s not going to have to leave.

That’s the best part.

He gets to stay.

She’s so glad that he gets to stay.

Her phone rings in her hand, and she smiles to herself at the face that pops up. “Speak of the Devil,” she sighs as she answers the phone, holding it up to her ear and walking down the hallway to the master bedroom for some privacy.

“Now, Swan, I know I’m devilishly handsome and that you get to benefit from that, but I don’t think that makes me the Devil.”

She hums into the phone as she twists the knob and walks in. The furniture in here is very obviously staged, but she likes it, the bed sprawling out in the middle of the room with a fireplace in front of it and more large windows looking out into the harbor that have blinds attached. She’d bet those are blackout, and if they’re installed already, that means they come with the property. Elsa told her that. There’s some technical term for it, but she can’t remember.

“It just does, babe. Are you on your lunch break?”

“Yeah, I’m about to go grab a sandwich or something from the cafeteria.”

“You sound like a kid at school.”

“I promise you I’m not. It’s been a solid fifteen years since I was in school getting a sandwich from the cafeteria. What apartment are you looking at now?”

“The Seaport District one. Um, I think it’s on Pier Avenue or something. I can’t remember even though we literally got here twenty minutes ago.”

“Oh, I like that one,” he mumbles into the phone while a horn beeps behind him. Is he walking in front of a car? It’s probably a golf cart. There are a million golf carts at the studio. “There’s a view of the water no matter which room you’re in.”

“Yeah, I think you’d like this one even more in person. There’s a lot of room too, and it’s not too modern. I feel like the only options in this town is everything having not been updated for fifty years or it’s like it’s trying to be in the space age.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. What about the master bathroom and the closet?”

“Um,” she hums, walking away from the window and heading to the door that she assumes is the bathroom, “let me check now. You want to switch the facetime so you can see?”

“That’d be some smart thinking there, Swan.”

“Yeah whatever,” she sighs as she rolls her eyes, hitting the button to facetime him and waiting to for Killian’s face to pop up. When it does, it’s a slightly blurry version of him until she can clearly see his eyes under the baseball cap. “Well hello there, KJ.”

“Hello, darling,” he smiles, waving at her until he drops his phone, the device nearly tumbling to the ground before he catches it. Or she thinks he catches it because they’re still connected instead of the phone shattering. How the hell is he so clumsy sometimes? “Bloody hell, I was almost run over by a golf cart and nearly destroyed my phone. It’s rough having to look at your face.”

“Asshole.”

“Indeed,” he admits, moving his brows across his covered forehead and winking at her. “Now show me this bathroom, love. I need to see if all of your toothbrush accessories will fit in there.”

She groans, throwing her head back even as her lips curl into a smile while she walks into the bathroom, the light blue cabinets adding in a little color to the white marble that covers the countertops and the walls. It’s got the copper accents from the kitchen over both of the sinks, and she makes sure to show it to Killian so that he can see that there is indeed space for her toothbrush and all of its replacement heads. And toothpaste. She can also have toothpaste.

Dental hygiene and all.

Maybe she can have an entire drawer for her floss.

No, that’d be ridiculous. She’ll just share with Killian.

“See, there’s plenty of room.”

“It’s smaller than my house here.”

“Well, it’s an apartment in a crowded city. It’s not going to be like your house. I’ve still got an actual house to look at later today, but it’s smaller too. I really like this place though. I haven’t been too much of a fan of everything else.”

“Yeah, I’d seen a couple of your texts. Is the shower a good size?”

“It is,” she tells him, opening up the door before closing it and walking to the other end of the room for the closet. “And this is the closet. Is it big enough for your clothes and your ego?”

“The clothes, yes. The ego, not so much.”

“Well, I think you’d have to buy the building for that.”

“That is not happening. I guess you’ll just have to stuff it in there.”

“That’s what she said.”

“Well okay Michael Scott,” Killian laughs, his face crinkling with his laugher as he continues to move, the light fading as he enters a building. God, she loves when he smiles like that, and she loves when he’s smiling like that because of her. It’s such a little thing, but she loves when he’s happy.

And being happy isn’t a little thing. It’s a really big thing actually.

She’s glad that she makes him happy. Hopefully indefinitely.

If eighteen-year-old Emma could hear twenty-eight-year old Emma’s thoughts, she would be entirely convinced that they aren’t the same person. But they are. There’s just been some development. Some really damn good development that she’s proud of.

“I saw an opportunity, and I took it.”

“Indeed you did. I like the place, Swan. I mean, we’ll have to look again when I come into town on Wednesday, okay? Just jot down your top three places, and we’ll arrange it with Dorothy to see them. I’ve got to go. I’m going to eat with some of the kids who came in to possibly play my child.”

“Those poor, poor children.”

“Goodbye, Emma,” he sighs, smiling at her. His smile should not be that bright through a screen It just shouldn’t. He’s turning her into a cheesy mess. Mac and cheese would probably be good for dinner. “I love you.”

“I love you, KJ. I’ll keep texting you updates.”

“Thanks, love. Talk to you later.”

“Ems,” Ruby yells, sliding into the closet and nearly tumbling into her, “guess who has a date tomorrow night.”

“You?” she smiles, sliding her phone into her back pocket and stepping back so that Ruby has some room to freak out.

“Yes me. Obviously me. Can we go shopping after this? I’ve looked at apartments with you all day, so this is literally the least you can do for me.”

“Well excuse me, but I’m pretty sure that the only reason you even have a date is because of me.”

“Eh, that’s debatable. We could have met another way. Like, while running or something.”

“How many people do you meet while running?”

“You would be surprised. I’ve got a fantastic ass. It brings all of the peeps to the yard.”

“You don’t have a yard.”

“It was a thinly veiled reference,” Ruby mumbles under her breath as her finger points to count a shelf that Emma thinks is for shoes. Or possibly folded pants and shirts. She’s not entirely sure. It could be for all of it. “When we go shopping, we have to buy you some shoes. Yours aren’t going to fill this shelf.”

“I’m not spending money I don’t have on shoes just so I can fill that shelf. That’s ridiculous. I’m supposed to be saving, especially because I’m still negotiating the raise at work. I think they’re going to agree to it, but I don’t know yet.”

“Ugh, so economical. Why deny shoes when you finally have a way to display them that’s not having them scattered on the floor?”

“Money. You can buy me shoes for my birthday, okay? I have this pair of boots that I have my eye on. Or you can buy me dishes or something. I probably need some of those.”

Ruby literally groans before she starts walking out of the closet, Emma close on her heels. “You are not allowed to turn boring like Marg and David just because you’re getting all homey.”

“If Mary Margaret and David heard you called them boring, they would be the first people to try to prove you wrong by going out, drinking one beer, and then asking if they could go home before nine.”

“In all fairness, sitting on your ass on the couch is a pretty great way to spend a night. This bathroom is fantastic,” Ruby suddenly states, the change in conversation almost causing whiplash. “The lighting is giving me clear skin.”

“I think that’s just because you have clear skin.”

“But I never knew that until right at this moment.”

She snorts, actually snorts, as she walks over to the window that’s at the opposite end of the bathroom. She’s not quite over the view of the ocean from up here, and she wonders how long she’ll have to live here to get used to it.

Oh.

Oh wow.

This is definitely the place. She’s thinking about seriously living here. She can see herself here. She can see them here. She can see a future here.

This is going to be her home.

This is going to be their home.

“So do you like this place, Ems?” Ruby asks as she checks her eyebrow for stray hairs under the vanity lights.

“Yeah,” she admits, looking back out over the ocean, “I love it.”

They look at the house in Back Bay after that, but honestly, Emma knows that the apartment is the one. It really is. She knows the Killian will love it too, and she tells Dorothy that when she sets up another viewing of it for Wednesday when Killian will be back. She really hopes that Ruby’s date goes well because if it doesn’t, that might be the slightest bit awkward. But she thinks it will, and it’s nice to see Ruby excited as they drive the short distance over to Copley so that they can find something for her to wear. It doesn’t take nearly as long as Emma expected, especially with how Ruby can be, and they’re out of there within an hour once Ruby finds a red dress that she most definitely won’t wear with a jacket even though it’ll be cold tomorrow night.

She really might be turning into Mary Margaret, but she doesn’t want Ruby to get frostbite. That probably won’t happen but still. She’ll try to at least get Ruby to wear a coat for a little bit of time.

It’s likely impossible.

After dropping Ruby off at her apartment, she drives home, pulling into her usual parking space and hurrying inside the building so that she can change into her pajamas and fix herself something to eat. She still kind of wants mac and cheese, but since she doesn’t have any, she makes herself a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup (the classics are classics for a reason) to eat in front of the TV. It’s a Friday night sitting on her ass on the couch, and she’s glad for it. Her life has been so hectic lately, and it’s kind of nice for a bit of calm.

Her phone buzzes next to her, and she reaches over to pick it up at the same time that some cheese falls out of the sandwich and onto her chin. She really is so graceful all of the time.

Liam: Do you want me to mail these pictures to you? Or are you going to pick them up when you’re here?

Emma: Can you mail them? I want to get frames for them and have them as soon as possible.

Liam: I’ll put them in the mail on the way to work tomorrow.

Emma: Thank you! You’re my second favorite Jones brother!

Liam: I’m both flattered and offended.

Emma: As you should be. Give Elsa and Aiden all of my love!

She’d called Liam last week and asked if he had any old family photos of he and Killian together or of the two of them with their mom. It’s a really small thing, but she wanted to give Killian a little piece of home in his new one. He’s really insistent that most everything at his house stay the same so that they always have that option for when he’s working there or for when they’re visiting his family and friends, so she imagines that he won’t be packing up many of the picture frames that are scattered throughout his house. The least she can do is ask Liam to go through the few albums of pictures she knows that he has to see if there are any pictures that she can get for Killian.

If they’re going to be living together, it’s going to be a home for the both of them. That’s how it works. She doesn’t have a lot of childhood photos, but Killian does – and they should most definitely be displayed. Liam sent her some pictures (of the pictures, which is obviously the simplest form of inception) of the ones he’s sending her, and there’s this one where Killian is apparently six and has his shirt off with a blue popsicle melted down his chest and his lips tinted the same blue. He’s got this toothy grin on his face, and his mom is sitting behind him in the grass of whatever park they’re in. She’s beautiful, and even through the blurry picture, Emma can see just how happy she is to be spending the day with her sons.

She looks a lot like Killian. They have the same eyes, and like always, her heart breaks for him to have lost someone who was so damn important to him. She wishes that she could have met his mom, but as she knows, it’s not possible. She can honor her memory though, even if it’s the smallest of things.

For the briefest of moments she thinks of her parents. She thinks of the stories she made up of them over the years. She used to want to meet them, to know if her thoughts about whether or not one of them had blonde hair like hers or if they had her eyes. She used to want to know where she got her height from or maybe if her dad had a sweet tooth like her. She wanted to know everything about them. Mostly, though, she wanted to know why they gave her up, why she wasn’t good enough for them.

She’s old enough now, been through enough, to know that it wasn’t about her. They were probably young and irresponsible and couldn’t provide for her. Or maybe they weren’t. Maybe they didn’t want kids. Maybe they weren’t young, maybe they weren’t irresponsible, and maybe life simply hadn’t worked out for them to keep her.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

She doesn’t know. She’ll never know. All she knows is that they didn’t keep her. They didn’t keep her, and it’s not her fault. She still struggles with that sometimes, with the fact that she knows that it isn’t her fault. Because she does know, but that doesn’t keep there from being nights where she doesn’t still feel abandoned and lost. That’ll likely always stay with her, but she’s learned to live with it.

She thinks she’s learned to overcome it.

She’s got this life that she’s built with family that she’s found along the way, and she’s proud of herself and the light that she lets herself live with. Sometimes she uses humor as a defense mechanism, but most of the time, she likes to laugh. She likes to have that light in her life that she missed for so long.

She likes to have a metaphorical blue popsicle melting on her because she was having too much of a good time to eat it all before it melted.

She loves that on the nights where the light fades away, the darkness encompassing her more than usual, she has someone right beside her who understands her in a way that no one else does.

And she loves that she gets to do the same for him, letting him tell stories of love and loss no matter how late into the night it takes.

It doesn’t matter. She’s got the time.

[gorillazgal86]

Spotify Shuffle

I’ve got a good bottle of wine in me and gonna throw my “Liked Songs” playlist on shuffle and share some tunes!  Feel free to use/reblog or better yet, tell me what songs you like, I’m always on the hunt! 

1.  Real Peach - Henry Jamison:  This is on constant repeat at the moment, hell of a good beat.  I’m gonna need to check out more of this artist.  And we’re coming back to the demon-killing work of love, my God, illuminate.

2.  Lonely Eyes - Chris Young:  I think the husband sent this one my way.  From the little bit I’ve seen, they’re the perfect shade of green, next time they come my way,  Heaven help me, make 'em stay.

3.  Tune Out - The Format:  This is pure 2003, bombing around Kansas in my friend’s Pontiac Thunderbird, probably stoned.  I’ll tap the break while you tap the window, while you crack the window, the smell of smoke is making my lungs explode.

4.  Necklace of the Wrens - The Gloaming:  Oh my goodness these guys do some amazing traditional (and yet modern) Irish music.  D'éirigh siad – is thuirling, Arís ar m'ucht, Ormsa bhí muince clúimh, Sa mhóinéar fliuch

5.  Humble and Kind - Tim McGraw:  I do love a country tune, this one is just so sweet.  Know the difference between sleeping with someone and sleeping with someone you love, I love you ain’t no pick up line, so always stay humble and kind.

6.  Lovefood - The Cardigans:  Like many girls of a particular age, Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio was influential.  And as much as I loved the film, the soundtrack was even more incredible.  Lyrics are ropey as hell, but this is a bop.  Love me love me, say that you love me. Leave me leave me, just say that you need me.  I can't care 'bout anything but you.

7.  The Hills - The Weekend, Eminem Remix:  I love the word play and double entendre in this and Eminem’s contribution here just elevates that really awful booty call vibe.  I let you see my dark side, but like a mic check, you got one too.

8.  Only Love - Ben Howard:  Just pure softness.  Good writing tune, not too distracting.  Darling you're with me, always around me. Only love, only love. Darling I feel you, under my body. Only Love, only love.

9.  Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap:  I remember a particularly delightful make out sesh with  husband (then boyfriend) to behind a sofa to this song.  Fucking bliss.  Sinking, feeling. Spin me around again and rub my eyes. This can't be happening.

10.  Born Slippy - Underworld:  This is my Edinburgh song.   When I left to move to NI, this was playing on my headphones as I left Waverley Station (obviously pretending I was Renton at the end of Trainspotting) and it was an end of an era.   You had chemicals boy, I've grown so close to you. Boy and you just groan boy. She said comeover comeover. She smiled at you boy.

More tunes under the cut! 

11.  Would that I - Hozier:  Another absolutely perfect writing song.  Love that pick up in the middle (does beat drop apply with Hozier?  Let’s pretend it does.)  Sitting soft in this purest snow. Fell in love with the fire long ago

12.  Maps for the Getaway - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness:  I wanted this to be my first dance at my wedding.  The lyrics are just everything my relationship with my other half and the battles we went through.  Not to mention the driving beat, kinda 80s vibe and sense of hope and it’s just real life.  I adore this song.  Following the outline of your face, I can see your breath move in the dark. Through all the autopilot years, the tears of joy, the face of fear. Now that we're not hiding, somehow you're still riding in my car

13.  The Snake - Eric Church:  This is a Crowley song for me (when he’s feeling sassy of course).  It’s swampy and atmospheric and deserves a good set of speakers to listen to it.  Y'know we were the original sin. And I bet you my rattle against your copper, that the bitch takes the apple again.

14.  Love Triangle - Raelynn:  Oh man, this song perfectly captures what it was like growing up with divorced parents.  Absolutely heart breaking.  And some mommas and daddies ran outta love in ninety-four.  And some mommas and daddies don't even talk no more.  And some mommas and daddies let their heart strings tear and tangle.And some of us get stuck and some of us grow up in a love triangle.

15.  80′s Mercedes - Maren Morris:  This is THE driving song.  Sun shining windows rolled down and belting this song out is life restoration.  Absolute fucking bop.  Feel like a hard-to-get starlet when I'm driving, turning every head, hell I ain't even trying. Got them Ray-Ban shades pretty in pink.

16. Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding:  Not a fan of Ellie Goulding, not at all interested in Fifty Shades of Grey, but I love this song.  I just wanna don a ballgown and waltz all over the show.  My head spinning around, I can't see clear no more.  What are you waiting for?

17.  Hold Me Up - Live: This song in Zac and Miri Make a Porno was just absolutely perfect and it elevated that whole movie in my opinion.  Sweet, soft and rocking.  Perfection.  Hey, I'm in love, I'll take you up again. Your eyes have too many colours and I can only try

18.  Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman:  That guitar intro and Tracy Chapman’s amazing, deep vocals are so soulful.  Cannot help but tap my toes, preach it Tracy!  I don't want no one to squeeze me, they might take away my life. I just want someone to hold me and rock me through the night

19.  It Had to be You - Frank Sinatra:  This was the actual first dance at my wedding.  We learned a foxtrot to do it justice (our dance teacher was delighted to not have another Ed Sheeran song).  Actual fairy tale material. With all your faults, I love you still.  It had to be you, wonderful you. It had to be you.

20.  Shelter from the Storm - Bob Dylan:  Dylan is a big part of my household, couldn’t even pick a real favourite if asked, depends.  But as this one popped up, love the simple tune and lyrics, but as you’d expect, infused with poetry and a lovely tune.  I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form. Come in, she said, I'll give ya shelter from the storm.

[wonderfulfanofall]

Thor 4

hi no one knows me here but imma bout to give a rant no one wants! are you ready? here we gooooo!!

Okay! first of all lets talk about thor Ragnarok. When I first saw it I loved it! I was so happy to see my top marvel characters on screen! I really waited forever for new thor content and just was generally happy I was getting some! I thought the movie was different for thor a nice little change of pace, but! i understand that it is problematic and as a fan of the original two thor movies i can see how the third one does not live up to the others, which is why I was scared when I heard  Taika Waititi was going to direct it again. Especially since he did not do his research previously which I think is sad and sloppy. But then.... oh but then!!! I saw this!!

and i was like

but let me tell you why!! so, before I even knew there was going to be a thor four before we all knew marvel was going to break its three movie rule... i was writing my own thor four script. Obviously it was fan fiction in script format and was for me because like i said i just want more thor content and never in my wildest dreams would I guess marvel would break their three movie rule for my boy thor! A round of applause please! 

However, as mentioned before I was scared because the man who kind of made a parody of the thor characters was making the fourth one. I have nothing against Taika Waititi personally, but I’m just sad he didn’t really put much effort into a marvel series I love. Now, back to the fact I was writing my own thor... actually backtrack... THOR 2: THE DARK WORLD! Around that time the most wonderful movie came out.... Frozen... 

we all just want to... let it go... puns aside since those two movies were out on dvd around the same time and I watched them both around the same time and I coined a little phrase... Love is an open Thor... Love is an open Thor... Thor Love and Thunder.... Love is an open Thor... Thor Love and Thunder... COINCIDENCE??? (seriously look at some of my tags)

Okay back to the fact I wanted my own damn thor movie! I am writing this as of July 20, 2019 i will reblog this with a movie review but as of right now here is what I was planning. So lets start with the basic plot!! I was thinking of using bits of the Celestials plot and the fact that Thor eventually have to pass his hammer down to Jane Foster. So, Thor and Loki (this was before end game when I was hoping and praying for Loki’s safe return) hang out on earth after all the end game and infinity war chaos. Thor is not really feeling earth’s home vibes but hears of an asgardian who has really adapted to earth life (again this was thought of before end game). Him and Loki go to find that person and its Sigyn who has been on earth for the past 10-20 years on a mission for Frigga! She had no clue Asgard was blown up and that Ragnarok happened. But thats not all! She is housing the infamous Amora and Lorelei who were banished by Loki when he was Odin because they sniffed him out. Loki tells Thor to not trust them, but Thor missing Jane and starting to become under little miss Enchantress’s spell, doesn’t listen. The three lovely ladies are reintroduced into Asgardian society on earth and just be themselves. Over hearing about Skurge’s death and the fact there is hire beings that Sigyn was trying find twelve perfect humans to sacrifice to, Amora and Lorelei decide to finish the job/ corrupt the sacrifices and exchange earth for the return of Asgard. Not realizing they sort of can’t do that, Thor, Valkyrie, Loki, and Sigyn go out and try to stop the girls. There’s badass mind battle scenes between Amora and Scarlet Witch, Spiderman appearance just being his cute self, Sigyn admitting she’s bi as hell being in love with Lady Loki, Loki, and a little crush on Valkyrie, cool magic scenes between Loki and Sigyn, Thor and Loki beginning to heal, Amora tricking Valkyrie into an amulet(a little of that plot line... she would be out by the main battle) and Valkyrie healing realizing she deserves better, and most importantly.... Jane Foster. Yes I wanted Jane to be apart of this because I was upset she wasn’t in Thor Ragnarok. You wouldn’t make a spiderman movie without MJ, you wouldn’t make a Iron Man Movie without Peper.... where was Jane? 

Anyway Jane would help with holding off the Celestials in a big battle as long as she could and of course help throughout the movie. Once its realized they had to resurrect the Destroyer armor (since Thor killed it in the first movie) and that would be done by all of the remaining Asgardians life force. Thor gives his powers to Jane to make sure everything goes according to plan as everyone (including Amora and Lorelei, Sigyn will bribe them) sacrifices themselves. After the Celestials are put off (for now) Jane as Thor goes to all the other gods and asks for life forces and gets them, uses Sigyn’s spell to revive everyone. Amora gets Skurge back but has to go to prison, Loki frees Sigyn of her loyalty to Asgard (i was gonna make her loyalty goddess angle as more as a curse) and she could either be a supportive sometimes lover of loki or just a lover to Valkyrie(someone to treat my girl right!) and Jane becomes the new Thor!

My movie does several things! Establish Celestials a new really big threat (avengers 4, 5 whatever), brings some peace and understanding between Thor and Loki, gives Loki someone who will always root for him. make Marvel gay, gives Jane the hammer, and if they wanted to do more Thors with Jane clean up whatever mess Sigyn made because she may or may not have accidentally brought back old enemies! Good job Sigyn! 

Now are my ideas perfect?? No! Is it well thought out? No it needs more work... would I even dream marvel would pull something like this? Well I did which inspired me to do further Thor research and come up with a decent plot (I hope its a decent plot its different comic book ideas in like one). 

Now what the actual movie has confirmed...

JANE IS BACK BABY AND SHE’S GETTING THOSE POWERS!!!  HELL YEAH!! 

also during comic con they have confirmed eternals  and who created the damn eternals.... thats right the Celestials... these are celestial beings you don’t want to mess with and there’s a lot of them like different type wise! So many marvel charcters deal with the Celestials... are they the new bad boys of marvel? We will see!!

Anyway, I know that since end game things to my plot don’t fit the canon such as Loki being alive but not at the same time and Thor joining the Guardians of the Galaxy.  There was rumors that Thor would join but I didn’t see that in the marvel line up unless I didn’t look close enough!

Besides that, Thor 4 is a mystery! Let’s see what happens! Let’s see if my plot follows closely, or the movie be 100x better than my fan fiction!! I really hope the movie is 100x better! If not, catch me posting on AO3! Also like I’m pretty sure the government is watching my phone because I remember telling the jane thing to a friend through text... either that or the universe is listening and giving me Jane as Thor and a Loki series!! and if the universe is still listening I would like my college fund to be paid off... please? Thank you for reading rant over!!

[mayquita]

Pictures of Reality (10/16)

Hi everyone! Here we go again. I’d like to express my gratitude to all those who have given this story a chance, thanks for your likes, comments, kudos and reblogs. It means the world to me.

Summary: Emma Swan returns to her birthplace, Storybrooke, in search of a fresh start after a life marked by abandonment and betrayal. After a year there, she finds the stability she needed and also the possibility of learning about one of her passions, photography. Killian Jones, a former British war reporter with a tragic past, establishes himself in the same town as an instructor of photography, following in the footsteps of his best friends, the Nolans. What will happen when their paths cross? Will their common passion for photography help them heal old wounds?

Rating: M (Language, mature themes, implied sex)

Warnings: Alcohol abuse, mentions of the loss of a limb in an armed conflict.

Other ships / Characters: Although, obviously, this is a cs fic, Snowing plays a major role here, mainly David. In fact, the story contains three different points of view, those of Emma, Killian and David. Also, Henry appears in the story as Regina’s adopted son but he is not Emma’s biological son.

Beta: I’d like to express my gratitude, as always, to my beta @jarienn972 I’m aware that you have had to deal with a monster of more than 100k words and English is not my mother tongue, so I value your effort even more.

Artist / art: Go visit @imagnifika’s blog and enjoy her amazing art. There is no specific art for this chapter but the photo from Emma’s Instagram account will be part of the fan art that Kate has created for an upcoming chapter.

Art for the prologue/ Art for chapter 1 / Art for chapter 2 and banner / Art for chapter 3/ Art for chapters 4-5  / Art for chapters 6-7/ Art for chapter 8

Special mention to @saraswans , thank you so much for your perpetual support, for believing in me when I doubted myself and for offering ideas to make this story grow.

Don’t forget to go read and enjoy the rest of the amazing csbb stories and art.

Word count: ~ 5300 (116k total in 16 chapters)

Also on (From the beginning): Ao3 / Ffnet (Current Chapter) Ao3 / Ffnet

Tumblr: Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

What to expect from this chapter? Things get a bit complicated… Emma talks to Mary Margaret, Mary Margaret talks to David, David talks to Killian… And the Nolans make a decision but, before carrying it out, they have to celebrate Killian’s birthday.

CHAPTER 9

My dearest Emma,

It's happening! We got the news a few days ago, but I still have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. No, this time it's real. You, my dear daughter, found us, or rather you found your way back home.

I still can not believe that I'll have the possibility of delivering these letters to you in person in a few months. I would have taken the first flight back home, but there are some things that we need to take care of first. We must convince Killian that he should travel with us. We can not leave him here alone, buried under layers of misery, so we will do our best to continue helping him move forward, and if he has to cross the ocean in search of a new beginning, so be it.

You can not imagine the joy we felt when we saw you for the first time in photos, when we were able to finally put a face on our beautiful daughter. You got your chin and eyes from your mother, but the blond in your hair comes from me. You are the perfect mix, the product of our deep love.

I'm aware that the road will not be easy from now on, that there is a possibility that you don't want to know anything about us. And we will understand and accept it, but now that you are so close, or at least you will be when we arrive at Storybrooke, I will settle for knowing that at least you are happy, even without us.

I want to know everything about you. What experiences you have lived, what cities you have visited, your hobbies, your aspirations, your fears, your desires. Will you let us, Emma, be part of your life?

Just a few more months and we can reunite as a family forever. Until then, be happy, Emma on this new journey you have undertaken,

Your father who loves you and never forgets you,

David.

Emma Swan. Storybrooke - February 21, 2018

Emma arrived at her apartment that afternoon with a strange sensation in her gut, as if a bad omen had begun to haunt her. She dropped down on the couch, letting her thoughts run free instead of bottling them inside. Maybe it was not the most appropriate way of acting, but she felt that if she kept blocking everything that disturbed her, sooner or later, everything would end up exploding.

It was the first time in a long time that she felt that recurring uneasiness tightening her stomach into knots and what hurt her most was that everything had happened just when she had finally got enough courage to bare her soul and reveal to Killian her ghosts of the past.

There was something that confused her. Everything had gone well. He had offered her security and confidence, although perhaps his choice of words hadn't been the most reassuring — she didn't miss the deliberate use of the verb try — but the softness of his lips, the tenderness of his kisses and caresses and his proximity had acted as a balm.

Everything had gone to hell suddenly, when he had pulled away from her abruptly, muttering an excuse that hadn't been convincing at all. Until then, she had blamed those sudden changes of attitude to his own demons that kept harassing him. But that had never happened when they were in the middle of an intimate moment.

Maybe she had read it all wrong. Maybe Killian's feelings towards her were not as deep as she thought or maybe he was having second thoughts... Stop! Emma took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an effort to calm down enough to think more clearly. She wasn't going to be carried away by her insecurities now. Instead, she should act and find the answers she needed.

And what better way to get those answers than by asking the people closest to Killian? The Nolans might offer her some light regarding his strange behavior. Emma grabbed her phone with determination and started typing.

Hey! How are you doing? Are you free to see me today? - ES

Hi Emma! Is everything alright? - MM Nolan

Yeah, but I'd like to talk to you about something. - ES

Sure, meet me at Granny's in 20? - MM Nolan

On my way. Thanks :) - ES

//

Mary Margaret was already waiting for her, sitting in one of the booths when she arrived a little later at Granny's. She waved at her while her lips drew a warm smile to which Emma responded with one on her own.

She liked Killian's friend. She exuded a halo of composure with that always sweet expression and her soft voice. But there was also something intimidating in her attitude, although Emma hadn't yet managed to discern exactly what it was. Maybe it was the fact that she belonged to a different generation, or maybe she was the closest thing to a family Killian had, and that made her always feel somewhat under scrutiny, as if they were assessing whether she was worthy enough.

Emma shook her head in an attempt to make those inopportune thoughts disappear. Instead, she sat in front of Mary Margaret trying to muster enough determination to bring up the issue that worried her.

"Hi, Emma!" The way Mary Margaret addressed her, all joy as if she were really glad to see her, was something she still had to get used to.

"Hi, thanks for coming."

"Of course. Are you sure everything is alright?" Mary Margaret asked gently, although Emma could detect how her cordial expression morphed to one of slight concern at the edges.

"Yeah, I guess."

Before she could offer any explanation, Ruby approached the table, placing a cup of cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon in front of her. A warm sensation hummed under her skin, spreading to her heart. Emma still found it hard to believe that this was her life now, with friends who remembered her favorite drink or with people she had only known for two months who were willing to meet her no matter the reason. Emma's lips curled upward, sending a grateful smile to her friend.

"You know?" Mary Margaret's chin pointed to her cup, while she held her own in her hands. "This's one of the things that I missed the most in London, the closeness, the small details, like a waitress remembering your favorite order without needing to mention it." Her gaze took on a nostalgic glow, but she recovered quickly, focusing again on Emma. "Anyway, the important thing is that we're back. And now tell me, what can I do for you?"

Emma swallowed as she stirred her cocoa, gathering her thoughts in an attempt to find the best way to expose the subject. "It's about Killian." She finally snapped, maybe a bit sharper than she intended.

Mary Margaret's brows furrowed with concern. "What's wrong? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine, Well, I hope so." The wrinkles on Mary Margaret's forehead became more pronounced, causing Emma to groan inwardly. She definitely had to improve her social skills. "I mean, there's something that worries me about him." She wasn't sure that would ease the worry, at least that which was indicated in Mary Margaret's expression, seemingly far from relieved.

"Maybe it would be helpful if you were a little more specific, Emma." Mary Margaret suggested tentatively, the corners of her lips rising slightly, drawing a smile of encouragement.

Emma cleared her throat and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. She was probably being ridiculous and imagining things, but it was better if she expelled the thoughts that disturbed her. Only then would she be able to loosen the knot in her stomach. "It's just that... Killian sometimes acts in a strange way. Sometimes he seems fine, but suddenly his attitude changes and he goes into a kind of silence, as if he were shutting himself up."

"I see..." Mary Margaret looked thoughtful for a moment, but then continued. "I'm not sure how much Killian has revealed to you from his past, but I guess you already know that he has not exactly had it easy."

"Yes, I know. I've always thought that the reason was precisely that - the struggle he was still carrying out against his own demons, but there's something else." Emma paused for a moment. God! Keeping a conversation about her intimacies was proving to be more difficult than she would have thought. "We were kissing today... you know." Her voice trailed off, as she averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks flush. "And suddenly he pulled away from me, as if I was burning him or something." Emma glanced at Mary Margaret, holding her breath as she waited for her reaction.

"Oh." It was everything she said for a moment, her cheeks tinged with a slight pink hue, probably matching her own.

"There's this other stuff..." Emma exhaled deeply while trusting her voice to sound carefree enough. "We... we haven't slept together, yet."

"Oh." Mary Margaret repeated as her eyes widened slightly, her cheeks now tinged a furious red. Emma realized later that this conversation should be equally mortifying to both of them because it was as if Mary Margaret was hearing about sex —or the absence of it, to be exact— practiced by her little brother or something.

"It's not that I really care about not having... well yes, I mean, I want to, at some point... but..." Emma was aware that she was rambling, but she was unable to stop herself. "What really worries me is what might be the reason for that attitude. Maybe it's because of me? Am I understanding everything in the wrong way? Maybe he doesn't feel the same about me?" As she expressed her concerns aloud her voice became weaker until it sounded only as a soft murmur.

"Oh, Emma." She dared to cast a sidelong glance at Mary Margaret. To her surprise, she found a sad expression while a shadow of what looked like regret crossed her gaze. Mary Margaret reached out and placed her hand on hers, giving her an affectionate squeeze. "Whatever is going through Killian's mind at this moment, it has nothing to do with the depth of his feelings towards you, I can assure you."

"Do you really think so?" Emma hated how vulnerable her voice sounded. That was one of the reasons why she had protected her heart for so long, to prevent these kinds of sensations from taking control over her.

"Believe me, sweetheart, I've never seen Killian as happy or as excited about something as he is with you, not even with photography, which has been his only refuge for a long time." Her emotions were evident both in her voice and in her expression. Emma could not keep her heart from fluttering as she silently thanked the couple for taking care of Killian all these years.

She let out a sigh of relief as she leaned her back on her seat. "I... I just have this need to help him, but I'm not sure how to do it." She recognized, while her lips drew a small smile.

Mary Margaret gave her hand another squeeze. "I'm sure if we all work on it, everything will be solved eventually. Meanwhile, the best thing you can do is support each other. That's what David and I did when we went through our worst moments." The sparkle of nostalgia returned to Mary Margaret's eyes as Emma wondered what painful experiences this couple — the perfect representation of true love— would have experienced.

"Thank you, really. I'll do my best to help him, he... I also care about him a lot." It was there, at that precise moment and in that random place, when her feelings decided to leave their prison inside her heart and come to the surface. She could not deny it any longer. She was falling hopelessly in love with Killian. That certainty hit her hard, causing her to suppress a gasp as she shut her eyes closed for a moment in an attempt to regain her composure. That gripping sensation didn't leave her, though. She felt about to be pushed into the void without the security that there was a net to cushion her fall.

"I know, Emma, I know." There was something in Mary Margaret's intense gaze that made Emma's heart tighten in her chest, as a strange sensation overwhelmed her, as if she could read beyond her facade and reach deep into her very soul.

//

David Nolan. Storybrooke - February 21, 2018

Don't you think it's about time for Emma to know the truth? - Regina

Honestly, it's none of your business, madam mayor. - David

Well, when it comes to my employee, it is. How do you think she will react when she finds out? - Regina

That's one of the reasons why we are not revealing the truth yet. - David

I see... but that doesn't stop you from involving your friend in this dangerous game, even though he is now your daughter's boyfriend. A very smart movement, David... - Regina

I don't have time for your sarcasm. I have a newspaper to run and you a town to govern. Good evening, Regina. - David

David locked the screen of his phone while taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm the feeling of annoyance that Regina had caused him. The woman had always been characterized by trying to control everything, but this time he wasn't going to allow her to interfere. In an attempt to forget the irritable mayor, he focused on Killian, though he assumed that his friend's unexpected visit was also related to Emma.

He watched as Killian paced up and down his office, stopping now and then to look out the window, or paying attention to any random objects on the shelves. There was something that was worrying him, clearly, and David suspected what it might be, but he waited until his friend was ready to share whatever was troubling him, while pretending to be busy typing on his computer.

After a couple more minutes, Killian seemed to gain enough courage and sat in the chair in front of the desk. Still reluctant, he rubbed his hand over the scruff of his chin until finally, he decided to speak. "So, have you guys already thought about when are you going to tell Emma the truth?"

Never? David pressed his lips together, trying to keep his composure, but the fact that in an interval of just a few minutes two different people had asked him the same question was beginning to take its toll. He had expected Killian’s question, though, at least since they discovered that Killian had feelings for Emma and that they seemed to be reciprocated.

If the circumstances had been different, David would have settled for this connection they had made with Emma. It was not enough, it never would be, but at least it served to keep her close, to know about her life, to support her in bad times. If he could not be a father to her, he would be a friend.

But neither he nor Mary Margaret had expected that there would be other feelings involved. Their somewhat selfish and desperate actions might hurt deeply, and irreparably, the most important people in their lives.

"I... I don't know." He breathed while rubbing his eyes with one hand, racking his brains in an attempt to find a magical solution. There wasn’t any, of course. In fact, they should not have even considered embarking on this path of lies in the first place.

"I'm not sure I can do this much longer, Dave." Killian's desperate tone caused his heart to constrict with regret. David gave him a sidelong glance and what he saw did not help at all to mitigate that gripping sensation. Killian looked devastated, on the edge of the precipice, a crease of concern between his brows, his shoulders tense, a twitching muscle in his jaw betraying his tension.

He took a shuddering breath. "I know, Killian." A wave of guilt curled around his gut when, for the first time, he fully realized the implications of their rash plan. If Killian was already in a precarious position, he had taken advantage in some way of his vulnerability to get his help. He could not forgive himself if Killian ended up even more broken after this.

His friend had not even dared to confess his feelings towards Emma. He could only imagine the storm that Killian was suffering, feeling the pressure on both sides. What kind of person was he, using his dear friend for his own interests?

"She trusts me, Dave, she has opened up to me, confessing her worst experiences of the past." Killian continued, each of his words acting like a dart of guilt piercing his heart. "When she told me about Neal, I just wanted to strangle him with my own hands, well hand…” He raised his prosthesis in a gesture of contempt, ” If I had him in front of me..., or punch the other bloke, Walsh, in the face. She trusted those two assholes and they took advantage of her, lying and betraying her in the most atrocious way. But then, I realized that I was acting the same bloody awful way."

"It's not the same, Killian." David replied weakly, feeling the hole in his stomach deepen when he saw his friend in such a state.

"Are you sure, mate? Because as I see it, I've taken advantage of her with the aim of bringing her closer to you and I've been lying to her all this time."

"You love her, don't you?"

Killian pressed his lips together before answering, while squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. "I do." He confessed through a shaky whisper.

David almost had to repress a gasp at the irony. If they had been in other circumstances, he would have been the happiest person in the world to know that his daughter had found the best possible companion, a devoted, loyal, honorable person. And yet now, due to his own selfishness, two people who were meant to be together might have their future endangered.

"I'm going to talk to Mary Margaret. We'll find a way to fix this, Killian. I promise." He assured, his lips drawing a smile that he hoped would be reassuring enough, though he was actually dying inside, wondering how the hell they were going to get out of this.

//

Killian had left just ten minutes ago when David received another visitor in his office. Mary Margaret hurried inside, taking the chair Killian had left free. The moment his gaze met his wife's, he noticed her creased forehead, her face pale, her eyes lacking their usual brightness. "What's wrong, darling?"

David held his breath, his stomach tightening into knots. He was not sure he could handle a new addition to his problems. Before answering, Mary Margaret twisted her ring while biting her lower lip. "We have made a terrible mistake, David."

He massaged his temples, letting out a deep exhale. He suspected what Mary Margaret was referring to, but that did not make it any easier, not after his previous conversation with Killian. She must have understood his silence as an invitation to continue, since, without waiting for a reply, she spoke again.

"I met with Emma today. She texted asking me to see her." David's heart skipped a beat. This was the first time that Emma took the initiative to see one of them alone, without Killian being present.

"That's a good thing, isn’t it?" He tentatively suggested, still reluctant to hear that such a meeting might be the cause of the state of uneasiness in his wife.

"Yes, it was good. She trusted me, David." Her voice came with a hint of emotion, while her eyes regained some of that spark of hope so characteristic in her. "I'm so glad that she opened up to us. We got a brilliant daughter, brave, small, caring."

"But..."

"But... she was so worried about Killian's attitude. She thought that his sudden mood swings could be her fault..." Her voice trailed off as she ran her hands down her cheeks. "They are so in love and we're ruining everything, David." Mary Margaret's eyes filled with tears, though she blinked a couple of times, holding them back.

His chest constricted in agony. He couldn't bear to see his wife cry. From that day when he had had to say goodbye to his newborn daughter and then found Mary Margaret crying silently for her lost daughter, lonely, and desperate in a hospital room, he had sworn to himself that he would do everything in his power to ease her sorrows and keep suffering away from her. It was evident that he had done a poor job because the tribulations had not stopped hitting them in one way or another.

He got up and reached for her, kneeling by her side as he held her hands in his. "She told you that? That she was in love with Killian?" He asked in a soft voice, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage.

She shook her head, her lips drawing a tiny smile. "Not with words, but anyone who sees them together can deduce it."

"Killian was here a moment ago, he did recognize that he was in love with Emma. He's about to break up, sweetheart." David confessed, looking for his wife's gaze, in an attempt to find refuge and comfort in the serenity of her eyes. He could only see Emma's eyes reflected in her mother's, causing the tug of guilt to tighten his grip on his stomach.

"We must confess the truth, David." Her tone was urgent, but also determined. "Who knows? Maybe there's a way to expose the reality that doesn't make her run away. We should also try to reduce Killian's participation to the minimum possible."

Although Mary Margaret was right, the possibility that they had already lived through their last moments of happiness with Emma caused a gripping sensation to crawl to his heart, squeezing hard. No, he needed one last chance to treasure a handful more of memories with his daughter. "You're right, we'll do it after Killian's birthday." They were not going to ruin Killian’s day even more. This gave them three more days to figure out how to approach the subject to Emma in the best possible way.

Mary Margaret accepted with a small nod of her head while the corners of his lips raised forming a tiny smile of resignation.

He consoled himself with the idea that they would still have three more calm days before the storm. Because if he was sure of something, it was that there would be a storm the moment in which the truth was revealed, either in the form of a light wind, leaving small damages in its wake, or possibly like a tsunami with the capacity to devastate everything around.

Killian Jones. Storybrooke - February 25, 2018

Killian had not celebrated his birthday for ten years, since that day was a constant reminder that he was able to add one more year to his marker while others, who perhaps deserved it more, hadn't been so lucky.

David and Mary Margaret had accepted it at first, the loss of his brother and their friend still too fresh in everyone's memories, but gradually, they had tried to go back to the old habits of making a special event for each of their birthdays. He had appreciated the gesture, he really had, but his birthday would never be the same without his brother by his side.

During the first twenty-two years of his life, but especially after the death of their mother and the abandonment of their father, Liam had been responsible for making that day something special, a unique event. He just could not bear the thought of never having him next to him on that day, so he had chosen to ignore it, which meant no gifts, no birthday cake and, obviously, no happy birthday song.

Even with Milah, he hadn't recovered enough strength to start celebrating his birthday again. Moreover, when that mortal accident ripped her out of his arms forever, his resentment towards that date only increased.

Still, his friends always managed to be with him on that day, even they had traveled once to Spain where he was covering a news event. " We have never been to Madrid ." It had been their excuse, which he had accepted because, deep down, he had always been grateful for those little gestures of affection that reminded him that he was still important to someone.

Today was different, though. His uneasiness still lingered, accompanied also by the weight of guilt and regret. But that did not prevent him, for the first time, from feeling some eagerness for spending the day with his friends and, of course, with Emma.

He had spent the morning making arrangements to start a new course and he had not even mentioned to Emma that today was his birthday, but he would meet her and the Nolans later, for dinner at Granny's. Those were his thoughts - spending a nice evening surrounded by the people he cared for - while he walked to his apartment to take a quick shower and then meet them. What he saw when he opened the door though, caused his heart to drop into his stomach, any excitement for the celebration suddenly vanished.

The image of a perfect family was in front of him, a happy daughter surrounded by her caring parents while all of them watched a family photo album full of memories, all peppered with loving comments.

The reality was slightly different, though. For Emma and the rest of the world, they were no more than three acquaintances, waiting for him to arrive. And this photo album did not keep shared memories, rather his own memories of the past.

There was another element present in that image that, under other circumstances, would have been idyllic, a secret hovering over them, extending its invisible tentacles with the threat that that scene might never happen.

Killian was not entirely sure why the scene had affected him so much, almost to the point of getting sick. They were there for him after all, to accompany him on his special day. And most importantly, they seemed happy, so engaged in both the photos and the conversation that they did not even realize at first that he had already arrived.

But he couldn't bear the thought of Emma losing her parents when she had just found them — even if she did not know it yet — or they losing their beloved daughter they had always longed for. He felt responsible for maintaining that opportunity they deserved so much.

He was already on edge, unable to control his inner turmoil, experiencing an ongoing roller coaster of emotions that left him exhausted and frustrated, all his energy and strength drained from his body. He was the real threat here. Maybe the best thing for everyone would be for him to disappear for a while...

"Killian! We didn't hear you arrive!" Mary Margaret's excited voice brought him back to reality.

"Hey!" The moment Emma realized his presence, it was as if his entire living room lit up thanks to her bright smile and the flash of her eyes. He just needed a brief glimpse of her emerald gaze so that his heart would calm down, such was the power she had over him.

She got up then, walking towards him, causing his skin to tingle, craving for her touch.

She made him feel alive, making him rediscover feelings that he thought were long buried, challenging him constantly, both with her talent and with the promise of a future - with the possibility that not everything was lost for him. She managed that at least during the instant their eyes met, everything else would no longer matter.

"I hope you don't mind..." She offered him a small tentative smile before continuing. "We thought it was better if we waited for you here, since today... well, you know." She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. His heart shrank a little as he realized that he was the cause of her nervousness. David and Mary Margaret might have warned her beforehand and she was acting cautiously for him.

He cast a sidelong glance at his friends, who had decided to stay in the background, still sitting on the couch. David shrugged while the corners of Mary Margaret's lips rose slightly in encouragement. "You can say the word, love." He offered her a reassuring smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her toward him, his eyes never leaving hers. She tilted her head and studied him from underneath her lashes. "I just... I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable."

"With you? Never." He could not resist it anymore, and closed the distance between them, burying his head in the gap between her shoulder and her neck in a hug so tight that he feared he might hurt her. She did not complain though and returned the embrace with the same enthusiasm.

It was at times like this that he would have given everything to keep his left hand, such was his need to feel her on all levels. He sought refuge in her arms, letting her scent intoxicate him, the warmth of her body against his acting as a balm for his poor soul.

"Happy birthday, Killian." She whispered into his ear, her warm breath sending electric shocks up his spine, causing him to tighten the hug even more.

He swallowed the lump growing in his dry throat before muttering in a broken voice, "Thank you, love."

It was like this, in the middle of his living room, with his friends as witnesses while he clung to Emma for dear life, when he realized that he could not continue like this. He could not force his friends to confess. They were the ones who should tell the truth to their daughter when they thought the time had come, not because of fear that he would explode. He was interfering with the whole process, becoming a real threat.

No, he had to make a getaway as soon as possible, take distance and figure out a way to solve all this without the need for too much collateral damage. Maybe it would only take a couple of days, he tried to convince himself, although he was aware that he was not going to find any magic formula. Still, perhaps the distance allowed him to recover enough strength to face everything that was to come.

He’d look for the first flight to London tomorrow, and would only tell his friends about his improvised trip at the last moment, to prevent them from trying to change his mind. Even so, the idea of separating from Emma dug a hole in his heart so deep that he did not know if he would be strong enough to take that flight.

// 

TheLadySwan: There is something exciting when you give away a blank photo album. You are not only delivering a material object, a handful of blank pages bound in leather. You are actually offering a promise in the form of trusting that the person who receives it will be able to live experiences that deserve to be immortalized, filling in this way, those pages of memories that will last forever. There is also something a little more selfish in the act, that is, the hope that your image occupies a place between those pages since that would mean that you too will be part of those memories ... Happy birthday.

//

I'm sorry... Thanks for reading. Let me know what did you all think :) What to expect from the next chapter? Will Killian be able to go to London to give the Nolans more time? We'll find out next week...

[alwaysmarais98]

Something Different | Chapter 1 (Tell Me) | Jonah Marais

A/N: So this is the first chapter of the series “Something Different” I plan on to write. Please leave me some feedback and tell me if I should continue and if you liked it. If you really enjoyed also please reblog so more people will see it. So hopefully you enjoy and tell me what you think of it. Please excuse mistakes. I tried my best with editing but I’m not a native and I don’t have anyone to proofread. 

Summary: You are Daniel’s best friend and go to one of his concerts. You meet Jonah and let’s say the feelings are directly mutual. Every chapter of this series will also be inspired by one of their songs starting with ‘Tell Me’.

Warnings: none

Wordcount: 2k 

M&G, Portland, 6.12 pm

“Guys can you please get to your places now? We will let the fans in in a few” Tyler says getting a bit annoyed with Zach and Jack as they are just fooling around as always. “Excited to be in your city?” Jonah asks and looks over to Daniel who just nods his head the biggest smile on his face. He knows his family and friends will be at the show tonight watching him perform.

A few minutes the doors open and the first fans storm into the room. They all stand in a line and go one by one over to the boys. They hug all of them then take a picture before leaving again.

34 minutes later

You stand all excited in line as it is almost your turn. Just two more fans to go. As Daniel’s best childhood friend, you decided to surprise him now he is finally in Portland again. You wanted to see him and his bandmates perform for ages already but since you went to college there wasn’t really time to fly over to another place.

“Last one guys!” Tyler says smirking over at you. He knew you were coming over and helped you to get M&G. Daniel looks up “Y/N!! Oh my god what are you doing here?” “Coming to see you perform what else” you laugh and hug him. Jonah turns his head over just seeing your back first. He takes a few glances at your body not even noticing he is staring until Zach hits his arm laughing. “Like what you see hm?” He smirks up at Jonah whose cheeks turn slightly red now “Shut up bro” he mumbles back trying to play it all cool.

After your long hug with Daniel and him rambling about how happy he is to see you again you hug Corbyn then walk over to Jonah.  “Hi…ahm I’m Jonah” he runs his fingers through his hair nervously. Normally it wasn’t a problem with him to meet new girls or flirt with them but now it is different. He isn’t usually like this. You introduce yourself to him then he leans down wrapping his arms around your shoulders giving you a hug as well. He takes in your scent and bites his lip. “Guess I’ll see you backstage after the show then anyways” He says pulling back slowly his hands on your waist. You nod your head looking up at him “Yeah Daniel already told me to meet you all after the show to hang out some. Can’t wait” You mumble. His gaze is captivating. Hard to look away again. You quickly shoot out your thoughts when Tyler says something that you should hurry up because the boys need to get ready for their show. You quickly go over to Zach and Jack then you take a picture with them. “See you after the show! Good luck boys! And don’t trip Daniel!!” you say laughing before walking out again.

Dressing room, 34 minutes before the show

“Where do you know Y/N from?” Jonah asks as he starts to button up his shirt. Daniel is next to him fixing his jeans before pulling a shirt as well. He looks up at his friend. “She doesn’t get out of your head, right?” he chuckles. “We just lived a few houses away from here in Portland and yeah we basically grew up together and went to school together.” “Is she alone here?” “Are you asking if she has a boyfriend? I saw the way you checked her out directly you are so bad at hiding it” Daniel laughs then shakes his head “What I know she is single but go and find out yourself after the show.”

the show starts, 8.03 pm

The boys all run out on stage and start their show. The fans go crazy singing along every word from the first second. You smile over at Anna “Wow they are amazing” you say and she giggles nodding her head “They improved a lot trust me but yeah they are.” The two of you sing and dance along when Jonah looks over. He smiles seeing you in the crowd. He can’t take his eyes off you as he sees you dancing along to ‘Tell Me’ that he almost missed his solo. Zach laughs and hits him on his back “So much to you aren’t interested” he smirks. Jonah tries to shrug it off and to concentrate again. After the Meet and Greet Zach kept teasing him on how he looked at you the moment you walked into the room and when you hugged him.

“You stare at him” Anna laughs and you look over at her “Hm?” “Oh don’t play it cool now Y/N. I see you already the entire concert checking Jonah out. He’s hot isn’t he and single” she smirks over making you blush. “I didn’t look at him that much. I’m just enjoying the concert” you try to defend yourself but you know she is right. Maybe Jonah is hot yes and maybe you looked at him a little too much the entire time but who can blame you. He is really handsome and you noticed how he looks over the entire time as well mostly during his solos. “You don’t enjoy just the concert you also enjoy your view” Anna nudges your side then screams louder as Daniel starts to sing ‘Trust Fund Baby’ making you laugh.

Backstage, 9.42 pm

“Amazing show boys! Great Job!” the boys’ manager smiles patting them all on their shoulders. “Go change now Jonah. You wanna smell good when Y/N is here in a bit” Jack chuckles some. They keep on teasing him because they did notice as well how Jonah looked at you most of the time during the concert. Okay let’s be honest he couldn’t take his eyes off you.

“We will just wait here now. We’ll spend some time backstage till the fans are gone before we leave the venue” Anna explains. The two of you sit on a couch in their green room just chatting while you wait till the boys are here. 10 minutes later they all walk inside, showered and changed.

“And did you like the show?” Daniel asks hugging the two of you again. Jonah walks over behind him watching closely the way Daniel wraps his arms around your waist biting his lip a little. He quickly shakes his head. It’s ridiculous to be jealous now. He is never like that but you had a different effect on him. “You were great. Such an amazing show” you say and Jonah sits down on your other side. Daniel takes place next to his sister Anna and the 3 other boys on a different couch. “And what did you enjoy most about it? The singing? Anything or anyone in particular?” Zach asks and raises his eyebrows at you smirking. Of course, he noticed as well how you watched Jonah most of the time. “Shut up man” Jonah just mumbles and shoots him a warning look making everyone else just laugh. “Please ignore them. They can be a bit annoying sometimes” he whispers to you making you giggle. You turn your head and look up into his blue eyes smiling widely.

You all talk about the show then Daniel walks outside with Anna because their mum is waiting outside. Corbyn facetimes Christina while Zach and Jack just play some random game on their phones. Jonah turns over at you taking his chance now. “So, what are you doing Y/N?” “I just started college a few months ago. It was a bit stressful at first but now I’m doing fine” you say and look at him. You feel how he casually wraps his arm over the back of the couch making your heart beat a little faster. He is way too charming the way he smiles and how he intensively he looks at you while you are talking just about college and moving to your dorm. You don’t even notice that you mostly ramble unimportant stuff but you just couldn’t concentrate when he is sitting so close.

“Hey you want to come to the tour bus with us? We could watch a movie together there” Jonah says and looks at you. “I don’t know is that okay when I’ll be there as well?” “Yes of course please stay and we got one free bunker or you can sleep on the couch however you want. Please Y/N I haven’t seen you in ages” Daniel begs as he just walked back into the green room. Jonah and he look both at you with puppy eyes and there is no way for you to say no to them.

Tour bus, 20 minutes later

After the boys took some pictures outside with the fans that were still waiting for them to leave the venue, you all settled down in the back of the bus to watch a movie together.  Jonah is quick to sit down next to you and you smile over at him being happy he is at your side again. Jack takes the remote “So what do you think let’s watch the Purge together? That movie is great” “Oh c’mon really a horror movie?” Jonah whines at first as he hates horror movies. He got way too scared. “Yeah let’s watch it Y/N can protect you then Jo” Corbyn simply laughs making Jonah’s face turn a bit more red then looks down at you “I’m not scared I just thought you won’t like to watch something like this” He tries to defend himself but you just laugh at him “It’s okay I’ll just hide my face then in your arm” you giggle and he grins “Well I won’t stop you from doing that” Jonah smiles and casually wraps his arm around you again.

Jack presses play and Daniel dims the lights as the movie starts. You don’t get scared easily but the movie had some really intense scenes. As you flinch you feel how Jonah pulls you closer against his body. “It’s alright” he whispers into your ear his voice calming you down a little but a few seconds later you find yourself hiding your face in his chest. Jonah leans down and you feel how he rests his head on top of yours obviously hiding his face as well. You smile now a little not minding having him so close. His strong arms feel so right around your body and you could used to resting your head on his chest.

Almost 2 hours later

After the movie was over everyone just got ready to go to sleep. “Here this should be fine for you to sleep in” Daniel says handing you some sweatpants and a shirt from him. You thank him then got changed when the bathroom is free. “Thanks for letting me stay boys. I’ll get someone picking me up tomorrow” you tell them and Zach shakes his head “One of our drivers can get you home no worries” he assures you smiling. Daniel shows the bunker you can sleep in and about 15 minutes everyone went to bed as they all were tired from the show.

Laying in the bunker you take out your phone just scrolling through Instagram. You smile seeing Jonah has followed you a few minutes ago and you assume he is awake as well. You start to scroll down his feed after following him back when you get a DM suddenly.

Jonah: “Can’t sleep either?”

It was Jonah dming you. You almost freaked out internal. 

You: “Not so tired yet. Wbu? Not exhausted from the show?”

Jonah: “No not really. Got something on mind and can’t stop thinking about it”

Of course, he was talking about you.

You: “Wanna talk?”

Jonah: “Sure, x come over to my bunker?”

You: “Yeah be there in a sec”

Jonah: “Hope you don’t mind I’m shirtless”

You read his text trying to hide your giggle. You pull the curtain to the side and quietly get out your bunk tiptoeing over to his so you don’t wake anyone. 

(Please please leave me feedback and tell me if I should continue writing it.)

[werevulvi]

I... probably should have known this would happen to some degree or another, but somehow I wasn't prepared. I think I've lost 2, if not more, friends. Both trans. Obviously due to my views on trans stuff having changed, and me daring to be vocal about it. Like what else...

One of them still interacts indirectly with me on facebook by liking some of my comments/posts, but he has seemingly stopped speaking to me, since about a month ago. I've only met him online, since about a year or so ago.

The other one... well he's the trans guy I had such a huge crush on for several years but he didn't reciprocate my feelings, and we even thought of each other as pretty much best friends for a couple of years, then drifted apart a bit but kept in some kind of contact. Until I broke up with my ex Y. I know that Y (whom I broke contact with cause the relationship went bad for us both) most certainly warned my friend about me being a "toxic" person, and unfairly so.

Since then he hasn't said a single word to me, or even acknowledged when I've made friendly comments on his posts, etc. And I just now noticed he has blocked me here on tumblr and unfriended me on facebook. Without a word. We were friends for over 10 years, maybe 12. It does hurt, but I do understand. No reason for me to be mad at him about it or try to contact him. It's his choice. And most likely because of what I've posted and reblogged here recently, which I know is entirely on me. But it's just hard to see that friendship die like that.

Cause these past few weeks or so, I've been suspecting more than usually that my best friend has abandoned me just the same as well. Like I felt the last few gasps of our friendship dying, and I've panicked. She always sends me a text message for Christmas. She didn't this time. I could have sent her one, but then I couldn't. My heart sank too much. Her birthday is tomorrow, as she turns 30, and I can't decide if I should force myself to send her a hopeless "happy birthday" message or not, still desperately holding on to a dying breath.

I've been thinking about writing her a letter, by hand or something. To tell her that I never wanted to lose her as a friend, but that I've felt it was coming to this for a long time, and that I'd accept it if she wants to move on, but can't pretend it doesn't hurt. If only I had her new adress... or her email. I do have her parents' adress though. Worst case scenario I could go via them, and ask them for her adress. I was always on good terms with her mother. She'd know it's not something I've done wrong, to cause me to drift apart from my life-long friendship with her daughter. Or I could just write the letter to have for myself if I can't figure out where to send it.

I'm pretty sure she unfollowed me on facebook sometime around spring last year, when I completely stopped getting any sort of notifications from her. I used to check her profile page every once in a while, maybe once or twice a month, cause my feed was getting too cluttered and she didn't post often, so I kept missing them. Her posts were mostly just about her kid which I couldn't relate to, so I mostly just gave it a "like" or "love" but didn't say anything, cause I just had nothing to say. I checked again just now cause had forgotten for a few weeks... but her facebook page is gone. She never told me. I dunno what's going on. She's had that account for as long as I've had mine... 9 years, and never even went inactive before. But now it appears her account has been deleted. You don't just do that for no reason, right?

Her husband is still on facebook and on my friend list, but I think he unfollowed me too, cause I haven't gotten any response from him for a really long time either. I used to be close friends with him too, since before they got together some 8 years ago. Last I ever heard from either of them was an invitation to a party, in the city they live in, back in November. I didn't go, cause I was in a terrible mental state due to my detrans-tragedy and couldn't handle traveling so far with flights and all. They didn't say anything to me, it was just a plain fb invitation, no explanation or anything. I thought it was odd and it gave a bad gut feeling. Not that long ago, but the next last thing I ever heard from them was when I texted her about my detransitioning, back in July, and she just stopped texting me back after a couple of days, without notice, which upset me. Before then... I don't remember.

I guess our friendship wasn't worth more than that to her. I guess I was right after all. That her boyfriend, then later husband and then her kid all just mattered a million times more than I ever did to her. I was the first person she ever knew except from her parents, when we were 2 years old and met in kindergarten, and instantly liked each other. We were classmates from grade 0 to 9th grade. She had a few other best friends until we really connected at age 12. I was never into her romantically or sexually (despite my gayness and her beauty), and she's super straight, but we did get a lesbian reputation in late elementary school, cause we were always so close. Losing her does break my heart, but why can't I even pick up the phone to text or call her?

I lost her the moment I moved to this island 6 years ago, cause I had noticed she seemed to care less about me a year earlier, and I think me moving halfway across the country was the death blow... and I never managed to rebuild my life since then, while her's flourished. Am I jealous? Well of course.

Early in life, we basically had the same potential... then we both had some issues with mental health, but she found love, got a job, got married, got a kid, bought a house, lives in the city we both always loved... whereas I got too fucking traumatised, wasted my 20's getting a sex change I then regretted, moved to an island I also regretted and can't move back, ended up in a series of shitty relationship with men until discovering I'm a lesbian, I'm single again, living on sickness compensation in a place I hate, with my anger issues, tragedies and inability to function well enough to even get a cat. How different life can turn out for two people, even though we were always so similar in personality, behaviour, humour, interests, lifestyle, the life goals we had, and even in our looks. I think about that sometimes, and how much I struggle to be happy for her. I guess I just got the short straw.

But even though I'm jealous that life went so much better for her, at least I still always cared about her as a person and the friendship we had. At least she always remained in my mind and in my heart. For recent years I've kept imagining I held onto her by my pinky finger, but my grip kept slipping by the day, as we drifted apart more and more. I think our bond is now broken. She let go of my pinky finger. That hurts more than I can let myself feel right now. How long were we best friends for? If I count up until today... then it was 17 years. And how long have we known each other as friends for? 28 years. It's a 28 years long friendship in our 30 years long lives. How she can just shake that off and move on, I don't understand.

The physical distance shouldn't matter... but it was what made her take distance from me, little by little. Like slowly pulling off a band aid. I should have been there with you when you got married. I wasn't. I should have been there with you when you got your daughter. I wasn't. I'm sorry I failed you, but you failed me too. Soulmate sister... may our past friendship rest in peace. I will remember you.

Every single memory I have of her flashing before my eyes. My entire body hurts. I feel nauseous. I can't process this, I don't want to feel this.

Correction, I've lost 3 friends.

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @interestedbystanderwrites​ for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Cass, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

Ha! I was a teenager and it was Backstreet Boys – and smut didn’t exist the same way it does now but that’s another opinion for another day. What I wrote then was cutesy and romantic, probably because that was what I was daydreaming about, I guess. Just a reminder that my blog is NSFW if you’re under 18.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I think I can get more depth from an OC but you also risk the Mary-Sue and you may pigeonhole your OC in race, sexuality etc. That can really open a can of worms with the reader, which is wholly understandable. Reader inserts are great in the way you can make it 100% person to the reader. They should imagine themselves (if that’s their choice) and not feel that the writer has alienated them in any way somehow but it is still difficult to please everybody.

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

I like fluff – I like things that make you smile at the end, give the reader a little cuddle to maybe brighten their day.

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

One that never made my masterlist – a Spider-Man super angst titled “How Long Do You Want to be Loved?”. I thought it as okay, pretty good even – but I guess people just want Bucky or Sebastian smut haha I hear you all!

5) When is your preferred time to write?

Morning when the little guy is napping ☺ Evening is hard because it’s when I play adulting catch up… or try not to fall asleep on the couch.

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

I have a very overactive imagination, always have. And for most of my fics, I guess it’s pretty obviously the beautiful aesthetics of Sebastian Stan and to a lesser extent, Bucky Barnes.

7) In your Time Only Flies When You’re Around Series, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

Chapters 27 and 28 of TOFWYA – more so 28 as you get a pretty interesting insight into Sasha’s and Sebastian’s ways of coping when they’re out of sync. Long story short, they’re a mess.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Luckily – none! The joys of a smolblog maybe?

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

I love writing for Buckster – he’s a complex devil and has a lot of layers to work with and a body to die for. Thumbs up for the material, Sebastian.

10) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why?

As per mentioned before – Peter Parker. That fic scarred me.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Time Only Flies When You’re Around Series?

It’s actually a song lyric as are the first few chapter titles: Belinda Carlisle – Valentine

I made a rule about you, I made a plan // For getting my feet back on the ground // Bury my face in clouds, for hours on end // But time only flies when you're around

12) How did you come up with the idea for the Time Only Flies When You’re Around Series?

I was just writing some stuff, pissfarting around and all of a sudden I’d written something similar to what Chapter 22 ended up being and that’s how it all began. 150k words of nonsense really.

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Many – but there is a long Bucky multichap fic that deserves more of my attention. As his story has evolves via MCU, the story has changed a little.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I write one shots to TOFWYA, I don’t think I could write the sequel to it though. I’ve considered a full fic for Take Me to the Water but I doubt I will for an AU. Any sequels will be little one shots so at this stage, there is nothing planned.

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

I ended Next Year very kitsch – I regret the last sentence as it currently is: You gave him a small smile, overwhelmed by his words. “I love you too, Bucky Barnes.” Blurgh.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

How much time do you have for me to talk about @whostheblondegirlwriting​? Truly. My fandom soul mate. We are separated by far too many kilometres and time zones, but between her job and me mummying, we’re chatting at all hours of the day. She is a true gem and I adore her.

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

Luckily, it’s not available on A03 or Tumblr, but it’s still online elsewhere because I thought about it a few weeks ago – it was a Lords of Dogtown fic… and it was not good. Saying that, anything before that I would cringe at anything I’d written anyway ha!

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Definitely music or the sound of the baby monitor that I find quite soothing.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Argh. “How Long Do You Want to be Loved” messed me up. Too many parental feels.

20) Which part of your Time Only Flies When You’re Around Series was the hardest to write?

The proposal. I went over it a thousand times. I thought, should it be romantic, should it be grand, should it be this or that? How it happened, just a couple in love, in the city they love, being themselves just seemed to fit when it finally came together.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I occasionally outline – but mostly I just write, write, write and then start toying with it afterwards. I’m constantly chopping and changing, but I’m not pedantic about planning. It isn’t that kind of fic. Other multichaps I put a bit more planning and emphasis on.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

You’re only as good as your last fic and its reblogs. If you’re going to get hung up on likes/reblogs/comments, you’ll never publish something again. But it can be bloody disheartening at times.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Time Only Flies When You’re Around? Haha busted my ass on that beast for over a year. It has the hits but likes and comments are encouraging when received. When. I always considered publishing it on Tumblr, but I don’t know. It’s freely available on A03.

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Smut talks – I think Heatstroke is a little silly. But it gets hits.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Nope – any characters, inc OC’s are all fictional. I don’t know if I could handle people in my real life if they were like my OC’s!

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Any body that takes the time to leave a ‘yes!’, ‘omg’ to paragraphs of reiterating your story back to you – it’s amazing! Taking the time to leave a writer a comment makes our day.

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

It still makes me laugh when I read it, not quite verbatim but it was along the lines of ‘I loved this fic but it’s gone a total 180. I’ll see how you continue but you know, I’m probably out of here’. While I know you can’t please anyone, it’s a strange comment. I’m old enough to appreciate constructive criticism. This was neither here nor there, but still hilarious!

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

Back to my love, @whostheblondegirlwriting, we’re constantly taunting the other or beta’ing each others stuff when we have time to help the other (let alone write our own stuff!).

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

In real life? No. On this hellsite? I have made some amazing writing friends!

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

Ollie in TOFWYA – she’s a completely stereotypical New Yorker, brash, in your face and on the other hand, Sasha’s best friend in the world and they’d do anything for each other. If you knew Ollie in real life, you’d absolutely hate her.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

People simply enjoying your work and letting you know is the most amazing aphrodisiac. I’ll never stop writing – whether it’s for myself or for other people to enjoy. Don’t ever be scared to let a writer know if you’ve enjoyed their work or if you haven’t, a writer should be able to accept your constructive criticism and will probably appreciate your feedback if you take the time to provide it respectfully! If you’re going to go on anon and talk shit, just don’t bother. It’s boring, childish and completely unoriginal. Shows true testament to your personality offline.

32) What’s your favorite trope to write?

Friends to Lovers. THEY WERE FRIENDS AND NOW THEY ARE… LOVERS!

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

Not a clue – but will assume it’s Backstreet Boys-related!

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Smut will get you the hits but fluff is forever.

[pastelbatfandoms]

Fanfiction Writer Asks

Most of the writer ask posts I come across are only like ten or so questions long so I thought I’d try to make a longer one because we like talking about our writing! Feel free to reblog!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction? 12 or so

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one? Marvel,DC,Riverdale,WWE,Harry Potter,Anything that sparks My creativity really. Favorite so far would be Marvel. 

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer. OC’s,they’re just easier and I can give My Character more personality then Y/N. 

4) What is your favourite genre to write for? Romance,Drama and Fantasy.

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi chaptered stories, which would it be and why? Wells of Hearts,My FanFic of The Flash’s Harrison Wells. 

6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why? Prbly My Teen Wolf-Peter Hale one,since it went no where and I don’t plan on finishing it. 

7) When is your preferred time to write? Any time I have free lol

8) Where do you take your inspiration from? My Muse att,Movies,Shows,FanVids or other Fics,Music. 

9) In your xxx fic, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote? 

In My Most recent Harry Potter one,A Perfect Distraction,Probably the end when Severus shows up and asks to join them. Everyone else likes The Comment Lucius makes in the ballroom about Draco and Harry though ;P 

10) In your xxx fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind? For A perfect Distraction I had The end clear in my head before anything else,for a change and just thought that added a little humor to the Smut and gave a reason to add Snape in. 

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it? Nope.

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why? I’m pretty sure Loki will be,So far HR Wells because his Character is so fun and light.

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why? I don’t really have one.

14) How did you come up with the title for the xxx? - You can tell about multiple stories. A Perfect Distraction is a Comment made by Lucius to Rihannon in the story so that’s how I came up with the title for the one shot. The Title for The main story is Called The Snakes and The Raven. Pretty self explanatory really.

Mischief on Wings is My soon to be Loki x Amara story and I came up with that name as sort of a tongue in cheek way of describing both characters as Loki is The God of Mischief and Amara is a Valkyrie. 

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names? They just kind of come to me or through a name generator lol

16) How did you come up with the idea for xxx? For The Snakes and The Raven,I had just finished The Movies and developed both a Crush on Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape,I decided to write Fanfiction about them and Rihannon came to mind as a Ravenclaw who was in love with Them both in school,Luci and Snape where Good Friends growing up and both fell for her and they decided to be in a Poly relationship together (in My Fic both Malfoy and Snape are Bi). I made Rihannon there age instead of a Student because I felt the Teacher/Student dynamic had already been over done.

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on.  "Hit on her again." Severus warned Sirius,wand at his throat. "I.Dare.You. 

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them? Teen Wolf- The Alpha. My PTSD and The fact that most of The Peter videos I had watched on youtube had been deleted...

19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to? I’m not finished with them yet lol

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently? No.

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire? I’m not sure. I do really like Fangirl Hells writing’s. 

22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it? No but I do feel bad that at 13 yrs old writing WWE Fics,I made The Rock abusive :/ 

23) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence? Music definitely. 

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes? LOVE IT

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story? No,just while thinking about it.

26) Which part of your xxx fic was the hardest to write? A Perfect Distraction-The initial Smut scene took so long to write because I was either not in the mood or had no idea how to approach it. Turns out I just needed to make Lucius Romantic :)

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow? Both.

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction? How well received it actually is!

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like? Um yeah My Harry Potter one and Wells of Hearts! 

30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at? lol um My Shane Mcmahon one’s as there so Short especially ‘It’s Been Awhile’ 

31) Send me a fic recommendation and I’ll post it for my followers to see! 

32) Are any of your characters based on real people? In The Flash Fic,Michelle Renee is obviously me as she has My name,but since I don’t actually have powers,i’d have to say My WWE Roxy is the closest in terms of personality and style.

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten? Just asking to be tagged in My writing is compliment enough!

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten? idr

35) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest? I share My SFW one’s with My Family and My NSFW one’s with The Hubby lol

36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s? Nah

37) What’s the funniest story you’ve written? I don’t really write Comedy.

38) If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? (Perhaps this question will inspire some collabs!) If you’re shy, don’t tag the blog, just name it.

39) Do you prefer first, second or third person? First 

40) Do people know you write fanfiction? Yep

41) What’s you favourite minor character you’ve written? Archie Andrews. 

42) Song fic - What made you decide to use the song xxx for xxx. 

43) Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it? idk

44) What is the last line you wrote? For My HP One it’s just an outline but-They have late night get togethers in The Library and secret rendezvous in The Room of Requirements and Snape’s Potions Class after hours. 

45) What spurs you on during the writing process? Not sure My Muse probably. 

46) I really loved your xxx fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it?

47) Here’s a fic title - insert a made up title. What would this story be about?

48) What’s your favourite trope to write? Good Girl saves Angsty Villian lol

49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about? idk it was prbly a Sailor Moon one though.

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? Smut definitely,I have so many Character and Celeb crush’s how could I not? lol

[fallingvvstyle]

are you actually 56

No:-)

Theperson that’s been going around saying that about me isn’texactly the brightest LED in the jumbotron. They saw a post Ireblogged that asked people to put their age in the tags; what theyfailed to notice was that I reblogged that post almost two yearsago. Perhaps my anon questionercan figure out the implications of that, but this person doesn’tseem to do very well with abstractions. And I think if I had knownthere were this many haters on tumblr, I would have thought a littlemore about reblogging that.

(There’sa lot of hate ontumblr: someone else lied about me to a discord server owner in orderto get me banned almost a year ago; then again, this person also toldme that they were “glad to hear” that a good friend of mine hadprobably died, so their opinion is kind of of no interest to me.)

Thesame person that’s tellingpeople I’m 56 also once(publicly) accused me of “writing porn about little kids”, whichis something I have never done, and never would do. Iobject to that sort of thing at least as much as the averagenormally-thinking person does.I found out later that theywerereferring to a particular story of mine, and I pointed out that thethird paragraph of the story clearly states that the characters are19 in it, hence it isn’t “pornabout little kids.” This person either barely skimmed the story(and surely didn’t read it for comprehension) or more likely neverread it at all and simplytook the word of someone else, without bothering to fact-check beforemaking that slanderous public comment. SoI’m not in the least surprised that they also missed the veryobvious clue about my age.

Ifsomeone were to kick a person out of a discord server (andthat’s what this is about, isn’t it?)and ban them because that person was black or Muslim,peoplewould be all over them for being a bigot. Beingin a certain age group is simply another demographic; there’s goodand bad people inevery group.

Funnything about bigotry:There isn’t a bigot alive who doesn’t believe that theirparticular prejudice is completely justified. After all, in theirminds, the world would be a better place without “those people”in it. They don’teven realize they’re bigots;it’s amazing how that works!

(Foreseeinga possible objection here: “But you write smut!” Yeah, I do; sowhat? So do literally thousands of other fanfic writers. Do you evenvisit FFN or AO3? The latter site even has a (very popular)“underage” tag; yet you won’t find a single story of mine withthat, because despite what I’ve been accused of, I don’twrite porn involving underage characters.

Y’know,I have 24 South Park stories posted on FFN totalingnearly 300,000 words, and thevast majority of them aren’t smut. Whatthey are instead are better-than-average (yes, I said that myself)stories; but then again I’ve been writing fora very long time. Hell, foras long as I can remember Iwanted to be the next Stephen King :)  Unfortunately the closest Iever came to professional success was when I worked for a small townnewspaper for about a year. So when I discovered fanfiction back in2012, I had finallyfound an outlet where I could indulge my passion and share it withothers. Anyone who judges mebased not on that but rather the two or three stories Ihave writtenthat are either outrightporn or have sex scenes inthem shouldperhaps take a look at theirown biases. No one is forcing anyone to read anything theydon’t want to!

Ifyou want to see what I write when the South Park kids actually are10 years old, you should read mystory  Fahrenheit 203 sometime. Don’t worry! It’s not smut. 

Foreseeinga couple other possible objections:

“Youshould have friends your own age!”(someone actually told me that here). Uh...I have plentyof friends my own age; heck, I have friends that are 20 years olderthan me. Ever smoke a joint with a 70 year old? It’s an eye-openingexperience ;) The problem is, none of those friends share my interest in South Park, or of writing fanfiction, soI have to go elsewhere to find like-minded people.The person that has beensaying I’m 56 once said (and I’m paraphrasing because it’s notworth my time to go get an exact quote): “I don’t seek out olderpeople to be friends with in real life, so why should I do thathere?”

Uh,I would suggest one possible answer might be “to broaden yourobviously very narrow worldview.” When I was 15-18, I wasa member of a local community orchestra (second violinist). I was thesecond or third youngest member there. We’d meet for rehearsal oncea week for two hours, and during the break halfway through, whilemost of the adults wentoutside to smoke, I’d go hang out with one of the cello players.The guy was pushing 70, was a great guy (and funny as hell) and letme play his cello. I got to where I could play a mean version of thefirst 30 seconds of the main theme to ‘Jaws’...butI digress.

“Whyis someone your age on this hellsite?” It’srather presumptuous to assume that someone would lose interest infandom-related things once they’ve passed a certain age. Beyondthat, this question is better addressed than I ever could in thispost:http://fallingvvstyle.tumblr.com/post/164637677546/redshoesnblueskies-knitmeapony

“Butyour generation ruined the economy/destroyed the environment!”Well, that may be true, but I personally had nothing whatsoever to dowith that. I’ve neverserved a single day in Congress, I’ve never been involved inpassing a single law; although I haveplanted close to 30 trees around my house in the last 15 years.Blaming me for what others inmy demographic did is no different thansaying all black people are violent thugs, or all Muslimsare terrorists. Again, theregood and bad folksin every group of people.

“But...I’mjust not comfortabletalking to you.” Ifso, then you probably shouldn’t interact with me;  Butwhat kind of person prevents someone from interacting with otherpeople who dowant to interact with them, besides a petty, vindictivetyrant-wannabe who was probably bullied themselves and seizing theopportunity to tryto doit to someone else (whounfortunately for them doesn’t take crapfrom anyone anymore)?Believeit or not, I’m nothurting anyone (opinionsabout a couple of my stories notwithstanding),I’m not trying to hook up with anyone here (my wife wouldn’t letme anyway :-) ), and I don’t talk about sexual stuff with underagepeople. Asfar as my stories areconcerned,they are all properly tagged and rated, and there my responsibilityends. It’s not up to me to police what other people do on theinternet.

Butno matter; I won’t be joining any more discord servers;however a friend of mine and I are going to start our own, and whenwe do I’ll be posting a linktoit here. There’sa couple people here who goingto bepre-banned.

FinallyI’m going to tag a few people; some of these are people who haveknown me for severalyears, we’vediscussed myage, andthey continue to be my friends, a few are people thatI’m sure have seen this bullshit drama playout onmy dash before and still talk to me anywaywithoutactuallymentioning it,and the rest of them are people whosereactions havebeen less than favorable and rangeanywhere from not talking to me anymore and/or unfollowing me, allthe way upto extreme hostility (andthey’re in no particular order so don’t try to figure out whichuser name is in which category).

@creekycoffee @rensrenegade @whizz-in-my-ass @deusbex @therd101person @niceusernamekahl @rhirhidamiengurl666 @alli-potts @whazzor-bruwn @rinkuthefirst

Onerequest: If you’re going to try to argue with me about this post,make sure you’ve readit for comprehension first, becauseunlike the conversation I had with the personwho still thinks I’m 56,I’m not going to explain the same thing two or three times anymore.

[eleanor-devil]

Naruto Fanfic - Boruto: Sacrifices - Chap.20, Team Konohamaru’s New Member?!

IMPORTANT: It would be very very appreciated if you reblogged it and left a comment. We get lots of likes/favs but almost no comments, so please everyone, leave a comment, it encourages us to continue.

Written by my friend @mirage-05

Cover by @eleanor-devil

prologue, chap.1, chap.2, chap.3, chap.4, chap.5, chap.6, chap.7, chap.8, chap.9, chap.10, chap.11, chap.12, chap.13, chap.14, chap.15, chap.16, chap.17, chap.18, chap.19, chap.20, chap.21

For more Sacrifices stuff, click on this link

Chapter 20 - Team Konohamaru’s New Member?!

And he had thought the day couldn't possibly become more challenging. Ichiro had just left the office, and he was just as much of a head case as he was the day before. The only difference was that now that he was officially the leader of the Sarutobi - which honestly was a concept Konohamaru was still trying to wrap his mind around - the teen had to act more reserved and respectable around him. Deep down, though, he couldn't help but feel like this was eventually gonna brew a rebellion sooner or later. It would take only a spark. So he was going to act very careful, so as not to make any mistakes. In other words, it was a battle of wills between himself and the clan's next heir. Lost in his thoughts, Konohamaru raised his head as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." A chuunin walked into his office, a folded piece of paper in her hand. "Konohamaru-san," she said with a small bow, holding the paper out to him. "Lord Hokage wanted me to deliver this message to you." The brunet took the message. "Thank you." As the woman left, he quickly unfolded the paper and took a look at the handwriting. In a minute, he lowered his head in his palm with a sigh. Yep... this day indeed couldn't have turned out more challenging.

... "I don't understand..." Sarada said with a small frown as she was walking beside Boruto. "Why would lord seventh ask to see us now?" "He didn't specify the details." the blond said, although he sounded a little... concerned, the Uchiha noted. It had been a little over a week since their friend fell into the coma, and they had never received a call from the Hokage's office since then. So both of the children were understandably... a little nervous. Although, as much as she couldn't put a finger on it... There was something different about Boruto, it was as if he was... expecting something, or else plotting for something. She didn't know what that could possibly be but sometimes... the kind of determination and devotion scared the girl. Still... Sarada chose not to voice any of her thoughts as they came in front of the Hokage building. ... "WHAT?!" Naruto sighed and closed his eyes for a moment at his son's outburst. "Just calm down and listen, Boruto..." "Listen?! What is there to listen, dad? You are telling us that you are replacing Mitsuki in the team!" "I am not." his father said patiently. "This is only a temporary mission. The boy who will be accompanying you has his own team..." "Then he should be sent with his own team!" "They are on a different mission right now." Boruto snorted out a sarcastic laugh. "What kind of a tactic is that dad? Since when have you been mix-matching teams?" "Lord seventh, please... I don't think we're really ready for a mission right now." Sarada said. "I might have reconsidered my decision if the situation wasn't urgent." The Hokage's voice was soft but it was obvious that he wasn't going to give in. "The ingredient you must recover is extremely rare and can only be collected in this time of the year, and since his grandson is the only one who can truly identify it... Teuchi-san asked for him to accompany this mission." Boruto crossed his arms and turned his back to his dad, his expression still very cross. "Find another team, dad." "Boruto..." "No, I'm serious dad!" the boy snapped, turning back furiously. "No matter how you cut it, it will still feel like he's just there as a replacement! And he will never be as good as Mitsuki!" He had to take a pause, breathing heavily because he had just delivered the speech in one breath. "Why are you doing this to us...?" he asked finally, his tone broken. In his eyes, this was nothing short of a betrayal. Naruto sighed again before getting up from his seat and approaching his son. "Boruto, Sarada... I know it's hard for you both but please have faith in me... I'm not doing this to replace Mitsuki at all... It was bec-" "Will there be any other missions like this?" his son cut in abruptly, his tone still tense but a careful look in his eyes, almost... calculating. It caught Naruto off guard for a moment, but he was quick to brush it off. "Not if there's another emergency, no." "Dad, this isn't the answer we're looking for." "But I can't give you guarantees on a matter that's out of my control. But... next time, I'll try to arrange a three-man mission, okay?" Sarada sighed a breath of relief at that, she wasn't really keen about this mission either... Boruto looked at his father for a moment, and Naruto saw that the look in his eyes, that calculating look, stayed in place... Was he... planning something? Before he could elaborate on it, though, Boruto huffed and unfolded his arms, bringing one of his hands to stretch his neck, avoiding his eyes. "Okay, okay... I'll do your mission." ... When they finally walked outside, they found their sensei was waiting for them... talking with the boy that would be 'accompanying' them. The first thing that could be said about him was... well, he was quite plain-looking. He had a thin build, not exactly skinny but not with many muscles to show. Blond, shoulder length hair framed a tanned face with brown eyes. He is too like me, Boruto decided as soon as they saw him, adding to his grumpiness. At least their original team had color variety. Seeing them, the boy broke into a pleasant smile. "Hello! Nice to meet you, I'm..." Boruto raised his hand to cut in. "I don't do introductions. We're only here for the mission, and that's that." The newcomer was clearly taken aback. "Uuuh..." "Boruto, be nice to him." Konohamaru said seriously. "This is Beika, and as you both know-" "I'm sorry, was it 'baka'?" "Boruto..." the brunet had a slight frown on his features now. "Eh? No, it's 'Beika', as in... baker?" "Are you trying to tell me-" "Why," Konohamaru cut in, loud, sensing that this wasn't going to end up well. "don't you quickly introduce yourselves before we start, too?" He looked pointedly at his two students. There was a moment of silence. "Uchiha Sarada." the girl finally spoke, and while her tone wasn't as hostile as Boruto's, it couldn't be clearer that she was not interested. "Uzumaki Boruto, but you can just keep it in mind as 'stay away'." "You know," and finally... there was a frown on Beika's face, too. "You really don't have to take that tone with me." "Whatever." "Beika... let me have a quick word with these two." The boy nodded silently, his eyes still on the Uzumaki as Konohamaru drew the two friends away. "Now, listen to me," the jounin told them when they were out of earshot. "Beika didn't choose to be part of the team for this mission, Teuchi-san didn't specifically ask for our team to take it. Do you see where I'm going with this?" "He might be... as unwilling as we are?" Sarada asked. "That wouldn't be how I put it, since he's actually showing some effort to act as part of this team." Konohamaru cut in quickly when he saw Boruto was about to say something. "I know what you feel, but this is how it works in the shinobi world, sometimes you have to work with people other than your teammates. Especially after you become Chuunins. And well... since this is a very basic mission, I'm pretty sure it won't take too long. So please... behave." he finished, especially looking at Boruto. "Doesn't mean I have to enjoy it," the blond mumbled. The jounin sighed. "Boruto... Lord seventh arranged this mission so you two can ease your minds a little. It's temporary, Beika won't be here all the time for all the possible missions, and I know you better than this. So please..." "...behave. Yeah, okay, got it Konohamaru-onii-chan." Boruto said finally in a resigned tone, and this time the old epithet made the brunet actually smile a bit. ... "So... where are we headed to?" Beika smiled a little as he heard the noticeable change for the good in Sarada's tone. "We are headed to a small village on the other side of the hills a few kilometers away from our southern border." he replied. "The ingredient we're searching for must be of their native origin..." the girl deduced. "Yes, indeed. Actually, its origin is the snow country, but in this certain time of the year it can be-" "Yeah yeah, we got it, cut it short will you?" "Boruto, don't make me repeat myself." "What? I didn't say anything!" "Look, it's not my fault your friend isn't here." Beika started in a tone that was obviously trying to stay calm. Nobody said anything for a moment. "This... really isn't the best topic to bring up..." Sarada said, sweat dropping by the side of her cheek. It looked like the boy was going to say something else... but then he decided against it. They continued down the pathway, not speaking much with each other after that. ... They reached the village in about an hour. It was like they had stepped into another reality. True, it was still January, but it wasn't quite as cold as this in Konoha, which was going through one of its warmest winters actually. A middle-aged man with a pleasant expression greeted them at the entrance. "Welcome to Kanabiri," he said warmly as they came to a stop in front of him. "Sorry, we couldn't give you a warmer welcome... Got it? Warmer - because of the weather!" They tried their best not to look too awkward as the man laughed heartily at his own joke - all but Beika, who sweatdropped. "I see you still haven't improved your humor skills, Oyayama-san." "Beika, my boy," the man put a hand on Beika's shoulder, and with his size, the blond looked even smaller. 'What a joke,' Boruto thought grumpily. "It's been a while! Tell me about your grandfather." "He's doing quite good, thank you." "I thought you would come with the dog girl and that perma-grin boy?" Boruto and Sarada just looked at each other, trying not to roll their eyes. This team sounded weirder and weirder each passing second. "No, we got separated. This is Uzumaki Boruto, Uchiha Sarada and Sarutobi Konohamaru-sensei." Oyayama shook their hands in turn. "Nice to meet all of you. Please make yourselves at home while we make the last preparations. There is a small celebration going on right now in the village actually." And sure enough, they could hear music coming from not too far away. "Thank you, we will enjoy that." Konohamaru said pleasantly. Well... Boruto had other plans. ... They had been enjoying the celebrations - which were apparently for a wedding that would take place in the evening. She was trying to be open-minded about Beika, coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't his fault what they had been going through, and finding out that he is actually a person whose conversation she could enjoy. But of course Sarada noticed the absence of the familiar presence of her childhood friend. "Umm, sensei..." she approached Konohamaru, trying to be discreet about it. "Do you know where Boruto is?" "Hm? No, I haven't seen him in a while," the brunet replied, but he didn't seem so worried about it. "I wouldn't worry, though, he's probably somewhere around the village." "True... I just..." the girl bit her lower lip. "What is it, Sarada?" her sensei asked, still not really concerned but slightly bothered by her behavior. "Something just doesn't feel right." she concluded a little bit sheepishly. Before Konohamaru could say something, Oyayama approached them. "Konohamaru-san, everything is ready to go." "Thank you for your cooperation," Konohamaru said, and then looked around. "Now if we can find Boruto..." "Oh, he's not here." Oyayama's daughter chirped in from beside him, which left everyone baffled for a second. "What do you mean?" Sarada asked, immediately going into alarm mode. "He said something about a secret mission," the girl continued brightly, not aware of how they suddenly became tense. "Kaa-san was teaching us about some herbs and he asked about... umm, the name was..." "It was the Okanouchi flower," came a female voice behind the girl as her mother walked forward. With that word, Oyayama turned to look at her, a slight frown on his face. "Wait, I thought that flower went extinct a few years ago?" "That's what I tried to tell him," the woman replied, looking at her husband. "True, the plant's healing substances are still used as components of all kind of medicine, but it's not as effective as the original. The plant itself..." "Healing?" Konohamaru asked, his eyes widening. "That was its main purpose, yes." Sarada didn't need any help to catch up to her sensei. "Sensei, we need to find him..." she said, worry evident in her onyx eyes. It had taken to a different level now - she was hoping that they would find Boruto before he had to suffer a big disappointment. "And we will." the jounin said firmly. "Ma'am, any ideas of where he could go to search for this... plant?" "Wait, do we need to find him immediately?" Beika asked, frowning a little himself. "I mean, it's not like he's in danger, and we need to take the ing-" "Are you seriously even comparing these situations?" the Uchiha asked unbelievably. "Well I'm sorry but there IS a reason why the mission couldn't be postponed." "Well I'm sorry to say that right now, I don't give two-" "We can arrange for the ingredients to last longer," Oyayama put in helpfully. "Thank you, we will take it," Konohamaru said before turning to Beika. "I understand your concern. But we don't leave anyone behind. I'm pretty sure this is not your sensei's way of teaching, so do comply with us." When the blond didn't say anything to that, the brunet turned to Oyayama's wife. "Please give us more information about that location." ... He was getting close. It was more of a gut feeling rather than actually knowing the territory. It felt like he couldn't do this wrong, he couldn't have mistaken or miscalculated anything, this was the chance he was waiting for, the thing he had planned all along. Of course, Boruto was quite aware of the fact that he was going to hear from Konohamaru-sensei for abandoning a mission, but he didn't really care right now. Realizing that he had almost reached the mountain top - his destination - the blond started paying closer attention to his surroundings. The plant in description sounded quite... plain, except for some details. It was brilliant cyan in color, but the trickiest part was the leaves. From noon to two pm each day they were glowing with a barely noticeable hint of gold. It was fifteen minutes to two, so he had to be quick. Luck was by his side. He indeed came upon a cluster of light blue flowers by the riverside he was climbing. Coming to an immediate stop, excited, Boruto knelt down. These weren't the flowers he was looking for. This continued on for a while as the blond continued moving up moving up the mountain side, looking at every group of blue flowers he could find, growing more and more desperate with each one of them. There was always something missing, something wrong that disqualifies the plant as the one he needed. "No..." he mumbled as he picked another flower, turning it in his hand to look at every detail. "No, no..." In his frustration, he tore the petals apart. "Boruto...!" he then heard a voice. He immediately jumped back on his feet and sprinted forward again, he didn't want to be interrupted right now! He still had a little time... "Boruto!" a different, more commanding voice then sounded, but the blond still acted like he couldn't hear any of them. It was finally someone grabbing him, tight, from behind that forced the pre-teen to stop. However, Boruto didn't stop trying to move out of his sensei's embrace. "Let me go!" he yelled in frustration. "Boruto..." Konohamaru's voice was decidedly soft. "I'm sorry kid..." "No... if you just let me go, we still have time..." Boruto tried again, growing desperate. Why couldn't he understand?! Time was precious - they couldn't afford to lose any! "Boruto... what you're looking for is extinct, you can't find any by just looking around..." "I can!" the boy yelled again. "Just - just let me go, I know I can fix this, Konohamaru-nii-chan, PLEASE!" That was when his eyes landed on his female teammate, and hope was rekindled in him. "Sarada... Sarada, you - you know this is real - you read about it right?! You believe me, right?!" There was nothing but sorrow in the girl's eyes, it was hard for her to watch her friend in this state... "Boruto, I-I'm sorry... Sensei is right... Okanouchi went extinct-" "No! Just - dammit!" the blond started heaving in deep breaths, coming closer to hyperventilating. "Please... we don't have time... we don't... we..." Konohamaru just hugged him tighter with his words. "Are you dense?" The voice was harsh, no sympathy whatever in it. Konohamaru felt Boruto tense in his arms, but none of the members of Team Konohamaru said anything. "What were you thinking, endangering a mission to chase after something everyone knows is gone for good?" Their blond companion was seething... not the cheerful boy they had seen in the beginning. "Beika," the jounin was frowning now. "It is not your place to tell Boruto off, I will do it myself if I find it necessary." "Well I'm sorry but when will it be necessary?!" "Don't take that tone with my sensei..." Boruto said in a low voice, frowning slightly. "I mean yeah, I got it, you somehow believe that I'm here to take your friend's place but you know what? I didn't want any of it! If I could, I would go with my friends! And maybe next time you should tell your friend not to make such dumb deci-" Konohamaru was too concentrated on holding Boruto. It didn't even register to him that someone else moved first. WHAM! Both the boy and the jounin's eyes widened a little at the usually calm Sarada's reaction. The Uchiha was practically shaking with fury as she continued looking at Beika, who was also looking at her, appalled, one hand on his cheek. "You... I've had enough of you!" the girl exclaimed, her tone furious and heated. "Do you have even the slightest idea of what it means to have someone you hold dear in a very critical condition and you don't know what will happen next?! Do you know what desperation feels like?! Do you even have a heart?!" "I-" "Save it. I want nothing more than to complete this stupid mission so I will never have to see your face again." "I bet you were one of those who kept harassing Mitsuki." Boruto said, his tone just as cold. "Excuse me? I wasn't even in Konoha this past week!" "Yeah, right." "That's quite enough." Konohamaru's voice cut in, serious and stern. "We end this mission right now. We're returning to Konoha and... I don't think I have to say that my report is gonna be full of disappointment. I expected much better from all of you." The genins didn't say anything to that, but none of them were looking at each other... ... "Log, I understand your concerns but... you know as well as I do that this is not the first time Orochimaru-sama disappeared for this long." Karin was sitting in one of the lounge chairs in the attendance room, one of her hands resting on her growing belly, her red eyes on the young man standing in front of her. The oldest son - or in this case, clone - Orochimaru created was clearly in distress - although he didn't show any physical signs of it, the redhead knew him long enough to know. "I know that." Log said curtly, tense. "But something is wrong... Don't you think he would be back from Konoha by now? A week is too long for a village that supposedly doesn't trust him." The woman sighed at that, the young man was indeed talking about her worries in the passing time... In all honesty, she had been restless for a couple of days, too, pacing around, constantly sighing... It had only been for her boyfriend's sake that she had been trying to keep it under control, what with Suigetsu warning her from time to time to not get overly-stressed (who would have thought he could become such a good father even before the baby was born anyway)... But the worries were there, hidden deep. "Well...?" Log was impatient, her silence was clearly frustrating him. Karin closed her eyes for a minute before opening them again and getting up. "Follow me." Together they walked (or in Log's case, stormed) towards the exit of the hideout. Juugo and Suigetsu were outside, doing some spar out of boredom, because without Orochimaru here, there wasn't much to do other than the routine things, which didn't take much time. "Juugo," she called, walking up to them and crossing her arms as a serious expression crossed her face. "This is getting ridiculous, we want to know right now what is taking Orochimaru-sama so long. Do your thing." "My thing?" the orange haired man straightened up from his spar position. "What do you mean Karin?" "She is being paranoid... again." said Suigetsu, looking at the pregnant woman. "She thinks that something happened but I've told her a thousand times that everything is fine, it's not like it's the first time Orochimaru leaves without saying anything..." He looked at Log. "Have you been feeding her anxiety, kid?" That earned him a glare. Pregnant or not, Karin's temper was still there and... you could say it was ten times worse because of the mood swings. Suigetsu only knew what was coming when he felt something hit him hard on the head. "I dare you to call me paranoid again, Suigetsu! Do I have to remind you that I'm carrying YOUR baby?!" "Hey!" the white haired man quickly stood up. "Do I have to remind you that you agreed with having a baby too?" "Cut it out, you two." Juugo said, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Now that he thought about it... Yeah, he would say he had stock in the worry department himself. Orochimaru had said he was going to meet Mitsuki... and since he wasn't allowed in Konoha, him being away for a week, well... It was not exactly comforting. He sighed. "Alright, I'm gonna try to learn if there's anything new from the birds." "Bird-whisperer," Suigetsu said in an undertone, to which the orange haired man just rolled his eyes. Then the white haired man looked at his girlfriend. "Look, go inside and settle down, will you? We will tell you if we learn something new." But the red haired woman was not about to do it so easily. "Suigetsu, I am not leaving until Juugo says something... I am worried about Mitsuki and if you try to hide anything from me, I swear I will track Orochimaru's chakra on my own." And there she was trailing again... Juugo was not listening to the couple anymore, he was staring at the sky as he waited for a bird to come. And it did, not one but two of them who landed safely on his hand. His dark orange eyes stared at the birds as they began chirping. The couple and Log watched on, not interrupting anymore as he listened to whatever the birds were chirping about. Suigetsu noticed it first, though, being nearer to the man, when he noticed his eyes widening slightly. "Good lord..." Juugo whispered to himself, his free hand balling into a fist. Hearing the man's words, Karin quickly approached him, worry suddenly filling her eyes. "What? What is it, Juugo?!" her voice sounded more anxious than she had actually wanted to show. "What happened?" Karin suddenly coming to the point of freaking out, Suigetsu felt the need to once again intervene, although he knew very well that it might end up in blood, and he was worried by Juugo's reaction himself. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy." he said, trying to calm her down. "Suigetsu, I swear something will break if YOU don't drop this attitude, and I'm not talking about pregnancy issues," Karin snarled. "What did you learn, Juugo?" she insisted, turning to the orange haired man. "Just spill it already!" Log, who had been silent for a while, finally burst out. The taller man allowed the birds to fly away before he dropped his arm, Karin noticed how his eyes hardened more than ever as he turned around to face them. "Something... really bad happened to Mitsuki..." The whisper was all the contrary to the man's hardened features... the whisper came out barely making it to the other two's ears... Karin hadn't really noticed that she had forgotten how to breathe, stuck in the endless moment of Juugo's declaration as his words echoed in her mind. Suigetsu was staring at Juugo, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just said, but his mind and body sprang into action when he saw Karin swaying on her feet. He caught her before she could fall to the ground. "Hey, easy, dammit..." He looked up at Juugo again. "Wha... what happened?" "He..." there was a lump in his throat. "He was attacked on the way here... the birds said that those who attacked him were going to attack Konoha. He engaged them into a fight and... got really hurt." He eyed Log and an already weakened Karin, he didn't know how to say the rest... but he had to. "He is in a coma..." With that, the older brother didn't even stay to listen for more... In less than a second, without saying a word to them, he had sprung to the trees, disappearing out of sight. When she heard that last word, Karin couldn't hold it back anymore. A sob escaped her mouth as she brought her hand to her mouth, tears falling down her face. "I knew it... I knew something happened, I knew it..." she whispered to herself, shaking slightly with the sobs. She had felt her heart tug a week ago, she didn't know why but she immediately felt it was about Mitsuki, something in her heart and head had immediately thought of the light blue haired boy that she had practically raised as her own child... and now she knew it was true... As she wiped her tears away and slowly released herself from Suigetsu's grip, she took a few steps before looking at the two men. "I want to go there." she said. "I want to go to Konoha." "We can't just show up at the border and demand them to let us see him, we are not allowed to the village, either..." Suigetsu said, as much as he wanted to go too, there was something called being reasonable. "I would like to see anyone denying me the right to see my baby boy," Karin snapped. "We are going to Konoha, now, and that's that." Juugo didn't say anything, Karin was already acting like a mother, it was just instinct and he knew nothing would stop that woman from going to see Mitsuki. "Very well, let's go then." They would think of a way to get inside the village somehow... Of course it would not be as easy as the last time they had done it was back when the Great Fourth Ninja War was happening.

[buckybee]

Dwarf hamsters masterpost

So you got your first hamster. What to do now?

Hamsters may be tiny creatures, but they need care. Spacious habitats, a rigorous diet, and ways to let off steam, are essential. 

First thing that you must remember, is that most sellers don’t know anything about hamsters. They’ll give you wrong, possibly harmful advices. Always better to check in with appropriate associations or websites.

Second thing that you must remember, is that hamster are not cheap to care for. Their cages are expensive, as are their accessories, food, and bedding. Of course, though, most things can be made at home, which gives you the chance to save a lot.  

Third thing you must remember, is that hamsters are solitary, extremely territorial animals. Do not put two or more together, because they will likely end up killed, or at the very least seriously injured. 

That said, let’s go.

Species

Winter White/Siberian 

May be found in three different colorations: standard, sapphire, or pearl - despite the name, only the third one is actually white. Size: 8-10 cm (3.15-3.93 inches); weight: 30-60g. Life expectancy: 1.5 - 2.5 years. 

(mine. Say hi to Astra!)

Campbell/Russian 

Standard coloration, or mutated. Size: 8-10 cm (3.15-3.93 inches); weight: 35-50g. Life expectancy: 1.5 - 2.5 years. 

Roborovskij

Normal coloration, or mutated. Size: 5-6 cm (1.96-2.36 inches); weight: 25-40g. Life expectancy: 3 - 4 years. They’re the less friendly of the bunch!

Chinese

Standard coloration. Size: 9-11 cm (3.54-4.33 inches); weight: 35-50g. Life expectancy: 2 - 3 years.

(By Tristanspotter - Own work, Public Domain)

Cages

Despite the popular belief, cages must be ample. Hamsters need space, to organize it as they like and move freely in a roomy habitat.

Size must be 70x40 cm (27.56x19.68 inches) at least for Winter White and Campbell, and a minimum of 75x40 cm (29.53x19.68 inches) for Roborovskij. Better if they’re even bigger. 

Those small cages that come to mind when you think about hamsters? Awful. Horrible. Make these tiny balls of fur go mad.

Examples of good cages: 1, 2, 3

Examples of bad cages: 1, 2, 3

Don’t be scared away by the price, though: you can always make your own. How? Buy a similar box, make sure the bottom is smooth, and find a way to have a practical cover with good aeration if you have any other animal at home. If not, you can leave it open, but be careful of not putting your hamsters in danger of escaping. 

What does the cage/box need?

a shelf: hamsters are not fans of highs, but they do like an “upper floor”. One shelf is more than enough

a way to get to the shelf: an example can be plastic tubes, or whatever else. Nothing with bars, though.

bedding: at least 10 cm (3.93 inches), better if 15/20 cm. This is because hamsters are diggers, and love to create tunnels in their home. Materials: hemp, flax, cellulose, or wood shavings (buy it, do not make it yourself). Make sure they’re not too dusty, or they’ll damage eyes and respiratory system. You can also mix them up together.

a wheel: essential to avoid stress for out pet. The diameter must be at least 20/25 cm (7.87/9.84 inches). Otherwise, it would squash and deform their spines. It must not have bars, because hamsters could injury their feet, but instead be made of wood or good plastic. The surface must be uniform

a drinking-through, or more than one, from which they can obviously drink

small bowls for food

a den, or more than one: a house that they can claim as their nest. It can be made of wood, cardboard, ceramic (not glazed), or cork. Should be long at least 14 cm (5.5 inches), better if with more than one room. Examples of good houses: 1, 2. This one is acceptable and quite cheap. Again, you can make your own with cardboard or any other material mentioned above if you’re skilled enough. Careful of harmful glues and splinters, though.

some unscented, white toilet paper: they use it in their den

What does the cage/box not need? (that you should absolutely avoid)

cotton wool and wadding: extremely dangerous for our little friends. It could suffocate them if ingested, or they could get their paws trapped and twisted in it. Do not use it, not even if it’s labeled as safe or appropriate for hamsters

scented bedding. Hamsters have a sharp sense of smell, and it would annoy them, possibly even harm them

a tiny swimming pool. I have no idea why you would have this one, but better safe than sorry: baths are dangerous for these animals - their fur need to stay dry

Where should you put the cage?

Hamsters are a little delicate. They can’t bear strong smells, loud noises, or acute changes in temperature, especially for an extended period of time. They also don’t like direct sunlight, and drafts are dangerous for them. So you can’t keep them in the kitchen, near a window, or close to your tv/stereo. 

The ideal temperature is above 17°C (62.6°F) and under 25°C (77°F). They hibernate around 8°C (46.4°F), which is to avoid, and suffer from heatstroke, a potentially fatal condition, around 28°C (82.4°F).

Better not to put them on the floor if you have dogs, and anyway, keep an eye on your other pets when they wander close to the cage.

Do not put them outside, on the balcony or in the garden and such. They wouldn’t last.

Nutrition 

Hamsters are omnivorous, but they mostly eat seeds and vegetables. There are some good seed mixes on sale, but not many. 

Good mixes: Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert, Bunny HamsterDream Basic and Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Basic, ZoodDi Rodipet both for Junion and Senior. 

The alternative is making your own. 

Ingredients: 

dried peas (few)

lentils

buckwheat

spelt seeds

oat seeds

quinoa

corn

flax seeds (few)

husked rice

sesame seeds

canary grass seeds

soybeans

rye

millet seeds

to be integrated with proteins, like some boiled egg, or dried mealworms, thrice a week. The seeds must be uncooked and undressed.

In both case (bought mix, or homemade), the diet is lacking of vegetables, which must be included. Better to give 3 or 4 different types at the same time, so your pet can choose and have variety.

Which vegetables are okay:

salad (all kinds)

radicchio

zucchini

cucumber

brussels sprout 

broccoli

cauliflower

carrots (only a little)

pumpkin (only a little)

fennel (cut in small pieces)

celery (cut in small pieces)

ripe tomato (without seeds or stalk)

to be served washed, then dried, and uncooked and undressed. Must be room-temperature.

Which vegetables are not okay:

eggplant

green beans

Which food in general is not okay:

beans

potatoes

chocolate

bananas

papayas

mangos

sweets

ham

cheese

bakery goods (bread, biscuits, etc)

pasta

in general dressed food

Sugar is mostly to be avoid, and so is the food that carries it. You can give them fruit only once a week and in small doses. 

Which fruits are okay:

apples

pears

grapes

cherries

apricots

orange

tangerine 

raspberries, blackberries and blueberries

to be served washed, then dried. Must be room-temperature.

Vets

Knowing who and where your vet is is important for the well-being of your hamster. The only vets qualified to treat it are specialized in exotic animals, so go find the closest one. Do not take your pet to a general vet, because they won’t know what to do with it in most cases (even though they may pretend they do).  

—

Now, this is sort of en emergency post; find the time to learn everything you need to know about your new friend. There are lots of things that are not listed here that are just as important, but are a little less urgent, and you can find out about them yourself. Search if there’s any organization that focuses on hamsters in your country. Surf the internet and choose a trusted website. Do your homework, because your pet counts on you.

Useful links

Online shops

Zooplus, international (you can find the list of shops of different nationalities at the bottom of the website)

Zipras, european and american (you can find the flags of different nationalities at the bottom of the website)

Rodipet, german

Unfortunately, the only valid website and forum I know is italian, so I can’t help you with that.

If anyone knows any good website, please reblog and tell us! If you find any mistake, please reblog and point it out (with proof). If you find anything to add, please do. I’m definitely not the most expert person on hamsters in the world, and I’d like this to be a communal effort.  

[let-it-raines]

Second in Command (Ep - Part 4)

Summary: Life as the “spare to the heir” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be when you’re the supposed screw-up of the family, but people don’t know what really happens behind closed doors.

Rating: Mature

A/N: Just wanted to say that you guys are continuously kind people, and I appreciate every read, like, kudos, ask, comment, and reblog on this ridiculously long story! :D

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr Chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |

Epilogue Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

Tag List: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @kmomof4 @wellhellotragic  @ekr032-blog-blog @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @a-faekindagirl @mayquita @captainsjedi @captswanis4vr @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @alys07 @andiirivera

Indy walks ahead of him, her leash tugging him along, while Emma walks beside him, their steps matching up as their feet move over the pavement in the gardens. The dullness of the winter plants, brown and gray trees barren of leaves, are fading away and blooming into lush greens and vibrant colors. It’s still cold outside, temperatures dipping low, so he and Emma are bundled up as they take their early morning walk, something they’ve taken up together in the past few weeks.

He finds it relaxing with the simplicity of it all, and he knows that Emma feels the same. It’s a way for them both to get some exercise on days when the gym in their home goes unused as well as a way to give Indy more space to run. She’s calmed as she’s gotten a bit older, but she’s still rambunctious and would likely need acres and acres of land to roam and be completely happy with her running space. Maybe they should travel up to Norfolk and go to their country home so she has a larger backyard and he and Emma have more privacy to go out and about outside of their home without the interference of photographers and reporters aching for a picture of Emma’s stomach.

The last two months of their lives have been, quite frankly, some of the most hectic of his life. Finding out Emma is pregnant was honestly one of the best moments of his life, even if how she phrased it was a little cheeky after such an awful scare. God, when she fell on that stage, he felt his heart drop to his stomach. He’d never been more terrified of anything in his entire life. Something was wrong with his wife, his best friend, and he didn’t know what it was. She was conscious the entire time, but she just wasn’t right. And the two hours between her fall and her telling him that they were having a child, well, he felt as if they’d never end.

Now he knows he was being a bit dramatic, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty instead of the blurry, faded vision that comes when you’re in the moment. Emma and the baby are just fine, growing like a weed really. She’s got the smallest of stomachs, something she woke him up and showed him just a few days ago. She was so excited, her eyes lighting up and practically sparkling under the bathroom’s lights, and sure enough, there was the slightest curve to her stomach, more physical proof that they’re having a child, not that he really needed anymore. But it was something special, and he was just as thrilled to get to see the changes in her stomach.  

And in her breasts, but that doesn’t seem to be a very fatherly thing to think. He thinks it, though, and he really appreciates the growth and how her libido has come back in full force in the past few days. That’s simply something he won’t be sharing with the child one day, but he hopes she (he’s absolutely convinced they’re having a little girl even if he can’t seem to come up with the reason why) can see how enamored he is with her mother. If not, he’s failed them both.

“Hey, babe?”

“Yeah?” he questions, reaching his hand out and twining their fingers together while they continue to walk together, nearing Liam and Abigail’s apartment.

“I think we should go on a babymoon.”

“What the bloody hell is a babymoon? I’m pretty sure that’s not a phase of the moon they taught us in primary school.”

She laughs before taking a step closer to release his hand and tuck her arm around the crook of his elbow while resting her head on his shoulder. He knows she’s being affectionate, but he also knows that she’s not willing to admit that her hands are cold because he suggested she wear gloves before they went out and she didn’t. She’s stubborn as hell, his love.

“I mean, it’s just, like, a vacation before the baby is born. The name is a ridiculous thing. I know it’s super trendy and all, but maybe we could get away for a week or a weekend before I’m not allowed to fly anymore. I think something different might be good for us. Something warm.”

“So before you’re heavily pregnant? When can you not fly? Six or seven months?”

“Yep, I was thinking next month or May. Maybe June if we don’t travel too far away.”

“Well next month is busy.” He runs through the plans he knows they have, trying to remember everything off the top of his head while attempting to get Indy to move away from the rose bushes. “We had to push back the Kidding a Goal two-year event already to May, and Liam’s fortieth birthday party is happening. I’ve also got the trip to Poland. Those are just the big things, I think. We’d also have to work around our engagements, but the middle of May would probably work.”

“We could do it for our anniversary. Just earlier.” “True,” he agrees, continuing to run through his calendar in his head while tugging at Indy’s leash again, the dog finally deciding to move on with her explorations. “Why don’t we work on it when we get home this afternoon?”

“Sounds good to me,” she sighs, nuzzling her head into his shoulder before laughing at Indy attempting to chase a bird that’s flittering between bushes

The three of them return back to their apartment twenty minutes later, Indy’s tired legs and the cool air winning out, in order to shower and get ready to drive to Hounslow for their St. Patrick’s Day activities. Emma’s stylists work on her hair and makeup while he gets ready, dressing in his Irish Guard uniform as he did for their wedding. He catches Emma looking at him in the mirror, and he throws her a wink, smiling while bobby pins are attached to her hair to keep her hat in place over her blonde curls.

This is one of his favorite events and though it’s technically Emma’s responsibility, he always joins her for this particular engagement. It’s likely because he gets to pal around and drink a Guinness with members of the Guard afterward, but he enjoys it all around. It’s relaxed and informal, despite the military aspect of it, and those are always his favorite things to do. State dinners and other diplomatic events are not usually enjoyable, but he understands he’s there for the country and his father, not himself. He can help better Britain even if he’s really there to smile and shake hands while telling a cheeky joke that would get him in loads of trouble if his father ever caught wind of it.

(He’s still eternally thankful Brennan has no idea about the joke he once made while slightly intoxicated about the size of his father’s ego having a negative effect on other parts of his anatomy. It’s not the 1600s, he has a good relationship with his dad, and he feels like he still might get beheaded for that one.)

Thomas drives them to Hounslow, and they get out of the car to go and greet the crowds outside, shaking hands and accepting gifts. Over the years he’s grown accustomed to accepting flowers and letters, the occasional handmade jar of jam after he was once pictured as a child with raspberry jam all over his face, but lately it’s been all baby gifts all of the time. They have quite the collection of baby shoes, which he doesn’t understand because infants don’t need them, but they are damn cute. And tiny, so tiny. How can a human’s feet be so small?

He’s obviously well prepared to be a father if he can’t get past the size of infant shoes.

Sure enough, he’s handed several booties and outfits, the colors ranging as everyone tries to guess if they’re having a boy or girl and bugging him as if he’s going to share the private news with everyone. He and Emma don’t even know yet. She’s not far along enough, though he has a sneaking (see: strong) suspicion they’re having a girl. Emma thinks they’re having a boy, and he’s choosing to think that he knows better.

He very rarely does.

“Thank you,” he tells everyone, handing some of the gifts, including a miniature version of his uniform, to their aides, “this is so sweet of you all. Emma and I give you all of our love.”

He finds Emma near the end of the line, sliding his hand around her waist and pulling her closer while she fumbles with a few gifts too, stuffed bears and clothes along with a few flowers that are already causing some of her allergies to kick in.

“You ready to go inside, my love?”

“Yep,” he whispers in her ear as a camera flashes behind him, “we’ve got some Shamrock to hand out and beers to drink. Well, at least I get to do the second part.”

“Shut up,” Emma playfully whines, waving to people as they walk by, “you’re being rude reminding me of that.”

“Well, I do so enjoy pushing your buttons. Maybe I’ll let you kiss me later so you can taste the alcohol.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you should be counting yourself at getting lucky today, no matter how many four leaf clovers you find.” She kisses his jaw before pinching his cheek, and he barks out a laugh while they walk inside to get situated for the parade and the rest of their duties.

He wakes to kisses up and down his arm, soft lips and softer skin pressing into him as the haze of sleep fades away and the darkness of their bedroom comes into view. He can barely see a thing, his eyes still adjusting to the lack of light, but he can feel the heat of Emma’s body pressing into his back and sending pinpricks of pleasure throughout his body.

“W – what time is it, love?”

“A little past two.”

She kisses the back of his neck, right at his hairline, and the pressure of her breasts and her stomach pressing against him while her foot is running up and down his calves is already too much when he hasn’t been awake for more than a minute.

“Emma, love,” he grumbles when she starts inching down his back, her tongue tracing his spine, “you’ve got to give a man a moment.”

She stops then, rolling off of him and onto her back, the mattress slightly bouncing under her weight, and he groans at the lack of heat between them now. He didn’t mean for her to stop completely, but she’s obviously taken it that way. So he scoots over and kisses up her shoulder and her neck, fast flickers of his lips until he’s slanting them over hers and hovering above her.

“Hey, why’d you stop?”

“You told me to give you a moment, figured you weren’t quite ready or in the mood or something.”

She shrugs, her mused hair moving up and down as her eyes blink and her lips tick up on one side. His hand finds her face, caressing her cheek, and he smiles softly when she smiles back up at him.

“First of all,” he begins, pressing a kiss against each of her eyelids, “I am nearly always in the mood to be with my knock-out of a wife, so don’t get it in that head of yours that I’m not.” He moves to kiss behind her ear then, gently nibbling on the lobe. “Secondly, all I needed was a moment. It’s been awhile since I’ve been woken up in the middle of the night when you’ve already kept me up late.”

She laughs under her breath, the smallest, sweetest sound, before twisting her head and kissing him, slow and sweet so that he feels it in every inch of his body.

“Yeah, well, you can blame your kid for that.”

“Yes, I’ll tell her right as she’s born that she’s made mummy and daddy’s sex life slow down before she’s even born. I’m sure she’ll totally get that.”

“First of all, we still don’t know, and you are being super stubborn with the girl thing. And second of all, since we’re making points, our sex life is fine. We literally had sex three hours ago.”

“I said she’s slowing it down, not ruining it.”

“Semantics.”

“Romantic.”

“What?” She laughs, her eyes crinkling up on the sides as her smile stretches across her face. “That’s in no way romantic.”

“Oi, I think it is. Don’t you think sex is romantic?”

“I mean, obviously.” She rolls her eyes before rolling onto her side and pulling the comforter up over her. “But not in this context no. What I was doing before we got into this discussion was romantic sex.”

“That wasn’t sex.”

“It was the preface to sex, which is sometimes the best part. I was doing naughty things to you.”

“Did you just use the word naughty instead of dirty? Darling, you are officially British. Next thing you know you’re going to speaking with an accent.”

“I have an accent,” she protests, scrunching up her nose. “It’s just not the same as everyone over here, which I think makes me unique in all of the best ways.”

He rolls back over on his stomach and hooks his arm over Emma so that she can rest her chin on his forearm while he rests his on his pillow next to her head. “So do you think the babe will sound more like you or me?”

“You.” “Why?” “Because they’re going to grow up around people who sound like you. That’s what influences the accents, not necessarily just the parents. Think about it. I have an American dad and a British mom, and I have an American accent because that’s where I grew up.”

“True,” he hums, moving his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Does that bother you at all?”

“Nah, not at all. It’s like the opposite of how it was in my house growing up. It’s kind of weird when you think about how similar it is.” She tilts her head and smirks at him. “Plus, your accent is damn sexy.”

“Really now?” he purrs, inching closer to her before crawling over her and propping himself up on his forearms and knees, making sure not to press his weight down on her stomach. “You think I’m sexy?”

“I think your accent is sexy,” she corrects, her lips ticking up on one side while her hands frame his cheeks, cool fingertips inching up into her hair and tugging him down so that he can feel the heat of her breath brushing over her lips. “Would you like to get back to where I was trying to go earlier or can I cross off doing naughty things to you?”

“Whatever the first thing was, most definitely.”

He wakes later that morning while Emma slumbers on her side of the bed, hair tangled and falling down her bare back from where the comforter shifted in her sleep. He quietly gets out of bed, attempting not to wake her or Indy who must have wandered into the room while they were sleeping, and makes his way into the bathroom, turning the water in the shower on to get ready for today.

He should have woken an hour ago, but the bed was too comfortable and his body too tired, so he rushes through his morning routine, using Emma’s blow dryer to fix his hair instead of letting it dry naturally. He slips into a suit, putting on a pair of his ever-growing collection of cufflinks, before spritzing on his cologne and grabbing his already packed suitcase out of the closet, letting the wheels trail along the hardwood until he’s back in the bedroom.

Stepping over to the bed, he scratches behind Indy’s ears, the dog opening one eye to look at him before cuddling back into bed as he sits down next to Emma.

“Love,” he whispers, pushing her hair off of her forehead until her eyes flutter open, the green hazy and sleep-ridden, “I’ve got to go.”

“Already?”

“Yeah,” he sighs, leaning down and kissing her forehead, “my flight is in two hours, and Mum likes to travel early.”

Emma yawns before sitting up, pulling the comforter over her and looking every bit like the girl he met nearly eight years ago with her crazy hair and pillow creased face and complete lack of care if she looks put together or not. “Okay,” she sighs, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a hug, “but you two be safe. Call me when you land, when you come home, if anything interesting happens, if anything boring happens.”

“I know the long-distance drill, sweetheart.” He brushes his lips against hers then, feeling the softness that comes with Emma. “But it’s only two days. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Ugh, I know. Two days doesn’t give me nearly enough time to have my affair.”

“You’re a cheeky little minx, so I’m sure you could figure it out.”

“Damn right.” She kisses him again. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He reaches down and touches her stomach, her skin warm beneath his touch. “And you, little love.” Indy barks then, walking up the bed until she’s breathing in his face. “And you, Indy girl, even if you’re not supposed to be in this bed.”

He and his mother fly to Poland that morning for a dinner the British ambassador is hosting in honor of Liam and his birthday in a few weeks time. They were given short notice on the event, and since Liam couldn’t attend, Killian and Allison agreed to attend, knowing it would be no trouble for them. The morning flies by as all of these official visits do, in a flurry of handshakes and small talk, everyone attempting to fill his head with as much information as they can. It’s been awhile since he’s done an event with his mum, something he used to do when he was younger, but they fall into a natural rhythm. His mum is an expert at things like this, using her quick wit and kind smile to make everyone comfortable, and if there’s ever been anyone he’s tried to emulate, it would be her.

“Oh, this is gorgeous,” Allison compliments as they walk into the dining hall, her hand wrapped around his elbow. “We should decorate one of the rooms at home more like this. It’s more modern.”

“Well then we’d have to get rid of the ancient furniture that no one is allowed to sit on.”

She chuckles next to him as he pulls her chair out for her and waits for her to sit down before taking his own seat next to her. “You and your brother get cheekier the older you get, I swear. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be the other way around.”

“Well, you can’t take away our video game privileges now, mum.”

The dinner is indeed wonderful and full of Polish dishes and traditions celebrating Liam. He takes a video to send to his brother, making sure to capture the cake he knows Liam would be stuffing into his face and flipping the camera around to show the smirk on his face that he got to eat it.

Should have shown up to his own pre-birthday event.

Later that night he and his mum are driven back to their hotel, and while they have separate suites, she joins him for a cup of tea, settling down into the living room with the television playing the local news. His phone buzzes just as a segment on their visit begins, and he’s thankful for the excuse to mute the sound.

“Hey, beautiful,” he greets Emma, his lips stretching into a smile as he props his feet up on the coffee table, his socks practically falling off next to his glass, “did you miss me today?”

“Obviously. However could I survive twelve hours without you?”

Her voice is dripping with disdain, and he chuckles to himself as he imagines the roll of her eyes and the absolute disinterest she has when he’s being cocky. “You could at least act a little sad.”

“I can cry if you want me to, if that would make you feel better and boost your already inflated ego.”

“So you’re just as cheeky as you were this morning then. What’d you do today, love?”

“Absolutely nothing,” she sighs, the happiness seeping through the phone speaker. “I got dressed in pajamas, took Indy out, and then we settled down in the darkness of the bedroom and watched Gilmore Girls just to relive all of that nostalgia.”

“Ah, yes, I’m sure Indy has a lot of nostalgia about Stars Hollow.”

“Of course she does,” Emma laughs, and he can hear the theme song playing in the background. “Ruby came over for a few hours with food from the restaurant. I may save some leftovers for you.”

“Yeah, I already know that won’t be happening.”

“Hey, I don’t eat that much! I haven’t even gained any more than regular pregnancy weight.”

“Love, you and the Gilmore Girls all have amazing metabolisms. I’ve gained more pregnancy weight than you simply because our walks aren’t quite the same as our runs.”

“I can still run, you know? Dr. Hudson said so as long as it’s just a jog and not too much.”

“I know. We’ll have to do that when I get home. Mum and I ate a lot of cake tonight.”

Emma hums, sighing into the phone. “I’m jealous. Tell Allison I said hi when you see her in the morning.” “She’s sitting with me in the room right now actually, so if you were going to talk bad about her, now probably wouldn’t be the time.”

“Damn. That’s obviously what I was about to do.”

He and Emma chat for a few more minutes, but he knows he has to let her go so as not to be rude to his mother. She’s been fiddling with her phone and watching the muted television, so he’s sure she’s regretting coming over only to be usurped by a phone call.

“Hey, darling, I’ve got to let you go, okay?”

“Okay, is everything alright?”

“Everything is perfect. I’ve just been boring Mum making her listen to our conversation. I love you. I hope you, Indy, and little love have a good time binging the rest of Gilmore Girls and eating all of my food.” “We will,” she promises. “I love you, too. Bye, babe.”

He hangs up the phone, smiling at the picture of he and Emma that pops up afterward, before shutting it down and placing it on the arm of his chair. He looks up at his mother then who is softly smiling at him as if she really was listening to his conversation.

“What?” he laughs, feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable.

“Nothing,” she smiles, pulling her legs up underneath her and curling into the chair, “I was just thinking about how happy you are.”

His lips twitch, and he swallows the small lump of emotion in his throat. “Well, I am happy, Mum. I’m nearly always happy.”

“I know, I know,” she waves him away, tucking her long hair behind her ears, “but you’ve just been through so much and sometimes I look at you and wonder how I got so lucky that you’re my baby. And now you’re having a baby, and I’m emotional about it all of the time.”

“Mum,” he softly laughs, getting up from his seat to cross the room and crouch down in front of her, taking her hands in his, “what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m simply a crazy old woman.”

“Well, we all know that’s not true,” he promises, guessing that it’s not the time to be making jokes. “You’re bloody brilliant and completely and totally young.”

“Thank you, Killian. It was just that I was watching how natural you are with Emma, how good you’ll both be as parents. And I guess sometimes I feel so much regret over not getting to see you both together for all of those years. You were so cheated.”

“Hey,” he soothes, running his thumb over her knuckles and ignoring the ache in his thighs from the squat, “it’s all okay. I know that a lot of it was bloody awful, but if I’m honest, I liked having those years with Emma. We got to fall in love in peace, and as wonderful as it would be for you to have gotten to know her sooner, we can’t change that. So let’s be happy, yeah?”

“I know, darling. I’m sorry, but being a mum and a grandmother, all you want is for your kids to be happy. And you feel a bit accomplished when you realize they are. You’ll understand that soon enough.”

“Well, once we get over the terror and get used to having a person’s entire life depend on us, yeah, sure, I’ll focus on the happiness.”

His mum releases his hand to stroke his forehead, pushing the hair back. “You two are going to be wonderful, and your baby is going to be the most beautiful little thing.” “Can you say that again for me to send to Liam and Abigail? I’d like to have it on record for bragging rights for the rest of eternity.”

His mother winks at him, smiling before leaning back in her chair and asking him what movie he wants to watch. It’s been a long time since he simply spent time with his mum with no one else, so he savors it, laughing with her and talking about anything she wants until she decides to go to bed in her room next door.

The following day is full of engagements, but the two of them manage to slip away to dinner and sightseeing that evening, covering themselves in the cool early April weather and hiding away from anyone who may recognize them so they can have a normal night. Overseas visits, even with all of their setbacks and frustrations, are some of his favorite things to do if only because he can sometimes slip away and be himself in a place where fewer people know him.

Of course, he managed to slip around London for a few years as well, but he’s decided that was some kind of bloody miracle.

Early Wednesday morning they board their flight and make their way home, the four-hour plane ride seemingly stretching on for double the time until they touch down on land again and he and his mother separate into their different vehicles to make their ways back to Kensington and Buckingham, respectively.

Walking in the front door, he knows Emma won’t be home as she’s at the opening of a youth theater, so he takes the opportunity to let Indy in from their garden, indulging her in her excitement over him being home, her tail wagging so furiously she could create a windstorm. After she’s calmed, he settles down into the living room and pulls up his laptop, answering emails and organizing his schedule all while watching the shows he missed.

Multi-tasking in the best way possible, really.

It’s hours later when he hears the front door open before closing and clicking into place as heels click on their hardwood floor, the sounds getting louder the nearer she gets.

“Hi,” Emma sighs when she walks into the living room, immediately walking toward him and straddling his lap, her knees on either side of his thighs, while she presses a lingering kiss to his jaw and scrapes her fingers through his hair, “I’m so, so, so glad you’re home.”

“Hmm, me too,” he smiles before slanting his lips over hers once, twice, three times. “As much fun as I had with my mother honoring my brother, I quite prefer your company. And I was promised leftovers.”

Emma laughs against his lips as the heat of her breath washes over him and he settles into contentment. “Babe, I hate to break it to you, but those did not last.”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to figure out a different way to welcome me home.”

She smirks before burying her face in his neck, her words spoken against his skin. “A foot rub would be fantastic, thanks. Those heels are a killer.”

Without his permission, not that it has ever been that way before, the first few weeks of April pass in the blink of an eye. He wants his life to slow down, for moments to pass like waves crashing into the shore, continuous and only quickly during a storm, but that’s simply not how things work.

Of course, there are times when he’d like life to speed up the slightest bit, and right now is one of those times.

He’s been sitting on the bed thumbing through his phone for twenty-seven minutes now, half of it spent reading an article about hair loss genes being passed down simply because that’s what was at the top of the page, but he’s gotten a bit bored. There’s also the fact that they’re going to be late for Emma’s doctor’s appointment if she doesn’t hurry up. She always takes longer than him to get ready, but it’s never like this, especially when they’re just hopping over to the doctor’s office and then coming back home to get ready for Liam’s birthday party tonight.

Sighing, he rolls over on the bed until he’s standing, pulling his jeans up so that they rest on his hips, and walks into the bathroom to find it empty of Emma but with clothes strewn across the floor. He tentatively steps over them, keeping himself from picking them up and throwing them in the basket, and makes his way into the closet where Emma is stretched out on the floor with her arms over her face and her jeans on but unbuttoned and unzipped.

Bloody hell, it’s a mess in here.

“Hey,” he tentatively begins, kicking at her bare feet with the tip of his boot so that she uncovers one of her eyes, “what’s happening here?”

“My jeans don’t fit. Not a single pair of them except for the ones that have yellow paint on the ass because mom decided she wanted to have a sunny yellow living room.”

“And this is surprising to you because?”

“Because last week my jeans fit, and this week they don’t. That is some kind of fucked up thing.”

“I believe that’s called pregnancy.”

Her eyes slant and every bit of joy that was remaining on her face disappears while she stares up at him like she’s five seconds away from murdering him. “I will stab you with the first earring I find if you don’t wipe that smug smirk off your face.”

He chuckles under his breath, knowing that she’ll likely do it, before squatting down and lying on the floor next to her, emulating her position. The hardwood hurts his back, but he imagines they won’t be here for long. If they are, he’ll just have to suck it up until this all important jeans situation is resolved.

“So your jeans won’t fit, love?”

“Nope. And I don’t really think I’ve gotten that much bigger. I still just kind of look like I ate too big of a meal when I’m wearing clothes. I don’t know why this is bothering me so much. Obviously, I can just do the hairband trick until I buy new jeans, but I love wearing the damn things. They make me feel normal.”

“What? Wearing heels and a dress that perfectly matches your coat with a hat that was specifically dyed to match that coat and dress doesn’t make you feel normal? I never would have guessed.”

She snorts beside him while her hand finds his, and she wraps her fingers around his palm before pulling it up and brushing a kiss against his skin. “Surprisingly, no, that does not make me feel normal. That makes me feel like a barbie doll.”

“You’re not a barbie doll, love.”

She sighs next to him, but it’s really more of a huff. She’s frustrated, that much he knows, and a part of him is pretty sure that it’s not only because her jeans don’t fit. So he squeezes her hand, silently encouraging her to share her thoughts as he so often does with a touch or a glance.

“That’s just how I feel sometimes, you know? And I know that’s not how it is with you and me. But to the world it’s like I’m this girl who plays dress up and is a wife and an expectant mother and nothing else, which is fine if that’s what you want. And babe, I love that. I love being married to you and having a baby with you who I am so in love with it’s basically an obsession, but if I have to answer one more question about if I think you’re going to change a diaper or wake up in the middle of the night if the baby’s crying, which is literally what a parent does, while you stand next to me and answer a question about global relations, I’m going to lose my damn mind.”

“I know,” he mumbles, the weight and unfairness of her words settling into him. “I’m sorry that you’re so frustrated, and I’m sorry that some people are stuck in an old-timey world view.” He releases her hand and twists on the ground, propping his head up in his hand while looking Emma in the eye. “Why don’t you take up a patronage or two dealing with women’s rights or something similar? I know everyone was on the fence of that because they thought it was too political, but fuck that, Emma. If that’s something you want to do, you sure as hell should do it. It’s not political. It’s human, and you would be an incredible ambassador. You should do things that make you happy.”

Her eyes light up, lips twitching into a smile. “Yeah?”

“Absolutely. The fact that we don’t have any specifically for that is bullocks when we support nearly everything. You could help so many people, and I think you’d be a bloody rockstar at it.”

“I know I would.”

“That’s the spirit,” he encourages, leaning over and brushing a kiss against her lips, letting it go a little further than either of them should when they have to be somewhere soon. “But right now we’ve got to go see if I’m going to win our bet because we’ll finally see that our little love is a girl.”

“You keep thinking that. Also, there was no bet, and if there was, I never lose.”

“Oh shit, that’s cold,” Emma gasps as Dr. Hudson applies gel to her bared stomach, her bump only sticking up the slightest bit while she wears her jeans buttoned together with a hairband, the determined lass. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that.”

“Most people never do,” Dr. Hudson assures them. “So all of your tests look good, everything in normal levels. Are we having any dizzy spells?”

“No,” Emma answers, her eyes focused on the screen that’ll show the baby in a few seconds, “I haven’t. And my diet and eating times are so regularly scheduled and planned thanks to the obsessed man next to me, so I’ve been feeling really good.”

Her hand finds his so much like earlier, and he clasps it between both of his hands before leaning down to kiss her forehead. “She’s been doing well, not a lot of symptoms.”

“Well, she’s in that wonderful sweet spot of the pregnancy. It usually only gets worse from here.”

“That’s not very encouraging.”

Dr. Hudson laughs before focusing all of her attention back on the ultrasound, the baby’s heartbeat suddenly sounding throughout the room. God, the first time he heard it, the rhythmic beat so much calmer than his own, he nearly cried. Okay, so he might have cried, a few tears slipping from his eyes. Emma didn’t even cry until later when she came home with the picture and fell apart saying she couldn’t see the baby and felt like Rachel from Friends.

But he’s grown accustomed to the sound of their child’s heartbeat now, and as the picture pops up on the screen, she’s as clear as can be.

“So we’re looking really healthy, heartbeat is good, growth is good. And you’re eighteen weeks now, so while sometimes I can’t tell, I can tell you the gender today, if that’s what you want?”

He looks down at Emma to find her already looking up at him, a smile gracing her lips as she nods in confirmation. “We want to know.”

“Alright,” Dr. Hudson smiles, looking at the monitor one last time, “you two are the lucky parents to a boy.”

A boy.

He’s going to have a son.

Holy shit, Emma’s never going to let him live this down, but he doesn’t care at this point. They’re having a boy.

“I told you so,” Emma chuckles, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. “I am never letting you live this one down.”

“I know.” He dips his head down to brush his lips against hers, squeezing her hand as tightly as possible as this begins to sink in even more. “Maybe I’ll get the next one right.”

“One human coming into the world out of my vagina at a time please.”

“You have such a way with words.”

“Just being honest,” she laughs, the sound as beautiful as the heartbeat still playing on the monitor. “I love you.”

“I love you too. And the little lad.”

“Yeah, and the little lad.”

He and Emma walk across the gardens to Liam and Abigail’s apartment, Emma’s heels clicking against the cobblestone. He already knows that she’ll be wearing his shoes on the short walk home, but she’d insisted she wear the heels for the portrait they’re taking to commemorate Liam’s fortieth birthday. It’s apparently a major milestone in life, deserving of an official portrait, and as much as he loves his brother, he thinks Liam’s a tad bit over the top.

But he and Liam differ in a lot of ways, Liam’s penchant for large celebrations and dinners with several courses while in evening wear one of those things. They were both raised this way, to expect and want dinners and parties like this, and maybe once upon a time had he never met Emma, that’s how he would celebrate all of his birthdays.

His wife, God bless her, is a fan of the simple things in life. She likes eating takeout on the couch with her feet tucked under her legs which are likely clothed in leggings that have a hole on the inside of her thigh. She enjoys sitting around watching television in the darkness of their bedroom for hours on end, sometimes an entire day (or two), and if she could, she’d probably spend the rest of her time in the garden throwing a ball for Indy to chase. For his birthday, all they did was a small dinner with friends and family, and it was perfect. He couldn’t have asked for anything more.

But he doesn’t mind the party Liam and Abigail are having. Everyone can enjoy what they want, and this day isn’t about him. It’s about his brother.

He and Emma step up to their front door, the towering black wood with moss looming above them, and he’s just about to knock on the door when Emma stops him with a hand on his forearm.

“What?” he laughs, turning to face her, their height difference almost gone with her heels.

“You have to be careful with how you talk about the baby. We’re keeping the sex a secret, remember?”

“Darling, I think they know we had sex. That’s not a secret.”

Her face scrunches up, and he leans down to brush a kiss against her lips before leaving a trail of kisses across her face, making her laugh under her breath.

“You’re going to make dad jokes. I already know.”

“I’ve been preparing for it with my humor for my entire life.” He grins, kissing her again simply because he can. “But I promise I’ll be on my best behavior, and I won’t mention our joyful news. As far as anyone in there knows, we know nothing.”

“That’s right Jon Snow.”

“Hey,” he chuckles, wrapping his arm around her waist and tugging her into his side before knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell, “he lived in the series, so that’s totally not an insult.”

The door opens before Emma can say anything else, Liam appearing on the other side of the door in his suit. “Hey guys,” he greets, a bright smile on his face as he takes a step back, “why don’t you come on in?”

“So nice of you to invite us into your home when we were supposed to be here,” he snarks, knowing it’ll rile Liam.

“Well, I was going to say I’m glad to see you, but I’m apparently only glad to see Emma. Hello, love,” he smiles before leaning into kiss Emma on the cheek and wrap her in a hug. “How are you today?”

“Good, great really. Happy birthday, old man.”

Liam barks out a laugh before releasing Emma, clapping her on the shoulder and throwing her a wink. “Has Killian been calling me older brother, emphasis on the older, all day?”

“Surprisingly not, but that’s just because he calls you an old wanker all of the time anyways.”

“No bit of that surprises me.”

Liam embraces him then, wrapping his arms around Killian’s shoulders as Killian does the same. “Happy birthday, olderbrother. What’d you buy for your midlife crisis?”

“Saving the sportscar for the fiftieth birthday. I’m not old yet, thank you very much.”

“You two are ridiculous,” Emma laughs, walking past the both of them and down the hall where he spies Alexander and Elizabeth running between the archways.

“Are we?” Liam questions, patting him in the back before following Emma. “I don’t think anyone has ever described us that way.”

“There’s a first for everything.”

The two of them find everyone in the dining room, roaming throughout the table and the bar that’s set up through the next room. Emma’s animatedly chatting with Abigail, her hands moving all over the place while Lizzie tugs at her dress until Emma picks her up and rests her on her hip. There’s several of Liam’s old military friends as well as a few of he and Abigail’s friends who he recognizes from events over the years. Their home is packed, chatter filling his ears while he goes around greeting everyone before stopping at the bar and ordering a glass of rum.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in solidarity with your wife?”

He turns to the side and smiles down at Abigail, kissing her temple after he finishes his sip. “Hello, darling. Did Emma send you over here to tell me that?”

“No, but I remember being pregnant and my husband’s lips tasting like whiskey after a party.”

He chuckles under his breath, finding Emma talking to his parents before turning back to look at Abigail. “The only problem with that statement is that Liam drinks whiskey instead of rum. Bloody awful drink. And I’ve cut back on the coffee and tea in solidarity, thank you very much.”

“Oh well look at you Mr. Big Shot,” she jokes, squeezing his bicep. “You’re just so kind.”

“Someone is awfully sassy today, love. Is it because you’ve realized you’re married to an old man and are compensating?”

“Exactly. I’m trying to cope with his ancient age.” “That’s what I thought. I’m going to go kiss Emma so she tastes the rum since I’m just that evil.”

Abigail snorts next to him, and he leaves her with a smile before making his way to Emma and kissing her before she gets a chance to say anything. He lets his tongue flicker out so she can taste the rum, his own little private joke, but he doesn’t think she minds from the way she hums into it. His parents probably mind from the way they cough next to him, but they can wait.

“Hi,” Emma whispers when he pulls back, “did you forget we’ve got company, tiger?”

“No. I just didn’t bloody care.”

His parents laugh behind him, and he turns to greet them then, hugging his parents and asking them how they’re doing before they get called off to chat. Liam really should have held this dinner somewhere other than his home for how many people are in here, and Emma asks him to go sit in the other room, quiet surrounding them until Alex runs in and practically jumps on Emma’s stomach with all the force of his bony limbs.

“Mummy told me that you have a baby in your belly, Emmy.”

“Well, your Mummy is a smart lady because I do have a baby in my belly.”

“Wow,” Alex gasps, his eyes lighting up as he puts his hands on Emma’s stomach before looking up at her and speaking in the cutest little voice with his broken words that are constantly getting better. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“We don’t know yet,” Emma lies, and Killian chuckles next to her, rubbing up and down her back. “That’s going to be a surprise.”

Alex huffs and crosses his arms, obviously cross at them for not letting him know if his cousin is going to be a boy or a girl. It’s likely a good thing he wasn’t old enough to understand this all when Abigail was pregnant with Lizzie because he would have been up in arms about all of the surprises and secrets. “What’s its name?”

“We don’t know that either, buddy,” he answers to try to take some of Alex’s blame off of Emma. 

“I think you should name it Fish.”

Emma snickers next to him, biting her bottom lip to try to contain it. It’s then that he gets an idea, sticking out his stomach as far as he can and making himself look bloated. “What about me, buddy? Does Uncle Killian look like he’s having a baby?”

“Uncle Killian looks like a silly goose,” Abigail coos as she steps in the room, squatting down next to Alex, “and you look like someone who needs to go to sleep.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You have to. It’s bedtime.”

Alex’s bottom lip starts quivering while his eyes begin to water, the meltdown imminent. Within seconds Abigail has him on her hip walking out of the ballroom and meeting Liam and Elizabeth by the doorway, the two of them walking away to put their kids to bed like some kind of well-oiled machine.

“You know, Abigail isn’t even my mother, and if she told me it was time to go to bed, I’d listen.”

Emma giggles beside him, leaning back into the couch and into him before resting her head on his shoulder. He kisses her hair while he rubs her back, knowing she’s likely tired when they’ll still be here for awhile, but it’s only a short walk home if she asks for it.

“You are a very smart man because you listen to all of the women in your life.”

“Damn right. Even Lizzie. She’s two, but she’s the boss.”

“Who’s the boss?” Brennan asks them, settling down on the couch across the coffee table from them. “Because the answer better be your mother or Emma. If not, you are lying, son.”

“Lizzie,” Emma answers for him, patting his stomach before her hand rests on his thigh, squeezing a little too high as if she’s trying to rouse him. “Lizzie is the boss.”

“Damn right,” Brennan laughs, echoing Killian’s words from a moment ago even if he didn’t hear them. “I’ve never seen a kid with such spunk.”

“Oi, I had that kind of spunk, dad. Still do.”

“Yeah, but you’re old now. I don’t remember these things.”

“Your firstborn is forty! I’m still barely in my thirties! How can you call me old? You’re the oldest person at this party.”

“And the most handsome,” Allison adds in, sitting down next to Brennan and brushing a kiss against his cheek. His parents were never affectionate before, and as happy as he is with everyone’s changes, his fifteen-year-old self is cringing watching them be that way. But it’s only in the best way, his family having felt like a family for two years now, and no part of him would trade things to go back to how they were.

Eventually dinner is served and everyone sits down at the large table, silverware clicking against plates and the laughter and chatter in the home only increasing the more people drink (except for he and Emma of course because he does abstain in solidarity sometimes). There’s several stories about Liam told, some he’d never heard before, and his stomach hurts from laughter. God, his brother was such a crack up, something he never really knew, and he wishes they’d gotten along all of those years.

But they didn’t. There was too much of an age discrepancy, too much of a difference in wants out of life, and most of all, too much hostility. He loves his brother, something that took him a long time to admit, but Liam’s not perfect. He can still be a bloody git and they still argue over some things, but he’s changed. And while there are still flashes of the day he came to this very home to confront his brother, to try to work things through only to be rejected and told that Liam’s only trying to do better for his children, he’s come to terms with it. They can’t change the past. They can’t take things away or add words left unsaid, but forgiveness even when the other person doesn’t deserve it is a powerful thing.

Or so he’s been learning over the past few years.

This is infinitely better than any life he could have lived away from his parents and his brother. And he’d have given it all up for Emma. There’s no doubt about it, and he still fully believes that. She’s worth it all. But this is better.

“Hey,” Emma whispers, rubbing between his shoulder blades before her hand finds the hair at the tape of his neck, causing shivers to run down his spine, “what are you thinking about? You’ve zoned out.”

He hums, closing his eyes before leaning over and kissing her temple, the vanilla of her shampoo invading him. “I was thinking about you.”

“Cheesy.” “Absolutely. But also the truth. I just…all of these stories about Liam, they make me realize how glad I am that we went through all of that to fix it and came out better on the other side because now I have stories to tell about him like that.” “I thought you were thinking about me.”

“Well, that came after thinking about my brother.” “That’s kind of gross.”

“Yeah, well, I was thinking about how I’m glad we’re here, but I’d still give it all up for you. And for the little love, my love.” “Well,” Emma smiles, tangling their fingers together under the table, “the good thing is that you don’t have to. We’re all a big, messy, wonderful package that you get for the rest of your life whether you like it or not.”