#maybe this is part of why Lissa left

[spoilmesweetieforficssake]

Coming To An Understanding #2

Previous

“You got any plans for Saturday?” you ask, digging in your bag for your phone to show Melissa the lunch menu for the new place you’d found online.

“I got a thing,” comes the snapped reply.

You frown, not used to this sort of reply from her.  “Okaaay…like an all day thing or..?”

“Just a thing, okay?” she says without looking at you.

You shrug, not willing to fight over nothing.  “Fine.  You mind if I invite Jacob over to mine and we watch the Mandalorian then?”

“Do what you want,” she says making a vague gesture with her hands, still refusing to look at you. 

Pulling out your phone, you leave the tab for the restaurant open, but instead open up your messages, doing your best to distract yourself from the red head’s snippy mood.  Part of you wants to press further and ask what’s got her being so short with you, but you quickly decide whatever it is, you don’t need to pry.  If she has a thing she wants to keep private, then that’s up to her.  If she wants to tell you, she’ll tell you, but until then there’s always that level of Match 3D on your phone you could never get past. 

*

In bed that night at your apartment, you still haven’t got past that damn level of Match 3D and at this point, you’re starting to doubt you ever will.  To stop yourself throwing your phone across the room you’d swapped your phone for your book, letting yourself get lost in another world for a while.

You’re so engrossed that you almost miss Melissa setting down her own phone with a sigh.

“I’m going to the hair salon on Saturday,” she says quietly.  “Getting a few touch ups.”

Looking up at her, you smile.  “Okay.  You want me to meet you after?  Or we could maybe do breakfast beforehand if your appointment isn’t too early?”

She just looks at you, as though waiting for something.

“What?  You want me to be shocked?” you ask, putting down your book and turning to look at her properly.  “I know the rug doesn’t match the drapes, Lissa.”

At this, she rolls her eyes, letting out a huff.

“Are you getting something different done?”

“No,” she answers quickly.  Almost too quickly.  “Just touch ups,” she adds rather defensively, before looking away, fiddling with the blankets.  “Why, would you prefer I changed it?”

“Melissa, you know I’d love you no matter what colour your hair was, right?” you ask, waiting until she meets your eyes before continuing.  “I mean, do I think the red is hot?  Yeah.  But it’s hot because it’s on you.  If you wanted to go blonde, brunette, hell green, it wouldn’t change anything.  I want you to do what you want.”

She looks thoughtful for a moment.  “Even if I didn’t dye it at all?”

That’s when you see it; the hesitation, the worry.  “Have you seen Paget Brewster lately?” you joke, knowing she’d made fun of your reaction to the new look a certain Emily Prentiss was sporting.  “I think you’d rock whatever look you decided to go for.  And I’d love you all the same.”

You look down as you feel her toy with one of your rings.  “Why didn’t you want to tell me?”

She lets out a sigh.  “I know you know how old I am, but I just…well it just felt easier to keep that kinda stuff behind the scenes.”

“Stay here,” you tell her, clambering out of bed and heading for the bathroom.  Grabbing the couple of boxes of hair dye from under the sink, you sit on the edge of the bed.  “You think mine is natural?  I pick whatever colour is on sale and takes my fancy that day.”

“Well, there ain’t exactly much down there to compare it to,” she smirks.  “Wait, you don’t even use the same colour?”

You can’t help but laugh.  “Like you’ve never noticed it’s been about twenty different shades, none of them exactly natural, since we met?”  You gather up the boxes of hair dye, moving to return them to the bathroom.  “You can even pick the colour next time if you want.  Though full disclosure, I’m working on a totally natural Cruella De Ville stripe and when that comes in properly it’s getting left well alone.”

You hear her chuckle from the bathroom and when you return to bed, she’s put her phone away and has already turned off the bedside light.  She opens her arms to you, letting you cuddle in close.

“Sorry I was snarky earlier,” she says softly in the darkness.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” you reply.  “Thank you for telling me though.”

“Thank you for putting up with me,” she says finally after a long pause.

Pressing a kiss to the closest patch of skin you can find, you tighten the arm around her waist.  “You got the rough end of that deal being landed with me,” you say, smiling as you feel her press a kiss to the top of your head in response.

Next

[myloveforhergoeson]

ash's august 2024 reading round up

find all the books and fics i read (or didn't read...) this month under the cut with a link to the synopsis and my reviews/ratings attached :)

this is just for fun! i'm not a professional, i just like to read <3

booklist:

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey (18+!)

• review: ugh. this book was so bad lmao. which does pain me to say because i historically have really enjoyed bailey's writing. and i was super excited for this one because i love hockey romance too! but something about it just felt... off to me. perhaps it was the mmc, burgess' protectiveness of this woman he met one time months ago or how much he thought about how they weren't right for each other or maybe i just didn't like him as a character in general. i also didn't like the fmc, tallulah all that much either; i just found her kind of... allowing herself to be a product of her own situations throughout the entire book. i am sympathetic to her previous bad experience with her ex boyfriend and how he treated her, but i also believe there are better ways to draw attention to the fact that "burgess is a strong, violent hockey player and she was abused by her ex, how could they ever be right for each other?!?!" like... does every woman in a hockey romance have to experience this in order to make this dichotomy known? i just would have liked some more originality on that front i don't know. i also think there was a huge missed opportunity for lissa, burgess' daughter, to have helped bridge the gap between the two adults. as tallulah becomes her part-time caregiver while burgess is away, the two of them really hit it off - i think they had the best dynamic in the entire book and i wish there was more about them and how seeing his daughter and the woman he liked getting along inspired burgess or something. but overall. just a pretty flat story to me. i didn't feel the chemistry, i didn't like how burgess treated tallulah like he owned her, and i didn't like that sooo many times each of them thought they weren't right for each other. why? because it was fucking true! there's a reason you're both feeling this! the best part of this book was the ending chapters where they attend the wedding of the mc's of the first book in this series. i was very excited to see josephine again, i loved her so much. the barnes + noble exclusive bonus chapter was literally the best thing in the book but doesn't make the book itself better in anyway as not everyone got to read it lmao

• rating: 2/5 hockey skates

fic list:

1. Assorted works of @selangkir <333

• Continuation of their Jo/Lucy fic!

MY GIVE A FUCKS ARE ON VACATION

i truly cannot get enough of jo and lucy and your beautiful mind... the dynamic these two have going is already making me giddy and i'm so obsessed with your take on this alternate universe where the boys leave instead of jo! the background you're spinning for lucy has also got my attention in such a grip, the scene at jett's party when she's thinking about her brother and how they used to have these kickbacks with all of his friends. the way we don't learn much about her family in btrtv left so much room for expansion, and i just love the direction you're taking it! AND of course the perfect continuation of our GTR au... god, the kendall and katie scene was so funny to me i love how Sibling they really are. the expansion work on kendall is just fascinating too and running a donation campaign on top of that?? augh! tysm for sharing your work w us <3 (and the private post you sent me with your wips... oh augh i cannot wait for what's in store in the future!!)

2. Assorted works of @ceruleanmusings :))) <3

• Big Time Audition - The Masons

.10

.11

.12

Blood Diamond; Year Three

as always, i ADORED your work this month... lord... i thought about big time audition - the masons for like an entire week. the way each girl is introduced and the way it fits them so perfectly had me feeling like i was there in the house with them, tracking through room to room to see what each of them were doing and how you chose to share them with the world. not only that, but micky watching james' audition literally made me fall out of my chair AHH! i just love them so so so much; the 10-12 blurbs were so wonderful. blood diamond year three was also an incredible work - i loved the direction of choosing to have it be purely conversational but it was still packed with so much raw emotion. the last line also felt like a sucker punch to the face i don't think i'll ever forget it.

3. Assorted works of @partiallypearl / @praetoravila !! <3

hold tight

but we're evergreen

her sense of style, it really rocks

jelisa kiss blurb

cause you got me, and baby, i got you

i tried not to face the truth

be my bad boy (be my man)

oh, i leave quite the impression

our human loneliness

show me your colors

ok.... the way i have been so olivepilled this month is just insane. i'm obsessed with her, i love her, she is my special perfect girl. thank you so much for feeding us with all this good olive content this month - i might die without it. everything about her story, from the introduction with her and her sister (wren... loml) and the first time she meets logan, to their ongoing friendship --> relationship dynamic has me SCREAMING. i love the story you are weaving and i'm so thankful to be able to see it unfolding in real time. she DOES leave quite the impression! the two of them make me illlll. ty for letting me send you a million lolive songs and tiktoks this month and thank you for letting me steal her for the wag au!! it will happen again (affectionately). and your lucy blurb was so captivating as well; your take on her life events leading to her arrival at the palm woods was fascinating. i love her so much! your writing only solidifies this hehe

4. Assorted works of @icegirl2772 <33 !!

• Take A Shot In The Dark Chapter 15!

We Do (But Friends Don't)

girl... you should have seen my jaw DROP at the end of this chapter... oh you got me sooooo so sosoo so good. i was throwing parties in my head... screaming... and then i was crying 😭 A DREAM??? so impactful to my health and wellbeing i stg. i cannot wait for the james and neil show down i am so ready for it... and the new addition of we do (but friends don't) was lovely. god i can't get enough of james and kaelyn!! <333

5. Assorted works of @inkameswetrust :)) !!! <3

The Windowsill

The Windowsill (pt. 2)

The Windowsill (pt. 3)

hiii bestie welcome to the reading round up... your kames fic had me screaming and crying and throwing up (affectionately) even if i accidentally started on the second chapter and not the first hehe. the dynamic between james and kendall is so sweet - james being sooo thoughtful and surprising?? hello?? i a puddle on the floor - and the dynamic you created between kendall and his family in the second edition was so cute. the knights are so special to me and i love that you chose to highlight them (even during kendall's james freak out) :)) the third edition was so cute as well! logan and carlos cutting off their conversation... teasing kendall about what happened... omg. the two of them make me so giddy and this fic is making me collect my own butterflies in my stomach hehe and the classic kendall fumble at the end had me rolling... tysm for sharing! i love your work!!!

[raayllum]

part ii of Sorpeli at the Banther Lodge headcanons (followup to this)

Opeli has never been to the Banther Lodge before, really.

She knows of it, of course—it'd been King Harrow's wedding present to Queen Sarai, back when they'd been prince and princess respectively—and she's come on delegation trips to collect the princes from it more than once over the close to six years since the end of the Second War.

But really, why would she have? She was yet another member of King Harrow's council back in the day. Here, with King Ezran, she is his closest advisor, and the unofficial head of the council period. A few more people have been added since Callum and Rayla left to live in Xadia, and Corvus to the westward forests for peace—there's bright young Stantley, a representative from Ellis' village to help with the reintegration of Moonshadow elves at the Nexus, and General Titania who oversaw the Breach in Amaya's stead as the need for militia dwindled.

Neither Soren nor Ezran will say it, but she knows they are hoping that when they have a free day in Del Bar, they will be able to convince Claudia to leave Lissa and come home with them to be Ezran's replacement High Mage.

Stepping through the great wooden archway, though, Opeli finds it easy for once to put politics almost entirely out of her mind.

The Lodge is spacious yet cozy, walls adorned with updated tapestries and items for outside fun like sleds and snowshoes. A roaring fire is lit in minutes, Rayla readily climbing the stairs while Stella leaves her shoulder perch to explore.

Opeli sets down her bag to take off her boots but when she straightens up to grab the handle, it's gone. "Wha—"

Soren picks it up, hoisting it over his shoulder in one smooth swing. It wasn't exactly heavy, but he has what looks like his own and Ezran's bags, too. He gives her a cheery grin in response. "Guess I can show you the guest rooms, too."

"There's no need to carry my bag for me, Soren," she corrects, somewhat exasperated. Must he show off here at the Banther Lodge, too? You'd think he'd grow out of it at twenty-six—

"I know," he says, smile softening to the point she can't mistake it for the sharp swagger of arrogance. "I want to, is all. You're here for a break too, aren't you?"

Then he heads up the stairs before she can fathom an adequate reply, and Opeli hastens after him. He points out the rooms along the hall that each of them sleep in, puffing out his chest that he's "next to Ez, for crownguard duty," and directing her to the bedroom by the window seat alcove.

It's a comfortable looking spot, and she thinks longingly of the novel she'd been indulgent enough to pack. At the castle there is always more legislature to read, always more letters to draft, but here, maybe...

In the end, that first day (or afternoon, she supposes) is mostly spent milling around the Lodge itself. They unpack, and Ezran creates a delicious havoc in the kitchen with Callum's help, and Rayla and Soren grow overly competitive when the group plays cards. Opeli has never had much practice and doesn't mind being out first. (But she'll do better next time, she swears, if only so Soren cannot needle her afterwards that he's so much better at her than something.)

Come nightfall, when everyone else has gone to bed, she sits up at the alcove and watches the snow fall. Then she clasps her candlestick holder and reads, eyes drooping halfway through the first chapter.

Then there's a creak down the hall, and Soren ambles over. "Opeli?"

Her name sounds different when he whispers it, like it's soft and safe in his mouth. It makes her feel warmer than it should.

Opeli sets her book aside though, swinging her legs back over. Her toes touch the cold floor. "What are you doing up?"

"Was going to get a cup of water." When he steps closer, there's bags under lightly glistening eyes. Another nightmare, perhaps? "Maybe some tea."

A distraction, then. She can give him one.

She pats the recently vacated space beside her, pleased when he takes it.

"How's your book?"

"A little ridiculous, maybe," she acknowledges. The plot is convoluted and the male lead a tad too stubborn for her taste. "But entertaining."

"That's good."

He looks slightly smaller in his pajamas, but she supposes she's dressed down too, in just her thickest night gown. She'd debated not even bringing her circlet and ceremonial robes. She won't be able to wear them if they venture out into the snow tomorrow.

Opeli chances a nod to the window. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Soren agrees, lightening. His smile grows more genuinely. "Snows almost as much here as it does in Del Bar."

"You're not sleepless about our destination, are you?"

"No. Just... hope Claudia is doing better than she was, when I left."

And while Opeli has no fondness in her heart for the younger of Viren's two children, nor initial confidence in Ezran's pardoning of Claudia, well... Opeli likes to think she's grown and learned a thing or two since arresting Rayla all those years ago. "I'm sure she is. Time can change many things for the better."

Like both she and Soren, maybe.

He catches her eye, heads turning to mutually face each other like two halves of the moon. Her heart beats fast, though she can't place why. They might be sitting closer than usual, a heavier, lidded look overtaking his expression, but...

She glances at the warm curve of his lips before she can stop herself, the bend of his mouth accentuated by the light of her candle, the way the faint shadows and moonlight catch the stubble on his jaw.

Yes, she can almost forget about politics at the Banther Lodge.

She pulls back.

Almost.

She clears her throat. "I could be persuaded to have a cup of tea, if you'd like."

Opeli grounds herself in how much colder it feels, suddenly, as they stand and separate. Soren heads down the stairs first.

She watches him, shoulders rolling and arms stretching, while he makes the tea, when he's not looking.

That's one indulgence she can allow, for now.

[chuuuvi]

Chuang Asia Thailand Episode 1!

It’s been too long since I got into a survival show lol. I mean my last one was Girls Planet 999 and that was 2 years ago! So anyway I’ll be taking you all with me on this journey by posting the notes I took while watching the episode plus my current top 9. Spoilers ahead!!

•First off before you ask where I’m watching: it’s on the Tencent Video app and it’s free. Ooh and if you’re also watching pls let me know so we can talk about it together!

•I’m happy to see Nene as a mentor! I loved her when I watched Chuang 2020

•This is produced by Jackson Wang? They’ve got TEN??? Okay Chuang Asia I’m interested.

•Looking at the contestant list and of course there are 14 year olds. Don’t vote for the 14 year olds you guys. My personal age minimum for voting is gonna be 17 so I won’t consider anyone younger than that. Contestants that are over 18 get my preference though. The idol industry is bad enough for adults, I’d prefer if we didn’t debut minors as well. I know ironic coming from someone who ults Yeseo lol. (She was the youngest active kpop idol when she debuted in Busters.)

•Also they're really going hard with this being international. This makes Mnet look pathetic for what they did in Girls Planet lol.

•Oh the flirting part with Jasmine was so akwarrrrrrd. 100% secondhand embarrassment.

•I felt bad for Elyn when she was crying and said “No Filming!” But they proceeded to just zoom in on her crying face :( TURN THE CAMERA AWAY FROM HER!

•The trip.com ads are so funny to me because these survival show ads where they pretend to use a product are usually for stuff like snacks or beverages or makeup. But they’ve got these girls pretending to casually book a flight lmao

•The barbie group having only one member thats older than 16 and then proceeding to perform Barbie World where they say stuff like “that pussy so cold” and “he spank me when I get bad” -_- Someone should have made them pick another song.

•OOOH the Avex group’s performance of Left Right was great. Maybe the best of the episode although Mindy was really impressive too.

•Ilene’s little fan moment with Jackson was adorable!

•They announced the first top 9 but I feel like we’re still missing some performances?? Is that an editing thing to get that ranking in the first episode and we ares still going to get more next episode or did they just skip some people? Like I don’t think we saw Ruan and I was waiting for her. I could have sworn there were some CSR members too and I haven’t seen them perform either. I guess we’ll see.

• I watched the theme song on YouTube and it’s so cute!! Weird that it’s all about summer when this is airing in winter though. Is it summer in Thailand?? I thought they were above the equator. Okay yeah they are so idk why they’re singing a song about it being summer. Also I got spoiled for Ruan center! Now I know they wouldn’t just skip her. There’s got to be more intro round performances next episode.

•Okay so my Top 9 picks will be based on who performed in this first episode only so I’m sure it’ll change a lot after ep. 2.

1. R-Jing - She blew me away in the extra performance. Her singing was so pretty! She’s so cute too and apparently trained at SM?? I always latch onto a girl first episode and this is my girl!

2. Akina - Maybe it’s bc of her experience in her past group but she seems really comfortable on stage. I like her vibe and she’s clearly very talented. She seems really nice and down to earth.

3. Rinka - I looked back at her gp999 performances and I can see why I didn’t remember her. She seems to have improved so much though! Her voice stood out positively and she’s got some star power I didn’t see in her old performances. I’m excited to see more of this new Rinka!

4. Lissa - I don’t know how to feel about her strange vibe but I liked her performance. Lots of energy and a nice voice. I’m very intrigued by her at this point.

5. MingMing- such a clear and pretty voice!!! Her and Pangjang together were both the vocal highlights of their team’s performance but MingMing is the only one of the two thats over my voting age limit.

6. Mamcú - Really interesting and beautiful voice. Apparently she competed on the Voice?? We’ll need to wait and see how she does with dancing but she seems really earnest about her desire to he an idol not just a singer so I’ll put my faith in her!

7. Shye - We barely got to see her performance but I was intrigued by what we saw. I don’t know if she can dance yet but I’ll find out soon enough. And lets be real, I have a lil crush on her and thats enough to get you in the top 9 at this point in the game. I mean look at her in her leather jacket!

8. Emma - Her dancing was great and she choreographs her own stuff too! I was really impressed by her dance skills both in her extra performance and the dance battle!

9. Tegan - gorgeous gorgeous deep voice! She’s so pretty too! I really liked her but I have no idea if she can dance. I feel like if she could she would have shown it since she got two performances so I’m hesitant.

Honorable Mentions:

Krista Shim - I’m not voting for Krista because she’s under the age I decided on being my voting limit but honestly I’d put money on her making it to the final group. You can just tell with these shows. It's in the way they edit it.

Mao Xiu Ling & Mao Xiu Ting - Of course we have a pair of twins! I’ve always loved this survival show gimmick. I love their look and their dance together was really cool! 

Kaylen - The other half of the Hawaiian Duo! Kaylen pulling Jackson Wang up to the stage with her was such a power move. I didn’t like her solo performance as much as her partner Tegan’s though

Praew- I liked her energy when she introduced herself and then her dancing was insane! I will not be voting for her because she’s 15. She's just a baby.

[trickster-archangel]

I'm sorry but this whole scene will never not be wildly ridiculously funny. I know it might sound silly, but that's not a thing. Not for our generation.

Even in the wild chance that Lynn and Melissa were the bestest of friends from long time, and not simply two poor souls who had the misfortune to share the most married, most devoted, most codependent, most in love couple of husbands who someday both hit thrir head and decided to look a bit less homo and adopt a girlfriend to bring around some days the residual part of the life of two best friends who spend together 95% of their times and schedule their sexual meetings with said girlfriends when they're not in each other's arms pockets, that's not something. That's not a thing for my, our, generation. Girlfriends/wives VS boyfriends/husbands, and that's it. Even if they care for one another and are respectful and actually talk, there are parts of their lives that are not to be shared with the other side.

If ever, for real, Lynn complained with Lissa about how Steve never seems to be bothered when they cannot meet, and how he cancels appointments and dates at last minute because Charlie is sad and he has to stay at Danny’s to have a sleepover together, and is he really at Danny’s?? No OK fine, just to be sure you know....and how he's often even too tired to just, you know, go beyond the usual expected performance and express enjoyment for a second round....and Jesus! it's a miracle if we even manage to do something twice a week, and that's if you consider heavy making-out as sex! Even if Lynn really felt this urge, and they traded notes and compared dates and rainchecks....

This is not the kind of information Melissa would share with Danny.

A man who steadily refuses to say he loves her, and even to admit he cannot say the words; a man who will spend with her only whatever time he's left from his job and his kids and his partner, who sent her away for months after his brother's death, wouldn't introduce her to his family, and basically considered her as a nice cushion on his couch he could stuff in the closet if there was need to have more free space.

And even if Lynn and Lissa were as close as Steve and Danny are, and even if Lynn/Steve and Lissa/Danny relationships were better, deeper, steadier, she'd never, ever confess this kind of woman secrets to the man who's like, half of Steve's soul. It's a boundary, a threshold, you cannot cross. Mentally, you cannot. I've witnessed A LOT of these double couples, belonging to our generation of course, and that's not something happening, even between decades long relationships.

Because you know what would happen? Exactly what's happening here, with Danny spilling the beans and telling Steve, because of course he'd do! and then both Lynn and Lissa would be in a tight spot. For what? Gaining Danny's trust and intimacy and complicity?! THAT Danny's trust and intimacy and complicity??

Lissa is not brilliant, true, but she's not a completely blind idiot, either....

This is, however, the kind of notes comparing that Steve and Danny would totally do. Absolutely. And here I'm reasoning just from a platonic point of view, not using the obvious shipping goggles. Steve knows that Danny knows about his sex routine, because he's told him himself, maybe self-conscious because he just doesn't feel it, and maybe this job is too taxing, and maybe he's simply growing old? but why don't things feel just right with Lynn? She's so hot after all, and they've fun together, but somehow he just doesn't feel it, you know, Danny?? And here's he's totally shooting his shit, trying to go for tireless sex stud and hoping Danny will call the shots and play along.

Obviously he didn't take Danny's petty jealousy and the fact that he'd really love to have sex twice a day with this hot jock but listen, they're not young sprouts anymore and after 18 hours running around just on coffee and a sandwich and too much adrenaline, cuddling on the couch with popcorn and a romcom is so much more appealing, sick worry about his health and the need to be absolute honest to find a real solution into account, so now he's just reaping what he's sown.

See Steve's face when the therapist ask about his sexual routine. He almost looks at Danny. He almost looks at Danny and giggles. And Danny giggles too, because he fucking knows what's about to happen. That's what intimacy and complicity looks like, be it platonic or romantic. He's looking at Danny to gather confidence before shooting his blatant lie and ask for support. Which Danny doesn't offer. Even more, when Danny shoots that shit about Lynn, smiling a thousand watts smile, Steve just looks at him. Notice? No shock, no annoyance. He's not bothered by this blatant lack of respect and boundaries on Lissa's part....because it’s never happened! Because it's been him telling Danny this information, that's how Danny knows! Notice when he's angry, pissed, annoyed? Because Danny spills the beans, Danny breaks the unwritten rules of mutual support, and Danny calls him out on his shit.

So, be it totally a platonic confession between two idiots who just happen to be too repressed to act on their UST and love and prefer to taunt the other with this kind of talking best friends who need to share even the number of pees they take each day, or be it a well practiced notion due to the fact that they're an item....there's no way Lynn and Lissa had a role in this.

[rinadragomir]

1 episode reaction

They try SO HARD to make it look like Bridgerton is it even legal?😑 1) they stole queen's personality 2) unnecessary sex scene in the beginning with characters we don't even know yet. Actually the whole introduction scene was much worse than the actual episode. Idk why they fucked up the first impression this much ;-;

I actually enjoy looking at guardians, they're the best part of the episode🌝

Mikhail and Sonya, my babies, my cottagecore parents, most beautiful people in this show, god bless your acting 🙏🏻

The main problems: 1) songs that don't fit any scene they're used in. Where they even found those cheap 2009 "cool party" tracks? 2) poorly written dialogues as characters introduction. They try TOO HARD to make us understand who is who in that 2007 fanfiction style. That girl is a kind princess so she compliments everyone, that girl is a cool tomboy so she wears boots under the dress, that guy is a bad boy✨ so he FUCKS 😱etc

Good thing they focused on Lissa/Rose friendship! Love these two

Dimitri is fine😌 I approve, the acting in 100% my Дима ✨yes I'm still not over him not being Russian but ugh we got what we got(

I really like the first Lissa/Christian dialogue, but don't you think they went too early with all of that "sTaY wItH mE"? Let them just tease each other from afar idk?😐

Dimitri/Rose interactions 🌝 yummy yummy ima eat

Okay thank God they didn't pretend Lissa's mental problems don't exist. It's a huge part of the books, so I'm glad it's here

Wait how does this "sun kills vampires" even work here? One scene - Lissa is burning alive, next scene - she's perfectly fine riding a bike in the middle of the day, hiding under a translucent umbrella?.....

I actually find it interesting Lissa and Rose only finding out they're connected in the show. Not a bad change, not at all

Dimitri you little bitch don't look at us like that, it was your job to make sure we're safe, shoo shoo, go and do that hot shit u usually do on the roof 😤

" I think unicorn in moroi is Lissa" I—

Wtf no really what the fuck?.. rip funny book Christian, you won't be forgotten😔🪦🙏🏻

Hey they added Janine's mad note! I'm glad)😌

Rose/Mason out of nowhere romance... Hm listen I'm not some mad Romitri shipper that can't accept other options (I mean I AM but hush!), but where it came from? They gave us such nice "school friends" dynamic and then ruined it in 5 seconds.

Same for Lissa/Christian. I'm ready for all the ships, just give me some time to start asking for it myself. They don't tease us with interesting dialogues or interactions, they just say "these two are in love👍". Great but where? It would be better if we got Rose/Mason kiss in maybe episode 4. But this is just way too fast for me, not awful, just fast

"Lissa keeps my heart in a right place" 🥹🥺

So since Lissa can be a queen without any family members.... No Jill?🥺 Like she's not important for the plot anymore, so... No Jill🥺 they left Eddie without his Jill🥺

For the first episode: 6/10

[enchantedalyse]

Vampire Academy: Post Finale Questions (Spoilers)

Tatiana:

•Is Tatiana actually a dhampir? Andre mentioned that she moved like one. We also never see her use her powers or flash her eyes like the other moroi. 

•Is she even a Vogel? The Vogel’s are one of the royal moroi families, so you would think that Tatiana would have some of the knowledge that she needed Andre for. Andre mentioned that having a quorum wouldn’t be a problem for a Vogel, implying that their family line is extensive. Maybe Tatiana took the place of an actual Vogel, which is why she knows nothing about the rules and protocols and needed Andre.

•What is her actual endgame? Like Andre said,  her plan was always about getting the throne but she never mentioned her actually ruling. She also said that her being queen would be short lived. Who is she planning on giving the throne to then? We also know that getting the church and the elementalists on her side was a part of her strategy/plan and that she didn’t actually believe in all of that. Although as a Vogel those are things she should actually believe in and support. What does she actually believe then?

Meredith: 

•Is Meredith a spy, an alchemist, or both? Meredith was the only one who knew about the tunnels that weren’t present on any maps. The tunnels are full of alchemist symbols. We know that she disappears during family leave. She also mentioned earlier in the season that she prefers to fight with words rather than fists, which is unusual for a dhampir guardian. Maybe she is actually working with the alchemists or an alchemist herself. See could have been sent undercover to spy on them and reports her findings during her family leave time.

Andre:

•What did he give Lissa? It was a round object with some type of writing/numbers in the center of one side. He gave the thing to her as he said Tatiana isn’t who she says she is, so does it hold the answered to figuring out who she really is?

•Will he get to stay a hot strigoi like we saw in the final shot? The other ones are obviously not like they’re described in the book (and very unattractive), but strigoi Andre was. He also got to keep his eyebrows.

•All the post mortem interviews have basically confirmed that he will end up leading the strigoi now that he’s one of them. Maybe he’ll be the one to take out Tatiana and get his revenge.

•Will Andre be the one responsible for Strigitri in the show? It would definitely be something that would cause conflict between Lissa and Rose.

Sonya:

•Is Sonya going to turn Victor into a strigoi? His fate is left uncertain, but if he was turned then he would no longer have to worry about his declining health (like Christian’s father).

[silver-and-stars]

Watching Vampire Academy season finale

Dang Tatiana is full of crap.

That feeders' lips really looked to purple. In my cdrama watching experience it means poison indeed. What a dumb way to die for such an old queen. She could at least have left a message like "Was poison by my feeder, Vasilisa did nothing.” I mean they have tablets and all. They could communicate. Why don't they have phone btw.

OMG DRAGOZERA are MARRIED ! I love it.

Victor bro where is your husband? Maybe look of him instead of praying.

And now my boy Chris is a monk. What does it imply? Is it reversible? Still married though.

Let me slowclap. Jesse, congrats on getting rid of your abusive jerk dad. You made the right call. Probably best decision you ever made.

Haaa yes, humans! And their great capacity for hope. Dang, humans are boring. It's always the same thing. I don't see how it's different for Moroi or Dhampyrs. Andre, Lissa, Victor, they all seemed to believe in the possibility of a better future. Even my boy Christian, the outcast with monster parents hoped there was good in them. The "ability" for hope. Bro you all have it. Except in time of anxiety or depression. Dimitri is okay but damn he still has a pole far up his ass. You need vacations dude. And therapy.

Strigoi interrupting the confession, rude!

My girl Lissa, a true queen. Mia would make a great head of cabinet for her. And my girl Rose kicking ass. Oh hi there mother-in-law.

Andre using his powers in an offensive way, like Christian. Matching brothers-in-law. I love it.

Happy reunion! It's so sweet! Their smile! How gentle he is with her and how one of the first thing he says to her is that he is proud of her! Bro, my heart! No, tell her it was Tatiana. Tell her now. Tell everyone. Make a video, broadcast it! Aaaand he is gone / strigoi.

Go, you beautiful man, torch your mother (dang he hesitated, my poor sweet boy). And poor Lissa can't even enjoy the sweet reunion with her big bro. They gave her hope, a part of her family back, before ripping it away from her.

Dang, Rose's screaming was rough. People must think she is crazy.

Christian IS SO WONDERFUL. He is so gentle, kind and patient, I love it. Also he pretty.

Now that I think about it. Moroi are rich, royal, the Queen was there and no one had a helicopter to evacuate the Queen and Council?

Victor dude you're still there? Aaand she gonna eat you, won't she? Why is she pissed at him? I thought she loved him? He never forced her to heal him. Did he locked her up after she turned strigoi?

Wards are up, well down my boy! (why wasn't he stationed right next to them to beginning him though, like sitting by the pillar, all he would have hat to do was to activate it then without crossing the battlefield) that smile/laugh and hug with Rose was so cute! I love seeing them get along!

Aaand there goes Mason. Hope he isn't dead.

Are you really having a press conference, a crowning, among corpses! That's bad PR. Those are people. You bury them, you don't film their corpse in the streets while you make your "I told you so" speech. LOOOL "Why do anyone do anything. For love!" Disney princess bullshit right here. Personal gain is the true answer. That gain might be power, love, money, whatever. But for love is a bullshit reason for grand things such as ruling. How can she foul anyone?

The problem is the Council truly. BRO ! this is even worst ! 1) She loses the elections. 2) She discredits the one who won the elections. 3) she still loses the election as Vasilisa is chosen as heir BY THE QUEEN (why would she murder the one who just elected her heir?) 4) she takes the throne after the queen -who didn’t let her win- is assassinated and while the heir is missing and she ask for the heir to be arrested. It's so goddamn obvious!

Her Mia, not only your sister is Strigoi but your father his dead now. Probably. And where is your dad? (hey Mason lives, cool)

Dang I love when Christian speaks. Lissa looks good in blue. Oh damn, sorry dude for you aunt, we never got to meet her. Congrats for the promotion? It's gonna be hard to lead your family when everybody ostracizes you and when your wife is rival to the Queen. Good luck. Lissa still supporting Christian, telling him he did nothing wrong, I love it. They said "I love you"! Their smile! My heart!

Speaking of taking down Tatiana, don't you have something to confess Dmitri! Like how you MADE OUT WITH HER like only a few days ago ?! (wtf) You're lucky you're cute.

So Sonya is a Strigoi, Andre is too. And there is this whole darkness/light thing with the Spirit elements. So i'm guessing it can turn back Strigoi to human? What would be a way to get rid of the threat in the end. Were the strigoi first created by Vladimir through this element? Will the show turn into a way too long mess like Vampire Diaries (I mean Julie Plec is producer so i'm suspicious)? Stay tuned for season 2!

[suganovakawa]

𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐄 .

PAIRINGS : tooru oikawa x fem! reader , platonic hajime iwaizumi x fem! reader

GENRE : angst , romance

WARNINGS : cursing , implied car accident , amnesia recovery

SYNOPSIS : tooru doesn’t understand how special you are to him until he comes close to losing you forever . as he struggles to comes to grips with his feelings and balance it with his future , you still have to recover from your own injuries , but without your memories to assist you .

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 < [ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐗 ] > 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 .

your first day back at seijoh doesn’t seem so bad . . . but that boy at the window sure does pique your interest .

word count : 1.4k

saudade masterlist .

SAUDADE

( 𝐧 . ) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant , or that has been loved and then lost ; “ the love that remains ”

⠀"hajime, was i always this... popular?"

⠀unsure of how to accept a bouquet of flowers from an unknown face as you and the only friend you could confide in walked through the halls of the vast school, your mind was only left to ponder aimlessly. did you always think this school to be so big? maybe it was because you had no recollection or memories of this place, that it seemed like a never ending corn maze.

⠀"well, word travels quickly, y/n. everyone here is worried about your safety. we're all glad you're back, safe and sound." you turned to the male walking beside you, his hands loosely stuffed in his pockets. that same gaze turned to the flower bouquet held tightly in the embrace of your arms, echoes of well wishes and greetings filling your ears as you struggled to find your classes. iwa was assigned to be your personal guide until you got the gist of the seijoh halls once more, and he made sure to make it crystal clear he was your go-to guide incase you needed some assistance with anything.

⠀"i feel guilty, not being able to remember anyone..." your voice hushed into a whisper, only loud enough for hajime to decipher. "everyone i've spoken to is so nice, i wish i could at least remember everyone's names to thank each of them properly." every time anyone reached your vicinity, hajime was the one who had to inform you of their name before they approached the two of you. you had to explain of your amnesic situation, to which each of them understood... to an extent.

⠀you'd always get a mix of emotions in reaction to such horrific news, depending on the person. many shown pity, while others attempted to empathetically understand your frustrations. a select few were skeptical upon first hearing the news, but there was nothing you could be lying about. amnesia wasn't something to be joking about; at least, you found no reason to joke about it. the way it erases your mind of your precious memories with those you love and cherish is cruel in its own right. you remember how distraught your parents were when you had no recollection of their faces. you believed them to be your family, as you assumed they had no reason to lie, but that was as far as credibility went.

⠀hajime was a tremendous help through it all, too. after his first meeting with you - when you awoke from your supposed coma, he brought in a large group of boys, around the same age as the two of you. though their names were a blur, the one thing that stuck out to you was when they each thanked you for being their volleyball team manager.

⠀the aoba johsai volleyball club team. that's who they were to you. could a team really be so tightly bonded they'd even visit a mere manager? the thought of it humbled you, and your heart felt fuzzy. you were able to smile genuinely once more, bringing joy to the boys' faces. though their visit wasn't that long, you were able to remake some friends, and maybe met new ones before returning to seijoh.

⠀you snapped out of your daze as you accidentally bumped shoulders with another student, flinching at the sudden contact. hajiime reacted to your movement by looking to see who you bumped into, but it was too late for him to speak up first.

⠀"watch where you're going, will you? damn." he snapped at you as his nasty glare stared you down, his posture slouched over and grumpy. even with an appearance as unique as his - bleached buzz cut, darkened eyelids, and two brown stripes on both sides of his head - no name came to mind. his intimidating aura worked on you all too well, and your mouth clamped down nervously, since it technically was your fault you hadn't paid attention to where you were walking.

⠀"kyoutani." there was a bark, to which both you and the strange male looked towards hajime, whose glare was darker than the other's. "don't talk to her like that. it's y/n."

⠀as if it was some sort of special cue, kyoutani's snarl lightened oh so slightly, his eyebrows arching upwards as he cleared his throat before looking at you once more. "oh, y/n." his voice lowered to a mumble, "sorry about that. glad to know you're back in one piece." in astonishment towards his abnormal attitude change, you weren't able to say anything in reply as he quickly shuffled past the two of you and disappeared down the hall.

⠀"who was that, hajime?" you were freaked out about how easily iwaizumi was able to change such a grumpy attitude with just a snap and your name. were you a sensitive topic to talk about amongst the students? sure, your accident was pretty bad, but it could've been a lot worse than memory loss, right? amnesia was probably the luckier gamble of the entire situation.

⠀unless if there was something else he hadn't informed you of already?

⠀"oh, don't mind him. he was part of the volleyball club team, too. he's just more on the... lone wolf side. he doesn't interact with us that much." he only shrugged at your curiosity. "he knows of what happened, and it's nice to know he has enough manners to wish you well."

⠀there were so many questions you wanted to ask him; the problem was, you didn't know where to start. there was that standing fear of overwhelming him with too many inquiries, too. just how much did hajime iwaizumi know? what doesn't he know? he seemed to be capable of informing you of everything that you'd need to know, but even if there was anything he was hiding under the surface, you would have no notion or clue as to what it was.

⠀and while you were eternally grateful for his presence and overwhelming kindness, your curiosity of rediscovering everything continuously poked at the back of your brain. maybe when you got back on your feet, stable enough to figure out things on your own, hajime would let up and see things for yourself. for now, you were content with him being at your beck and call - whether it be for better or worse.

⠀"we're here." you filled your lungs with a sharp inhale as hajime opened the door for you, reintroducing you to your first classroom of the day. seeing your nervousness, the brunet merely smiled comfortingly, placing a hand on your shoulder before looking to the others, who were trying to hide their curiosity in seeing you standing under the doorway. "there's no one you should be afraid of, y/n. you sit next to me anyway, so you'll be fine."

⠀"thank you, hajime." there was nothing to be afraid of, he was right. why were you hesitating? there was no need for that self inflicted worry.

⠀two empty desks stood side by side as majority of your classmates rose from their own to greet you the moment you stepped in. unfortunately for you, there were too many people reaching for you all at once, so hajime was a bit behind in naming all of them for you. as much as you tried and appreciated their concerns, all you really wanted to do was just sit down and let everything sink in. today was going to be a long day.

⠀"oikawa, are you not going to say anything to y/n?"

⠀oikawa?

⠀your head turned at the name, noticing how a small bunch crowded a single desk in the back of the room, their faces less than pleasant as they glared at the lone male sitting by the window. an uneasy knot grew in your stomach as you caught glimpses of the student; you ignored hajime repeatedly calling your name, instead focusing on the boy sitting in the back of the room.

⠀why was someone so attractive sitting all the way in the back like that? alone, no less?

⠀the male ignored every advance towards him, and the students who ganged up on him had no choice but to back away, grunting in their failure as they plopped down in their own desks. you, however, still felt strange. oikawa... there was no ring to it, just as everyone else's name was in aoba johsai.

⠀but you couldn't deny it, he was the one.

⠀and such a thought was solidified the moment he turned from the window to gaze into your eyes. it was only for a second, but that stare meant something; you could feel it.

⠀oikawa...

⠀the first one to see you when you woke up.

a / n : writers block hurts so much i deeply apologize for the absence 😭 i’ll def be updating more frequently now , don’t worry !! n don’t mind me crying over this chapter , casually crying as i write this on tooru’s birthday— happy birthday sweetie

saudade taglist : @ot127 @rena0921 @karlitabi-rrito @psychicpercyjacksonfan @crescentbitch @amelimiles @damnirina @pasta-warlord @blossomingbangtan @clinomanians @i-am-kinda-in-a-lot-of-fandoms @manq-fandoms @cirtruss @sugar-wara @haikoo @anime-simp @kairostatue @awkwardspontaneity @iwantapoptartqwq @aquariarose @softestdreamer @plantisnotplant @avylee @froppysgirl @that-animebitch @wisepandaslimeland @samanthaa-leanne @dumplingzumispam @0hakaashi @captain-janeway @afterglowkuroo @bellabelieveme @attixc @chickenrest @tycrackculture @ynjimenez @lissa-writes-and-does-matchups @lavieenblancetnoir @dabilove27 @cuddlesslut @crypto-s

taglist closed !

[iturbide]

You know what? You forced me to start planning a huge post breaking down Faye, so for "revenge" I'm asking you to do one for Robin too! >:) (oh and Grima too if you want, it's always great hearing you talk about them)

MISSION: SUCCESS

but I will take this vengeance challenge starting with my boy

How do I feel about this character?

Look.  Robin has been my Summoner Support character since the day the system launched.  He’s maxed out on dragonflowers at 15.  I sacrificed a 5-star exclusive dagger with a high-rarity and very potent A passive to him over any other possible unit I could have given it to.  I have written just shy of 500k words of Awakening fanfiction in which Robin is a central figure in every story. 

I kind of love Robin a lot.  That may, in fact, be an understatement for my feelings.

Who do I ship this character with romantically?

Theoretically I could ship just about anyone with Robin (with a few exceptions *coughFrederickcough*) but my big ones are Chrom (naturally) and Sumia!  Those two are the ones I most enjoy seeing Robin with since I think they play off one another in really enjoyable ways -- and it’s even better when it’s all three of them together!

Who is my brOTP for this character?

Lissa.  I LOVE Robin and Lissa as best friends and confidantes who can tease each other but will always, always have each other’s backs.  Robin and Henry being super tight as siblings is another favorite dynamic, Robin and Sully is right up there with Robin and Lissa, and when I’m not shipping them Robin and Sumia as best book buddies is near and dear to my heart.  Also Gaius, Libra, Panne, and Kellam -- I love Robin and Kellam bonding so much it does my heart good (which is why so many of these relationships are, in fact, integral to Future Built).

What’s my Unpopular Opinion™ about this character?

oh boy I have a million of these haha but the biggest one that really is an unpopular opinion is that Robin is proud of their Plegian heritage and would never EVER forsake it.  I’ve seen a not insignificant amount of fanart that puts Robin into clothing that’s clearly Ylissean in cut, style, and/or pattern, and this drives me up the wall because Robin is canonically one of our very few characters of Plegian heritage, someone who goes around throughout the entire game in a coat that bears the literal emblem of Grima in the eye-patterned sleeves -- something that’s preserved in their Grandmaster class, no less, rather than quietly done away with.  That coat is clearly important to them, and deep down -- even with all their memories buried out of direct reach -- I think their cultural heritage as a Plegian is of the utmost importance to them, such that they would only go without some show or sign or it if they were forced to do so. 

Basically, in my personal opinion, Robin should always have Plegian touches in whatever they wear but ESPECIALLY if it’s otherwise Ylissean in appearance.  Erasing Robin’s Plegian heritage is really gross to me personally, and funny enough, even IntSys didn’t do that for once, so fandom should really have no excuse.

What’s one thing I wish would have happened with this character in canon?

For Robin?  Either meeting their mom should she still be alive, or at least getting back their memories.  It does make sense that Robin started the game as an amnesiac because it let us learn through them, and made a lot of the revelations really pack a punch -- but after a certain point?  I really, really wish that Robin’s memories would have come back to them so that we could find out more of who they were before and what their experiences had been.  Even before a full return of those memories, they could have done simple things, stuff like reactions based on muscle memory or reflexive training that surprise them sometimes, or stated feelings of deja vu -- but later in the game (and supports) I really wish they would have give us something that tells us more about their life; what would be especially nice is if those returning memories involve Grimleal rituals or teachings, because I think it would have been really powerful to have someone we love and care for so much (as our player avatar) shining a better light on the much-maligned faith of Ylisse’s neighboring nation.

I’m very, very biased about that, though.

and BONUS: Grima time

How do I feel about this character? 

I’m pretty sure that at one point, if you searched up the #grima tag, mine was one of the top blogs that came up (though I’ve been getting lazy and tagging less by character lately so I’ve fallen out of there).  I’m also pretty sure that most of the people following me ended up here because of all the Grima content I started pouring out when the first one dropped in Heroes.  Grima is one of those characters who I write about exhaustively and who subtly manages to play a role in most of my Awakening fic, including the ones where they don’t physically appear (I call those Grima Sightings and frankly I would love it if people tried to spot them). 

...I think Grima has just taken over a part of my brain and to be perfectly honest I’m okay with that.

Who do I ship this character with romantically? 

Emmeryn.  That’s it.  That’s the only character I have ever or frankly will ever ship Grima with because that was already something that came out of left field I literally cannot imagine anyone else managing to spark the same reaction a second time.

Who is my brOTP for this character? 

Robin, honestly.  I love the idea of Robin and Grima interactions where the two end up becoming close as friends and confidantes, regardless of the situation.  Is it kind of heartbreaking when it’s the whole “Grima’s in control and Robin’s in the backseat” situation?  Undoubtedly, but it’s also really moving to consider that they might learn how to work together and help each other and work toward a shared purpose. 

And also Grima getting parenting advice from Robin in Heroes during the early days of the creche is A+++ in my opinion.

What’s my Unpopular Opinion™ about this character? 

Aside from the idea that Grima is in fact the most parental of dragons and broods in the literal chicken sense or my giant conspiracy theory that Grima came to the past to do the same thing Lucina did (avert the ruined future)?  It’s probably that Grima is not an instigator of conflict or chaos: they’re antisocial and would prefer to distance themselves for the sake of having some peace and quiet rather than getting dragged into yet more conflict based on human preconceptions or judgments based on appearance. 

Fandom at large loves to play Grima as unrelenting evil and constantly in competition with the Awakening folks (especially the Exalted lineage) but...that doesn’t make any sense to me personally?  Grima hasn’t really asked for anything that’s happened to them: they’ve been used and abused by humanity by their own admission, and Validar is just the latest in the line to do the same, causing unspeakable harm for the sole purpose of raising Grima to destroy the world at his own bidding.  Yeah, maybe Grima doesn’t have the best feelings toward the Exalted Lineage, but also why would Grima be the one picking the fight?  If you mess with Grima the Fell Dragon will step up (Vengeful Fighter is their innate B passive in Heroes, quite likely for a reason), but I really don’t see them going out of their way to cause trouble.  They just want to be left in peace, but humans really don’t seem to get that.  Yes, the fanart can be funny, but it also rings false to me, because I really think Grima would just flat-out ignore the Exalted lineage unless they make the confrontation, at which point Grima won’t hold back.

What’s one thing I wish would have happened with this character in canon? 

First of all I really do wish we could have seen a peaceful resolution with Grima rather than having to destroy them, especially considering that the Fell Dragon really didn’t seem all that interested in hurting anybody even after raising the dragon form (see the aforementioned conspiracy theory).  Grima has been hurt so many times throughout their life that I think it would have been deeply meaningful if we could have reached out in an attempt at understanding, to have come to a non-violent resolution, and found peace without someone needing to die for once.  When Grima purposefully abstains from nuking the group that poses a threat to their life upon resurrecting their impossibly huge and powerful dragon form and instead flies out over the ocean -- so far they need Naga herself to teleport them -- it kind of says a lot about how much Grima really wants to fight (answer: they clearly don’t).

Other than that, though?  Just...give us more of Grima in general.  Tell us more about their history, especially the thousand years between their emergence from Thabes Labyrinth and their fall at the hands of the First Exalt.  I want to know more of that history, I want to see how they treated the humans that flocked to them, even knowing that those same humans would eventually break Grima’s spirit.  We just have so few crumbs about Grima, I want more than anything to get a meal instead.

Give Me a Character

[dimitribelikov]

The Belikov Chronicles: The Tasha Conundrum Pt.3

✶ The conclusion of my Tasha Conundrum series ! This one features the lovely balcony moment they shared, all from Dimitri’s POV. ✶ notes : All dialogue is straight from Frostbite, chapter 17. The rest is mine, based on characters written by Richelle Mead. ✶ warnings : some language ✶ ships : romitri ✶ Part 1  |  Part 2  |  more Dimitri one shots

                      –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

    After the strange discovery of Rose in Adrian’s room, and the conversation that followed with her, I couldn’t seem to get the young dhampir off my mind. Most of the day was spent with other guardians, working over logistics and plans for possibly pursing the Strigoi. Or at the very least, keeping the resort as well protected as possible. It quickly became obvious that the biggest threat to the Moroi under the Idaho’s ski resort’s roof was actually themselves. Their squabbles over the politics that surrounded the attacks, and how best to deal with them, turned into full blown arguments at every turn. Some even resorted to physical fights. It was a mess, and certainly enough to occupy my mind.

Except my thoughts continually returned to her.

The revelation that I was actually jealous of Adrian nearly knocked me off balance. Jealousy wasn’t something I felt often and it gnawed at me constantly, making my insides ache. Fortunately, guardian training came with emotional temperament and I was able to hide all such traces of emotions.

Though Tasha’s hopes of rescuing me away to play pool that afternoon were dashed, she was able to get me away for lunch. It was nice being with her, pretending that the rest of our problems didn’t exist. She could speak so passionately about her views on the world, which always captured my full attention. As she spoke over her half eaten cobb salad, I began to imagine a future with her. What would life be like if I accepted her offer? Surely it was a once in a life time opportunity. I may be young, but the idea of the freedom to be a father and even a husband was thrilling. Maybe because it was something that I had written off so long ago, knowing it would never be in the cards for me. Yet here that future was, presented on a silver platter. All I had to do was accept.

The problem was, when I envisioned myself happy at someone’s side, it wasn’t Tasha. I tried to convince myself that my imagination only inserted Rose because I had already grown accustomed to the idea of working with her in the future. Yeah, even I knew that was a load of bullshit, though. The memory of our heated kiss in the gym, only a few days before the trip, still burned on my lips.

“I should get back,” I said abruptly. From the surprised look on Tasha’s face, I had a feeling that I had interrupted something she was saying. Thankfully, my job and the current climate of affairs made my anxious demeanor make sense. We parted ways and it was back to work with me, doing everything in my power not to think of dark, wavy hair that felt like silk between my fingers . . .

Later in the evening, I was assigned duty at Priscilla Voda’s party. I blended into the background just as I was trained to do. It was dull and uneventful, save for the pompous touting of rich ass wipes that had no clue what they were talking about. Adrian was of course there, drinking and talking to a few royals. We made eye contact at one point, and though I kept any emotion from my face, I was sure he detected my icy warning glare. The jerk actually had the audacity to smirk back as though amused by it.

Then Rose and Lissa showed up. The dress Rose wore should have been illegal. I couldn’t be distracted while working, but the way it clung to her every curve was certainly putting my focus to the test. My fingers felt warm, recalling the feeling of pulling another dress off of her months before. We’d been under a compulsion spell, but I wasn’t naive enough to think that the desire I felt was any less real.

I tried to look anywhere else, look at nothing while seeing everything as the guardians do, but when I glanced back, she was talking to Adrian. Now my fingers burned with a whole different reason. They wanted to punch the jerk-off and his wandering eyes. But before I could dwell, Janine entered . . . And actually dragged Rose away. It was stealthily done, and I don’t think anyone aside from Adrian noticed. Except me, of course, because I could keep my eyes off of her. What a hypocrite! And there I was, chastising the Moroi’s wandering eyes.

Although part of me cheered for her breaking up Rose and Adrian, the rest of me knew better. My heart sunk. I knew that Rose’s relationship with her mother was rocky at best. Janine was as badass a guardian as they come, and though I assumed it would be a great honor to have her as a mother, I was beginning to understand Rose’s resentment.

Knowing that the princess was safe, I left after a couple of minutes later in search of Rose. Our earlier awkwardness ( and even coldness ) was in the past. If I knew her, she’d be alone, keeping her pain to herself, but deeply in need of a shoulder to lean on. I couldn’t explain why I needed to be that shoulder, but instinct drove me straight to her.

When I found her, I could have laughed at how correct my assumption was. Except there was nothing funny about the sight. Rose was still wearing only the tight dress, and it wasn’t nearly enough to shield her skin from the frigid air. She turned to me, and I could see the sadness in her dark eyes. The sunrise illuminated her face in a way that took my breath away. How could I have ever imagined a future with someone else when this goddess existed?

She turned away wordlessly and I figured since no sarcastic and scathing remark about Tasha came, that I was welcomed to join her. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, hoping it would help, then took a seat beside her. “You must be freezing,” was my lame attempt to explain my actions.

“The sun’s out,” she replied, just as lamely. What an awkward pair we make, I thought.

Rather than point that out, I looked up at the sky, taking in the warm rays and the look of the light as it washed over the picturesque scenery. I loved the outdoors and the sunshine, and often lamented its loss while being on a vampiric schedule. Something about the outdoors always brought forth a rush of adrenaline in me. Maybe it was how it reminded me of the Siberian countrysides that I’d grown accustomed to as a kid. Rose could joke all she wanted about it being a frozen tundra, but in the spring and summer, it was like heaven. “It is,” I agreed. “But we’re still on a mountain in the middle of winter.”

She didn’t bother to correct me or defend herself with another sarcastic quip. In fact, the most wonderful thing followed. Nothing. We sat in silence, though there was nothing awkward about it. We were content in enjoying the sun together and simply being in each other’s presence. This was something that Tasha could never give me. For all her promises of a future that was out of reach for most guardians, there was never silence between us. Sure, I loved her impassioned speeches and the stories she told. We could laugh together for hours.

But what I had with Rose was something I’d never felt before. It was an understanding that ran so deep that we didn’t need words to understand one another. Maybe that’s when I knew that I couldn’t accept Tasha’s offer. Obviously life with Rose would always be complicated and far from easy, but it was better than a life without her. Even after the few, short months with her, that was something I simply couldn’t abide.

It was Rose that spoke up first, as though the words broke through of their own accord. “My life is a disaster.”

“It’s not a disaster,” I told her automatically. There was beauty in her life, and I wanted her to see that. I wanted her see how that beauty effected those around her, including me.

“Did you follow me from the party?”

Busted. “Yes.”

“I didn’t even know you were there,” Rose admitted. “So you saw the illustrious Janine cause a commotion by dragging me out.”

I could hear how embarrassed she was by the whole ordeal, and in a way, I could understand. I could guess Janine’s reasoning, but I personally didn’t agree with the action. “It wasn’t a commotion. Hardly anyone noticed,” I assured her, trying to make it sound like it wasn’t that big of a deal. But then my lips kept moving and traitorously said a bit too much. “I saw because I was watching you.” Did that sound creepy? I’m pretty sure that sounded creepy.

Mercifully, Rose ignored the comment. Although part of me had hoped for some sort of inkling as to how she felt about it. Maybe she really was too into Adrian to notice me now . . .

“That’s not what she said. I might as well have been working a corner as far as she was concerned.”

Janine was a very different sort of mother than mine was, but she was still someone I respected and looked up to. I honestly didn’t think that she had such a dark view of her own daughter, but that she had a hard time expressing her honest emotions in a normal way. Honestly, a lot of guardians struggle with that, especially the older ones that had more time to harden. “She’s just worried about you,” I tried to reason. I hated seeing Rose hurt like that, and though I felt completely out of my element, I wanted to help.

“She overreacted,” was the immediate response.

Well, I couldn’t really argue with that. Instead, I said, “Sometimes mother’s are overprotective.”

The look Rose gave me broke my heart. She was a brilliant, passionate, and amazing young woman who only wanted a shred of love, but continually got pushed aside. I felt spoiled suddenly, knowing that even though I hadn’t seen my family in years, that they would always welcome me with a warm hug and happy faces. “Yeah, but this is my mother. And she didn’t seem that protective, really. I think she was more worried I’d embarrass her or something. And all that becoming-a-mother-too-young stuff was stupid. I’m not going to do anything like that.”

Ah. So there’s the problem. “Maybe she wasn’t talking about you.” I must have dropped a hardcore truth bomb, because Rose looked stunned. At a loss for words. And Rose Hathaway was never at a loss for words.

Another silence passed and I knew she was re-evaluating things in her mind. I was happy to sit with her, giving her the time she needed and whatever support I could provide. When she spoke again, it was a statement that seemed out of left field, but couldn’t help but amuse me. “We aren’t fighting right now.”

I glanced at her, arching an eyebrow at the observation. “Do you want to fight?” I asked, enjoying the little playful mood that we had turned towards.

“No. I hate fighting with you.” That made two of us. “Verbally, I mean. I don’t mind in the gym.”

That actually did bring a small smile to my face. “I don’t like fighting with you either.” It seemed an obvious statement, but as the words left me, I knew how important it was that she know that. I hated when I had to be the “adult in charge”. Rose was my equal in so many ways and I reveled in the way we could be so at ease around one another.

We shared an honest, quiet, and warm moment as we locked eyes. That was why her next statement completely took me off guard.

“You should take it.”

At first, I had no idea what “it” was. “What?”

“Tasha’s offer. You should take her up on it. It’s a really great chance.”

Now it was my turn to be stunned. At first I was frustrated that she’d assume that’s what I even wanted, especially with the way I had currently been looking at her. But quickly, I realized what a huge step this was. She was growing up and able to put her own hang ups aside if it meant someone else’s happiness. That was the Rose I knew and the Rose that I was quickly falling in love with. Yet she still took me by surprise with it. “I never expected to hear you say anything like that. Especially after–”

“What a bitch I’ve been? Yeah,” Rose said, cutting me off. I wouldn’t have called her a “bitch” exactly, but things were definitely strained between us. “Well. Like I said, I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want us to hate each other. And . . . well . . .” She paused and I could tell this was hard for her say. I was patient, though, silently watching her. “No matter how I feel about us . . . I want you to be happy.”

I could see the pain in her eyes, but all I felt was an overwhelming warmth and admiration. Rose could be petty, sure, but deep down, she was the most amazing person I had met who put everyone else’s needs above her own. And apparently she still had feelings about “us”. I should be discouraging that since there was no way that we could be together, but with the morning sunlight around on us on that private balcony, it felt as though the rest of the world and its problems didn’t exist. It was only Rose, who I learned didn’t care about Adrian more than me. Rose, who had unwittingly found her way into my heart. I knew there was no going back now.

Unable to help myself, I put my arm around her. “Roza.” I didn’t know what else to say as I pulled her to me, getting to be her shoulder to lean on. And honestly, with her, I knew I didn’t have to say anything else. We sat like that for a while, breaking every rule and crossing every line I had set, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing sexual about the way I held her. This ran deeper than that.

It felt like far too soon when Rose was standing up and handing me my jacket. “Where are you going?” I asked, knowing full well that I should also return to my post. Leaving our little snow covered sanctuary was the last thing I wanted to do, though.

“To break someone’s heart,” Rose replied. I didn’t really understand what she meant ( although my gut told me that Mason was about to have a bad night ), but the resolute look on her face wasn’t something I was going to take away by asking for details. She left, leaving me alone in the freezing morning air with much to think about. How was it possible that in just a few days Rose had managed to evoke so many conflicting emotions within me? Pride, lust, aggravation, jealousy, and now adoration.

I turned back to the sunlit landscape, knowing one thing was certain. I had made my decision. I was going to have to break someone’s heart, too. Tasha would survive, but Rose? I knew I couldn’t live in a future without her.

[imaginingsoftly]

Wedding Date Pt. 1 - Tyler Seguin

Type: strangers-enemies-lovers, series

Requested: no

Warnings: alcohol, swearing, asshole exes

A/N: I’ve been working on this for about 2 months now, and finally have enough finished to be able to share with you guys. A HUGE thank you to @tysojost for reading the first few parts and giving me incredible feedback when I got stuck! 

This is going to be somewhere around 7 parts, and I’ll release a new part once a week. Probably Thursdays.

Melissa groaned as she came to. It had been a long night, one that hadn’t ended until almost 3am, and now the sun was shining in her eyes after what had felt like an hour or two. The alcohol from last night sloshed slightly in her stomach as she reached over to grab her phone, and Melissa stilled. She would not puke. Not right now. Thankfully, her stomach settled after a few seconds of blind panic, and she finished reaching out for her phone. The screen was blindingly bright, and Melissa squinted as she stared down at the time in disbelief. Scratch that, it had only been two hours. Damn Ontario and their early sunrises. 

She was never drinking with John and his former teammates again. Sure, it had been fun to show off a bit and drink most of them under the table, but damn her stomach hurt. A cup of strong black coffee and maybe a Gatorade were a must before she did anything. There was a small shop in the lobby of the resort that would have Gatorade, she had seen it during check-in the afternoon before. The coffee, thankfully, was in the apartment. As a self-aware coffee snob she’d brought her own grounds and french press, and there was a kettle for boiling water on the stove. Good coffee would go a long way to settle her stomach, Melissa knew that from experience. 

The sky was calling Melissa’s name as she peered out the window in her room. It was cloudy, a storm likely coming on the horizon. Her ideal weather. The face looking back at her in the mirror looked a mess, leftover mascara smeared under her eyes and hair a greasy tangled nest. She would need a shower after her walk. Brushing her teeth made her feel like a new person, and Melissa slipped into a pair of shorts and a ratty sweatshirt. The sweatshirt was actually John’s, the groom for the weekend, something she’d borrowed one night after her and Kirsten got a little too drunk in the couple’s living room. Her best friend’s fiance, being the angel that he was, slept in the guest room that night when Kirsten and Melissa passed out in the master bedroom. 

Melissa sighed as she stepped into the cool morning air, relishing in how clean it smelled. She loved living in the city, loved the easy access to everything and the ability to walk everywhere, but the air quality was severely lacking. Plus, if there was one thing that Ontario did better than Virginia, it was the weather. Huntsville was cool, cool enough to wear a sweatshirt. It wouldn’t be cool enough to wear a sweatshirt in Arlington again until at least the beginning of October. 

The walk to the check in office took almost an hour there and back, but she returned with a large Gatorade and a granola bar. She downed them both on the walk back to her room. The walk had been energizing, and the sights were beautiful. Deerhurst Resort, the wedding venue, was situated on a lake and surrounded by green. It was exactly the kind of weekend escape Kirsten had been convincing her she needed for probably the last two years. 

The entire building was still silent as Melissa made her way back into the hotel room, and she began to pull things out of her suitcase for a shower. Kirsten and John hadn’t given her the chance to unpack anything the night before, instead pulling her out of the hotel room and into the party as soon as she’d set her bags down. The bathroom was fancy, way more fancy than the one she had at home, and Melissa let the water begin to heat up while she turned on some music. 

Kip Moore began shooting out of her speakers, one of his songs about drinking, and Melissa skipped that one quickly. It was too early to go down that road again. The next song was one of his softer, gentler ones about love, and she let that one play as she stepped under the water. The weekend stay was a bit more than she would spend on just herself for the weekend, even if it was for her best friend’s wedding, and she once again thanked the gods that John’s family had decided to foot the bill for everyone’s stay. She’d needed the break. 

A shower was exactly what Melissa needed, and she smiled at herself in the mirror as she smoothed acne treatment and moisturizer onto her skin. The gatorade and KIND bar had done wonders to soothe the sloshing in her stomach, and now her skin felt clean again. She was ready for the real stuff to start now, beginning with the wedding party brunch later on. 

The brunch wasn’t for a few hours, when most of the world would be up, so Melissa threw on an oversized long-sleeved t-shirt and some boyshorts rather than her dress for later. There was no need to get all dressy to go through her morning coffee ritual. 

Melissa turned up the music as she stepped out of the room and into the kitchen, singing along softly. The coffee grounds, ground before she’d left for Huntsville the day before, smelled heavenly as she held the container up to her nose. There was nothing in the world like the smell of freshly-ground coffee, especially on a morning like this.  

“You’ll have to excuse Lissa,” Melissa heard behind her suddenly, “when it comes to her morning coffee she has blinders on.” She heard Kirsten laugh as she swung around, one hand on her chest. Kirsten smirked from her spot in the living room. Her friend looked far too put together for this early in the morning, in her summer dress and sandals, the engagement ring on her finger sparkling in the sunlight. 

A tall, dark, and very handsome man stood to her left, an amused smile lighting up his face as well. Tyler Seguin. His arms were crossed, ink peeking out from underneath his long sleeve shirt in what Melissa already knew were two full sleeves. Damn her, Kirsten knew she was a sucker for tattoos. Her friend had threatened to play matchmaker this weekend, and it appeared this statue of a man would be the first attempt. 

Tyler met her eyes like he knew what she was thinking, and Melissa turned back to her coffee quickly. Better to pretend she wasn’t interested than embarrass herself. “Lissy,” Kirsten said, “this is my cousin Tyler. He wasn’t sure if he could make it this weekend, so he doesn’t have a room reserved. I put him in the extra room in here.” Of course she did. Melissa knew she was up to something when she’d been put in a two bedroom suite all alone. 

She finished putting coffee grounds in the french press before she responded. “I figured there was going to be a latecomer for that room.” It took all of her effort, but Melissa turned around with a pleasant smile on her face. “Welcome, Tyler. Glad you could make it.” His face said that he knew she was lying, but Kirsten didn’t pick up on their silent conversation. She was exclaiming about all the fun they would have together, especially as two single people at a wedding full of couples. Melissa audibly groaned, and Tyler’s lips twitched like he was holding back a laugh. 

Kirsten was still talking as she took off into the bathroom, something about drinking way too much coffee with John. “I’m surprised he’s awake,” Melissa yelled through the bathroom door, “him and his teammates did their best to drink me under the table last night.” Tyler looked confused, and she shook her head. ‘Just wait,’ she mouthed. 

He smiled for real at her mouthed words, and leaned back against the countertop casually. The movement showed off his arms even more, and Melissa bit back a groan. Kirsten hurried out of the bathroom, eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, tried to outdrink you? That’s why he looked hungover as shit?” 

Melissa shrugged. “One of the guys assumed I would be a lightweight. I set out to prove otherwise. I outdrank everybody except Cameron.” 

“That’s because he’s got a foot and 100 pounds on you!” He really had been substantially bigger. Even at her 170-ish pounds he’d been almost twice her size, and he drank like it too. Although her alcohol tolerance kept up just fine, thank you very much. 

The smell of her nearly-completed coffee interrupted Melissa’s train of thought, and she turned back to the french press rather than respond. “I can’t believe you tried to outdrink a bunch of hockey players.” Tyler almost sounded impressed. “What are you, 5’0?” 5’2, actually, but who was counting, right? Melissa crunched the coffee grounds down, pouring herself a cup of perfectly-brewed coffee. 

Both Tyler and Kirsten were staring her down when she turned back around with the mug in her hand, the latter looking stunned and the former looking very interested. “It wasn’t that hard. We were drinking IPAs. I basically lived on the shit when I was dating that hipster brewery guy, remember?” 

“I try not to.” Kirsten rolled her eyes and turned to her cousin. “She dated this guy, Todd, for like a year. He was a total stereotypical hipster, stupid beard and all. He also fancied himself a brewer, even though his homemade brews sucked ass, and he drank IPA like it was water.” Tyler looked mildly disgusted, and Melissa was inclined to agree with him. “Lissa over here put up with it for way too long because she was too nice to tell him to fuck off. Right Lissy?” 

Kill her now. She turned bright red as Tyler’s amused gaze looked her way. She couldn’t even shake her head. “God, I was so happy when you broke up with him.” Kirsten, in the way she always seemed to, managed to make even the strangest of situations even stranger. Don’t just put the random cousin in the suite with the best friend, no. Tell him all about the shitty ex too.

Kirsten dismissed herself with a thinly-veiled excuse and a “see you at brunch”, and Melissa found herself alone with Tyler. They stared at each other for a moment, both taking in the awkwardness of the situation. “So, uh,” Melissa wracked her brain for something, anything really, to say to relax the situation. “Coffee?” She held up her mug, gesturing at the french press. “It’ll only take me a few minutes to make another cup. I promise I brew good coffee.” 

She began emptying out the french press without waiting for a response, so Tyler’s answer made her jump. “As long as it’s better than Todd’s homemade IPAs.” Of course he went there. It was pretty apparent him and Kirsten definitely shared the same genes. She would have made the same joke, though maybe a little meaner. After all, Kirsten had known Todd. They’d butted heads more than a few times, actually. 

Warmth spread across Melissa’s back suddenly, and she realized Tyler was right behind her. Actually he was basically on top of her, she realized as she turned around. “So I think my cousin plans on hooking us up while we’re here.” Tyler’s eyes were alight with mischief as he spoke, and Melissa didn’t get a chance to respond. “She mentioned how single you were several times, and that I needed a girlfriend. She wasn’t exactly subtle.” No, Kirsten never was. Subtlety wasn’t even a word in her vocabulary. “So I’m thinking,” Tyler said as he brushed a stray piece of hair back from her face, “we could pretend to be getting together as a way to appease her. That way she doesn’t try to set us up at the wedding. We go in together, we leave together, no more single people get shoved in our direction.” 

It was a good plan, really, and almost guaranteed to work. Kirsten would be too busy with John to realize that they weren’t all over each other physically, and the coming and leaving together would appease her. “Okay.” Melissa spoke before she really thought it through, and then it was too late. Tyler’s eyes warmed when he smiled, and Melissa tried not to acknowledge how much she liked it when that happened. 

“Okay.” His words were soft, softer than she had imagined his voice getting. “I’ll pick you up at 10:30 for brunch?” 

Melissa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Romeo. I’ll meet you in the common area at 10:30.” She began to head back into her room, done with this conversation and needing to get space before she combusted, when Tyler spoke again.

“I’ll knock on your door. If I’m your date this weekend, I’m doing it right.” His eyes were intense when she turned around, and Melissa couldn’t do anything but nod. 

_____________________________________________________________

The dress was too much for a brunch. Sure, it was pretty and they were at a fancy resort, but still. It looked more like a date dress than a brunch dress. The white linen sat loose from her shoulders, slightly tight around her chest because there was nothing she could do about that. Her chest got in the way of every loose garment. It came to slightly above mid-thigh, a little higher than she normally preferred, but Kirsten had picked out the dress. Even on that day, before the wedding brunch was planned, Kirsten had commented how perfect it was for a brunch date. A brunch for your best friend’s wedding wasn’t quite a brunch date, but close enough. 

Tyler knocked on the door as Melissa was finishing her hair, and she yelled out an answer from her seat on the floor in front of the mirror. He poked his head in and stopped short at the sight of her. “You look,” he trailed off as their eyes met in the mirror. “You look pretty damn good for a girl who drank a ton of former hockey players under the table last night.” She laughed at Tyler’s statement, and his mouth stretched into a smile. “We have like 20 minutes until we have to be there, so how about we get to know each other a little bit?” 

He moved to sit on the bed when Melissa nodded, and she tried not to notice how good he looked. He was dressed to match her, completely coincidentally, in cuffed jeans and a white linen shirt. The top couple of buttons were undone, and she could see the tattoo on his pec poking out from the gap. It was a lot to deal with. 

“I’m the oldest of four,” Melissa began to distract herself, “and one of three girls. My brother is the next oldest, and he’s my best friend. We do almost everything together. I’m an English professor at George Washington University, and I focus in Linguistics. Specifically language and gender.” Tyler looked impressed as she spoke, and Melissa tried not to preen too much. It wasn’t often that someone appeared interested in her field of study. 

While they sat in awkward silence for a moment Melissa tried to focus on her hair, but the braid she was trying to put in her hair wasn’t cooperating. “What about you?” Tyler didn’t seem to hear the question, focused in on her hands as they twisted through her hair in another attempt to form the braid. “Tyler?”

He jerked back to the present when she spoke again, and Melissa actually saw him shake his head a little bit. “Right. Started my career in Boston, plan on finishing it in Dallas. Born and raised outside of Toronto, and I have two younger siblings. Both girls.” Their eyes met in the mirror, and Melissa was struck by how nice the color of his eyes were. “Wanna trade? I’ll give you one of my sisters for your poor brother?” 

They laughed together, and she felt herself relax a ton. He wasn’t what she expected, though she wasn’t entirely sure what she had expected. “He’d take that in a heartbeat. Although he’s a diehard Caps fan, so good luck there.” Tyler grabbed his heart sarcastically as if he was in pain, and Melissa giggled into her hand. Finally her hair cooperated, and Melissa stood with a sigh. “Okay, Seguin. Let’s go brunch.” 

They walked down to the patio reserved for the wedding party and family arm in arm. She fit into his side comfortably, and Tyler held her closer than really necessary. With their white linen and white sneakers, they looked like a couple. Kirsten’s eyes were full of mischief when the pair appeared on the patio, and Melissa rolled her eyes. 

The patio itself looked like something out of a fairytale. Edison bulbs sat overhead on strings slashing across the open space, off since it was the middle of the day. She could imagine the warm glow they would paint the space with were it night, and Melissa almost wished she could come back just for the sole purpose of seeing this place lit up in the darkness. There was a vine and flower-covered brick wall on the far side of the patio, and she saw little twinkle lights sitting in the vines ready to be turned on once it got dark enough. The scent of trees and sweet flowers sat in the air, and a cool breeze came in off of the lake. Tables had been pushed together to make one long table for everyone to sit at, and just about every seat was full.

It looked like Kirsten had gotten others involved in her scheming as well, because the only spots available for them to sit at were side-by-side. Melissa swore her friend up and down when she noticed, and Tyler laughed under his breath. “She really does want to set us up, huh?” This was more than embarrassing. He didn’t ask to be set up with her, and Melissa sure as hell didn’t want Kirsten to think she needed to be set up by family just to find a date. She muttered an apology under her breath, and Tyler reached over to squeeze the hand wrapped around his arm. “It’s fine. At least if people think we’re together they’ll leave me alone.” 

The brunch was painfully long, only made easier by the short sarcastic remarks Tyler made under his breath throughout the meal. Melissa loved Kirsten, she really did, but this level of extravagant was really out of her depths. Everything on the menu was some kind of fancy shit she couldn’t pronounce, and all she wanted to do was knock back another coffee and maybe a bagel. 

“Ten bucks says Kelly leaves with Cameron tomorrow night.” Melissa snorted at Tyler’s words,  even as she fought off a shiver over his lips hovering so close to her ear. “I mean seriously,” he continued, oblivious to her body’s reaction, “she might as well just crawl into his lap at this point.” They really were sitting very closely, and Melissa was convinced she’d seen Cameron’s hand slip up Kelly’s skirt at one point. 

Tyler leaned back into his own seat again, though he kept his arm thrown across the back of Melissa’s chair. He’d gradually moved closer over the course of the meal, and now most of his words were directed at her rather than attempting to make conversation with the couple on the opposite side of the table. She’d allowed him to occupy some of her personal space, mostly because whoever set up the tables didn’t account for the size of most of the guests. Tyler was by no means the largest man in attendance, and even he was uncomfortable. This was a wedding full of former semi-professional hockey players, and they were squished into settings made for an average-sized person. 

Kirsten shot Melissa another knowing look, along with a not-so-subtle wink, and she’d had enough. It was a little bit too much, and she needed to get away from the intensity of Tyler’s proximity and Kirsten’s attention. Tyler looked up at her confused when she shot to her feet, beginning to stand himself, but Melissa shook her head. “The lack of sleep from last night is getting to me. I’m just going to head back and take a nap, catch up with you for the rehearsal tonight?”

It was a flimsy excuse, and she knew it, but Melissa needed to get away from Tyler for a minute. She needed to breathe and let herself catch up with the wild sequence of events that had been the morning. Tyler didn’t look satisfied with her explanation, but he stayed in place when she sent him a pleading look. It was alarming how well he could read her after a few hours. 

Melissa was still thinking about the concern in Tyler’s eyes as she cleared the makeup off her face, and they were the last picture her brain conjured up as she fell into a fitful sleep.

[raayllum]

Viren doesn’t know why he sits by the Moonshadow elf. He doesn’t want to be close to the stupid girl who killed him, now two years older while he’s been frozen, and fighting just as defiantly against her bonds as she had against his ice trap. 

But someone has to watch the prisoner, and he doesn’t want to be around Aaravos’ smug looks, Claudia’s distaste, and her stupid well-meaning boyfriend who keeps shooting him pitying looks, so Viren sits on the log next to the elf, rope thick around her wrists.

“It’s pointless to struggle,” he gripes, and honestly a little pathetic to watch.

Then she looks at him for the first time, violet eyes sharp and unnatural, and even he’s taken aback by the hatred in them. Viren is used to people’s dislike — you don’t become a dark mage or a politician if you’re not willing to get your hands dirty — and knows many kinds of disdain. Opeli and Amaya’s mistrustful glares, Harrow’s furious resentment, the other Moonshadow’s elf horrified hatred that perhaps came closest. But this is a new kind.

She looks at him like she wants to rip his throat out with her teeth, like she will kill him personally if it’s the last thing she’ll ever do, like he’s taken everything from her (she wouldn’t be the first), but it’s unnerving to see it on someone so young, and to see her mean it so much. 

“I finally found you,” she snaps, and he dryly thinks being taken captive doesn’t really count; Claudia had come across her in the surrounding forests and dragged her back. The elf hadn’t even found their encampment. “I don’t know how you hid for so long, but—”

“I wouldn’t know,” he says mildly. It’s the only way he knows how to speak of his death, to let his lungs breathe and mouth still work. “Claudia only brought me back to life a few weeks ago.”

The elf stares. For a second, Viren thinks she might stop breathing altogether. Then she chokes out, “A few weeks?” Her eyes turn glassy.

He pauses, unsure. Is she crying? “Yes?”

“So you weren’t—two years ago—you weren’t—”

“What part of recent resurrection do you not understand?”

He expects relief on her face, or maybe smug happiness, that her enemy had fallen so hard and for so long, that she’d effectively felled him. But everything in the elf seems to shatter and squeeze, her face scrunched up as she curls into a fetal position and chokes back a loud, strangled sob that comes out as a whimper. Tears drip down her nose.

She weeps like it was the worst possible thing he could’ve said, any shame at being vulnerable in front of her captors evaporating in the waves of emotion wracking her body, and—

It reminds Viren of the way Claudia had cried in his lap after Lissa had left. A strange ache settles in his chest.

Viren clears his throat, the phantom weight of words on his tongue, but what to say? The elf hates him and he despises her. She killed him. There’s nothing to say. And Viren is sure she’ll be embarrassed by her breakdown later; he certainly would be.

He coughs and shifts so his back is to her, doing his best to tune out the elf’s—Claudia had referred to her as Rayla?—cries. The least he can do is look away.

[ljf613]

Soren from The Dragon Prince for the 10 Headcanons. If you don't watch Dragon Prince then maybe Mako from Korra?

I do watch TDP, although I’ve been so focussed on ATLA lately that I haven’t done much in the way of headcanons or metas for any of the characters, but let’s see what I can do: 

1) Soren’s got a strong inner compass, even if it doesn’t always point perfectly north. He might bend his beliefs, but he won’t ever break them. 

2) The reason Soren chose to stay with Viren, instead of leaving with his mom, has very little to do with which parent he actually preferred, and more to do with that moral code I mentioned. In his juvenile mind, he thought his mom was in the wrong for giving up and leaving-- and Soren never gives up. 

3) He and Callum have actually always been good friends, even if they don’t really get each other. In Soren’s world, a little good-natured teasing is just how he shows affection, and Callum knows that, so he takes it in stride. They very rarely get into any real fights, and neither of them is very good at holding grudges. 

4) Soren wasn’t always the family jokester. When he was younger, he was more stoic, focussing on imitating his role models like his father and the members of the Crown Guard. 

5) After Lissa left, Claudia, who had always been the cheerful, chirpy, inquisitive one, started withdrawing, becoming more and more depressed about everything that had happened. And Soren, who could never stand to see his little sister sad, made it his personal misson to make her laugh again. 

6) Soren loves writing stories. He thinks of it as just a distracting little side hobby, but they’re actually really good. He doesn’t realize this, though, because his image of real storytellers are bards and poets, people who weave long, grand epics.... which are not his forte. His stories are shorter and less grand, humorous yet adventurous tales that would probably be popular with children. 

7) Callum is one of the few people who knows about the notebook Soren keeps with all of his half-baked little plot bunnies, because it accidentally got mixed up with his sketchbook one time. He just flipped through the pages, trying to find a name or some other identifying details, but he became so fascinated he ended up reading the whole thing. Soren was super-embarassed when he found out, and ended up lying and telling Callum it was actually Claudia’s. But Soren, as we all know, is a horrible liar, and Callum wasn’t fooled. He pretended to go along with it, though. 

8) Soren doesn’t actually know what happened to his notebook-- those last few weeks are such a blur, he can’t remember if he packed it in his saddlebag, left it at the palace, or lost it somewhere along the way. 

9) He actually did bring it along, but it got mixed up and left in Claudia’s saddlebag. Claudia doesn’t actually know what it is he used that notebook for, but she knows he used to write in it when he thought nobody was looking. She knows that it was important to him. And, when she found it after the battle (while trying to find ingredients she might be able to use to save Viren), she was so angry that she set it on fire without really thinking about it, and watched it burn to ashes. (She regretted it, afterwards, though she won’t admit it. A part of her wonders if there might have been some answers in there, an explanation for why he betrayed their family.) 

10) One evening, a few days after the battle, Ezran asked Callum if, maybe, he could tell him a bedtime story. Callum thought for a moment, and then turned to Soren and said that he would probably do a better job of it. Soren protested, but eventually allowed himself to be convinced, and ended up entertaining them all with a hilarious tale about a bird who’d lost its nest. 

Bonus headcanons for Mako: 

1) Mako can’t remember his last name. It’s not something he thought much about when he was younger-- last names are mainly used for paperwork and stuff, and most people don’t even have them (they’re primarily an Earth Kingdom thing). It wasn’t until he and Bolin met Toza, and the older man asked them if they had a surname to put on their team registry-- only for Bolin to be like “nah, we don’t have one”-- that he remembered, oh yeah, dad did have an extra name he used for stuff like this-- he just couldn’t recall what it was. He didn’t say anything to Bolin or Toza, though. It was just another thing to add to the list of ways he’d failed his little brother-- he couldn’t even give him a name. 

2) Mako can’t remember a lot of stuff about life Before (that’s how he thinks of it: Before and After). He can’t remember where their house was, or why they were actually out the night his parents died. He can’t remember what his mom’s laugh sounded like, or how the punchline of his dad’s favorite joke went. He’s not even sure he can remember their faces. 

3) His memory of the Incident is perfectly clear, though. He remembers screwing his eyes shut, the feeling of Bolin’s shoulders beneath his arms as he pressed his brother’s face into his chest to shield him from the sight. He remembers the muffled sound of his father’s screams, and the ashy taste that was left in his mouth. It’s the smell that he remembers best--  of smoke and burning flesh, and that horrifying but instinctive thought that it actually smelled..... good, like freshly cooked meat. 

4) Mako couldn’t eat meat for years afterwards. He hid it from Bolin, telling him that he was a growing boy and needed any scraps they could get their hands on more than Mako did. 

5) That first night after they met Toza, though, Bolin took some of the money he’d won from betting on the match (see Republic City Hustle) to treat them both to dinner at a “nice” (for them) restaurant, and ordered dishes that had meat in them. And Mako, who’s never been able to say no to his little brother, ate it with a smile plastered on to his face. It tasted delicious (he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not). 

6) Despite all of that, he’s never had any hang-ups about his firebending. His mom was a firebender, and she’d made sure to drill it into his head that bending was a tool like any other-- some people chose to use it for evil, but that didn’t make it inherently bad, and she wouldn’t have wanted him to stop doing it just for her sake. He remembers that much, at least. 

7) Mako’s always wanted to visit the Fire Nation, to see the place his mom grew up, maybe try and find her side of the family. But there’s just never been the time or money-- and, of course, he’s never admitted this to Bolin, who has never expressed any particular desire to go. He thought about it a lot during the three years Korra was gone, especially after Bolin left with Kuvira, idly wondering if there was a way he could scrape together enough time off to go, but it never seemed to work out. It’s just another thing on the list of dreams he’ll get to.... someday. 

8) He doesn’t know what happened to the firebender who killed his parents. He never saw the man’s face. For all Mako knows, the killer could have been someone working in the Triad with them. He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. He doesn’t. 

9) Mako really, really wants to be a dad. He wants to settle down, get married, build a family, and create a loving, supportive home like the one he can barely remember. This is part of the reason he tends to rush headlong into relationships, even if he knows they’re not quite right for him. He’s learnt that this causes more harm than good, though, and has decided that right now, the best thing he can do is take a break from dating and work on his own personal growth. He’s still young, there’s no rush. 

10) Mako can’t remember the last time he actually cried. At the very least, he hasn’t done so since before his parents’ deaths. He’s not sure he remembers how.

[pcrushinnerd]

A Mandalorian and A Jedi - Chapter 4

Warnings: Someone(s) get minorly injured, childhood trauma talk. Nothing horrendous.

A/N: Here I am, back on my bs.... with some maybe uncharacteristic character exposition, but oh well. (Gif not mine, oh yea yea yeah....) ||| writing masterlist |||

Lissa sat at the edge of the ship’s floor, where it joined the ramp which was currently down, it’s far edge digging into the soil and grass.

 She sat with her legs out before her, crossed at the ankle, with the child in her lap. He sat back comfortably against her midsection, staring up and occasionally raising a little clawed hand to try and catch one of the flies that would buzz up to and around them.

 It was near dusk on the sixth day since Mando had gone. The current bounty was a former bounty of Lissa’s. The zabrak Maldo Gries had broken free from the New Republic prison she had helped lock him into before, and she wasn’t overly surprised when Mando showed her his puck.

 “He’s a crack shot. Has a thing for knives, and throwing them.” She’d smirked. “This should be a fun challenge; I’m sure he hates my guts.”

 “Maybe you should sit this one out,” Mando avoided glancing in her direction, as he walked past her, toward his armory.

 “What do you mean?”

 She had been his silent shadow for...four, maybe five months now. Gathering information on quarries; trailing him when either of them thought it possible that a quarry was aware Mando was hot on their trail; hiding out in some secreted place, a refile trained on a quarry, just in case something went wrong.

 Greef was impressed at how Mando’s capture times had improved notably, but Din gave him no hint of how or why that was. “Bout of luck, I guess.”

 As far as most of the galaxy knew, Lissa Ardross was dead or as good as dead. To somewhat disguise her appearance, Din offered to take her to a hairdresser not long after accepting the position as his right-hand woman. She took him up on it, and had her hair bleached and cut into something not entirely to her liking--more shoulder length, with short, curled bangs across her forehead,--but it was unfamiliar enough that it did the job. With some of her first earnings, she bought a few more garments--pale-colored tunics and nondescript gray trousers--that were a lot more subdued than the black and occasional deep blues or purples she normally wore.

 Discretion had been key to their success so far; perhaps he had a point.

 Still, she felt a bit...pointless, not actually helping with a bounty. Not doing the very thing she had been hired to do.

 Lissa had found other ways to help the Mandalorian and earn her keep. She had gleaned enough from trying to keep her own little freighter afloat to help repair parts of the Razor Crest; with some of her other earnings, she had bought books on ship maintenance, so she could learn how to help with the rest.

 She had even tried to help with smaller things: keeping the ship tidy and cleaning up little messes, here and there; trying to put her long-dormant cooking skills to use to make them some actual meals; even offering to pilot the ship for a few hours so Mando could get some rest, though it took him a while to take her up on that last offer. She argued to him that she needed to develop all these other skills, so she could more easily pick up some other profession when she finally left, and he had to admit the sense in that.

 “Okay. But...if you need help, you’ll comm me, right?”

 The helmet finally turned to face her, as he was packing away a few last explosive charges and extra ammunition packs. He didn’t say anything for a beat. “I think I’ll be fine; just might take a bit longer without you, that’s all.”

 “Still.”

 The Razor Crest had felt especially cramped the first weeks she was there. Obviously, because Din Djarin was a man long used to being on his own who now not only had a child to tend to, but also a woman sharing his space. Each did their best to keep to themselves, to not infringe on boundaries, physical and otherwise, but there was always a modicum of tension present.

 “Ow, fuck!” Lissa hissed once, after stubbing her toe on a storage crate in the near-dark of the Crest’s hull one night. Djarin just had to live in the shadows...made it easier if he stumbled from his sleep randomly to go use the privy or tend to any unusual noise but he forgot to don his helmet.

 “You okay?” she heard emanate from the sleeping compartment, unmodulated, as she tried to rub the pain from her appendage.

 An aggravated sigh. “I’m fine Mando. Go back to bed.”

 On the one hand, Lissa felt at a disadvantage. Besides being in such an unfamiliar space that she could never fully utilize, she felt like she had no room to complain or comment on anything. She was grateful he had come to get her, had literally saved her life. That he subsequently gave her a safe place to recuperate--physically and financially--when he probably should have kicked her out the door as soon as possible.

 She was acutely aware how much she didn’t fit into his life. Anytime he would care for the child, or just go about his business on his ship, and wouldn’t say anything to her, include her or really acknowledge her presence. She picked up early that he was a still waters run deep type, but she felt she had no right to try and dip into those waters.

 For Din’s part, he still felt great guilt. She hadn’t said anything about them, even when tortured. He wondered if the Empire remnant even knew for sure that his little clan had been on Mygeeto; no sign came after to indicate they had been. Nothing relayed via the back channels hinted that they had connected the dots.

 Lissa’s physical wounds had healed, but he wondered about the mental ones. He wondered why she hadn’t just turned them over when she had the perfect opportunity, but he didn’t ask. The look on her face when he was comforting Grogu in that bar still sort of bothered him at times, especially when he would see flashes of a similar expression any time he would tend to the child and she was near.

 Despite all this, they had grown to admire each other through their work. Lissa, for her cunning and resourcefulness. Din, for his calm under pressure and stamina. They made a good team.

 “I will,” he’d promised.

 So far, her comm had been silent.

 The baby cooed in her lap. His ears perked up, and he rose from his sitting position as he scoched from sitting back against her to trying to stand; she had to wrap her arms around him to keep the little green creature from hopping off her lap. “Hey now, little guy, what’s up?” Lissa couldn’t tell at first what had suddenly piqued his interest, until she realized she could hear the distant croaking of a frog, probably from the nearby bog. She ignored the flash of disappointment she felt realizing it wasn’t something else.

 “You like those things, huh?” Grogu smiled up at her with his big, brown eyes. She started to gently stroke his downy, wrinkly forehead. “I wonder how good a hunter you’d be, if you were let loose out there. How long you think it would take you to catch one, or...all the frogs!” She started to tickle his sides, which earned a few peels of laughter.

 The child, despite being what sounded to her initially like some sort of errand or chore for the Mandalorian, was incredibly important to him, she observed quickly. He explained further one night in clipped words that his creed deemed them like father and son, until he reunited the youngling with his own kind. It was his job to protect him, and he indeed watched over him like a hawk. But it was...more than that. She was all too familiar with what guardianship without love looked like, and this was not that.

 Grogu was the last thing he trusted her with. He would sleep with the child in a tiny, makeshift hammock above his cot, have the pram near when he was piloting the ship or even when he was in the fresher or just eating. He would check constantly that the little one was still in his pram or in the sack he had slung over his shoulder. The child would often look at her intently and curiously, even reached out to her a few times, but if Mando would notice, he would quickly snatch the child up into his arms or close the pram.

 It wouldn’t be until they were visiting a market on the forest planet of Dakua. Some commotion, probably staged, ahead of them caused the Mandalorian to be distracted, but he did know straightaway when she slipped the blaster from his holster. He was whip quick, his hand almost at once gripping her shoulder, but he turned to see that she had his blaster pointed at someone behind them--a smaller trandoshan who was frozen in place.

 “They were trying to steal it from you,” she explained, no hint of waver in her voice. Mando moved quickly again, to reposition and cover the sack the child was sitting in, as he turned around full.

 “Should I shoot them anyway? Just as a lesson?” The trandoshan’s eyes grew big at that.

 Din said nothing at first, then there was a tell-tale tilt of the helmet. “Maybe just a nice foot wound.”

 The trandoshan quickly ran off.

 Later that night, they sat in companionable enough silence on the floor of the hull of the Crest--Lissa reading from one of her books, Din cleaning his rifle. The child wouldn’t stop making noises from his pram, so Din reached over, scooped him up and placed him gently on the floor. “C’mon, little one. Get some exercise.”

 But instead of running around the floor of the hull aimlessly, as younglings including this one were wont to do, Grogu walked up to Lissa and quickly wrapped his small arms around her arm, and he uttered a long coo of appreciation as he looked up at her.

 Damn, if her heart didn’t melt into a puddle right there.

 For Din, staring at this, one final gear clicked into place in his mind.

 “You can pick him up, if you want.”

 From then on, it was a growing mutual love between another bounty hunter and the small, precocious green child.

 The crackle of the comm shook Lissa from her memories. “I’ve got him. I’m about 500 meters away.” The comm cut out before she could respond, but she understood. Lissa quickly scooped up Grogu and made for the Crest’s cockpit, where she shut the doors and waited patiently for Mando’s arrival.

 Indeed, several minutes later she heard Gries’ yells and curses, faint at first through the steel of the ship, then louder and louder, before she heard the clanking, clunking and thudding as she assumed Mando was hauling the zabrak into the hull of the ship and into one of the carbonite slots, before she heard the familiar whoosh and then whir of the mobile freezing unit.

 A beat, before Lissa placed Grogu into his pram and opened the doors of the cockpit.

 Mando was standing there, slinging his amban rifle back into place.

 “You okay?”

 Lissa cocked her head. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Her eyes wandered over to the carbonite slabs, to the familiar features frozen into rocky relief into the latest one. “That’s definitely Gries. Horny bastard.” She gave a small kick to the slab her former quarry now sat in.

 “I--” Lissa turned back to Mando, who she noticed had a spot of blood on his side. “Oh, you’re bleeding.” She reached up a tentative hand to the tear in the mesh battle suit he wore beneath the beskar, right around his ribs. She opened it just enough to see a nice gash and some possible bruising, before he waived her hand away.

 “I’m fine.”

 She gave him a doubting look, before giving a slight smack to his side.

 “Ow, hey!”

 Lissa rolled her eyes, before she retrieved the ship’s first aid kit. “Into the cockpit, tin can.”

 Din sighed. “Fine.”

 He sat in the pilot’s chair and swiveled around to face Lissa, sitting in the passenger seat to the right. She rummaged through the kit for alcohol and some cloth to clean away the blood. She had no face to read, but she could hear little noises of pain and discomfort through the helmet.

 “I know we don’t have too much left, but if you’re in enough pain maybe I should apply a bacta patch or--”

 “I’m fine. Need to save it in case you or the child....” He fell quiet.

 Lissa didn’t say anything, just continued to tend to the wound, as she cleared away the last of the blood and started rummaging around for wound dressings.

 It was not lost on her, even as she worked and even through the helmet, that she was being watched.

 After a few moments of silence: “Where are you from? Your home world, I mean.”

 Her eyes flitted up the helmet briefly. He thought she might not answer for a second, before a grimace came over her face. “Coruscant.”

 That genuinely surprised him at the same time it didn’t. “Upper or lower levels?” he inquired further, already suspecting the answer.

 Lissa didn’t say anything for a moment, before: “I don’t think I ever truly saw the sun until I was nine years old.”

 Din nodded, understood. For some reason, he felt the need to press further: “What happened to your parents?”

 “Killed, when I was seven. An orphanage took me in, along with a lot of other strays who wandered the nearby endless streets.”

 “Do you remember anything about them? Your parents?”

 She finished up his wound dressings, and started to pack everything away in the medikit. She gave a small shrug. “Some things, here and there, but...not much. I’m not even entirely sure which of them I take after, if I do at all.

 “They were shop keepers,” Lissa added, unprompted. “Had this little pawn shop. One of a million on Corucsant, but I do remember thinking they had this knack for finding the most random things, salvaging lost items from wherever and fixing them up into something beautiful.” She looked away. “They were shot by someone trying to rob the store.” She shut the medikit and stood up.

 “I can sew up that tear, whenever you feel like peeling the suit off and taking a shower.”

 “What were their names?” he asked, before she could step away.

 She studied the black visor for a moment, noticing that even the overhead light in the cockpit failed to reveal the eyes behind it. “Rick Ardross and Amila Daraay.”

 Din nodded.

 Lissa crossed her shoulders. “What about you, Mandalorian? Your parents?” She had studied up enough about him to know to know he wasn’t born a Mandalorian or belonged to any notable clans. He was a loner, and--she suspected--had an upbringing not far from her own.

 He--seemingly--stared back up at her for a long time before answering. “Denon and Paila, of Aq Vetina. They were farmers, I think. At least...I have faint memories of my father, tilling fields and tending to animals. My mother at a loom....” He looked over at the child. “I can see their faces, every time I close my eyes, every time I remember how they hid me away in some storage bunker, right before they...before they were killed, before a Separatist droid found me, almost.... Before I was rescued by a Mandalorian, Kol Djarin.” Din fell quiet. Lissa didn’t ask for more; this was probably way more than he had ever given anyone else.

 She wasn’t sure. Didn’t really know if it would be appropriate, but in that moment, it felt more inappropriate not to do something.

 Lissa lifted her right hand rested it on Din’s right shoulder and gave the lightest squeeze. He looked down at her arm, but said nothing. Didn’t move her away.

 “I’ll go get us some dinner started.”

.....

Tag you’re it: @takemepedropascal​ @16boyfriends-and-me​

[beautifulterriblequeen]

If your Runaan is King theory is true, do you think there might be any parallels between Runaan and Lain friendship and Harrow and Viren friendship (before Viren was taken over by dark magic)? And if Harrow died before he and Viren drew apart, would he have asked Viren to take care of his kids (same way Lain did with Runaan)?

Oh man, this is such a fun question! Gosh gosh gosh. I think there should be parallels there, yes! Lain is Runaan’s BFF, and Viren was Harrow’s. Like, that parallel is already there. The BFFs have/had a wife, and the leaders have had spouses too. There’s a group of four for each of them, two couples, with these pairs of men as the closest friends. 

Both sets of relationships are complicated, and though we know a bunch of the issues Viren and Harrow have dealt with, we really don’t know much about Lain and Runaan’s friendship or how it’s affected their friend group and marriages, aside from two things: Lain got Ruthari together by encouraging Runaan to tell Ethari how he felt, and Laindrin trusted Ruthari with Rayla’s upbringing. That’s kind of all we got so far.

But I would love to see a handful more really key mirrors and parallels in place. Some things that are the same, and some that are different. That’s really how this show’s characterization works, so I’m practically expecting it.

Viren and Lissa divorced because Viren was creeping her out with his dark magic, apparently. Lain and Tiadrin are still together, and they fight as a dedicated battle couple. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t face some kind of crisis moment too, where maybe Lain had a hard choice to make and Tiadrin decided to support him instead of pull away--or maybe Tiadrin was the one making the choice. 

Maybe it involved having Rayla? Or joining the Dragonguard? If Lain was the one invited, and he really wanted to go, Tiadrin would have to choose between staying with Rayla or staying with Lain. That’s a big echo of Claudia’s “Don’t make me choose!” right there, so maybe there’s something to that? (I have an angsty hc that Runaan, as the assassin leader, sent them both to the Storm Spire for many reasons. If one of them was to prevent Tiadrin having to choose, and if he chose to suffer the loss of both so they could remain together, gosh...) If they struggled with a decision and then left together, then Runaan and Ethari would have to support their friends’ departure while trusting that they’d be stronger together. Oh man, the feels.

Harrow and Viren are both men who will do things on their own if they must. We saw Sarai as more of a “I can go with you or leave you to your folly but clearly you need my help” kind of person when it came to the Magma Titan mission. And iirc there’s a tweet out there saying that Tiadrin and Sarai would be great friends if they met under peaceful circumstances. 

So maybe Tiadrin, with her tactical mind, has the same approach as Sarai, and Lain is more of a “Dude, bro, dude, let’s just do the thing, bro my dude my guy, I gotchu.” He’s very supportive, but that can also become enabling if it goes a little too far, so maybe Lain has gotten Runaan into some tight spots, or at least not talked him out of said spots, over the course of their friendship? And it was Tiadrin who saved their butts, which she does not let them forget. I can see Sarai teasing her boys about their follies and her needing to save the day, too, gosh I love that.

We don’t know what kind of societal role Lissa had. I’ve been assuming she didn’t fight like Sarai did, but I could be super wrong on that. If she isn’t a combatant, then she actually kinda parallels Ethari. Three fighters and someone who doesn’t fight, but with the pairings are swapped. That just adds more possibility to the paralleling options, though. 

And I’m wondering, maybe Runaan and Ethari had a moment like Lissa and Viren, where Ethari might’ve had to choose whether to stay with this stabby idiot after he saw something very unpleasant. Perhaps it was Runaan getting his scars? Viren sacrificed someone (presumably) to save Soren’s life. Perhaps Runaan nearly sacrificed his own on a mission. There’s a really dark parallel with these two about how little they value life--extra ironic and complicated for Runaan as a Moonshadow--and I can totally see a big scary moment happening where their spouses realize exactly how different their loved one’s philosophy is from their own. Except that Ethari stayed and Lissa left. and now Runaan has gone but Viren remains, aaaaa

I wonder how the other couples might’ve played out, there. When Viren and Lissa split, how did Harrow and Sarai handle it? What did Harrow try to do for his friend? Did they try to reconcile the couple? Probably. That could’ve felt like political pressure to Lissa. And I wonder if Harrow even knew what Viren had done to save Soren’s life, that he killed someone. I bet Viren wouldn’t tell him that part. Maybe he even lied, because his need to be Harrow’s friend, to be close to power and allowed to practice his magic, was so strong.

Lain and Tiadrin would’ve tried to talk to Runaan and Ethari too, I’m sure. They’re both assassins, just like Runaan, so they’d see his side, and Ethari might’ve felt very pressured as well, to just submit and go along. Not just as a freaked out spouse, but as the craftsman who made weapons for the assassin leader and for others, keeping them safe. If he left... who would keep Runaan safe? That’s kinda sus, bro. But I can see the Moonshadow logic in it.

Viren has attached himself to Harrow as friend and protector, and he’s dedicated years of his life to helping Harrow protect their people. Possibly Lain had the same motivation? “This guy’s important, so I wanna be his friend and help him out with that.” That’s not a bad thing at all. Viren’s motives were a little tainted by dark magic. Maybe Lain’s a stand-up guy. But maybe he also has some kind of self-interest involved in being Runaan’s best friend, too. Moonshadows be complicated.

tl;dr: Yes anon I am very here for an interwoven, complicated friendship between Lain and Runaan that involves spouses and plenty of good and bad history, similar to the long and complex relationship between Harrow and Viren. I am jonesing for more moonfam backstory so bad.

As to your other question, I do think that Harrow would’ve wanted to entrust his children to Viren before he and the dark mage drew apart. The question that arises for me is: when did that begin? 

I think it began with Sarai’s death. Harrow had his own plan, but he trusted Viren and did it his way, and he lost his wife in the process. Fifty thousand lives is a lot more than one life. But that one life was the most precious one to Harrow, and it made the sacrifice personal in a way that losing fifty thousand citizens never would be. 

Harrow might still have given his kids to Viren. But Amaya was also a choice. The general or the mage? Neither are super safe for a childhood environment.

Interestingly, in this parallel, Amaya is a lot more like Runaan: the fighter, who would’ve trained Callum and Ezran to fight because they grew up in such a dangerous environment. I wonder if there was another option for Laindrin to give Rayla to, one that was more magical, or more dubious? Lujanne comes to mind! Hah, can you imagine? Crikey!

I think that if Harrow and Sarai needed to give their boys to someone, Sarai would advocate for Amaya and win: “With troops like Gren and Corvus and the whole Standing Battalion to protect and raise them, there’s no safer place in all of Katolis!” It sounds like something Tiadrin would say about leaving Rayla with Runaan and Ethari, amidst the assassin corps. It’s not ideal by miles, but I can see why she, as a warrior herself, would see safety and a like-minded community as the strongest benefits.

If it was only Harrow, after Sarai died, it might still be Amaya, because his trust in Viren had begun to fracture, but it’s hard to say. I get the feeling that Harrow has never really seen Viren as dad material, even though he has kids. That hug thing in the S1 novelization was really weird, and I will never unsee Viren saying “familial clasp.” Viren, why are you like this. Anyway, Harrow might just decide that leaving his kids with a guy who literally doesn’t know what a hug is, might not be the best move for their emotional development.

He’s a good dad, an angry widower, an iffy king, a great jokester, a loving husband, and a loyal friend. He’s as complicated as Runaan is, kings or no. But I hope that he and Viren had many years of true friendship, just like I suspect Runaan and Lain have had. Positive, healthy relationships are good for everyone.

Please though, TDP, moonfam friendship stuff. This parallel is begging to happen and things don’t feel balanced without it. What’s that, there’s not enough time? 

*magically sprinkles five extra minutes onto each episode* Reality schmeality.