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sunflowervoltwentyeight · 11 months

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Hello! This is a fic rec of my all-time favorite fics. These fics have really stuck with me over the years, and I've read many of them multiple times. This is an ongoing fic rec, that I will continue to update. These fics are organized by word count from longest to shortest. You can view my other fic recs here. Enjoy!

Of Mates and Men by bananaheathen / @bananaheathen (630k)

In which, Louis and Harry meet as best men for their best friends' wedding... well... sort of.

Or, the one where Harry's just moved back from New York and Louis doesn't believe in romance.

Or, I guess... the one where Zayn and Liam are getting married.

Hiding Place by orphan_account (365k)

Louis never wanted a soulmate, didn’t really care for the whole Bonding thing at all, really. Enter Harry Styles, who’s wanted to be Bonded for as long as he could remember. With one fateful meeting in an X Factor bathroom, Louis gets a dagger on his arm and the realization that just because Harry is his soulmate doesn’t mean it’s mutual.

From the X Factor house to Madison Square Garden, from the Fountain Studios stage to stadiums across the world, Louis has to learn to love without losing himself completely, because someday his best friend will Bond to someone and replace Louis as the center of his universe. Meanwhile, Harry begins to think that maybe fate doesn’t actually know what it’s doing after all, because his other half has clearly been right in front of him the whole time. All he has to do now is convince Louis to give them a chance.

Or, the canon compliant Harry and Louis love story from the very beginning, where the only difference is that the love between them is literally written on their skin, and there’s only so much they can hide.

You Can Hear It In The Silence by imogenelee / @imogenleefic (234k)

When Harry Styles was accepted into a post-grad degree, he knew he could no longer afford his flat, leaving him with three options: 1) Move back into student halls. 2) Become homeless. 3) Move in with his best (and only) friend, Niall, and three of Niall's other mates. He went with the third option. But it was a close race. Shame one of his roommates reminded him why he only has one friend. If there is one thing Louis Tomlinson can't stand, it's pretentious tossers, having grown up around enough of them. If there is one thing he can't live without, it would be his friends. So he was proper thrilled to move in with his best mates and a couple of other lads. That was until he discovered one of them was the archetype for a pretentious tosser.

In the interest of seeing out the twelve-month lease without killing each other, they both try (debatable) to get along despite believing they are opposite in almost every conceivable way, each having the communication skills of a cucumber, and secrets that have no business be kept secret.

One More Time Again by orphan_account (232k)

Harry looks down to where Louis is cradling his hand between his own. Louis' hands are slender, the bones delicate, the nails bitten short. The 2-8 on the backs of his fingers is gone, but the faded scar from a skateboarding mishap in Year 7 is still there.

Harry's hand is awkward, knobby-boned and naked, no rings, no tattoos. It's too big for his wrist and his wrist too big for his arm. Yet it still somehow fits in Louis' in the painfully perfect way it always did.

He blinks back the sting in his eyes.

On the morning of his second sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden, Harry wakes up to find that he's sixteen years old, on The X Factor, and that he has a chance to make things right.

A canon-compliant fix-it fic (sort of).

Stranger Stars by shaylea (212k)

Five years ago, Africa offered a grieving Louis Tomlinson an escape from an England he couldn't tolerate. Now it's become home as he leads overland tours across the continent with his best friend and driver Zayn Malik. What's meant to be just another ordinary six-week trip from Cape Town to Nairobi turns into anything but, when future lawyer/current photographer and songwriter Harry Styles and his friends join Louis' latest set of passengers.

Given A Chance by fabby / @fabby1d (173k)

Five years after One Direction took their last tour, the last thing Louis Tomlinson ever expected to happen while on a tea run at the local Piggly Wiggly was to run into his ex-boyfriend and ex-bandmate Harry Styles.

The odds of them ever running into each other again had to be super slim, right?

Wrong.

What happens when you mix ex-boyfriends with a large serving of Small Town America? Will Louis and Harry be able to set aside their differences, or will Louis be able to stay breezy as fuck in the wake of Harry’s arrival?

(or, the one where Louis and Harry run into each other five years after One Direction ends and learn how to love each other again. Featuring: Reggie as the overweight labrador, Niall as Louis’ last grip on reality, and Nowheresville, North Carolina as the setting for Louis’ worst nightmare to come true.)

The Wonderlands by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci (150k)

"Somewhere between chaos and control — these are the wonderlands."

Harry's daughter, Andy, is signed to Louis' girl band. Her path to success is marked by competition, chaos, and for Harry, a love affair.

As You Are by Zarah5 (139k)

AU. Five years after The X Factor launched his career as a radio host and songwriter, Louis Tomlinson returns as a judge. Falling for a contestant is the last thing he needs. It's also against his contract.

The only reason Harry auditions for The X Factor is because his best mate signed the two of them up as some kind of joke. Harry doesn't get the big deal—not until he's faced with this season's judges and realises that one of them used to be his desperate, impossible teenage crush.

Unbelievers by isthatyoularry / @isthatyoularry (136k)

It’s Louis’ senior year, and he’s dead set on doing it right. However, along with his pair of cleats, a healthy dose of sarcasm and his ridiculous best friend, he’s also got a complicated family, a terrifyingly uncertain future, and a mortal enemy making his life just that much worse. Mortal enemies “with benefits” was not exactly the plan.

Or: The one where Louis and Harry definitely aren’t friends, and football is everything.

Empty Skies by green_feelings / @greenfeelings (134k)

For three years, Harry has been running from his past. Now, he is moving to London and pledges to fulfil his only dream – making it big in the music industry. Not everyone has a place, though, and the competition is tough. As is his past catching up on him.Louis is part of the biggest boy band of the world, and getting there had meant a lot of hard work, as well as sacrificing parts of his heart and soul. He’s still happy. Maybe not as happy as he could be, but who is he to complain?

Let's Fall in Love in a Place You Want to Stay by embro (134k)

A George of the Jungle / Tarzan AU where Louis is a model who meets Wild Man Harry in the Congo. He was raised by apes and barely speaks a word of English and turns Louis' life upside down.

Love Is A Rebellious Bird by 100percentsassy, Gloria_Andrews / @gloriaandrews (134k)

AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

Don't hum Bolero.

Wild Love bypurpledaisy / @harrydaisy (130k)

“Good,” Julia says, clearly pleased to have them both uncomfortable and unable to look at each other. “Now, I only have one more question before you can go. What are you planning to do when this experiment ruins your friendship?”

“We said we’d stay friends no matter what,” Harry says smoothly, his chin lifting in defense.

“That was our one thing going into it,” Louis agrees. “Stay friends no matter what.”

Julia raises a perfectly manicured brow, “That’s all fine and good. But I hope you realize your emotions aren’t going to realize this is an experiment in the end. If one of you falls for the other and finds out those feelings are not reciprocated, you’re not going to be able to laugh it off as a social experiment. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this, I’m just hoping you’ve considered all of the possible outcomes.”

- AU: Two best friends try to date each other for forty days. It’s supposed to be fun until emotions make it complicated.

After All These Years byLifeInAColorWheel (127k)

It’s been seven years since One Direction went on hiatus and it’s been eight years since Louis and Harry broke up. They’ve been strangers to one another since then.

But, over the course of a weeklong boys’ trip, history between Harry and Louis resurfaces.

Or,

The one when Louis and Harry don’t talk, connect again years later, and reflect on why their love collapsed.

Wild and Unruly by 100percentsassy, Gloria_Andrews / @gloriaandrews (123k)

Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.

I'll Fly Away by juliusschmidt / @juliusschmidt (122k)

Harry and Louis grew up together in Lake County, Harry with his mom and stepdad in a tiny cottage on Edward’s Lake and Louis in his family’s farmhouse a few minutes down the road. But after high school, Louis stuck around and Harry did not; Harry went to Chicago where he found a boyfriend and couple of college degrees. Six years later, Harry ends up back in Edwardsville for the summer and he and Louis fall into old patterns and discover new ones.

ft. One Direction, the local boyband; Horan’s Bar and Grill; families, most especially children and babies; Officer Liam Payne; many local festivals and fireworks displays; and Anne Cox, PFLAG President.

Bitter Tangerine by purpledaisy / @daisyharry (119k)

Maybe it’s Niall, he reasons to calm his storming heart. Maybe he’s not actually gone for the holidays yet, maybe Harry got the dates confused. Slowly, he holds his breath and pushes the kitchen door open. The first thing he sees make him jump, a wooden spoon held out like a sword. Once his brain processes the sight in front of him, it’s less the sword that gets him than who is attached to the wooden spoon.

“Harry,” the swordsmen speaks before Harry can, his voice low and steady though confusion laces each word.

Harry’s breath catches. Every string around his heart, all the protection he spent nine months building, rips out and tears open all at once as he says, “Hi Louis.”

AU: Nine months after they break up, a twist of fate brings Harry and Louis back together at Christmas.

Never Be by cherrystreet / @cherrystreet (117k)

Monica: You've got to see her again.Ross: And why do you care so much?Monica: Because! You could get to live out my fantasy!Ross: You had fantasies about Emily?Monica: No! Y’know, the fantasy! Meet someone from a strange land, fall madly in love, and spend the rest of your lives together.

The one where Harry Styles moves to Connecticut from England for nine months as a part of a study abroad program, and he just so happens to move in with Louis Tomlinson and family.

Burn to Ash by bethaboo (116k)

Harry is sitting there, so fucking casual, and Louis realizes in a split second he was not ready. When Harry walked out in Detroit and never looked back, he was a boy verging on a man, still only twenty years old, but there's a man in his place now. Hard and resolute, yes, but still, for the first time in a long time, Louis can kind of see the old Harry in him. The soft, directness of his gaze, the hesitant smile he gives to Lou, the way he wrings his ridiculously large hands in his lap.

He's a little bit the eager sixteen year old puppy dog again, his innocence and sweetness resurrected miraculously, and Louis freezes in place. He was prepared to face the asshole Harry. He was prepared to meet a whole new Harry.

Louis is not prepared to meet one of the old incarnations of Harry, and it absolutely tears him up.

Or the fic where Harry spirals out of control, the band breaks up, and then he shows back up, five years later.

Mine Would Be You by crinkle-eyed-boo / @crinkle-eyed-boo (114k)

Louis blinks his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering as the room swims around him. He takes several gulps of beer once he confirms that he’s definitely not hallucinating, that the very first portrait Harry Styles ever painted of him is hanging on that wall.

Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache. A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.

Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn’t intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

Tired Tired Sea by mediawhore / @mediawhorefics (113k)

As a B&B owner on the most remote of all the British Isles, Louis Tomlinson is used to spending the coldest half of the year in complete isolation, with his dog and the sea as sole companions. Until, one day, a mysterious stranger on a quest to rebuild himself rents a room for the winter.

Babydoll Blues by devilinmybrain / @thedevilinmybrain (111k)

Louis is a high profile, filthy rich label executive who has the world at his feet - a music god.. Harry is the sugar baby trying to make a name for himself singing in shady bars and hanging off the arm of Louis' biggest rival. What Louis wants, Louis gets. But what if the game gets too hot and hits a little too close to the heart?

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by certainsadness (103k)

“There’s something so great about watching you interact with art,” Harry said quietly. “Like, when you were giving the tour, you were just so you, and so happy and excited and funny and engrossing. But then when you’re looking at the art, when it’s, like, just for you, you get so quiet and observant.” He pressed a kiss to Louis’s shoulder. “But you still seem so you, and so happy. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you as happy as you’ve been tonight.” He kissed his shoulder again. “As you are right now.” A shiver went up Louis’s back. “I’m happy when I’m with you,” he said.

Or, Louis loved art and Harry was a masterpiece.

Emperor's New Clothes by sunsetmog / @magicalrocketships (92K)

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

Behavioural Ecology by turtlekz / @turtlekz (81k)

Louis Tomlinson is a primatologist working with the Jane Goodall Institute for primate conservation; and Harry Styles is the photojournalist sent from National Geographic to write a piece promoting awareness about the endangered species. They meet, and love is never, ever simple, as we know.

Featuring Eli the chimpanzee, bickering humans, storytelling, and five men who come to gain an understanding of what it means to be human; all stationed in the Republic of the Congo.

Do Not Go Gentle by afirethatcannotdie / @afirethatcannotdie (70k)

“This is all a game to you, isn’t it? Well, it’s not for me. This is a real life or death situation,” Louis says, spitting the words at him. “And I just don’t think you’re cut out for it.”

For a moment, they stare at each other in complete silence. Harry can feel his blood thrumming between his ears, can see Louis glaring at him, feels red-hot anger. And then all he feels, oppressively and desperately, is lust.

Suddenly Louis is surging up to him to press his lips against Harry’s. Harry walks the two of them backwards, pressing Louis back against the door. Louis oomphs in surprise and brings his hands under Harry’s scrub top, scratching at his lower back.

“Lock — oh — lock the… fucking door,” Louis mutters.

When Harry Styles starts his first day as a surgical intern, he expects a lot of things: to treat patients, to observe a surgery, to feel a bit overwhelmed. What he definitely doesn't expect, however, is that the handsome guy he kicked out of his bed this morning is also an intern.

A Grey’s Anatomy AU where tensions are high, Harry and Louis are hooking up in secret, and no one has time for love. Or do they?

To the Ends of the Earth by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci (68k)

During a yearlong hiatus, Louis visits Harry at his cabin in Idaho, where long-buried feelings ignite like the fire keeping them warm.

A Yuzu Grows in Brooklyn by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci (66k)

Harry is a recent implant in new york and a young chef opening a restaurant called yuzu. louis, a music teacher and broadway lover, has been around the block for a while. in a city that's so fast-paced, they're slow to catch on to each other.

The Dark and the Dentist by sunshiner / @theprizeofcoolness (66k)

“I know this song,” Louis whispers, and Harry has to lean his ear toward him to pick up what he’s saying. “It was written for people to dance to it. We should be dancing.” We can’t, Harry almost spits, but it’d be stupid of him. Louis knows they can’t. Even if he looks like any regular Parisian in their twenties, and Harry looks like any hipster Parisian in their twenties, they can’t anyway. To be fair, they probably wouldn’t do it even if they were out. But if they were two uni students, both in Paris for an exchange, meeting over fallen books at the library, or because of mutual friends, or watching Monet’s Water Lilies? “How would we dance?” Harry murmurs, mouth almost pressed to Louis’ cheek, so close he can feel his warmth. What a picture they must make, two millionaires freezing in a park and dreaming of a different life.

An account of the events of November 2014. Canon-compliant.

Time Passed by coffinofachimera (66k)

Louis struggles with their relationship as Harry grows into his identity.

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast by dancesongsoul, lookatyourchoices (60k)

“Tommo and Harry are gonna do it. I don’t know when, but they’re gonna do it. They’ve got the mattress, the pillows, everything’s in place, and they’re gonna do it. I really wish those two the best of luck.” –Taylor Swift, "Chapera"

Or a Survivor All-Stars AU in which Harry and Louis are just in this game to win the million dollars, but they end up with something better.

Featuring Harry's yellow swim shorts, Louis in snapbacks, and OT5 shenanigans.

No One Does It Better by nodibs (49k)

Harry’s an alcoholic and Louis is a bartender. The first time they meet isn’t the first time they’ve met.

Sail Away With Me by star_henderson / @star-henderson (47k)

“It’s inhumane putting four blokes in one cabin.” Louis stripped off and climbed up into his top bunk. “And why did we get the smelliest twat on the whole ship and bore of the century?”

Harry shrugged. “We clearly pissed someone off along the way.”

Louis snorted softly. “Who do I have to bend over for to get us an upgrade?”

Harry barked out a laugh. “If only it were that simple.” He rolled his eyes wistfully at Louis.

“The only way I’m going to get a two berth is to throw Payno overboard and be next in line for the deputy cruise director's job.” Louis leaned up on one elbow to look over at Harry. “Would you help me weigh his body down so I don’t go to jail?”

“Only If I can share your cabin.” Harry shuffled about, tucking the duvet between his legs, sweeping his hair up into a bun and securing it in a band. “I’m not being an accessory to murder and then still having to share with them two, no fucking way.”

Louis and Harry are part of the entertainment team on board a luxury cruise liner. They hate sharing their four berth cabin with two other guys and would do anything to get a cabin of their own. One drunken night the solution was simple. They'd just get married...

Be My Little Good Luck Charm by 100percentsassy (34k)

In which Harry is a promising amateur golfer making his debut at the PGA Championship, and Louis is a Sky Sports anchor who would really rather be commentating on footie.

The other boys are around too: caddy!Niall provides victory pints, Liam is Louis's Very Serious co-anchor, and poor Zayn just gets his face drawn on.

Have You Coming Back Again by whoknows (31k)

It’s five o’clock in the morning. Louis has a lecture at half eight. He could be using this time to study or to do his readings or to go to the gym, but - well. He doesn’t have any exams coming up, he’s not going to his seminar today anyway and he hates the gym.

Instead he’s using this time to fuck with Harry Styles’ poor little brain.

Louis jogs across the street and jabs the key into the car door. It opens easily, not that he was expecting anything else. He copied the key for a reason, after all.

He’s got Harry’s schedule memorized, more because the guy keeps following him around than anything, so he doesn’t bother looking around before climbing behind the wheel and setting his bag on the passenger seat. It’s a Monday, which means that Harry doesn’t even get out of bed before noon unless he’s planning on harassing Louis.

Loved By Your Mother by superglass / @gaymoustache (31k)

Harry stretches out like Venus with her lover, growing sleepy in the late afternoon light with a baby growing inside her. Perhaps not literally, not physically. Not exactly.

Harry struggles to come to terms with wanting to have children, and what that means for their relationship. Canon compliant, set a few years into the future

#read #favorite fics #ficrec #larry fic rec #hlcreators #1dficvillage

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hongduongn120 · 3 months

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Flynn and Serafine, a history

The year was 1922, and Flynn Luton had just exited from a train in downtown New Orleans. It had been 10 months since he came to America and while he already has a lot of experiences in his travels, they would pale compared to what will happen next.

After what happened in New York City, Flynn had become a blip in the underworld, with words running far and wide. And a figure with power has picked up that the masked man is in his city, and they would reach out to commission him. The invite led Flynn into the bayou, where he met an unlikely pair of siblings whose fates would be intertwined between all three of them.

When they first met, both Flynn and Serafine didn't think highly of each other. After the introduction and briefing, Flynn thinks Serafine is unprofessional, loud, and brash. Serafine, meanwhile, thinks of him as just a thug, a relic of the Great War, broken and battered, only good at following orders. Nevertheless, they are convinced by the handler to work together.

At the time, Nicodeme and Serafine Savoy were still working for a small-time local crew. Not really questioning why they're being tasked with linking up with a freelancer before raiding one of their rival's safehouses, they waited at a cabin in the swamp along with their handler, waiting for this contact. What they didn't expect is a 6-foot-tall British Shorthair with a prosthetic mask.

A week of preparation followed, and the impression of both the siblings and Flynn for each other remained negative. Time and again, the veteran tried to make the Savoys to be more professional in their conduct, but they instead just continued to act like superstitious hoodlums. Nico and Serafine, meanwhile, because they don't understand the past of the man they're working with, keep treating him like an old, stuck-up man and do what they please except for the bare minimum amount of cooperation.

The papers would tell that on November 7th, a plantation mansion was burnt down due to an out-of-control kitchen fire and that there were no survivors. But the truth was that the mansion, and everyone in it, was destroyed in a raid, conducted by only 3 people. Through the raid, both the Savoys and Flynn came to respect each other for their skill and prowess. The siblings for their aggression and sheer awesome force, Flynn for his precision and tactical acumen. Like hammer and scalpel, in theory, they shouldn't have worked in tandem, but they did.

After the raid, the three would go on a couple more jobs together, while smoothing out whatever disagreements they have with each other before eventually becoming an extremely effective team. Unfortunately, Flynn's time in Lousiana was coming to an end and they gathered for a final drink before he had to catch the next train headed for Texas, leaving behind a short but fruitful relationship, and it could've ended at that, with the three going their separate ways, their short stint together only remains as a fond memory.

That was, until 1925. By sheer chance, both the Savoys and Flynn have settled down in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, completely unaware of each other then. The siblings were "recruited" by the Marigold gang, while Flynn started a gun shop, and eventually, an underground gunrunning operation, selling wares to all parties within the city. It was only a matter of time before the three were reunited by accident. The siblings heard of a new firearms store in town and wanted to check it out to see if they could have a new service point. They didn't expect the man behind the counter to be their old partner. Flynn invited them to stay for tea, and after recounting what happened in the time before the reunion, they agreed to keep contact with each other.

Their relationship started out simple, with cafe meetups and impromptu range days, courtesy of Flynn's shop. None of them knew about the other's illegal biddings, so they stayed on the surface as just a trio of genuine friends. That is until Flynn got a deal to supply off-the-books munitions to Marigold. And who just so happens to be the representative to receive the good but the Marigold Trio, Nicodeme & Serafine Savoy along with Mordecai Heller. Their secret life was revealed right then and there.

Soon, Flynn was introduced to the head of Marigold, Asa Sweet, and due to a previous agreement between Flynn and the head of the Lackadaisy gang, Atlas May, being asked to switch sides. Although he was hesitant to change his allegiance, Flynn nevertheless was hired once again as a freelancer, working with the Savoy siblings as their third in case the usual man, Mordecai, wasn't available.

As 1925 turned to 1926 and then 1927, the friendship between the three grew with each job and general interaction as Flynn got more and more involved with Marigold, while Serafine began to have feelings for Flynn, although he was oblivious to it. He has his own feelings for her too, but he thought that it would never come to be.

One night, Flynn was having trouble sleeping and decided to head to the roof of his building to contemplate his life. 6 bottles of beer in, looking at his old army cap, Flynn was startled by footstep noises. Serafine had come over, alone. They talked about how fate had led them to this point in time and reaffirming their friendship. Then Flynn looked up to the sky, reminiscing about his childhood. Seeing the stars in his eyes, Serafine decides to commit to it and pulls Flynn in for a kiss, his very first kiss ever. In that moment, they both knew that they were made for each other.

After that fateful night, they became a couple but decided to keep it secret for now. To the outside world, they still acted like best friends, but Nico suspects something more. He noticed that they were more close and more intimate with each other and decided to poke and prod into it for info about why they behaved like they did. The couple deflects his question for a time until (because her mind is on something else) after some back and forth, Serafine goes "Well, I still love you regardless". Nico, mouth gaped, has the final piece of the picture and then, still in shock, exits the building they're in to compose himself. Serafine shortly thereafter, realizes what she just said and chases him to try and explain it with Flynn following.

Now the secret was out, at least to Nicodeme, and the couple could at least be more open about it when he was around. As of 1927, they have no intention of advancing their relationship beyond its current state, but whatever the future brings, they are ready to face it, together.

(Credits to @stardust-clearwater for the doodles)

#lackadaisy #lackadaisy cats #lackadaisy oc #lackadaisy fanart #lackaoc #oc lore #serafine savoy

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homosociallyyours · 27 days

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for the 'i wish you would write a fic where...' : ... Harry watches a live of the Arenal Sound Festival (where Louis said he hurt his toe and went on stage inebriated)(and went to barricade twice) and afterwards calls Louis, worried. your decision how angsty you wanna make it (if Louis just jokes about being clumsy while playing footie or if there's ~more) maybe Harry even decides to fly out for a short visit and they 'reunite' after weeks apart... (again, dealer's choice where/how far you wanna take it!)

😊 (of course no pressure tho!)

HELLOOOOO thank you!!!

I really love the idea of Harry being simultaneously 1) distracted by how hot Louis looks, 2) worried about him being injured, and 3) jealous of people touching all over him who aren't Harry here!!

Louis, however, is mostly oblivious to a lot of this. He had a good time, enjoyed himself, and really didn't hurt himself too badly, and though he sees a missed call from Harry between his post-show wind down with the band and going to bed, he doesn't think anything of it, really. They'll check in tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Harry has a few days with absolutely nothing scheduled and decides it's time for Louis to get a little TLC.

---

Louis could typically sleep like the dead on tour, but the incessant buzzing of his phone was particularly disruptive this morning and he couldn't figure out why. He slapped at the spot where he thought it should be, somewhere on his bedside, but instead of finding a hard surface he met was met with warm skin.

Instantly he paused, mind racing to recall everything that had happened before he fell asleep. He certainly hadn't been drunk enough to bring someone back for sex, he was sure of that. Peeling open his eyes, he turned his head to find a tanned thigh right there beside him. A familiar thigh.

"Harry?"

"Oh good, you're awake," Harry said, silencing the annoying buzzing which was apparently coming from his phone, not Louis'.

"What are you--"

Harry set his phone aside and stood, picking up a little bag from the floor. He was dressed in a ridiculous pair of stretchy white boxer briefs with a red cross over the front of them and a funny hat perched on his head.

"I heard you had some injuries, sir, and I've come to tend to them." He lifted the bag, the contents making a little noise as they bumped against each other.

Louis looked just behind Harry and saw a plate of snacks and a few bottles of water alongside the good arnica balm they used after heavy play. He had no idea what Harry had in store for him, but he was down for it.

"You'll have to be thorough, nurse," Louis said, wriggling beneath the duvet. His cock was already perking up. "Afraid I've not been taking the best care of myself lately."

---

Naughty times ensue!! And only a little angst near the end when Harry explains that whenever he watches people touching all over Louis he gets a little jealous and Louis accidentally laughs because as fun as he finds his time at the barricade, it's not directly sexual for him. Fortunately they both get that jealousy isn't really the most rational emotion, so it all works out.

hope you like that even though it's not quite what your ask was leaning toward, i think??

Send me a summary of a fic you wish I would write if you want!! (or just reblog the post for yourself)

#1d #canon fic #is very hard for me to write honestly #but it's a fun thing to try to do!!

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blouisparadise · 1 year

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Upon request, today we have a rec list of bottom Louis fics that have fun OT4 or OT5 moments! If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Please also be sure to show these amazing fics love. Happy reading!

1) You Are My Familiar | Explicit | 27088 words

Louis loses his dog, and Harry takes in a stray. A whole year passes before they realize that it’s the same dog, and that kind of complicates things.

2) Drain To The Stars | Explicit | 28002 words

Louis lived a very quiet life at his inherited book shop in Notting Hill, until Oscar-winner Harry Styles walked through the door.

3) Brooklyn Saw Me | Explicit | 28537 words

In the cold and unforgiving city of New York, Louis doesn't have a home and Harry wants to give him one. But as their heartstrings become increasingly intertwined, and the snow continues to fall, home is getting harder and harder to find.

4) Cupid's Chokehold | Explicit | 35326 words

Louis is a Cupid who tries to match up Niall and Harry. It doesn't work out as planned.

5) Eyes Off You | Mature | 39396 words

A Charlie’s angels inspired fic where Louis is the brains, Harry is the charm, Liam is the muscle, and Niall drives the getaway car - and Zayn is there, too. sometimes.

6) Another Hazy May | Mature | 41042 words

Louis is a terrible poet and Harry lives in the now and they have six weeks to fall in love but, really, it only takes six seconds. Bookshop meets military meets summer romance AU ft. Marlboros, the Backstreet Boys, and underrated literary devices.

7) The Fairy Ring | Explicit | 46170 words

A medieval fantasy AU in which Harry is a prince in disguise and Louis is the king of the faeries.

8) Stole My Heart | Mature | 51344 words

Louis doesn't want much. A warm bed, and people who care about him.

Harry has everything he needs, despite his mother insisting he needs a mate. Money, status, and any omega he wants, why lock his heart down.

Until Louis comes along, and steals it.

9) Made For Lovin' You | Explicit | 52635 words

The one where a quick, horny decision ruins Louis’ summer plans, but may also lead to unexpected discoveries. Featuring the road trip of dreams, misunderstandings, and a bit of fate.

10) Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) | Mature | 54609 words

Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles.

Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

He also starts to fall in love with Harry.

Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

11) We've Got The World in Our Hands | Explicit | 54964 words

A mutants/superpowers AU. Louis and his friends attend the Cowell Institute for General Education and Mutant Training in London; when Louis meets Harry, the newest student at the Cowell Institute, he immediately recruits Harry to help play matchmaker for his friend Zayn. Harry and Louis are so caught up in meddling in Zayn's love life, though, that they don't notice that their own friendship is progressing into something more. Meanwhile, an ominous threat up north grows slowly until suddenly, no mutant - or human - is safe.

12) But We Have Promises To Keep | Mature | 62608 words

Note: This fic is the fourth fic in a series. The other fics do not have smut.

Maybe, Louis thought, from the beginning to the end, he had always known exactly what he wanted. He had always heard it, a quiet song in his head never giving up, because it had never been a thing apart from who he was. Someone who wouldn’t stop. Someone who could walk out into the dark, seeing nothing, having little, and still looking.

The undeniable, terrifying, gorgeous truth was always going to be this: that he had a heart, and that that heart wanted to live.

13) We'll Cast Some Light (You'll Be Alright) | Not Rated | 74409 words

There’s a standard procedure for this. Scan, track, kill. But with a solar eclipse and a Greater Demon with unfinished business looming, the path to keeping England safe from harm becomes complicated and shadowed by mystery and secrets. For Harry and his team, times have never been harder, especially when a few old friends turned foes show up. Harry is left with just over forty days to overcome the hurdle of tension between them and reconcile their past, and figure out just what Louis is hiding from him before it’s too late.

14) Waiting On You | Explicit | 76584 words

“Vampires,” Louis says with disgust, glaring over at the vampire who is noisily slurping from the woman’s neck nearby.

Zayn gives the neat fang marks on Louis’ neck a meaningful look.

“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” Louis finishes, ignoring Zayn when he rolls his eyes.

Louis takes a long sip of his milkshake, presses his fingers against the marks on his neck, and definitely doesn’t think about the vampire who left them there.

15) Pinkies Never Lie | Explicit | 83615 words

AU in which Louis hates his job and loves Harry, Harry just wants a distraction, everyone else wants them to get their shit together, and Louis learns the hard way that new beginnings are only possible when something ends.

16) Where You Lay | Explicit | 86038 words

When Louis's upcoming heat threatens his success at his new dream job, he asks the best (and only) person he can think of to help him through it: his best mates' best mate, Harry Styles. Harry reluctantly accepts, and together the two navigate a strange friends with benefits relationship that quickly turns complicated.

17) Swim In The Smoke | Explicit | 101778 words

“What about this, Captain?” Liam asks, nudging the boy kneeling between their feet with the toe of his boot. The boy hisses and swipes at him, slurring out something unintelligible around the makeshift gag Niall had to stuff in his mouth. He misses by a mile and tries again, just as ineffectively.

Harry looks down at him, at the way the sun streams over his face and shoulders, at the way the gag stretches his mouth, lips pink and chapped. He’s lithe and pretty, smudged all over with dirt. They had found him tied up below deck, mostly unconscious, next to a barrel full of gold. He’s clearly a prisoner, but there’s something familiar about him, something that niggles at Harry’s brain. Something he can’t quite put his finger on.

“Put him in my cabin,” Harry decides, turning back to deal with the rest of the loot. The boys screams out jumbled curse words at Harry’s back, muffled by the gag, and Harry can’t understand any of it.

18) Saving Symphony Hall | Explicit | 124766 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic. It is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

“I think I have an idea,” Louis said. Slowly, and reluctantly, but with a growing sense of the inevitable. “God damnit, I think I have a really good idea.”

“Oh christ, that's the problem-solving face,” Babs said. “Last time we saw that face, he sold a company.”

“Wait, what?” Zayn asked.

“Right place, right time,” Louis said. “Also, fuck my life,”

“What?” Zayn repeated. Niall patted his hand.

“I usually just roll with whatever Louis is about to do,” he said. “It’s better for us all.”

“That’s the attitude,” said Louis, “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, I need to do some research. Zayn, give me your number. I’m gonna save our symphony.”

19) Collision | Not Rated | 226294 words

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

(Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#bottom louis #top harry #larry #fic recs #blp fic recs #blp #ot5 moments #ot4 moments

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felixcloud6288 · 1 year

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Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 11

We're getting into the conspiracy thriller of this arc.

Last chapter, I went over the general timeline of events that have happened since chapter 8 and showed roughly 3 weeks have passed since then, with a little over two weeks being spent in chapter 10.

The main reason I did that is because this chapter opens with a followup to the fight between Scar and Gluttony. Roy's squad is inspecting the rubble and found Scar's bloodied jacket. Meanwhile, Lust and Gluttony confirm they failed to kill Scar and Lust is going back to Central.

This scene would have to have taken place about two weeks before everything else in the chapter. This would also mean Lust has been in Central for about as long. As long as no other major events happen in East City, we can assume Roy's group has been dealing with the rubble over those two weeks and the next time we see Roy, the timeline will have reconverged.

Maria and Danny were constantly whispering to each other last chapter and it's nice to see someone call them out on it.

Ed and Al seem ready to give up their journey after finding out what is required to make a Philosopher's Stone. They wouldn't willingly condemn someone in order to fix their own mistakes. Ed was about to ask Al something but they're interrupted by Alex Louis Armstrong. With a little inspiration from Armstrong, they're back on their feet to try finding the truth within the truth Dr. Marcoh mentioned.

We got a map, this time of Central, and once again, it's not useful for gleaning any information about the city layout. At least there's a park.

Once again, Maria Ross and Danny Brosh are getting sucked into things way above what they signed up for. They were assigned to be bodyguards and now they're privy to a potential conspiracy that the research department was performing human experiments.

Brigadier General Basque Grand, who Scar killed, was in charge of the Research Department. Armstrong mentions he was killed a few days ago. "A few" is a highly subjective unit but I'd say greater than three weeks is more than a few days.

A couple moments throughout the last section of the chapter show there are some conveniences to the Elrics' bodies. They can handle barbwire without issue, Ed can take otherwise lethal hits if they strike his automail, and being short lets you crawl through vents easier. Ed almost admits to that last one.

And then we find out there's enough evidence the condemned research lab is still in use, including two guards who are former prisoners whose souls were bound to armor like Al. The seal Slicer has is different from Al's. Not sure if that means there was a different ritual involved or if the symbols are dependent on something to do with the material the soul is bound to or not. I don't know enough about Alchemy and occult symbology to comment further.

"Edward. I'm respecting your privacy by knocking but as your self-appointed guardian figure I'm coming in anyway!" - Alex Louis Armstrong

back

Spoiler Discussion

I'm honestly disappointed in the lack of detail in the map. I was hoping we'd see all five labs in relation to one another cause it turns out they're laid out in a pentagram formation which is used late in the series to capture the Human Sacrifices.

Also, I wonder if Brigadier General Grand was part of the conspiracy or not. The one time we see him in the Ishbalan War, he seemed eager to end it ASAP. Since the bloodshed was necessary for Father's plan, trying to stop the war goes counter to it. There is always a possibility he was aware of the Philosopher's Stone research without knowing the grand conspiracy at large or maybe he was completely in the dark. We'll never know.

Ed wanted to ask Al if Al blames him for being trapped in that armor. Maybe if Armstrong hadn't barged in at that moment, and Ed got to ask, and Al said no; then maybe Ed would have asked if they should just give up on their journey then and there.

#fullmetal alchemist reread #fullmetal alchemist

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creoterative · 2 years

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Let’s play a Game then Chapter 3 - Devil Trigger

Good evening you lovely people, or good morning, good afternoon, whatever the time is where you live!

Sonner than expected, I was able to finish the third chapter for my The Walking Dead Game fanstory, ‘Let’s play a Game then’. Chapter three is by far the longest now, well, until I write a longer one of course ^^

‘Devil Trigger’ will get the whole redemption train rolling, so I can start with building the kids relationships in the next chapter with the little party they have (ha, no spoiler since I’m going with the cannon as good as I can here :p)

Anyway, as always, I’ll leave a little little snippet here for you to take a peek, but the rest is on my AO3. To be honest, on that site it feels more like an actual book than simple posts and I like to think of it as a silly fan-dream put together in a... wayyy too long book, heh.

Thank you for visiting of course, if you do, and feel free to leave a comment, critic or praise, I’m fine with all of it! Or if you have any ideas I might take a look on, don’t be shy!

Have a nice day and stay safe out there!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40118184/chapters/114616408

It is well known that the relationship to a place changes depending on what has happened in that place. One may have lived, slept and eaten in a comfortably warm cabin for years, calling it home. But the day the sweet smell of huckleberry jam attracts the first bear out of the woods will be the day the cabin turns into a trap.

The former principal's office never seemed particularly inviting to Marlon. It smelled musty, of old books (and special magazines...), in addition the walls were meanwhile completely yellowed and in some places ivy broke through already, which wanted to make itself a place under the wallpaper. The large, dark red carpets on the floor, which reminded Marlon of his grandparents' apartment, had certainly not always been this dark. If he bothered to knock them out, a whole army of insects would surely crawl out. He would gladly spare himself that.

Despite the signs of decay in the room, in the whole building in general, it had become his own little kingdom over the years. He had chosen this room in the first place because he could have his peace and quiet here. Marlon had never liked sleeping in the same room with other people, not even Louis, so this had been his first order of business after taking the lead. Out of the shared dorms, into his own world.

The older he got, the more he had liked the idea of making the room a real office again. It had felt cool to have some kind of job, even though under no circumstances did he want to turn in such bad work as most of the adults had done. In fact, Marlon and his... former friends didn't really see themselves as adults. And that was despite the fact that some would already be considered as such.

Louis had been right in what he had said to him. The adults had acted as pathetically as Marlon had done that fateful night. None of them wanted to see them give up their humanity for fear of being killed. Well, Marlon had obviously made the perfect leap into adulthood. Now he was one of those disgusting monsters himself, had let himself be guided by fear, and had thus deeply hurt his friends.

Strange how things could turn around after all.

Just as strange as his back felt right now. Marlon was lying on his side, finally back on his own mattress on the floor of the office, and felt a sharp pain in his upper back. Shit, what was that?

Grumbling softly, he turned to his other side, hoping it might be better lying there, but no such luck. So he rolled onto his back and contorted his face in pain as the twinge slowly trailed down his spine. Impossible, was the mattress too soft? That couldn't be possible. Or maybe after all these years his weight had simply made it sink in and it had adapted to his body. Had he had such tensions lately?

Well... he hadn't been on that mattress for three weeks. He had spent the last time in the basement, just lying there on an old carpet, a thin blanket over his body. But he had to honestly admit that he had been offered something better. Marlon himself had refused. He wanted to endure this cold. Something told him that he simply had to. After all he had done, he actually deserved a much worse treatment. That's why he had made his time in the cellar as unbearable as possible for himself.

And how unbearable it was. He had only exchanged a few words with Louis from time to time, when he had brought him a bowl of soup or allowed him to move around in the yard for an hour. Otherwise, Marlon had had no contact with the students at Ericson's Boarding School for a full three weeks. He had been doing laps in his little cell, keeping himself reasonably sane with workouts, as usual, but most of the time he had just stood in the corner and thought. Yes, stood, because sitting on the cold floor would have made him sick for sure, even if lying on it at night wasn't necessarily any better.

Then came Clementine. He was still terribly sorry that he had attacked her like that yesterday, even though she only wanted to help him. But in the end, it had helped to clear his head. As if the training would pull the dark cobwebs out of his brain and let light in again.

The light of the morning sun was still a long time coming, however, which was only natural at this time of year. It was getting colder and colder, frost was on the trees and the meadows, even on the railing of the balcony where one could step out through the two large doors. Marlon had taken pains to cover the broken panes in the individual tiles of the doors with wood or at least a cloth so that there was no constant draught, which worked for the most part, but he was still always cold as the end of the year approached.

Was perhaps also due to the fact that he could not sleep with a T-shirt and tried every time to curl up in the blanket like a caterpillar, only to throw everything around in deep sleep anyway. He had never really gotten out of that phase. He slept like a rock, lay very still for most of the night, but then there was an hour when he just rolled around. In the morning he woke up in the same position as when he fell asleep. Therefore, he had only found out about it through Louis, when they had still slept together in the same room.

Now lying on his stomach, he tried to close his eyes again and maybe doze a little, but at the latest when he now noticed the first wind, it was over with that too. Sighing and grumbling softly to himself, he pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and rested his head on his arms.

His blue eyes wandered to Rosie, who was lying right next to him on her own cozy sleeping spot. She made no sound, which surprised him at first, until he realized that the pit bull lady had long been awake. Her golden eyes were fixed on the door, as they always were when she was awake earlier than her master.

This was due to her trauma, which had occurred a few years ago. Marlon had been nestled in the office for some time, and Rosie had finally gotten used to sleeping quietly next to him and not having her head constantly tucked under his arm. One night, however, a walker had managed to make its way upstairs. To this day, Marlon couldn't explain how he'd managed it, but the walker had grinded its way up the stairs and tampered with his door.

And once Marlon was in a deep sleep, even a walker couldn't wake him. Fortunately, Rosie was more alert than he was. She immediately sensed danger and hunted down the walker, jolting him out of sleep and ensuring that all he could do in the end was watch the carnage.

The walker had been Joey. A young boy about five years younger than Marlon, he was just nine at the time. It was later clear that Joey had fatally injured himself during his shift for the guard at night, when he tried to climb down the makeshift guard tower, which was very unstable at the time. Why he had run to Marlon's office first was a mystery to them all. Probably most of the noise had come from that room, since Marlon usually stayed up late and also had Rosie, whose claws scratched across the floor.

All in all, this incident resulted in another death that everyone had to deal with first. It also ensured that Rosie automatically kept an eye on the door every time she was awake before Marlon, and continued to do so until he fell asleep at night. After that, Ms. Martin had arranged that no child was allowed to do night watch alone. A rule that had actually made a difference.

Marlon rubbed the palm of his hand over his right eye in an attempt to distract himself from the memories that once again haunted him like crazy ghosts. His eyes, dry from sleep, began to water a little, but that subsided after he wiped them with his hands and he was able to gradually look around the office more closely. Nothing had changed in the three weeks of his absence, that reassured him - at least one constant in his life, besides Rosie of course.

She now noticed he was awake and blinked at him kindly, causing him to smile a little. Her short stubby tail wagged back and forth for a moment, then she calmed down again and turned her eyes to the door. Marlon yawned softly and a moment later propped himself up on his arms to sit on his knees.

His left shoulder still hurt a lot, so he instinctively put a hand on the stitch and looked at the thread. Nothing was torn, thankfully, but the freshly healing wound was fiery red. Clementine had given him a good beating during training yesterday, and it would certainly have to heal for some time longer than it would normally have to, although Marlon knew, that this hadn't been her intention.

What the heck, now he had to deal with the pain. After he had straightened his tense back halfway, he stood up and reached for his washed-out, pretty worn, red-striped T-shirt that he wore so often. It was the only one besides the black one with the skulls on the back that still halfway fit; the others had grown too small. At least his beloved letterman jacket still fit, even if it was already half falling apart. Marlon had reached the end of his growth phase anyway, at least that's what he believed, so it was unlikely that he would grow out of this jacket.

On the balcony, as usual, he had a bucket of rainwater, which by now was pretty much always full to the brim. Either it rained or there was very thin snow for an hour, which then disappeared immediately, so the forests were also pretty wet at the moment. Or frosted, as this morning also. The trees glistened white, just like the entire balcony, and Marlon could imagine that the wooden benches below didn't look any better.

He squatted in front of the water bucket, dipped his hands in the shape of a bowl, and slapped a whole load of the ice-cold water on his face. Soon the bucket would no longer carry water, but ice, so he would take it inside with him, keep what was already stored.

The cold that abruptly spread across his face woke him up and immediately sent a shiver down his spine. A few drops ran from his chin and neck, making his jeans wet as well, but he didn't care at all. He would get dry when he sat downstairs in front of the stove, if it was already on, but he simply needed the cold water in the morning to wake up properly.

With one hand he took out some water again, but this time much less, and stroked through his tousled hair to straighten it a bit, which worked semi well. Well, the others always found fault with his hair anyway, so it didn't make up for it now.

Rosie had gotten up and was scratching at the door, so Marlon opened it for her and made his own way downstairs. His return to the main building had been... surprisingly quietly, even if there had been some voices against it. He himself had managed to avoid any conversations, something he regretted somewhat in retrospect. Those conversations would inevitably come about today and he dreaded that.

Louis, especially, would surely... he wouldn't believe a word he said, ever, just like Aasim and Mitch. He was also afraid of Brody's reaction. Either she was angry and, thanks to Clem, now had the courage to make that clear to him, or she was afraid of him and he would take that very differently now than he had three weeks ago. The fact that people were afraid of him had brought him here in the first place, to this school. Not that he had wanted that.

But it was no use thinking about it all the time, even though he had done almost nothing else all night. Maybe that was why his back ached so much. The large staircase in the main hallway seemed eerie to him because of the darkness surrounding him, which was only intensified by the hanging cobwebs. But Rosie's presence put him in a slightly better mood.

His footsteps were quiet on the dark carpet that clothed the old steps, so Ruby didn't notice him right away. She was carrying a couple of boxes, which he recognized by the number carved on the side of the largest of them. C-14-F. That had been the number of the year under Marlon, so these had to be some of the old files the teachers had created for the students.

Ruby raised her head attentively when Rosie greeted her with a soft but friendly bark, but her initial delight quickly turned to suspicion and uncertainty. Marlon tentatively raised a hand in greeting, trying not to appear threatening in any way. So casual gait, no frantic movements, staying in the field of vision.

"Morning." Morning, yeah sure, it still felt like the middle of the night. "Can I help you with that?" Ruby kept her eyes on him, as expected, and was about to take all three boxes without saying anything back, but her arms just didn't reach the bottom one. "Wait, I'll do it.",Marlon offered and walked towards her, taking the top box. It was heavy, and although he was taller, even Marlon couldn't have carried all three boxes at once. So Ruby had only refused because he was the one who had asked, but that was to be expected. After all, he had betrayed her just like everyone else.

Her blue eyes met his and he could clearly see the reluctance, but also the distrust that was coupled with uncertainty. He was uncomfortable with that look, especially not wanting to upset Ruby in particular. He would trust her to stab him with the next best fork, so he immediately took a step back with the box in his hands.

"To the common room with it.",the red-haired girl ordered and Marlon nodded immediately before following her with some distance. He ventured a look into the box he was carrying and was able to confirm his assumption with it - they were files. What was Ruby going to do with them?

But instead of asking, Marlon remained silent and trotted slowly after her. He noticed that Ruby occasionally watched him out of the corner of her eye. She didn't feel safe in his presence, which was now even more obvious. On the one hand, it gave him an uneasy feeling in his stomach, but on the other hand, he knew that it was bound to happen. The girl in front of him even seemed to treat him relatively normal, considering what he had done.

The common room was one of the rooms that had been most seized by vegetation. Ivy had broken through the windows, moss was spreading along the walls and eating through the walls. In the summer, you could watch golden flowers grow here, also trying to sneak in through the windows. Yet little else had changed over the years.

There was still an old piano here, which was smaller than the one in the large meeting room, but this one still worked well. Louis had hardly played on this one, it was almost like new, which is probably why it still made the right sounds. Similar to the eternally old record player that the director had dragged in. Marlon had sometimes listened to swing music on it. He liked the fast rhythm and besides, it was the only thing he could listen to in the available selection. Jazz was still good, he liked that as well, but country and classical music were really not his thing.

It was a pity that metal and rock were not something you listened to when you were the director of a school. Marlon would have given his left arm for a record of Metallica or Man 'o War, but nooooo.... You didn't hear anything like that at a school. Instead, you had to endure Mozart and Beethoven.

Ruby put the two boxes down on the floor and watched Marlon do the same. "...Thank you.", she said hesitantly, but he could clearly hear the stern undertone that was probably meant to make him realize that she certainly didn't trust him just because he was carrying a box. But Marlon didn't let this upset him, which even surprised him a little. Just stay calm, don't do anything wrong.... "No problem. What are you going to do with the files?"

He put his hands on his hips, as he always did, but this made Ruby cross her arms. Marlon slowly lost the slight smile he had put on and carefully lowered his hands again after a few seconds of awkward silence. Yes, maybe he shouldn't pretend that nothing had happened....

When he avoided her gaze and scratched the back of his neck nervously, Ruby actually seemed to feel a little sorry for him. She had always been emotional, and Ruby was actually the one who could most understand what he was going through. Not in terms of the Brody thing or the twins, but the anger. She had struggled with that anger as well, even though both of them had improved a lot over the years. Well, Ruby had.

She shook her head slightly, then averted her eyes from him and looked at the files. "I thought this might be interesting to Clementine and AJ. If she knows who she's leading into battle, it might make it easier. And I think after all she's done for us, she deserves to know who's actually fighting alongside her."

Marlon managed to look at Ruby again and his blue eyes showed understanding. Even if he didn't like it. He didn't want anyone snooping around in his file, there were some.... some unpleasant things in it. But some of the other kids had even worse files, so he couldn't complain.

Again, some silence fell, and Marlon wasn't sure how much he was allowed to talk before it seemed like he was trying to force himself on someone, or to push himself back to his old position in the group, so he preferred to keep quiet altogether. Ruby turned back to him after a while and eased her shoulders. He felt cold at the sight of her free arms. How could she walk around with her sleeves rolled up like that? If he allowed himself, he would immediately get the big coat the principal had left behind, it was stuffed inside with thick fur.

"You know, you don't get a free pass with me just because you helped me carry boxes." Oh, he hadn't expected that at all. Hoped, maybe, but he was aware that he was going to have to work slowly to regain the trust of the others. "I know. I also don't want you guys to run after me right away and act like nothing happened. I just... I just have to start somewhere, right?"

To his relief, she probably agreed with him there and nodded thoughtfully, her sky-blue eyes meeting his ice-blue ones. "True enough. Still. Just be careful what you do and say. We're certainly not going to forgive you for everything just because you're pitching in, now that you've been released from prison again."

Ruby made her way past him and Marlon stood in the common room for a moment, looking at the boxes of files. No, it really wasn't going to be that easy. As mentioned before, however, he was aware of that, even though he might not have necessarily accepted it yet.

Slowly, he turned and followed Ruby out of the room. She trotted toward the large doors that led outside, causing Marlon to swallow hard. If Ruby could halfway converse with him, even if she was rather threatening, surely he could talk reasonably with the others, right?

Rosie stepped up to his side again, which he didn't notice until he was already on the stairs. She had waited patiently for them to come outside and finally positioned herself next to him again, giving Marlon a little more security. He felt like a convicted felon, which in a sense he was now, though not by old world standards.

Court, judge, executioner.

Just different forms.

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nordleuchten · 2 years

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24 Days of La Fayette: December 14th - Joseph-Léonard Poirey

Joseph-Léonard Poirey holds a special place on this list for several reasons. First of all, he was no aide-de-camp. Poirey was La Fayette’s military secretary in America and after the War of Independence worked as a civil secretary for him. Second, I am not known to call real, adult, historic people that are long dead by overly endearing names or to compare them with a certain baked good containing cinnamon – but if I every were to call a real, adult, historic person who is long dead, adorable, it would be Poirey. You will see why in a minute.

Poirey came into the service of La Fayette because he was the cheapest option. Let me elaborate and introduce you to a certain Jacques-Philippe Grattepain-Morizot. Morizot was an attorney and became the manager of La Fayette’s finances in 1779 together with Jean Grattepain. They took over from Jean Gerard. Handling La Fayette’s finances was not a fun thing to do, let me tell you. Between 1779 and 1782, Morizot wrote several letters to La Fayette’s maiden aunt Madeleine, who managed her nephew’s properties in the Auvergne, that the Marquis was spending too much and that he had broken his promise to economize. His adventures in America especially were giving Morizot headaches on a regular basis. After much urging on Morizot’s part, La Fayette came to the conclusion that apparently having a French secretary would be cheaper … as far as I understand the issue, this made little difference, not at all because the expenses for a single secretary were not the problem at all.

Anyway, back to Poirey. He was born in 1748 and joined the French Army in 1770. He was originally scheduled to join La Fayette on L’Hermione on her voyage to America but was so afflicted by seasickness and rheumatism that he was obliged to return to Paris. He would arrive on August 16, 1780 in Boston onboard the Alliance. Major Charles-Albert de Moré, chevalier de Pontgibaud (another aide-de-camp for a later day), and Capt. Louis-Saint-Ange Morel, chevalier de La Colombe (an aide-de-camp as well) accompanied him as well as twelve other passengers.

La Fayette’s was not necessarily happy with the three men, Poirey included, because these gentleman had letter for La Fayette and they were not nearly hurrying as much as La Fayette would have liked it. He wrote to the Vicomte de Noailles on September 2, 1780:

We are tired of the whole thing, my friend. I have cursed about M. de Pontgibaud so much that I do not know what more to say, and I am stupefied by this miracle of negligence. Eighteen days to come from Boston! The only way to explain the enigma is that Poirey is with him, which I have learned from the gazette (because Poirey has been given full coverage in the papers), and Poirey stops at every wonder he sees here. I cannot tell you how much this delay distresses me. There are a thousand things apart from the public service that I would like to know; but I promise you at least that if I have any news I will not delay in sharing it with you.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 3, April 27, 1780–March 29, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1980, p. 156-159.

La Fayette again wrote on September 3, 1780, this time to the Prince de Poix:

The Alliance has arrived and brought me letters; I know they are in Boston, and the officer who carries them calmly entertains himself buying horses. Good God, if he did not have my packet in his pocket, how much bad luck I would wish him! This accursed man, M. de Pontgibaud, flanked by M. de La Colombe and friend Poirey, set foot on land almost three weeks ago. He said he had important dispatches to deliver to me, so important that he refused to confide a single letter to an officer of the French army who was returning to Rhode Island, and apparently he thinks they are too important to travel other than by easy stages. Meanwhile I am getting angry, and increasingly so as I see how useless it is. Only think, my friend, that the last letters from France were brought by M. de Ternay and since then not a word from my friends. If our neighbors in New York were a little further separated from us than they are by the river, I would have run after my letters a long time ago. But, my friend, I realize it is stupid to send you lamentations when the reason for them will be gone two or three months before my jeremiad is received; so let's talk about other things, because in order to relieve my ill humor and forget those worthless bogged-down couriers I absolutely must scribble you a few lines, and while Washington holds back General Clinton I shall tell you the big news, which is that I am fine and I love you with all my heart.

As soon as Poirey truly entered La Fayette’s service, the young General was very pleased. He wrote to his wife Adrienne on October 7-10, 1780:

Poirey is with me, seems quite happy, is astounded at everything, and has not yet been under fire but thinks that war is a fine thing. I am infinitely satisfied with him, and also with Comtois [a servant]. M. Morizot will be well enough satisfied with me, at least by comparison.

(Spoilers ahead: Morizot was not at all satisfied.)

Poirey served La Fayette in 1780 and 1781 and was most of the time with the General in Virginia. It was also there that he saw action for apparently the first time – and by all accounts, Poirey enjoyed himself. La Fayette wrote to the Vicomte de Noailles on July 9, 1781:

This devil Cornwallis is much wiser than the other generals with whom I have dealt. He inspires me with a sincere fear, and his name has greatly troubled my sleep. This campaign is a good school for me. God grant that the public does not pay for my lessons. Poirey behaved intrepidly, and I assure you he had a very lively time.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 4, April 1, 1781–December 23, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1981, p. 240-241.

The Virginia campaign proofed strenuous, and it became clear that Poirey had not been blessed with the most robust health. La Fayette wrote on August 24, 1781 to his wife Adrienne:

The Virginia sun has a very bad reputation, and people had made frightful predictions to me. In fact many people have had fever, but this climate is as good as every other for me, and the only effect fatigue has had on me is to increase my appetite. (It is not the same with poor Poirey, and for some time he has been afflicted with a fever that does not permit him to follow me. He has been infinitely useful to me, and I am more and more pleased with him. So, my dearest, I must thank you again for your good idea. It may not have been exalted to the point of making me think you were giving me a Caesar for courage. But I do not joke, my dear heart, and if you had seen Poirey on the sixth of July, with a portfolio on the front of his saddle, a portfolio behind, a large writing desk hanging on his left side, and in his right hand a saber that once belonged to General Arnold; if you had seen Poirey, I say, smiling at the bullets and balls that whistled by in great numbers, you would have judged that he shines on the Field of Mars just as much as in the scene where one puts a rose-colored ribbon around his neck.

Poirey returned after the Battle of Yorktown to France. He sailed once more on the Alliance on company of Louis-Saint-Ange Morel de La Colombe and they arrived in France in January of 1782. He soon began working for La Fayette in a civilian capacity … and La Fayette was as happy as a man can be. He wrote Adrienne regarding Poirey when he himself was again back in America on June 25, 1784:

Give my regards to Gouvion and Poirey. Under certain circumstances I would be very glad if the latter joined me, because besides having the pleasure of very detailed news through him, I would find him very useful.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 5, January 4, 1782‑December 29, 1785, Cornell University Press, 1983, p. 229-230.

There was no way that Poirey could join La Fayette – for he was once again ill. La Fayette wrote Adrienne on October 4-10, 1784:

I am quite distressed that poor Poirey has a nervous disorder, but if he is better, persuade him to learn to write in abbreviations, as quickly as a person speaks, and to have my library arranged.

Poirey had agreed to serve in America without pay, just like La Fayette did, and this decision later came back to bite during the French Revolution. Initially things seemed to look well for Poirey, he became the captain secretary general of the National Guard with the rank of major. The La Fayette’s had lobbied for him to be made an American officer and an honorary member of the society of the Cincinnati. Adrienne wrote to George Washington on January 14, 1790:

Mr Poirey the secretary of Mr De la Fayette and who is at present that of our national guard, loaded with kindness by you in America where he has had the happiness of meriting your approbation has not ceased since that time, to give to Mr De la Fayette testimonies of attachment, and he has rendered to this cause important services and above all very affecting to him. His ambition is to obtain the glorious distinction of an American Officer, the Ribbon of Cincinnatus is the object of all his wishes, and Mr De la Fayette would think he could not refuse him the permission, if you would deign to confer upon him, a brevet commission. I set a great value upon obtaining for him this favour, and it would be to me a great pleasure if I owe it to your goodness for me, I should recieve almost as much pride as gratitude from it, ⟨and⟩ that it would be the means of acquitting a little what we owe to Mr Poirey, and which I believe due to him more than to any other person, persuaded as I am, that his vigilant cares have contributed very much in the midst of the Storms to the preservation of what I hold most dear in the world. Mr De la Fayette approves my request, and will leave to me I hope the pleasure and the glory of having obtained the success of it from you Sir, and of joining on this little occasion the hommage of my personal gratitude, to that of all his sentiments of admiration, attachment and respect, which I participate with him (…)

“To George Washington from the Marquise de Lafayette, 14 January 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 4, 8 September 1789 – 15 January 1790, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993, pp. 571–574.] (10/07/2022)

George Washington wrote to the United States Senate on May 30, 1790:

M. de Poiery served in the American Army for several of the last years of the late war, as Secretary to Major General the Marquis de la Fayette, and might probably at that time have obtained the Commission of Captain from Congress upon application to that Body. At present he is an officer in the French National Guards, and solicits a Brevet Commission from the United States of America. I am authorised to add, that, while the compliance will involve no expense on our part, it will be particularly grateful to that friend of America, the Marquis de la Fayette.

I therefore nominate M. de Poiery to be a Captain by Brevet.

“From George Washington to the United States Senate, 31 May 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 5, 16 January 1790 – 30 June 1790, ed. Dorothy Twohig, Mark A. Mastromarino, and Jack D. Warren. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1996, pp. 446–447.] (10/07/2022)

The nomination was confirmed on June 2, 1790 and Washington replied to Adrienne on June 3, 1790:

It gives me infinite pleasure, in acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 14th of Jany last, to transmit the Brevet Commission, that was desired for Mr Poirey. Aside of his services in America, which alone might have entitled him to this distinction, his attachment to the Marquis de la Fayette and your protection added claims that were not to be resisted. And you will, I dare flatter myself, do me the justice to believe that I can never be more happy than in according marks of attention to so good a friend to America and so excellent a patriot as Madame la Marquise de la Fayette.

Endnotes of “To George Washington from the Marquise de Lafayette, 14 January 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 4, 8 September 1789 – 15 January 1790, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993, pp. 571–574.] (10/07/2022)

Poirey was very happy about the kindness bestowed upon him. He wrote to Washington on February 8, 1791:

M. de De la Fayette m’a remis le Brevet de Capitaine au service des Etats-unis d’amérique que vous avez eu la bonté de lui envoyer pour moi: permettez-moi de vous en faire mes remerciements et de mettre à vos pieds l’homage de ma Reconnoissance et du Respet avec lesquels je suis de Votre Excellence le tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur.

“To George Washington from Joseph-Léonard Poirey, 8 February 1791,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 7, 1 December 1790 – 21 March 1791, ed. Jack D. Warren, Jr. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998, p. 323.] (10/07/2022)

My translation:

M. de la Fayette gave me the Certificate of Captain in the service of the United States of America which you were kind enough to send to him for me: allow me to express my thanks to you and lay at your feet the homage of my gratitude and respect with which I am Your Excellency's very humble and very obedient servant.

La Fayette later reported to Washington on March 7, 1791:

You Have Made Mr Poirey the Happiest Man in the World for which Mde de Lafayette and Myself are Very thankfull.

“To George Washington from Lafayette, 7 March 1791,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 7, 1 December 1790 – 21 March 1791, ed. Jack D. Warren, Jr. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998, pp. 518–521.] (10/07/2022)

The Revolution, after 1792, was not kind at all to Joseph-Léonard Poirey. He was not imprisoned alongside La Fayette, to my knowledge, he never left the country, but I sadly have no greater detail on Poirey’s whereabouts during the Revolution. But by 1796 he and his family had hit a bottom low and Poirey felt himself forced to seek compensation from America for his unpaid service. He wrote to George Washington on May 12, 1796 after having sent a previous letter and an official petition in April of 1796:

(…) Without hope of advancement in my own Country, destitute of resources, and of fortune; permit me to ask your support, and to beg you to do with Congress, that which the General would, were he near you. I am indebted to your goodness for my official Brevet and admission into the Cincinnati. These honorable marks lead me to address myself to Congress. It is you, my General who can render homage to the truth, and who can ask of them for me that which would have been allowed me on my departure from america, and which modesty prevented me from soliciting of them.

Endnotes of “To George Washington from Joseph-Léonard Poirey, 27 February 1793,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 12, 16 January 1793 – 31 May 1793, ed. Christine Sternberg Patrick and John C. Pinheiro. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005, pp. 229–230.] (10/07/2022)

The petition was laid before the Congress and was debated over several days in a “Committee of the Whole”. Both James Madison as well as then-Secretary of War James McHenry (another one of La Fayette’s aide-de-camps that we will be covering in his series) were deeply invested in Poirey’s cause. Richard Peters had written to Madison on February 4, 1796 and given him (and us) some more background information:

This young Man never had a Commission tho’ he did the Duty he mentions. He came to this Country & left it with the Marquis. The Facts he states can be ascertained by those he refers to. If you think it necessary Mr Ternant will call on you. Monsr Poiret is a Citizen of the present Republic of France. He lives at Paris & maintains a Wife & 2 or 3 Children by the Labour of his Hands. I believe he is a Writer in some Office but whether public or private I know not. At any Rate he is poor & deserving a better Situation.

“To James Madison from Richard Peters, 4 February 1796,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 16, 27 April 1795 – 27 March 1797, ed. J. C. A. Stagg, Thomas A. Mason, and Jeanne K. Sisson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989, p. 212.] (10/07/2022)

Despite appearing to agree on the matter, it took Congress until the year 1819 to pay Poirey a compensation of $3,486. The House of Representatives passed the bill first on January 15 and the Senate passed the bill on February 17. Part of the problem seemed to be, that the statute of limitation had expired and that any move from Congress would solely be a gesture of goodwill. It was feared that Poirey’s treatment could create a precedent. One notable opponent of Poirey’s was Henry Dearborn. Poirey’s exemplary service and his close ties to La Fayette won Congress over in the end. Madison made two strong comments on the matter in Congress on January 9 and 11, 1796:

Messrs. Madison (…) supported the cause of M. Poira. They urged it as a singular case. It was asserted that M. La Fayette, and his family, were the only persons who had served in the war, with a previous profession that they would receive no pay. They denied that it was a claim of Justice; in that case, they allowed the statute of limitation would have barred it: It was a claim upon the equity and generosity of the nation. This gentleman, like his master, they said, had been overtaken by misfortune, and to refuse to afford him that relief which Justice must have paid him had he asked it at an earlier day, would be derogatory to the honour of the nation.

“Petition of Joseph-Léonard Poirey, [9 January] 1797,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 16, 27 April 1795 – 27 March 1797, ed. J. C. A. Stagg, Thomas A. Mason, and Jeanne K. Sisson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989, pp. 451–452.] (10/07/2022)

Mr. Madison observed, that if he saw any danger from the precedent of making this provision, he should not be for it; but he believed the precedent could not be extended to any other case. This officer, he had learnt, would have been put on the foreign list, had it not been that he was so wrapped up in the conduct of his general, as to consider it indelicate to receive any payment. He relied upon the prosperous fortune of general La Fayette for recompense. This had failed him. If, said Mr. M. any thing could afford comfort to the general in his present unfortunate confinement, it would doubtless be to find that the United States had extended their liberality to the relief of his faithful servant.

“Petition of Joseph-Léonard Poirey, [11 January] 1797,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 16, 27 April 1795 – 27 March 1797, ed. J. C. A. Stagg, Thomas A. Mason, and Jeanne K. Sisson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989, pp. 453–454.] (10/07/2022)

Madison’s second comment especially is interesting, for it shows us that Poirey and his family must have fallen on hard times before the La Fayette’s did, if he had previously been recompensated by them. By 1819, Thomas Jefferson had also invested himself in the case and it was he who could finally related the good news to Poirey on March 8, 1819:

I am happy in being able at length to send you a copy of the act of Congress authorising the compensation of your services which has been so long detained. you may on probable appearances suppose that a part of this delay has flowed from me. but it is not so. the office of Secretary at war was vacant a whole twelvemonth, and I knew it would only defeat your claim to let it be brought forward by a head-clerk, acting par interim. the present Secretary at war came into office on the rising of Congress so that he could not propose it till they met again for the following year. it was then presented, but as they never get thro half the bills before them, this laid over another year, and at their last meeting has got thro’. thus has this claim been unavoidably delayed three years. I presume it will now be necessary for you to state your account, get it certified by M. de la Fayette, and to send it to some person at Washington with a power of attorney regularly legalised according to the forms of your laws. perhaps some member of your diplomatic mission here. I am sorry I cannot offer you my services, but besides that my distance would occasion delay, the hand of age is pressing heavily on me, and the right wrist, which I dislocated at Paris, is become so stiff as to make writing a slow and painful business, & has obliged me to discontinue nearly all correspondence. but if you have no other resource, and will inclose to me a blank power of Attorney, I will fill the blank with the name of a faithful and attentive agent who will recieve & remit you the money. your papers are in the war office & I will see that they are safely returned to you. I salute you with great esteem & respect.

“Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Léonard Poirey, 8 March 1819,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 14, 1 February to 31 August 1819, ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2017, pp. 110–111.] (10/07/2022)

And last but certainly not least, yes, we do have a handwriting sample from Poirey – I am glad you asked. :-) Here is a short letter form Poirey to Thomas Jefferson on December 6, 1803:

Joseph Poirey to Thomas Jefferson, December 6, in French. -12-06, 1803. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress. (10/19/2022)

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bkdotblog · 2 years

Text

"Not a Yacht of Fun," S3 E9

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 3 Episode 9 Recap

My Title: "Champagne Problem"

My rating: 3 out of 10 years in prison (too much Jen)

Support for Lisa Barlow: Very strong

<><><>

We open in the restroom of Jen Shah's suburban mini-manse. She is putting in her contacts — having somehow already applied huge, downy fake lashes — and flashing back to the afternoon of her arrest at Beauty Lab and Laser.

In a narration, Shah explains how she began taking antidepressants after her father's death. Then she got to a good place... until her indictment for her part in a grand theft elder plot. Now she's depressed again :( Jen is living and breathing proof that money can buy happiness, no matter the cost. I love that for her and for us!

I think Matt Rogers said it best on la Las Culturistas podcastica: Jen's storyline has lost all of its water since her plea changed from "I'm innocent and wearing a little hat" to "I'm guilty but available for more reality work." (News broke this week that Jenné signed with CGEM Talent, signaling her exasperating intent to continue her entertainment career.) Whatever. Next!

Oh god. This season's triumvirate of villains — Heather Gay, Bad Angie, "Danna" — arrive to a brunch. And I mean literally, because when Heather and Danna enter the restaurant, everybody's food is already there! There's a club sandwich with fries that I really want to eat, a roll, some avocado halves...

The ladies are discussing the upcoming girls trip to San Diego, which has excluded Danna (for talking behind Jen's back) and Bad Angie (for being rude and insane generally). By commiserating with Danna, Heather is aligning herself squarely against Jen. She is now in conflict with every other housewife on the show, excluding Meredith. Good work, Hedda!

Not loving this faction!

We're back at the Shah rental. Meredith arrives in full traffic cone drag:

Jen explains that she's celebrating Ramadan by embracing peace. [BK's Take, earnest: One of my favorite things about RHOSLC is religion as a fortifying theme, like money in Beverly Hills or lineage in NY. Love to see how that refracts through the UNIQUE* prism of each Housewife.] Meredith takes this opportunity to see if she will embrace Danna on their San Diego girls trip. Jen begrudgingly agrees, sipping her tea.

*stream Renaissance!

Meanwhile, the other ladies are talking about how Jen is kind of a bitch. The conversation turns to the trip and Heather starts to tear up. "This trip, I feel like nobody actually wants me there?" she says. Then there is a brief and tasteful montage recapping her existing arguments, as if to say, yup! Let's see how this goes.

Also because I was rude about Meredith's fit earlier I will say that I loved the whole look when the coat was off, from head to fingernail to probably toe. My relationship to Meredith is tenuous but I have no choice in the end but to support authentic Midwestern representation!

(Here she is accepting the role of CEO of Fun for their San Diego trip.)

Housewives packing montage! I love this stuff. Lisa playfully suggests "running down to the Louis Vuitton store" to get more luggage. Seth Marks shows his beloved wife a pair of earrings and says "Lisa Barlow's not the richest anymore" or something. OK? Whitney is stuffing her brand new clothes into brand new luggage. "What do you think you'll get out of this trip?" Her husband asks. "A migraine," she deadpans.

Airport arrivals! Jen wearing a huge fur and looking chic, Good Angie wearing some god awful Cookie Monster looking sweatset, Lisa and Whitney looking appropriately glam lite. Danna arrives but weirdly doesn't say hi to anyone, standing off to the side until one of her friends shows up.

BK's Take: Weird thing for an adult to do!

Danna also reveals this is the first girl's trip she has ever been on.

They arrive to the house -- the AirBnb of it all -- only to find that it is actually kind of gorgeous. "A little Santorini," Lisa says. Jen is becoming peeved with Good Angie, who is showing everybody around the house that she booked. Whitney expresses confusion at who is "hosting" the trip. (Why?)

And now we have my third favorite kind of social situation in any Housewives ep, behind Explosive Restaurant Dinner (#2) and Explosive Charity Event (#1): House bedroom selection. For the first time in human history, there are enough bedrooms of quality for all guests to be comfortably situated. However, this is not good enough: Jen Shah bristles that she isn't in the master bedroom.

Whitney points out that Jen has been situated in the biggest bedroom in the last two of their trips, and opines that she should have it again, because, you know, her next bedroom could be:

BK's Take: It's not generous of her, but Good Angie has the right to the biggest bedroom, as she hooked up the house.

Good Angie tries to ignore Jen, but it doesn't work: Jen pours a glass of champagne on her in front of all of the other women right before the commercial break.

The ladies all react with stunned silence. In a confessional, Heather likens Good Angie to Sissy Spacek in Carrie:

Jen, ever the sociopath, now insists that the champagne thing was a fun JOKE, she was just JOKING, duh, why is everyone so SERIOUS?? She doubles down by asking Angie to pour champagne on HER head, and when Angie declines, very miffed, Jen pours it on her self!

EVEN CRAZIER is how everybody else reacts: With utter nothingness. In confessionals, Whitney objects; Heather Gay says it was funny; Meredith weirdly also suggests that she found it funny and not over the line?. But none actually say anything. In the aftermath, Lisa expresses regret for not calling out the behavior in the moment. But is escalation a good idea at all when Jen is feeling insecure?

Privately, to Lisa, Angie discloses what I'm sure will become this episode's banner accusation: That she not only hosted Coach Shah's birthday party on Jen's behalf but she also paid $15,000 for it.

She itemizes the costs: Dance floor $1500, clean up $500, appetizers $3000...

Angie says: "I could have bought my daughter a horse with that money," she says, "and you know what, I did do that!" And we get this image:

BK's Take: A little much, I think we get it. no need to bring Elektra into this!

Meredith says to Jen: "I honestly don't think [Angie's] really angry,"

Angie says to Lisa: "I'm so mad right now," and she's crying.

A chyron reminds us that this is still Day 1 of the trip.

Danna visits Heather in the casita. Heather says that she gets why Jen did the champagne thing -- she wanted Angie to shut up! Danna is like, sure, but there are other ways. Heather secretly says that she's happy for all of this drama because it's deflecting from her seven ongoing feuds.

Then, shockingly, Jen walks in!!

Jen is still on her "girls just wanna have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!" behavior, but says she'll talk to Danna later and exits. Hedda gives Danna actually good advice: Let's avoid incensing the hostess for now. Danna doesn't understand this, which bodes well.

The ladies gather in the massive kitchen, wearing their yachtiest garments. Some ladies cluster around Angie and others cluster around Jen. "The tension is rill," Whitney says. Angie reveals that she called her husband and drew a pretty thick red line between Jen conning elderly people out of money and withdrawing $15,000 from the Party Bank of Angie.

Tensions boil over in the sprinter van, with Angie wasting no time before lobbing the party stuff at Jen. Jen hits back with myriad defenses: First that she DID pay her back, second that actually she gave her a $5000 necklace, and lastly that friends don't invoice friends after hosting friend's husband's birthday party. All of the other ladies mutely watch, whipping their heads back and forth like they're watching tennis.

Angie 15, Jen Love.

On to the yacht. "A yacht is just a sprinter van on open water," Heather sagely observes.

WOW WOW WOW. THE NAME OF THE BOAT IS CHAMPAGNE!!!!

CHAMPAGNE!!!

Champagne.

Allah is good AND funny!

The episode ends shortly thereafter, but not before Jen begins to spin her wheels about Angie. As she has pointed out in every single episode this season, this is a very fragile time for her. Meredith is watching her like she's watching a building collapse on TV.

Jen says, to no one or to everyone in particular, "You know what? Fuck you."

BK's Take, retrospective: ONLY because Jen brought it up on the sprinter. In the very first episode of the entire series, we see Jen showing a Shah-mazing party for Meredith Marks' birthday that was actually just fine. But in the first season reunion, we find out that the party was supposed to honor both Meredith and Lisa, who's birthdays are close; the party in question was held ON Lisa's birthday proper, not Meredith's which was the next day; Both are Sagittarius queens; Lisa received a MUCH smaller cake and a non-televised celebration; Lisa gracefully didn't turn this into the storyline it could have been. That's called class — heard of it, Jennifer? — and it's the one thing you cannot buy.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! —BK

<><><>

Gay Imagery

She may be this season's villain, but we cannot deny that she is Heather Gay.

This is her ordering the omakase drink option from the yacht waitress:

And of course, her dropping her candy-colored luggage down the escalator at the airport:

See you next week!

#rhoslc #real housewives of salt lake city #real housewives of Salt Lake City recap #heather gay #Lisa barlow #Jen shah #champagne #bkdotblog recap #Jen shah trust you will be dealt with

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love-bokumono-fics · 1 month

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Fresh Crops! August 12 - August 18, 2024

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

*NOTE* Fics for the Bokumono Summer Exchange will not be included in the weekly post. They will have their own post when all stories are completed. 💜

The Village’s Flower - by WonderBun; WIP, 3/13, 7.1k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply' Category: F/M Fandom: Magical Melody Relationships: Amanda/All the bachelors, Amanda/Alex, Amanda/Basil, Amanda/Blue, Amanda/Bob, Amanda/Carl, Amanda/Dan, Amanda/Jamie, Amanda/Joe, Amanda/Kurt, Amanda/Louis, Amanda/Ray; Characters: Amanda, Alex, Basil, Blue, Bob, Carl, Dan, Jamie, Joe, Kurt, Louis, Ray Additional Tags: nurse outfit, Spanking Summary: Amanda sees Flower Bud Village’s Exciting New Ranch Plan as a chance at a new life. But the village has some strange customs, and all the men are so dashing…..

Tumblr Posts for A Wonderful Life Characters - by actaeoncross; WIP, 55/?, 64k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Multiple Characters x Reader; Characters: Celia | Seperia, Cody, Daryl, Flora, Gustafa, Lumina, Marlin | Mash, Matthew, Gordy, Cecilia, Muffy, Molly, Nami, Rock, Reade Summary: A collection of Tumblr posts for A Wonderful Life Characters x Reader prompts.

Cafe Castanet - by strawberrylemonwedge; Complete, 2/2, 6.3k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationship: Chase/Molly the Farmer; Characters: Molly the Farmer, Chase, Maya, Luke the Carpenter, Owen, Luna, Wizard Gale Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Romance, Fluff, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Ten Years Ago Summary: High School seniors Molly and Chase have been friends for years. Now they're working together at the city's newest coffee shop, Café Castanet. Things can get pretty dull during the slow night shift but familiar faces, strange guests, and maybe a little romance will help spice up the night.

A Story of Seasons: The Story of Jill | Volume II: Summer - by Celeste_Adia; WIP, 18/21, 115k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: DS Cute, Friends of Mineral Town, A Wonderful Life Characters: Pony | Aya | Jill, Takakura, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Kai, Witch Princess, Harvest Sprites, Cliff, Gray, Popuri, Pete | Jack, Lumina, Muffy | Molly, Harvest Goddess Gaia Summary: Months have passed since Jill began her new life in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Summer is here, and residents are preparing for festivals and the return of familiar faces from Mineral Town, including the arrival of Kai, an easygoing traveler who plans to stay for the season. Caught up in the festivities, Jill entangles herself with him and other Mineral Town folk, which can be quite a distraction from farm work. Meanwhile, the third anniversary of Jack's passing looms near, forcing his loved ones, especially his widowed wife Juliet, to reminisce on their past with him and continue to find reasons to move forward. Drought plagues the valley, causing farming to become more strenuous... And dangerous. Despite the hauntings of the past and the increasing intensity of the summer heat, Jill is determined to keep her head up and endure through her least favorite time of the year, no matter what it takes.

Applejack Rabbit - by Tomocum; Complete, 1/1, 1.9k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationship: Angela the Farmer/Harvest King Ignis; Characters: Angela the Farmer, Harvest King Ignis, Gill Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some NSFT tags have been removed. Please see AO3 for complete list** Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Cheating, Infidelity, Adultery, NTR | Netorare, Giants, Size Difference, Size Kink, Cuckolding, Belly Bulge, humiliation Summary: Angela is a little too happy whenever she comes back from the mines. Her husband, Gill, has his suspicions realized in the worst way.

He and She - by Rune_Tales (Feudal_Faerie_Tales); WIP, 9/?, <100

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/M, M/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Gray, Karen/Rick, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff, Kai/Popuri, Elli/Doctor Trent | Torre; Characters: Claire, Gray, Kai, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Cliff, Popuri, Karen, Elli | Elly, Doctor | Trent, Mary the Librarian | Marie, Rick, The Kappa, Harvest Goddess Additional Tags: Fanfiction, YouTube, Embedded Video, Eventual Romance, Drama, Drama & Romance, Mystery, Mild Language, Friendship, Falling In Love, Time Travel, Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Marriage, Suffering, Sad and Happy, Happy Ending Summary: A group of friends in Mineral Town experience strained relationships due to romantic misunderstandings. Gray is interested in Claire, Ann has a crush on Cliff, and Popuri wants to distance herself from Kai. As the year progresses, financial troubles and personal challenges intensify, leading to near tragedy. Kai attempts to reconcile, but a mysterious Goddess may hold the key to resolving the turmoil after the New Year.

Sing Like A Bee - by Tomocum; Complete, 1/1, 1.7k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationship: Harvest Goddess Sephia | Megami-sama/Kasey | Yuukil; Characters: Harvest Goddess Sephia, Kasey the Farmer Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some NSFT tags have been removed. Please see complete list on AO3** Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Giantess, Size Difference, Size Kink, Giants, Impregnation, Breeding Summary: Kasey wants a child.

One Not Safe For Tumble fic by fandomrper titled Trent's Bathroom Adventure

#fresh crop monday #harvest moon #story of seasons #animal parade #friends of mineral town #hm ds cute #a wonderful life #magical melody

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 1 year

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"Guard Assured At Plage Laval," Montreal Star. July 30, 1943. Page 3. --- Provincial Police To Bolster Town Force ---- Calm prevails in Plage Laval today as the town's police committee jooks toward the approaching week-end. While trouble is not discounted entirely, officials believe that Saturday and Sunday will come without untoward incidents. In any event, Plage Laval police are on the job, the police committee emphasized.

Oiner Briere, president of the committee said he could see no point of making "a national issue" of a "week-end brawl." There was no desire to demand the assistance of Hon. Louis St. Laurent, Minister of Justice or of Hon. Leon Casgrain, Provincial Attorney General. He described as "lies" the allegations that Jewish home owners of the district were fearing for their lives or property.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director Louis Jargaille of the provincial police, told the committee today that the provincial police will also step into the picture and insure order. Whether gangs from nearby Ste. Rose and Ste. Dorothee will show up is a matter of conjecture. Certainly, the scene of last weekend's right, the Kosy Korner, will have adequate policing, he indicated.

Order To Be Maintained Plage Laval police under Chief L. Bolduc are organized to keep the peace, and they insist that "order will be maintained." In this connection the police have brought tear gas, shotguns, revolvers and clubs.

Some citizens are still indignant and are showing anxiety over the condition of Moe Herscovitch, whose condition was reported im- proving today in the Jewish General Hospital.

The Canadian Army Provost Corps is reported to be ready in case of trouble. Two army privates and several sailors and airmen were involved in last week's free-for-all. One airman, Charles Kassner, who was on sick leave and visiting friends at the summer resort, was knocked down, when he reached the Kosy Korner, and beaten up, it was reported, by hoodlums wearing brass knuckles.

It is expected that Chief Bolduc will make several arrests today or tomorrow of those suspected to have been in last Saturday's fracas. Congress Issues Statement A statement issued today from the Joint Public Relations Commit- tee, Canadian Jewish Congress, follows:

"The Canadian Jewish Congress has since Monday, July 26, been in communication with the Attorney General, Hon, Leon Casgrain, and his deputy, Leopold Desilets.

"The congress, through the offices of the Attorney-General, has been assured that the entire matter will be probed and that police protection will be available so that the residents of the area need have no fears. The congress is receiving the fullest support and assistance from the authorities of this province, who are anxious to maintain the spirit of law and order, which in a country under the British flag is "guaranteed."

#montreal #plage laval #dance hall #street fight #violent brawl #aggravated assault #antisemitism in canada #public disorder #disorderly conduct #canada during world war 2 #crime and punishment in canada #history of crime and punishment in canada

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1d-discourseoftheday · 4 years

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Thurs 28 Jan ‘21

Zayn is doing a Zach Sang interview!! A whole long talk with someone we can trust to ask him good questions and be respectful and be funny, um YES THANK YOU?! What a good choice for such a rare interview, I love that. We don't know when, but Zach is asking for questions now. And parts 3 and 4 of the NIL comic are up, set to songs 3 and 4 off the album. Who is chasing our protagonist and why? Stay tuned for weekly updates! Meanwhile back in Bradford, Zayn's sisters Doniya and Safaa show off the mini Aristocats themed princess paradise they've created for baby Khai and Zayn's niece Zaniyah to share, complete with mini pink poofy furniture and their names painted on the walls with pink sparkles and pictures of Aristocat Marie. If that doesn't make little Khai feel wanted and welcomed for visits IDK what could!

Another set of pap pics of shirtless Niall working out in his garage in LA yesterday; he's tummy out, waving a laptop overhead while juggling a can of water and a phone and a towel and looking like a raccoon caught in the trash in most of them, just being a living meme. They (Niall) say you only get papped by choice and this is no exception- observe how he chooses to just stay right there in view staring the pap down while they snap him, doors still open (and is right on top of any opportunity to remind us about the wonders of canned water besides)- but that doesn't mean he's gonna look happy about it by god! The one of him craning his neck to look at the camera over his own crotch while weight lifting in particular was uh a choice and a half of a pose to drop into when you know there are paps shooting. He also won Irish Song of the Year in the RTE’s voted awards (of course he did!) for No Judgement.

LTHQ posted the first of probably many things about the upcoming one year anniversary of the Walls release: a fanart contest, with chosen pieces for each song to be posted to spotify on Sunday, the anniversary. I look forward to the 'find the larry art they accidentally let slip in' treasure hunt! Fans hoped in vain that the 28th would bring a special anniversary merch drop (or We Made It merch, is it EVER coming??), but alas; no merch drop today. Louis just liked a post from footballer Steven Gerrard about a 40+ artist (including Liam Gallagher) livestream to benefit stagehand and food security charities (because ofc he did it’s like that post was crafted just for him) and another friend of his (Donny boy boxer Dave Allen) said they "just talked to him earlier", he's just on the phone all the time huh? Lockdown mood tbh, I get it.

And in today's Holivia watch? A NEW HIGH LOW... the tabloids are out to prove they've utterly lost the plot and will just write LITERALLY ANYTHING including just wholly making up the story of H and O's ENGAGEMENT!! I feel sorry for the fans who are dutifully trying to swallow everything they're being fed, the whiplash from last week's "Harry doesn't like marriage" stories must be painful! APPARENTLY Harry "dropped to one knee" (but was it the si knee or the no knee? Inquiring minds want to know!) outside "his LA house" (hmm) and brought Olivia to tears (of laughter I'm guessing) by quoting Shakespeare (“Love me!... Why?” perhaps, or “et tu brute?”...?) In case this wasn't Wattpad Imagine enough for you, they also tell us that Olivia "has always been a fan" like... ew? Also, since when? But that's not all! They've already had time to PLAN it all out-- for example, Harry is "designing the dress" aww- that's almost enough to make you wish it was true, I bet he'd look really pretty in something he designed himself! Anywaaaaay, if they're concerned about people not buying what they're selling this is uh, NOT the right approach to combat that lol, Jeff you might wanna have words with these people! If they're trying to make me laugh however, KUDOS it is going REALLY WELL. Also! Harry's "secret" finsta (hahhahaha we're beyond that surely, can we all agree that the things we're seeing with this account are very much for us to see at this point?) unfollowed someone, Harry recorded a message sending congratulations for his new music to 14 year old singer Jackson Dollinger, and another Harry from another band (Judd, McFly) shared a terrifying memory of being driven around LA by a gleeful Harry (Styes, 1D) in a Ferrari and the realization that if they'd d*** he'd be relegated to a footnote.

#zayn #niall horan #louis tomlinson #sometimes I have the strongest urge to just type louistommalommadingdang instead #harry styles #literally no point in teasing out inconsistencies in such nonsense but I laughed at the house bit #that would be Jeff's place that Harry's name is currently on (presumably to give him residency for COVID travel reasons while he's staying t #there or some kind of rich people tax thing)#28 jan 21 #holivia #lollll #meanwhile briana out there following larries probably trying to figure out where louis is #obvs she's at odds with larries but when you think about it she Knows you know?#it makes sense she's look to us for other info too

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1ddiscourseoftheday · 4 years

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Thurs 4 Feb ‘21

Confirmation is here at last of Harry’s role in the film adaptation of My Policeman, brought to us by queer fave Greg Berlanti (and his husband). Harry will costar with Emma Corrin, who you may remember from the at the time inexplicable seeming Harry/Emma cross promo last August-- given the pains they took then to emphasize that the relationship was platonic, one assumes this film will go for a different promo tactic than the current one! They share a stylist though, so they’ll no doubt be beautifully coordinated. Harry will play Tom, which some people object to on the grounds that Harry is the wrong person to play the role of a closeted man which is certainly… one opinion. Aaaaand there’s plenty more of that discourse (and about him playing a policeman) to come over the coming months so I’ll just leave it there for now! Anyway and as for that current project, we got more DWD set pics today, featuring Harry in various costume outfits! There’s ones where his character looks bloodied, and ones where his character looks clean but absolutely terrifying, grown up frat boy from hell looks to give you CHILLS, plus some of Harry as Harry in a bright orange hoodie designed by his friend Kunichi Nomura.There was also {moustache spoilers} some weird facial hair on display. Okay then!

Project Defenseless has been launched to push Defenseless up in the streaming charts and push for radio play! The fan single project offers resources and organized pushes to get people streaming and promoting on all the platforms and reaching out to radio, and has fans making lots of very cool edits besides! “I see what you’re doing with defenseless! You are all incredible!” said Louis. That song is such a fitting choice for this kind of project! Its journey has been all about the fan response from back when Louis played it for us for the very first time in 2019 (it was the one everyone was screaming about from soundcheck clips for the few hours between that and hearing the songs for real even) and afterwards he told us about how although he’d always liked the song it clicked for him in a new way after getting the fan reaction, saying “something happened to it when I performed it live, and ever since then it really kind of got me,” and “the fans make everything sound amazing, they made it sound so good,” and “the fans for whatever reason really took to this song, so now it has a special place in me heart definitely”. Plus of course there was the long saga of fan stress when it seemed like it might not be on the album and rejoicing when Louis finally definitively confirmed that it would be, after what seemed like might have been a reversal on his part due to the outcry about it. And now she’s climbing all kinds of charts like a the star she is! The song shot up on itunes (#3 worldwide, #1 in 16 countries) just for starters and the project has only just got going. Louis commented on the stats-- “An album track off an album that’s a year old. You lot blow my fucking mind! Thank you so much!”

Louis also commented on a Jack Saunders (BBC indie music DJ) tweet and followed guitarist Johnny Took of the DMAs on twitter which is weird only in that he didn’t already.

There’s news about Zayn’s Zach Sang interview, and it’s not the most surprising news but it is very sad; Zach says “hi beautiful humans, this convo was scheduled for last week but we got a rain check from his team. this conversation can still happen, it ain’t over yet! we’ll keep ya in the loop. I listened to this album 7 times! we’re determined” Well... damn. However Zayn DID pop up with some spon-content but like… the WEIRDEST ad content?? It’s for Coors Light and, well I’ll let Zayn tell you about it! “They’re gonna see if they can put a commercial inside your dreams... which is kind of messed up.” HAHAHAHA I have nothing to add! What Zayn said!!! “So we’re gonna give that a go and uh see if it works,” he says, sounding appropriately skeptical, followed by “wish me luck”. Does this kind of sponcon count as malicious compliance? Technically he DID say the stuff he was supposed to- and he’s doing an instagram live for them Sat, supposedly. I can’t wait to see how that goes! Wish him luck! The latest installment of the NIL comic book video series is also out today, but just one this time instead of a pair. This week’s song is Connexion and the new comic shows us that the figure pursuing our hero is, drumroll-- himself! The call is coming from inside the house!

Unlike interview shy Zayn, however, Gigi is out there ready to overshare, as long as it’s to Vogue. She has plenty to say about giving birth to zaby Khai (newly revealed nickname: Khaiba) at home at the Pennsylvania farm. The article says that they decided to have the birth at home due to COVID placing restrictions on hospital births that would have prevented Bella and Zayn and Yolanda all being present, and after she and Zayn watched the documentary The Business of Being Born. “They placed a blow-up bath in their bedroom and sent their three cats and border collie away when the midwife expressed concern that the sphynx and Maine coon felines might puncture the tub with their claws,” the interviewer learns while horseback riding with Gigi. The article also says Zayn “caught the baby” but it isn’t a direct quote from Gigi and I’m thinking a bit of an exaggeration perhaps. Gigi had the baby at the Hadid family farm but she and Zayn have since relocated to live at his farm, which is nearby, where they say they will be raising the child, with Z’s mom Trisha coming to stay to help out for the first month, that Khai sleeps with them, and that Zayn said his experience of the whole thing reminded him of the birth in a lion documentary they’d watched. Neither mentioned it but it has been spotted that Gigi and Zayn each now have tattoos of the name, Khai, in Arabic.

Meanwhile, Niall surfaced only in golf guy mode- a Modest Golf announcement and a podcast appearance to promote the new Modest initiative to get young people into playing golf. He says they want to “get rid of that thing that’s been holding golf back for a long time, that it’s a boring sport…” and I know he means he’s trying to combat that idea but when I tell you I LAUGHED!

#Harry styles #louis tomlinson #zayn #niall horan #a week before Louis confirmed that Defenseless would be on Walls he said in an interview that the rock version of Just Hold On was on the al #album #it seemed like that got bumped in favor of defenseless due to fan rallying #there had been things he’d said that made us think defenseless wasn’t on the album #which UNFORTUNATELY I COULD NOT FIND which is very annoying but I remember that there was a reason we thought that #he had said some things #Barry McGee #the degrees of separation between Harry and myself get thinner every day but will I ever meet him? NO :(#tbh do I even want to in some weird awkward way maybe also no but still sigh #4 feb 21 #greg berlanti #the zaby #Kunichi Nomura #emma corrin #jack saunders #johnny took #zach sang #project defenseless #zigi #gigi hadid #me: just peacefully trying to crank out a huge post about the history of defenseless and fans #stuff: KEEPS HAPPENING all DAY

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miserablesme · 3 years

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The Les Miserables Changelog Part 1: Barbican Previews

Hello everyone! I'm starting out a blog which will look at my favorite musical, Les Miserables, and will discuss the various changes it has gone through over time (musically and lyrically). As it turns out, a LOT of edits have been made over the years so this will doubtless be a series with several parts.

This first part may well be the most difficult and will almost certainly be the most incomplete, as previews can be a time of extensive editing and experimentation. At least for the first few weeks or so, it's perfectly possible any one day of previews will be slightly different than any other day. However, I only have access to two audios from the Barbican Theatre previews of Les Miserables, meaning it's likely that lyrical variants exist which I have no way of hearing.

I am aware of the existence of a third audio which is fairly early in the run of previews, as the tape's master has told me that Gavroche's death scene is in its original form (I'll clarify that later). However, that tape has never been traded, and has sadly only been listened to by its master. I am also aware of a video proshot of the Barbican era that exists in the Royal Shakespeare Company library, but currently have no access to it. I plan to inquire about whether I can look at it sometime (though I'm not sure a blog like this is "official" enough to warrant it for research purposes). As such, this comparison only entails the two widely circulated audios from the Barbican run.

Now that we've gotten that cleared up, let's get started!

First, let's look at the opening "Work Song". In the earlier recording I have (let's call it R1), the beginning music (the same tune used, for instance, at the opening of "At the End of the Day" and "One Day More" and for Marius and Cosette's meeting in "The Robbery") stops. Then, a few moments later, the more familiar opening that leads directly into the prologue begins. By the time of the later recording I have (let's call it R2), the scores have been combined so that the first tune directly transitions into the second one.

Meanwhile, in R1 there is a sequence of lines that goes as follows:

I've done no wrong

Sweet Jesus, hear my prayer

Look down, look down

Sweet Jesus doesn't care

I killed a man

He tried to steal my wife

Look down, look down

She wasn't worth your life

I know she'll wait

I know that she'll be true

Look down, look down

She's long forgotten you

Most fans of the musical recognize the middle sequence of lines ("I killed a man" through "She wasn't worth your life") as no longer being lines in the show (for good reason, as we'll get into in a later edition of this blog). However, R2 keeps the lines. Instead, it deletes the third sequence ("I know she'll wait" through "She's long forgotten you"). I have no idea if this lasted only a few performances or made it all the way to the end of the Barbican run, or somewhere in between.

During "On Parole", specifically after Valjean is underpaid for his labor and sings about his frustration, R1 uses a variation of the "Work Song" theme which, to my recollection, is heard nowhere else in the musical. It can be heard here. By R2, it was switched to an in-tune version of the number with a unique opening. The musical retains that version to this day, but in case you can't recall it you can hear it here.

Minus an unintentional line flub in "At the End of the Day" in R2, the two Barbican recordings seem to use the same libretto and score from this point until "The Runaway Cart". At this point, R1 has a rather extensive scene leading up to Valjean saving Fauchelevent, which goes approximately as follows (the dialog is difficult to make out):

(VALJEAN)

Is there anyone here who will rescue the man?

Who will help me to shoulder the weight of the cart?

I will pay any man thirty louis d’or more

I will do it myself if there’s no one who will

We can’t let him die like that down in the street

Can you all watch him die and do nothing at all?

(FAUCHELEVENT)

Don’t approach me, Monsieur Mayor

The cart’s not gonna be holding

Not my poor mother would care if I should die

(TOWNSPEOPLE)

Don't go near him, Monsieur Mayor

There's nothing at all you can do

The old man's a goner for sure

Leave him alone

Most of that dialog is deleted in R2, so that it goes directly from "Who will help me to shoulder the weight of the cart" to "Don't go near him, Monsieur Mayor". I really like the idea of the original version; it seems reasonable that Valjean, having become a more trusted man, would expect the townspeople to help him. It's more meaningful that Valjean is good enough to do what's right when there's more time to establish that no one else is. Having said that, the original version did take quite a while and didn't really contain any relevant information that wasn't in the final version. I think the cut version as heard in R2 is a good compromise and retains the general mood and pacing to make Valjean's ultimate action satisfying (something that can't be said of later cuts, as will be discussed in a future edition of this blog).

Additionally, at the end of the number Javert refers to "the mark upon his skin" in R1 and "the brand upon his skin in R2 (as well as literally every subsequent performance since then to my knowledge). I have no idea if the "mark" line was a minor flub or was actually the original lyric.

"Who Am I?" is an interesting one. The musical content is identical in R1 and R2, but in R1 after his high note, Valjean shouts "You know where to find me!" with emotion so dramatic it sits right on the border between awesome and campy. By contrast, Valjean is totally silent after his high note in R2. Neither version would see its final day just yet, although the latter certainly has become more traditional over time. More on that in future editions.

From this point until "Master of the House" everything is the same between the two recordings. Roger Allam even comes in slightly late in both "Confrontation" scenes (making his line "-jean, at last...")! However, in the opening to "Master of the House" the following lines occur in R1:

(THENARDIER)

My band of soaks, my den of dissolutes

My dirty jokes, my always pissed as newts

My sons of whores

Spend their lives in my inn

Homing pigeons flying in

They fly through my doors

And their money's good as yours

(CUSTOMERS)

Ain't got a clue what he put into his stew

Must've scraped it off the street

Hell, what a wine

Châteauneuf de Turpentine

Must've pressed it with his feet

Landlord over here

Where's the bloody man

One more for the road

One more slug of gin

Just one more or my old man is gonna do me in

All of those lines would be scrapped in R2. Personally I prefer this shortened variant than the one that would occur much later. Sure, some fun moments get lost, but nothing that actually adds any substance or characterization to the musical (unlike the later cut, which I'll discuss in a later edition of this blog). Some have speculated that this is simply lost dialog due to a tape flip of degrading, given that future performances would retain those lines. However, there is firsthand confirmation that the cuts were in fact part of the performance. To quote Trevor Nunn on page 87 of 1990's The Complete Book of Les Miserables (a page which elaborates that "the cost of overtime incurred after three hours could be crippling at a time when Les Miserables was still trying to find an audience"):

"Cameron wanted major cuts, which would have reduced its length to two and a half hours. I resisted, refusing to discuss things on those terms... Some of the other proposed cuts - like the removal of the "Master of the House" scene-setting preamble - were tried out in previews and then restored as the scenes would not work without them."

From a historical perspective that quote is invaluable. As will be brought up in a later blog post (notice a pattern today?) the musical would in fact be cut much later to avoid overtime charges. When people like myself have expressed the opinion that these cuts come at the expense of artistic integrity, I've seen others defend them by claiming that the overtime costs never were relevant to Cameron and the gang until Broadway sales began to go down, and that if they were taken into account the musical may well be in its shortened form from the beginning. However, this quote proves that argument to be false. Right from day one, the crew was aware that retaining a >3 hour runtime would come with severe financial costs, but this was deemed a worthy sacrifice in order to tell the story they wanted told. Indeed, it sounds like Cameron Mackintosh was waiting quite some time to enact his infamous cuts! (Cameron Mackintosh valuing profit above art?! Crazy, right??)

But I digress. Going back to the musical, the "Waltz of Treachery" number is mostly the same. However, after Valjean's "It won't take you too long to forget" line, R1 has over a minute of wordless vamping which leads right into the rather awkwardly-placed "Stars" song. By contrast, in R2 this vamping (which is still a minute long, mind you) leads into a humming duet between Little Cosette and Valjean, similar to the duet right before the number. A nice little bookend that makes the scene feel all the more resolved. (Much later this duet reprise would ironically be scrapped again, though!) The remaining segment of R1's vamping now plays after this sequence in R2.

Minus some unintentional missed lines at the beginning of "Stars" in R1, the recordings seem to follow the same libretto right up until "One Day More". Here, R1 uses the following lines:

(EPONINE)

One more day with him not caring

(MARIUS and COSETTE)

Was there ever love so true?

(EPONINE)

What a life I might have known

(MARIUS and COSETTE)

I was born to be with you

However, by R2 this scene is in its current form:

(EPONINE)

One more day with him not caring

(MARIUS and COSETTE)

I was born to be with you

(EPONINE)

What a life I might have known

(MARIUS and COSETTE)

And I swear I will be true

And that closes act one! Going on to the second act, the opening barricade scene has a few changes. First off, following the opening notes, R1 features a rather odd tune bearing resemblance to "Do You Hear the People Sing" (which can be heard here) before transitioning to a more true-to-form instrumental reprise of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" By contrast, R2 goes straight from the opening notes to the true-to-form reprise.

Next, Enjolras proclaims "Have faith in yourself and do not be afraid" in R1, while in R2 he instead states "Every man to his duty and don't be afraid". It's unknown if this was an intentional libretto change or if it simply reflects a flub during R1. A later sequence uses the "Have faith in yourself" line, meaning he may have just sung the wrong line for that particular scene.

Finally, R1 includes the following sequence (at least I think this is how it goes, since the lyrics are a little hard to hear):

(PROUVAIRE)

And the people will fight

(GRANTAIRE)

And join with you

Who gives a speech in the square

Fortunately, R2 uses a much less clunky (though still somewhat so) sequence:

(PROUVAIRE)

And the people will fight

(GRANTAIRE)

And so they might

Some will bark, some will bite

This isn't quite its current form ("dogs" and "fleas" will soon respectively replace the two usages of "some"), but it's pretty darn close.

I've heard that the very first Barbican preview(s?) didn't have a finalized opening to "On My Own". Sadly there is no known audio record of this, so I cannot comment on what exactly it began as. As such, the next major change takes place during Gavroche's death scene. This honestly is probably the biggest of all the changes between the two recordings. R1 uses the following death scene (in the tune of "Look Down" right up until the "So never kick a dog" verse, which is in the tune of "Little People"):

How do you do, my name’s Gavroche

These are my people, here’s my patch

Not much to look at, nothing posh

Nothing that you’d call up to scratch

Some fool, I bet, whose brains are made of fat

Picks up a gun and shoots me down

Nobody told him who he’s shooting at

He doesn’t know who runs this town

Life’s like that

There’s some folk

Missed the joke

That’s three, that’s three

That one has done for me

Too fast, too fast

They’ve got Gavroche at last

So never kick a dog

Because he’s just a pup

You better run for cover when the pup grows...

By contrast, R2 uses a much shorter variant which is set entirely to the tune of "Little People":

And little people know

When little people fight

We may look easy picking but we've got some bite

So never kick a dog

Because he's just a pup

You'd better run for cover when the pup grows up

And we'll fight like twenty armies and we won't give...

This is much closer to its current form, although the last two lines are inverted (we'll get to that in a later edition).

We now fast-forward to "Dog Eats Dog", which while recognizable is very different from the number we know today. The chorus of R1 claims that "It's a dirty great sewer that's crawling with rats", which R2 changes it to "stinking great sewer" instead. I'd definitely say the revised lyric better captures Thenardier's and the sewer's grossness.

Additionally, regarding Marius' ring, Thenardier originally exclaims that he "didn't mean to waste it, that would really be a crime". By R2, the line changes to "wouldn't want to waste it", which I'd say makes a lot more sense.

"Javert's Suicide" has changed a lot. R1 features the following remarks following "Vengeance was his and he gave me back my life":

Damned if I live in this caper of grace

Damned if I live in the debt of Valjean

I'll spit his pity right back in his face

Is this the law or has sanity gone?

(I'm a little unsure as to how accurate the final line is.)

By R2, the lines have been replaced with the current ones:

Damned if I live in the debt of a thief

Damned if I yield at the end of the chase

I am the law and the law is not mocked

I'll spit his pity right back in his face

In R1, the "Where's the new world, now the fighting's done" line is absent, and there is nothing but instrumentals in the segment where it is usually sung. By contrast, it is sung as usual in R2. My guess is that an actress simply forgot her line in R1 and it was always supposed to be there, though I can't say for sure.

The final change occurs at the wedding scene. The singing which opens the number is repeated in R1. By contrast, R2 has it sung once and then done with, as it currently is (and as it should be in my opinion, since the music isn't particularly pretty and contributes nothing to the plot).

Later in the same scene, R1 includes approximately this exchange (again, it's quite hard to make out the exact lyrics):

(THENARDIER)

I was there

Never fear

Even got me this fine souvenir

He was there

Her old dad

*indecipherable* and fleecing this lad

Robbed the dead

That's his way

(MME. THENARDIER)

That's worth five hundred any old day

(MARIUS)

I know this...

By R2, everything between "He was there" and "Any old day" were removed, which makes sense given that they essentially just rehash what was already said.

Finally, there's a subtle difference in the epilogue, specifically during the "Do You Hear the People Sing?" reprise. In R1, the ensemble sings "They will live again in glory in the garden of the Lord". R2 replaces the word "glory" with "freedom", and that word remains the one used to this day. I suppose "freedom" is more appropriate for the context of peace and prosperity. To many, I'd guess that "glory" conjures imagery of knights, battles, and the like; just the kind of violence that the characters wish to move away from! I have no idea if this was why the writers changed the lyric, but it's my hypothesis.

Towards the end of the show, the chorus in R1 sings "Even the darkest moon will end and the sun will rise". By R2, this is changed to "the darkest night". Makes more sense to me, since moons aren't known for being particularly dark!

And that just about sums this part up! If I missed anything feel free to let me know, as my goal is to create a changelog as thorough and complete as possible. I plan on making more parts in the near future covering all the changes that have been made in the show up until this day (discounting concerts). Any feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated.

As a side note, both for this project and my own enjoyment, I want as complete a collection of Les Miserables audios as possible. I already have most of what's commonly circulated, but if you have any audios or videos you know are rare, I'd love it if you DMed me!

Until the turntable puts me at the forefront again, good-bye...

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sunflowerim · 3 years

Text

I LOVE YOU 3000!

-PART 37

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Every day with Louis was a new adventure and Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy. It's like he'd been missing out on something all his life and Louis fit in his life like the missing piece.

The movie marathon was going pretty good too and Harry planned on another night stay at Louis' coming Saturday but the weekend had different plans.

Weekend 6

When Louis rang the bell to Harry's apartment, he was greeted by a cheerful man in his late twenties.

"Hello sir, you must be Mr. Tomlinson. I'm Dave, Harry's personal assistant."

"Hi and please call me Louis," Louis called, making his way in.

"Harry said the same thing when I joined," Dave smiled, gesturing Louis to follow him, as he led the way to Harry's room. Clifford sniffed around aggressively and Louis had to keep tugging the leash to hold him still.

On reaching the door, Louis handed one of the bags he was holding to Dave, "Can you heat the soup and bring it in a bowl?"

"Yes sir, sure."

Dave took the bag from Louis' hand a retreated from the bedroom.

Louis slowly opened the door to find Harry on his bed, duvet yanked up to his chest, staring hard at the ceiling. With a loud bark Clifford jumped towards the bed but got stuck due to the leash. Louis removed it from his neck and at once Clifford was jumping playfully on Harry, trying to tug at the duvet and licking him.

"Did you miss me Cliffy?"

Clifford responded in joyous barks and settled himself beside Harry.

Louis proceeded towards the armchair near the foot of Harry's bed, but Harry stopped him.

"Sit here Lou," he said, patting the area of the bed next to him, "it's not contagious. And oh my god you brought your guitar too?!"

"Yeah, I wondered if music would make you feel better" Louis replied making his way over to Harry.

"It sure will!!" Harry replied enthusiastically. "Now what's that?" Harry asked, pointing to the colourful paper bag on Louis' hand.

"Uh I got you chocolates," he said, handing the bag to Harry, "and umm the dvds of the next 3 movies too incase you were bored."

Harry's eyes were gleaming with joy. He smiled and mouthed a silent thank you to Louis who had sat himself beside Harry.

"So what do you wanna do today?" Louis asked, resting his hand on Harry's head and brushing his forehead with the tip of his tongue.

"You tell me. You've come all armed to rescue me from boredom." Louis smiled at that and Harry cooed, "my knight in shining armor."

"Shut up Haz," Louis giggled.

"You could hug me while we watch a movie."

Louis bit back a smile and said, "Okay as long as you don't fall asleep."

"Ugh, you'll keep bringing that up won't you?"

"Always."

Meanwhile Dave came back with a tray containing a bowl of soup, spoons and Harry's medicines.

"Aw thanks Dave," Harry said as Dave set the tray on the bed.

"It wasn't me. Louis brought it for you."

Harry whipped his head instantly towards Louis who ducked his head, face hiding under his fringes.

Harry watched as Dave left the room, Clifford following behind and then turned to Louis again.

"You - you cooked?"

"Yeah," Louis replied sheepishly, "asked Mum for the recipe. She helped me through."

"Oh -- Lou, I -- I'm -- thanks," Harry blurted, not knowing what else to say.

"Save that for later. First see if it's edible or not."

It was.

And Harry loved it.

And he kept saying that over and over again.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the most random things and if it had been somebody else, Louis would probably would have ended up sassing them, but with Harry, every bit of it made sense. They finished the movie Harry fell asleep watching and after another round of meal and medicine for Harry, Louis took out his guitar and played soft tunes. He remembered all of Harry's favourite songs and played them one by one till Harry fell asleep.

Louis caressed Harry's face and leaned in to kiss his forehead and in a minute he'd packed up his guitar. He sat for a while longer beside Harry, gazing at the perfect boy who was fast asleep, for whom Louis had cooked the first meal in his life.

He whistled to Clifford, who was playing an animated game of catch with Dave and soon left, after having a word with Dave. He'd visit again tomorrow.

The next day, as much as Louis wanted to spend his day with Harry, it wasn't possible. He got stuck at work (a very important meeting according to Nick) and it was a long day. It was almost 7 p.m. before he finished and left for Harry's at once.

Harry looked a little better. Some colour seemed to have returned to his cheeks and he was more than pleased to see Louis.

They talked for sometime and Harry would have loved it if Louis stayed the night but Cliff was alone.

With great reluctance Harry let Louis go, but any disappointed he was feeling disappeared in a second when Louis stood up and kissed the top of Harry's head, murmuring a low "take care, Haz" before leaving out the door.

On Monday, Harry was feeling very stiff and wanted Louis to go for a morning walk with him.

It was a pleasant morning, just the right amount of warm with a light breeze.

Harry had wanted to buy ice cream again, and Louis had to drag him away. Louis' walking playlist wasn't according to Harry's taste who was in a really jumpy mood.

There was a moment where Harry wanted to hold Louis' hand but thought better of it when he saw people recognising him.

Finally after a solid 2 hours, Louis walked Harry to his apartment, near which he'd parked his own car and drove back home.

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INTRO

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