#terrible two day fest

[inuiiwonderland]

BABY

The boys invite you over to their house but now suffer with their moms/siblings/parents showing you their baby pictures<3 gn reader!!!

-

Ace trappola

He leaves for ONE second. One second and he can already hear your small giggles coming from his room as he hears the voice of his older brother with you.

Oh gross don’t tell me he’s flirting with you!

Ace thinks as he quickly shoots his way up the stairs. The boy brows were furrowed as he slams the door wide open. He was ready to cuss up a storm like a sailor and tell his brother to fuck off and leave but froze once he sees what you’re holding.

Oh

OH!

You were the first one to break the silence as you throw your head back as a laugh escapes your lips.

“Oh sevens you were one ugly baby!” You say. Trying very hard to keep in your giggles as you look over at the picture. His brother cackling right next to you.

“Oh totally! He looked like a dried up raisin” His brother says in between laughter.

“HEY! No I didn’t!” Ace can feel the tip of his ears heat up as he marches right towards you two.

“These pictures say otherwise” You flipped to the second page and quickly slapped your hand over your mouth.

“Oh sevens…” Ace quickly tries snatching the book from your hands but his brother stops him before he could.

“Oh my! Is that-“

“Yep! He couldn’t go ANYWHERE without it!” In the picture, you can see THE ace trappola standing with a wide toothy grin on his face as he holds onto an equally adorable bunny stuffed animal.

“Oh this one is my favorite!” He points to a photo of baby Ace dressed up as a strawberry as he cried his eyes out. You can see his brother standing next to him with a big smile on his face as Ace looks like he’s about to pop a vain. The next picture shows him all calm and smiley as he’s given his favorite bunny stuffed animal.

“Aweeee ace! You were so adorable!!” You squeal. With his brother now laughing and wheezing, Ace was able to immediately snatch the photo album from your hands as his whole face was a bright cherry red.

“Okay that’s enough and get the hell outta my room jack ass!”

-

Deuce spade

He should’ve known something was up when it suddenly got quiet. He carefully walks back to his room with a tray in hand filled with cookies. The moment he opens the door he lets out a loud shriek as he watches his mom excitedly showing you his baby pictures.

“M-mom? What are you-“

“This was him at 2 months! Isn’t he cute?”

“For sure! Aw look at those chubby cheeks!”

“Oh and this was on his 6th birthday party! Look at those dimples!” She says as you squealed in awe. The two of you continued to flip through the baby album as deuce turned redder and redder by the seconds.

“Aww you were such a cutie deucy!” His face instantly goes red as he sets down the tray on the table.

“Oh oh! And look at this!”

“Is that a bunny onesie?” You squeal out. He immediately gulps knowing the embarrassing stories behind that onesie.

“Yes! I bought it for him for the white rabbit fest! He loved it so much he would always wear it to bed or when we go buy groceries. He cried really hard when he outgrew it though”

“I-I did not! I was just sad that’s all! I did not cry!”

“Oh! Look at this one! This was taken on his first day of school! I still remember it like it was yesterday. After taking that photo, he wouldn’t let go of me! He didn’t want to go in at all and we had to have three teachers come and drag him inside as he cried his little heart out! I remember feeling so terrible but I had to go to work”

“Okay that’s enough! No more baby photos and embarrassing stories!” He says as he snatches the book away.

“No wait please I want to see more!”

-

Sebek Zigvolt

It’s been 5 minutes already and you still weren’t back from the bathroom! You told him you would be quick and now he’s slowly growing impatient from your absence. He gets up and storms out of the room as he makes his way to the bathroom.

“Human! You have been in there for almost 10 minutes! Is something wrong?!” Silence. He frowns before knocking again.

“You know we have to study for that Alchemy test this upcoming week!”

Again nothing. Just as he was about to knock again a loud laugh and giggles could be heard from downstairs. And those giggles sounded eerily familiar.

Wait

That’s your giggles!

In a speed of light does he make it downstairs and to the kitchen where the laughs and giggles were coming from.

There stood you and his father going through sebek baby photo album.

“W-what are you doing?!” He screeched.

“Oh sebek! I was just showing your friend your baby photos!” His father said cheerfully. The half fae turned bright red as he was ready to yell but was stopped the moment he heard his name being called from behind him.

“Sebek Zigvolt. What did I tell you about yelling in the house?!” There stood his mother. Brows furrowed as her arms were crossed over her chest.

“Anywho! Look! This was him when he first came into this world!”

“Awww! I guess he’s always been loud from the looks of it” You say. Chuckling at the photo in front of you.

“Oh don’t get me started. He was crying up a storm and I swear I could feel my eardrums burst” His mother sighs as she walks over to the sink. His father smiles as he looks down at the album.

“Yeah he was a crier. Oh look at this one!” He shows you a picture of 4 month old sebek staring wide eyed at the camera. Chubby cheeks and big ole eyes.

“Awww! You were adorable!”

“Oh this is my favorite one!” His mother points at one where you can see sebek wearing a knight costume. From the looks of it it must’ve been Halloween. He wore a proud smile as he held up his sword. You coo at the photo as they both continued to show you more.

“Oh look at this one! He saw a horror movie for the first time and there was a scene where the father sacrifices himself for his kids and he burst out into tears! He wouldn’t let go of his dad for weeks!”

“Enough! Let’s go back to studying!” He says as he grabs your hand and pulls you away from his parents and the photo album.

“Wait no one more !”

-

This was an old draft from like a year ago🌝 I just decided to finish it now😖

I FULLY BELIEVE DEUCE HAD DIMPLES JUST LIEK ME! IDC WHAT YALL SAY!!!!

[selarina]

continuation to this

so, that night gojo satoru leaves with no jacket and half a broken heart and for the first time since he was 12 years old, he takes a sip of alcohol as he slouches against his home bar.

it's bitter, and it tastes a bit too much like soy sauce for his liking but he sips and sips until he sees the engraved "S.G" inscription at the bottom of his glass.

"hello, husband," a voice comes from behind him, interrupting his sob fest.

and for a moment, for dumb little moment, he thinks it's you. the voice sounds nothing like you though, it's far too high-pitched, but he's dreamt of this far too much for him to imagine someone else calling him husband.

aya tsukino materialises next to him, and seats herself on a seat beside him. she moves with a certain a quiet sleekness that he barely caught her moving from behind him. or maybe, he's finally out of it. "excited for the wedding, then?" she deadpans as she pours herself a drink.

"thrilled," he parrots back, merely a barren echo of emotions.

there's more truth in this room than there's been in your shared room for weeks. because it's simple really— gojo doesn't want to marry her, and aya couldn't care less as long as she got the money his family had.

before they had even exchanged any words, it was clear that they had this silent agreement that the two of them had little to do with love and everything to do with societal expectations and status.

as gojo attempts to take another sip from his empty company, he can't help but replay the events of the evening in his mind. your anger, and the way you stood up for the love you believed in. it'll haunt him for the rest of his life.

he wonders if you'll genuinely come to understand that he did have you in mind when he left you. he doesn't want you to be a mistress, a dirty little secret. he's seen how it broke his mother apart. how could he wish the same fate upon you knowing how his mother's life ended?

you're strong, and he believes you will persist and he will see at the end of his life sleeping grey and old in his bed as he stares at the way the sunlight hits your laugh lines.

but he also remembers the way you cried in secret. he never brought it up, he never brings it up. he was just waiting for the day you'd be comfortable enough to cry in front of him but for now, he settles for meaningless presents he brings afterwards to wipe off the blue from your face.

he places his glass down with a clink, and he hears a resembling clink from aya. "i'll ask you this only once, gojo satoru," she speaks up. "do you want this marriage?"

"i never wanted this marriage," his reply is immediate.

"of course not," she says. "i meant, do you still want to go through with this?"

he doesn't respond. the both of them know the answer to that, it's written all too clearly on his soppy little face.

"what if i don't," he finally speaks. "what about your money? your status?"

"my money..." she feigns to ponder. "as someone who's always sought out money, i can tell you one thing about it. money, it comes and it goes. i'll find another way as i always do," she says. "i will be fine."

"your father—"

"—is a terrible man, who will go on his pissy campaign against me but i hope it's not presumptuous of me to expect you to come to defence when needed. you know, for all the trouble?"

he chuckles with no mirth. seems trouble is all he's capable of causing the past few days. "of course," he responds.

aya smiles, she supposes there's one benefit of having the strongest sorcerer as her ex-fiancé. she stands up, as she pulls her coat snug against her body as she prepares to leave. "besides, you're not the only rich high-status man in town, you know?"

"well, they're not all me," he replies. his smug demeanour returning to him like it's breathing a new life into him.

"wow, a bonus too," she chuckles.

"and who was that handsome man with you on friday? blonde, glasses, chiselled like a—"

"nanami kento," he replies with a grin.

"nanami kento. is he rich?"

"not as rich as you," he replies. it's true. he's rich, he worked on wall street after all and nanami is a smart man, he has so much in his savings account, it's enough to feed an entire nuclear family. why he saves up is something that's beyond gojo.

"well, he's handsome. tell mr. kento i said hello," she smiles facetiously.

"tsk, fine." he grins again. "get out of here."

-

it's been a week since you heard about the wedding falling apart. and since, you've been hearing about it daily, almost hourly if you're being honest. after all, you're at the centre of it. it only makes sense.

there's a whole slew of narratives running around, cheating, money laundering, even murder. but the most popular one was about how aya was the rosaline to your romeo and juliet. gojo's as romeo as he comes — handsome, influential and maybe a bit endearingly dumb but you fail to see how you're juliet. she was rich, influential, beautiful — everything you've been starkly reminded that you are not.

but everyone's talking about the romance of it all and you haven't heard from gojo himself so it's strange to take their words to mind or heart. you ignore them, forming a ready-made response sheet in your head to every possible question you encounter across the week. they become white noise, as you go through your day like a pre-programmed robot.

but that changes on a hot, dusty afternoon as you're sitting in a cafe, awaiting a man you were advised against seeing, and he's late. of course, he's fucking late. he broke up with you and he has the audac—

he walks in. he looks exhausted, lankier than usual, and there's a cruel part of you that likes it. to know he looks as miserable as you've been seeing. there's the other, familiar part of you that wants to run your fingers against his sensitive eyes as you feed him with the warmth of the diner's food.

but you do neither, you neither smile nor frown. you sit in place as you wait for him to come and sit opposite you.

"hey," his voice sounds gravelly. "i'm sorry i'm late."

"nothing i'm not used to," you reply with a glare as you cross your arms.

his hands reach for the menu as he plays with the edges of the paper. he always orders the same breakfast meal from this place. he must be nervous.

"i... i wanted to talk to you," he starts. "i want you back."

"excuse me? you can't just—"

"i'm willing to do anything. anything. if you want to take it slow, i understand. if you want to take your time, i understand. if you want me to get down on my knees and beg, i understa—"

"do it."

his eyes widen, you can tell — even though the black glasses are blocking his eyes, you can tell. it only lasts for a split second, because you blink with contempt and he's beside you. on his knees, as he stares up at you. he barely stares up at you — he's so tall, he's almost eye-to-eye with you. but even so he hunches his back, makes himself small.

"i'm sorry," he says again, as he takes off his glasses placing it onto the table in front of you. his eyes are alarmingly blood-red, and it takes every muscle in your body to hold back from running your fingers over his. "like i said, i'll do anything. just pleas— take me back."

you stare, and he stares back at you. you're too lost in the way he looks at you — at your mercy — that you miss the strange and baffled looks from people around you. and when you finally do, your cheeks flush with heat.

"okay," you say. " please, get up now."

"no, let me— let me stay," he says. pleads. "just let me stay until you take me back."

"fine," you sigh, as if there was any real objection from your side. "get up now."

"really?" his blood-red eyes gleam, you could almost see a tinge of the vibrant blue coming back to life.

"yes," you groan as your hand grip his elbow. "i was willing to be your fucking mistress. did you really thin— i would say— mmpph"

and just like that he's up, sliding next to you on your seat, as he kisses you. you're ashamed to admit that your first thought was the idea of getting kicked out for public indecency but your second thought was about how you think you could stay like this forever. despite the public gawking at you through mean and baffled stares.

"i'm serious about doing whatever it takes," he says, sincerity laced in his voice. "you shouldn't let me get away with this lightly."

you smile. "I hope you mean it," you reply. "and i won't. i’ll make you work for it, just a little."

he nods with a smile, "anything. i'll make it up to you."

"you have to do the chicken dance," you say, seriously and firmly.

"what?"

"you have to do the chicken dance. right now in the middle of the diner and i'm taking a video," you pull out your phone. "and... i'm sending it to nobara."

his eyes widen, almost like he's feeling actual fear. "not nobara," he gasps. "but she's so mean, baby."

"well, you said anything."

he sighs. gojo looks around the crowded diner, his tall frame rigid and tense. he glances at you, then at your phone, and finally resigns himself to the absurd request.

"fine," he mutters, standing up from the seat as he begins flapping his arms and doing a clumsy version of the chicken dance in the middle of the diner.

[lydiasfalling]

SWEET CREATURE !

percy jackson x aphrodite! reader

➸✧˖*°࿐ taglist : open!

˗ˋˏ warnings : use of y/n, nothing else really ˎˊ-

‧₊˚✧ lydia’s yap fest ! ✧˚₊‧

happy valentine’s day everyone! hope you guys enjoy this. could possibly make this a series if it’s liked enough. love ya!!!

walking around camp half blood at this time of year seemed to mock you. the fellow aphrodite’s kids seemed to be focused on finding a valentine. now, dot get it twisted. you wanted a valentine. bad. the only problem with this was, well, your intense and completely obvious crush on percy jackson. something about his confidence and charismatic aura drew you in and ruined you for anyone and everyone else.

there was another problem with this. percy jackson happened to be your best friend. you had tried everything to get these feelings to go away. dating other camp members, having different flings, setting percy up with other people, and tartarus, you even had people give you love potions. nothing worked. it was getting unbearable for everyone surrounding the two of you. in particular, annabeth and grover seemed the most annoyed.

the pair had also tried to help you guys understand how perfect you two would be together. however, you and him both refused any sort of insinuation of romance. it’s not that you didn’t want to be with him. quite the opposite, actually. you just didn’t see the point of wasting your friendship by risking him not feeling the same way. keeping him close as a friend was better than loosing him.

infact, you had encouraged him to ask another camp member out. this led you to your current predicament, watching him as he walked with kailey ( a girl from cabin five ). this had been his choice—he insisted she was ‘interesting enough’. you could see by the look on his face that he didn’t truly enjoy her company all that much.

“ya know, this could all be avoided if you just told him how you feel.” annabeth said from next to you, throwing a pointed look in your direction. you chose to ignore the sarcastic tone of her voice as she spoke.

“how i feel? i feel like he’s my best friend and i can’t jeopardize that. they look to be having fun.” the second sentence came out as if you were trying to convince yourself as well.

as if the universe wanted to mock you more, percy and kailey made their way over to you. annabeth looked at you, praying that you noticed the bored look on percy’s face. you gave her a look as to say ‘stop it’ before turning to shoot a smile in the direction of the approaching pair. kailey seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face while percy’s expression shifted upon seeing you. his uninterested features changed to those of contentment when your smile entered his vision.

“hey, y/n!” percy’s pace increased the closer he got to you, leaving kailey slightly behind him.

“hey, perce. kailey.” you nodded in her direction, warranting an eye-roll from the girl. “what’re you guys up to?”

“just, ya know. walking around. sat at the dock for a little bit.” percy responded. him and kailey stood an unusual distance away from eachother.

“percy, im gonna go. come fine me when you’re done with. . . this.” kailey rolled her eyes for what seemed like tenth time in the short period that she stood there. she brushed his arm slightly before turning and walking away.

“well isn’t she just a ray of sunshine.” annabeth snorted, laughing slightly.

percy agreed quickly, “she’s. . . something. that’s for sure.” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“not feeling it?” you asked. he shook his head no, moving to sit next to you. his arm quickly fell over your shoulders.

this made annabeth abruptly stand up. “well, as much as i would love so stay and chat, i have shit to do. see you two later?”

“mhm. later!” percy said.

“bye, annie!” you added. as the girl walked away, you turned in percy’s direction. “is she really that terrible?” you asked.

“she’s . . . okay, i guess. not really my type.” his arm fell from your shoulders, hand moving to hold your own instead. this was something percy had developed on the numerous quests you two had gone on together. his need for physical closeness was something that many found annoying, but you found endearing.

“oh yeah? and what might your type be classified as?” you laughed.

“oh, ya know. i like a girl who’s smart, kind, funny, caring. all the usual things. i also like a girl who sets me up on dates with other people because she doesn’t realize i’m hopelessly in love with her. that’s my ideal woman.” he shrugged as if it were nothing.

your jaw had officially found the floor. “i—i’m sorry. . . what?” you were sure you had heard him wrong.

“you know what i said, y/n.” percy’s face turned serious as he turned his entire boy towards you.

“do i? because it sounds a lot like a confession.” you tried to lighten the situation, laughing slightly before halting.

“y/n, you’re making this extremely hard for me.” percy’s face had begun to turn a shade of crimson.

“how so?” you kept a serious face, struggling not to crack a smile.

“y/n. . . i’m completely and utterly in love with you. the way you laugh, the way you smile, the way you laugh again because, dam, i love that sound, the way you twirl the strand of hair by your ear when you’re nervous, the way you stick your tongue out slightly when you’re focused. i love the way that you talk about your niche interests and the way that you always put up with my bullshit. i love how deeply you care about everyone, even the people who don’t deserve it. i love the contentment in your eyes when we’re sitting at the beach. i love you because you’re you, and that’s the best person you can be.” percy didn’t once break eye contact through his speech.

it was official. this was the first time in your like that you had been rendered completely speechless. your palms became sweaty and your heart was racing. being a child of aphrodite normally meant you reacted better to love situations. this didn’t help you much now, though. instead, the only thing you could think of doing in that moment was leaning forward to connect your lips.

it wasn’t beautiful or a ‘sparks fly’ moment. it was quick and chaste, you moving away as quickly as you moved forward. once you pulled away, you looked percy in the eyes. his expression had shifted from one of fear to hunger. his hand came up, finding the back of your neck and pulling you into him again. his lips were warm and soft against yours. he tasted of sea salt and blue pancakes, a combination that only percy jackson could pull off. his free hand found it way to your waist, pulling you closer to him.

once the two of you could no longer breathe, you both pulled away at a slow pace. he kept his forehead against yours.

“gods, i have been waiting a millennia to do that.” percy laughed, kissing your cheek. his head moved from yours to the crook of your neck.

“me too, perseus.” your hand reached up, lacing itself into his hair.

“fucking finally! gods, i was starting to loose hope!” grover said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

“me too, honestly.” percy spoke, lifting his head to look at grover.

“you too?” you asked, confused.

“y/n, you’re literally the only person who didn’t know about percy’s massive crush.” grover explained.

you averted your gaze towards percy, who shrugged in confirmation. your face heated up. safe to say that you had managed to find yourself a valentine, though kailey from cabin five wasn’t too happy.

my masterlist

taglist : @lydiascabinsix @cowboylikemac @laufeysvalentine @raysmayhem-72

[dr-spectre]

Before we enter the final day of the Grand Fest, I need to gush about Blushing Tide because I can't stop thinking about it and it's significance for the Squid Sisters.

Blushing Tide feels like this signal that the Squid Sisters have grown up since Splatoon 1. They no longer talk shit towards each other, Callie is no longer riddled with darkness and Marie allows herself to be happy.

Tidal Rush and Blushing Tide contrast each other so fucking perfectly its genuinely insane. Tidal Rush is this emotional battle between two cousins who's relationship has fallen apart. Marie is on the brink of tears, trying to reason with her cousin and repair their broken relationship. Callie, having enough of Marie, fights back against her words in this tired and drained voice. She doesn't wanna do anything with Marie after being left alone in her terrible busy life. Marie is not trying to "reverse Octavio's brainwashing" or whatever kind of bullshit you wanna throw out. No. She's just trying to reach out to Callie and give her that reminder that she's a Squid Sister and that she wants to fix things with her.

Tidal Rush was never this song where Marie is "trying to save Callie from Octavio's evilll b-b-b-bRainWaShinggggggg!!!" Looking at that song and the finale of Splatoon 2 in that lense is so fucking boring/lame and fails to mention the emotions at play here. And it treats Callie less of a character with actual agency and choice, and more of an object that the player must get because video game.

Anyways, Blushing Tide in comparison is this upbeat celebration of the two. Marie's singing is now so joyful, which matches Callie's usual attitude. They are on each other's wavelengths perfectly now. They are healed. They are... happy.... Blushing Tide is a reminder that these two girls have fulfilled their 3 game long character growth and have been through a lot to get to where they are today.

[jjkamochoso]

You Look Good in Green

Fluff

Gen Narumi x gn!reader

Request from Wattpad: Gen sees you speaking with Soshiro Hoshina and becomes jealous!

Warnings: none

It was always an interesting time when Third Division visited the Ariake base. The rivalries between members led to lots of banter and a renewed sense of pride for being in the First Division; it was like you all got even closer in the presence of your peers-turned-competitors. Nothing was more entertaining, though, than the roast sessions—er, conversations—between Third Division’s Soshiro Hoshina and your very own Gen Narumi.

“I don’t remember inviting a beady eyed brat onto my base,” snarked Gen upon seeing Soshiro, who was smirking as he approached your captain.

“Oh? Well, it’s a good thing you’re not in charge then,” Soshiro replied coolly. Gen was practically growling at the man, his nemesis never failing to push his buttons.

“Nice to see you again, Vice Captain,” you greeted, trying to maintain the peace and take the heat off Gen for a little bit.

“Now that’s a face I love seeing! How are you holding up over here, L/n? Gettin’ tired of being under the command of this dummy yet?”

Soshiro burst out in laughter at his own joke, holding his stomach and wiping the tears that formed in the corner of his eyes. Gen’s eye started twitching rapidly and you knew it was time to wrap this up before things got too out of control.

“May I show you the way to the conference room, Hoshina?”

“First class treatment from First Division? Never thought I’d see the day. See ya later, Narumi!”

Soshiro waved, grinning widely as you led him away from an annoyed Gen. The captain wasn’t too keen on you spending alone time with the unwelcome visitor, not because he didn’t trust you, but because he didn’t want his partner to go through the horror of having to talk to Hoshina. Gen moped all the way back to his room, hoping to find comfort in a video game or two… or three. He was looking forward to spending a slow morning with you by his side, but now that you were preoccupied elsewhere, he was left to his own devices (literally). As he turned on his BS5, he heard his phone ding with new text messages.

Y/n: somehow got wrapped up in this meeting🙃🔫 won’t be out of here for awhile

Y/n: don’t have too much fun without me🥺🫶

Gen: good luck dealing with the bowl cut baby🥣

You sent a laughing emoji and a thumbs up and Gen knew you were busy at that point so he threw himself into the virtual world in front of him, eager to occupy his mind for the time being. Even while on a winning streak that would normally make him ecstatic, he couldn’t help but fret about how friendly Hoshina was to you. You two were supposed to be mortal enemies, the rivalry between First and Third Divisions running deep, yet you got along quite well. It was enough to make Gen sick to his stomach witnessing you greet Hoshina with kindness and a friendly smile. Your smiles were supposed to be reserved for him and him only, not some cocky Third Division jerk.

Am I jealous?

He snorted.

No way, that would be beyond lame. I just don’t like seeing them together at all. I’m looking out for y/n’s sanity, that’s it. I’m totally chill.

That’s what he convinced himself, at least, but the controller being clutched within his white knuckled grasp begged to differ.

After a few hours, many video games won and lost, and copious amounts of retail therapy at Yamazon.com, Gen was finally rewarded with another message from his beloved partner.

Y/n: survived the meeting. total yapathon 🥱

Y/n: come meet me for lunch?😚🙏

Gen had never gotten up so fast in his life. He threw on whatever pair of shoes were closest to his door as he raced down the halls, excited to rescue you from the snooze fest you had been subjected to the entire morning. As he turned the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. There you were, standing in the doorway of the dining hall looking perfect as ever, but something was terribly wrong: Hoshina was there with you. Gen watched with his mouth agape as you laughed at something the vice captain said, your head thrown back in delight. If that wasn’t bad enough, Hoshina’s hand landed on your shoulder, an action much too intimate for Gen’s liking. His mouth snapped shut in an instant, his teeth clenched so hard that he wouldn’t be surprised if a few cracked.

Soshiro Hoshina had made a grave mistake.

Blood boiling, Gen marched over to you, his feet smacking the floor and garnering your attention.

“Sorry I took so long,” you told your peeved boyfriend as he came into earshot, “we got stuck in the meeting. It was beyond boring.”

“Now that I’m here, you won’t have to worry about being bored any longer.”

Gen stood close behind you, a menacing aura emanating from him as he stared down Soshiro, who had calmly dropped his hand from your shoulder.

“Don’t worry Narumi, I kept them entertained the whole time,” the violet haired man teased, and you never knew Gen could feel so tense and bloodthirsty off the battlefield.

“That doesn’t surprise me, considering they love clowns,” he replied, his voice cracking with anger.

“Is that right?” Soshiro asked cheekily, his fangs peeking out. “No wonder you two are dating.”

That was your cue.

“Great talk, Hoshina, thanks for keeping me company. Gen and I are going to eat. I trust that you can find your way out of here?” you asked, softly placing your fingers around Gen’s wrist to stop him from lunging at the cackling vice captain.

“I can. Catch up with you kids later!”

Soshiro walked away, leaving you to deal with a very grumpy Gen.

“Kids? Aren’t we all around the same age?”

You were trying to lighten the mood but Gen didn’t answer you. He barely gave you a second glance as you filled your trays with food and you were starting to worry about what had gotten into him.

“Talk to me, Narumi. What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.”

You quirked an eyebrow. “Maybe Hoshina was right in calling us kids if you’re gonna act childish.”

“‘M not childish,” he grumbled, pushing food around his plate.

“Really? Because it looks like you’re pouting right now.”

“According to you, I’m always pouting.”

“And you’re always childish.”

He rolled his eyes but sighed in resignation. “Okay, you got me there.”

You smiled, nudging him with the blunt end of your chopstick. “Spill. I wanna know what’s going on in that handsome head of yours.”

He sighed again. “It’s stupid. Like, really dumb.”

“So, the usual?” you teased, earning a glare from across the table.

“I didn’t like Hoshina talking with you like that.”

You tilted your head. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, like… like he’s your friend or something! Or something more,” he added quietly. What he was feeling, but wouldn’t admit on his own, immediately dawned on you.

“Are you jealous, First Division Captain Gen Narumi?”

“Don’t say that so loud!” he yelled, looking around furiously. “You’re gonna ruin my cool guy reputation!”

“Sure,” you nodded, holding back a giggle. “I take that as a yes, then?”

Gen wouldn’t meet your eyes, staring at his plate again. It was quite endearing seeing him openly care so much about you and you couldn’t deny it felt kind of good having the affirmation of knowing he didn’t want to lose you to another man. However, you hated seeing him sad and stressed out for no reason.

“Gen, baby, look at me.” You took one of his hands in yours as he raised his head, your other hand carding through his floppy bangs and brushing them away from his eyes so he could see how serious you were being. “There’s no need for you to be jealous. You’re the only man I want, there’s no one else for me. You’re it, I promise you that.”

“I hated the way he made you laugh,” he confessed. “That’s my job.”

“Yeah he’s funny, but more in the “coworker-keeps-your-mind-off-the-lame-meeting” sort of way. You’re much funnier.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

You raised his hand to your lips, brushing them across his knuckles as you gave them little kisses. “I could never lie to a pretty face like yours.”

“Ugh, you’re gross,” he complained, turning his head from your view, but you could tell he took your words to heart with the shy smile and light blush on his face he was trying to hide.

“Eat up,” you told him, getting back to munching happily on your meal, “you gotta be energized to be a worthy opponent for me to take on in whatever video game we’re playing for the foreseeable future.”

Gen broke out into a mischievous grin. “You have it all wrong. I’m gonna kick your ass!”

You watched him shovel food into his mouth at an alarming rate as he filled you in on the progress he had made in his earlier gaming session. He then told you about the ridiculous amounts of online purchases that were making your own credit card weep from your pocket.

“I even bought a dartboard,” he said, his eyes gleaming with joy. “I can’t wait to put a picture of Hoshina’s stupid face on it.”

Yep; Gen Narumi was all yours.

[satorusugurugurl]

sukuna with roadtrip lmao, i feel like it would be interesting

have a great day boo

Road Trips and Fireworks

Summary: Marie’s Summer Fest prompt: road trip and fireworks!

Pairing: Ryomen Sukuna(Modern AU)x AFAB!Reader

Warnings: oral sex (male receiving), road head (please be safe), sex, car sex, outdoor smut, smut, p in v, unprotected sex, degrading, dirty talk

Word Count: 1,793

A/N: hi nonnie! Thatnks for the request I hope you have a great day too!! 💚i combined two requests! (I wanted the firework one 🎆🙂‍↕️) we have a few more of these to get through, I'm working on requests as well!! Trying to get a bunch done since I'm going on a company retreat this weekend to a resort!

Summer was the perfect time to take vacations. While flying or taking a train was nice to get to your destination, road trips were sometimes even more fun. They were filled with junk food and the wind in your hair, all while you got to sit next to your boyfriend as a passenger princess. You couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend your vacation.

However, there was a single minuscule flaw in your perfect road trip: your boyfriend’s road rage.

Sukuna didn’t drive like a maniac or follow cars in and out of traffic, chasing them down. He would never put you or anyone else at risk. However, he had a terrible habit of flipping cars off and dropping every curse word in the book. Usually, he would let every situation roll off his back like water. This road trip was already stressful, just an hour and forty-five minutes drive. Sukuna managed to avoid two accidents while driving to Kyoto in that short time. Several people had flipped your big-tatted boyfriend off and paled once he snarled at them himself. All the while, he had managed to drop several different ‘fucks’ in twenty minutes.

Your poor boyfriend was tense, gripping the steering wheel with a firm white knuckle grip while you popped a potato chip into his mouth. He angrily crunched down on it with a scowl, one you were wincing at. So far, your summer road trip was turning out not to be what you had imagined. And you'd only started the drive; you still had another day of driving ahead. How was your pent-up boyfriend going to survive? Luckily for you, you knew just the way to calm him down.

“Motherfuckin’ bitch ass—” Sukuna snarled out as you slowly reached over, rubbing his crotch. “Nngh hey what the fu—” not wasting a second. You winked at him before you unbuckled your seatbelt, leaning over the console, stroking him through his pants. “Oooh fuck, as much as I like getting my dick sucked, I’m a little upset. It’s not fair that you’re doing this while I have to focus on driving when I would rather watch you.”

“Well, life isn’t always fair, now is it?” You stuck out your tongue, pulling his shorts down once his cock was hard enough. “All you need to do is focus on the road. Let me take care of the rest.”

Stealing a glance up at your boyfriend, you watched him gulp. The orange hue from the setting sun highlighted his handsome features and facial tattoos as he clenched his jaw; his crimson eyes moved from the road, hands gripping the steering wheel tighter as he looked down, watching you for a split second. The instant his eyes drifted back to the road. You pulled his cock out of the slit in his boxers before you started trailing kisses up the underside of his cock. The muscles in his thighs tighten under the ministrations of your soft lips against his sensitive veins, your tongue flicking over the metal stud of his frenum piercing.

“Fuck,” Sukuna hisses out through his teeth as he throws in your hand and against your tongue. “You fuckin’ tease.”

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t like it when I tease you, you Kuna~”

“You know for a fact that I fucking hate teasing.” He responded with no heat in his voice.

“Oooh, right, I forgot about that.”

“Fuckin’ watch yourself brat.” You smirked, flattening your tongue over the tip, soaking in the way your boyfriend cursed above you, “G-Gaah, you little shit—”

“Oooh, I'm so sorry, my lord. I won't tease; I’ll make you feel better in just a second.”

Sukuna’s mouth dropped open as you took his entire length into your mouth, sucking on it as you bobbed your head up and down slowly. Your eyes shut as you relaxed your throat, taking more of him down and gagging around him as he hit the back of your throat. Your boyfriend’s abdomen muscles clenched as you set a fast pace, moving faster, hollowing your cheeks with each bob of your head. The salty, sweet taste of pre-cum was mouthwatering, causing drool to seep out of the corners of your mouth as you exhale through your nose, trying to take his length down your throat.

Sukuna gritted his teeth so hard he thought they'd crack. His eyes kept leaving the road for seconds to watch your bobbing head move up and down, sucking him off, drool pooling around the base of his cock. He understood that you were trying to help him relax, but seeing you sucking him off, so messily had him tenser as he resisted the urge to swerve off to the side and fuck your face. But fuck, it was hard, especially when you reached down with your hands, one wrapping around his shaft, while the other gently began massaging his balls and time with your sucking. Your boyfriend blew a hot, gravelly breath as he dropped his left hand off the steering wheel, grabbing a handful of your hair.

Before you can look up at him with faux innocence and confusion, Sukuna forces you down his length, making tears prick your eyes as you gag. Your nose presses against we-trimmed, pink pubes as the head of his cock slides down your throat. The warmth of your saliva around his skin makes Sukuna chuckle deeply from above you before he breathes heavily and lets out a moan before his laughter floods your ears as he pulls your hair, bringing you off his length before shoving you back down on it, making you gag harder

“I might not be able to fuck your face like I want to, but I’ll make do.” The dark tone that leaves your boyfriend‘s mouth makes your panties wet as the sun sets darkness and envelops the car aside from the dashboard, showing the GPS to the B and B. “Mhmm, I felt you moan. Do you like being made a fuck toy? My little cum slut.”

“Mhmm—”

“Do you want my cum down your throat?”

“Mhmm!!” you’re gagging around him as your boyfriend pushes you further down, cock twitching inside your throat as his balls clench.

“Then fucking swallow.”

Spurts of cum, flood your mouth, coating your tongue and rolling down the back of your throat. Your eyes flood with tears as you try to take it all down, choking on it. Above you, your boyfriend snorts a laugh, licking his lips as he breathes heavily. As soon as you finish swallowing his cum you pull off of his length. You shift your legs, feeling how wet you are as your boyfriend lets go of your hair, turning the blinker on as you wipe the back of your mouth off with your hand.

Once your mouth is thoroughly cleaned, you take the time to look at your boyfriend's state. His eyes are narrowed, and his chest rises and falls as the car is slowly pulled off the next exit of the highway. The electronic voice of the GPS tells you that it is redirecting the following route as Sukuna finds a safe spot off of the road before he turns to face you.

You don’t have a chance to think of whether you want to beg for mercy or tease him more. Any attempts at conversing with him are cut off as a firework bursts into colorful light in the dark sky. The red color illuminated the inside of the car, showing you the smirk on your boyfriend’s face as he unbuckles his seatbelt

“Let’s get out and watch fireworks.”

Five minutes later, you’re being pressed against the warm hood of the car, your bare breasts rubbing over the metal as your cries are sharp and loud as your boyfriend snaps his hips forward, filling your aching cunt with his long, hard cock. You turn your head, closing your eyes as you focus on the pure pleasure, only to have your boyfriend grab your head, forcing it up as he bullies his tip against your cervix.

“Thought you would like to look at the fireworks.” His voice growls in your ear before his sharp teeth snap on your earlobe. “Look up at them kitten.”

“I can’t, I can’t!” You bite down on the inside of your cheek as your boyfriend laughs deeply in your ear.

“And why is it you can’t?” Explosions of blues, greens, reds, and gold light up the night sky, illuminating your skin that ripples with your boyfriend. You’re bent over so nicely that it allows your boyfriend to slam into your g-spot with each thrust making your walls tighten around his cock.

“Is it because you’re going to cum~? God fuck, I know you’re close.”

“Yes! Yes, please, Kuna, please.”

“Heh, good fucking slut begging for me to make you feel good.” His free hand leaves your hip, reaching down and rubbing your clit back and forth fast. “Hold it for me, though.”

“But Kuna!”

“I fucking said to hold it” Your legs start shaking while your boyfriend's cock splits you open. It isn’t until you hear the whistling of a firework being shot that your boyfriend snarls in your ear. “Fucking cum for me right fuckin’ now.”

Fireworks exploded above you as you came hard, gushing all over your boyfriend‘s cock. The intensity of your orgasm left your head feeling fuzzy as you listened to your boyfriend grunting and growling behind you until you felt the warmth of his cum filling you up. Sukuna keeps moving until the both of you are panting heavily, bodies illuminated by more fireworks above you, while you savor the lasting fireworks bursting inside your body

“You good?” Your boyfriend breathes out against your ear as he slowly pulls out of you.

“M’ on cloud nine. How are you less stressed now?”

Your boyfriend scuffs slowly, lifting you into his arms, walking back to the passenger side of his car, and placing you inside. “I guess I’m okay.” He can see the confusion and panic that cross your features for a second.

“You’re just okay?”

“Yeah, just okay, because I’m fucking starving.” He forces your legs wide open. “But if you let me enjoy this meal before we get back on the road, I’ll be fan-fucking-tastic, so just lie back and enjoy the fireworks kitten.”

Forever Tag List:

@darkstarlight82 @pandoness @nealeart @simp-plague @sugurubabe @chilichopsticks @reap3erslov3

Summer Fest Tag List:

@typicalife-101

[drarryspecificrecsdaily]

2024.10.17

Complete fics posted on AO3 this day

1. The First Date by kiraaasdream [G, 5k]

Harry and Draco's first date. . . . & friends who spy on them.

2. Harry's confession by Krissilla [E, 6k]

Umbridge forces Veritaserum down Harry's throat. Malfoy abuses the situation to figure out Harry's darkest secret - his fantasies about Malfoy.

3. i lean on you by @sunbellylou [E, 2k]

Draco loved feeling like that, loved riding Harry until his legs threatened to give up, until he was covered in his own cum, chasing that lovely overstimulation that turned his brain into mush. [...]

4. spanking for the first course by @thisisformyfanfiction [E, 1k]

Harry has Draco over his lap and spanks him

5. Tricked into Red Velvet by Ace_Phoenix [E, 2k]

Draco has given up on finding his gift for Harry for the moment, only for that very gift to already be in Harry's hand. One problem: Harry has very limited knowledge of the gift, and wouldn't in his wildest dreams assume that the toy was directly linked to Draco's arse.

6. what shipwrecks look like by @dancingsparks [E, 149k]

It's after the war, but not terribly long after. Just enough for things to appear happily settled. Draco is an Obliviator. Harry is an Auror. Draco is desperately jealous of that.

7. written mine on my upper thigh only in my mind by allikatt [T, 3k]

After months of wallowing after a breakup, Harry is convinced to put himself out there once again. He does so while also battling a cold that just won't go away. Who would've thought these two things were connected.

---

Fest/Exchange

1. Starry, Silver Anchor by Anonymous [M, 19k]

Although no one can see it, Harry’s struggling and barely holding on. When he's given a chance, he asks for his deepest desire: for the war to never happen. ★ 2024 H/D Muggle Fair | @hd-fan-fair

[multiwreckedmess]

February Filth Fest - Day 19

Pairing: Bard!Hongjoong x Princess!Reader x Knight!Seonghwa Prompt: Double Penetration WC: 6.3k Summary: Even as a Princess, life does not always go your way. When the gilded cage calls the shackles still weigh heavily. The eve of your wedding night to a man you’d only heard about, you call upon your friends to assist in your petty subversion.

This is a work of fiction, it does not represent Hongjoong, Seonghwa or any Ateez member. On top of this it is an 18+ work. For my comfort and boundaries please if you are under age do not interact with this.   TW/CW (nonspecific): Not so happy ending, fem descriptions for reader, sort of cheating?, arranged marriage, first times/virginity loss, rites/ritual, dom!Hongjoong, two instances of mxm.  Additional TW/CW under the cut.

TW/CW: Being bathed by others, guided first time, brief “whore” mention, reader called “princess”, Hongjoong kisses Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Seonghwa aren’t exactly friends but not exactly enemies either, p in v, blowjob, squirting, breeding mention, cum everywhere. reader says “no” but they stop and talk. 

 “So, Princess, you’ve gathered us here in a strange cabin in the woods on the eve of your marriage in order to…?” Hongjoong smirks and tilts his head. “Truly I can’t imagine what scheme you’ve cooked up.”  You fidget, looking between the two gorgeous men in front of you. You’d never expected both to show up, despite your status. Your only friends behind the castle walls, Seonghwa and Hongjoong. Two more different men couldn’t have been better friends, like the sun and the moon. Your sun and moon.  In contrast to Hongjoongs off kilter stance and confident smirk, Seonghwa stands tall, nervously raking his hand through his hair. “You called upon me so I came. Princess. If there is anything I can do-”  “Take me.”  Seonghwa’s mouth drops, Hongjoong shrugs.  “I can’t have that-that oaf of a man be the one who-” you shudder, tongue darting out to wet your dry lips. “He can’t. I’ll kill myself.” Your voice tremors. Truly the man your parents had chosen was a partnership of diplomacy rather than love. A man you’d never met before, never seen, and had only heard of in economics and treaties meetings. The betrayal on their part was unspeakable to you, yet not unexpected. Some small part of your heart had hoped they’d listen to your pleas to change from the old ways. “I don’t love him. Not like-not like I love you. Both. Both of you.”  The cabin is silent save for the crackle of the fireplace, dimly illuminating the three of you. There’d been many times you’d told each man you loved them but never with this weight. Your trio holds the moment suspended by invisible chains holding you still. For a second you want to blurt out that it was all a joke, a funny prank to test their loyalty. Anything to save face from what you are sure is going to be a brutal rebuff. Even still you’re friends. You’ve always been friends. If you couldn’t be safe with them really who could you be?  Seonghwa finally speaks, “okay, how do you want to do this?”  “I took a bag of the anointing herb from the matron,” you begin to rattle off your plan. Nerves leaping from the pit of your bowels to your throat.  “You took! Naughty girl, didn’t know you had it in you!” Hongjoong’s eyes sparkle. “So what’s next, you want both of us? With you?”  “I didn’t think both of you would actually show up,” you mutter sheepishly. “But yes, both of you. If you are alright with it. If you both want it, me, this. It’s always been the three of us. And I asked you both.”  The men look at each other, sharing a nod of recognition.  Shimmied down to their underclothes, your eyes dart to the floor, prolonging the appearance of modesty. Gingerly your hands cup over your breasts, nipples peeking through the thin fabric. The echo of the water splashing down into the large marble basin drowns out the thud of your heart. You’d never thought it would come to this and yet it wasn’t terribly shocking. Numb to your parents will, the second in line to the throne, despite customs you’d dreamed maybe there was a chance to escape your fate. But as it turns out, there is more to the throne than ascension, sometimes there’s just greed. Seonghwa takes command of spreading the herbs throughout the bath, whispering a prayer to the gods. The trail of his fingers through the steaming water leaves only the slightest disturbance to the surface tension. He’s careful and measured and clean, as in all things.  “You ready Princess?” Hongjoong’s sing-song voice gloats from behind you.  “Or are you busy studying the floor? C’mon, it’s just like old times except- well. You know.”  “It’s hardly the same,” Seonghwa sounds exasperated, “we’ve changed a lot since we used to play in the mud together Joong.” Out of the corner of your eye you see Seonghwa shift slightly to look at Hongjoong, undoubtedly shooting him some sort of glare.  “No, he’s right,” you say with a sigh, “it’s all parts we’ve seen before.” Your thighs hit the cool ledge of the tub, steam billowing up from the water. Both men are correct in their own way. No matter how intimately you’d seen others, or even them as they grew up, nothing was quite like this. Gathering your courage and your skirt, you cautiously lift one leg over the edge, then the other, submerging up to your knees in the water. It burns to numbness immediately. You swear and gasp, Seonghwa’s hand flying to your waist protectively. Hongjoong joins, grasping just under your armpits to support your weight.  “I’ve got you, it’s too hot right? If you need to get out I’ve got you right here.” Hongjoong drops his tough exterior in a second to come to your aid, steady and stone faced.  “I’m fine, just unexpected. I’m fine. Back down boys.” You shake off their hands and strip down to lower yourself into the water. The bath isn’t the only thing that’s hot, the intensity of their stares burning into your skin before the steam even has a chance to lick against it. You press your chest to your knees protectively. They each are so different and so alike. Both intense in their convictions and their love for you.  “Do you want us in or-” It’s Hongjoongs turn to break the silence, surreptitiously averting his eyes.  “It’s customary that the betrothed sit beside and tend to his lady first.” Seonghwa rattles off. His queensgard training showing up in full force.  “Normally I’d say fuck the customs but,” you trail off, unusually hesitant to voice your needs.  Hongjoong is eerily soft with you. His normal tough love attitude almost all but evaporates as he watches you, wrapped in on yourself in the tub. “It sounds pleasant. I understand.”  “-but I might want you to join after. I reserve the right to change my mind.”  “As always, Princess. You have that right.”  Each man grabs a waterlogged cloth, Seonghwa opts for your arms while Hongjoong boldly reaches into the water to grab your calf. He tries his best to bring the fun back into the night, the force of his pull dragging your torso down into the water and letting it splash up into your face, both of you giggling. Meanwhile Seonghwa methodically moves in concentric circles, muttering the ritual prayer as he does so. You can barely hear it, he knows you’d tell him to stop otherwise, but his lips move just enough to let his breath not so subtly fan over the droplets clinging to your skin. Studying his features, he’s too beautiful to be a knight you think. You’d always thought that of him. No matter how many layers of cold armor he put on there was still the soft boy beneath, wide eyed and warmhearted. It was his family, his noble lineage, that doomed him, as it doomed you. It wasn’t fair, he would’ve been as good a choice as any for you to marry.

 Your eyes flick back to Hongjoong, sharper features but equally as handsome. His eyes are closed as he brushes up over your knee to your thigh. You were never his to have. You’d both known that. And yet you’d kept up with him most easily. Bards have a way of skirting social rules like that. Always a little cocky and willing to tease, now he sits silently, hand tensing as it wanders closely to uncharted territory beneath the water. “Scandalous, taking your ritual bath with two men who aren’t your husband and letting them have the first taste. Can you imagine what the court ladies would say?” Hongjoong’s airy chuckle carries the silence, eyes locking with yours.  “Probably that ‘it’s a quick way to get stabbed.’”  “Or beheaded.”  “Married for a fortnight to my husband then beheaded by his family. Such is my lot I suppose.” You start giggling again, his fingers tickle your inner thigh. Your nerves drain as you both laugh. His eyes light up, “here our princess lies, maidenhead taken thrice, actual head removed once.”

 Seonghwa bristles, washcloth having barely ventured lower than where your collar usually sat. “It should be your betrothed doing this not-”  “Do you really think he would’ve done this for me? Really? In your heart of hearts?” You snap, your giddy laughter turning to quick rage. The water in the tub splashes as you turn to stare at him incredulously.  Seonghwa pauses the answer immediately on his tongue but is almost ashamed to say it. Your heart breaks a little again, face softening as you watch his eyes travel down to the floor tiles. “No. I know. He wouldn’t.” The pain of what could’ve been his all too evident across his face.

 The three of you sit in silence again, the water growing more tepid by the second. Their hands continue when their mouths don’t.  “You know, the gods aren’t the only reason behind the bathing ritual. It’s to get you used to each other’s touch. The herbs are all from the doctors garden, a mixture to help relax your muscles.” Hongjoong offers. You sigh. It's true, or at least it feels true to you. You’ve eased into their hands like magic, even as they creep closer to intimate areas of your body. Arching into Seonghwa’s circles, he brushes inadvertently over your nipple. For a moment he looks shocked, close to muttering an apology before he realizes how you’re pressing into his ministrations with your eyes closed in bliss. Hongjoong’s hand ventures farther, slowly massaging the crook of your thigh and your sex. They feel good together like this, you think as you slide farther against them.  “Do you want us in there or you out here?” Seonghwa asks quietly.  “Out.” You state simply, letting the water slosh as you emerge like Aphrodite herself. The men divide and conquer, Seonghwa draining and tending to the herb-lined tub as Hongjoong pulls you into his warm towel-lined embrace.

 “So Princess, you’ve really never done it before?” Hongjoong teases as he rubs the towel against you vigorously. “Narey a bite from the tree of knowledge? Even a nibble?”  “Joong, of course she hasn’t.” Seonghwa sounds exasperated as he returns to the bedroom. “Exactly what person would risk their head to defile a Princess?”  “Us, currently, we are.” Hongjoong rolls his eyes, giving you a squeeze before backing towards the bed.  You and Seonghwa stare at each other, looking for comfort but only finding the same nervous energy darting behind his eyes as was living in your body.  “So have you? Done it?” You ask Hongjoong, eyes unwavering from Seonghwa.  “Of course, write what you know, you have to have the full world of experience. All of that. Comes with the job, no pun intended.”  His ease about the matter is refreshing. Bustling around preparing god knows what as you and Seonghwa hold each other's anxiety in stillness. You shiver, looking hopefully at the man in front of you. Pressing his lips together he slowly wraps his arms around you, pulling you to him. For such a slender man he’s strong, and warm. Heat radiating from his skin in waves. Safe, is the word that floats to the top of your mind. He’s safe. “I haven’t either.” Seonghwa mutters under his breath. Resting his chin on you, he calls to Hongjoong, “there’s the anointing, don’t forget-” he sounds anxious, despite his warmth he shivers.  “Yeah yeah, you do the oils and prayers and I'll be on my knees.” Hongjoong tugs at your towel, unraveling you from the other man. Tumbling slightly your thigh hit the side of the mattress Hongjoong offers a hand to ease your back flat. Staring at the ceiling your nerves rocket around. It’s happening, it’s going to happen. “Hwa, you get on the bed and do your little ritual thing. I’ll tend to her.”  You press your chin to your chest curiously peering over the towel as a flurry of activity surrounds you. Seonghwa shines as he gathers the vial of oil from your things, strewn at the bottom of the bed. Hongjoong smiles as he kneels at your feet.  “You know most of my lovers haven’t been so used to seeing another person kneel before them, this is usually quite exciting,” he jokes. “No matter, I think you’ll like this next part Princess.” His eyes rake down your body as his hands travel up your shins. The tip of his nose tickles as it presses to the front of your thigh, lips trailing after. Your toes curl and lashes flutter as your stomach tightens. Heat spreads to your sex, blood rushing southwards. It’s embarrassing how easily his palms part your legs, how excited you are that he looks so excited. Slotting himself between, his shoulders press your knees up slightly, hands hold your hips as his tongue presses flat to your slit, licking one long pointed stripe against you, lips meeting the top of your mound with a harsh suck.  “JOONG,” you yelp and scramble, all at once forgetting the towel. Hipss held in place with surprising strength, his tongue twirls around your clit before his lips surround it, kissing at you hungrily. “Oh my god.” You writhe in delight, Seonghwa’s blushed face appearing in your periphery. For a second you worry that such a brash display of arousal will have turned him off, that it’s made you lesser than in his eyes. That somehow even though you’d all agreed to this, he would want to back out now, seeing you so vulnerable. Instead he looks flushed, eyes darkened and hungry. Licking his lips he shakes his head to clear the thoughts clouding his judgment.  “I thought he’s supposed to pray, not you,” Hongjoong emerges from between your thighs.  “Your tongue is so lo-” your praise is interrupted by his wicked muscle thrusting into you again, slurping with delight.  “Wait until you see what else is long.”  “Hongjoong. I need quiet. If you could be less…enthusiastic.” Seonghwa, having emptied the vial, holds a bowl of oil. His chest rises and falls as he concentrates heavily, almost boring holes in you with his gaze. Your own breathing mimics his as you study him, he’d always taken his job seriously, ever since the three of you learned your fates as children. Always keeping the knights code in the back of his mind, even before entering training proper. Holding up the dignity of the kingdom was important to him, almost as important as holding up yours. Dipping two fingers into the oils he slowly and methodically paints translucent runes on your chest, focusing as though he was the one that would be making his vows to you tomorrow.

 All it took to break him was you breaking first. You’d done so well, dosing your small whines into large breaths as your vision blurred beyond what a prescription could fix. Even as Hongjoong knelt dutifully between your thighs, enthusiastically licking and fucking his fingers into you, you’d managed to choke down your moans and limit your convulsions to your fingers and toes. What sent you over the edge was a simple brush of Seonghwa’s fingertips around your nipple. The second to last rune required by the ritual. Dropping your mouth open, you moan and writhe.  “‘M sorry! Felt good,” you whimper.  Seonghwa looks flushed, “I have to do it again.”  “I hope,” you beg, Hongjoong lightly swatting at your upper thigh.  His hand shakes as he recites and draws the final rune, your eyes rolling back as your back arches from the mattress. Almost in a trance he takes what's left of the oil and pours it on the center of your torso, his hands meeting to pull tendrils of the liquid out, covering what he’d worked so diligently on. His hands gliding, Hongjoongs tongue teasing, your brain fuzzes over in pleasure. Filthy words spew from your mouth as one man presses and pulls, the other lapping at some new source of pleasure, you’re suddenly glad you opted for the most distant of the cabins on the castle grounds. As you shudder out a gasp, Seonghwa wraps his arms around your waist, supporting you as he leans forward to kiss your breast. His lips are like a whisper against you, tentative and airy.  “Again,” You command, pulling at his shoulder hastily. “More.”  He obliges, mouth encircling your nipple with more confidence, latching to you and tugging back with a small pop. It stings. It feels good. You pull him to you again, nails digging in as he joins in the feast. Head pressed into the center of the mattress your head feels full of cotton, eyes closing and relishing in the attention. Thighs trembling your hips finally break free from Hongjoong as you cum, thrashing as his fingers drive into you over and over, fucking you through each refractory wave.  All that fills the room now is heavy breathing.  “Little rebellious princess, should’ve expected you’d be loud,” Hongjoong muses, sucking his fingers clean before  wiping your glistening release from his mouth with the back of his hand in one fluid motion. “She’s delicious Hwa, want a bite?”  He grunts, one hand still mauling a breast while he nuzzles into the crook of your neck. His hips move subconsciously, wet splotch on his undergarments gently prodding your side in time with his snuffled moans.  Hongjoong tugs lightly at Seonghwas arm, jostling him just enough to release you from his grasp. His eyes are blurred, lips pinks and full.  “You first, it’s more romantic that way,” Hongjoong grumbles.  “Hm? First?” Seonghwa blinks slowly.  “You’re both virgins. It’s…cute,” Hongjoong sighs begrudgingly. “I’ll help.”  Seonghwa shifts, thumbs disappearing beneath his waistband. Hongjoong’s do as well and you realize you’re going to see them. Your eyes blow wide as your two men stand nonchalantly, tugging down the last vestiges of their modesty. The tops of their hipbone dip gracefully down into the valleys of their pubic bones. Something about the way their abs expand and contract is entrancing, mouth watering. You gulp. There’s a twinkle in Hongjoongs eye as he teases just the top of his member, using the taut waist of his undergarments to push himself down. In profile, Seonghwa has no such ritual, peeling off his own underwear and gently folding it in front of himself. If your eyes could set fire where they stared Seonghwa’s clothes would be ashes.  “Eyes on me Princess,” Hongjoong smirks. “See ‘Hwa? Women need a little more anticipation.”  You can feel your pulse elevate, heart leaping into your throat as your stomach tenses. It’s hard to decide where you want to look more on the man; his fingers, slowly rolling down the top of his waistband or his face, full focus locked on you.  “Women? As opposed to-?  “Men.” Hongjoong states with a small chuckle. “Men want action and women want suspense. Isn’t that right Princess? You must be nearly dying to see the rest.”  You nod. “Please, I-”  “Beg.”  Seonghwa shoots him an incredulous look. “Don’t forget yourself, she’s our Princess.”  “Was she our Princess when you were humping her thigh like a dumb mutt? I want her to want it. I want her to beg.” Hongjoong refuses to lose your gaze as he speaks, low and slow, to the man practically ready to him for your honor.  You whine, “please Hongjoong. Seonghwa. Please.” Begging like this has your insides on fire. It’s foreign and taboo and beneath you and you love it. Shakily your hand moves between your thighs as you continue to plead.  “Go touch her,” Hongjoong gently instructs. Seonghwa doesn’t need a second prompting, scrambling back to the bed and between your legs, hitching them up on his hips with a fluid scoop of his arms. Hongjoong hovers in the periphery, finally lowering his waistband to reveal himself to you. Mouth watering thickness bouncing back up as he sets it free, running his palm over the head and smearing the fat tip with the pearled precum that bubbled forth.  “That’s a good boy. Now you’re going to get yourself nice and wet to make this easier on her.”  Seonghwa’s face is buried in your neck as his shaft glides along your folds in awkward stuttered thrusts. “I could- oh you feel so good against me- I could just-” Reedy whines vibrate on your skin.  “Don’t you dare,” Hongjoong snarls as he yanks Seonghwa up from your chest by the hair at the back of his head. “Don’t you fucking waste her time cumming on her stomach.”  “Then what, asshole,” Seonghwa huffs. “What the fuck do I do?”  “Touch her.” Hongjoong rolls his eyes at Seonghwa’s lack of action. Crawling up onto the bed next to him, he guides his hand to your swollen cunt. “Start with the lips and then slip in, and when your fingers and good and wet, touch yourself.” You can’t see it but you can certainly feel it, the calm demonstrative teaching hand and the cautious student following.  If anything could’ve convinced you of divine right it would’ve been the feeling of their fingers slipping simultaneously between your folds and filling your aching walls. How else could one describe the ascension except heavenly. Your back arches into the bed, hips bouncing down onto their hands.  “See? Our Princess likes being stuffed full of our fingers. Just imagine how much she’ll like other parts.” Hongjoong smirks and you moan. Pulling his hand from you and stroking himself with the essence that clings, Seonghwa follows suit, coating himself as well. “She’s ready, if you are. If you spill too quickly…” he smiles to himself, “well, that’s why I’m here.”  Seonghwa looks down at you, chest heaving, hair messy and knotted in the sheets. Eyes large and hazy, smiling dumbly up at him, he can hardly believe this is about to happen. It takes a second for him to find the give of your needy walls, poised at your entrance he leans close to you, wrapping you in his embrace. Your breathing becomes shallow as he presses into you, enveloping himself in the wet heat. His head spins but he steals himself.  “There you go, nice and slow like that, really let her suck you in.” Hongjoong directs from afar.  Seonghwa’s lips tickle the shell of your ear as he whispers, “you can always tell me to stop.”  “I know, that’s why I don’t want you to.” Your legs lock over his hips, resting on his low back, weighing him down into you farther.  Both of you moan, half out of pain and half relief, as he stills, taken upto the hilt inside of you. Circling your hips you work your walls to accommodate his size, twitching with stimulation.  “Let her work your cock, her body knows what it wants, listen to that.”  Your body does know what it wants, it wants them. Arm reaching out blindly from you, gesturing Hongjoong to come closer as your screw your eyes shut. The carnal way your body is reacting would be almost too embarrassing if it didn’t feel so mind-numbingly good. Seonghwa starts to pump inside of you in time with your hips rolling, bouncing you back down into the sheets. The warm grasp of hands pinning your wrists to the sheets sends your eyes flying open.  Seonghwa looks like an angel in a renaissance painting, beads of sweat collected at his brow, mouth dropped open, and eyes cast to the heavens. He’s focused on balancing his weight mostly off of you. Instead it’s Hongjoong who holds your wrists, every present smirk lighting the corners of his mouth and the fire behind his eyes.  “You’re taking him so well for your first time, princess.” The light praise has you enthusiastically moaning and whimpering. Your fingers wrapped around Hongjoong’s wrists for support twitch and seize. “Just keep fucking yourself back on him like a good girl.”  Leveraging his weight on your wrists you do just as he instructs, bucking fiercely back on Seonghwa. High strangled whines die in his throat as his brows furrow in concentration. The wetness between you grows, lessening the dragging feeling in your gut.  “God, Seonghwa-fuck-I-” you groan, familiar intense feeling of fire coursing through your veins blooms brilliantly from your core. In an instant your walls pulse around him, pelvis jerking erratically as you orgasm. It practically brings the man on top of you crashing down as he stumbles to his forearms, barely caging his weight off your chest, pained expression crossing his face. He whines, thigh tensing and shaking, trying to think of anything to stem the wave growing in his gut.  “Gonna cum so soon, loverboy?”  Seonghwa grumbles and sneers up at the other man, “I got it. I’m fine.”  “You at least satisfied her properly, more than most first timers can say,” Hongjoong chuckles. Seonghwas nearly feral devotion showing its full colors as he’s hunched over your squirming body. “Kiss her.” The command is simple, but it has Seonghwa sitting back on his haunches. You squeal and wriggle, thoroughly giddy at the thought, breathing new energy and eagerness into you.  “I won’t be able to control myself.” Seonghwa gasps as you circle your hips, quickly biting down on the inside of his lip and mumbling a prayer.

 “You’re liking this, aren’t you, princess?” Hongjoong leans close over you, face upside down hovering inches away. “All this attention, all this pleasure. You want more? Want me to teach you more common things?”  “Please,” you bleat, voice high and airy, the word coming out like a puff of smoke from a doused fire.  When he leans down to kiss you, your mind spins. Upside down his lips are ill matched to yours as they meet. It’s unlike kisses you’ve shared before, you can feel the smile at the corners of his upper lip as you feverishly meet. His hands long having abandoned your wrists, cup your cheeks and jaw. Carefully he takes your lower lip between his teeth, gently pulling at it as he emerges, staring up at Seonghwa. Daring him. Your mouth is red and puffy, eyes glazed over. “Princess, have you ever taken someone between those lovely lips of yours?”  “Taken…like a blowjob?”  His eyes light up, faking incredulity, “what a dirty word coming from someone of your stature!”  “I can read things besides scriptures and rites,” you giggle, pawing at his knee. You still haven’t seen him. It bothers you. Seonghwa and you are as bare as the day you were born and yet Hongjoong still remains modest in comparison. Hands blindly scrambling behind you, up and over his toned thighs, you tug at the waistband just enough to slide the tips of your fingers along him.  “Oh,” you gasp. He’s velvety hot as you graze his shaft, bulging veins running along his length. Somehow he’s thicker than you’d expect the seemingly slight man to be. Not that you’d had a lot of experience but still.  “She’s eager Hwa, do something about that.”  His hips snap into you fiercely, knocking the wind from you, blurring your vision and dazing you for just long enough for Hongjoong to slip away and remove the last of his clothing. While you hadn’t gotten a great look at Seonghwa, Hongjoong was headed straight for you, beet red tip jutting out proudly from between his hip bones.  “Already opening your mouth? My my, maybe you do read more than I give you credit for,” Hongjoong teases you lightly as his hand barely wraps around the circumference of his shaft. “Wanna kiss it just a bit for me?” He offers, hips canting forward. So you do, lips pressing to the side hovering nearest to you. Bucking involuntarily along your soft mouth more flares go off in your chest. The power of pleasure. You want him to do that again and you want it to be because of you.  Like the heroines you’d read about in the cover of night, you wrap your lips around him, sucking down as much as you can fit of him which is admittedly less than you’d imagined. Lips stretch to their limit around him, you experiment, licking every edge of him as the two men lazily bounce you between their cocks.

 “If she wasn’t a Princess she’d make an amazing whore,” Hongjoong sighs and pets your hollowed cheek, watching intently as it thins from the bulbous tip pressing into it insistently. He can feel his hand dully from the other side, almost tickling himself.  “She can be a Princess and a whore,” Seonghwa states through gritted teeth, laser focused on maintaining a sharp rhythm. You moan around Hongjoong as Seonghwa strikes your spot, briefly and powerfully, knees falling into each other.  “Do that again,” Hongjoong gasps, shoving himself deeper, your cheeks and throat spilling over with spit. Seonghwa obliges without thought, more firmly landing the next press and watching your hips attempt to buck upwards as your legs fall out from under you. “Again.” Hongjoong snaps at him. You groan louder, vibrations dancing through you and into him. “Again,” the command comes quickly after, speeding the both of them up until you’re gagging and spluttering and moaning and writhing between them as they overwhelm you.  “I’m gonna-” Seonghwa’s eyes are wild, he’s barely able to choke out that much of the sentence as his hips grow erratic again. Last moments of sanity slowly slipping from him as he loses himself to the promise of your wet heat.  “Cum, breed her. Make your heir,” Hongjoong grins wildly. “Like you’ve always wanted to. Fill her. Make her yours.” The smile is almost sadistic by the end as you and Seonghwa unravel, primally keening and you climax together, you walls greedily milking him dry as they tense and release. As you blink the haze away you watch Hongjoong wrap his hand around the back of Seonghwa’s neck and pull him close, lips locking firmly over his. Your entire body twitches, whiting out for a second as the battle each other for dominance. Seonghwa practically mewls, Hongjoong winning with a hair tug, sending a weak spurt of cum into your walls again. “Go clean yourself, loverboy,” Hongjoong snarls, “she’s mine now.”  Frankly you’re exhausted, limbs pliant and brain foggy. It’s all too easy for Hongjoong to separate the two of you, a few tugs and shoves to send Seonghwa to the bathroom and haul your ass to the side of the bed. You can barely croak in surprise as he flips you to your stomach and still Hongjoong runs his mouth, no wonder he’s a bard.  Using Seonghwa’s cum, he slides in with little resistance. Another croaked groan of pleasure escaping your mouth as he fills you, pushing the other man’s release deeper into your walls. Thicker than Seonghwa but shorter and yet the position has him hitting the same spot Seonghwa found nearly immediately. Your fists grip the sheets as he assaults the small spot that’s making you jitter and clench uncontrollably. The build is all too fast, like a freight engine roaring up behind you, your stomach twists and drops.  “Joong!” You yelp, “no!”  The man freezes, panting, “no?”  “Oh,” you moan as your hips continue to swirl and bounce of their own accord.  “Princess?” He leans down, chest to back, pulling your hair back and away from your mouth and nose.  “‘S so m’ch,” you slur. “Felt…weird.”  “Good or bad weird?”  “G-good. But…” you trail off. It felt good but made you anxious and tense in a way that needed to be released.  Hongjoongs armed criss cross underneath you, pulling you up from the bedspread and leveraging his cock yet deeper in, carefully balancing you away from him. “Do you trust me?”  You nod, “with my life.”  “Watch this Hwa, come nice and close for us.” Hongjoong’s lips graze your shoulder wickedly, Seonghwa kneeling before you on the bed. Cock resting semi-erect between his thighs, he palms himself, wincing slightly. Palming the outline of his cock through your lower belly, Hongjong presses his fingers to the hood of your clit. Every thrust up into your wet heat has him caressing your swollen sex. He builds you back to the precipice quickly. Your head thrown back against his shoulder, arms squeezing around you, Hongjoong mutters and groans through his own sort of rite. “Let go, you’re going to be just fine. Relax. I’m here, I’ve got you. Just let go. Let go for me sweetheart. Let me see you cum all over my cock. You can do it for me, for us. Show Seonghwa what a good girl you are.”  “Hwa?” You eyes search frantically as Hongjoongs aural magic works. Clenching down on high length, you fall forward from Hongjoong into Seonghwa’s chest. The drooling tip of Seonghwa’s member pokes your stomach as Hongjoong rails you into oblivion, eyes tearing and mouth silently agape. A sudden shock runs up your spine, a shuddering gasp finally escaping your lungs and your thigh seizes and stamps. Liquid gushing from you, coating Hongjoongs thighs, falls to the floor in a messy cascade. You bite, hard, on Seonghwas shoulder, crying out to the men supporting you.  “Greedy little cunt,” you hear as Hongjoongs hips slam against you, burying himself as deeply as he and gravity could muster together. Warmth suddenly covers your tummy both inside and out, Seonghwa’s second release dribbling downward to where you are still speared on Hongjoong.

 There’s an unspoken dance as Seonghwa gathers your exhausted frame in his arms momentarily as the other man staggers off to clean himself. Laying back in the downy sheets your gaze traces the ceiling, totally exhausted as Seonghwa folds your legs and hips upwards.  “More?” You ask sheepishly, your walls twinge and aching.  “One last part,” Seonghwa mutters. “It’s a blessing. The last part.”  You groan, lips down turned in an exaggerated pout. “Tired.”  Seonghwa scrapes the cooled cum from your stomach, fingers fucking it into you to join the indecent mixture. You can’t help but wince from overstimulation. He’s methodical about it, collecting the drips and stuffing any escaped seed into your sore hole. He’s muttering something under his breath as he does it, hand coming up to rest on your lower belly. “May the seeds spread fertile for my wif-” he catches your stare, remembering himself suddenly. “...fertile for our Princesses’ womb,” he back tracks.  “That’s not how it goes,” you blurt.  Seonghwa tries to hand wave the hiccup. “You aren’t helping me.”  “You don’t need it, you know the rite.”  “That’s not how it goes for us,”  “I want to hear you say it,” you press. You need to hear him say it. The full correct rites. Tears bubble and slip silently down the side of your face into your ears. “Can you just say it as written?”  Solemnly he kisses the tear streak closest to him. He recites slowly, holding himself close to you, despite the sticky clamminess where your bodies touch. “May the seeds spread fertile for my wife and may her womb be hearty as the earth's our crops grow in. May our son be as cunning as his mother and our daughter as strong as her father. Protect and bless our offspring and our union, under your eye we bloom.”  Seonghwa squeezes you, your lower lip trembling as you fight back the harsh reality of tomorrow morning. The sound of Hongjoongs footsteps on the floor doesn’t even shake you from it.  “I like that one, a bit provincial for our Princesses’ class but I like the floral imagery,” Hongjoong muses, rolling next to you on your other side. Seonghwa locks eyes and shakes his head in silent warning. Trying to communicate the obvious, she’s fragile, be careful, don’t.  He understands, trying his best to simply look up at the ceiling with you as your occasional tremors shake his side. “You think if we ask them before we’re beheaded if they’d let our tombstones lay next to each other, just like this?” Hongjoong askes with a lighthearted exhale.  “Joong, is now the time?” Seonghwa leans over you ready to slap the other man when he sees the smile tugging at the corners of your lips. He smiles too, just seeing you finally break is enough to lighten his heart.  The three of you sleep just like that. Seonghwa curled up attached to your side, Hongjoong stroking the back of your hand. You sleep until you hear the dogs barking in the distance. No doubt dogs that were sent to find the missing bride. Hongjoong is already awake, scrawling something messily in a notebook.  “What are you writing?”  He doesn’t look up. “You better get while we retain some amount of deniability, if they find us here there’s not much we can say to unruffle the feathers.”  Scrambling to put on your nightclothes and robe, you forget to say your goodbyes. Leaving one man sleeping and one scribbling away. Panic invading your mind you excuse it, it’s not like it was the last time you’d see them. Closing the cabin door you run, as fast as you can, to the small blooming orchard on the perimeter of the castle grounds, you hadn’t run away from your husband to be, you were simply clearing your head.

 Seonghwa stirs as the cabin door shuts and the soft patting of your footsteps crackle the less tamed pathways. It hurts more than he cares to hold, rolling so the other can’t see his face.

 “I know it won’t help you, but I have an incredible idea for a story.”

I really didn’t know what to do for this one until when Matz dropped and then again was inspired post Japan concert stream to write this. 

[comfortficfest]

Comfort Fic Fest 2024 Masterpost

Here is a list of all the wonderful fics we've got in the first edition.

Cuddlebug by Sun_flwr

When the call from the adoption agency finally calls, Harry and Louis are surprised to discover that they have been tentatively paired with a young pup named Rami, who suffers from a multitude of issues stemming from the abandonment he’s suffered. But no matter the challenges, they know they will do everything they can to care for and love this pup as if he was their own.

The Bear Necessities by @silverstuff50

It’s taken nine tries, and nearly twenty quid, but Louis has won the bear. Harry’s been eyeing it up since they arrived at the fairground earlier, and every time they’d walked past the shooting gallery his boyfriend’s eyes had gone all big and hopeful. Louis can never resist that look. So while Harry had gone to find the loo, Louis decided to win him the huge, soft teddy bear as a surprise for when he returned. How hard could it be? Nine tries later, with Harry now at his side to cheer him on, he eventually manages to hit all the targets with his five shots, and the massive bear is finally in his gorgeous boyfriend’s arms.

I just wanted you to know (this is me trying) by @calumsboy

Harry pulls the cupcake out of his mouth, and looks at it. Chocolate flavoured with gummy bears and coca cola bottle gummies falling off the frosting. Yum. Louis' laughing at the sight of a pink Harry, and so Harry flips him off. That just makes him laugh harder. Asshole. Harry doesn't bother wiping the frosting off just yet. He likes the sound of Louis' giggles too much to really want to end them. But what he does do, is collect some frosting on the tip of his finger and place the dollop on Louis' scrunched-up-from-laughter nose. "Cute little bunny."

Puppy (Baby, I'm Pawrfect for You) by @yoursolosong

“So… what are we naming him?” “I think ‘Puppy’ is fitting.” “Haz… that's like me calling you ‘human’” Harry pouted his cute little pout and Louis wished he could kiss it off his face. Louis let out a sigh, “Puppy it is.”

In an octopus's garden with you by @liminalkittyfics

Autistic alpha Harry, a teacher, spends an overwhelming day on a field trip to the aquarium. Luckily, his omega, Louis, knows just what he needs.

Safe Place To Hide Us Away by @lunarheslwt

Weighed down by everyday stress, alpha Harry takes up nesting in secret. It takes a load of missing clothes and unravelling lies for him to realise that his omega would love and accept him no matter what.

Always Room For Pie by @leighllbealright

Gemma looks up at Louis. “You know what I realized the other day, Petunia?” “Hm?” Louis hums, not looking away from Poppy’s face. “In just a couple of weeks, it will have been a year since the day we met.” Louis freezes. “That…” His eyes wander across the room, taking everything in. “That can’t be… That can’t be right…” “Oh, but it is, my sweet Petunia,” Gemma can’t help but smirk. “Life moved awfully fast last year.” He turns to her, shock still all over his face. “A ye-ar?” He asks, turning the word into two syllables. She held a finger up. “One year.” “One year?!” He whispers. Gemma’s eyebrow jumps. “We could say it a few more times if you’d like?” She snickers, tilting her head and looking at him like he’s an idiot.

Louis and the Very Terrible, No Good Sleep by @nooradeservedbetter

Louis had always been used to sleeping in a puppy pile back home. It was something that just happened, with all of his siblings being omegas, they just ended up in a giant nest all together, and Louis loved to cuddle in the warmth, and breathe in the familiar scent of home. He hadn’t thought much about it when, after graduating from the local uni, he got a job offer in Brighton and had to leave the family den.

You Helped Me Through The Darkness by @sandrahasfaith28

What happens when Louis, who has only been aware of his submissive tendencies for a few years and was abused in his first BDSM relationship, meets Soft Dom Harry as his therapist.

We Chase the Stars to Lose Our Shadow by 50secsoflarry

Insomniac and someone professionally cuddling with them to fall asleep....They fall in love.

Good Soup by grapejuiceblues85

Harry is sick, Louis decides to be a good husband

My Hands At Risk, I Fold by @yourgorgeouscolors28

"Sometimes, when Louis first wakes up, he thinks he’s back in the hospital, and panic hits him." Or, Harry is a famous popstar, Louis is a famous football player and one injury changes everything.

Hold Me Tight, Don't Let Go by hssattelite28

Louis walked up to the front office to submit his paperwork, having finally secured his new job as a middle school guidance counselor. That is, until he was told that when he signed on the dotted line, they negated to highlight a few key points. For instance, teachers and staff only obtain paid time off during their cycles after they’ve completed 5 years in the district. If they take the time off before that, whoever substitutes gets paid out of the teacher’s final wages. He was then gently directed to the nurses office, where he could obtain a “Suppressants and Me” pamphlet and a number to the town’s doctor’s office. Or, Louis has to go on new suppressants, and they come with some unexpected side effects.

It Must Have Been The Wind by @goldensweetmemory

A small smile appeared on Louis’ face as his thumb hovered over the perfect song to play in this situation. He wanted to make sure Harry knew that he was always going to be an open ear for him, no strings attached and absolutely no judgment. And also the song was kind of annoying as fuck. Way too overplayed. But the message was clear. Lean On Me began playing through the speaker, the volume increasing as Louis held down the side button on his phone. The smile never faded as he lit his new cigarette, bringing it to his lips. The voices upstairs quieted down, a silence stretching and wrapping itself around the upstairs apartment just in time for the first chorus to play. He heard the sliding door click shut just before the second verse. He just hoped Harry understood.

Do you still remember feeling young by @Kleep

Harry and Louis are in the kitchen, just putting the finishing touches on dinner when Lucas comes home from work. What that really means, is that Harry is cooking and Louis sits at the kitchen island drinking a beer, watching Harry cook, happy the task is back in Harry’s hands. In the back of Louis’ mind, he knows that if Lucas was intending to talk to them tonight, dinner is his opportunity. While nervous, Louis hasn’t mentioned the impending talk to Harry even once tonight. When they start eating dinner he tries to be the very picture of cool, calm and collected. Louis has only taken about 3 bites of his meal when Lucas finally brings it up. “You know how I wanted to talk to you guys, right? Louis isn’t sure if he should put his fork down for this and give Lucas his complete attention, or just keep eating and let Lucas have the space to say what he needs to say. He decides on keeping it light, casual, nodding in Lucas’ direction.

The sign on your heart (it's reserved for me) by @darkinfinity

The one where Louis Tomlinson is a single dad and is finally allowing himself to start dating. Insert Harry Styles, a charming coffee shop owner who sweeps him off his feet.

In All Your Gorgeous Colours by @loudloudlove

Harry Styles is just your average 20-something. He followed his soul to a new town and now he works hard as a barman and lives alone in his little house. That is until he's swept off his feet... literally. When Harry regains consciousness, his entire world has changed. Everything that was once black and white is now flooded with colour. And the first person he sees is his soulmate...Liam. What Harry didn't count on was Liam's best mate...Louis. What is it about him that Harry just can't let go of? Why has his entire world been turned around? And is it really possible to walk away from your soulmate to chase a dream?

Route 43 by @elleseekeepdriv

When Louis' car breaks down, he's forced to take the bus to university every day. Little does he know that he will fall for the shy and sometimes overwhelmed curly boy who is always reading at the bus stop. The 43 turns out to be the best thing that happens to them...or is it each other?

Please Tell Me That You've Got Me by colourfulsuitmoon

A world where the nickname your soulmate will call you appears on your chest on your 18th birthday and Harry wakes up with the only name he hates.

Just a Minute More by kingofthefridaynight

“Look,” Harry said now, tapping Louis repeatedly on his thigh. There it was, the proud beam on Harry’s face, as he showed off a piece of fabric in a wooden circle. The bright yarn in the middle vaguely resembled a flower. Either way, Louis smiled, “It’s beautiful, angel.” “You recognise it?” Harry asked with a teasing smirk, wagging the hoop a little into Louis’ direction. “Or are you just being nice?” Harry knew him too well. He could read him like a book. That’s what marriage is about though, Louis figured, as he tried to squint at the flower to see what it was supposed to resemble. “I’m sorry, love,” Louis confessed after a second. “Tell me, though?” Or, a rainy day in bed, where all they do is enjoy each other’s company.

A Perfect Match by @AmITooLate2

Prompt: Louis and his best friend Zayn go on a blind double date. Louis finds his date to be Liam and Zayn finds his to be Harry. Oh, but Louis and Harry are soulmates. (Ziam can be too).

Well Versed In All Things You by Read321718

Louis has a migraine he's been hiding from Harry and Harry knows just how to care for him.

Oh, those summer nights! by unbrxkenhabits

Between sunsets, horseback ridings, waterfalls, movie nights and football matches, Louis and Harry get to feel the sweet taste of a young love.

[roomwithanopenfire]

Stats Sunday

Happy March!! Thanks for the tag @nausikaaa! Unfortunately, my goal is to make this banner worse every month, so be prepared—we've only just begun.

Early post for me. I should be sleeping but I started making my graphs and then... well, here we are.

Here's my February Recap loll. Stats and graphs and musings incoming. (this post is so long but i promise there's a snippet in here)

Rest of post is under the cut. It is long. You've been warned.

I've posted two things last month! A valentine's day fic for Ebb/Fiona and Chapter 3 of the Way We Are. (Technically i posted 3 but this stranger things oneshot was posted on the 1st and written in January so it feels like January's accomplishment)

Total words written for February: 14405 (this beats Jan by 460 words!)

Days I met my writing goal (200 words): 20

Days I didn't write or edit anything: 4

Day I wrote the most: Feb 11th with 2249 (this beats last month's high score of 1717!)

Number of Fics worked on: 10 technically, but i have not been consistent with most of them. mainly worked on 3.

Daily Average: 514 words (but like last month i am highly inconsistent and my WC varies wildy depending on the day)

(I really like the little curve in the middle. also two the days that look like zero are actually 1 words, which is my placeholder if i spend all day editing)

And here's a pie chart to show my WC distribution across projects. Tbh a lot of these were fics that i've had in my fic ideas doc and all i did was make a google doc for them and word barf onto it my ideas, that's why there's so many small slices.

some slices are so small you don't even get to know my placeholder names. also i hope the title THTHIPWGI intrigues you, i'm always excited when i can title a fic right away and refer to it by a fun accyromn on my spreadsheet.

Other notable things from February:

I finished writing all of The Way We Are!! (kind of. i have one more scene to write. Monica's fault.)

I took over the @carry-on-sapphic-week event!! Check out the prompts if you haven't yet <3

I've received So Many beautiful valentines from the CO discord servers exchange. my mailbox and my heart has been full

The CO fandom was able to raise $500 for Fandom Trumps Hate!! (and I got to make a spreadsheet bc of this!!!) (also i won two auctions from this, one for each fandom i'm in)

My car battery died and I had to get a new one :/

I started a new journal!

I finally figured out how to spell February

my savage worlds campaign finally got our ship back and made it off this stupid planet that we've been on forever.

i've started watching Yellowjackets and I'm really enjoying it

I read so many CO AU fest fics and each one of them was so good. I think i've read all except one so far, and honestly this fest has been so fun i'm obsessed with you guys, you're are so talented.

SPEAKING of CO AU fest fics, @fiend-for-culture's fic, Everything In Between, is SO good, i've been thinking about it all week. you should read it (and leave a comment so i can read it bc i'm stalking the comments on this fic and there's not enough to sate me)

i have spring break in just one week!!

Okay, i promised you words, so here's a snip from my COBB.

“And I’m sorry,” Simon says. “For what?” “Driving you off yesterday.” “That wasn’t your fault. I was being terrible.” “Yeah,” Simon agrees. “But I shouldn’t have dismissed you like that.” I make a face. “I’m not having a heart-to-heart with you, Snow.” Simon groans. “Why do you have to do that?" "What" "Everytime I think we're making progress you say something nasty like that."

sorry this post is so long, thank you for reading if you made it this far

tags, hellos, and apologies:

@alexalexinii @aristocratic-otter @argumentativeantitheticalg @artsyunderstudy @arthurkko

@beastmonstertitan @blackberrysummerblog @best--dress @bookishbroadwayandblind @bookish-bogwitch

@the-beard-of-edward-teach @brilla-brilla-estrellita @cccloudsss @ciescen @confused-bi-queer

@cutestkilla @drowninginships @facewithoutheart @emeryhall @fiend-for-culture

@hushed-chorus @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @theimpossibledemon @jyae23

@larkral @lovelettersto-mars @meanjeansjeans @m1ndwinder @monbons

@noblecorgi @orange-peony @prettygoododds @raenestee @rimeswithpurple

@run-for-chamo-miles @rbkzz @shrekgogurt @simonscones @skee3000

@supercutedinosaurs @sweetronancer @talentpiper11 @toc-the-scrambled @thewholelemon

@valeffelees @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

added some new ppl to this tag list, feel free to share a wip you're working on—art, fic, etc. it does not have to stats like mine is loll. i use wipsdays as my soapbox.

[taylor-on-your-dash]

WRITING OF FOLKLORE & EVERMORE TIMELINE

“I used to put all these parameters on myself like, ‘How will this song sound in a stadium? How will this song sound on radio?’ If you take away all the parameters, what do you make? And I guess the answer is... folklore.”

December 18, 2019: Taylor records my tears ricochet. On folklore: long pond sessions, she confirms that my tears ricochet was the first song written for TS8 and she knew right away that it would take the 5th spot on the track list.

“I found myself being very triggered by any stories, movies, or narratives revolving around divorce, which felt weird because I haven't experienced it directly. There's no reason it should cause me so much pain, but all of a sudden it felt like something I had been through. I think that happens any time you've been in a 15-year relationship and it ends in a messy, upsetting way. So I wrote "My Tears Ricochet" and I was using a lot of imagery that I had conjured up while comparing a relationship ending to when people end an actual marriage. All of a sudden this person that you trusted more than anyone in the world is the person that can hurt you the worst. Then all of a sudden the things that you have been through together, hurt. All of a sudden, the person who was your best friend is now your biggest nemesis, etc. etc. etc. I think I wrote some of the first lyrics to that song after watching Marriage Story and hearing about when marriages go wrong and end in such a catastrophic way. So these songs are in some ways imaginary, in some ways not, and in some ways both. It’s definitely one of the saddest songs on the album. Picking a ‘Track Five’ is sort of a pressurized decision but I knew from day one this was probably going to be it. It’s a song about karma, about greed, about how somebody could be your best friend and your companion and your most trusted person in your life and then they could go and become your worst enemy who knows how to hurt you because they were once your most trusted person. Writing this song, it kind of occurred to me that in all of the superhero stories the hero’s greatest nemesis is the villain that used to be his best friend. When you think about that, you think about how there’s this beautiful moment in the beginning of a friendship where these people have no idea that one day, they’ll hate each other and try to take each other out. I mean, that’s really sad and terrible.”

March 5-12, 2020: Band rehearsals for Lover Fest. The band rehearsed 32 songs and Taylor sings on a few.

March 11, 2020: Taylor lands in LA. She'll stay there for the whole lockdown until May 22nd.

March 19, 2020: The state of California issue a stay-at-home order. The lockdown starts. During the Eras Tour, Taylor says that she started writing songs with Jack soon after. It's possible that illicit affairs and august were two of the first songs, as Taylor confirmed that august was the first song she wrote for the Love Triangle. This first version of august doesn't include the bridge.

[Taylor about illicit affairs] This was the first album that I’ve ever let go of that need to be 100 percent autobiographical because I think I needed to do that. I felt like fans needed to hear a 'stripped from the headlines' account of my life and it actually ended up being a bit confining. Because there’s so much more to writing songs than just what you’re feeling and your singular storyline. And I think this was spurred on by the fact that I was watching movies every day, I was reading books every day, I was thinking about other people every day. I was kind of outside my own, personal stuff. I think that’s been my favorite thing about this album: that it’s allowed to exist on its own merit without it just being, ‘Oh, people are listening to this because it tells them something that they could read in a tabloid’. It feels like a completely different experience.

[Taylor about august] In my head, I’ve been calling the girl from ‘august’ either Augusta or Augustine. What happened in my head was: ‘cardigan’ is Betty’s perspective from 20 or 30 years later, looking back on this love that was this tumultuous thing. I think Betty and James ended up together. So in my head, she ends up with him but he really put her through it. ‘august’ was obviously about the girl that James had this summer with. She seems like she’s a bad girl, but really she’s not. She’s a really sensitive person who fell for him and she was trying to seem cool and like she didn’t care because that’s what girls have to do. And she was trying to let him think that she didn’t care, but she did and she thought they had something very real. And then he goes back to Betty. So the idea that there is some bad, villain girl in any type of situation who ‘takes your man’ is a total myth because that’s not usually the case at all. Everybody has feelings and wants to be seen and loved. And Augustine…that’s all she wanted.

[Taylor] I was really excited about "August slipped away into a moment of time/August sipped away like a bottle of wine." That was a song where Jack sent me the instrumental and I wrote the song pretty much on the spot; it just was an intuitive thing. And that was actually the first song that I wrote of the "Betty" triangle. So the Betty songs are "August," "Cardigan," and "Betty." "August" was actually the first one, which is strange because it's the song from the other girl's perspective. It would be safe to assume that "Cardigan" would be first, but it wasn't. It was very strange how it happened, but it kind of pieced together one song at a time, starting with "August," where I kind of wanted to explore the element of This is from the perspective of a girl who was having her first brush with love. And then all of a sudden she's treated like she's the other girl, because there was another situation that had already been in place, but "August" girl thought she was really falling in love. It kind of explores the idea of the undefined relationship. As humans, we're all encouraged to just be cool and just let it happen, and don't ask what the relationship is—Are we exclusive? But if you are chill about it, especially when you're young, you learn the very hard lesson that if you don't define something, oftentimes they can gaslight you into thinking it was nothing at all, and that it never happened. And how do you mourn the loss of something once it ends, if you're being made to believe that it never happened at all?

Taylor had previously written down the phrase ‘Meet me behind the mall’ in her phone years ago, wanting to write it into a song.

April 17, 2020: Lover Fest is cancelled. Taylor writes mirrorball and this is me trying shortly after.

MIRRORBALL

On folklore there are a lot of songs that reference each other or have lyrical parallels and one of the ones that I like is the entire song 'this is me trying' then being referenced again in ‘mirrorball,’ which is, ‘I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try’. Sometimes when I’m writing to an instrumental track I’ll push ‘Play’ and I’ll immediately see a scene set and this was one of those cases. I just saw a lonely disco ball, twinkly lights, neon signs, people drinking beer by the bar, a couple of stragglers on the dance floor. Sort of a sad, moonlit, lonely experience in the middle of a town you’ve never been. I was just thinking that we have mirrorballs in the middle of a dance floor because they reflect light, they are broken a million times and that’s what makes them so shiny. We have people like that in society, too. They hang there and every time they break it entertains us. And when you shine a light on them it’s this glittering, fantastic thing. But then, a lot of the time when the spotlight isn’t on them they’re just still there, up on that pedestal but no one is watching them. It was a metaphor for celebrity but it’s also a metaphor for so many people. Everybody has to feel like they have to be ‘on’ for certain people. You have to be different versions of yourself for different people. Different versions at work, different versions around friends. Different versions of yourself around different friends. A different version of yourself around family. Everybody feels that they have to be in some ways duplicitous and that’s part of the human experience. But it’s also exhausting. And you learn that every one of us has the ability to become a shapeshifter. But what does that do to us?

THIS IS ME TRYING

“I’ve been thinking about people who are either suffering through mental illness, addiction or who have an everyday struggle. No one pats them on the back every day but every day they are actively fighting something. There are so many days that nobody gives them credit for that and so, how often must somebody who’s in that sort of internal struggle wanna say to everyone in the room: ‘You have no idea how close I am to going back to a dark place.’ I had this idea that the first verse would be about someone who is in a life crisis and has just been trying and failing in their relationship, has been messing things up with people they love, has been letting everyone down and has driven to this overlook, this cliff, and is just in the car, going, ‘I could do whatever I want in this moment and it could affect everything forever.’ But this person backs up and drives home. The second verse is about someone who felt like they had a lot of potential in their life. I feel like there are a lot of mechanisms for us in our school days, in high school or college, to excel and to be patted on the back for something. And then a lot of people get out of school and there are less abilities for them to get gold stars. Then you have to make all these decisions and you have to pave your own way. There’s no set class course you can take. I think a lot of people feel really swept up in that. And so I was thinking about this person who is really lost in life and then starts drinking…and every second is trying not to.”

March/April 2020: the lakes was also done remotely, but written before Taylor started collaborating with Aaron, placing it between March and April 2020:

[Taylor] “We’d gone to the Lake District in England a couple years ago. In the 19th century you had a lot of poets like William Wordsworth and John Keats who’d spend a lot of time there. And there was a poet district, these artists that moved there. They were heckled for it and made fun of for being these eccentrics and kind of odd artists who decided that they just wanted to live there. I remember thinking, ‘I could see this.’ You live in a cottage and you got wisteria growing up the outside of it…of course they escaped like that. And they had their own community of other artists who’d done the same thing. I’ve always, in my career since I was probably about twenty, written about this cottage backup plan that I have. I have been writing about that forever. I went to William Wordsworth’s grave and just sat there and I was like, ‘Wow. He went and did it.’ And you kept writing but you didn’t subscribe to the things that were killing you. And that’s really the overarching thing that I felt when I was writing folklore: I may not be able to go to The Lakes right now – or to go anywhere – but I’m going there in my head. The escape plan is working.”

[Jack] On one of my favorite songs on folklore, “The Lakes,” there was this big orchestral version, and Taylor was like, “Eh, make it small.” I had gotten lost in the string arrangements and all this stuff, and I took everything out. I was just like, “Oh, my God!” We were not together because that record was made [remotely], but I remember being in the studio alone like, “Holy shit, this is so perfect.”

This version of the lakes was released on folklore's first anniversary.

April 24, 2020: For his birthday, Aaron Dessner goes on an Instagram Live where he plays a bunch of songs including “Gaite” aka “happiness” and “Stella”, like his daughter, aka “invisible string”

April 27-28, 2020: Taylor contacts Aaron Dessner and asks him to work with her. He sends her a folder of instrumental tracks he had recorded over the years. The first one that inspires Taylor is called “Maple” which will become cardigan. She sends back a voice memo, and right after, she posts a selfie on Instagram with the caption “Not a lot going on at the moment”. What a troll.

[Taylor] The song is about a long lost romance, and why young love is often fixed so permanently within our memories. When looking back on it, why it leaves such an incredible mark and how special it made you feel; all the good things it made you feel, all the pain that it made you feel... The line about feeling like you were an old cardigan under someone's bed, but someone put you on and made you feel like you were their favorite.

[Aaron] That’s the first song we wrote. After Taylor asked if I would be interested in writing with her remotely and working on songs, I said, “Are you interested in a certain kind of sound?” She said, “I’m just interested in what you do and what you’re up to. Just send anything, literally anything, it could be the weirdest thing you’ve ever done,” so I sent a folder of stuff I had done that I was really excited about recently. “cardigan” was one of those sketches; it was originally called “Maple.” It was basically exactly what it is on the record, except we added orchestration later that my brother wrote. I sent [the file] at 9 p.m., and around 2 a.m. or something, there was “cardigan,” fully written. That’s when I realized something crazy was happening. She just dialed directly into the heart of the music and wrote an incredible song and fully conceived of it and then kept going. It harkens back to lessons learned, or experiences in your youth, in a really beautiful way and this sense of longing and sadness, but ultimately, it’s cathartic. I thought it was a perfect match for the music, and how her voice feels. It was kind of a guide. It had these lower register parts, and I think we both realized that this was a bit of a lightning rod for a lot of the rest of the record.

[Taylor] “The quality that really confounded me about Aaron’s instrumental tracks is that to me, they were immediately, intensely visual,” Swift wrote in an email. “As soon as I heard the first one, I understood why he calls them ‘sketches.’ The first time I heard the track for ‘Cardigan,’ I saw high heels on cobblestones. I knew it had to be about teenage miscommunications and the loss of what could’ve been. I’ve always been so curious about people with synesthesia, who see colors or shapes when they hear music. The closest thing I’ve ever experienced is seeing an entire story or scene play out in my head when I hear Aaron Dessner’s instrumental tracks.”

Aaron Dessner shared a screenshot from when Taylor sent him back cardigan.

April 29-30, 2020: Taylor writes seven and peace. seven is the only song that was entirely recorded at Long Pond.

SEVEN

[Aaron] This is the second song we wrote. It’s kind of looking back at childhood and those childhood feelings, recounting memories and memorializing them. It’s this beautiful folk song. It has one of the most important lines on the record: “And just like a folk song, our love will be passed on.” That’s what this album is doing. It’s passing down. It’s memorializing love, childhood, and memories. It’s a folkloric way of processing.

PEACE

[Taylor] “I think this is a song that is extremely personal to me. There are times when I feel like with everything that’s in my control, I can make myself seem like someone who doesn’t have an abnormal life and I try that every day. It’s like, 'How do I make my friends, and family, and my loved ones not see this big elephant that’s in the room for our normal life?' Because I don’t want the elephant in the room. If you’re gonna be in my life I feel like there’s a certain amount that comes with it that I can’t stop from happening. I can’t stop from you getting a call in the morning that says, ‘The tabloids are writing this today.’ I can’t help it if there’s a guy with a camera two miles away with a telescope lense taking pictures of you. I can’t stop those things from happening. And so this song was basically like, ‘Is it enough? Is the stuff that I can control enough to block out the things that I can’t?' So it makes me really emotional to hear this song.

[Taylor] To know that a lot of people related to it who aren’t talking about the same things that I’m talking about. They’re talking about human complexity. It’s about someone who you wanna provide with peace, someone you love, so you want them to have as much peace in their life as possible and reconciling the fact that you might not be their best option for that. But is it still a deal they wanna take?

[Taylor to Paul McCartney] peace is actually more rooted in my personal life. I know you have done a really excellent job of this in your personal life: carving out a human life within a public life, and how scary that can be when you do fall in love and you meet someone, especially if you’ve met someone who has a very grounded, normal way of living. I, oftentimes, in my anxieties, can control how I am as a person and how normal I act and rationalize things, but I cannot control if there are 20 photographers outside in the bushes and what they do and if they follow our car and if they interrupt our lives. I can’t control if there’s going to be a fake weird headline about us in the news tomorrow.

[Aaron] “I wrote this, and Justin provided the pulse. We trade ideas all the time and he made a folder, and there was a pulse in there that I wrote these bass lines to. In the other parts of the composition, I did it to Justin’s pulse. Taylor heard this sketch and she wrote the song. It reminds me of Joni Mitchell, in a way — there’s this really powerful and emotional love song, even the impressionistic, almost jazz-like bridge, and she weaves it perfectly together. This is one of my favorites, for sure. But the truth is that the music, that way of playing with harmonized bass lines, is something that probably comes a little bit from me being inspired by how Justin does that sometimes. There’s probably a connection there. We didn’t talk too much about it [laughs]. The song “peace” — when she wrote that, it was just a harmonized bass and a pulse. She wrote this incredible love song to it that’s one vocal take.”

May 2020: Taylor and Aaron spend the entire month writing all the songs on folklore.

EXILE (FT. BON IVER)

Taylor and William Bowery, the singer-songwriter, wrote that song initially together and sent it to me as a sort of a rough demo where Taylor was singing both the male and female parts. It’s supposed to be a dialogue between two lovers. I interpreted that and built the song, played the piano, and built around that template. We recorded Taylor’s vocals with her singing her parts but also the male parts. We talked a lot about who she thought would be perfect to sing, and we kept coming back to Justin [Vernon]. Obviously, he’s a dear friend of mine and collaborator. I said, “Well, if he’s inspired by the song, he’ll do it, and if not, he won’t.” I sent it to him and said, “No pressure at all, literally no pressure, but how do you feel about this?” He said, “Wow.” He wrote some parts into it also, and we went back and forth a little bit, but it felt like an incredibly natural and safe collaboration between friends. It didn’t feel like getting a guest star or whatever. It was just like, well, we’re working on something, and obviously he’s crazy talented, but it just felt right. I think they both put so much raw emotion into it. It’s like a surface bubbling. It’s believable, you know? You believe that they’re having this intense dialogue. With other people I had to be secretive, but with Justin, because he was going to sing, I actually did send him a version of the song with her vocals and told him what I was up to. He was like, “Whoa! Awesome!” But he’s been involved in so many big collaborative things that he wasn’t interested in it from that point of view. It’s more because he loved the song and he thought he could do something with it that would add something.

[Taylor on exile] “Exile was a song that was written about miscommunications in relationships, and in the case of this song I imagine that the miscommunications ended the relationship - that they led to sort of the demise of this love affair. And now these two people are seeing each other out for the first time and they keep miscommunicating with each other, they can’t quite get on the same page, they never were able to. So even in their end, even after they’ve broken up they’re still not hearing each other, so we imagined that the beginning of it would be his side of the story, second verse would be her side of the story, and then the end would be sort of them talking over each other and not listening to the other, sort of like an argument. Yeah, I’m really stoked about how it turned out because it really does seem like this sort of tragedy of two people, two ships passing in the night.”

[Joe Alwyn] Alwyn doesn’t consider himself a musician or songwriter and insists that he is, in fact, an awful singer. He was merely “messing around” on the piano when Swift heard and walked over, intrigued. He had been singing the fully formed first verse to the song that became “Exile.”. “It was completely off the cuff, an accident,” he says, shrugging. “She said, ‘Can we try and sit down and get to the end together?’ And so we did. It was as basic as some people made sourdough.” I’d probably had a drink and was just stumbling around the house. We couldn’t decide on a film to watch that night, and she was like, ‘Do you want to try and finish writing that song you were singing earlier?’ And so we got a guitar and did that. I press him on this point — he wrote an entire verse to a Taylor Swift song without trying? “Who doesn’t walk around the house singing?” he asks. I explain that it’s unusual for hit songs to spring forth like that from non-musicians’ heads. He says he wasn’t trying to write to Swift’s personal sound but had been listening to a lot of the National.

[Aaron] It was Taylor’s idea to approach [Justin Vernon]. I sent him Taylor’s voice memo of her singing both parts, and he got really excited and loved the song and then he wrote the extra part in the bridge.

INVISIBLE STRING

[Taylor] When I first heard the track that [Aaron] sent me I thought, ‘I have to write something that matches it’. And pretty quickly I came upon the idea of fate. ‘Cause sometimes I just go into a rabbit hole of thinking about how things happen and I love the romantic idea that every step you’re taking, you’re taking one step closer to what you’re supposed to be, guided by this little invisible string. I wrote it right after I sent an ex a baby gift and I just remember thinking, 'This is a full signifier that life is great!'

[Aaron] That was another one where it was music that I’d been playing for a couple of months and sort of humming along to her. It felt like one of the songs that pulls you along. Just playing it on one guitar, it has this emotional locomotion in it, a meditative finger-picking pattern that I really gravitate to. It’s played on this rubber bridge that my friend put on [the guitar] and it deadens the strings so that it sounds old. The core of it sounds like a folk song. It’s also kind of a sneaky pop song, because of the beat that comes in. She knew that there was something coming because she said, “You know, I love this and I’m hearing something already.” And then she said, “This will change the story,” this beautiful and direct kind of recounting of a relationship in its origin.

MAD WOMAN

[Taylor] [“mad woman” has] these ominous strings underneath it and I was like, ‘Oh, this is female rage.' And then I was thinking the most rage provoking element of being a female is the gaslighting that happens. For centuries, we were just expected to absorb male behavior silently. And oftentimes, when we – in our enlightened and emboldened state – now respond to bad male behavior or somebody just doing something that’s absolutely out of line and we respond, that response is treated like the offense itself. There’s been situations recently with someone who’s very guilty of this in my life and it’s a person who makes me feel (or tries to make me feel) like I’m the offender by having any kind of defense to his offenses. It’s like I have absolutely no right to respond or I’m crazy. I have no right to respond or I’m angry. I have no right to respond or I’m out of line. So [Aaron] provided the musical bed for me to make that point that I’ve been trying so hard to figure out how to make…How do I say why this feels so bad?

[Aaron] That might be the most scathing song on folklore. It has a darkness that I think is cathartic, sort of witch-hunting and gaslighting and maybe bullying. Sometimes you become the person people try to pin you into a corner to be, which is not really fair. But again, don’t quote me on that [laughs], I just have my own interpretation. It’s one of the biggest releases on the album to me. It has this very sharp tone to it, but sort of in gothic folklore. It’s this record’s goth song.

EPIPHANY

[Taylor] I remember thinking, ‘Maybe I wanna write a sports story.’ Because I had just watched The Last Dance and I was thinking all in terms of sports, and winners, and underdogs. But actually, what I had been doing really frequently up until that point was I had been doing a lot of research on my grandfather who fought in World War II at Guadalcanal, which was an extremely bloody battle. And he never talked about it. Not with his sons, not with his wife. Nobody got to hear about what happened there. So my dad and his brothers did a lot of digging and found out that my granddad was exposed to some of the worst situations you could ever imagine as a human being. So I kind of tried to imagine what would happen in order to make you just never be able to speak about something. And when I was thinking about that I realized that there are people right now taking a twenty minute break in between shifts at a hospital who are having this kind of trauma happen to them right now, that they probably will never wanna speak about. And so I thought that this is an opportunity to maybe tell that story. I often feel that there have been times in my life where things have fallen apart so methodically, and I couldn’t control how things were going wrong, and nothing I did stopped it. I just felt like I’d been pushed out a plane and I was scratching on the air on the way down. I just felt like the universe was doing its thing. It was just dismantling my life and there was nothing I could do. And this is a weird situation where – ever since I started making music with [Aaron] – I felt like that was the universe forcing things to fall into place perfectly and there’s nothing I could do. It’s one of those weird things that makes you think about life a lot. This lockdown could’ve been a time where I absolutely lost my mind and instead I think this album was a real floatation device for both of us.

[Aaron] For epiphany, she did have this idea of a beautiful drone, or a very cinematic sort of widescreen song, where it’s not a lot of accents but more like a sea to bathe in. A stillness, in a sense. I first made this crazy drone which starts the song, and it’s there the whole time. It’s lots of different instruments played and then slowed down and reversed. It created this giant stack of harmony, which is so giant that it was kind of hard to manage, sonically, but it was very beautiful to get lost in. And then I played the piano to it, and it almost felt classical or something, those suspended chords. I think she just heard it, and instantly, this song came to her, which is really an important one. It’s partially the story of her grandfather, who was a soldier, and partially then a story about a nurse in modern times. I don’t know if this is how she did it, but to me, it’s like a nurse, doctor, or medical professional, where med school doesn’t fully prepare you for seeing someone pass away or just the difficult emotional things that you’ll encounter in your job. In the past, heroes were just soldiers. Now they’re also medical professionals. To me, that’s the underlying mission of the song. There are some things that you see that are hard to talk about. You can’t talk about it. You just bear witness to them. But there’s something else incredibly soothing and comforting about this song. To me, it’s this Icelandic kind of feel, almost classical. My brother did really beautiful orchestration of it.

BETTY

[Aaron] This one Taylor and William wrote, and then both Jack and I worked on it. We all kind of passed it around. This is the one where Taylor wanted a reference. She wanted it to have an early Bob Dylan, sort of a Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan feel. We pushed it a little more towards John Wesley Harding, since it has some drums. It’s this epic narrative folk song where it tells us a long story and connects back to “cardigan.” It starts to connect dots and I think it’s a beautifully written folk song.

[Taylor] I just heard Joe singing the entire fully formed chorus of ‘betty’ from another room. And I was just like, ‘Hello.’ It was a step that we would never have taken, because why would we have ever written a song together? So this was the first time we had a conversation where I came in and I was like, 'Hey, this could be really weird, and we could hate this, so because we’re in quarantine and there’s nothing else going on, could we just try to see what it’s like if we write this song together?' So he was singing the chorus of it, and I thought it sounded really good from a man’s voice, from a masculine perspective. And I really liked that it seemed to be an apology. I’ve written so many songs from a female’s perspective of wanting a male apology that we decided to make it from a teenage boy’s perspective apologizing after he loses the love of his life because he’s been foolish.

[James] has lost the love of his life basically and doesn't understand how to get it back. I think we all have these situations in our lives where we learn to really, really give a heartfelt apology for the first time. Everybody makes mistakes, everybody really messes up sometimes and this is a song that I wrote from the perspective of a 17-year-old boy. I've always loved that in music you can kinda slip into different identities and you can sing from other people's perspectives. So that's what I did on this one," the superstar explained of the song's premise, before revealing, "I named all the characters in this story after my friends' kids... and I hope you like it!

[Joe Alwyn] I’d probably had a drink and was just stumbling around the house. We couldn’t decide on a film to watch that night, and she was like, ‘Do you want to try and finish writing that song you were singing earlier?’ And so we got a guitar and did that.” Initially, Alwyn didn’t want his name credited, anticipating that what he describes as the “clickbait conversation” would distract people from actually listening to the music. So he went by William Bowery as a nod to his music-composer great-grandfather and the Manhattan street.

[Taylor] With ‘betty,’ Jack Antonoff would text me these articles and think pieces and in-depth Tumblr posts on what this love triangle meant to the person who had listened to it. And that’s exactly what I was hoping would happen with this album. I wrote these stories for a specific reason and from a specific place about specific people that I imagined, but I wanted that to all change given who was listening to it. And I wanted it to start out as mine and become other people’s. It’s been really fun to watch.

THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN DYNASTY

[Taylor] When [Aaron] sent me the track to ‘the last great american dynasty’ I had been wanting to write a song about Rebekah Harkness since 2013, probably. I’d never figured out the right way to do it because there was never a track that felt like it could hold an entire story of somebody’s life and moving between generations. When I heard that [the track] I was like, ‘Oh my God, I think this is my opening. I think this is my moment. I think I can write the Rebekah Harkness story!' It has that country music narrative device.”

[Aaron] I wrote that after we’d been working for a while. It was an attempt to write something attractive, more uptempo and kind of pushing. I also was interested in this almost In Rainbows-style latticework of electric guitars. They come in and sort of pull you along, kind of reminiscent of Big Red Machine. It was very much in this sound world that I’ve been playing around with, and she immediately clicked with that. Initially I was imagining these dreamlike distant electric guitars and electronics but with an element of folk. There’s a lot going on in that sense. I sent it before I went on a run, and when I got back from the run, that song was there [laughs].She told me the story behind it, which sort of recounts the narrative of Rebekah Harkness, whom people actually called Betty. She was married to the heir of Standard Oil fortune, married into the Harkness family, and they bought this house in Rhode Island up on a cliff. It’s kind of the story of this woman and the outrageous parties she threw. She was infamous for not fitting in, entirely, in society; that story, at the end, becomes personal. Eventually, Taylor bought that house. I think that is symptomatic of folklore, this type of narrative song. We didn’t do very much to that either.

[Taylor] “Anyone who's been there before knows that I do 'The Tour,' where I show everyone through the house. And I tell them different anecdotes about each room, because I've done that much research on this house and this woman. So in every single room, there's a different anecdote about Rebekah Harkness. If you have a mixed group of people who've been there before and people who haven't, [the people who’ve been there] are like, "Oh, she's going to do the tour. She's got to tell you the story about how the ballerinas used to practice on the lawn.” And they'll go get a drink and skip it because it's the same every time. But for me, I'm telling the story with the same electric enthusiasm, because it's just endlessly entertaining to me that this fabulous woman lived there. She just did whatever she wanted.”

Dessner and Swift were working intensively and at high speed throughout 2020, so much so that on one occasion the producer sent the singer a track and went out for a run in the countryside around Long Pond. By the time he got back, Swift had already written ‘the last great american dynasty’ and it was waiting for him in his inbox.

Late May/Early June 2020: Taylor sends Aaron the last two folklore songs, the 1 and hoax.

[Aaron] “the 1” and “hoax,” the first song and the last song, were the last songs we did. The album was sort of finished before that. We thought it was complete, but Taylor then went back into the folder of ideas that I had shared. I think in a way, she didn’t realize she was writing for this album or a future something. She wrote “the 1,” and then she wrote “hoax” a couple of hours later and sent them in the middle of the night. When I woke up in the morning, I wrote her before she woke up in LA and said, “These have to be on the record.” She woke up and said, “I agree” [laughs]. These are the bookends, you know?It’s clear that “the 1” is not written from her perspective. It’s written from another friend’s perspective. There’s an emotional wryness and rawness, while also to this kind of wink in her eyes. There’s a little bit of her sense of humor in there, in addition to this kind of sadness that exists both underneath and on the surface. I enjoy that about her writing. The song [began from] the voice memo she sent me, and then I worked on the music some and we tracked her vocals, and then my brother added orchestration. There are a few other little bits, but basically that was one of the very last things we did. [Hoax] is a big departure. I think she said to me, “Don’t try to give it any other space other than what feels natural to you.” If you leave me in a room with a piano, I might play something like this. I take a lot of comfort in this. I think I imagined her playing this and singing it. After writing all these songs, this one felt the most emotional and, in a way, the rawest. It is one of my favorites. There’s sadness, but it’s a kind of hopeful sadness. It’s a recognition that you take on the burden of your partners, your loved ones, and their ups and downs. That’s both “peace” and “hoax” to me. That’s part of how I feel about those songs because I think that’s life. There’s a reality, the gravity or an understanding of the human condition.

[Taylor on the 1] I think, ‘I’m doing good, I’m on some new shit, been saying 'Yes' instead of 'No’ has a double meaning. Opening the album with that line applies to the situation that this song is written about where you’re updating a former lover on what your life is like now and trying to be positive about it. But it was also about where I am creatively. I’m just saying ‘Yes’, I’m just putting out an album in the worst time you could put one out, I’m just making stuff with someone who I’ve always wanted to make stuff with, as long as I’ve been a fan of The National. I’m just going to say 'Yes’ to stuff and it worked out.

[Taylor on hoax] The word ‘hoax’ is another one that I love. I love that is has an ‘x’ and the way it looks and sounds. I think with this song being the last one on the album it kind of embodied all the things that this album was thematically: confessions, incorporating nature, emotional volatility and ambiguity at the same time, love that isn’t just easy. And it’s the most symbolic and poetic thing, listing all these things that this person is to you. That line, ‘You know it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart’ – anyone in my life knows what I’m singing about there but everybody has that situation in their life where you let someone in and they get to know you and they know exactly what buttons to push to hurt you the most. That thing where the scars healed over but there’s still phantom pain. I think the part that sounds like love to me is, ‘Don’t want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in the world would do.’ To me that sounds like what love really is. Who would you be sad with? And who would you deal with when they were sad? And like, gray skies every day for months, would you still stay?

[Aaron] We didn’t talk about [the meaning of the album] at first. It was only after writing six or seven songs, basically when I thought my writing was done, when we got on the phone and said, “OK, I think we’re making an album. I have these six other ideas that I love with Jack [Antonoff] that we’ve already done, and I think what we’ve done fits really well with them.” It’s sort of these narratives, these folkloric songs, with characters that interweave and are written from different perspectives. She had a vision, and it was connecting back in some way to the folk tradition, but obviously not entirely sonically. It’s more about the narrative aspect of it. I think it’s this sort of nostalgia and wistfulness that is in a lot of the songs. A lot of them have this kind of longing for looking back on things that have happened in your life, in your friend’s life, or another loved one’s life, and the kind of storytelling around that. That was clear to her. But then we kept going, and more and more songs happened. It was a very organic process where [meaning] wasn’t something that we really discussed. It just kind of would happen where she would dive back into the folder and find other things that were inspiring. Or she and William Bowery would write “exile,” and then that happened. There were different stages of the process.

May 21, 2020: As stated in the folklore: long pond sessions, Taylor started recording the vocals on this day. She also finishes august while in the vocal booth.

[Taylor] In my head, I’ve been calling the girl from ‘august’ either Augusta or Augustine. What happened in my head was: ‘cardigan’ is Betty’s perspective from 20 or 30 years later, looking back on this love that was this tumultuous thing. I think Betty and James ended up together. So in my head, she ends up with him but he really put her through it. ‘august’ was obviously about the girl that James had this summer with. She seems like she’s a bad girl, but really she’s not. She’s a really sensitive person who fell for him and she was trying to seem cool and like she didn’t care because that’s what girls have to do. And she was trying to let him think that she didn’t care, but she did and she thought they had something very real. And then he goes back to Betty. So the idea that there is some bad, villain girl in any type of situation who ‘takes your man’ is a total myth because that’s not usually the case at all. Everybody has feelings and wants to be seen and loved. And Augustine…that’s all she wanted.

She previously had written down the phrase ‘Meet me behind the mall’ in her phone years ago, wanting to write it into a song.

May 22-June 5, 2020: Taylor leaves LA and goes to Upstate New York to touch up some vocals (Betty), and shooting the photoshoot at Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' house. She also records Carolina at Long Pond. The song was recorded in one take using only instruments available before 1953.

[EW Interview] “I had this idea for the [Folklore album cover] that it would be this girl sleepwalking through the forest in a nightgown in 1830 [laughs]. Very specific. A pioneer woman sleepwalking at night. I made a mood board and sent it to Beth [Garrabrant], who I had never worked with before, who shoots only on film. We were just carrying bags across a field and putting the bags of film down, and then taking pictures. It was a blast. I'd done my hair and makeup and brought some nightgowns. These experiences I was used to having with 100 people on set, commanding alongside other people in a very committee fashion — all of a sudden it was me and a photographer, or me and my DP. It was a new challenge, because I love collaboration. But there's something really fun about knowing what you can do if it's just you doing it.”

[About Carolina] About a year & half ago I wrote a song about the story of a girl who always lived on the outside, looking in. Figuratively & literally. The juxtaposition of her loneliness & independence. Her curiosity & fear all tangled up. Her persisting gentleness & the world’s betrayal of it. I wrote this one alone in the middle of the night and then Aaron Dessner and I meticulously worked on a sound that we felt would be authentic to the moment when this story takes place. I made a wish that one day you would hear it. here The Crawdads Sing is a book I got absolutely lost in when I read it years ago. As soon as I heard there was a film in the works starring the incredible Daisy Edgar-Jones and produced by the brilliant Reese Witherspoon, I knew I wanted to be a part of it from the musical side. I wrote the song “Carolina” alone and asked my friend Aaron Dessner to produce it. I wanted to create something haunting and ethereal to match this mesmerizing story.

June 5, 2020: The Inner Circle posts the Oxford definition of the word folklore: “The traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth.” adding “Taylor, your secret is safe with us.” later that day.

June 16, 2020: The Inner Circle posts the Oxford definition of the word cardigan: “A knitted sweater fastening down the front, typically with long sleeves. (Taylor, your secret remains safe with us. Here at the IC we are anxiously awaiting your big reveal)”

June-July 2020: During June and possibly early July, Aaron and Jon Low mix and master the album. It's a complicated process.

[Aaron] If there was trouble it started to be because of track counts. I probably only used 20 percent of what was actually recorded, ’cause we would try a lot of things, y’know. So, eventually the sessions got kinda crazy and you’d have to deactivate a lot of things and print things. But we got used to that. [...] I think the main thing was I wanted her vocals to have a more full range than maybe you typically hear, because I think a lot of the more pop oriented records are mixed a certain way and they take some of the warmth out of the vocal, so that it’s very bright and it kinda cuts really well on the radio. But she has this wonderful lower warmth frequency in her voice which is particularly important on a song like ‘seven’. If you carved out that mud, y’know, it wouldn’t hit you the same way. Or, like, ‘cardigan’, I think it needs that warmth, the kind of fuller feeling to it. It makes it darker, but to me that’s where a lot of emotion is.

[Aaron on the mixing process] In some instances, the final mix ended up being the never bettered rough mix, while other songs took far more work. “‘cardigan’ is basically the rough, as is ‘seven’. So, like the early, early mixes, when we didn’t even know we were mixing, we never were able to make it better. Like if you make it sound ‘good’, it might not be as good ’cause it loses some of its weird magic, y’know. But songs like ‘the last great american dynasty’ or ‘mad woman’, those songs were a little harder to create the dynamics the way you want them, and the pay off without going too far, and with also just keeping in the kind of aesthetic that we were in. Those were harder, I would say.

[Mixer Jon Low] In the beginning it did not feel real,” recalls Low. “There was this brand new collaboration, and it was amazing how quickly Aaron made these instrumental sketches and Taylor wrote lyrics and melodies to them, which she initially sent to us as iPhone voice memos. During our nightly family dinners in lockdown, Aaron would regularly pull up his phone and say, ‘Listen to this!’ and there would be another voice memo from Taylor with this beautiful song that she had written over a sketch of Aaron’s in a matter of hours. The rate at which it was happening was mind blowing. There was constant elevation, inspiration and just wanting to continue the momentum. “We put her voice memos straight into Pro Tools. They had tons of character, because of the weird phone compression and cutting midrange quality you just would not get when you put someone in front of a pristine recording chain. Plus there was all this bleed. It’s interesting how that dictates the attitude of the vocal and of the song. Even though none of the original voice memos ended up on the albums, they often gave us unexpected hints. These voice memos were such on a whim things, they were really telling. Taylor had certain phrasings and inflections that we often returned to later on. They became our reference points. “Taylor’s voice memos often came with suggestions for how to edit the sketches: maybe throw in a bridge somewhere, shorten a section, change the chords or arrangement somewhere, and so on. Aaron would have similar ideas, and he then developed the arrangements, often with his brother Bryce, adding or replacing instruments. This happened fast, and became very interactive between us and Taylor, even though we were working remotely. When we added instruments, we were reacting to the way my rough mixes felt at the very beginning. Of course, it was also dictated by how Taylor wrote and sang to the tracks.”

[Jon Low on the mixing process] Throughout the entire process we were trying to maintain the original feel. Sometimes this was hard, because that initial rawness would get lost in large arrangements and additional layering. With revisions of folklore in particular we sometimes were losing the emotional weight from earlier more casual mixes. Because I was always mixing, there was also always the danger of over mixing. “We were trying to get the best of each mix version, and sometimes that meant stepping backwards, and grabbing a piano chain from an earlier mix, or going three versions back to before we added orchestration. There were definitely moments of thinking, ‘Is this going to compete sonically? Is this loud enough?’ We knew we loved the way the songs sounded as we were building them, so we stuck with what we knew. There were times where I tried to keep pushing a mix forward but it didn’t improve the song — ‘cardigan’ is an example of a song where we ended up choosing a very early mix.

Fun fact, the released version of exile is the 41st mix. I can't link you a source, you just have to trust me on this one.

July 2020: While folklore is being finished, Taylor continues to write songs. The first two songs, that at first seem like Big Red Machine songs, are dorothea and closure.

[Aaron] A lot more of [evermore] was made from scratch. After Folklore came out, I think Taylor had written two songs early on that we both thought were for Big Red Machine, “Closure” and “Dorothea.” But the more I listened to them, not that they couldn’t be Big Red Machine songs, but they felt like interesting, exciting Taylor songs. “Closure” is very experimental and in this weird time signature, but still lyrically felt like some evolution of Folklore, and “Dorothea” definitely felt like it was reflecting on some character.

[Aaron on closure] Vernon provided the grainy beat that kicks off ‘closure’, one of two tracks on evermore that started life as a sketch for the second Big Red Machine album. “It was this little loop that Justin had given me in this folder of ‘Starters’, he calls them. I had heard that and been playing the piano to it. But I was hearing it in 5/4, although it’s not in 5/4. ‘Closure’ really opened everything up further. There were no real limits to where we were gonna try to write songs.”

In the Billboard interview above, Aaron says he thinks that Taylor wrote them after folklore was released, while in the Rolling Stone one he says they were written while finishing up the folklore mixes.

“I think I’d written around 30 of those songs in total,” Dessner recalls. “So when I started sharing them with Taylor over the months that we were working on Folklore, she got really into it, and she wrote two songs to some of that music.” One was “Closure,” an experimental electronic track in 5/4 time signature that was built over a staccato drum kit. The other song was “Dorothea,” a rollicking, Americana piano tune. The more Dessner listened to them, the more he realized that they were continuations of Folklore‘s characters and stories. But the real turning point came soon after Folklore‘s surprise release in late July, when Dessner wrote a musical sketch and named it “Westerly,” after the town in Rhode Island where Swift owns the house previously owned by Rebekah Harkness.

Dorothea is the only evermore song to have been recorded at Taylor's home studio in LA, she left LA 3 days after the release of folklore so Occam's razor, I'm guessing that the RS interview is the correct one and dorothea and closure were written in late June/early July, while the Folklorians were finishing up the album.

July 24, 2020: folklore is released, after being announced the day before.

August 6-18, 2020: To celebrate how well folklore was received, Aaron composes an instrumental track called Westerly, named after the town in Rhode Island where Taylor owns Holiday House. Taylor writes willow on it, then sends a voice memo to Aaron.

[Voice Memo] “Here's the Westerly one, written in Westerly!”

[Aaron] And I, sort of in celebration of Folklore, had written a piece of music that I titled “Westerly,” that’s where she has the house that she wrote “Last Great American Dynasty” about. I’ll do that sometimes, just make things for friends or write music just to write it, but I didn’t at all think it would become a song. And she, like an hour later, sent back “Willow” written to that song, and that sort of set [things in motion] and we just started filling this Dropbox again. It was kind of like, “What’s happening?”

There are so many stories I could share. When I sent Taylor the music for our song 'willow' — I think she wrote the entire song from start to finish in less than 10 minutes and sent it back to me. It was like an earthquake. Then Taylor said, 'I guess we are making another album.'

I liked opening the album with ['willow'] because I loved the feeling that I got, immediately upon hearing the instrumental that Aaron created for it. It felt strangely witchy, like somebody making a love potion, dreaming up the person that they want and desire, and trying to figure out how to get that person in their life. And all the misdirection, and bait and switch, and complexity that goes into seeing someone, feeling a connection, wanting them, and trying to make them a part of your life. It’s tactical at times, it’s confusing at times, it’s up to fate, it’s magical. It felt a bit magical and mysterious, which is what I want people to feel going into an album that was a collection of these stories that were going to take them in all kinds of directions. I just wanted to start them off with a setting of the vibe.

August/September 2020: Taylor writes no body, no crime, possibly while in London.

[Taylor] Working with the HAIM sisters on 'no body, no crime' was pretty hilarious because it came about after I wrote a pretty dark murder mystery song and had named the character Este, because she’s the friend I have who would be stoked to be in a song like that. I had finished the song and was nailing down some lyric details and texted her, 'You’re not going to understand this text for a few days but... which chain restaurant do you like best?' and I named a few. She chose Olive Garden and a few days later I sent her the song and asked if they would sing on it. It was an immediate 'YES.'

[Aaron] Taylor wrote that one alone and sent me a voice memo of her playing guitar — she wrote it on this rubber-bridge guitar that I got for her. It’s the same kind I play on “Invisible String.” So she wrote “No Body, No Crime” and sent me a voice memo of it, and then I started building on that. It’s funny, because the music I’ve listened to the most in my life are things that are more like that — roots music, folk music, country music, old-school rock & roll, the Grateful Dead. It’s not really the sound of the National or other things I’ve done, but it feels like a warm blanket. Taylor had specific ideas from the beginning about references and how she wanted it to feel, and that she wanted the Haim sisters to sing on it. We had them record the song with Ariel Reichshaid, they sent that from L.A., and then we put it together when Taylor was here [at Long Pond]. They’re an incredible band, and it was another situation where we were like, “Well, this happened.” It felt like this weird little rock & roll history anecdote.

[Aaron] [We realized evermore was going to end up being another album] after we’d written several songs, seven or eight or nine. Each one would happen, and we would both be in this sort of disbelief of this weird alchemy that we had unleashed. The ideas were coming fast and furiously and were just as compelling as anything on Folklore, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. At some point, Taylor wrote evermore with William Bowery, and then we sent it to Justin, who wrote the bridge, and all of a sudden, that’s when it started to become clear that there was a sister record.

September 16- 23, 2020: Taylor and Jack go to Upstate New York to record the Long Pond Studio Session. She writes 'tis the damn season there on the 17th. Afterwards Taylor stays a few more days to record the bulk of the evermore vocals: willow, champagne problems, gold rush, 'tis the damn season, tolerate it, no body no crime, coney island, ivy, long story short, marjorie, closure, evermore, and it’s time to go.

After the Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, [Taylor] stayed for quite a while and we recorded a lot. She actually wrote 'tis the damn season when she arrived for the first day of rehearsal. We played all night and drank a lot of wine after the fireside chat — and we were all pretty drunk, to be honest — and then I thought she went to bed. But the next morning, at 9:00 a.m. or something, she showed up and was like, “I have to sing you this song,” and she had written it in the middle of the night. That was definitely another moment [where] my brain exploded, because she sang it to me in my kitchen, and it was just surreal. That music is actually older — it’s something I wrote many years ago, and hid away because I loved it so much. It meant something to me, and it felt like the perfect song finally found it. There was a feeling in it, and she identified that feeling: That feeling of... “The ache in you, put there by the ache in me.” I think everyone can relate to that. It’s one of my favorites.

[Aaron] She stayed after we were done filming and then we recorded a lot. It was crazy because we were getting ready to make that film, but at the same time, these songs were accumulating. And so we thought, “Hmm, I guess we should just stay and work.”

CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS

[Taylor] Joe and I really love sad songs. He started that one and came up with the melodic structure of it. I say it was a surprise that we started writing together, but in a way it wasn’t cause we had always bonded over music and had the same musical tastes. He’s always the person who’s showing me songs by artists and then they become my favorite songs. ‘champagne problems’ was one of my favorite bridges to write. I really love a bridge where you tell the full story in the bridge. You really shift gears in that bridge. I’m so excited to one day be in front of a crowd, when they all sing, ‘She would’ve made such a lovely bride, what a shame she’s fucked in the head’. Cause I know it’s so sad, but it’s those songs like ‘All Too Well’. Performing that song is one of the most joyful experiences I ever go through when I perform live, so when there’s a song like ‘champagne problems’ where you know it’s so sad… I love a sad song, you know?

GOLD RUSH

During the willow live stream premiere, Taylor revealed that “gold rush” is Jack's favourite song and that it takes place inside a single daydream where you get lost in thought for a minute and then snap out of it.

[Jack] gold rush was a pretty different sound than what was on folklore. Even the movement in the chorus and some of the chord changes, they're very outside of the realm for what we've done together. We have different processes. Sometimes we sit in a room, sometimes she'll send me a song, sometimes I'll send her a track. That was one where I had the track going. And she did the classic thing where you send it to her, and a very short time later, she sent back a voice note with all of these brilliant ideas of what the song is.

'TIS THE DAMN SEASON

[Aaron] '‘tis the damn season' is a really special song to me for a number of reasons. When I wrote the music to it, which was a long time ago, I remember thinking that this is one of my favorite things I’ve ever made, even though it’s an incredibly simple musical sketch. But it has this arc to it, and there’s this simplicity in the minimalism of it, and the kind of drum programming in there, and I always loved the tone of that guitar. When Taylor played the track and sang it to me in my kitchen, that was a highlight of this whole time. That track felt like something I have always loved and could have just stayed music, but instead, someone of her incredible storytelling ability and musical ability took it and made something much greater. And it’s something that we can all relate to. [Note: The instrumental Aaron is talking about is called Ingrid and was written in 2013 when his daughter Ingrid Stella was born. It was released in 2018 on the album Songs Without Words.]

TOLERATE IT

[Taylor] When you watch a film or you read a book and there’s a character that you identify with, most of the time you identify with them because they’re targeting something in you that feels that you’ve been there. That’s why we relate to characters. When I was reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier I was thinking, ‘Her husband just tolerates her. She’s doing all these things, trying so hard to impress him and he’s just tolerating her the whole time.’ There was a part of me that could relate to that because at some point in my life I felt that way. So I ended up writing this song ‘tolerate it’ that’s all about trying to love someone who’s ambivalent.

[Aaron] When I wrote the piano track to 'tolerate it,' right before I sent it to her, I thought, 'This song is intense.' It’s in 10/8, which is an odd time signature. And I did think for a second, 'Maybe I shouldn’t send it to her, she won’t be into it.' But I sent it to her, and it conjured a scene in her mind, and she wrote this crushingly beautiful song to it and sent it back. I think I cried when I first heard it. It just felt like the most natural thing, you know? There weren’t limitations to the process. And in these places where we were pushing into more experimental sounds or odd time signatures, that just felt like part of the work.

CONEY ISLAND

[Taylor on coney island] “The story behind writing Coney Island - Aaron Dessner had sent me this track that he had created with his brother Bryce and I wrote the lyrics and the melody with William Bowery. I think I might have been coming from a place of somebody who’s been in a relationship for decades and wakes up one day and realizes that they have taken their partner completely for granted. So whether you wanna look at it from the perspective of somebody who’s in a new relationship or very long-standing relationship, I think it just really speaks to if people are trying to communicate but they’re two ships passing in the night, they’re trying to love each other but their signals are somehow missing each other - I just found that really interesting... and yeah, we’re really proud of this one. There were elements of it that immediately reminded me of Matt Berninger‘s vocal stylings and his writing, and I kind of targeted some of the lyrics of the second verse to sound sort of like what he might do - cause I hoped that he might sing on it. Because, you know, we already had two members of The National on the song, with Aaron and Bryce. So we got our wish and Matt sang on this song. I think he did an amazing job, I’m such a huge fan of the band and I’m really honored this was able to come together with The National.”

[Aaron on coney island] One key track on evermore, ‘coney island’, features all of the members of the National and sees Swift duetting with their singer Matt Berninger. “My brother [Bryce] actually originated that song,” says Aaron Dessner. “I sent him a reference at one point — I can’t remember what it was — and then he was sort of inspired to write that chord progression. Then we worked together to sort of develop it and I wrote a bunch of parts and we structured it. Taylor and William Bowery [the songwriting pseudonym of Swift’s boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn] wrote ‘coney island’ and she sang a beautiful version. It felt kind of done, actually. But then I think we all collectively thought — Taylor and myself and Bryce — like this was the closest to a National song. Dessner then asked the brothers who make up the National’s rhythm section, drummer Bryan and bassist Scott Devendorf, to play on ‘coney island’. Matt Berninger, as he often does with the band’s own tracks, recorded his vocal at home in Los Angeles. “It was never in the same place, it was done remotely,” says Dessner, “except Bryan was here at Long Pond when he played. It was great to collaborate as a band with Taylor.”

MARJORIE

[Aaron] “Taylor’s family gave us a bunch of recordings of her grandmother,” Dessner explains. “But they were from old, very scratchy, noisy vinyl. So, we had to denoise it all using [iZotope’s] RX and then I went in and I found some parts that I thought might work. I pitch shifted them into the key and then placed them. It took a while to find the right ones, but it’s really beautiful to be able to hear her. It’s just an incredibly special thing, I think.”

EVERMORE

[Taylor] When Joe wrote the piano, I based the vocal melody on the piano, and we sent it to Justin, who then added that bridge. And Joe had written the piano part so that the tempo speeds up, and it changes. The music completely changes to a different tempo in the bridge. And Justin really latched onto that, and just 100% embraced it and wrote this beautiful sort of... The clutter of all your anxieties in your head, and they're all speaking at once. And we got the bridge back, and then I wrote this narrative of, 'When I was shipwrecked, I thought of you.' That sort of thing, where there was this beacon of hope, and then in the end, you realize the pain wouldn't be forever.

IT'S TIME TO GO

[Taylor] it’s time to go is about listening to your gut when it tells you to leave. How you always know before you know, you know?

Aaron Dessner, Jon Low, Stine Dessner and Taylor at Long Pond in September 2020.

October 6, 2020: Taylor and Paul McCartney get to chat for Rolling Stone. Taylor softly references tolerate it, ivy and willow.

Swift: I was reading so much more than I ever did, and watching so many more films. McCartney: What stuff were you reading? Swift: I was reading, you know, books like Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, which I highly recommend, and books that dealt with times past, a world that doesn’t exist anymore. I was also using words I always wanted to use — kind of bigger, flowerier, prettier words, like “epiphany,” in songs. I always thought, “Well, that’ll never track on pop radio,” but when I was making this record, I thought, “What tracks? Nothing makes sense anymore. If there’s chaos everywhere, why don’t I just use the damn word I want to use in the song?”

October 14, 2020: Jason Treuting records the glockenspiel on willow. (I got this date form the original willow stems)

October 28, 2020: Bryce Devendorf records the percussions on willow. (I got this date form the original willow stems)

October/November 2020: Aaron goes to see Justin Vernon in his home studio in Wisconsin, where they work on the album. Aaron writes the instrumental sketch to right where you left me before going on this trip.

[Aaron] I went to see Justin at one point — that’s the one trip I’ve made — and we worked together at his place on stuff. He plays the drums on “Cowboy Like Me” and “Closure,” and he plays guitar and banjo and sings on “Ivy,” and sings on “Marjorie” and “Evermore.” And then we processed Taylor’s vocals through his Messina chain together. He was really deeply involved in this record, even more so than the last record. He’s always been such a huge help to me, and not just by getting him to play stuff or sing stuff — I can also send him things and get his feedback. We’ve done a ton of work together, but we have different perspectives and different harmonic brains. He obviously has his own studio set up at home, but it was nice to be able to see him and work on this stuff.

November 4, 2020: Taylor shoots the evermore cover, the Red TV cover, and the EW photos.

November 7, 2020: Taylor films the willow music video.

November 20, 2020: Aaron records the bass on willow. (I got this date form the original willow stems)

November 25, 2020: Taylor is at Marcus Mumford's studio called Scarlet Pimpernel to finish evermore. They record vocals for two new songs, happiness and right where you left me, they touch up the vocals for coney island, they record Joe's piano on evermore the song, and Marcus records backing vocals on cowboy like me. She possibly stays more than one day.

Taylor has mentioned that you recorded “Happiness” just a week before the album was released. Was that something you guys wrote, recorded, and produced all at the last minute, or was it something you’d been sitting on for a while before you finally cracked the code? There were two songs like that. One is a bonus track called “Right Where You Left Me,” and the other one was “Happiness,” which she wrote literally days before we were supposed to master. That’s similar to what happened with Folklore, with “The 1” and “Hoax,” which she wrote days before. We mixed all the tracks here, and it’s a lot to mix 17 songs, it’s like a Herculean task. And it was funny, because I walked into the studio and Jon Low, our engineer here, was mixing and had been working the whole time toward this. And I came in and he’s in the middle of mixing and I was like, “There are two more songs.” And he looked at me like, “…We’re not gonna make it.” Because it does take a lot of time to work out how to finish them. But she sang those remotely. And the music for “Happiness” is something that I had been working on since last year. I had sang a little bit on it, too — I thought it was a Big Red Machine song, but then she loved the instrumental and ended up writing to it. Same with the other one, “Right Where You Left Me” — it was something I had written right before I went to visit Justin, because I thought, “Maybe we’ll make something when we’re together there.” And Taylor had heard that and wrote this amazing song to it. That is a little bit how she works — she writes a lot of songs, and then at the very end she sometimes writes one or two more, and they often are important ones.

[Taylor on cowboy like me] Take yourselves back to 2020, and I put out folklore, and I just kept writing. I thought, 'Let me make a sister album to folklore and call it evermore.' And so I started immediately. Aaron, Jack, and I were just writing remotely. And the challenge at the time was trying to figure out how to record things. Most studios were completely shut down due to Covid, understandably. I could not find a studio, essentially. So Aaron is like, 'Let me call around to see if there is anyone who is cool, and nice, and generous, and might be willing to offer up their home studio, if we do the right amount of testing, we're totally locked down, and quarantined.' And I was like, 'Okay, please, I really hope someone comes through.' And so he calls me ,'I have really really good news. Marcus Mumford said that you could record at his home studio.' So I first of all, I am so excited that he's saving us, because without this trip, we wouldn't have recorded five or six of the songs on evermore, which came from me getting in a car, driving six hours out into the country past thousands of beautiful sheep, to Marcus Mumford's beautiful house where he has a studio. So I got to do this, we get there, and the whole time I'm thinking, 'Okay, wouldn't it be so cool if he would sing on something?' Because I'm such a Mumford & Sons fan. I just think he's brilliant and has one of the most gorgeous voices in the world. So I'm like, 'Will he sing something, please?' But I didn't want to be weird about it, so I'm like, 'I wonder if fate will have him wander into the studio at the right time.' So sure enough, we're recording a song, and he wanders in at the perfect time and just kind of started humming a harmony. And I turned to him as if I hadn't been thinking of it the whole time, and I was like, 'Oh! You sound really good on that harmony! I wonder if you might sing on this song?' And he said, 'Yep, I would love to!' So essentially, because of Marcus Mumford we have a lot of the songs that probably we wouldn't have been able to put out evermore as quickly as we did. And we also have a gorgeous harmony on a song called 'cowboy like me.'

[Aaron] The music for happiness is something that I had been working on since last year. I had sang a little bit on it, too — I thought it was a Big Red Machine song, but then she loved the instrumental and ended up writing to it.

[Taylor] right where you left me is a song about a girl who stayed forever in the exact spot where her heart was broken, completely frozen in time.

Taylor at Scarlet Pimpernel Studios, and a signed sheet with cowboy like me lyrics which Taylor gave to Marcus Mumford.

December 3 & 4, 2020: Aaron works on willow for the final time, recording some synthesizers. (I got this date form the original willow stems)

[Aaron] On evermore, I would say willow was probably the hardest one to finish just because there were so many ways it could’ve gone. Eventually we settled back almost to the point where it began. So, there’s a lot of stuff that was left out of willow, just because the simplicity of the idea I think was in a way the strongest. It almost felt like a dare or something. We were writing, recording and mixing all in one kind of work stream and we went from one record to the other almost immediately. We were just sort off to the races. We didn’t really ever stop since April.

[Low] The final mix stage for evermore was “very short. There was a moment in the final week or so leading up to the release where the songs were developed far enough for me to sit down and try to make something very cohesive and final, finalising vocal volume, overall volume, and the vibe. There’s a point in every mix where the moves get really small. When a volume ride of 0.1dB makes a difference, you’re really close to being done. Earlier on, those little adjustments don’t really matter.

December 11, 2020: evermore is released.

With folklore, one of the main themes throughout that album was ‘conflict resolution’, trying to figure out how to get through something with someone, or making confessions, or trying to tell them something, trying to communicate with them. evermore deals a lot in endings of all sorts, shapes and sizes. All the kinds of ways we can end a relationship, a friendship, something toxic and the pain that goes along with that.

I have no idea what will come next. I have no idea about a lot of things these days and so I've clung to the one thing that keeps me connected to you all. That thing always has and always will be music. And may it continue, evermore.

[explainslowly]

Supernatural fic recs fest day 1 - specific era or season

see @spnficrecfest

I am going for canticles for a season specific fic rec, because it's of such a particular point in Destiel, ie - season five, free to be you and me. Look people know this one, but it's not illegal to talk about it, right? It's a classic for a reason. Lot of Dean gender derangements which are of special interest to me.

Season six is a very particular time in canon and spn plot that produces some pretty bonker fics. Let me recommend two:

the paradox of free will - destiel and deanlisa? cheating? heaven politics? I love this fic, everyone has a terrible time in it. Makes me crazy.

so much smoke in a hall of mirrors - some great yucky-disgusting exploration of season six Destiel from Cas POV.

there is a particular time in canon. The human Castiel time. Much to think about

Life skills - I think about this fic a LOT. Enough that I kind of wrote something inspired by it. The point is - Cas and Dean can't have sex with each other. So they have sex with the same women at the same time. Dean is so so so so normal in this. Much to chew on in his naration.

[dramioneasks]

HP FESTS: Hogwarts Kinktober

Hogwarts Kinktober 2024:

If the Shoe Fits by malfoyesque - E, WIP - Hermione is a woman with very specific needs. The Room of Requirement helps her meet them. Only problem is, she can't see the man with the Cinderella cock through the solid brick wall she's stuck in. Whatever is a poor girl to do?

Right Where He Wants Her by So_scarlett_maroon - E, one-shot - Hermione is working in her lab in the Ministry when something goes wrong, and she becomes stuck in the wall. With no other choice, she summons and Aurror to help her out and it end up being none other than Draco Malfoy, a man who's been looking for a chance to speak with her for quite some time. Despite his best intentions to finally have that conversation, he is derailed when he discovers Hermione has other things on her mind. --- Or the one where Draco fucks Hermione while she is stuck in a wall at the ministry.

In Actuality, Only Treats by Zeebee3 - E, one-shot - “And, as it’ll be Hallowe’en,” Theo had added, voice dropping to a pitch Draco instantly distrusted, “the theme is trick or treat. Meaning that what you get might be nice–” He brought a fist up to his mouth, tongue poking into his cheek as he pumped his fist suggestively. “–or, not so nice.” When Theo elected not to pantomime the second option, Draco had raised a cautious brow. “And? What’s not so nice, then?” The answer had nearly had him withdrawing his assent except that…well, Draco was bored. That was the only reason he went along with it. --- Or, Theo and Draco patronize a magical gloryhole for a little game of trick or treat.

Early Release by charingfae - E, one-shot - Azkaban is lonely. Draco's only visitor is his solicitor, Hermione Granger. When the wards malfunction during one of her visits, he gets stuck with her all day. Well, with half of her... He'd be a fool not to take advantage. — “Fuck. Don’t—fuck—don’t move.” He squeezes his eyes shut and calls forth every depressing thought about Azkaban to try and stave off his unwanted early release. “Been so long,” he groans. “You feel—” He breaks off into a harsh laugh. “Merlin, I wish you couldn’t hear me. This is embarrassing.”

Volunteers Wanted by MidnightLumos - E, one-shot - “You lay back on a platform and a magic wall forms around you. All that the boys can see is below the waist.” “A wall?” Hermione repeated, the image of it lodging in her brain. Stuck there, prone and vulnerable to the probing fingers and mouths of mystery boys. What a gross invasion. The room suddenly felt warmer and she had to shift on the bench to suppress the unexpected pulse in her core. Hermione decides to participate in an unusual educational endeavor.

between a wormhole and a hard place by B_LovedHunter - E, one-shot - Hermione and Draco are Unspeakables working in the Time Room. Hermione cracks some space time theories and half of her gets stuck in a wormhole. Draco helps in the present and the future. or, Hermione gets stuck and fucked in two dimensions or timelines or whatever. I'm not a scientist.

Not Full Enough by MarinaJune - E, one-shot - Draco's been holding back for days so that, the next time they're together, she'll get more than her usual fill.

Worth It in the End by MarinaJune - E, one-shot - Draco owns every part of her, pleasure and pain, and will give and take as he sees fit.

Working on Our Night Moves by maraudersaffair - E, one-shot - Draco wants to see Hermione and Harry fuck in front of him. [Draco x Hermione x Harry]

Hermione Granger's Little Black Book of Kinks by nicolawritesdrh - E, one-shot - Draco gifts Hermione a very special birthday present, and Hermione explores a few kinks. [Hermione x Neville x Pansy]

you can leave the hat on by B_LovedHunter - E, one-shot - Draco and Hermione in a janitorial closet fucking. That's it. That's the fic.

I was just thinking about it, I'm not gonna do it by malfoyesque - E, one-shot - Relying on the pull out method is a terrible idea. Especially if everything in your body is screaming at you to give in. Or: Draco has a breeding kink and is supposed to pull out but accidentally, like, doesn’t.

Tangled Dreams by SomnophiliaSweetheart - E, one-shot - Draco simps after Hermione for weeks before she trusts he doesn’t want just a quick tangle in the sheets. They’re a couple of menaces around the castle as they explore each other in every nook and cranny. Kink exploration ensues.

[noopienoopiernoopiest]

Leo Knut - #1 - A Terrible Idea

Day One: @noots-fic-fests - Fic-O-Ween. Thanks as always to @lumosinlove

Rated: G

CW: Food

Warning: Vaincre Spoilers

Leo liked to think that he was a good partner.

He was always there to lend a hand when Finn or Logan needed it. He was always available for kind word or a big hug. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his two.

And this was simple.

Should have been simple.

Their families had decided on various different plans for American Thanksgiving, and the three of them had decided that more than anything they wanted to spend it together. The ink was barely dry on Logan’s contract with the Rangers, and they knew now that for the next four years, this was going to be one of the few times during the season that none of them would have a game and get to see one another. As luck would have it, Logan had played an early home game Wednesday against the Penguins and had driven down to Gryffindor early. By the time Finn and Leo were done with their game against Montreal, he was there.

Leo wanted everything to be perfect. And perfect for Thanksgiving meant a dinner. A good one. The best one.

He’d done Thanksgiving dinner more times than he could count, but he’d always had his mama and her sisters as back up. Wyatt had surprised Eloise with a trip to Bali, so she was half a world away and without a phone. This was the first time he was attempting it all on his own.

Still, it shouldn’t be too complicated. It was just a lot of simple dishes all together at once. How difficult could it really be?

“Are you sure you want to do all this, Soleil?” Logan had asked, taking in all of the various groceries and prep that had taken over their kitchen by the time he got there.

“I already tried to talk him out of it,” Finn said, putting his chin on top of Logan’s head. “He said—”

“It’s a tradition. Besides, I want to do it for you,” Leo said, ignoring Finn.

“Exactly.”

“Is there anything we can—” Logan started again.

“Our instructions are to go to the living room and stay out of his hair,” Finn replied dutifully, nodding.

Logan’s eyebrows pulled together. “But I want to see you, Leo.”

Leo smiled. “You’ll see me plenty afterward. I promise.”

“But it’s, like, ten in the morning. Are you really going to start cooking now?”

Finn snorted. “Lo, he started like three days ago.”

Leo came up to both of them, kissing Finn’s cheek and then Logan’s forehead. “Trust me, it’ll all be worth it.”

That had been six hours ago.

Now, it looked as if a battle had been waged in the kitchen. Leo was usually pretty militant about organization while he was cooking, but that had been before his gravy had broken for the third time and he’d managed to scorch the rice and beans and had to start them over.

He was frantically trying to keep the cheese sauce from splitting and trying to figure out exactly how he was going to fit in three pans of various vegetables into the oven in the last thirty minutes of the turkey cooking.

“Baby, do you need—”

“I’m fine, Fish.”

“…You don’t seem—”

“Fine, Finn.”

“Are you s—”

“Finnegan.”

And then a few minutes later. Leo had his back to the doorway, but he could feel someone lingering there. It had to be Logan. Finn would have already started talking.

“Tremz, not now. I’ll be done soon.”

He couldn’t understand why they didn’t understand he was doing this for them. It had been effort. Lots and lots of effort over days of work. Baking pies and preparing bread, stewing turkey giblets and necks for stock that underpinned the gravy and the stuffing. Planning the menu, the grocery lists, the shopping. Weaving all of that in between practice and games and travel and everything else. It was almost done if they could give him an hour it’d be finished and he could relax.

He didn’t even turn around. He heard a sigh and the shuffling of feet and that was it.

Leo tried to distract himself from the lead weight in his stomach with mashing potatoes and pulling the stuffing from the oven, but it was there anyway.

And then, finally, it was done. The table was set.

Finn and Logan were both silent when they sat down.

“Looks great,” Finn said quietly.

“Ouais, Soleil.”

They made their plates, and Leo was finally ready to sit back and enjoy the fruits of all that labor.

And then tragedy struck.

Well, tragedy had started three days earlier when he’d decided to salt brine the turkey. Salt and baking powder. Salt and single action baking powder.

Finn reached for his napkin, discreetly trying to make a gagging noise without being rude.

It wasn’t the kind of mistake he made. But he did. The turkey looked perfect.

Logan winced, but kept chewing, swallowing determinedly.

As soon as he put it in his mouth, he could tell it wasn’t perfect. It couldn’t have been farther from perfect.  

Single action baking powder. Not double. Double would make it…

Taste like metal. Like baking soda.

Suddenly, Leo was aware of the wreck in the kitchen behind him, the sweat and stains on his T-shirt, the reserved, cowed expressions on their faces.

If it hadn’t already tasted vile, it would have tasted like ash anyway.

He wasn’t aware of the tears before they started to fall.

“Excuse me,” Leo said before leaving the table.

He just made it to the bathroom before the crying really started. What was he doing? He’d spent all day on this, and for what? He turned on the sink and wetted his hands, pressing cool water to his cheeks. He studied his red eyes in the mirror. His hair was frizzy, and he looked tired.

There was a gentle knock at the door before it was pushed open and Logan was there, pulling him into his arms, and the tears started again.

“Shhh, Soleil. It’s okay. It’s okay,” he soothed. It didn’t matter that Leo was six inches taller than him, in an instant, Leo folded himself into his chest and let himself cry.

“I’m sorry. God. I’ve been the worst,” Leo snotted.

“Non. No. Leo, no. It’s alright. You were stressed. We know that. We know you wanted it to be good for us.”

“This was a terrible idea,” Leo said.

“It wasn’t. Shh. It wasn’t. You always try to make everything so good for us. Finn and I know that.”

“And you’re not here that long!? You’re leaving tomorrow and I spent all day snapping and distracted,” Leo continued to rant.

“Peanut, look at me,” Logan pulled back, using the sleeve of his too long sweatshirt to wipe at Leo’s face. Leo was sure he looked a mess.

Logan didn’t seem to care. He offered Leo a small smile.

“You’re okay. It’s okay. We love you, Leo. It’s so good that you want to do things for us, Peanut, but it’s all okay. I promise.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Logan said, nodding his head like that was all there was to it.

Maybe it was.

“Okay, folks. Good news. There’s Thanksgiving pizza arriving in t-minus seven minutes,” Finn said coming in the doorway. “Everything else is delicious and who even likes turkey anyway? Worst poultry in my opinion,” Finn sniffed. 

Leo couldn’t do anything but pull him into their hug.

---

Afterward, after Finn and Logan tackled the kitchen and Leo was showered and snuggled into Finn’s oldest Harvard crewneck, Leo thought that it had been perfect anyway. Perfect as they’d laughed watching Finn try to combine cheese pizza and cranberry sauce, perfect as Logan balled up pieces of rolls and put them in the hood of Finn’s sweatshirt for him to find later.

Now they were all crammed on the couch. It was big enough for all of them, but each of them preferred to gather at one end and invade one another’s space. Leo’s head on Finn’s shoulder, breathing in Logan’s cologne as they watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

And Leo was so grateful for them.

“Thank you,” he said quietly into Logan’s hair.

Logan didn’t say anything, just reached up to kiss temple.

Leo figured it maybe wasn’t what he’d expected, but maybe that was exactly what made it better.

[allyricas]

Moving On pt. 2

part one

3,180k words

The day of the trip to Indy finally arrives and the weather does not reflect the excitement Steve feels as he loads his last bag into the trunk of his car. He knows he overpacked but wants to be ready for anything. He also has a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches along with enough junk food to make anyone sick.

He and Robin had decided to make sure they had plenty of food so they could settle in to their hotel and chill the first night. Robin had an early campus tour and Steve had a meeting with an advisor at the community college he’d be taking his cosmetology courses. They had a packed schedule considering they needed to find an apartment and jobs (together if possible) and the urge to scope out the gay scene. Or find it, at the very least.  

Steve pulled into Robin’s driveway and saw that she’d also slightly overpacked. Two halves of the same soul, the two of them. He got out and helped her load up her bags. She was holding a thermos of something and wearing a pair of Steve’s sweatpants. That’s where those went. He’d been looking for them for a week. Robin had a tendency to steal his clothes which mostly just made Steve feel all loved and shit, so he only complained for appearance’s sake.  

“Rob, my fucking sweatpants. Come on, I’ve been looking for them.” He whined. He truly didn’t mean it all.  

“Shut up, they are my pants now. They look hotter on me.” She laughed, doing a pathetic little shimmy. She was not a morning person. The messy bed head and the large amount of coffee she was inhaling made this apparent. “I am so tired, but really fucking excited. I brought the music. You are banned for the entire drive up and back. I will fucking jump out of this car if you play any sad, pining music. This is fun time not sad boy time.”   

“That tape has Whitney and George Michael on it. It’s not a total sad fest.”  

“Liar. You cry the most whenever careless whisper comes on.” Robin replied viciously.  

“Let’s uh, not talk about that please.” Steve knew he was still whining a bit, but Robbie was mean in the morning.  

The drive up went smoothly despite the terrible weather. Fifteen minutes into the drive, it started to torrentially rain. Thunder shook the car and lightning lit up the sky. Robin did in fact have all upbeat music and refused to let Steve play anything remotely sad. This was good as he was feeling rather happy in the moment. At one point it rained so hard, Steve had to pull over and wait for it to slow down as Robin started hyperventilating. What should have been an hour and fifteen-minute drive took three hours, but time spent with his best friend was always good.  

Navigating the city was invigorating (for Steve) and anxiety inducing (for Robin), but they both could barely contain their excitement when they finally pulled up to the motel they're staying at. It’s a little mom and pop place that Joyce and Hop had recommended. Why those two have a favorite motel in the city, Steve doesn't want to think to much about.

It’s a cute place, white shutters and soft yellow paint with a rustic looking sign that says The Mosey Inn. The rooms were entered from the outside, with parking all around the place. There were plants everywhere and everything had a well-loved appeal. It’s a rather nice little place. He goes in to check them in and there is an older woman at the desk. She's one of those people who radiates kindness and Steve likes her right away.  

“Hello there, dear. Welcome to the Mosey Inn. I’m one-half of Mosey, but you can call me Elise.” She’s smiling softly at him as he walks up to the desk. 

“Hi, I have a reservation for Harrington. For a suite with two queens.” He finds he’s nervous which feels silly. He grew up checking into hotels and dealing with reservations. Usually, it was at swanky hotels that his parents would leave him in before he was old enough to be all alone at home.  

“Of course, sweetie. Joyce and that sweet Jimmy told me all about you the last time they visited for the weekend. I just adore them. Jimmy did some handy work for me and the missus last time they were here. We’re getting up there in age and my Maggie cannot be climbing ladders anymore. I always give them a discount and I like the look of you, dear. I’ll give you one too.”

She’s beaming at Steve like she is thrilled to meet him which is not something he’s exactly used to. He’s thinking over what she said. The missus, her Maggie. He looks around the room and spots a tiny pink triangle on a bookshelf. Oh. This was a safe place. He owed Hop and Joyce dinner because this was the nicest surprise he’d gotten in a long time. He'd definitely be calling Hopper by the nickname Jimmy though.

“Thank you so much, ma’am. I know my friend Robin and I are going to enjoy this trip even more now knowing this is a safe place for people like us.” That felt as close to telling a stranger he was gay he could manage, but it felt huge to say it. It meant something to find this little piece of community with two women who were old enough to be his grandmothers. He felt like he might cry and for once, there were happy tears brimming in his eyes.  

“Please, call me Elise. There’s no ma’am, none of that uppity nonsense. This place is for friends, you understand.” She told him in a voice so genuine that Steve choked back a sob. He handed over his credit card and she handed him two room keys. “We offer breakfast and lunch, usually buffet style unless we say otherwise. There’s a coffee station around the corner and there’s always some sort of snacks next to it. If you need anything just give us a ring. Feel free to come chat anytime. Enjoy your stay.” 

“I think I will, Elise. I’ll bring Robin around to meet you once we’re settled, probably for breakfast tomorrow!” 

_________________________________________

As soon as Steve got back into the car, he excitedly told Robin all about Elise and her partner and how the Inn was a safe place for them. The fact that Joyce and Hopper stayed here whenever they wanted a night or two away from the chaos of their little blended family filled Steve with joy. He knew that they weren’t hateful people, but this was outright acceptance by the adults he respected most in his life. Robin was rambling on about the décor of the inn as he lugged their many suitcases into their room. She just smiled at him as he struggled.

It was cozy with two queen beds and a little kitchenette and a sitting area off to the side. There was a good size bathroom and closet. It was decorated in soft hues of yellow and green with floral bedding. It was lovely and Steve felt immensely at home in this place.  

“This place is so cute!” Steve exclaimed happily, finally collapsing onto his bed. It was comfortable too. “Damn, this is going to be a nice trip. Elise said they offer 2 meals, that there’s a coffee station with snacks and this bed is fucking soft as hell.” 

“So basically, we can save a ton of money and try to eat here most of the time is what I'm hearing you say Steven?” This seemed to genuinely thrill Robin.  

“Absolutely, we can go visit with them tomorrow during breakfast. It’s from 6:30 to 8:30.” Steve knew this was going to cause some mild stress for Robin. This delighted him. 

“Ugh, ugh. For free breakfast and fellow lesbians, I will get up. You might have to drag me though.” 

Steve laughed, delighted at the prospect of waking Robin up in the morning. It was early evening, but they decided to munch on the leftover food from the drive in and relax. There was a small tv, so they found something to put on and got comfortable. The day so far had been nearly free of sad thoughts over Eddie, but it seemed inevitable that Steve would start to think about him. For one thing, Eddie would look ridiculous in the Mosey Inn, although he would thoroughly appreciate the pun. Yet, there was a part of Steve wishing that Eddie was a part of all of this.

Before he’d ruined everything, Eddie would have been invited on this trip without a second thought. If only he could go back and not fall in love with stupid Eddie Munson. Steve worries that falling for him would have been inevitable though. Everything about him made Steve crazy.

The moment he knew he was monumentally fucked was a few months after everything with Vecna went down. Eddie had still been in the hospital, thankfully cleared off all charges with Hopper back in charge. He’d been high off his ass on morphine and smiling at Steve. Eddie had looked at Steve and said, “Stevie, sweetheart—you beautiful man. How come you’re always sitting around here taking care of me huh?” and Steve had known several things.  

He wanted Eddie to smile at him like that for the rest of his life. He really enjoyed being called sweetheart. And the reason he was always hanging around was because he wanted to be with Eddie. Eddie who always lit up with joy when he saw Steve sitting by his hospital bed. All the time they spent walking that line between friends and more, or at least that’s what Steve thought.

He swore there was so much flirting back and forth. Like the time Steve snuck in cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes from the one diner left open in town and Eddie had told Steve, “All this for little old me?” while literally twirling his hair like a schoolgirl. Or when Steve brought in books for him and Eddie had just clasped Steve’s hand tight and said nothing, just staring intently at him like Steve really meant something to him.  

All misread apparently. It wasn’t flirting at all, just Eddie being Eddie. And Steve had ruined it. He tried not to spiral into his bad thoughts too much but he felt like he always ruined everything. Robin might be his best friend, his platonic soulmate and other half, but it’d been so nice to have a close guy friend.

Eddie had barely been out of the hospital when Steve had driven him up to Indy to replace some of his things lost to the earthquakes. There were better record stores and better thrift stores, and Eddie had very little left to his name. The trailer was gone. He’d even lost his beloved guitar. Steve had never planned on telling Eddie how he felt during that trip, but Eddie has a way of needling things out of people. Something Steve usually finds quite adorable, but not so much when it’s his own unrequited feelings.  

Sighing to himself, Steve sits down by the phone to call Dustin and tell him they made it to the city safely. This means actually calling Mike’s house since the boys are having their weekly nerd fest. The whole group of them are all a little codependent, but after everything they’ve been through it seems reasonable. Unfortunately, Mike nor Nancy answers the phone. It’s Karen Wheeler and she lets Steve know that the boys are all over at Eddie’s apartment playing their little game. That’s exactly what she calls it which does make him chuckle.

He dreads calling Eddie’s place, but he did promise Dustin he’d call. Dustin is already asking questions about him and Eddie. If he’s weird on the phone it will only fan the flames of Dustin’s incessant need to meddle. He dials the number and tries to psyche himself up for the interaction. Maybe one of the kids will answer.  

“Munson Residence, Eddie the Banished speaking?” Eddie’s voice fills Steve’s ear. It’s like a punch to the gut, but Steve takes a deep breath.  

“Is that how you really answer the phone all time or am I just lucky?” Steve asks lightly. Do not make this weird. Be cool. “Or is it just because you’re playing dungeons and whatever?”  

“Ha, Ha. I knew it was you telepathically, so I of course had to answer the phone accordingly. My liege, what can I do for you on this fine summer evening?” 

“You’re lucky it’s cute to be such a fucking nerd.” Shit, shit, shit. Abort flirting. “Kidding, kidding. I called to see if Dustin is still there. I told him I’d call when we got settled.” 

“Rude, I am absolutely the cutest nerd. I’d dare say, adorable even. The fairest in the land, perhaps.” Eddie’s voice had gone low and Steve would bet a hundred bucks he was twirling his hair. What the fuck? “You know, you obviously like nerdy shit considering you-” 

“Hey stop flirting with Steve and let me talk to him, I've been waiting to hear from him all day. We’re in the middle of a campaign Steve. We need our DM not whatever the fuck he was just doing.” Dustin says this all like he knows for a fact that everything he says is true. It’s not.

“Tone, dusty bun. I’m not gay and I wasn’t flirting with Harrington, just messing with him. He’s just so easy to tease. We’re just buddies like that, right man?” Eddie replied, his voice no longer soft, low and sweet. In fact, Eddie sounded hostile. Steve felt his stomach turn. He couldn't even reply.  

“Nothing wrong with being gay, you moron.” Dustin replied firmly. This made Steve smile considering Dustin didn’t even know about Steve yet. He was definitely his favorite kid. Dustin continued on “I mean, we’ve fought literal monsters. Of all things to get worked up over, being gay is not even on the damn list!”   

“I didn’t mean it in a rude way, just saying we were not flirting.” 

“Whatever you say Eddie.” 

“Um, hello guys I am still on the phone.” Steve yelled as the two of them continued to bicker. “I have to go, but I’ll call in a few days Dustin. Bye Eddie.” Steve replied, trying his best not to cry. 

“Wait-Harrington. Steve, I didn’t mean anything by that okay.” 

“Yeah of course, no worries, man. Talk to you later.” Steve knew his voice was emotionless.  

_______________________________

He had to get over Eddie. This confusing back and forth was so painful. Steve didn’t consider himself the brightest, but that felt like flirting. What straight guy calls himself the fairest of the land or adorable to another man? Eddie’s tone of voice was the exact same tone Steve had used so many times to flirt with girls. He knew what flirting looked like. He shouldn’t have started it with the cute comment, but Eddie had most certainly flirted back. He looked over at Robin who was sitting up and waiting patiently for Steve to hang up the phone.  

She looked worried. If his face was at all reflecting how he felt right now, he understood why. The way Eddie has sounded when he said he wasn’t flirting. He told Robin the entire conversation verbatim and he watched her face go through a myriad of emotions. Despite the fact that Robin wasn’t the most tactile person, she threw her arms around him and let him cry all over her t-shirt.  

“Well, I could just kill him. I swear to fucking God. If he’s not gay, fine. But why flirt back?” 

“Maybe he really isn’t flirting. He said he was just messing with me. Maybe we’ve been reading it wrong this whole time!” Steve cried.  

“Fuck that, even Dustin called him on it. He flirts with you all the time. If he’s just messing with you at this point, it’s cruel. Especially now that he knows you’re gay and have feelings for him. I won’t be friends with a bigot.” 

“No, Robbie. I don’t think he’s a bigot. He’s just trying to deal with all this. It’s not his fault I had to go and fall for him. I always fall for the first person who shows me any attention. I ruined this. He’s just...I think he’s a flirty person and I’m just the idiot who thought it meant something.” 

“Shut your whore mouth Steven Elizabeth. That’s absolute nonsense. Eddie is a socially awkward, metalhead D&D playing virgin. You and I both know it. I’ve never seen him so much as look at a girl in a romantic way. He barely talks to anyone he doesn’t know unless it’s to cause a scene. That boy is not a natural flirty person. He flirts with you. He’s either an idiot, a repressed idiot or an asshole. Pick one.” 

“He’s not a virgin, no way. Look at him. Some people go for the whole alternative thing. He’s in a band for fuck’s sake. I bet he’s fucked lots of girls. I mean, he is objectively hot.” Steve argued.  

“Steve!! You always defend him like some sort of rabid groupie, but if that man has so much as seen a real-life titty, I will eat my shoe. He isn’t ugly, I will grant you that one. But please, Eddie Munson is not banging hot chicks on the regular.” 

“I pick that he’s an idiot. I do not think Eddie would purposefully hurt me by flirting just to be all ‘ha-ha, gay boy you fell for it’ when he didn’t even know I was gay until I told him how I felt. I think he just likes to tease me, like he said and he doesn’t know how flirty it comes off maybe?” 

“Dingus. You are in love with him. You are no objective source on the situation.” 

“Can we just... pretend Eddie Munson doesn’t exist for a few days. I won’t play my mixtape. I will try not to mope... let’s just find an apartment and visit your campus and apply for jobs everywhere we can find. It hurts too much to talk about right now.” 

Steve knows he’s lying to Robin. It’s impossible for him to pretend Eddie doesn’t exist. It’d be nice to try though. Instead of trying, he wonders what Eddie’s thinking about back in Hawkins. Is he feeling bad for how he spoke to Steve tonight? Is he also worrying over every little thing he said? Does Eddie even care that what he said felt like a slap to the face? The way he’d said Harrington, instead of Steve. The disgust in his voice when he’d said he wasn’t flirting. At least it was crystal clear that Eddie would never reciprocate his feelings. It feels nearly impossible, but Steve knows he has to let go of Eddie and move on. Two weeks in Indy with Robin should be the perfect way to start trying.   

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[blooming-violets]

just finished five minutes. what other angsty goodness do you have to offer?!

Something Unforgivable

Peter cheats on his depressed, grieving girlfriend and feels like shit about it (as he should!!) and then part three randomly turns into a sex trafficking ring and murder fest story to spice things up.

Dancing On My Own (and the sequel)

People literally despise the fuck out of Peter in this fic. I seemed to have managed to make a typically beloved babyboy the most hated character. Then I tried to redeem him a bit but only made it worse and made people hate him more...but it's angsty af. And I personally think the ending fits their characters perfectly and makes total sense based on how I wrote them/their trauma/backstory buuuut it doesn't make people happy! ANGST

Nicest Thing

Honestly, this fic was written way before Dancing On My Own but they sort of have very similar vibes and I used a lot of inspo from this one to write DOMO. Like they could be the same Reader character person just in a slightly alternate universe. Peter's bff who's in love with him but he loves Gwen and then she dies and he's depressed and his friend tries to help him but it's hard to help grieving angry people.

Pinky Promise

there's children trying to jump off buildings and terrible fathers and attacks on nyc and two sad people just trying to find love in the midst of it all

Imminent

you see the future and that future shows Peter Parker's death. This is one of my favorite things I've done and I don't even think it's written that well but I think it's a unique concept and therefore it's my fav

Creature Like Me

This is my pride and joy. It's my baby. This is the most "I'm writing for me and only me" story I've ever done. It's just me pumping out chapters and like three people reading and cheering me on. And I have genuinely loved every single second. I. Fucking. Love. This. Story. So. Damn. Much.

Don't

This is short. Peter's an asshole during a fight. I like it because Reader stands up for herself and draws some boundaries. Don't let men treat you like shit. That's the message.

Are You Real?

Someone asked to me write fluff but I didn't see that so I defaulted to angst instead. A touch starved reader in a long distance relationship with Peter.

Touch Starved

Another touched starved but it's Peter who's in need of love.

From my Hurt/Comfort Bingo (that I should get back to completing some day): Caring for Reader's Wounds After Fight (home break in), Look At Me (stuck in an armed robbery), Car Accident (title speaks for itself, ended up as a 3 part mini series), Bring Your Kids to Work Day (reader is stuck in a fire with two kids and no way out)

Smut with Angst elements:

Cheating With Peter

Your marriage sucks, you're in love with Peter, all he seems to want is sex from you though and nothing more so you give it to him bc at least it means you'll be his in some sad pathetic way

In The Dark

Depressed reader needs Peter's help to find her way out of the darkness of her mind (through anal sex, apparently)

Ok that should be more than enough to keep you satisfied.