#there’s simply no other way to articulate the ‘pair bonded do not separate’ of it all

[2nd-mushroom-circle]

i love the ambiguity of referring to character relationships as “namename”. are they in love? are they best friends? are they sworn enemies tied together by a red string of fate? are they coworkers? who knows, but one thing’s for certain: they are bound together so closely that the spaces between them blur and they become one entity. they operate as a system now. watch out.

[rawdoggingmentalillness]

“If this is the worst thing that happens to us, we will live”

I put off doing this post for a while because I knew it would drain me so, so much emotionally. I did not want to rush it because I wanted to be able to truly articulate my feelings into something that would help me grieve this incomparable loss while also exposing the light that she shined in this world. 

At the end of January, I lost my favorite person my world has ever known. She was my very best friend and the first friend that I ever had. She had many names; Nana was how I came to know her. Others knew her as Mary Frances, or mom, or Fanny, or Mrs. Carr, the faithful schoolteacher and librarian that would never hesitate to discipline when she saw fit. 

The bond the two of us shared is so incredibly hard to put into words. The easiest way to explain it would be to simply say that I was her favorite just as much as she was mine. She was not ashamed nor afraid to admit that I was her favorite either, and that only added to our relationship. The amount of hours I spent with that woman is probably somewhere in the tens of thousands (I think that’s a lot; the two of us never were good with math). Countless hours spent by the pool or in front of the tv, or, much too often, secretly at a restaurant or in a drive-thru somewhere. I have so many incredible childhood memories with nana- much too many to accurately describe and list without unintentionally leaving one of the best ones out. However, the biggest impact she has left with me is all the things she taught me along the way. So many invaluable lessons that will stick with me until I leave this earth. That is my goal of writing this- to delve deep into the way that this woman’s knowledge is engrained in everything I do. Every single soul that she came into contact with in her 86 years of life would be forever changed from that point forward. 

Whenever we would be complaining about something she was doing, she would never fail to reply with “When I’m gone, you’re going to wish I was here to *do said activity warranting complaint*”, and, dammit, if that woman wasn’t right again. 

I miss the way a room lit up when she would enter; whether we knew she was coming or not, her appearance instantly made things more lively. I miss the way she was not very skilled in the kitchen, but she knew this and would never hesitate to admit the fact while offering to go with you to buy food from someone or somewhere who did know what they were doing. I will give credit where credit is due, though, she could make a mean ham sandwich. I miss the days where she would get up in the mornings just to take me to school before I could drive. She would do this in the summer as well- getting up at the crack of dawn to take me to football workouts and then waiting for me so that we could eat before I had to go to basketball workouts immediately after. I miss that she would come to my junior varsity basketball games, even when no one could come with her, just so she knew I felt supported. I miss the days at her pool that she so dearly loved, filled with all of her family and favorite humans that loved her just as much. I miss the way she would be running around the house whenever company was there, making sure that everyone had anything and everything they needed or wanted and that anyone present felt included. I miss the way she would decorate for every single holiday- I’m talking Valentine’s Day placemats to Santa Clause toilet seat covers that made it virtually impossible to urinate standing up. I miss shopping trips to Dillard’s and and having to match her pace on the walk to the food court, which would be much quicker than her normal gait. I miss rides in the countless, consecutive white Honda Odysseys- or, when I was old enough to drive, driving her around because that was easier than hearing her say “so you’re just going to sit there and let your eighty-some-odd year old grandmother drive you around”. I miss that she would never give up a free meal, even if that meant she had to suffer through hamburger steak at the local American Legion. I miss her phone calls and pictures on Sundays to let me know she wore her Auburn scarf to church after they had won. I miss the outfits she wore that matched so perfectly- she had quite the extensive collection of shoes in her 80 years, much of which were the same style but different colors. I miss her two favorite outfits: the white turtleneck and windsuit combo or the denim shirt and denim pants with the denim purse to match. I miss the conversations in her sacred living room, filled with stories of the past that made her the woman she came to be. I miss how she would blatantly tell you if she did not think you looked your best; from asking if I needed to go see her hairdresser, Mayumi, to letting me know that the pants I was wearing “surely aren’t the nicest pair I own”. I miss the habitual ordering of her unsweet teas, and god help anyone that accidentally brought her a sweet tea. I also miss her ordering Long Island iced teas when she was feeling particularly dangerous, which she would complain was too sweet and/or strong and proceed to water down after every sip she consumed. I miss how she knew the daily specials for each day of the week from every restaurant within a 10 mile radius from her home. I miss having to come down to her house and help her put in her contacts because she could not make her keep her own eye open; us helping would only, in turn, make it more difficult because she would end up fighting the process more with us than when she was doing it herself. I miss getting into her car and hearing god-awful conservative talk radio, and then trying my very best not to get her feathers all ruffled up about our conflicting political opinions. I miss bringing her almond Hershey’s bars that she would eat despite whichever diet she was trying to keep. I miss watching her, essentially, slap her phone with her fingers when trying to type or scroll, and getting upset when it did not work exactly how she intended. I miss how she was always trying or offering to help with a task, even when it was something she would never be able to physically or mentally do- she just wanted you to know that she was there and would do anything ever asked of her because that was the type of person she was. I miss her voice. I miss her smile. I miss her laugh. I miss her hugs, her touch, her infectious personality. I miss her with every ounce of my being, and I never thought I would have to go through this life without her by my side, coordinating where and when we were going to have our next meal. 

She would always tell me “you will wish you were half as smart as I am when you are 80″, and, you guessed it, right again. What she lacked in knowledge or wit, she made up with tenfold in wisdom and understanding of how the world works. I like to believe that she lived to see everything in this world that she wanted to see. I definitely believe, if she were here, she would say she has lived the happiest and fullest life any old woman could dream of. She loved her kids. She loved her friends. She loved her grandkids, especially, and there was not a single thing she would not do for anyone she cared about. 

She understood what truly mattered in this life, and I think that is why she was so deeply etched into everyone’s lives. She was so perfectly content with her little house and pool that everyone would come to for hot summer days or any holiday on the calendar, and we were all overjoyed with the chance to go there because we were always met with good spirits and the overall essence of being extremely cared about. 

I could go on for days about you, Nana. The things that you taught me, or did for me, or that I miss, or that I remember, but all of it contributes to the fact that you will always be a part of my life- all of our lives. I only wish you could have been at your funeral to see everyone’s lives you impacted. I wish you could have seen all the beautiful flowers and heartfelt messages attached. I wish you could have seen how good your hair looked because I know that would have been the first thing on your mind. 

You always talked about your burial plot in Tennessee, and everyone remembers the extremely morbid picture you have with it that you thought was so funny, much to the disappointment of others. You talked about having a bunch of strong men in the family to be pallbearers when that day came, but that was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. 

I carried my very favorite person to her forever resting spot, and watched as they lowered you into the ground. We all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways to try and return to our lives, but I don’t know if I, myself, will ever be able to. An integral part of my life left me that day. I look up at the sky sometimes, and try to think of you looking down on me, proud- or possibly upset with current hairstyle choice. But that’s not where I truly see or feel you. 

I feel your presence in the decisions I make. I feel you in the way that I view life’s situations. I see you in the color yellow, which you so much enjoyed. I feel your positivity reaching out from my memory of you. 

“If this is the worst thing that happens to us, we will live” you always said. I do my best to live by that every single day. I pray we get the chance to meet again one day, Nana, because I want nothing more than to hug my favorite person just one more time- and you don’t have to slip me a $20 bill this time. 

[kaypeace21]

I have a question but I just want to say first that I love your theories. They’re very well thought-out and interesting. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you could explain how Mike is queer-coded? I’ve seen you mention it and I’ve seen others talk about his attraction to androgynous El, but is there more? Thanks!

ALOT MORE! I talked about it here in the past- but without getting too much into s3 (since I’ve already talked about s3 byler extensively).I’ll just have links for everything I noticed in s3 at the bottom of this post. In regards to s1 and 2, Mike was heavily coded as queer. But most significantly this was done in s1- arguably he was more queer coded than Will ever was. I won’t get into all the details (we’d be here all day) but the highlights, at the top of my head are-

s1

- Mike in his his basement has a red heart being propelled by a rainbow.

- 4 separate characters said El looked like a boy, but Mike doesn’t care! Even one of the men thought El might be the missing ‘Byers boy’. When El loses her wig , Troy said “she doesn’t even look like a girl” to the cops. But Mike just calls her “really pretty”

-Nancy says “I thought you were acting weird, but I thought it was because of Will” And Mike responds “I thought you were acting weird too I thought it was because of Steve … Do you like Jonathan now”?” Nancy: “No, do you like Eleven?”. They literally compared the explicit love triangle between Steve/Nancy/Jonathan to the Will-Mike-El dynamic!

- Mike literally uses gender inclusive pronouns when talking about crushes using the word “someone” (3 times), and embarrassing himself because he can’t articulate the difference between friendship and romance. When he could of simply given the 80s heteronormative  answer of ‘when a boy likes a girl’.

Mike: “ you go to school dances with someone. 

You know someone that you like” 

El: “a friend?”

Mike: ‘not a friend uh … uh someone like a” (gives up and kisses her)

-Mike’s mom said “ What’s been going on with Will, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you. I just … want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to HIDE anything from me” (she even emphasizes the word ‘hide”  (which is heavily queer coded)

- when Will ‘dies’, “we can be heroes” by David bowie (a bisexual singer) plays,   “And we kiss as though nothing could fall and the shame” is the lyric that plays when Mike returns to his house and cries in his mother’s arms over the ‘death’ of Will. Do I have to explain how ‘kissing and shame’ are queer-coded . And how such a lyric is oddly romantic- if we’re supposed to see their bond as nothing but platonic XD

-his dad jokes “Absolutely not” *turns to wife* “our son with a girl?”.

- when Lucas makes fun of his crush on EL, Lucas gets down on one knee  and says “ I love you so much, will you marry me?” and literally 1s later, we’re introduced to the bullies and the idea (for the first time) that Will is ‘gay’, and Mike is in the forefront of the scene and unlike his friends he is THE ONLY ONE physically assaulted (like a gay-bashing) .  They leave Lucas and Dustin unharmed. Even though Lucas just proposed to another guy- which should have gotten him a beating by the homophobic bullies.

It’s supposed to subconsciously hint Mike is queer like Will, and likes Will. The first interaction with the bullies, they mention Will being ‘gay’ right after they mention Mike’s crush on androgynous El and have a guy propose to Mike. Mike says to “ignore them” ( the homophobic remarks) but is assaulted anyways. And when asked what happed he doesn’t want to tell El the details cause he’s ashamed . 

2nd time the bullies talk about Will, Mike is once again in the forefront, unlike his straight friends who are in the background . But this time Mike initiates the confrontation), as the bullies say Will is “flying in fairyland with all the other little fairies. All happy and gay”. Mike was literally on the verge or tears at this comment (despite being happy a few moments earlier , telling the others to ‘act sad’ because they’d look suspicious other wise). But this is the comment where Mike snaps and pushes Troy back (because he took it personally/wanted to defend Will). 

The framing of Mike once again being in the front and snapping at the homophobic remarks (these gifs don’t do it justice, just rewatch the scene -Mike eyes water at the remarks). Then the last time the bullies appear , Mike jumps off the cliff and “flies like a fairy” (like Troy said) thanks to El . Troy at the police station even uses the word “fly” not levitate.

- Mike proclaiming “I’m the only one who cares about Will!” Seems like something a kid with a crush might say ( because obviously his other friends care about Will). But he thinks he cares the most.

-Mike sneaking out to find Will, as Steve sneaks in to Nancy’s. They both even make eye contact (and pretend not to have seen each other).

- they share dinosaur toys , in s1 and 2 they appear to be the only ones with dinosaur toys.

- The s1 mom hug scene where Mike feels he lost Will is paralleled in s3 - signifying how he lost him a 2nd time.

- Mike in the 1st ep being the one to insist on looking for Will in the rain (callback to s3). But he never went looking for El when he saw her through his window? Even when Mike saw Will’s dead body, the second he heard his voice he convinced his friends to help rescue him!

- You remember the binder (from s1) that Mike keeps, filled with 100s of Will’s drawings, and how he caresses the drawing after thinking Will was dead. That’s totes platonic.

s2

- Will in all 3 seasons identifies as a wizard. But in s2 Mike (the paladin) says Will is a cleric. Meaning this reflects how Mike actually feels about Will. In d&d, they have similar moral values, powers, and generally need and depend on each other in the lore of d&d. Paladins have similar healing powers to clerics, but clerics have stronger healing abilities - which is interesting since Mike has always been viewed as the protector. But to Mike Will has helped him (maybe deal with the loss of El and other trauma) , just by being there. And if Mike says Will is a cleric,despite Will still identifying as a wizard in s3, it shows how deeply Mike actually feels about Will. It shows he views Will as one of the only people who understands him and views him as a healing presence and his moral compass.

“ strength of conviction gave many paladins a sense of common fellowship but did not always endear them to others. In many cases, paladins did not get along quite as well with other non-paladin adventurers, with the exception of clerics with similar beliefs.”

“A Paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous Paladin is fallible. Sometimes the heat of emotion causes a Paladin to transgress his or her oath (of honesty, courage, compassion, honor ,and duty). A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.

-Mike stands next to Will under the rainbow poster

- Mike forces Will to dance with a girl, but you literally see Mike’s shocked expression like  ‘what,why’d I do that ?’ And after this, they show Dustin looking sad about Max/Lucas dancing and then they have Mike get into the frame (next to Dustin) and look sad when Will/girl are dancing in the same exact frame as Max/Lucas. As they switch between these 2 shots.

- All the mileven byler parallels or byler scenes were almost ALL initiated by Mike. If the parallels were meant to show a one sided love triangle (on Mike’s end). They would of made Will the instigator not Mike! Parallels can be watched here , start at 6:50)

-Mike initiated the “crazy together’ line- and in s3 he said ‘blank makes you crazy’. So subconsciously he knew the line had romantic connotations.

-Mike initiating the hand hold (with a zoom in shot) and in the show this is only done for romantic pairings. Also Mike being the one to initiate the ‘arm thing’ which is generally romantic. But in s3 , Lucas also does this, saying “I am spending quality time with my girlfriend’

-Mike saying, asking him to be his friend was the “best thing I’ve ever done”

-Mike constantly following Will around, asking if he’s okay or biking to his house to check on him. In s3 running out to chase Will to the garage and apologizing, and running into a storm to apologize a 2nd time.

YOU SEE A PATTERN! Mike is whipped! And is the one constantly chasing and pursuing Will, not the other way around! Before s3, people always portrayed Will as the (stereotypical- problematic trope of ) a sad-pinning-gay in a one sided love with Mike. It’s like people didn’t even watch the show (and just assigned tropes/stereotypes they wanted, that weren’t actually there). Will (probably too shy or scared to- because of homophobic taunts) never initiated a single byler moment- it was ALWAYS Mike!!! If people were actually objective, they would of thought it was Mike who was the one pinning! I talked about it here. 

We literally only saw Will pine or be jealous in s3 when Mike was in a relationship with El/when they fought.  

The cannon Spotify playlists

called ‘Mike’s basement beats’- These are character playlists that Spotify and St worked on together after s2.

-his first song is “small town boy” an 80s LGBT anthem about living in a small town and being queer and bullied. Every band member was openly gay.

-his 11th song is ‘don’t you want me’ from a “celebrate your gay pride” album

S3

I’m not repeating my literal essays so here are the links to pretty much all my s3 byler meta.  (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

- brief s3 mentions) it’s implied Will and Mike go on movie double dates all the time (right after he makes out with El). He celebrates the holidays (generally associated with introducing s.os) with Will/El. The breakup with El is treated comedically - and all Mike does is complain and burp on the couch. The byler breakup is serious (with the backdrop of rain)while Mike was visibly upset he hurt Will and apologized twice almost immediately . Running to the garage and then into the rain and banging on his door (s2 callback). The “it was the best thing I’ve ever done “ shed scene was shot purposely more romantic than the pool shed scene of “you’re the most important thing in the world to me”. The fact he think “blank makes you crazy”,and he used a similar line on Will in s2. The fact that Mike equates falling in love with girls as a part of growing up and his love for El as something “old people” say. While his affections for Will , he believes are childish (like d&d) and something he has to grow out of. The “I love her” scene was treated comedically. The last Mike/Will exchange vs Mike having his eyes open and not kissing El back . Not remembering he said “I love her”, and dismissing it as something he said in the heat of the moment. Mike looking back at the Byers house , then flashing to Will crying, than flashing back to Mike hugging his mom. Then those scenes having a monologue about not wanting feelings to change but how it’s inevitable.

Also we see in s3 (in El’s room) the return of the heart being propelled by a rainbow.

No hate, but I’m honestly flabbergasted when people think Mike is straight when he’s literally MORE queer coded than Will. Is it just my autistic brain seeing things as obvious, that others easily miss- or just people refuse to see it … or heteronormativity getting in the way?

gif credit : (not sure about the first 2, tell me if they’re yours so I can give credit), last 3 by  eggogorgon , the last gif by cath-avery

[a-recovered-sugar]

Bruising of a Brotherly Bond

Diana begged her boys to look out for each other for life but, as RICHARD KAY reveals, the whole family are worried about a widening rift between William and Harry No picture says more about the natural bonding of brothers than that taken of Princes Harry and William at Harry's wedding last year.Their affection and mutual support for one another on the most public of stages, yet most personal of occasions, was both poignant and compelling.How utterly tragic then that less than 18 months after that joyous day at Windsor Castle, all the talk now is of rift and division between the two princes.

Stories of bad blood had been circulating for months but, with one extraordinary intervention, Prince Harry has given credence to the rumours by admitting there have been tensions between the pair.

No picture says more about the natural bonding of brothers than that taken of Princes Harry and William at Harry's wedding last year (pictured during Harry's wedding in May last year) While a family row of this nature is by no means as constitutionally dangerous as the upheavals over the Abdication and the Duke of Windsor, the implications could be just as damaging, not least because the monarchy is arguably more vulnerable to criticism than it was in the Thirties. The early signs are not encouraging.

Within hours of Harry's candid interview in an ITV documentary, during which he said he and his brother are travelling on 'different paths', William was concerned enough to permit aides to speak of his worries about Harry's and Meghan's welfare.

According to a Kensington Palace source quoted by the BBC, William had expressed the hope that his brother and sister-in-law 'are all right'.

It is highly unusual for officials to voice such personal views on a private family matter. But I understand the 'Sussex problem', as Harry and Meghan are referred to within royal circles, has dominated family discussions in recent days.

There is no disguising that the views articulated by William are shared right across the Royal Family. While sympathy for a couple struggling to adjust to royal life under a media spotlight does still exist, it is draining away.

How utterly tragic then that less than 18 months after that joyous day at Windsor Castle, all the talk now is of rift and division between the two princes (pictured together in July 2018) 

Prince Harry has given credence to the rumours by admitting there have been tensions between the brothers (pictured, the Cambridges and Sussexes together for a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March)

But the family are desperate not to be seen driving a deeper wedge between them and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Certainly, the Queen and Prince Charles had hoped that the challenges of fatherhood following the birth of baby Archie would have overcome the differences that existed between Harry and William. The Princes are acutely aware of the importance that their late mother placed on them looking out for each other — something she wanted them to do all their lives.

Of course, it didn't help that stories of differences first began to emerge during Meghan's pregnancy.

What was being said was that William had earlier questioned the haste with which his younger brother was wanting to marry the American actress.

William, of course, dated Kate Middleton for eight years before giving her an engagement ring.

Harry, on the other hand, had made up his mind almost immediately after being introduced to the star of the American TV legal drama Suits — a divorced woman three years his senior — at a London dinner party in 2016.

To William, advising caution was common sense. But Harry, ever sensitive, is understood to have interpreted his brother's words, as well as those from others in his circle, as an implied criticism of his choice of bride.

He also apparently accused his older brother of failing to offer support, while Kate was said to be struggling to get on with Meghan. To some extent, this explains Harry's touchiness in the run-up to his wedding, which included a row over Meghan's tiara.

The brothers played polo against each other in Wokingham in July this year, which was also the last time they were pictured together

But after the wedding came two further shocks. One was the announcement that the Sussexes were decamping from Kensington Palace where they lived next door to William and Kate, and moving to Windsor.

The other was that the two brothers, whose public lives had been so entwined, were splitting their joint household, with Harry setting his up separately in Buckingham Palace.

It then emerged that they were also parting ways over their charity work with Harry and Meghan set to launch their own royal foundation next year.

But if these were the highly public examples of Harry's march towards princely independence, there were other, equally significant moves behind the scenes. Throughout his troubled 20s Harry had a close network of reliable friends.

But after the wedding came two further shocks. One was the announcement that the Sussexes were decamping from Kensington Palace where they lived next door to William and Kate, and moving to Windsor

Many of them are no longer part of his magic circle. They include school friends, vital support after Princess Diana's death, whose services are apparently no longer required. Many have been left hurt and baffled. The father of one told me: 'Harry has stayed in our house and been a very welcome guest over many years, then one day calls went unanswered.

'It was always pretty much on his terms. He was the one who usually got in touch, but there was no explanation, just silence.' Other friends say Harry complains they don't understand him.

Of course, he won't be the first married man to find new companions after taking a wife. Closer to home, I am told Harry left family members puzzled after changing telephone numbers without immediately telling them.

If this sounds familiar it is because we have been here before — with Diana. She regularly changed mobile numbers as an effective way of dumping friends she no longer wanted. Within the family, however, there has been growing anxiety. Harry's failure to spend time with the Queen at Balmoral during the summer was a strategic mistake.

Family business is usually taken care of during the long summer break in Scotland, and countless intractable conundrums have been resolved in the civilising atmosphere of Royal Deeside.

However, despite his absence from Balmoral I understand the Queen has spoken to Harry in the past month and offered to help.

Courtiers, meanwhile, were uneasy about the timing of Harry's television cri de coeur in the documentary broadcast on Sunday.

Not only did the advance publicity for it last week threaten to upstage the final part of William and Kate's highly successful trip to Pakistan, it also overshadowed a moving visit by the Countess of Wessex to Kosovo, where she met survivors of sexual violence.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex meets with sexual assault survivors in Kosovo 'It is the reason why royal diaries are so carefully co-ordinated, to avoid the risk of clashes between the various households,' says an aide. 'Quite simply, you don't rain on someone else's parade.'

Sunday's broadcast also revealed Harry's wish for the couple to be seen as hard-working members of the Royal Family. So it was hardly helped by his announcement that they now plan a six-week holiday.

So what about William? He is certainly perplexed by his brother's behaviour and believes he has handled some of the issues unwisely. He, too, has had some difficult moments in the media spotlight, including Kate being photographed topless before they married and the ensuing legal fight with the paparazzi.

'He dealt with these matters in a mature and considered way,' says a friend. 'He didn't allow them to become psychodramas in the way Harry seems to.'

The fact is, William is the same figure who looked out for his younger brother at school. And as uncomfortable as he has clearly found Harry's outburst, he will always be there for him.

Not long before she died, Diana talked to William about the kind of woman he might marry. She told him that the most important thing was that they should be best friends.

The tragedy of her own marriage, she said, was that she and Prince Charles barely knew one another, and had they been friends first, they would never have separated.

Diana later said that William 'got' this. According to one of the Princess's circle, William's concern about Harry marrying Meghan so quickly was probably because of that maternal advice about marrying someone you know well.

But then there is also the contrast in the way the brothers are going about their royal lives. While Harry has been criticised for using private jets while preaching about climate change, William and Kate have been seen carrying their own bags onto a budget airline flight to Aberdeen.

Instead of criticising the media as Harry did during his tour to southern Africa, William stopped to speak to them during his trip to Pakistan.

And while he protects his children from publicity, he also knows when to relax — and to be seen relaxing with them — as he did at an Aston Villa football match recently with Kate, George and Charlotte.

There is, of course, sympathy from the royals for Meghan's difficulty in adjusting to her new status, and because of her relationship with her father and other dysfunctional family members. No one more so, perhaps than Harry's own father, the Prince of Wales. But while he can offer help — and he has — Harry has not been inclined to accept it.

It is a shame. For the Duchess of Cornwall — Harry's stepmother — is familiar with the dramas of royal life. No one endured more criticism than Camilla, yet she has built a remarkable relationship with the public who admire her quiet contribution to public life at Charles's side.

For the Queen, 94 next birthday, this is no ordinary distraction which can be dismissed as mere gossip. Harry has seen to that by addressing it directly on camera. Indeed, it is a family drama that many close to the royals fear could unravel with further damaging revelations.

_________________________________

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the number one tactic of emotional/mental abusers is isolating their target away from their friends and family until you are the only person they have left or feel that they need. I learnt this the hard way in a particularly abusive relationship in my early 20′s, and it’s been really alarming seeing the same sort of patterns with M & H’s relationship.  There had already been the obvious rumblings of Tom Inskip being ghosted and now even more school friends are admitting they have been put by the wayside is bloody concerning, particularly for someone who seems increasingly emotionally fractured. All of that conjecture aside, they would have known and had access to the Court Calendar. They would have KNOWN that Countess Wessex was meeting with sexual assault survivors in Kosovo. If you were truly about “empowering women” and wanting to “shine a light” on causes such as sexual violence against women, maybe wait a fucking week or two to release Panorama 2.0 so that these women had the chance to have their plight put on a world stage? You didn’t have to publicise it during the Pakistan Tour. You didn’t have to air it during the Kosovo tour. But you did. And this is why people are finding it really bloody hard to keep swallowing the gold pill. Even people such as myself, who were absolute balls-to-the-wall diehard supporters of the two of you right from the beginning but now feel like we’ve been played like fucking idiots.

[tillays]

Farewell’s time

Fandom: Inazuma Eleven (GO)

Pairing: Kariya x Kirino

Characters: Kariya Masaki, Kirino Ranmaru

Summary: In the midst of all the junior's tears, on this graduation ceremony day, it seems that someone is missing; which doesn't escape Kirino.

Tears ; the pain of the heart, of the soul. Deep affliction, undisguised sorrow, intimate pain that flows on all these cheeks, like those salty pearls. This distressing spectacle could have seemed unusual, singular, yet it was not so; every year, on the same date, it used to take place. Every year, on this last day of school and graduation ceremony, teachers could witness the same moving farewells, the same touching embraces, the same teary faces.

The third-grade students were parading on the stage to get their certificates, while, as mere spectators, the younger ones simply watched the scene, most of them with burning furrows on their cheeks. And among them, Tenma was probably the one who hid his sorrow the least, to such an extent that when the ceremony ended, as soon as they arrived in the club's changing rooms, he jumped on all his senpai's neck, his face deformed by tears.

"Shindou-senpai!" he sobbed, not wanting to let go of his senpai, who did not stop a smile on his lips.

"What will we become, without you!" added a tearful Shinsuke by his side, clinging to Shindou's leg, while Hikaru cried silently.

The complaints mingled in the room, and it didn't take long to bring tears from almost all the elders, from Hamano to Kurama, through Shindou. Only Kirino, his eyes however moistened by emotion, had not yet let the slightest furrow come to decorate his cheeks. His curious and confused gaze had first wandered over the entirety of the people in the room, before starting to constantly watch the door, as if someone was about to join them.

"Kirino?" Shindou called, to his side, probably the only one who knew him well enough to be able to see the disappointment that was drawing his features. "What's going on?"

"Shindou. Nothing important, don't worry, it's just that I thought he-"

"Say! Why wouldn't we have one last match, all together?!" asked Tenma aloud, cutting Kirino in his sentence without even realizing it.

The enthusiasm that flowed from this proposal was such that the defender finally preferred to leave his words in suspense, while the outline of a smile took place on his lips. Maybe Kariya was going to join them because of the call of football, after all.

Their uniform on, they joined the field. With the club's growing popularity, there were enough of them to make two teams, while the tears had been replaced by sparkling smiles. But once again, only Kirino remained disturbed, and his azure irises roamed the horizon absently.

"Tenma," he started, also catching the attention of some of their comrades around them. "Do you know if Kariya will join us?"

"Um...," the captain thought. "I doubt it, he said he was going home."

"Ah?" Kirino frowned. "He didn't even say goodbye…"

"He did, he came after graduation," replied a thoughtful Hamano who had followed the conversation. "You didn't see him?"

Kirino's face, which had tingled a little with annoyance, at the idea that his friend going home when it was their last day to see each other, relaxed a little under the effect of surprise. If he had well seen him, sitting next to Hikaru, before going up on the stage to get his certificate, he had not had the slightest opportunity to cross his path after that.

"No...," he murmured, lost in his thoughts.

"It's weird, yet he came to say goodbye to us one by one…"

Kariya had taken the trouble to greet all of them except him, before quietly returning home. No matter what the concerned faces of his comrades were, in front of him, no matter what order of words they were trying to put together, to be a little tactful; the facts were there. Wasn't he even worth it enough to make him stay five more minutes to see him too, after all they had been through together?

This simple thought alone stirred the defender's anger, who didn't wait a second longer to run towards the school's exit.

"Play without me!" he threw behind his back to his perplexed teammates, without waiting for an answer.

His feet crashed on the ground with rapidity, and each sound that reached his ears would exceed him even more. If he'd hurry, he could probably catch up with him soon. And he better do so, because he had to admit that, although they had done a part of their way back to school together more than once, he had no idea where he lived...

Curious faces turned in his direction as he ran through the entrance doors of the establishment, without him paying attention. A quick glance at the green traffic light and he had already crossed the road, to follow the river. In the distance, that so familiar blue hair that he had searched everywhere finally became visible in his field of vision, and Kirino felt a strange knot of apprehension forming in his belly.

"Kariya!" he called, so loudly that the few people around them all turned towards them.

Kariya immediately stopped his slow walk, his eyes wide open. For a second, the possibility that this voice was only an illusion, a bad prank of his conscience, crossed his mind, so much so that he hesitated before turning around. However, when he did, Kirino was standing in front of him, a few metres away. His frowned eyebrows and accusatory look made him swallow, realizing that the possibilities of subjects were limited.

"You already left ?" he asked. "What about the others?"

"And what about you?"

Kariya frowned. He had certainly not expected such animosity through these four miserable words. However, the reproach was there, he felt it fly in the air, slip on his skin, browse these beautiful blue eyes that faced him.

"I wasn't feeling very good, so I thought I'd better go home," he lied, before turning, ready to go back on his way.

"Was that a reason to say goodbye to everyone... except me?"

Maybe Kariya's heart had just missed a beat, in front of the unspoken pain that these words had brought. And maybe he'd never admit it. As if to drive the nail in, and unaware of the boy's face, which was getting more and more tense, while he could only see his back, Kirino continued:

"It was probably our last day all together, and I thought our relationship was worth enough for you to take time to…"

However, his sentence had no end, and the words simply died in the air. Fugitive, ephemeral, a reflection of the sadness that probably prevailed in his midst. And it did not escape Kariya, whose fist clenched by reflex, before the atmosphere of the moment took over these feelings that he was trying to repress:

"You don't understand...," he murmured, before letting the silence fly between them for infinite seconds. "Celebrating a departure, two paths that separate and may never meet again... This is a farewell, isn't it?"

Kirino's face, which had in turn suffered anger, misunderstanding and then sadness, now took on astonishment, a completely visible mask of surprise, before his features receded.

"You didn't want to say goodbye to me because... you didn't want our paths to separate?" he risks, not totally sure of his interpretation.

Silence answered him, and a sweet smile appeared his lips. Kirino was about to take a step forward, when Kariya's voice rose again in the air:

"What will I do, if you're not here?"

The words slammed in the air, to come and violently strike the soul of the older one. He hadn't seen this coming.

"If you're not here to scold me in the morning when I'm late? If you're not here to yell at me when I shoot others in their back without them noticing? If you're no longer here, to just be with me? If..."

His hands, clutched to the hip of his bag as if it could determine his survival, were trembling, as did his voice, which broke even more with each word that crossed the wall of his lips. He sniffed loudly, and Kirino didn't need much more to understand that he was holding back from crying. And yet, unable to break the invisible bonds that prevented him from taking the slightest step, the graduated teen remained motionless.

"If you're no longer here to help me study the program you understand better than I do, when you did it a year ago?" Kariya continued, articulating more and more slowly. "If you're no longer here to defend the goal with me..."

It was too much. Tears were now running down his tense face, which he tried to hide as best he could, keeping his back to his Kirino's. His cheeks, reddened by the tears that came to trace their hot furrows to die in his neck or on the corner of his lips, were burning him. Despite all his efforts not to let it show through, Kariya could not ignore his own shaky shoulders, the few sniffles that escaped him despite himself; so much so that when Kirino's hand landed on his shoulder, he stepped forward to free himself. There was no way he could be seen like this.

"Kariya...," the older one whispered in a soft voice, as his face had completely calmed down. "You know, just because we're not in middle school together anymore doesn't mean we'll never see each other again."

Silence welcomed his words, yet Kirino only had to look at his friend's hands, which slowly fell down his body, to understand that they had hit the mark.

"We can always meet outside, after school or on weekends," he continued. "I'll have to come and see all of you sometimes. Who's gonna scold you after that, otherwise?"

Yet another sniff, much louder – and classless – came to answer him. However, the younger one did not move a single millimetre, as if he was waiting for a follow-up to these words. But sometimes, words simply couldn't match all the emotions that were too difficult to express.

It was in this state of mind that Kirino broke the short distance that separated them from a simple stride, before wrapping his arms around him. A soft, warm embrace, which carried in its bosom this wave of feelings that he could not manage to externalize.

Kariya was crying. The simple idea that they were about to separate was enough to distort his face, to flood it with all those tears that did not deserve the slightest contact with those delicate cheeks that he guessed red. How else could he have answered that, after all?

The youngest's eyes widened when this body simply touched his back. His mouth opened and closed several times, a sign of the indecision of his words as well as his astonishment, and it was thus Kirino who took the floor first:

"I could still help you study, if you need it. My schedule may be a little busier, but I should be able to fit you somewhere in it," he explained with a smile on his face.

"But..."

"Goodbye does not necessarily mean farewell, Kariya," the older cut him off. "We often say goodbye in the evening, and then say hello the next day. And, a year goes by quickly, we'll also be able to protect the goal together again, after that.

Without thinking for a second about the situation nor his tears that he had tried to hide, Kariya emerged from the embrace in which he was caught to turn around. Kirino had a soft, soothing face like he had never seen before, and that was enough to make him understand that he had not just imagined the implication behind these words: he said that on purpose.

"Protecting the goal together next year means... in the same high school?"

Still with this warm look of him and a simple nod of the head, Kirino approved.

"The school where senpai goes is not far from where I live," Kariya thinks, as if he had already forgotten the events of the few minutes before. That would be the main reason," he added, turning his head with that proud look he wore every time he felt embarrassed.

Kirino let escape a sight laugh, but didn't add any comment. He used to be able to read in Kariya, although he had difficulty being honest with his feelings. But after what had just happened, he certainly wasn't likely to believe in that high school near his home excuse.

"Come, we're going to join the others. Would be a shame if I missed this last match with all the junior!"

"Ah? I remind you that I was coming home before you came in like a fury!"

"Yes, yes," the pink haired boy replied the boy, placing the tip of his finger on the reddened cheek of the youngest, which started to ignite at this simple contact.

Seeing the amused smile on his senpai's face – before he turned around –, Kariya uffed out his cheeks. Why on earth would his body have to react in spite of himself and blush on his own?

"I guess I'll also get bored and miss you, this year," Kirino whispered in a barely audible voice, looking up at the azure vastness of the sky.

"What did you say, senpai?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's join the others!"

Without waiting for the slightest answer, the slightest grumbling, Kirino grabbed his teammate's wrist and dragged him into his race. He also may have feared this separation for long, too; but if Kariya was as reluctant as he was to cut this bond between them, he probably had no reason to worry about the future.

[rocketjams]

Drunk Enough to Say I Want You

Don’t mind me, I’m just re-posting this one-shot from Valentine’s Day.

[X] Read on Ao3

Pairing: Todoroki & Bakugou

Word Count: 3,208

Description:  A little liquid courage paired a chance reunion has Todoroki finally making a move, one that’s been ten years in the making.

The very first thing Todoroki saw were his eyes, they were red and burned brighter than fire itself. Even with just small glance or uninterested gaze they were hypnotizing, and in a single instant it was as if Todoroki could forget the entire world. It was just him, that sandy haired boy. His name? Bakugou Katsuki.

Todoroki couldn't remember if it happened slowly or all at once; falling in love that is. All he knew was that he was drawn to Bakugou like a magnet to metal, his eyes followed him. He noticed even the smallest differences whether that be in appearance or mood.

Most significantly he noticed the significant change that had taken place one spring afternoon. Bakugou had entered the classroom with a small spring in his step, a soft smile replacing the usual frown on his lips.

“Someone looks like they're in a good mood!” Kaminari had teased.

“Why wouldn’t he be,” Mina chimed in. “He officially graduated from the single life.”

What?

Todoroki’s eyes widened, the air constricting inside his lungs.

“Shut up,” Bakugou mumbled turning his head to the floor. A pink hue barely visible on his cheeks from where Todoroki was sitting.

Despite the ongoing chatter among his classmates, to Todoroki it was as if his whole world had gone completely silent. Was it true? Was Bakugou..

“Todoroki!”

A soft hand laid itself on Todoroki’s shoulder, causing the red and white haired boy to look up from where he sat as he was pulled from his thoughts. His gaze meeting Midoriya’s concerned eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Todoroki said, pulling the corners of his lips upwards. “Why do you ask?”

“Because your crying.”

Reaching up, Todoroki laid his hand on his cheek. Feeling the wet trails his tears had left. “Oh.”

Looking around the classroom, Todoroki could feel the various gazes which watched him curiously.

“I’m fine,” He assured them once more, standing up from his seat suddenly. “Excuse me.”

Making his way towards the door, Todoroki kept his eyes on the floor, not daring to look up. He had expected this would happen, that Bakugou would eventually find someone. But still, why did it hurt so bad?

Just as his hand lifted up to clutch his chest, his shoulder knocked against something causing him to fall backwards.

“Sorr-” Todoroki glanced up to see the last person he ever wanted looking down on him.

“Hey, watch where you’re going Icyhot.”

Todoroki opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out and soon after he could feel the hot tears pouring over his cheeks.

“Uh- I-” Bakugou stammered, trying to find the words. His eyes wide with shock at the unexpected response.

“I’m okay!” Todoroki repeated loudly, quickly pushing himself up off the floor before running out of the classroom and towards the bathrooms.

Once there, he locked himself inside one of the stalls. His hand balled tightly into a fist.

Great! Just great.

Racking his brain for possible excuses as to why he was crying, Todoroki let out a frustrated sigh. Why did thing have to be this way? Why couldn’t he just- No, I can’t.

I won’t. He can’t know.

Wiping his face for the last time, Todoroki stepped out of the stall. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His eyes swollen and bloodshot, the pain inside his heart buried under the resolve that he would never reveal those feelings.

Returning to class a mere thirty minute after his small outburst, Todoroki was surprised to see that no one pushed him for answers. No one asked, and he never dared to tell.

Instead he decided to keep his feelings bottled up at a distance. Making sure never to get too close out of fear that one day everything would come spilling out all at once.

Eventually, the passing days turned into weeks, those weeks into months and months then turned into years. Therefore, just as Todoroki hoped, he successfully maintained his distance and Bakugou was never able to find out about his feelings. There were absolutely nothing between them, no strings that would tie them together, no bond to nurture and when graduation came so did the time for them to walk their separate paths.

However, though the situation was ideal at first, when the last day finally came, it would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt. As the ceremony came to an end and Todoroki watched as Bakugou walked away hand in hand with his partner. It was if every part of Todoroki was aching for Bakugou. His mouth wanted to call out his name, his legs wanted to run after him, his arms wanted to embrace him.

Though Todoroki remained still, not moving an inch and simply watched as Bakugou vanished from his life. It was over and all Todoroki could think of was the thing he didn’t do and just how much of a cowardly fool he was.

- 10 Years Later -

“I think this is a bad idea.” Todoroki relented as Midoriya pulled him toward the restaurant entrance.

“I bet everyone is going to be happy to see you.”

Todoroki smiled nervously, following along with his friends demands.

“Oh there they are!” Midoriya exclaimed, waving his hands in the air.

“Oh my gosh Deku is that you?!” Uraraka exclaimed, greeting her old friend with a hug.

“Yup,” Midoriya gleamed. “And look who else I brought with me?”

Uraraka smiled as Midoriya pushed Todoroki forward.

“Hey Todoroki,” She said. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Same to you.”

Silence soon fell between the three for a moment before Uraraka laughed aloud nervously, breaking the silence. “Well, let’s go inside. Iida was able to get us a private room.”

Entering the room, Todoroki was greeted with the smiling faces of his old classmates.

“Hey Midoriya! Todoroki!” Many of them cheered.

Todoroki bowed slightly, acknowledging the many greetings.

“Have a seat you two.” Iida insisted.

Sitting down at the end of the table, Todoroki watched quietly as many of them conversed among each other.

“Okay we’re just missing Kirishima and Bakugou?” Kaminari stated aloud, causing Todoroki’s ears to perk up at the mention of his name.

Turning to Midoriya, Todoroki leaned over and whispered into his friends ear. “You didn’t say Bakugou was coming?”

“I didn’t think that was an important factor to mention.” Midoriya stated simply. “Besides, Iida invited everyone from our first year class.”

“Oh.” Todoroki nodded, not wanting to push the subject anymore.

“Todoroki!” Mina exclaimed. handing him a glass. “You look so tense. Have a drink.”

“No I'm ok-”

“I insist!” She smiled. “Have fun every once in a while. At least have one.”

Todoroki stared at the glass blankley for a minute before eventually giving in, “Fine.”

As the night went on, one class turned into two, then two into three and so on.

Todoroki soon found himself growing increasingly drunk with each passing minute.

*2.5 Hours Later*

“Aye there he is!” Mina shouted suddenly. Garnering the attention of everyone in the room.

Looking towards the door, Todoroki’s eyes caught sight of the sandy head of hair he had always loved.

“Don’t make a fucking scene.” Bakugou snapped at her, before turning to Iida. “Sorry for being late. I had some stuff to do at the station.”

“It alright.” Iida responded, motioning for Bakugou to take a seat. A small smile graced Todoroki’s lips, as the alcohol took the driver seat to his common sense.

“Bakugou! Come sit by me!” Todoroki called out, garnering confused looks from everyone in the room.

“Uh,” Bakugou hesitated. “Alright.”

Taking a seat next to Todoroki, Bakugou watched as he took another gulp of his beer.

“Hey,” Bakugou warned. “Take it easy.”

Slamming his cup down on the table, exhaling dramatically as he looked to Bakugou with a small scowl. “Drink with me.”

“Just one drink.” Bakugou said, “I don’t want to get shitfaced tonight.”

Waiting for the waitress the return to order a drink, Bakugou turned to Todoroki with a soft look in his eyes. “So what have you been up to?”

“Me?”

“Who else am I talking to dumbass?’

“Oh, uh, I’m a doctor now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I’m a cop with the Tokyo Metro Police.”

Todoroki nodded as he laid his head down on the table, still keeping his eyes on Bakugou. “That’s nice, are you still dating Kirishima?”

“What the fuck?” Bakugou snapped harshly, “Where did that come from?”

Sitting up, Todoroki leaned over, resting his finger between Bakugou’s eyebrows. “Don’t get mad. That’s not cute at all. I was just asking a question.”

“C-cu-cute?” Bakugou tried to articulate what it was Todoroki had just said. The heat rising to his face before he used the palm of his hand to smack Todoroki on the back of the head. “What kind of shit are you spouting?!”

“Ow! No hitting, that’s mean!”

“I’ll show you mean!” Bakugou threatened.

“That sounds like the Bakugou we used to know.” Kaminari teased. “I thought that part of you had left us after you joined the force.”

“Shut it shithead!”

“Another one please, Miss Waitress!” Todoroki shouted, raising his hand in the air.

“No another one!” Bakugou snapped, pulling Todoroki’s cup away from him. “I’m cutting you off!”

“Awe why?!” Todoroki whined.

Turning to Midoriya, Bakugou gave him a small glare. “Just how much did this idiot drink already?”

“I don’t know, um, two, six, ten glasses.”

“Try the entire fucking bar!” Mina pitched in. “I heard they ran out because of him.”

“Mina please, don’t make it worse.” Uraraka pleaded.

“That’s it we’re going home.” Bakugou declared.

“Awe but you just got here?”

“And?” Bakugou responded. “It’s your fault for letting this dumbass drink so much, so fas-”

Bakugou’s words stopped short as he felt a gleaming pair of eyes on him, glancing down he could see Todoroki looking up at him with a stupid grin on his face. “Awe you said we.”

“Meaning you.” Bakugou rebutted. “Let’s go.”

Helping Todoroki up, Bakugou took it upon himself to escort him out. Allowing the white and red haired boy a moment of fresh air as they both walked in silence through the parking lot.

The cold February air just a bit sobering, as Todoroki took a deep breath and looked down at his watch. “The last train already left. Now I have to order a taxi.” He complained.

“I’ll drive you home, my car’s just around the corner.” Bakugou said simply, pulling his keys from his pocket.

“Oh, thanks.” Todoroki agreed, following behind Bakugou. Upon getting to the car, the two waited outside a bit longer before getting in.

"I can’t believe this is how I’m spending my night." Bakugou admitted, trying not to let his dissatisfaction show.

“Hey Bakugou,” Todoroki spoke up suddenly. His liquid courage taking it’s finally blow.

“Yeah?”

“Can I hug you?”

“What?”

“Can I hug you?”

“No.”

“Okay.” Todoroki said, looking down at the floor; having half expected that very response.

As silence took over the air between them, Bakugou felt an annoying feeling clawing at the inside of his stomach.

“Ugh fine!” He snapped, pulling the slightly taller boy into a hug. As Bakugou held Todoroki’s body tightly against his own, Todoroki could feel all his emotions bubbling to the top. When they broke apart, Todoroki’s cheeks had taken on a red hue and his eyes glossed over as the night chill replaced the warmth Bakugou’s arms had left around him.

“Wow,” Todoroki breathed as he tried to repress the smile that at this point had permanently engraved itself on his face.

Though Bakugou could see it, and instead of responding he reached out for him instinctively, resting his warm hand on the arch of Todoroki’s back, pulling him toward him once more.

They didn’t say anything but at the same time they didn't have to, as their eyes said everything. All the untold feelings and the newly unknown desires which had sparked within them both. Many which were new to Bakugou but for Todoroki had been there all along. Bakugou searched his gaze, marveling at the mix of emotions they held but at the same time didn't quite know what he was looking for and while he was lost in his eyes, Todoroki had found what he was searching for in his and for once in his life, he no longer wanted to hold back.

Reaching out, Todoroki placed his hand on the back of Bakugou’s neck and pulled him closer. Their lips eventually finding each other and they kissed, first softly, then more urgently, Bakugou’s tongue in his mouth, Todoroki’s arms around his neck,their bodies battling against each other for dominance as they meshed together like two puzzle pieces.

Feeling the heat of the moment beginning to take over, Bakugou panicked and pulled away.

"We can’t. You’re drunk right now." he stated. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

Todoroki shook his head, “I disagree. I’ve never had a more clear mind than I do right now.”

Without saying another word, Todoroki walked over to the passenger seat of Bakugou’s car and smiled up at him as he spoke, "Let’s go home."

Despite not having a single drop of alcohol, Bakugou felt intoxicated as if something had already pulled at the seams of his reason.

Bakugou's apartment was the closest and as soon as they made it inside and the front door was closed, their lips found each other again. Todoroki’s tongue wrestling against his and Bakugou’s hands began tracing his bodies. One hand deep in the softness of Todoroki’s hair and the other trailing down his back, pulling Todoroki closer to him, feeling as if he could never be close enough.

Taking Todoroki’s hand, Bakugou led him to his bedroom, which looked in many ways just as Todoroki expected it would. Though even as they moved throughout the house, never once did they let go of each other. Making it to the bedroom, Todoroki nibbled on his collarbone as he pulled on his shirt, whispering into his ear, "I want you."

Falling onto the bed, both of them wrestled for dominance over the other and it wasn’t long until Todoroki had pinned him down and took his spot on top that the blond finally gave in. Though it wasn’t long before Bakugou felt him slide down the bed. Todoroki’s hands soon busy at work as they unfastened Bakugou’s pants, freeing him of his underwear shortly after. Todoroki smiled as he stroked the length of Bakugou’s cock with his hand before taking him into his mouth. The sudden sensation eliciting a moan from Bakugou as his eyes rolled backwards, thinking about how unbelievably good it felt when Todoroki would moan around him. Pulling away Todoroki gave him a cheeky smirk. “You have no idea how many times I imagined doing that.”

Bakugou stared at Todoroki in amazement. Was this seriously the same guy he went to high school with all those years ago?

“What?” Todoroki said innocently. “Don’t go getting embarrassed on me now.”

"Fuck," Bakugou grunted. “You are way too sexy for your own good.”

Pulling him back onto his lap, they were face-to-face once again. “It’s my turn.”

Bakugou slid his hands down his back, under the hem of his boxers. Adjusting the position of his fingers until Todoroki’s eyes gave way that he had reach the perfect spot. Nuzzling his face into the crook of Todoroki’s neck, causing a small giggle from Todoroki. Not knowing he was ticklish, Bakugou was happy to have learned something new about him. As his fingers played with his entrance, it was as if Todoroki had lost himself within his own pleasure. Bakugou watched as Todoroki bit his own lip and grinded harder against his fingers.

“More,” Todoroki moaned as he climbed off Bakugou.

“What?”

“It's not enough.” Todoroki whined as he slipped off his boxers, positioning himself on his knees. “I want more.”

Feeling a fire ignite within him, Bakugou placed his hands on either side of Todoroki's waist. “Don't you dare go regretting this tomorrow.”

- - -

As the next morning followed, Todoroki awoke to the smell of coffee. Rolling over on the empty bed, Todoroki stared at the window, it only taking a few minutes for his brain to process that this room wasn't his.

Sitting up, Todoroki went to peak outside the bedroom door.

“What are you doing?” A voice suddenly asked, causing a small scream to escape Todoroki.

“Sorry.” He laughed.

Turning around Todoroki was faced with a familiar pair of red eyes and it was suddenly as if all his memories from the previous night came rushing back at once.

“Um,” Todoroki started, his embarrassment welling up within him. “I'm sorry for last night but if you could just excuse me. I'm gonna go die now.”

Turning around, Todoroki had only put his hand on the doorknob when Bakugou spoke again. “I hope you don't plan on leaving like that.”

“Like wha-” Just as Todoroki opened his mouth he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection on the doorknob.

“Oh God!” He yelled, running back toward the bed, just to have something that would cover him.

Bakugou laughed as he walked over and took a seat at the end of the bed. “I don't know why your hiding. It's not like I didn't see it in all it's glory last night.”

“Stop please.” Todoroki begged, burying his head in the pillow.

“What if I don't want to?”

“Huh?”

“You know what I realized this morning when I woke up?” Bakugo paused giving the other a chance to think before supplying his answer, “Today is Valentine's Day.”

Todoroki peeked his head up from under the covers, “So?”

“So, I don't know about you but I didn't really have any plans.”

Todoroki stayed silent, trying to decipher what exactly it was Bakugou was getting at.

Rolling his eyes, Bakugou chuckled. “I'm trying to ask you out dumbass.”

“Really?”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“No!”

Bakugou's laughter filled the room, “Relax. Contrary to popular belief I have grown up. I like to think I'm not as defensive anymore.”

“I know, I was just surprised that's all.” Todoroki explained, pulling the covers over his head.

“Hey, don't go trying to hide again!” Bakugou said pulling down the covers to reveal a teary eyed Todoroki. “Wha- why are you crying?!”

“I'm sorry.” Todoroki said as he wiped his tears. “I'm just happy.”

Bakugou watched the boy for a few seconds before reaching out his hand to brush the tears off his cheeks. “You're still such an ugly crier.”

“What? That's mean.”

Laughing some more, an old memory suddenly appeared within Bakugou's mind. “Just like that day.”

“What day?”

“In high school. You started crying randomly in the middle of class and bumped into me when you were trying to leave.”

“Oh, that day.”

“Why were you crying that day anyways?”

Because of you.

“No reason.”

“Seriously, I want to know.”

“I'll tell you someday but honestly it doesn't really matter at this point.”

Bakugou hesitated for a minute, “If you say so. But regardless that doesn't answer my earlier question.”

“Being?”

“Will you go out with me today?”

Todoroki nodded smiling sweetly as he replied, “Of course. I'd love too.”

[livingcorner]

The Anatomy of a Kitchen Faucet@|what is a kitchen faucet@|https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/om7y2-iYZE8d23umcGdXIt4EOEo=/154×0:2744×1356/fit-in/1200×630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19637472/kitchen_faucets_x_banner.jpg@|25

Of all the working parts in a kitchen, the faucet might be the one we use the most. According to the EPA, each American uses an average of 88 gallons of water a day, and a lot of it is to wash hands, rinse off produce, fill the tea kettle, or simply get a glass of water.

Today, these workaholic fixtures come in a wider variety of price points than ever before. You can purchase a kitchen faucet for as little as $15, although we recommend spending more than that to ensure its durability. After all, if you’re going to be using your kitchen faucet so frequently, it’s best to buy one that’ll last.

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Better manufacturing and engineering help today’s faucets stay drip-free and longer-lasting, and quick-connect fittings have made them a cinch to install. Meanwhile, the number of designs and features has exploded into a dizzying array of choices. No matter how fancy or simple the faucet, however, they all contain the same basic elements. We’ll examine these in more detail below.

Kitchen Sink Faucet Parts

Harry Campbell

Before you purchase a new faucet, settle on the sink first. Its size, shape, and features will determine where the faucet should be mounted and how much reach the spout should have.

Also make sure you measure the spout’s height. It should ideally be tall enough to clear your deepest pot, but not so tall that water splashes everywhere when it hits the sink. Make sure there’s enough room behind and beside the faucet to clean around the body and to use the handle comfortably.

Aerator

Illustration by Harry Campbell

Starting at the tip of the faucet, this is the part (typically made of mesh) that breaks up the water flow into multiple small streams to dilute the water with air. Aerators reduce the volume of water flowing while maintaining the feeling of a high-pressure flow, greatly reducing splashing in the sink.

Spout

Illustration by Harry Campbell

The spout is the part of the faucet that most people notice first; it’s the part that delivers water from the body to the sink and it can be distinctive in its design. A straight spout provides a long reach with a low profile. A gooseneck spout has an elegant, high-arc shape that comes in handy for filling deep pots. The shepherd’s crook design is shaped just as it sounds and offers extra clearance along with a bit of intrigue. And an articulating spout features multiple joints that let you direct the water stream to where it’s needed.

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In addition to these style considerations, it’s important to anticipate how you’ll be using your spout in the kitchen. Pull-out versions have a retractable sprayer head that docks on the spout; the pull-out heads, available in several spout styles, are held in place by gravity.

On the other hand, pull-down spouts (generally fitted to the gooseneck design) require a magnetized or locking dock to stay put when not in use. There are also hands-free spouts, which turn on with the help of a foot pedal or motion sensor.

Handle

Illustration by Harry Campbell

When it comes to the faucet handle, which opens and closes the valve, your choices are one or two. The single handle is easy for people of all ages and abilities to use. It can be mounted on top of the spout, on either side of it, on the front, or beside it, requiring a separate hole. The two-handle faucet has a whole extra handle to worry about, but its timeless charm is an attractive feature for any kitchen.

Valve

Illustration by Harry Campbell

To control water flow and temperature, today’s faucets use cartridge valves that enclose all the working parts in a single, easy-to-replace unit (meaning no washers to swap out). Some valves are made of plastic or metal, but the best ones house a pair of hard, smooth ceramic discs that rarely leak and aren’t affected by hard‑water deposits. The discs can crack if they snag any debris, so make sure to flush your supply lines before installing the faucet. (Supply lines connect the house’s hot and cold-water pipes.)

Cartridge valves differ by faucet make and model. If you ever need to replace one, order it directly from the manufacturer.

Body

Illustration by Harry Campbell

The body is where the hot and cold water are mixed before passing through the spout. In a single-hole design, hot and cold water are combined in a one-piece casting that also houses the valves. This type of body is available in one- or two-handle designs.

With the bridge design, a pipe joining two separate valves blends the hot and cold water before it reaches the spout. This look isn’t very common but is sometimes featured in period designs.

A third option is the widespread body, which requires three holes. It mixes the hot and cold water like a bridge-style faucet, but the pipe is hidden beneath the counter.

Mount

Illustration by Harry Campbell

What will the faucet be attached to? A deck mount, where the faucet is connected to the sink, is the most common option, and it’s simple to install if there’s enough clearance between the sink and the wall. It requires holes in the countertop or sink.

A second option is to attach the faucet to the wall, which has the benefit of freeing up countertop space and making cleanup easier. But this isn’t a good idea for exterior walls in cold climates, where pipes may freeze.

Common Materials: Brass, Stainless Steel, Plastic, Zinc

Photo by Courtesy of Kohler

Standard options for the faucet material include brass, stainless steel, plastic, and zinc. Brass is the most popular choice. It’s durable and easy to cast, and companies offer a wide variety of models and finishes. Some have sprayer heads made of plastic, so they weigh less and stay cool to the touch; other parts might be made of zinc.

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Brass is usually alloyed with lead to make it easier to cast. By law, faucets sold in the U.S. can’t contain more than 8 percent lead, but even that amount can contaminate water sitting in the faucet body for more than a few hours. Running the tap for a few seconds will flush it out. California and Vermont have enacted a stricter standard, a “maximum weighted average” of no more than 0.25 percent. Do your research so you know what you’re buying.

Solid stainless steel is another good choice, but it’s more expensive than brass. (Don’t confuse it with stainless-steel finishes applied over brass.) Some companies apply a clear protective coating to stainless steel to shield it from water spots and fingerprints.

Plastic or zinc faucets are the least durable option. They may be designed to look like brass, but they’re made from a much cheaper material. The best way to tell them apart is to pick them up—plastic and zinc are light, while brass has heft to it.

Finish application

Photo by Courtesy of Danze

The oldest and most common method of applying a finish to a faucet is electroplating. The faucet is dipped in a bath of dissolved metal that adheres to the surface when a current is applied. It offers a durable, long-lasting finish, but the plating is susceptible to harsh cleansers.

A more expensive technique is to use physical vapor deposition (PVD). The faucet is placed in a vacuum and bombarded with metallic ions that bond to the surface. This results in a very hard, tough finish that doesn’t need a clear coat.

And then there’s powder-coating, where the faucet is sprayed with a dry powder that cures when exposed to heat. Powder-coating leads to an even, thick finish, but it’s not as durable as PVD or electroplating.

Installation tips

Photo by Courtesy of Moen

New faucets are so easy to install that you barely need tools to do it. If you’re removing an old faucet, use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen any rusted-on nuts. Remove the nuts with water-pump pliers or a basin wrench.

If you have a stone countertop, skip the plumber’s putty, which contains oil that can stain the stone. Otherwise, use the putty to form a seal between the faucet base and the countertop. Most modern faucets have an O-ring in the base and don’t require a sealant. [external_footer]

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there are dragons: an Extensive Summary

So I’m currently working on a thing that I’ve nicknamed there are dragons simply because that’s how I start the book (“there are dragons in the sky”) and it doesn’t have a title yet (although I have a few in mind that I’m tossing around). I talk about it a lot here because it’s my WIP that’s the longest (only 31 pages but shh) and the one I’m most fond of; however, I feel like I haven’t really explained what’s going on, and I love talking about my characters, so I’m going to give a Rough Summary followed by Overly Extensive Character Descriptions bc I want to keep some story elements to myself (bc I’m very fond of it) but I can’t shut up about my characters because I’m very fond of my band. 

so here goes nothing~ 

Setting: 

It’s a basic medieval fantasy story set in a country that’s only referred to as the Kingdom, simply because they believe there is nothing more on the planet. The North of the kingdom contains people as cold as the landscape. They are resilient, but, in comparison to the rest of the Kingdom, primitive. To the South lies thick rainforests. Here the people are the geniuses of the land; they live in complex villages of tree houses and spend much of their time creating. And finally, cutting though the center of the Kingdom is the Plateau. It’s mainly a barren desert with a scattering of border towns to help you cross. The people here are intelligent traders; they know the dangers of the desert, and more importantly they know how to combat it. 

The Kingdom is not all that is on this land mass, however. To the East lies the mountains. No one really knows what the contain, or what lies beyond them, but many theorize they are home to the illusive yet deadly dragons. They are correct. 

Plot: 

There are dragons in the sky. Well, they look like dragons at least. In reality, they are human shape shifters. Basil is a young boy living in a border town or the Plateau known as Renora, but he's really not what he seems. He's always been drawn to the dragons in a way unlike anyone else in the town. As if that doesn't make him odd enough, he lives with the only parent he's ever known, his mother, Lavender. As far as the town is concerned, she's just an insane woman, but in reality she's just paranoid. When she was younger, she had a run in with the dragons that raid the border towns. Normally, the dragons just destroy and pillage, but this time was different. She met a dragon and learned that they could shape shift into a human form. This dragon was Archer, Basil's father. The two fell in love, and Lavender left the town to be with him. She was told she could never return to her home village because in doing so she would risk outing the secret of the dragons. No one knew they were humans, and they wanted to keep it that way. 

But Lavender couldn't keep away. One night, she begged Archer to take her home to see her parents, and he couldn't say no. They snuck away, but despite their efforts they were caught. Lavender and Archer were cursed to never meet again, and a magic promise was made between them. Lavender was pregnant with a child, and when they were born, they were to live with Lavender for 17 years; then, on their seventeen birthday, they had to join the sky pirates. This child was Basil. 

The story begins, after a prologue because I can't resist a good ol' prologue, on Basil's seventeen birthday. By this time, he's been told his father is a dragon, but he's never met him, and Lavender wants to keep it this way. Try as they might, however, magical promises cannot be broken, and Basil is taken away to join the sky pirates. 

And that's all the plot I'm going to talk about~   

Main Characters: 

Basil: the main character; the book is told from his point of view. He's the child of Archer and Lavender and spent the first seventeen years of his life in the border town of Renora in the Plateau. He's a trans boy who's spent his life just trying to be treated like a normal guy, but the town isn't so quick to accept him. He's a pessimistic and downtrodden person with a cynical sense of humor. He wants to believe that there is more to life, but he's been stamped down his whole existence as a freak, both for his gender and his interest in dragons. Despite this, he's ambitious and willing to lie and twist arms to get what he wants. He tries not to be too emotional because he's worried about being emasculated, but he's full of love and happiness and sadness and everything; he just needs someone to get him to open up. And speaking of that someone... 

Reed: Reed is a member of the band that Basil becomes a member of once he joins the sky pirates. He's a fellow seventeen year old with a positive outlook on life. Reed had a dark and twisted past with a lot of death and destruction (ooh), but he doesn't let that get him down. Instead, Reed strives to make the world a better place, so no one has to go through what he did. It's odd, then, that he would join a band of thieves, but he takes on a Robin Hood-esque way of pillaging. He leaves the poor houses alone in favor of burning the rich mansions down, mainly because he knows they've got ten others. Reed has a true talent for putting his foot in his mouth in his efforts to be helpful, but everyone knows he truly means well. He is also head-over-heels in love with Basil but too timid to do anything about it. Ultimately, Reed is a feel-good kind of character, despite all the twists and turns his life has taken to lead him to where he is. (ooh plot hints~) 

Archer: Archer is the leader of the band and Basil’s father. He’s a happy-go-lucky sort of person as well, but he has a darker world view than Reed. Despite his high rank in the village, Archer manages to be friendly with people on a personal level. This won’t stop him from going to any means necessary to protect his band. He loves Basil more than he can articulate, considering he’s not such a feeling sort of person, and he accepts him as his son the moment he meets him. Archer cares for the band more than anything, and he would lay down his life for any of them. This sometimes goes a bit too far, and what he’s willing to do to protect his charges could end up leading to distress for others. 

Eloise: Eloise is the Enchanter of the band, meaning she has the ability to use more magic than anyone else. Any kind emotions from her are kept behind a brick wall of worry considering her past. Eloise comes from a family of powerful Enchanters, but it comes with a price; her family wants control of the Kingdom. Dragons are considered a hazard to some and a myth to others, but Eloise’s family wants to rule. She distanced herself from them with an exception of her brother, who she had always been close with. That doesn’t mean he’s any different from the rest of the family, and it doesn’t mean he’s any less of a danger. 

Farley: Farley is the muscle of the group, although you wouldn’t guess that from seeing him. He’s a gentle giant sort of person. In battle, he’s a fierce warrior, but outside of it he wouldn’t even dare to tattle when someone breaks Archer’s rules. He and Archer have a strong bond; they trained together when they were young and made a pact to join forces. Farley knew Lavender, but he refuses to give out any information on her. He doesn’t want to get tangled in the complicated mess Archer created when he fell in love with a human. Farley doesn’t really get romantic stuff; all he knows is he wants to keep Archer, and the rest of the band, safe from humans. In his eyes, the dragons could stay hidden forever and he wouldn’t care. 

Kai: Kai is one half of an important pair on and off the battlefield. They’re nonbinary and mute, but they have a quick sense of humor and contagious enthusiasm. Because they can’t speak, they invented their own sort of sign language (since things like ASL don’t exist because America doesn’t exist) that they mostly use to communicate with their partner, Aspen. They love card games (this is important, trust me), especially when they can cheat, and having a good time. They would also die for Aspen; the two are hopelessly in love with each other and are rarely separated. 

Aspen: Aspen is the other half of the band’s fighting pair. She shares Kai’s enthusiasm and love, but Aspen is a bit more cynical. She wants to see the best in people but rarely does. Rather, she doesn’t trust people until Kai trusts them because she believes in their ability to judge people. Ultimately, all she really wants is the best for the band and the best for Kai. Being a sky pirate wasn’t her first choice, but she has made life long friends and met the love of her life through it, and so she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

A Conclusion: 

So that’s a very basic run down of my story! I doubt anyone will read this, especially this far, but it was nice to write it out and really solidify my characters in my mind. I mean, I’ve done a lot of work with them, and I’m just excited to see where it goes! Every day the story expands and new elements are added, and I just hope one day I can finish it and share it with the world. 

Bye~~~