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roanofarcc · 6 months ago

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LIKE MOTHER LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER

pairing. tyler owens x harding!reader - part 2!

summary. you had made a name for yourself in the storm chasing game; it was in your genes, being the daughter of famous chasers jo and bill harding. tyler found your knacked for knowing just what the storm’s thinking a little infuriating and incredibly impressive.

warnings. fem!reader, reader gets injured, mentions of blood and injuries, probably inaccurate meteorological info & medical info, angst & fluff, some hurt/comfort on this fine Tuesday night.

word count. 3.7k || masterlist

a/n. twister has been my favorite movie FOREVER so here's a little homage to the og storm chasers <3

You were ten when you went storm chasing for the first time. Growing up, you’d heard your parents' stories every time there was a shift in the weather. Instead of the typical childhood fear of storms, you had always been fascinated by them; your dad, Bill Harding often joked it was in your genes, the lack of fear. With some light convincing of your mom, Dr. Jo Haring, she agreed to take you storm chasing for your tenth birthday.

The twister had been small, barely an EF1, but it was wondrous. There was something dangerously beautiful about it that drew you in just as it had your parents when they were younger. From that point on, you knew you wanted to be just like them, chasing storms up and down Tornado Alley.

And with the stubbornness passed down by your mom, that is exactly what you did. You were damn good at it to.

“It’s lookin’ like a big one to the southeast,” a member of your team said, slugging an arm around your shoulder as she looked up at the sky, squinting slightly at the sun. “But the radar says we’ve got another brewin’ west. She's pickin’ up speed but it’s still developing.”

You hummed in response, gazing up at the sky too, judging which one was your best bet by observing the clouds in either direction. “Let’s hang back and go for the one to the west, I like her chances better.” Your teammate, Frankie, grinned as she nodded and headed off toward the other three members of your small, but mighty team.

As you waited for the storm to flesh out a little more, you sat on the bed of your truck, dangling your legs off of the tailgate. The fresh air filled your lungs and the faint smell of incoming rain brought a smile to your lips. Every time you got ready for a chase, you felt ten years old again, giddy and excited for the thrill of the storm. You thought back to the photo albums you’d looked at a hundred times over of your parents and their numerous storm-chasing adventures. They never pushed you into storm chasing, as it was a dangerous line of work, but from a very young age, it was clear that your fascination with storms wouldn’t be quelled with a simple meteorology degree and a job behind a desk.

Storm chasing was in your blood, and your knack for it was known among other storm chasers.

“Well, if it isn’t the doctor herself,” a familiar voice filled your ears, belonging to the one and only Tyler Owens. He approached your truck, hands on his hips and a certain cockiness that excited you. You liked a challenge, and you loved showing cowboys up. Tyler was good at what he did, but you were just a little bit better, and it both irritated and impressed him.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” you said, earning a light chuckle from him.

“You don’t look in a hurry. That storm to the southeast won’t last forever.” You shrugged and he narrowed his gaze just slightly. “You’re not going after that one, are you?”

“Damn,” you sighed. “You’re getting harder to trick, Owens.”

He laughed, light and sweet. It was easy to see how he garnered such a large online audience. Tyler was easy on the eyes, drove straight into tornados with a grin on his lips, and had the knowledge of storms to back up his insane behavior. You’d never admit it aloud, but he did impress you, even if you thought some of his actions were reckless even for a storm chaser.

The two of you had an interesting rapport. It toes the line between rivals and friends, the odd territory in between. You loved teasing him, and he tried to outsmart you even if it never worked.

“Maybe you’re getting too predictable,” he said, a teasing tone in his voice.

“Och.” You faked hurt, placing a hand over your heart. “What is it you always say? If you feel it, chase it. If you think the one to the southeast is gonna show her face, go for it.”

Tyler studied you for a moment, contemplating what kind of game you were playing with him. All you did was smile at him in return, which led him to roll his eyes. “Unfortunately, you’re rarely wrong,” he sighed.

“It’s a blessing and curse.”

“You’re impossible,” he said. “But the west it is. It better not let me down, Dr. Harding.” You only used that title in more professional settings. That had been a condition of your mother. She had gotten her PhD and believed you could too. It was tough, but you earned it; only, you didn’t expect some cowboy to use it to lightly mock you when you proved him wrong.

“You have my word,” you said.

And you were right. The storm to the west produced a beautiful tornado. You and Frankie got close while the rest of your team hung back. Rain pelted the windshield as you grew closer, watching the dark funnel tear through the expanse of fields, picking up speed on the ground. Somewhere along the way, Tyler’s unmistakable red truck ripped past you, heading into the heart of the twister, which you rolled your eyes at.

“She’s a beauty!” Frankie hollered, holding her camera at the ready.

It was a great chase, but the thing about tornados that was both thrilling and dangerous was their unpredictability. You knew the storm would be big, and the closer you grew the more power you saw that it had. The other truck carrying the rest of your team had communicated the growing intensity of the storm via the radio. But it looked to be on a steady path west, so you saw no issue tailing it while Frankie snapped pictures.

The rain only grew heavier and heavier, almost completely obstructing your view. It wasn’t until a tree crash landed directly in the middle of the road did you realize the tornado had changed directions suddenly. A startled scream torn from Frankie lips and you slammed on the breaks, narrowly missing the tree.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, leaning up against the dash and trying to see through the rain wrap. “It’s right there. It’s right there! We gotta go!”

You quickly threw your truck in reverse and backed up, but you didn’t get far. A lone semi that had been traveling skidded to a stop just a couple hundred feet behind you. The way they had stopped at the sight of the tornado left its trailer sideways across the road before it was abandoned by the figure hunkering down in the ditch that lined the backroad.

You hissed under your breath, trapped between two objects and a tornado that shook your truck. There wasn’t enough space to fly around the semi. The ditches on either side of the road were too deep to take quickly and another minute trying to maneuver around the semi would only lead to your truck getting swallowed by the storm, picked up, and tossed around like a rag doll.

Your parents had prepared you for a kind of situation like that, but that didn’t shake your panic. With a rapidly beating heart, you put the truck in park and yelled at Frankie to get out. You both stepped out into the storm as the tornado loomed closer and closer. Wind whipped all around you along with debris. You grabbed Frankie’s hand and together you sprinted toward the ditch.

Frankie lay on her stomach, and you lay beside her, covering her head the best that you could. Whatever happened, you had always told yourself your teammates' safety came first. You were the one who talked them into storm chasing with you. So, when danger arose, you felt the responsibility of keeping them safe.

The screeching of winds was so loud in your ears that it almost disoriented you enough to miss the sharp piece of debris that swooped down at the tornado that passed along the field just opposite of the ditch, not directly over top of you but much too close for comfort. Something smacked against the back of your head, but you closed your eyes and held onto Frankie in hope of shielding her from any other flying objects.

You weren’t sure how long you two lied there, but it felt like a lifetime until the tornado traveled further away. The winds died down but your heart beat stayed quickly pounding against your chest.

Sitting up, you felt the sharp sting settling in the back of your head, but you ignored it at the sight of Frankie’s cut leg.

“Shit,” you muttered, grabbing her knee to examine the clean slice down the back of her shin.

She wiped back the wet pieces of her hair and let out a shuttered breath. “Holy shit, that was crazy.” You pulled off your sweatshirt and wrapped the wet fabric around her shin. “What’re you doing?”

“You’re bleeding.”

“It’s fine,” she said, trying to brush it off, but you heard the pain in her voice, along with the tremble of lingering fear at your close call. You knew the dangers of storm chasing and the possibilities of injuries, but it always felt different to you when it was a member of your team, one of your friends.

A couple minutes after you tied your sweatshirt around her shin and helped her up from the ditch, the truck carrying the rest of your teammates rolled up, hooting and hollering at the size of the storm until they saw the state the two of you were in.

“Take her back to the motel. If the bleeding doesn’t stop take her to the hospital.” Frankie opened her mouth to protest, but you cut her off. “I’m serious.”

“What about you?” another member of your team asked.

You looked down the road at your overturned truck, sighing sadly to yourself as the pain in the back of your head throbbed. “I’ve gotta call someone for my truck. I’ll meet you back at the motel later.”

They were hesitant to leave you but eventually agreed. Down the debris-littered road, you hobbled back to your truck. It had been a gift from your parents after you graduated college; it was special to you, but it was totaled thanks to the tornado.

With a groan, you heaved open the door and tried to gather your belongings, but a wave of dizziness washed over you. You staggered backward, reaching up to touch the tender spot on the back of your head. Something wet coated your fingers and when you pulled your hand back, it was painted red. Frustrated, you tried to take a deep breath and calm yourself down enough to find your cell phone. Unfortunately, the cut was a little worse than you wanted to admit, and you felt blood drip down the back of your neck.

Dizzily, you sat down on the road, blinking back the pain and wooziness. A slow creep of panic started to take hold as the pain intensified and the world started to spin just slightly.

With one hand placed firmly on the back of your head, you rubbed your temple with your other, trying to think clearly but it became increasingly more difficult. You missed the hum of an engine nearby, but a slam of a door startled you.

“Harding!” Someone yelled and you blinked slowly, keeping a hold on the back of your head as you looked up to see Tyler Owens bee-lining right toward you. He kneeled in front of you, brows furrowed and lips pulled in a small frown. “Hey, are you all right?”

“Yeah,” you said quickly, once again trying to push away the dizziness that plagued you. “I’m, uh, just looking for my phone. I gotta call someone for my truck.” The words felt heavy in your mouth, which couldn’t be a good sign. Whatever struck the back of your head hit it hard and the blood that leaked from the wound wasn’t helping.

He studied you for a moment, his gaze landing on your hand pressed against the back of your head. “You hurt?” You started to shake your head, but that only caused little black dots to temporarily pepper your vision. Tyler wasn’t an idiot; he reached up and carefully pushed your hand back, stopping when he saw the blood that started to drip down your arm. He cursed under his breath and yelled something at whoever sat in the passenger seat of his truck.

“Hey.” His voice became soft, comforting even. “We’ve gotta get you to a hospital.”

“I’m fine,” you inisted, even though every thing you felt inside your body proved that to be untrue. You just hated not being able to do something yourself; you hated needing help. Your father said you interited that from your mother, while she said you got it from your father. Truth was, they both had their air of stubbornness and you was born with double.

Tyler shook his head. “No, you’re not.” He stood to his feet and gently tugged on your arm in an attempt to help you stand. Begrudgingly, you let him help you. Standing up, the world spun faster and you felt panic swell uncomfortably in your chest. You swayed catching yourself on Tyler’s arms as they grabbed your shoulders. “I’ve got you,” he said. Maybe it was your slightly disoriented state, but his assurance and hands firmly holding onto your arms made some of your panic recoil. As much as you wanted to be okay, you knew that was not the case.

He knew that too, and helped you into the passenger seat of his truck before he instructed one of his fellow Wranglers to keep pressure on the back of your head with whatever they could find in the backseat. You winced as a crumbled up shirt was held against your head, but the moving truck overwhelmed you with dizziness that made the physical pain of your wound the least of your worries. You didn’t want to pass out but your eyes felt heavy.

Tyler noticed it too, and placed a hand on your knee, giving it a squeeze and a shake. “You gotta stay with me, okay? You gotta stay awake.”

“M’trying,” you muttered.

“You were right about the storm,” he said. “But aren’t you always?”

A pained smile fell across your lips. “Was that a compliment?”

He laughed, driving quickly down the road with one hand gripping the wheel tightly. “Yeah. You’re hard to say something bad about. You know your stuff, better than me, that’s for sure.”

“My parents taught me,” you said, desperately trying to keep yourself consciousness, but it grew more difficult by the minute.

“Do they still chase?” he asked.

“Not much anymore. Sometimes if a storm’s close, they’ll take a drive. But they always say they’ve had their fun.” They also said they shared enough close calls to know it was time to hang it up. You know they worried you’d find yourself in one too, but you’d always been careful and rarely got yourself into a situation you couldn’t get out of, until now, that was.

Darkness encroached on your vision, threatening to force your eyes closed. Some the backseat, you heard one of the Wrangles call Tyler’s name. He turned his head, but you couldn’t see the concerningly red-soaked shirt that made his stomach churn and caused him to press down on the gas harder. Your head lulled to the side and your eyes fluttered close. Vaguely, you heard Tyler call your name and felt him shake your knee, but you couldn’t open your eyes or open your mouth. Everything fell dark.

Tyler had spent his fair share of time in hospitals. He’d been bucked off a bull more than once, resulting in his mother dragging him to the hospital and threatening to make him quit. Eventually she held to her threat when he shattered his nose and gained a nasty concussion.

Being at the hospital for himself was one thing, being there for you made him realize why his mother used to be drenched in worry. He nervously drummed his fingers against the arm of the chair in the hospital room. You were asleep, a fresh bandage wrapped around your head and with a minor concussion. The cut on the back of your head required a couple stitches; you were lucky, all things considered, but Tyler really hated seeing you like that.

To him, you’d always been unreal. A second generation storm chaser so accomplished. Not only did you know your stuff, it was clear how much you enjoyed it. You lit up at the sight of storms, and Tyler couldn’t help but be in awe. There was a competitive nature to storm chasing and as much as he wanted to be annoyed by you always being two steps ahead of him, he couldn’t. He was just impressed.

Tyler wasn’t sure how or when that admiration turned into something that teetered on affection, but it felt more than it had been before seated at your hospital bedside. He’d never felt his stomach drop like that before, when you passed out in his truck, Boone holding a bloodied shirt to you head. Even after the doctor said you’d be just fine, he felt on edge.

The door to your room was pushed open by a nurse who led in two more people, who he instantly recognized: The Hardings.

He stood up quickly and watched as your mom rushed to your side, brushing a hand across your cheek with a deep frown. “Oh, baby girl,” she sighed.

The nurse offered your concerned parents a polite smile. “As the doctor said, the concussion was minor so all she need is some rest for the couple of days to a week. She should wake up soon and we'll see how she’s doing, then the doctor will let you know when she can be discharged.”

You dad rubbed your mom’s back like he was trying to ease the heavy worry that shined in her face, but he too looked just as worried with a crease across his forehead.

Tyler lightly cleared his throat, gaining your parents’ attention. "Hello, ma'am, sir," he greeted them.

“You must be the one who brought her in,” Jo said, and Tyler nodded in response. “Thank you. We’d been trying to call her, after we saw that storm, but she never answered and I…I just had a bad feeling.”

Bill rubbed the light stubble on his chin. “No wonder she’s knocked out; I don’t think you’d get here otherwise. Stubborn, that kid.”

A found smile spread across Tyler’s lips. “She kept saying she was fine until she nearly passed out on me. We only got a couple miles before she did pass out; scared the life out of me,” he said, running a stressed hand through his hair freed from his hat. The second you passed out in his truck, he nearly broke every traffic law. He wasn’t sure he’d never been quiet that scared, which was something he wasn't sure how to feel about.

Your mom furrowed her brows at Tyler’s words, something glinting behind her eyes until it shined in recognition. “You’re that storm chaser she’s always talkin’ about,” Jo said. “The one online.”

“Oh, yeah,” Bill said, nodding in Tyler’s direction. He couldn’t tell if it was disdain or indifference in the man’s voice, but Tyler was too hung up on the fact that you talked about him to care much. He didn’t know that filled him with an odd sense of pride and warmth. You two weren’t exactly friends but you were more than acquaintances. It was more like a nice, workplace rivalry that he enjoyed a lot more than he’d admit.

A small groan sounded from the bed, and everyone turned as your eyes fluttered open. Your mom was quick to your side, speaking quietly under the hum of fluorescent lights.

You started to mumble something about your truck that Tyler couldn’t quite make out, but your dad seemed to understand immediately. He said he’d take care of it, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before he headed out into the hall with his cell phone in hand.

Tyler felt like he overstayed his welcome; you were in better hands with your parents there. He collected his things from the chair, garnering your attention.

“Tyler,” you said, pushing yourself to sit upright. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “No problem, doctor. I couldn’t let one of the best chasers be out of the game, now could I?”

“So you admit it? I’ve got you beat.”

“I said one of,” he joked. “But you may have one or two legs up on me. Not for long though. I’ll catch up.”

Something in your smile made him want to sigh in relief, but he held it back. “Not a chance.”

“Then you better rest up; I’ll see you back out there.”

Bonus!

It took a little longer for you to bounce back, but the second you felt like yourself again, you were right back at it. Morning was supposed to bright a slew of storms to Kansas, so you and your team hightailed it to the state, finding a cozy little motel already occupied by other storm chasers. You spotted Tyler’s truck instantly, followed by a strange turn of your stomach.

You hadn’t seen him since you woke up in the hospital, slightly surprised that he stayed with you until your parents arrived. Since then, your mom had managed to bring him up at every opportunity, not so subtly hint at what a pair the two of you would be. You brushed her off, but a small part of you wondered what would happen if you hung around the cowboy a little more.

“Look who’s back!” Tyler’s voice sounded the second you hopped out of Frankie’s beat-up but sturdy truck; you were saving up for a new one, something even nicer that you could doctor up for chasing.

He approached you with a beaming smile, flashing his teeth. “I just couldn’t stay away,” you replied. “I didn’t miss anything too crazy, did I?”

Tyler shook his head. “It seemed like mother nature saved the good ones for you. They’re talkin’ some big ones tomorrow.” The giddy feeling that accompanied storm filled your chest, and the company of Tyler heightened it, strange and new but not completely unwelcome. Maybe it was time you gave into his charm a little more.

#tyler owens #tyler owens x reader #tyler owens x you #twisters #twisters 2024 #glen powell #twisters fanfic #glen powell fanfic

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lesbomaticlove · 6 months ago

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watched deadpool and wolverine and it inevitably had me thinking about these two idiots.

(inspo from this piece by thomas horndof)

spoilers for said movie below the cut among my au musings

Sanji as Deadpool -

I thought, rather than having cancer and going through 'experimental treatments', Sanji would have been made a mutant along with his brothers, basically just the way they are in canon. Sora would have tried to stop it, because she knew Judge's goal was to make weapons out of these children, and was successful only with Sanji - but since he still retained the mutant genes, Judge spent the entirety of Sanji's childhood trying to awaken them to get him on par with the others. They are mercenaries, and of course the most effective mercenary is one that won't die.

These enhancements take a really long time to actually awaken, though. As much pain as Sanji endured, he hadn't gotten close enough to death for it to save him.

He was nineteen and locked in the basement when the fire started. Nobody else was home, so nobody else got hurt, but he wasn't able to escape easily. He ended up with burns on 90% of his body, presumed dead by his family, but his healing factor kicked in just in time to save him.

He took up mercenary work, as it was all he knew and all he felt he could contribute, but was still determined to regain his humanity through it.

Over the years he got close to a small group of people.

Zeff, the grumpy old geezer that inevitably taught him to cook, and never judged him for his mutant genetics or scars. Also happened to be an ex-mercenary and kept connections to help with his work.

Franky, Robin, Luffy, and Ace- mutant friends, the primary x-men in his timeline.

Nami and Vivi, two of his favorite people in the world.

Usopp, his best friend and the regular ass guy thats been there for him every step of the way (yes he is the peter)

After a bit of a quarter life crisis, these nine people closest to him are at risk of being taken away from him forever, and it's his fault. He's determined to fix it on his own.

Zoro as Wolverine -

With little to no memories of his childhood or early life, the x-men are all Zoro has.

Until he doesn't. Until his adamant independence led to all of them getting killed.

Johnny. Yosaku. It was the discovery of Kuina's body that really sent him over the edge, a spiral that lasted years before Deadpool dragged him into his timeline. A timeline where Wolverine was dead, and the fabric of space and time threatened to fall apart.

#one piece #drawing #zosan #roronoa zoro #sanji #artists on tumblr #digital art #art #fanart #deadpool and wolverine #one piece au #zosan au

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babyblue711 · 10 months ago

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Surrender

Aegon II Targaryen (Modern AU) x Reader Summary: Helaena invites you to the Targaryen countryside estate for a relaxing weekend away from the city where you form an unexpected connection with her older brother, Aegon. Words: 4.2K

Warnings: NSFW, Sexual Content 18+, Smut, Language, Alcohol, Aemond being uptight A/N: I just want to give a quick shout out to the authors who have the amazing ability to write well thought out, smutty one-shots and somehow magically keep it under 3K words. YOU ALL are incredibly talented and I wish I could do the same. The smut alone is over half this fic. I tried to keep it short, y'all, I really did. Anyway, this is my first time writing for Aegon. As I said in a previous post, this story is incredibly self indulgent but thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy! 🔥 Update 7/9/24: Welcome new readers! Please don't be shy and feel free to leave me a comment! I'm still around Tumblr, just taking a break from writing at the moment but love reading your comments and thoughts about the fic! xoxo 💙 Beta read by the wonderful: @myfandomprompts

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Warm water pours over your head and down your back as you rinse the shampoo out of your long hair; the fragrance of your favorite soap washing away the remnants of the day’s activities. Yet, within the confines of your mind, memories unfold like scenes from a movie.

Each moment is vivid and alive; seeing him atop his grey gelding as he waits for you to mount his brother’s tall, dark bay mare; your knees almost touching with his as your horses walk side by side down the winding trail.

You recall the admiration in his smile as he looks over at you, observing the way you sway with your horse’s long stride with ease; your mutual love for horseback riding came as a surprise to you both. The brief ride had come to a halt all too soon, as ominous storm clouds gathered on the horizon. Just a mile away from the barn, you jointly decided to turn for home.

You can still feel the wind in your hair as you and Aegon galloped back to the barn, trying to outrace the storm as thunder clapped in the distance. Laughter spilled from your lips at the thrill of the speed of your horse and your worries seemed to melt away with each leaping stride. It had been years since you had felt so light and carefree.

Luckily, you had arrived back at the barn just as the rain began to fall, giving your horse a grateful pat while reluctantly handing him off to the attending groom; Aegon seemed exhilarated from the ride as well as the two of you began to exchange lighthearted banter about your spontaneous adventure. Among your group, only you had embraced the opportunity to ride with him, given it was your favorite childhood pastime that you rarely got to enjoy as an adult. Everyone else had decided to retire to the house to get ready for dinner.

Amused, you watched as he bends to pet the barn cat weaving between his legs, wondering why you had never seen this side of him before. Because he is your best friend’s older brother, a small voice answered in the back of your mind. When you first met Helaena at uni, your perception of Aegon was clouded by his reputation for being frequently drunk, arrogant, and unpredictable, and you assumed that was all there was to him. However, after spending the weekend with the Targaryen siblings at their countryside estate, you began to wonder if there was more to him than met the eye.

Standing together in the doorway of the barn, easy conversation continued as you waited out the storm and you couldn’t help but feel impressed by Aegon's charm and clever banter, more so than you'd like to admit. The rain intensified, accompanied by a cool breeze which caused you to shiver slightly. He moved closer as if to shield you from the cool air, thunder clapping overhead. Heat radiated off his skin, giving you goosebumps as an electric charge zings through the atmosphere and you’re unsure if it's caused by the lightning or his sudden proximity. Your eyes flicked up to his face.

“Cold?” Aegon had said, his full lips curling into a perfect one-sided smirk. You locked eyes with him for a heartbeat too long and suddenly you’re melting into his dark blue gaze.

Flashing back to the present, you feel a blush bloom on your cheeks as you remember what had happened next. Still in the middle of your shower routine, you close your eyes and his face materializes in front of you again. With perfect clarity, you recall his damp blonde hair tousled by the wind, his sun-kissed skin, his warm, soft lips.

The kiss that had transpired was completely unexpected, but had felt so absolutely right in the moment. It was tender and slow and sweet. You remembered the gentle way his hand cupped your face when he pulled away, his thumb tracing your bottom lip. Your heart pounded in your chest and words eluded you in that moment, lost in the whirlwind of emotions stirred by his kiss.

The rest of the evening had passed in a blur, the storm blowing over just as quickly as it began. Dinner with the Targaryens was always an interesting affair because their personalities were so entirely opposite of one another. The youngest sibling, Daeron, had obviously decided to take a leaf out of Aegon’s book and had already plowed through several beers by the time you walked back up to the house. Helaena immediately took you to the side to show you a picture of a ladybug she had drawn while you had been out riding, and Aemond brooded silently in the corner with a book.

Meanwhile, you and Aegon seemed to have an unspoken agreement not to mention anything to the others which suited you just fine. The kiss had been too unexpected, too private, just meant for the two of you. His siblings did not need to know about any of his extracurricular activities, especially when it involved their sister’s best friend.

Unbidden, butterflies had formed in your stomach for the rest of the evening and you could hardly eat. What was wrong with you? This sort of reaction was something you would expect of a silly school girl and you had to remind yourself that you were a grown ass woman and could do as you please without catching feelings. Your last relationship had ended poorly and you were still trying to recover from it. The drama, the heartbreak, the endless cycles of disappointment—it was exhausting. Before today, guys like Aegon were the exact reason you had sworn off dating and relationships, choosing to fiercely embrace your freedom and independence instead.

Yet here you sat, unable to stop thinking about the perfect shape of Aegon’s lips. When had he changed so much? Or had he been this way all along and you just hadn’t noticed? Gone was his arrogance and, in its place, a seemingly gentle and caring soul. It was the first time in a long while that you felt a genuine connection with the opposite sex. His kiss had reminded you of the excitement of a new fling, the rush of emotions, and the intoxicating feeling of being wanted, of feeling desirable.

Wary of these feelings, you decided to prioritize your own well-being and enjoy the moment for what it was—a fleeting spark of connection—and you wouldn't let it consume you or lead you down a path you weren't ready for.

Except, you hadn’t anticipated that Aegon wouldn’t be on the same page as you. Although both of you were resolutely acting like nothing happened, subtlety, he offered to clear your plate from the dinner table and then brought you another beer unasked, surprising you with his sudden thoughtfulness. You secretly hope his attentiveness goes unnoticed by the rest of his family.

Luckily, Daeron is immersed in his own world of revelry, acting as if he’s in competition with himself to drink the most beer, or perhaps aiming to match Aegon’s former partying ways. Helaena, more adept at picking up social cues, pretended not to notice, but Aemond’s intense stare tells you all you needed to know of his suspicions as his eyes flicked back and forth between you two.

At last, you excused yourself for the evening to shower and go to bed, desperate to find some peace with your inner turmoil by getting away from the group and from him.

Now, drying your hair with a towel, you finally feel relaxed from the chance to clear your head. Dressed in a loose fitting t-shirt and shorts, you emerge from your bathroom and survey the opulent bedroom, grateful for securing one of the best rooms in this expansive house. Your balcony doors are open to let in the warm summer breeze, cooled slightly from the earlier rain. Enticed by the twinkling of the stars that you never get to see in the city, you step outside onto the balcony and gaze up at the night sky, oblivious to someone approaching you from behind.

“Penny for your thoughts?” His deep voice sends your heart into your throat as you jump and whirl to face him.

“Aegon!” you exclaim, with a mixture of annoyance and relief. “You have to stop doing that!”

“Doing what?” he asks with a wolfish grin and you roll your eyes at his feigned innocence.

“Surprising me unexpectedly,” you almost growl in response and his grin grows wider as he gives a nonchalant shrug.

“Oh, I think you like surprises,” he says easily, coming to lean on the railing next to you and observing the sky.

You roll your eyes again and choose not to comment as you look out onto the dark grounds, suddenly conscious that you aren’t wearing a bra and the air is cool. Quickly crossing your arms over your chest, you contemplate what to say to him for a moment and opt to cut to the chase.

“What do you want, Aegon?” you say with a sigh, trying to act as if you truly didn't care. His response is immediate and direct, sending a shiver down your spine.

"You," he purrs, his deep blue eyes seem to pierce you with an intensity that leaves you breathless. There’s a darkness in his stare, a hunger, a need, a longing. Tension crackles like lightning in the air.

Your heart jolts with delight at his words, just as conflicting thoughts invade your mind. Your breakup was still relatively fresh and you weren’t fooled by what he meant by “you”. Is that something you were ready for?

Instantly, your doubt is questioned by an opposing voice in your head that counters with, “But you have needs too, as much as you keep denying yourself. If you wanted to have a one night stand then, why not? He was familiar at least. You deserve to have some fun. When was the last time you had sex?”

Mentally, you think you’ve made a good argument with yourself, until the rational side of your brain reminds you delicately of your choice to swear off men and be happy to live a life free of their soul-sucking ways, remembering the toll your ex had taken on you mentally, emotionally and physically over the years.

But it doesn’t have to be like that anymore, the opposing voice reasons irresistibly in your other ear. You hold the power. You know your worth.

This quick mental battle between your righteous consciousness and lustful desires happens in an instant, but Aegon looks like he knows exactly what internal struggle you are having as he steps closer to you, crowding your space without asking permission, tilting your chin up with his forefinger, the glow of the moon casting a soft light on his face.

“Let me remind you of what you’re missing,” he whispers seductively against your lips, reading you perfectly. He begins the kiss gently, his lips exploring yours before deepening the connection with his tongue. Taking a fistful of your damp hair at the back of your neck, he holds you in place against him as he continues to kiss you passionately. You're enveloped in his taste, his scent, his presence; the musky fragrance of his shampoo only serves to heighten your desire for him.

After a few moments, you feel yourself melt into him, a soft moan escaping your lips as you push your chest into his, nipples hard underneath your t-shirt. All rational thought is wiped clean from your mind as you make your decision.

Breaking the kiss, you take his hand and lead him back inside to stand next to your high, ornate bed. Not one to waste time, lest you change your mind, you grab a fistful of his shirt, pulling it over his head as yours follows suit. His dark gaze drinks in the sight of your bare breasts and he moves towards you as if in a trance, dipping his head to clamp his lips on your collarbone. You move your neck to the side and hum low in your throat as your hands explore the muscles of his broad back.

Within a few moments, you feel him tugging at your shorts, his touch deft and confident as he loosens the drawstrings. They fall to the ground, leaving you only in your thin, silk panties. His large hands slide down your hips and over your ass, and suddenly, he picks you up and throws you effortlessly onto the bed.

Before you can fully catch your breath, Aegon is on top of you again, his body pressing against yours with a delicious weight. You feel his hunger, his desire, as he devours you with an intensity that leaves you gasping for more. Every touch, every kiss, every caress, sends electric pulses of pleasure coursing through your veins. His touch intoxicates you, numbing your mind better than any drug ever could. When was the last time someone had made you feel this good?

An ache starts to form between your legs and you rock your hips upwards, against Aegon’s erect length through his shorts. He hums while kissing his way down your body, suckling at your breasts, skimming your ribs with his teeth, biting your hip bones as he journeys downward, devouring your curves as he goes. At last, his face rests between your legs where he gently kisses the insides of your thighs.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he whispers fervently as he hooks his fingers into the waistline of your panties. You lift your hips and he removes your underwear, finally bearing you to him completely.

“So wet for me already,” he murmurs as he gazes at your sex, slick with desire for him. You start to feel self conscious at the hungry way he is looking at you, closing your knees to his line of sight. His eyes flick back up to your face, now dark pools of lust as he removes his own shorts and comes to lay naked next to you on the bed. You glance down at his cock before his lips take hold of yours again and your breath catches in your chest once more. My god, you think, was it a trick of the dim light or is he really that big?

The thought is quickly swept from your mind as he continues kissing you for several minutes, kneading your breasts and rubbing your sides and hips and you decidedly become more impatient than him, a desperate ache between your legs and you reach for his length but he grabs your wrist firmly to stop you, smiling lightly.

“You first,” he whispers and pushes you back onto the bed so that you rest on your back; his hand trails down your stomach and runs along your inner thigh. Your breasts rise and fall with each quickened breath, anticipating what's next.

Feeling like you burst into flames from all the sexual tension, touch me already! resonates loudly inside your head. Finally, his fingertips brush over your slick folds and he gives a low moan of appreciation. You mewl pathetically and arch your back, needing more friction as he expertly rubs circles around your bud.

“More, Aegon, please,” you aren’t even embarrassed to be begging so early on. He chuckles lightly in response and blessedly acquiesces as he slips a finger inside you, quickly followed by another. He pumps his fingers in and out for a moment and returns to kissing you deeply. Pleasure begins to overload your brain until nothing is left but him. The smell of his skin, the taste of his tongue, the stretch of your pussy as his fingers move deep inside you, so much thicker than yours, reaching so much deeper than you ever could yourself.

With his palm set on your bud, fingers buried deep, he sets a steady rhythm, stroking that sweet spot inside you while his face is buried into your neck. You grip the back of his hair and close your eyes, gasping as pleasure builds deep from within. It doesn’t take long until your breathing picks up as the coil tightens inside, causing you to pant and lose whatever dignity remained to you as you start to mumble incoherent nonsense, willing Aegon not to stop his pace as the pleasure mounts.

“Cum for me, babygirl,” Aegon moans into your ear and your climax crashes over you in one enormous wave as you soar to ecstasy. You clap your hand over your mouth to stifle your wail of pleasure, just in case anyone else in the house could hear you cumming loudly. Aegon grunts from beside you as your pussy clamps down onto his fingers and you think you hear him whisper “fucking hell” very softly, but you are too lost in mindnumbing bliss to pay attention. He continues his rhythm as the waves crash over you and doesn’t stop until you have to push his hand away, on the brink of overstimulation. You lay panting next to him, trying to catch your breath, realizing it has been years since the last time a man has made you cum so hard.

Aegon rolls onto his back and begins to stroke his length, covering himself in your slick as he waits for you to regain control of your senses. Recovering slightly, you glance down and realize you didn’t just imagine it, he really was impressively large, bigger than any of your exes. You prop yourself onto your side next to him and boldly take him in hand, causing him to smirk. As if you were drunk from the ecstasy of your peak, you can’t stop the words that tumble from your lips.

“Fuck, you’re big,” you practically slur at him and his cheshire cat grin widens.

“I think I may have heard that before,” he quips, sounding amused, while running his nose along your jawline, his breath hot against the skin of your neck, “But don’t worry, it’ll fit.” A slight moment of panic flutters in your heart, you were no virgin but you certainly had never handled that before.

Aegon rolls on top and you cringe inwardly, not from worry about his size but rather remembering this was your ex's favorite position because it gave him a sense of power over you. Dark memories interrupt your excitement as they flash like lightning through your mind. But that worthless fool had never made you cum as hard as Aegon just had; he normally hadn’t worried if you came at all. With an enormous effort, you push the intrusive thoughts out of your mind and focus on the present moment.

Mentally, you completely let go and surrender to Aegon... it felt so good for once. To let someone else take the lead, to let go of control, to not have to think, to not have to do anything but allow him to consume you.

You spread your legs and welcome him eagerly as his hips come to rest lightly on yours. You squirm underneath him as your nails rake along his back and down over his ass, causing him to shudder slightly as he continues to kiss along your jawline to your earlobe.

“Aegon, I’m on birth control,” you whisper in his ear as you rub your slick folds along the length of his hard, thick cock.

“Hmm, good,” he hums into your mouth as he grinds back against you, “Because I wanna see your pussy overflow with my cum,” he inserts his tongue into your mouth for emphasis, swallowing your heady moans.

You lift your hips as you feel Aegon guide the tip of his cock to your entrance, unable to stop your gasp as he pushes slowly inside. The intense stretch wipes everything from your mind and if you were being honest with yourself, it feels like the first time all over again, albeit more exciting now. Holy shit…holy fucking shit! is all you can think as he slides in slowly and you wonder if not having sex for a long time makes you a born-again virgin.

Aegon, to his credit, doesn’t thrust roughly into you, rocking gently instead, getting a little deeper with each stroke as you attempt to breathe through your nose and will yourself to relax and open up for him. At last, he bottoms out inside of you and you’ve never felt so full before in your life. He rolls his hips into yours and you moan at the sensation as his thick cock dragging along your soft velvet walls. You pant and mewl underneath him, hands wrapping around his biceps that have your head caged in. After a few slow strokes, you find yourself adjusting to his size and you can’t help but beg for more.

“More, Aegon, please - harder,” you whine.

“Impatient, are we?” he teases and picks up the pace but only a little and you know he’s savoring the moment. He pulls himself almost all of the way out before sliding back in with long, slow, deep strokes. Your hips start to rise to meet his own, willing him to go faster. On the next stroke his hips snap into yours, causing you to gasp at the pleasure that courses through your slick pussy, sending electric currents through your chest as he starts to earnestly fuck you into the bed.

Unable to control the uninterrupted moans of pleasure, you cover your mouth again, thankful, at least, that the heavy framework of the bed is sturdy and does not make so much as a squeak despite his deep thrusts. He frowns down at you, roughly removing your hand from your mouth in displeasure, squeezing your wrist harshly, but the pain only enhances your pleasure.

“Stop doing that. I want to hear you scream,” he says gruffly through puffs of his own heavy breathing.

Suddenly, he pulls out and leans back on his heels, flipping you over and bringing your ass in the air. He re-enters you and grabs your hair, holding your head back as he roughly thrusts into you from behind. You're breathless at the unexpected change in position but moan lustfully as he slaps your ass hard with a large hand, releasing his grip on your hair to take hold of your hips, pistoning even faster. The sound of skin slapping together erotically fills the room as pleasure coils deep in your belly.

“That’s it, babygirl, taking my cock so well,” he growls as his hands squeeze your ass cheeks so hard you think you’ll have bruises.

You whine noisily at his praise while reaching your hand down to play with your bud, knowing you can cum again in this position with a little extra friction. Aegon can feel your pussy fluttering around his cock as your breathing picks up again, another climax approaching quickly. He grunts and pants as he nears his own release.

As your walls spasm around him, you cry out again, your orgasm ripping through your core, clenching down on his thick length. He groans as he rides out your peak for as long as he can, thrusting harshly into you one last time as he pours himself deep within. You can feel his thick cock pulsate inside you, milked by your clenching pussy, and find that you love the thought of him filling you with his spend.

As he withdraws, he pulls your ass cheeks apart, admiring the mess he’s made of you, enjoying the sight of his cum leaking from your cunt. At last, you collapse onto the bed, utterly spent but entirely well-fucked, perhaps the most satiated you had ever been in your whole life.

You lay, breathing heavily, trying to regain your strength, when strong arms come to cradle you as Aegon scoops you up and lays you gently back on the bed in a more dignified position, pulling the covers up and over you.

He slips into bed beside you and snuggles close. In comfortable silence, you both savor the intimate connection, skin to skin, listening to the rhythm of his breathing and the steady beat of your heart. Nestled securely in his embrace, your eyelids begin to droop, and just as you teeter on the edge of sleep, a gentle kiss brushes across your forehead.

Daylight filters through the balcony's glass doors, gently rousing you from sleep. It takes a moment for the vivid memories of last night to flood your mind. You find yourself still unclothed under the sheets, yet the bed is empty beside you. Letting out a soft groan, you stretch your sore muscles, contemplating how you were going to face Aegon that day. Are you both going to continue to pretend like nothing happened?

Automatically, you reach for your phone on the nightstand and see there’s a text, not from Aegon but from Aemond. Confusion swirls in your mind as you tap it open.

[Aemond]: Look. My bedroom is right next to yours. Could you keep it down next time?

You could practically feel his irritation and you blush, mortified. Fuck, had you really been that loud? You knew the answer to that was a resounding “yes” because you hated being quiet, but you had really hoped the expansive house would have muffled some of the noise. Shit.

Feeling guilty, you start to type back an apology but then decide sex is nothing to be ashamed of and you were going to have fun teasing rigid, proper Aemond.

[Y/N]: Join us next time, then? 😉

>>>> Part 2

A/N: It was the HOTD trailer that pushed me over the edge for Aegon, but y'all can thank these photos from TGC's IG for the inspiration for this story.

#house of the dragon #aegon smut #aegon fanfic #aegon targaryen #modern au aegon #aegon ii targaryen #hotd aegon #aegon the second #aegon targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #tom glynn carney

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tigressaofkanjis · 2 months ago

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One reason I think the Grinch and Martha May Whovier is a great example of a couple, even if Martha May did not exist before or beyond the 2000 movie, is because it's actually unique for what it is.

Let me explain. Martha was genuinely in love with the Grinch since they were kids and vice versa. Usually, it's one sided. But here, they both adore one another. It was other people's cruelty that divided them and Martha was not on board with anything the other kids said. But being so young, how do you stand up to your peers with a crush?

Second, the protagonist is also the antagonist, but Martha May doesn't see a villain, she sees the Grinch and loves him as he is. She understands his heartbreak upon seeing her getting offered marriage by Augustus but since he's been out of her life, realistically, she doesn't a hundred percent know how to go about admitting it without ridicule. In a way, she doesn't want to hurt the Grinch in front of everyone by admitting it and risk getting him laughed at further. You can argue this is self preservation on her part, but how would you approach a similar position if for the longest time your crush is gone and you've lived among a town that holds you to a standard you built yourself? It's not an easy thing to break even if your heart lies somewhere else.

In retrospect, the Grinch always loves Martha May and has fair jealousy. He acts out because his bully ruined his chance to see through Martha's loyalties. In a way, he's also wrathful that Martha is pressured to never see him as an equal interest.

The final thing that makes me like them as a couple is their age. In the movie, everyone that went to school with the Grinch is around their late 40's-early 50's. How many couples do you see in media fall in love or rediscover their childhood sweethearts at 50?! It's usually their 20's, 30's or going from teen to young adult after one of them moves or something when they were little. Here, everyone is middle aged and they show that even though they are older, they are still in love and can find a way to be together.

I like the 2000 movie's love interest addition because it kind of turns the stereotypical love interest into something that is rebuilt through someone else, that is of course Cindy Lou Who who got them back together. It made the Grinch more dimensional and kind of refreshed the genre a little bit by doing all this. It's my favorite Christmas movie because of the addition of more than just the Christmas greed moral.

#how the grinch stole christmas #the grinch #martha may whovier #augustus may who #cindy lou who #grinch x martha may whovier #christmas time #christmas movies

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savemeafruitjuice · 14 days ago

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My first Sonic fic! 😈🔥 🔥 🔥🗣️‼️‼️

(and my first fic of the year)

Lee: Sonic

Ler: Maddie, Tom

TW!: SLIGHT MENTIONS OF GORE! (Not really descriptive, just a reference to a movie) Other than that just fluff!!!!!

THIS IS SET AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE FIRST MOVIE, SO BE AWARE!!! ALSO, NFSW DNI!!!! THIS IS A FAMILY. A CHILD AND HIS PARENTS.

Maddie had to admit, having a kid was an unexpected change of pace to her slower small-town life, but a welcome one nonetheless.

She and her husband, Tom, had recently adopted a young blue hedgehog, who just happened to have come from another universe. Sonic, as she had discovered his name to be, had joined their family after years of being hidden from the world. His newfound family had given him a chance to experience a safe and fun childhood- one that he enjoyed and cherished every single day.

Sonic seemed to be having a blast catching up on all of the things to do in Green Hills, and although he loved the sports, games, and foods he had gotten to try, an interest that had really stuck out among the rest was watching movies. Maddie found it interesting as to how such an energetic teen could be pacified into calmly sitting just by having a film playing in front of him.

Which, she wasn't going to judge at all. Especially when it meant a few hours of peace and quiet.

Sonic had made it a point to she and Tom that they should all watch movies together, admitting as to how he had totally-not-creepily watched a few from their window before he was discovered by the couple, but never got to finish most of them. This prompted an excited, albeit slightly concerned, Tom to insist on the three of them watching all of the classics that night, and having a bit of family time.

And just like that, the newly-made hedgehog mom was lounging on the couch, surrounded by plenty of blankets and pillows as Tom was going through their DVDs, naming them off as their blue-quilled son jumped up and down excitedly next to him, babbling about his favorite parts.

"Uhm.. Oh! How about 'Karate Kid'?"

Sonic jumped onto the couch, barely missing Maddie's leg, and did some ninja-kicks at the air, imitating some moves he must have seen in the movie. "Ohohoh! I love that one!"

Tom chuckled, flipping through another couple discs. "We also have 'The Princess Bride', have you seen that one?"

The hedgehog stopped his attack on the void, going back to bouncing on the couch cushions. "Hmm.. I didn't really understand parts of it. Like, near the end when Westley was threatening to cut off the other dude's nose and mouth and stuff, but leave his ears. Why would a dead guy be able to hear?"

At her husband's pause, Maddie laughed, shaking her head fondly. "I think it was the idea that his soul would still be able to hear things from his body's place. You don't have to look that far into it, though, hun."

Sonic shrugged, and Tom stood from his spot on the floor, carrying the selection of movies the three had agreed on, and settled them near the tv. He put one in the DVD player, and plopped down on the opposite side of the couch as his wife, leaving a bit of room for Sonic to sit once he was ready.

As the first movie's title appeared on the screen, Sonic cheered, letting himself fall onto the couch. He scooted back, then curled up against Maddie's side. "Alright! Jurassic Park sounds cool!"

"Betcha didn't know there are three Jurassic Park movies."

"And another three- don't forget Jurassic World, Tom."

The brunette smiled. "Right, can't forget those."

Sonic was practically in awe, jaw dropped as he stared at the two. "Wait, what? You're telling me there are six movies about dinosaurs?!" He sighed, flopping back onto the couch. "We have to watch them all!"

"Wohow, you're getting ahead of yourself there." Tom laughed, ruffling the smaller's head. "We can't watch all of them tonight, but I promise we can eventually. Just.. not all in one sitting."

Sonic smiled, nodding at the assurance. Tom then pressed play, and the family quieted, focused on the beginning scene in front of them.

As the movie played, Sonic had found himself deeply invested in the plot, rearranging himself every now and then into a more comfortable position. As of now, he was curled up in Maddie's lap, socked feet in Tom's lap. The teen's head was propped up in his hand as he focused on the tv screen, being caught off guard as a dinosaur screeched loudly, flinching back.

He froze, the hedgehog subtly glanced at Tom's face, hoping the Sheriff, nor Maddie noticed him jump. When neither of them had a reaction, Sonic let out a quiet sigh, trying to go back to focusing on the tense scene that was happening.

A couple minutes had passed, and he had finally relaxed again. The air in the room was peaceful, and everyone was calm. Maddie subconsciously reached a hand to gently rub at Sonic's side, used to holding hands with her husband or something of the sort when watching things together.

Nothing, though, could have prepared the small family for the noise that elicited from the blue hedgehog's mouth.

At the touch, Sonic absolutely screamed as if he had been shocked with a million volts of electricity, his head tumbling from his hand as he whipped around. The veterinarian's eyes widened, and her hand quickly pulled away from her son's body.

"Sonic! Are you okay?"

Maddie's eyes swept thoroughly over his torso, searching for any possible sign of injury. Sonic, on the other hand, was now turned to face her, looking just as shocked as she did.

"I- yeah, I'm okay. I guess you just.. scared me?"

Tom looked puzzled. "Seems that way, huh? We weren't even watching a scary movie, kiddo."

The teen shrugged. "I know. Weird."

Maddie thought for a moment, brows furrowing slightly as an idea formed. "Sonic.. Is it alright if I try that again? Just.. to make sure everything's alright."

Sonic nodded, sitting up to allow her easier access. As her hand went to gently touch his side, he glanced down with equal interest, only to jump and giggle the second her hand came into contact with his skin.

"AH! Wait- hahah!"

The green-eyed hedgehog looked up with a confused grin, head tilting slightly as Maddie pulled away again. She smiled back, laughing a bit as she spoke. "Looks like we figurehed out what 'scahared' you!"

Sonic looked back down at himself, grabbing his own side, face pinching in a perplexed expression. "What.. was that? You just- you made me laugh?"

Maddie glanced at her husband, who seemed to be shocked by this new piece of information. The sheriff's jaw dropped, and he stared at Sonic in disbelief.

"You mean you don't know what tickling is?"

When the smaller shook his head, Maddie quickly interjected. "Okay, we are fixing that right now." She straightened up in her spot, and reached for his side again.

"Tickling is when someone touches a specific part of the body that makes them laugh." She squished at his torso, gaze softening as he burst into happy giggles. "It's an involuntary response."

Sonic jerked away from the offending hand, flopping to the side as his arms went to curl around his belly. "Ahah! Snrt- Yohou mean Ihi've been wastihihing my time on johokes? This is- Snrt- ahawesome!" The teen kicked his legs out, squealing as another hand came to his knee. "HAH! Tohohom, noHO!"

"I still can't believe you had no idea what tickling is! I wonder where else you're ticklish!" Tom's excited smile morphed into something more smug, and he spidered his fingers all along the laughing teen's knees, reaching a hand up to dig into his underarm too.

A squeaky squeal escaped from Sonic's mouth, and he quickly clamped his arm down, kicking his legs out frantically. Maddie snickered, placing a hand over her husband's as she spoke. "Be gentle with him. We don't wanna overwhelm the poor kid."

Tom rolled his eyes playfully, but went back to tickling at his knees. When Sonic exploded into bright laughter again, trying to pull his legs away, he stopped, moving to instead rub at his leg comfortingly.

The hedgehog looked up as the fluttery sensation stopped, a confused residual smile plastered on his face. "Whahah.. Why'd yohou guys stop?"

"Figured you needed a break. You were laughing pretty hard there."

Maddie smiled for probably the umpteenth time today. "Unless you want us to keep going?"

She noticed a tinge of shyness in his tone, but the happy smile he wore way outshined it. "Yeah! I-If thats okay, of course. Tickling is just.. really fun!"

"We'd be happy to!" She beamed, bringing her fingers to his belly, scribbling her nails over it. Sonic's limbs flailed for a moment, then his hands snapped up, holding onto his mom's wrists, giddy laughter spilling from his mouth when Tom wiggled a finger into the crook of his neck.

The smaller cackled, scrunching his shoulders up. He wiggled about, legs instinctively kicking at Tom and Maddie's arms, though despite his half-hearted struggling, the kid looked like he was having a blast.

Maddie cooed, half expecting to be pushed away, but she never was. Sonic just held onto her, eyes squeezing shut in mirth. After a few seconds, Tom pulled his hands back once more, his son peeking an eye open through his giggles to see what was going on.

"Honey, can you get his hands? I wanna try something."

"Sure, Tom." She smiled, reaching forward a bit to gently scoop up the smaller's wriggling arms, lifting them above his head.

Sonic tugged at his hands, attempting to pull his legs up to gain some sort of protection, as he was feeling a lot more exposed now. An anticipatory smile tugged at his lips as Tom drew closer.

"Nahah! Snrk- Get awahay!" Sonic tried to kick at the elder, only to squeal in an embarrassingly high pitch as his ankle was grabbed and pulled away, being quickly pinned onto the couch. "Tohom! Whahat're yohou doihihing?"

The brunette grinned, sneaking a tickle across his son's side, prompting the younger to burst back into giggles.

"Nothing much, bud. I just wanna introduce you to tickling properly. And this is the best way to do it!" Tom lunged forward, inhaling deeply before blowing a huge raspberry against Sonic's belly.

The hedgehog shrieked, immediately tearing his arms and leg from his parent's grasp as he exploded into cackles. His arms curled around Tom's head, eyes going wide at the horribly ticklish feeling shooting through his torso.

"PFFAAHAH! SNRK- TOHOM!" he squealed, legs kicking frantically in a blur of movement. A few seconds went by, and the raspberry still didn't stop! The blue teen tossed his head to the side, cheeks growing redder the longer he laughed. "EEEAHAH! HAHAH! SNRK- OKAY OKAY OKAHAHAY! PLEHEHEASE!"

Tom pulled away, chuckling at the giggling mess of laughter on the couch. "Whahat? Too ticklish for you?"

Maddie laughed, shaking her head as she helped the younger up. "Oh my goodness.."

The blue-themed teen slumped into her, hiding his residual giggles into his hands as he recovered from the playful attack. "Geheez, I.. cahan't believe thahat- Snrk- just happehened.."

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Sonic let his arms fall from their spot over his face. He looked up at Tom with a gentle smile. "..Thanks, Tom."

The sheriff smiled back, then crashed into the two, wrapping his family in a hug. "No problem, little man."

The three seemed perfectly content, until the youngest burst into laughter again. "Pfft! Wehe- We plahanned out this whohole movie night, and didn't eheven watch a sihingle movie!"

"Ohoh yeah! We were watching a movie, weren't we?"

Maddie cracked up, shaking her head at the silliness of the situation. "Ihi don't even remember what part we were at.."

"Rihight.." The youngest thought for a minute, then shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know."

"Want to pick a different one, and go back to Jurassic park later?"

"Yeah! Oh, I know the perfect one.."

-----

Rahhh I finally finished it!! I really liked writing this, they're such sillies! 💙💛💙💛

#I may go back and edit some stuff later #But for now I think I like it!!#Learning how to tag for a new fandom..#Sonic tickle #Sth tickle #Sonic movie tickle #Sth movie tickle #Lee sonic #Lee movie sonic #Ler Maddie #Ler Tom

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yerimacoustic · 6 months ago

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𝙢𝙞𝙭𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙚 ♡ joshua x reader

when your childhood friend, joshua finds an old mixtape both of you made years ago, he gets inspired to craft the perfect plan to tell you how he really feels. 📼🎧🥤⋆·˚ ༘ *

content warnings: roadtrip au, childhood friends to lovers, strong language, gossiping about losing the v card, literally everything goes wrong but it’s cute, fluff, soft angst since it talks about stress during college, joshua hong x gender neutral reader. both of you are graduating university! no smut but 18+, mdni! 4k wc

additional notes: this probably seems so rushed but idEC bc i needed some joshua fluff & i’m a proud supporter of the gentleman joshua agenda. also pls comment which songs you’d put on your mixtape with him, i left it kinda open to your imagination minus three songs <3 not proofread, sorrows, prayers

the end of joshua’s final semester in college came with its fair share of mixed emotions. among the many sentiments was crippling stress, seemingly the most commonly occurring one. it was nothing he wasn’t used to, being a full-time college student with a part time job and mostly insufferable roommates. four years prior, he began to dread the day he would have to pack up all of his belongings and move across town, where his own apartment was waiting.

and of course, he was right to rue the day.

it was a nightmare trying to schedule the move in date to line up with the time the u-haul had to be dropped off, especially since he couldn’t get access to his garage until a few hours after he had to turn in the keys. another $50 down the drain. luckily, he started packing his side of the dorm weeks in advance in order to spend a decent amount of time on his finals. even if he had a job lined up already, he wanted to leave a lasting good impression.

just as he was going through the last of his belongings, he found a small box hidden under his bed. judging by the cobwebs scattered along the small crate, he’d forgotten all about its existence until now. he checked the digital clock, the only thing left on his nightstand- he’d been cleaning for hours. he was entitled to a break.

so he opened the box, smiling to himself as he took in all of the souvenirs and knick knacks from years before. there were ticket stubs to the first ‘frozen’ movie, a few pieces of his favorite candy (which were beyond expired at that point), two of the lego avengers figurines, a few polaroids of him, seungcheol and jeonghan along with his mother, and..

“shut up.”

he had completely forgotten that he’d made this mixtape with you. ‘shua and y/n’s epic road trip.’ the year before you both started college, the two of you took a roadtrip across the town together. the night before you embarked on the spontaneous journey, the two of you spent hours meticulously crafting a playlist that would perfectly recount your trip. he always thought he’d left it in his car and you’d never mentioned it to him after the trip, so it simply left his mind.

but now that he was staring at the small disc, he wondered how it was even possible to forget something he cherished so fondly. it was the first trip the two of you went on together alone. you’d spent time together on school trips, even getaways with jeonghan and seungcheol, but you never seemed to get enough time alone together for joshua’s liking. even if it didn’t end with a kiss like he was hoping, it was still a memory that he held close to his heart.

that was when he devised a plan.

he reached across the floor for his phone, which had just barely finished charging. luckily, your contact was one of the only ones pinned on his phone, so dialing your phone number was a breeze. he held his phone to his ear, biting his nails in anticipation as he listened to the dial tone drone on.. and then he remembered you were in the middle of one of your lectures.

fuck.

‘hey this is y/n. i can’t reach my phone right now so leave a message or text me. bye.’ how was it that something as simple as a voicemail greeting from you could make his heart flutter?

“it’s joshua. call me back asap, i want to go on another road trip with you.”

—------------------------

going on a road trip near the end of the semester with deadlines and fees stacked upon both of your to-do lists probably wasn’t the brightest idea. there were probably a million better, more productive things both of you could be doing to prepare for the next chapter of your lives. even so, joshua waited in the parking lot of your apartment complex while tapping a nervous rhythm onto the steering wheel.

while he was waiting for you, he kept going over all of the contents in his dufflebag to ensure he had properly prepared for everything. unlike the last road trip you went on, this one would be an overnight holiday. toothbrush, shampoo, deodorant, phone charger.. he knew fully well he had everything he could need; he’d checked his overnight bag multiple times before he stepped out of the door. not only that, but he stuffed his hand in his jacket pocket multiple times to ensure the mixtape was still there.

“just calm down,” he sighed to himself after confirming, once again, that he had everything he needed. “it’s just y/n, just the one you’ve been crushing on since middle school. no big deal, you’ve done this before, you’ve gone on a trip with them before..”

he was quickly pulled out of his thoughts and mutterings once he saw you walking down the stairs. he noticed the way your eyes lit up once you noticed his car, causing his heart to race. he stepped out and ran to you, an infectious grin spreading across his lips as he pulled you into his arms. “thank you for coming with me. you have no idea how much i need this.”

you laughed as you threw your arms around his neck and hugged him just as tightly in return, his grip on you practically suffocating. in the best possible way, of course. “trust me, i’ve been needing a break too,” you sighed. “i can’t believe this is it. we’re graduating college.”

as for what that meant for the two of you, neither of you had a clue. you made sure to stay as close as possible during your time in university, planning as many get togethers as your schedules would allow, but halfway through your third year, your individual priorities seemed to outweigh any other extracurricular activities. while you weren’t able to see each other in person as often as you did when you were kids, joshua was just grateful that you kept in contact.

“i know. it’s a lot more stressful and anxiety inducing than i thought it would be.” he tried to hide his disappointment and dread as he broke from your embrace, keeping that warm smile as he led you to his car. after gently taking the bag that was slung over your shoulder and carefully tossing it in the backseat, he opened the passenger door for you. as always. “but enough about that,” he snickered, climbing into his seat and cautiously slamming the car door shut.

“you’re right. no work talks while we’re on vacation,” you giggled and shifted in your seat so you could face him, a mischievous glint in your eyes. “so, what’s first on the itinerary, mr. hong?”

“well, first things first-” he made a dramatic show of pulling the mixtape out of his jacket pocket, the corners of his eyelids wrinkling as his smile grew brighter. “look what i found.”

your eyes widened as you gently snatched the cassette from him, your hand brushing over the tape where the title had been scribbled in permanent marker. “oh my god, i forgot we made this! where did you find it?”

“under my bed,” joshua laughed, shrugging. “i thought it seemed appropriate, with new beginnings and all... we don’t have to listen to it if you don’t want to, though.”

“not at all! i’m up for a trip down memory lane,” you laughed.

joshua began to pull out of the small parking lot, feeling particularly eager to get on the road. especially since it was early in the morning; he knew it would be a beautiful view as the sun would peek from its hiding spot behind the trees. “i was hoping you would say that. because.. i was thinking we could just follow the same exact itinerary as last time.”

“really? down to the number?” you sent a knowing smirk in his direction, even if he was too focused on the road to pay any mind to it outside of his peripheral vision. you watched him nod his head as his smile grew and grew, his cheerful grin as contagious as ever. “well, since we’re following tradition, i’ll buy your chai latte again this year.”

“guess that means i’m covering dinner again,” joshua chuckled lightly, the sound going straight to your heart. as per usual, of course.

“what a gentleman,” you mused while cautiously inserting the cassette tape into the car’s rather finicky slot. you always knew joshua’s car was ancient and worn down, so you were impressed, to say the least, that it had lasted throughout the entirety of his college career. “i forgot which songs we put on here. this’ll be fun.”

“me too, actually. but.. i do seem to remember someone was constantly begging me to add taylor swift to the playlist.”

“it was a phase! everyone was a die hard fan at one point in their life.”

“sure, we’ll go with that excuse,” joshua teased you without a hint of mocking or scorn in his voice. it was more like amusement.

it was nothing short of serendipitous, the way the sun began to rise to a more comfortable resting position for the rest of the day and light up the path for you and joshua just as ‘here comes the sun’ began to play. the song was slightly muffled, the speakers in the car radio being on their last leg- it was a picture perfect moment, regardless.

you rolled down your window, letting your hand drift along the current of the breeze passing by as joshua began to pick up speed. you heard him humming along, his soothing voice fitting perfectly with george harrison’s. and you smiled to yourself- if joshua wasn’t dead set on his current career path, you knew he could easily make a name for himself as a singer.

for whatever reason, the way he muttered the endearing term ‘little darling’ so gently before each chorus stood out to you most. his sickly sweet voice added so much more meaning to the lyrics. in that moment, really all you could do was hope that he didn’t notice the way you were trying to stop yourself from smiling like a fool.

but he did. out of the corner of his eye, he noticed you bashfully bowing your head.

he finally arrived at the coffee shop, which was a tiny shack just off the main road. it was a convenient little spot for any travelers that needed a caffeine boost on their journey. except..

“oh no.” it was closed??

indefinitely??

“it’s okay!” you were quick to assure him and pat his shoulder. “there’s a gas station just up ahead. we can probably just get some coffee there, my treat.”

joshua nodded in an effort to keep up the faith. “you’re right! it’ll be a bit watery but that’s fine- right?”

“right!” you agreed with a chuckle. honestly, to you, missing out on a delicious chai latte wasn’t the end of the world but joshuasuspected it was only the beginning of a series of setbacks.

and he proved to be correct: the coffee machine in the gas station was broken, leaving the two of you to settle for some canned nitro cold brews. while joshua’s paranoia grew, you looked at the glass half full; so it didn’t go exactly according to plan.. but at least the two of you had caffeine.

“so, what was the second thing we did?” you asked, taking the smallest sips of your coffee at a time. just as a precaution.

“picnic over at that rest stop. hopefully it’s not blocked or something,” he joked, all the while secretly praying that the universe wouldn’t twist his words. it seemed that the gods were in a playful mood that day; too bad it was at his expense rather than in his favor.

by now, you were near the end of ‘side a’ and ‘feeling good’ was playing. you could only hear michael bublé’s voice very faintly at this point, but the catchy song still brought a smile to your face. “i always liked this version the best,” you told joshua.

he beamed. “that’s because it is the best one. i taught you well.”

you helped your friend pull the basket and blanket out of his trunk once he’d parked the car near the top of a hill that overlooked a lake and a series of trees surrounding the body of water. it was a quaint spot, one that seemed to put the rest of the city on display for the two of you. and like many spots in the town, it came with its fair share of legends and stories.

“did you hear the rumors that vernon lost his v-card here?” you snickered between bites of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich that joshua was gracious enough to make for the two of you.

he nearly choked on the remnants of his sandwich, shaking his head as his fist flew to cover his mouth. he looked mortified, eyes growing nearly twice their size. “what?? no! how come no one ever told me about that?”

“are you kidding?? i could have sworn someone told you,” you snickered and reached over to repeatedly pat his back. “anyways, no one knows if it’s true or not.”

“he’s a chamber of secrets, that one.”

“he certainly is.”

once joshua had finally composed himself, a sigh of contentment left his lips. he took a deep breath, basking in the fresh mountain air and sunlight. there were a few clouds in sight, nothing that should have caused too much panic. just something to give the two of you the right amount of shade.

comfortable silence passed between the two of you and you laid back against the blanket in mirrored positions, propped up by one elbow. you looked over to joshua after feeling fixated on the small lake, focusing intently on his features, instead. his eyelashes, the curve of his lips, the way his hair fell so neatly over his face.

he truly was so naturally beautiful.

you only felt pressured to snap out of your daze when he began to tilt his head towards you. your gaze fell to the blanket smoothly while your finger began to brush along one of the patterns on the fabric. his mom had made it for him, along with several other quilts that he held very dear to his heart. “i guess it would be a pretty nice place to seal the deal.”

joshua laughed out loud, “y/n l/n, i’ve never heard you say something so scandalous in my whole life.”

you tilted your head back as his words brought upon a laugh of your own, “well, this year is all about new beginnings, isn’t it? we’re changing, we’re growing..”

“i guess so,” he mused once your voice trailed off. when you looked up, he was the one fixating on your features. it brought a heated sensation among your cheeks and a dumb smile to your lips. you noticed him swallow, attempting to be subtle while shifting to rest on his elbow more comfortably. “y/n, can you promise me something?”

“of course, joshua, anything.”

“can you promise that we’ll always try to stay in touch? no matter what?” there was a pang of sadness in both joshua’s tone and in his eyes. suddenly you felt guilty for taking your lifelong friendship for granted; the last thing you wanted was for someone so dear to you to feel undervalued.

“shua- of course i will.” feeling particularly bold, you reached out to grab his hand. “i’m sorry if i’ve been.. distant lately. i feel like we’ve both had a lot going on. and it’s not going to get any better once we’ve got our nine-to-fives, but.. you mean a lot to me. i want you to stay in my life.”

just then, the man in front of you appeared as if a large weight had been removed from his shoulders. you couldn’t believe that you witness his eyes actually light up in real time, his entire figure perfectly displaying how much lighter he felt. “i want you to stay,” he repeated after you.

the two of you weren’t directly confessing your true feelings towards each other just yet, but somehow.. those five words were enough. ‘i want you to stay.’

you stayed silent, as if to let them echo between the two of you. the fact that you weren’t sure how you were supposed to follow such a simple yet beautiful statement was also a contributing factor. after a moment, you parted your lips while still waiting for the right words to show themselves to you but instead, there was a loud crash of thunder.

the two of you were so mesmerized by the pair of eyes in front of you that neither of you noticed the air around you growing gray. joshua looked up towards the dark clouds with a sigh of disdain, “of course.”

you chuckled, helping him gather the napkins, paper silverware and dishes and the blanket. by some miracle, you were able to gather all of your belongings and hop in the car before the rain started falling down at an alarming rate and substance. “wasn’t michael just singing about how the sun was in the sky?”

“i guess its opposite day.” at that moment, joshua began to wonder if someone out there genuinely had it out for him. as he turned the key in the ignition, all he could hear over the raindrops clattering against his windshield was a loud sputtering noise. maybe.. maybe he was just imagining it? he tried twisting the key again, but it proved to be fruitless.

you chuckled awkwardly, “oh.. uh…”

“oh.. that’s fine!” joshua giggled sheepishly, keeping a calm presence that wasn’t alarming or unnerving in any way. there was no point taking his stress out on you when you were not the one at fault. no one was at fault, really, except maybe the man who truly believed a car that was around when dinosaurs roamed the earth could withstand another long roadtrip. after a few more tries, he gave up and pulled the key out of the ignition. “do you.. happen to have a signal?”

“out of battery?”

“yep,” he rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward grin, unable to make eye contact with you. “usually i have a portable charger but..”

“It’s okay,” you cut him off gently. “i don’t think i’ll be able to call anyone until the rain stops, but i’ve got a full battery.”

“cool. cool, cool.” joshua chuckled, trying not to upset you by showcasing his disappointment. he tried to look on the brightside and tell himself that the two of you were on an adventure, that this would be a great story to tell your friends and family when you got back, but any positive thought was quickly replaced by looming, dark ones instead. like how he wished that in possibly one of the most stressful times in his life, he wished that just one thing would go right. that he wished this getaway was as picture perfect as the last one.

“shua, you okay?”

he was alarmed by how well you seemed to have gotten at reading his countenance; especially since he thought he made great efforts to hide what he was truly feeling. he smiled immediately, nodding in reassurance. one thing he was not going to do was ruin the mood. “yeah, yeah i’m okay. you doing okay?”

you nodded, “yeah, i’m doing great.” you paused, hoping that you weren’t pressuring him to answer. one thing you were not going to do was pressure him into broaching a topic he wanted to avoid. so your tone grew hushed as you spoke again, “but i feel like there’s a lot more that you’re not telling me.”

joshua nodded faintly in understanding. he should have known that you would have been able to read him without any troubles, considering how long you had both known each other. “i just.. wanted this to be perfect. i know you’ve been stressed lately and well, i’ve been stressed lately so i thought this would be a nice, low stakes kind of trip. but.. I guess not.” he ended his thought with a light hearted chuckle and shrug of his shoulders.

you stayed quiet for a moment, focusing on the sleeve of his jacket while pondering his words. he had put so much effort in both of these road trips and you knew his heart was in the right place. frankly, you couldn’t care less if you didn’t get your chai lattes or if your picnic lasted about ten minutes or you might not make it to the hotel.

what mattered was that joshua was there with you through it all. and through it all, he kept an adorable smile and a cheerful attitude. when your gaze shifted to the windshield, raindrops hitting the glass in record time by now, you were reminded of another song that you added to the now unattainable mixtape.

and suddenly, you got an idea.

opening up spotify, you searched through taylor swift’s discography until you found the song that you thought was perfectly fitting for the moment: fearless. you knew it was a long shot but you pressed play and turned the volume all the way up before placing your phone in your jacket pocket, where it would be shielded from the rain. then, you stepped out into the downpour.

joshua furrowed his eyebrows out of worry but perked up once he saw you motion to follow in your footsteps. just as he slammed the door shut, he could have sworn he heard the lyrics very faintly, even if they were muffled by the rainfall. ‘and you know i want to ask you to dance right there…’

you took both of joshua’s hands in yours and twirled in three or four circles, giggling the entire time. both of you tilted your heads back, feeling the cold rain against your face. it was beautiful, soothing.. unconventional, maybe, but it was perfect. once the two of you stood upright, you took it a step further.

it was just like clockwork, the way his arms fell gracefully around your waist after yours were linked around his neck. you’d hugged him several times before, you knew of his warmth- but things felt different today. the two of you swayed to the upbeat melody with stupid, giddy smiles. neither of you said a word as the rain started falling faster and harder, the lyrics inaudible at this point.

but that didn’t stop either of you.

suddenly, joshua removed one of your hands from his neck and laced his fingers with yours. he skipped around the car with you while keeping a firm grip on your waist, guiding your movements. the two of you laughed and laughed until your ribs felt tough, until it was hard to breathe. your shoulders were hunched as you held on tighter to his shoulders, bringing yourself closer to him once he finally came to a stop.

neither of you had felt so free in a long time. for that one moment you two abandoned your inhibitions and responsibilities of the real world, everything felt perfect. even something as inconvenient as the rain was beautiful.

you remembered more of the lyrics. up until that moment, you’d never thought about how perfectly they encapsulated your feelings towards joshua. growing up with him and watching him run his free hand through his hair with a firm but gentle grip on the steering wheel, the calming and reassuring presence that he provided in your life, performing any mundane task or saying such beautiful things with such a casual tone.

absentmindedly making me want you.

he really didn’t have to do too much to be the perfect man, did he?

ignoring the nagging thought in the back of your mind about how cliché your actions were, you captured his lips in a gentle, chaste kiss as the rain fell harder around you. you hoped that it would properly communicate to him your true intentions and feelings while words were momentarily lost to you.

joshua, meanwhile, felt as if he was on cloud nine. maybe this trip didn’t go according to plan, maybe there were bumps along the road- but this trip had one thing the one from years before didn’t.

#seventeen #seventeen x reader #seventeen x you #seventeen fluff #joshua hong #joshua hong x reader #joshua hong x you #joshua hong fluff #hong jisoo #the i want you to stay part was definitely inspired by birds of a feather by billie #why’d i get emotional #sorry if it’s not good #i’m still getting the hang of writing again besties #didn’t fearless fit so well tho #adorable #joshua hong fanfic #hong jisoo fluff #obsessed with the gentleman joshua agenda

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heliphantie · 2 months ago

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The little robber-girl was about the same size as Gerda, but stronger; she had broader shoulders and a darker skin; her eyes were quite black, and she had a mournful look. She looked earnestly at Gerda, and said, —

“They shall not kill you, even if I do get angry with you; for I will do it myself.”

"The Snow Queen" (Danish: Snedronningen), fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, was first published 21 December 1844 in "New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection", 180 years ago.

I wanted to commemorate its anniversary by drawing my favorite character from the story, and one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, The Little Robber Girl, as she appears in 1957 Soviet animated adaptation by director Lev Atamanov. Design of the character belongs to artist Alexander Vinokurov.

This character, with her short appearance in the movie, had impact on me back in childhood: she’s feisty, violent, and self-serving, and has grown up among the people with no moral conduct, but she’s able to recognize love and courage, and be magnanimous and caring. And in the movie, she’s got a convincing arc from antagonist to ally in just about few minutes of screentime.

One person once observed that I seem to like “dark characters with warm hearts”, it may be accurate in that regard.

#the snow queen #hans christian andersen #snedronningen #the snow queen 1957 #снежная королева 1957 #soviet animation #советская анимация #russian animation #российская анимация #soviet animation fanart #phantieart

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anastasiareyreed · 1 year ago

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all russians are guilty and let me explain why.

make yourself comfortable, it's gonna be a long ride.

you might notice that every time, if russians appear in a movie, series or documentary, they have either done something criminal, are doing it or are planning to do it. because the entire history of russia's existence is built on crimes, wars, genocides and occupations — Ukraine, Syria, Georgia, Chechnia and many more.

russia unleashed the most frequent genocidal attacks against Ukraine. occupation of Ukrainian lands and enslavement of Ukrainians, constant persecution and murder of speakers of the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian poets, writers, teachers — the entire nation, any Ukrainian figures of culture or politics. And, of course, the awful Holodomor (if you more into visualization, watch the movie about the Holodomor — «Mr Jones».)

no matter who is in power, throughout its existence, russia has been trying to destroy Ukraine and everything related to Ukrainian culture and history.

first of all, I think the terms «guilty» and «bad» must be separated here. I'm not saying all russians are bad, because «bad» is quite subjective and vague term. just like term «good». a person can be good in relations with neighbors, good at their job or good meaning polite. but what happens to a «good» person who stands by when other people are killed, tortured and raped in front of this person's eyes and on this person's behalf? this person becomes guilty. and many can and DO have the right to call and consider this person bad.

what exactly you are doing when you write «not all russians support the war»? you tell Ukrainians that THIS TIME there are definitely good russians, good guys among the people who constantly repressed Ukrainian people. but let me tell you this. if ten people stand in front of me and tell me that only one of them probably is not a murderer, I WILL NOT trust that person. I won't risk my life, and I'm sure you won't either.

I, like many Ukrainians, had friends or relatives in russia. but all of us were betrayed by these people, because it is in their DNA to put themselves above Ukrainians. and it's quite unreasonable in the digital age to justify their position about war by the fact that they don't know anything and totally drowned in propaganda. do they not know how to search for information, use their phones, computers or brain?

when you say that right now not all russians are against Ukraine or Syria, you cannot be sure that a russian who writes «I don't support the war» is telling the truth. that this person is not trying to maintain their public image and avoid condemnation. how can we believe the word of the representatives of the nation that every decade wage a war? the presumption of innocence doesn't apply here, hundreds of thousands of victims of russia are proof of that.

my favorite topic that people like to manipulate is how can we blame russian children. sure, we are in our right mind, so we don't say that a russian child is as guilty as an adult russian man who raped Ukrainian children and tortured Ukrainian women and men. we say that the russian child must know and feel collective responsibility from an early age, so that in the future the child doesn't take the place of that adult russian man.

while other countries honor the memory of their heroes and victims of the WWII on the day of victory over the fascists, only the russians proudly and joyfully said every year that they could repeat and start another war. which they did. that's why russian children should see that the world associates russia only with death, crimes and wars. that the world doesn't tolerate russian products, art, culture or people. this is the only way children will be able to realize from an early age that this way of russia's lifestyle is condemned by the world and must be radically changed.

Ukrainian and Syrian children, who are currently suffering from russia's actions, grew up too early and lost their childhood, they know what war is, know that it's evil and russia is a terrorist state. russian children should know this as well, so that the changes in the russian mentality — that the world has been waiting for several centuries in a row — have come.

you say russian children are not guilty, sure, but they are taught that war is branded, powerful, cool and solid. Ukrainian and Syrian children are not guilty, but they are taught how to act if their parents are killed by a russian missile. you say russian youth are not guilty and shouldn't risk their future to protest against the war. Ukrainian and Syrian youth are not guilty, but every day they give their lives for the freedom that the russians are trying to take away.

russian soldiers who went to kill Ukrainians and Syrians. russians who are relatives, friends or colleagues of these soldiers. russians who openly support wars in Ukraine & Syria or show their passivity. russians who volunteer to support the russian army. russians, who for centuries raised their children with imperialist views and contempt for other nations and races. and, as history shows, will continue to raise in the same way, no matter how the war ends. if russia loses they will raise children ready for another revenge. if russia wins they will raise children with mindset that Ukrainians are an inferior nation. russians have hundreds of years of experience in it. ask how the peoples that russia once occupied live today.

imagine what those hundreds of thousands of russian soldiers would achieve not on peaceful Ukrainian streets, killing people, but somewhere in a square in moscow, protesting against the war. soldiers, their relatives, friends and neighbors. eight years ago, Ukrainians protested against the dictator, dying for their principles and freedom.

Iranians went against a real dictator, dying for their principles and freedom. because this is the only way to achieve change.

the only «protest» action of russians is to post a picture somewhere online or to stand peacefully for half an hour in a small group of people, passively holding «no war» piece of paper and leaving before dark, because tomorrow they have to go to work or universities. russians support the war or simply don't care, because it's easier to live that way. if they chose collective indifference, they must face collective responsibility.

your «not all russians are guilty» is based on your assumptions about the good faith of russians, a naive idea of what this nation really is. my «all russians are guilty» is based on hundreds of years of history of relations between russia and Ukraine. on the number of wars russia has waged in the past and is waging now, the number of nations it has destroyed and the number of evil actions the world has forgiven the russians, hoping that THIS TIME everything will definitely be different.

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goginaporter · 1 year ago

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lyrical analysis of love you forever

or, breaking down ricky's love (confession) for gina

we're a little under three months out from the series finale of high school musical: the musical: the series. I've spent those months freaking out over rina and appreciating the beautiful arc they got in s4 that closed out their story over the course of the series. there are a million special moments that rina has in s4 (I mean, a rain kiss? can I have this dance? a duet together about their commitment to each other despite uncertainty? we really got it all) but one definitely stands out among the rest. love you forever is ricky's declaration of love for gina that he sings to her at her press conference for her new movie that, as far as he knows, is about to send her across the world. this post is gonna be a line by line analysis of the lyrics, as well as talking about everything that brought them to that moment and that made it special. enjoy <33

I've been wishing on a falling star for too long

this line opens the song and is such a beautiful callback to when there was me and you, the song ricky all but serenades gina with in 1.06 (the lines it references: I thought you were my fairy tale / A dream when I'm not sleeping / A wish upon a star / That's coming true). wtwmay is a song that gabriella sings after troy's betrayal in hsm and when ricky sings this line, to me, it represents a callback to his past relationship with nini. he was holding on to nini and that relationship too tight, wishing on a falling star. as gabriella says, wishes on stars just "don't come true" and for ricky, this relationship ultimately ended in failure. however, as much as this line signifies the crash and burn nature of that relationship, it's also a reference to the start of his relationship with gina in that bunker room as he strummed on a guitar, in a similar fashion to love you forever, to these lyrics.

I've been running, I don't know what from

this line references the conversation that ricky had with ej in 4.05 when ej forces ricky to reckon with the fact that he runs away from those he loves when faced with hard realities and that this tendency hurts both those around him, but also hurts him. it's incredibly full circle when you pair this with the fact that ricky is singing the song on the guitar ej gave him after they sang speak out, where ej tells him that "you'll probably get more use outta this than me" (4.05). i think it's really cool that this line also references gina's similar character flaw of running when things get hard, which she also sings about in second chance (Maybe I'm safer when I'm on the run / No time to open up my heart / Maybe I'll hide behind my walls again / Instead of tearing them apart) (also important to note that second chance is non-digetic and ricky has never heard gina sing these lyrics). so fascinating that ricky and gina have the same habit of running, with ricky running back to things that are familiar and gina pushing forward to leave things in the past before they can hurt her.

But you and I've become a sacred kinda home

this is one of my favorite lines of the song, especially because this theme of finding a home is such a critical cornerstone for both ricky and gina's arcs throughout the show. ricky's home life in s1 turns on its head when he discovers that his parents are separating. pairing this with his breakup with nini nearly sends him into a spiral, but he finds a new home of sorts in the theater program, telling gina "it's just nice to have somewhere to go after school every day, y'know" (1.05), which she herself resonates with, affirming his feelings.

of course, at the beginning of s2, we find out that ricky and his dad are moving to an apartment after his mom moves out. this drastic shift, the loss of his childhood home, is again disorienting, and again paired with changes with nini, what with her moving to denver. in 2.02, he tells nini that she is his home, which is really interesting, placing that kind of pressure on her. but what's even more interesting is that he knows he's moving, knows from the beginning of 2.01, and yet nini does not find out about his new home until 2.03 on valentine's day, months later. this is juxtaposed to gina showing up to his apartment that same episode. it's especially special that ricky is placed in the same situation that gina typically faces, the unpacking and getting accustomed to a new space. it is those undertones that serve as the undercurrent for their conversation. the apartment is in disarray when gina arrives, and remains that way for much of the season. gina, however, is endeared by the messy environment of the apartment and jokes along with ricky to put him at ease. by the time we return to it in s4, it's (naturally) much more lived in, with clothes strewn about, pictures of gina, and aptly placed posters lining the wall of ricky's room.

as I mentioned earlier, ricky calls nini his home in s2. this line says that he and gina together have become a home of sorts for each other. singing this to gina is important for ricky, but it also speaks to the unpredictable nature of gina's childhood, where she moved from city to city, never staying in one place for more than a few months, which she tells ricky in 1.05. by the end of s1, we think that she has to move again, something that's harder for her now that she's made connections with the wildcats, namely with ricky. as we see in the flashback scene in 2.06, she tells ricky that she wouldn't quit on them if not for her move, that they would essentially remain close if she weren't leaving salt lake. of course, she doesn't leave and instead moves in with ashlyn. it's her first taste of stability that she can really remember, but as she tells carlos in 2.04, she feels out of place living in a house she doesn't own and with a family that isn't hers. these feelings culminate in gina wanting to leave, a subplot we see primarily in 2.05 and 2.06. after revealing to ashlyn what she said to ricky opening night of hsm, ashlyn sings home from beauty and the beast to gina, telling her that she has a home with ashlyn, not just physically, but within their friendship. there is so much symbolism in that one scene that we don't have time to get into but this moment definitely shifts gina's perception of what a home can look like. in s3, we learn that her mom is moving back to salt lake city where she'll be staying long-term to allow gina to complete her time at east high. in fact, it's in this very house that we get our first scene of rina in s4, with ricky sneaking into her window. one's room is a reflection of oneself, and ricky and gina are all over each other's rooms, both literally and figuratively, throughout the season. combining this with the connection between the two that only strengthens over the course of the season, it comes as no surprise that ricky sees his and gina's relationship as a sacred home.

I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love and I know it / No net, no fear, right here in this moment

my twitter account was littered with theories and thoughts and hopes for ricky's love confession to gina, but whether it was public or private, planned or spontaneous, the one thing that I knew I wanted was for ricky to say that he is in love with gina. so on august 9th when ricky got to the chorus of love you forever, tears started pooling in my eyes because the confession, which was already literally perfect, delivered my biggest wish. one of my favorite aspects of the song is how much it reflects their journey because these are all the words that ricky would tell gina in some big speech, evidenced by him practicing all throughout 4.07. but when it comes down to it, after references to moments between them and beautiful metaphors, it builds to him telling gina not only does he love her, but that he's in love with her. there's no doubt in his mind of this fact. the sky is blue, the sun shines, and ricky bowen loves gina porter. so much of ricky's love for nini was tied to fear, especially a fear of change. that his love for gina transcends fear, that he is confident in what he tells her both shows his growth in romantic relationships but also in how much gina has redefined what it means to love someone for him.

I've never been more sure of what I got, yeah / Cause this is so much more than puppy love, so

continuing with the theme of confidence, ricky tells gina that he's never been more sure of what he's got in their relationship. I know I'm bringing rini up a lot but that relationship is a perfect frame of reference for how much ricky has changed when it comes to love. both his singing of I think I kinda you know in 1.01 and his love confession to nini in 1.10, while genuine, are riddled with stuttering and uncertainty ("I think", "I don't know", etc.). when you compare the ricky of 1.01 and the ricky of 4.08 and how he attempts to use song to profess his love, the differences are stark, and that's the point. as he all but said in 3.08, everything he's known about love has been changed by gina and that is reflected in love you forever. I love the puppy love nod and think it's narratively important for so many reasons. for one, it's a reference to their first date, as well as to gina's childhood. in that vein, it seems to mirror what gina tells ricky in 4.02, that mack was a crush of her childhood. calling what they have "more than puppy love" also nods to their growth, not just over the course of the series, but even throughout the season. from dealing with scrutiny in the fallout of the documentary to gina's increasingly busy schedule to their temporary pause to gina nearly moving across the world, they've been faced with many problems, and while they didn't handle all of them perfectly, they handled them together and came out that much stronger.

I'll say it first, no matter what the cost / Here I am full heart, full stop / I love you

in 3.05, ricky talks to jet following the fallout of the real campers of shallow lake drama. he asks jet what he's running from and tells him that sometimes when feelings are hard to articulate, it helps to sing instead. with love you forever, we see ricky taking his own advice. I love that ricky is insistent that he tells gina "I love you" first, both because he wants to rectify mistakes from his last relationship, but also because gina says, in a talking head, that she doesn't want to be the first to say "I love you," (4.06) further cementing the connection that rina has. it also affirms that there is no doubt in either of their minds that they love each other and want to say it to each other. it's also important to note that ricky understands the risk of singing this song at this point in time. for all he knows, gina is about to board a plane that will be taking her to the other side of the world for six months. however, he sings this song, affirms his love for her, no matter the cost, because he just wants her to know. he loves her in salt lake, he loves her in new zealand, and he loves her forever. ricky sings that he is there with a full heart, full stop I love you. in an interview after s3's finale, tim federle, the showrunner, states that while nini will always have a small part of ricky's heart, gina has a way of making hearts race. this line, to me, symbolizes the notion that gina is his heart, that his love for her encompasses it. there's a beautiful analysis of ricky being gina's heart canonically that I think helps tie all of this together, establishing that gina is ricky's heart, just like he is hers.

of course, I would be remiss to not talk about the full stop of it all. as we see in a flashback in 4.06, ricky opens up to gina in their first meeting about how he struggled saying I love you to nini, his ex. after hearing this, gina presents him with a possibility you can tell he's never considered: "maybe you just don't love her, full stop." ricky stutters in response, but doesn't fully negate gina's statement, in fact telling her that he's "kinda" planning on telling nini through song later that night outside her window (ironic that this plan doesn't pan out for him twice in the show, both here and in 2.03). that he brings up this notion of full stop, where there's no room for doubt, in his confession for gina further proves how deep and real and true their love is for each other. super small thing before I move on but I love how "I love you" gets its own special moment of pause in the song to fully communicate the gravity of such a statement.

I never knew that I could feel so sure and so strong /How can three old words feel so brand new?

Again, this idea of being sure comes up again in this second verse/buildup to the chorus. ricky has done the love confession before. he's been in love before. but again, with gina, it's different. it's deeper, more strong, more secure. and so when he says these words, in a situation that mirrors his audition for hsm, of course it feels different. in that auditon, he was singing nini's words back to her. love you forever, in contrast, is all ricky. those three words do feel new because now he's singing them to gina and for gina, where previously he sang them for himself. also a really cool note about the parallels between ricky's audition and love you forever is that tim federle released the initial script for love you forever, and one of the descriptions writes that ricky "launches into the audition of a lifetime." this song, this confession, is the start of his forever with gina. of course these words feel new.

Mm, so rare, so real right here in this moment / And I'm starin' at the only thing I want, so

I tear up hearing ricky say that the love that he has for gina is both rare and real. both ricky and gina, at different points throughout the show, cast doubt on love. ricky says in a talking head in 1.01 that love is dead (fun fact: ricky is wearing the same denim jacket from that talking head during love you forever teehee). gina, in the 4.06 flashback, calls love lame. their faith in love ebbs and flows throughout the show, but once they are together, there's no question. it's why ricky encourages the seblos reconciliation in 4.06 or why gina tells jet to confess his feelings for kourtney in 4.08. if they've found this beautiful love in each other, where they got a second chance on love in every sense of the words, why wouldn't they want that for everyone else, for the people that they love?

the second half of this lyric, of ricky "staring at the only thing he wants," is my absolute favorite line of love you forever. ricky's eyes are naturally drawn to gina in nearly every episode of the show, whether she's looking at him or not, whether they're speaking or not. even before he recognized those feelings in himself, we could see it because she was always the apple of his eye. this rings especially true during love you forever, where ricky does not take his eyes off of gina the entire song, except when miss jenn turns the lights on. gina is the center of his universe and who he has been drawn to since she entered his life. there was a tweet after s4 aired that stated that ricky looks at gina as though he's falling deeper in love with her every time and this line captures that.

I wanna finish what we started in the stairwell where we met

the bridge opens with this line and it's so fitting. to suggest that committing to loving each other forever is finishing what they started when they had that first conversation in the stairwell is so insane and will always make me spiral when I think about it. this line all but confirms that ricky and gina began to fall for each other in that moment. that their conversation in the stairwell is what catalyzed their respective character arcs also all but confirms that they're soulmates, that there was an invisible string that connected them, inexplicably tying their fates together forever.

I wanna live like I have never even heard the word regret

both ricky and gina have instances that they look back on and wish they had done things differently. gina says so explicitly in 2.05 when speaking to kourtney. she alludes to her goodbye to ricky after hsm's opening night, stating that it was something she wishes she could take back. in 3.06, ricky tells jet that he wishes that he didn't let color war gina slip through his fingers, suggesting that he would've done things differently if he were more cognizant of his feelings for her. ricky never wants to feel like that again, that he's missed his chance with gina due to fear. he wholeheartedly embraces his love for her because he knows what it was like to live without it and doesn't want to live in a world where gina isn't his reality.

I wanna scream what's in my heart and I won't ever take it back

ricky and ej's duet in 4.05 is about speaking your truth and speaking even when it's hard. the song even has a line about "screaming out." where in speak out, screaming out solicits no sound, ricky singing this line in love you forever is him being able to vocalize the feelings in his heart. he also commits to never taking these words back. his feelings for gina are eternal and everlasting. this is important for gina to hear because words have always been unreliable to her. people that she cares about, whether her mom or jamie or even e.j., have made verbal commitments to her at one point or another, and each one of them has later reneged on that commitment, whether intentionally or not. ricky can say these words, can say "I love you" to gina, because he's been saying it through his actions the entire show. gina doesn't always trust words, but she trusts actions. ricky has more than proven his love for her, and it's this continued declaration through his works that allows these words to ring true for her.

'Cause I love you feels a lot like high school and forever after that

I made this observation a couple weeks ago but this line is so fascinating. when the season first dropped and I heard the line, I was a tad confused. what does it mean for love to feel like high school? I was listening to the hsm3 soundtrack when it all clicked for me. in high school musical, the final song they sing in hsm3, the last line is "I want the rest of my life to feel just like a / High school musical" with this line, ricky is basically saying that he will love gina for the rest of his life. throwing in a hsm reference is also incredibly fitting given that they've just completed the first night of their run as troyella, further cementing their legacy as the troyella of the show. i love that, even when the bridge is repeated, ricky and gina are the only ones to sing these lines. when the bridge is sung for the third and final time, ricky and gina are now together on stage singing the words "I"m in love, I'm in love, I'm in love" to each other in between the lines of the bridge. the song closes with ricky singing "I love you feels a lot like high school" with gina singing "and forever after that." I love this ending for two reasons: ending the song with rina singing together re-emphasizes that they're in love, and in love together (for the first time), as tim mentions in an interview. I also love it because even as the wildcats join to sing the bridge near the end of the song, ricky and gina are the only people to sing the lines "I'm in love x3" and "I love you feels a lot like high school." even though their friends step in to sing some lines, ultimately, the song is a love song for gina, about gina, and that's why it ends with her. as tim (love how much I'm referencing him) mentioned in an interview, rina is the beating heart of the romance of the show, and their friends coming in to sing along to ricky's love song for gina fully solidifies this.

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mrsonvsyoutube · 2 years ago

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This Movie Traumatised Me

youtube

#msvy oakwyrm #msvy stories #msvy movies #msvy animation #msvy the rats of nimh #msvy xenofiction #this remains among my favorite movies from my childhood #even though when i read the book i liked it better #maybe i wouldn't love the movie as much if i'd read the book first?#i don't know but...#it's such a wonderful movie #don bluth was so good at movies for kids that could be properly dark #i think it's healthy for kids to be able to experience that darkness in the safety of a movie with a comfortable ending #don't watch the sequel though #it stinks on ice #read the book and the book's sequel instead #Youtube

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adhdkiramman · 2 months ago

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hello, i’m van!!! i’m a transmasc butch lesbian studying english at my university!! first and foremost, zionists and terfs and the like, fuck off!

while i’ve been active in tumblr and twitter fandoms before, i’m starting fresh on a new account because it has been several years. i never really planned on coming back to this kind of blog, but i’ve been super hyperfixated on arcane, and i really want to engage with some more content creators!! i’m also working on several caitvi fics, including a multi-chapter college au!! find my work on my ao3 linked below and in my bio!!!

if it seems like we’d get along/you’re interested in my writing, let’s be mutuals! feel free to send questions or fic requests to my inbox or shoot me a dm!

the format of this is very rudimentary, so i'll be making a more complete list soon, but these are some of my interests:

shows: arcane, yellowjackets, over the garden wall, she-ra, bojack horseman, the bear, killing eve, sex lives of college girls, wynonna earp, pantheon... i love lesbians and beautiful animation!

movies: horror movies, go fish, i saw the tv glow, clerks, bottoms, but i'm a cheerleader, portrait, jordan peele films, juno, jennifer's body, the substance, the watermelon woman, and more! i love horror, lesbians, 90s indie films, etc.

video games: the last of us pt. 1 and 2, god of war, cyberpunk 2077, red dead redemption 1 and 2, night in the woods, batman arkham trilogy, assassin's creed, and more!

music: lucy dacus, elliott smith, pavement, the silver jews, fiona apple, ween, kendrick lamar, megan thee stallion, ethel cain, rainbow kitten surprise, doechii, mf doom, big thief, adrienne lenker, mazzy star, indigo de souza, boygenius, belle and sebastion, japanese breakfast, sufjan stevens, noah kahan, chappell roan, julia jacklin, and sooooo much more!!!! please send me music recs!!!

my favorite author is kurt vonnegut! but i am also a great lover of essays, classics, creative nonfiction, and american modernist stage plays. some of my favorite plays off the top of my head are death of a salesman by arthur miller, our town by thorton wilder, and the glass menagerie by tennessee williams! as a full-time student and part-time barista, among other things, i do not get to read for pleasure nearly as often as i did in childhood. however, i’m always down to discuss literature and take recommendations!

#caitvi #caitvi fic #vi x caitlyn #arcane #league of legends #caitlyn kiramman #vi arcane #piltover's finest #violyn #pantheon show #gravity falls #tlou #tlou part 2 #the last of us #cyberpunk 2077 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #nitw #night in the woods

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richincolor · 3 months ago

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Crystal's 2024 Favorites

This year was full of awesome new young adult books and as usual it was difficult to figure out which ones would make my list of favorites. There were about ten that stood out, but these are the final four that really made a lasting impression and I would highly recommend.

The Quince Project by Jessica Parra [Our Group Discussion] Wednesday Books

Castillo Torres, Student Body Association event chair and serial planner, could use a fairy godmother. After a disastrous mishap at her sister’s quinceañera, all of Cas’s plans are crumbling. So when a local lifestyle-guru-slash-party-planner opens up applications for the internship of her dreams, Cas sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn every trick in the book so that things never go wrong again.

The only catch is that she needs more party planning experience before she can apply. When she books a quinceañera for a teen Disneyland vlogger, Cas thinks her plan is taking off…until she discovers that the party is just a publicity stunt and she begins catching feelings for the chambelán. As her agenda begins to go off-script, Cas finds that real life may be more complicated than a fairy tale.

But maybe Happily Ever Afters aren’t just for the movies. Can Cas go from planner to participant in her own life? Or will this would-be princess turn into a pumpkin at the end of the ball?

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier [Crystal's Review] Clarion Books

In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person’s greatest sorrow. But as with all things that offer hope when hope had gone, the tale came with a warning.

Every wish demands a price.

Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers her what she desires most. A chance to return home, and to right a terrible wrong.

Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind. But he can never inherit the throne, for Tamarind is a matriarchal society. With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign. Sam is left with two choices: to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time-hope.

But Hanalei and Sam are not the only ones searching for the dragonfruit. And as they battle enemies both near and far, there is another danger they cannot escape…that of the dragonfruit itself.

A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea #1) by Hafsah Faizal Farrar, Straus and Giroux

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly-anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance, revenge, and an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur [Crystal's Review] Feiwel & Friends

Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul’s and Daehyun’s fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:

Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.

#young adult books #favorite books #book recommendations #book lists #ya lit

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sweetbillwriting · 6 months ago

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In The Dead of Night

EIGHT

Characters: AU Eric played by Bill Skarsgård from The Crow (2024)

Setting: This story is set in A WHOLE OTHER WORLD than the movie. Shelley isn't a part of this story. Eric will be different from the movie, especially because I haven't seen the movie.

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, heavy themes.

Notes: This chapter can be triggering!

I wanted to stand close to Eric and let all the feelings out against his shoulder, but Odin, that stupid dog, destroyed it. Suddenly he had woken up from his bed and realized there was a big bird sitting in the open window, on his favorite person's knee, and he barked loudly. Crow jumped, and with an irritated caw, he flew away and left just the scratch marks on Eric's knee behind.

Eric quickly let go of me to give Odin a look.

“Go to bed.”

He didn't sound irritated or shouted like Robin usually did; he sounded more cold and authoritarian. Odin dropped his ears, and with a low head, he walked to his bed. I had never seen him act like that and I stared in astonishment. Eric really was something else.

“I'm sorry, honey… I just needed to,” he excused himself, like it was his dog who had barked. He stood up and hugged me close so I could lay against his safe chest. I looked up at him after a minute and dried my cheeks again.

“Can't you tell me more about you? You know almost my whole family tree.”

It was true. Eric had a big interest in knowing all kinds of things about me but succeeded in making it all about me instead of letting me know anything about him. He looked away for a few seconds but then looked down at me and nodded.

“Yeah… Yeah.” He continued to nod but swallowed hard. I could see it was hard for him to visit old memories, but it would be good for him to talk about it all, to see it for what it is, and not go around with anxiety the whole time.

×××

In his wardrobe, among trashed t-shirts and classic sneakers, he took out an old Converse shoe box. It looked like it had stayed with him for a while, and when I saw the shoe size text on the side of the box, I understood it must be really old or someone else's. It must have been a while since he wore size 7.

Eric sat down next to me in bed; he was in just black boxers, and I was dressed in the purple t-shirt he wore the day before. Both of us looked at the box like it was something mythical, and after he had dragged his hands over it a couple of times, he opened it. It was mostly photos in it, some birthday cards but also a toy car, an action figure I didn't know the name of, and a little Asian figurine—a man with a sword.

“So… This is my childhood.” He said it silly, like it was a joke, but I understood he did that just to cover up the other feelings. I dragged my hand over his forearm and laid my hands over his that lay in a fist with the other one in his lap, where he sat in a lotus position.

“Can I look?” I asked carefully.

“Yeah, it's nothing, nothing special,” he said with a shoulder shrug and looked away. I knew he just said that because he was awkward; both he and I knew his childhood had not been like mine.

“That's the very first picture of me. That I know of,” he said with a small smile and pointed at the picture in my hand. It was a big eyed little boy in a sweatshirt set. It looked really 90s in a washed-out green color. He stood in the middle of a living room, next to a brown leather couch and also a baby walker in light blue.

“It's… It's at my foster parents’ house. I couldn't walk yet when I came to them, so… So… So they started to teach me that.”

I crawled closer to him and looked at him with big eyes. I wanted him to feel safe with me, and when he looked at me with glassy eyes, I knew he felt that. I kissed his cheek and lips, and he breathed deeply before continuing to talk.

“I hadn't learned to say anything either, so they taught me that too. No one really knows why I was so late with everything because my biological mom, Linda, never said anything about it. I just know what Lotti and Eric, my foster parents, have told me. I was healthy and so on, or I weighed too little, but nothing that serious ehm…”

“But why did you have foster parents?” I asked carefully. It felt weird that I already knew so much but was forced to pretend. If I didn't… I didn't even want to think about what would happen if he found out that I already knew some of his history.

“Linda, my biological mother, did a few months in prison for dealing drugs, so I moved to Lotti and Eric and then continued to visit them until I was nine, and I moved there and visited Linda instead. I don't really know why it happened then,” he shrugged his shoulders. “It was a fucking hell living with her for all those years, but no one cared. More than Lotti and Eric then or… Mom and Dad, like I started to call them…”

“You can call them that; if you see them as your parents, you should call them that.”

Eric shook his head and started to look through the photos by himself until he found a picture of him with them, but also Robin. They stood outside of the house together with the parents behind the kids. It looked really arranged, and both the boys had white button-ups and black pants. It looked like they were maybe six and eight years old.

“I don't have the right to call them that anymore. This is from Eric's brother Albert's wedding, or before we went there. It was a neighbor who took the picture.” It was obvious he spoke quickly so he didn't need to talk about why he didn't call them his parents anymore, but I had my guess.

“That's Robin, their real son. Ehm…” He laughed a little and looked closer at Robin's big smile in the picture while he himself looked terrified, holding his father's hand close to his face. “He was… We had fun when we were kids. He really took care of me, but… I don't know, something changed, and I guess he wanted his parents for himself.” He said it with a shoulder shrug like it was a natural thing, even the most natural thing, like he maybe didn't have anything to do there.

“I was trash. Or was,” he laughed sarcastically and rubbed his eye. “I guess he started to get what I was. I was an addict's son. I was a prostitute's son… I came home to them smelling like filth and had bruises from my mom's Johns and ate so much I puked on their floor…” Eric looked down at the pictures he had spread out in front of him. It looked like normal family pictures, just that he was too thin when he was little, and when he got older, he had visible bruises on his limbs. I sat and looked at the pictures too, so when Eric suddenly sobbed, it came as a surprise. He bent his face into his hands and cried silently, but his shoulders bobbed. I dragged him close to me with my heart beating heavy in my chest. Fucking Robin. Fucking stupid Robin, who thought he was a victim. Who thought he got too little love?

I hushed Eric soothingly and dragged my hands through his hair until he had calmed down. He looked at me with red eyes and wiped his nose against the back of his hand.

“I get that he hated me because his parents were so nice to me… And, and I didn't deserve it because… I wasn't one of them. I'm still not one of them. I'm…” he looked at me and smiled a little. “I am white trash, a junkie, filth, and… just.. A load for everyone… Why are you even here?” He said the last sentence like it was a joke, with his tears streaming. I looked at the beautiful, kind, sensitive man in front of me and kissed his face over and over.

“Don't talk about yourself like that. You're magic. You're pure fucking magic. You are love,” I said and looked him deep in the eyes. “You're the best man I've ever met.”

×××

We laid close together, making out so deeply it felt like I was on my way to crawl inside of him. If I could, I would have. He really was the best man I've ever met. He cared so much; he listened to everything I said and always wanted to do better. Many men didn't even know what that meant. I wanted him deep inside of me, as deep as he could, and I took off my clothes quite fast, and then I dragged his boxers down too. He let me hold the rail and let me sit down slowly on his hard cock. Even if I was really wet, it was a bit of a struggle, and I made a long, dragged-out sound with both pain and pleasure. He looked at me with big eyes, and they got heavy when I finally had taken so much I could of him.

“Your pretty pussy… Never thought I would get a pussy like yours…” he said and sat up which helped me take even more of him. I could feel him stab my cervix with the head of his cock, but he didn't say anything about my little pained sound; he was used to it.

“Bad boy…” I whispered and took his head between my hands while I started to rock my hips against him. “Bad bad boy…” I moaned loudly while he had started to lift me and lower me a little, assisting me to ride him. Eric nodded a little but looked at me with big tearfilled eyes. He begged for kisses silently, and I kissed him over and over, in the rhythm of my rolling hips.

“Do you love me? Say that you love me,” he said with his softest voice. At the same time, he pushed me backwards so he could hammer his hips much faster. I moaned loudly by his fast, hard movement.

“Say that you love me,” he said with a whinier voice. He laid his hand on my mound, pushed down a bit, and let his thumb find my clit to play with.

“Yeah, yeah, I love you, Eric, I love you so so much…” I moaned and leaned back completely, letting the orgasm take over. It was true that I loved him, and I had done that even before I met him, but that I couldn't say to him. “I love you,” I said again before feeling in my toes the orgasm creeping up on me and then exploding in my sex and running through the rest of my body.

×××

As usual, I snuck away from Eric after our lovemaking to refresh and also let his seed drip out from me in a better place than under me in bed. I hoped we could continue to cuddle and talk about him, but when I came out, he stood in the hallway in running gear, and Odin was on a leash around his waist.

“He needs to pee, so we’re going out for a bit; is that okay?” He asked while Odin whined in anticipation.

“Oh, yeah, of course,” I said and walked up to him, close to his body. Eric smiled a little and lifted my chin with two fingers. It was a little sign I could stand up on my toes and get a kiss. We kissed a few times before they left me.

I went back to bed, took the Converse box again, and looked around at the pictures. The most were such ordinary family pictures you could easily miss what the pictures also told you. Little Eric held his parents hands so hard his fingertips became white, Lotti's eyes at him with worry and love. His father Eric’s protectiveness. He carried him even when he was probably a bit too old for it, but he also was quite little and thin, so it wasn't that hard.

I looked at a few pictures of him in his teens. One was a picture of him and Robin, standing in the same place they did in the picture Lotti had on her wall, but in this picture Eric maybe was fourteen and still shorter than Robin. His hair was black and laid down to his shoulders. It looked like he had then cut it in layers with the kitchen scissors. He had smeared black eyeliner around his eyes and dressed in a black hoodie. Robin stood next to him in a light blue polo shirt and a perfect side bang, as the fashion was then. They could have been brothers, but it didn't look like there was much love between them. A wall of air was between them, and neither of them smiled. There was also one more thing that made it obvious their lives weren't like brothers; Robin glowed with health, but Eric had dark rings under his eyes and cracked lips, but also, if you looked closely, you could see a faint bruise on his neck. I knew he was doing martial arts, but something told me this wasn't from that. The look in his eyes said to me things happened in his life then.

There was also a picture of him a few years later. He had stretched out then and had a neon green buzz cut. Next to him stood Lotti, pulling him down in an embrace. Eric was actually laughing in the picture. I dragged my finger over his young, happy face but also the System of a Down t-shirt he wore.

It was obvious he loved his mom Lotti so much, so that he didn't have contact with her today I couldn't understand. He looked like a Mama's boy, and on top of that, he needed so much love because he had been mistreated by others so much.

Eric needed love. I decided to do something special for my man and made myself ready to do some grocery shopping. I would do something really warm and comforting to him. A rich stew that could boil for a long time and make a playful dessert. Just when I was ready to go, Eric and Odin came in through the door, panting heavily. He looked at me a bit surprised where I stood dressed, and with makeup on, he probably expected me to have crawled down in bed again.

“Hey, where are you going? It’s just nine o’clock?”

“I must fix it for dinner tonight,” I said with a little secret smile. Eric looked at me with a broad smile.

“Yeah?” He dried his face with the edge of his t-shirt so I could see his abs. He didn't do it on purpose, but I couldn't stop myself from staring.

“Mm,” I looked up at him, distracted by his body. He nodded a little.

“Do you want help? I just need to shower,” he said in that sweet way he always did. I didn't want to think it, but I did; I could understand why he was Lotti's favorite son.

“I can handle it.”

“Okay, but call otherwise.”

I nodded with a little smile. I walked up to him to touch his lips with mine again and let the scent of his sweat engulf me. I loved his smell, even his sweat, and felt the butterflies in my belly get intoxicated by it. He could drive me crazy without even trying.

×××

“Okay, I need your help!” I said on the phone, panting loudly. It had become far too heavy, with wine bottles and flour and other heavy items. With my bad shoulders, I hadn't succeeded in carrying it for so long.

“Of course, baby. Did you take the regular way?” He said it sweetly, and I could hear him getting ready in the background.

“Yeah, I'm by that Chinese restaurant.”

“Okay, I'm coming as fast as I can.”

Even if Eric could overthink what others thought about him, he could also do things that made people react. His impulses were not always the best, and this time it had made him go out without a shirt. I saw people looking at him when he came walking with long strides. He had a pair of washed-out black Adidas sweatpants and high-top Vans in the same color. His skin was still shiny from sweat, and his hair stood in all directions.

“Where is your shirt?” I said with a smirk while an older lady stared at his badly done tattoos.

“I was working out, and it was too hot to put one on… Didn't expect people would react to it…” He looked around a little anxiously but lowered his eyes to the shopping bags to be able to ignore people's judging eyes.

“Why did you shop so much?”

“I'm going to make a chocolate cake!” I said happily and made him look up at me with a smile.

“You know I don't eat such things,” he said teasingly.

“Mhm, I'm going to force you. You need some chocolate in your life.” He laughed and stood up, moving closer to me so I could press my body against his. I could feel he didn't have any underwear on but that I had registered already; it was hard to hide for him. He kissed me deeply, and just like he usually did, I also forgot the people around us and made out erotically in the middle of the street with him. I touched his sweaty body with deep desire and even thought about being mean by dragging my hand over his crotch.

“Della?” I heard Demi say next to us, and for a moment I thought I had just imagined it until she said my name again. Eric released my lips with a smack, and the both of us looked at my sister and her two daughters instead. Demi just looked at Eric up and down. His clammy skin, the awful tattoos, and his sweaty hair. His sweatpants sat way too low, and the bulge in them was exposed way too much. God. God. Oh god. Why now?

“Hey, hey. I'm, I'm Eric,” he said nervously and put out a hand towards Demi, a hand she didn't take, instead, she looked at me.

“I think we should continue to our brunch with some friends,” she said and looked at me with disappointment in her eyes. Her daughters stared at Eric like he was a part of the circus, and in his discomfort, he scratched the back of his head and at the same time exposed the dark hair in his armpit. Demi gave him a fast look and then a pointed gaze at me. In the corner of my eyes, I could see that Eric noticed her judging eyes, and he lowered his gaze, starting to move around the bags like he searched for the handles. I looked at Demi hurt, but she didn't seem to care.

“We should go now. Bye,” said she and steered her daughters forward.

“Bye…” I said lowly but cared more about my boyfriend at that moment. I didn't even want to think about the awful anxiety my sister must have given him.

We walked in silence home, Eric with a low gaze. I more or less just watched him. I could feel his anxiety scream and knew he now felt everyone else's judging looks too.

“Is it okay if I just take a smoke?” He said when we came in through the door. Odin stood close to him, and Eric caressed his ear lovingly.

“Yeah, of course.”

He took the first best jacket he could find, his long coat, and then jumped out from the window, out to the roof. I knew now he had the roof to a lower part of the building just outside of the window, and he walked out to the edge and sat down with his legs hanging down the ledge of the five-story house. I hated when he did that. It scared me looking at him sitting so close to his death. I wondered if he thought about suicide when he sat there or if he just fantasized about needles. I understood he had done stupid things in life to silence the demon from his past, but by doing that he had new demons. He wanted life to change, but every time he felt mistreated, he took that as a sign he would always be the same guy. I looked at him sitting on the edge, dressed in black, with Crow sitting not far from him. Once again, he looked like something from a dream, and I couldn't stop myself from thinking that maybe there was something strange with him. Odin whined next to me, obviously missing his daddy, and I patted him comfortingly. Eric's anxiety affected us all, and I knew I would do everything to make it go away.

×××

I didn't make a chocolate cake; it wasn't the right moment, but I made my stew, and he ate with appetite, but he was much more quiet. He was still as polite and thanked me for a lovely dinner, but other than that, he seemed to just have his own thoughts as company. I was so angry at Demi and sent her several angry messages about how awful she had treated him, but she didn't even answer. He lay on top of the bed with Odin next to him. His speaker played Emma Ruth Rundle, and between his lips was a joint. I stood and looked at him in silence. This was the worst part of being with him. He should have probably been with a girl more like him, not a middle class girl with a perfect balayage.

I crawled up next to him and laid my cheek on his naked chest. He had showered now and just had on sweatpants now too, another pair of black ones but with a red calligraphy text along one of the legs.

“I'm sorry about my sister… It's she who is awful. She judges everyone so hard.”

It wasn't really true; I had just noticed it when it came to addicts and criminals. Eric just nodded a little and took a deep toke. I looked at him and the joint between his tattooed fingers. I know it wasn't good that he treated his anxiety with another drug, but I didn't dare to tell him that; maybe he would do something even more stupid then. With weed, I know where I had him.

“I'm sorry…” I said again and snuggled into his neck. Eric smiled calmly and looked at me with heavy eyes.

“It's okay…” He patted my cheek softly but then leaned back against the pillow again and took one more drag. I didn't really trust his words and felt a worry spread in me. I couldn't go back to ignorant, narcissistic men after being with a guy like Eric. I looked at him and dragged my hand over his chest and down over his stomach. He was so perfect. I looked at his face when I dragged the palm of my hand over his crotch. I succeeded in making him breathe even deeper, and he smirked a little when he started to grow under my hand. With a bit of help from him, I pulled down the sweatpants, so he lay completely naked in front of me. I didn't care that he had weird tattoos, I just saw him. That wonderful soul and his amazing body. I crawled down between his legs and looked at his cock closely. It was so beautiful, and I saw it as a pleasure to take him in my mouth. He moaned deeply when I deep throated him at once, and I felt his hand push my head down a bit deeper. He was braver when he smoked, as I've noticed before, and soon he fucked my mouth deeply. He stopped when he heard me being in some sort of distress, but when I took him again, he continued. He grunted loudly, and when he came, he did it without warning. It wasn't on purpose, more that it came so suddenly he wasn't even prepared for it, but I drank his cum like it was the wine from the holy grail and licked my lips so nothing would go to waste.

×××

I thought the weed and the blowjob would be enough. I thought I could push away the childhood demons I had forced him to talk about, and I thought it would make my sister's judging eyes mean nothing, but I was wrong. I had fallen asleep on his chest after we had made out some after I had gone down on him. He had fallen asleep quite fast, but now I could hear that he was awake. He didn't lay in bed, and I looked towards the window to see if he had a nightly visit from Crow again, but instead I saw him sitting on the couch, and I felt a hard stab in my sternum. He sat with his belt tied around his arm, tightening it harder and harder around his upper arm. I could hear him moan between his sobs. I tried to see if he had a syringe, but he didn't; he just sat and tightened the belt like he had one. I cried silently and laid my hands over my mouth so he wouldn't hear my sobs, even if I believed he was too far gone in his anxiety to hear. He continued for a while, but it clearly wasn't enough, and I saw him remove the belt from his arm to his neck. When he started to tighten the belt and I understood what he was doing, I acted on impulse.

“No, no, no, no, no!” I screamed through my tears, jumped up from bed, and harshly pulled off the belt that had started to block his breathing. Eric coughed through his anxious breathing, and I took his face in my hands.

“Why are you doing this?? Why are you doing this??” I screamed but didn't get an answer; he just cried hysterically. I hugged him hard against my chest, and after a few minutes of lying there, he had started to breathe in the same rhythm as my heart. The heart he owned. I led him to bed and let him crawl close to me under the covers, and I breathed as calmly as I could to help him breathe the same way. It took some time before he fell asleep, but when he did, he slept hard and laid heavy against me. While he was sleeping, I lifted the cover to look at his arm, where a deep imprint of the belt could be seen; it would probably become bruised. Then I looked at his neck carefully and could see marks even there—marks I recognized from one of the pictures. This was nothing new for him. He had self-harmed for more than half of his life. I looked at his sleeping face. I would do anything to heal him, just like Lotti and Eric had, the question was if I could.

×××

We lay close together with our foreheads against each other and breathed in each other's air. We hadn't talked yet that day, but there wasn't much to say either. I wouldn't pressure him to talk; it wouldn't lead to anything good. The important thing was that he wanted to be with me and now seemed okay. I dragged my fingertips through his hair, feeling the different length through my fingers.

“I love you,” he whispered and looked me deep in my eyes. His eyes were full of love, even if they looked exhausted.

“I love you too. Maybe even, most in the entire world,” I said and dragged my nails down over his neck. Eric smiled a little blushy but then looked down.

“I know you must go home today, but… Can't you stay here with me? One more night? I don't want to be alone…” He whispered in shame.

I looked at the place on his upper arm where a bruise started to form, and I nodded without thinking more than that Eric needed me.

“Of course. Of course, baby.”

He looked at me with big, thankful eyes and then kissed my lips innocently.

When he took Odin on his morning walk, I prepared myself to call Desiree and tell her Eric had become sick and I needed to care for him. It wasn't often a grown man needed to get care at home, so I prepared myself for questions. I also had mixed feelings about letting Eric go out with Odin. Just a few hours ago I had seen him strangle himself with a belt, and it didn't feel safe at all to leave him alone, but I couldn't decide that, and I knew Odin was good for him.

I took a deep breath to talk to Desiree but didn't get the response I had thought. She gave me a fast “okay” because she wanted to get to another part of the conversation.

“Demi said she had met you two out,” she said, nosily. “You should hear how she described him!” She said it with a laugh. I didn't say anything because I expected Desiree to be like Demi, but…

"God, is she a hundred years old? Who doesn’t have tattoos these days? Even on the face! Shit, what an old hag she is!” She joked with a laugh, so I laughed too, with relief.

“Can't you bring him here? We want to meet him! You haven't had a dude in ages!” I laughed a little unsure until I thought about what she had said.

“‘We’?”

“Yes! All of us at the salon. Demi said he has an interesting haircut too!”

I didn't really hear what she said in the end because I just thought about Robin. My best friend. He didn't feel like my best friend anymore after hearing Eric talk about him. It was strange, but Eric had so quickly become the most important person in my life, and anyone who hurt him also hurt me. But I wanted Eric to meet the girls. Even if he wasn't what people expected, I was proud of him; people just needed to give him a chance. He was a dream; so sweet, caring, and trustworthy. Silly and playful. If they gave him an honest chance, like it sounded like they would, they would see he was the right guy for me. I got an idea that maybe wouldn't work at all, but it felt like I needed to try. I wanted to have a real relationship with Eric, and I wanted him to meet my friends and family.

“Halloween maybe?”

I knew Robin would go away then, to celebrate with other friends.

“That's perfect! Meeting your spooky boyfriend on halloween!” Said she with a giggle. I laughed too, even if I was nervous as hell. It was just in two weeks, and I hoped Eric would be ready for that.

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